Page 14 of Deception

8

Gunfire erupted just as Bri turned off the cold water. They’d found her.

Frantically, she looked for a place to hide.Out of order.It was her only hope. Not wasting a second, she slipped inside the stall with the sign on it and slid the lock in place before she hopped up on the rim of the toilet.

The outside door scraped open. Bri’s heart beat so hard she was certain the person could hear it. She didn’t dare breathe.

The door in the next stall slammed against the wall. She clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. The door to her stall shook. If the lock didn’t hold, she had only one choice and prepared to tackle the assailant.

Instead, the outside door scraped open again. She waited, expecting the person to return. When a motor fired up and tires screeched away, she almost fainted with relief. Ignoring her trembling legs, Bri climbed off the toilet and rushed outside. Dani lay facedown in front of the building.

She sank beside her. Blood. So much blood. “Please don’t be dead.”

Tears streamed down Bri’s face. She had to get help ... her phone—she could use it to call 911. She slipped it out of her jeans pocket. Only one bar. What if the call didn’t go through? With shaky fingers, she punched in 911.

“What is your emergency?”

The operator’s voice sounded broken. “My friend. She’s been shot. I ... she might be dead!”

“What ... location?”

Bri pressed her hand to her head. Where were they? “The Natchez Trace! Coles Creek. We stopped at the first restroom.”

“—On the line ... sending help—”

When the phone fell silent, Bri looked at the screen to see if the operator had disconnected. No. It looked like they were still connected. She sucked in a breath of air.

The phone came to life again. “Still there?”

“Yes!”

“Assistance is on the way, but I need you to check your friend for a pulse.”

Suddenly the call was clear. “H-how do I do that?”

“Which is easier to access? Her neck or wrist?”

“She’s facedown and blood is everywhere!” Bri’s voice ended in a wail.

“Okay. I need you to stay calm. My name is Gloria. What’s yours?”

How could she stay calm when Dani looked like she was dead? Bri shuddered a breath and told Gloria her first name.

“And your friend, what’s her name?”

“D-Dani...” What did she say her last name was? Bri had only half listened when the counselor in New Orleans had introduced them.

“Okay, Bri, let’s try her wrist,” the operator said. “Can you place your index and middle finger on the inside just below her thumb?”

Bri scooted over to where she could cradle Dani’s hand in her own. It was so still. Hesitantly, she placed the fingers Gloria instructed her to use against Dani’s wrist. “Okay...”

“Can you feel a pulse?”

“No! All I can feel is a bone! She’s dead!”

“You’re too high. Move down an inch, maybe two.”

She moved her fingers and caught her breath. “I feel something!”

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