Page 59 of Death Match

The group followed, catching up with her instantly. They seized her by the arms, and though she struggled and fought against their holds, there were too many of them to win.

Fear pierced my chest. Was this it? Was this how I died? By these punks?

Definitely not how I wanted to go.

That’s when the thundering of more sneakers against the blacktop sounded, and another group of men appeared, sprinting down the street toward the commotion. Six guys, from the looks of it, and just as big and intimidating as the others.

They clashed with Gerald’s guys. Fists flew, men were tossed about.

Somehow, living-Jade had ended up on the ground with her messenger bag covering her face.

The kid from the Mini-mart, Ricky, was there suddenly, tugging her to stand. She swung at him at first, but when she saw his face, she scrambled to her feet, leaving the bag behind, and let him pull her to the other side of the street.

The gray clouds crept along the ground as living-Jade and Ricky ran down the sidewalk, away from the commotion, telling me I had to follow to continue the memory. I rushed after them.

Glancing over my shoulder, I watched as the silver mist rolled over the brawl, swallowing the building, street, and men up as Jade’s memory changed focus.

But before we could get too far, the loud boom of a gunshot rang out.

Ricky and living-Jade didn’t slow. Didn’t even peer over their shoulders. Just ran for their lives. I stayed close behind, my own fear squeezing my lungs and making my head spin. Their movements didn’t seem inhibited in anyway, which told me it wasn’t either of them who had been shot. Thank God.

Suddenly, Ricky turned off, yanking Jade into a dirty, smelly alleyway between two buildings. I thought he’d at least slow down here or break for a rest, but he kept going. He must have known a place they could go that was safe, that the others didn’t know about. When they reached a fence, Ricky climbed up it in two steps, and then reached down to help living-Jade up. With his assistance, they made it over together.

As for me, I only needed to phase through, like I did most things while in spirit form. Since I wasn’t actually “here,” the same rules seemed to apply.

Ricky and Jade ran over to a shack in the property’s small, square backyard and squeezed themselves behind it and another fence. After a good five minutes of tense waiting, Ricky’s head peeked out to make sure they weren’t being followed.

They weren’t.

Cautiously, the two stepped out of their hiding place, chests heaving.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” Ricky asked behind breaths, taking a step back so he could quickly scan her for new wounds.

Jade shook her head. Her face was pale, but her cheeks were red with exhaustion.

Ricky spotted her torn jacket sleeve and reached for it. Jade jerked away.

“I’m fine,” she snapped out of reflex but then eased her tone some. “My jacket’s done-for, but that’s it.”

He swallowed roughly and glanced back at the alleyway.

Living-Jade rubbed a hand over her face, her body still tense with anxiety. “Please tell me those were your buddies from the restaurant and not…”

His knowing look said it all.

Jade glanced around nervously. “Fuck, Ricky. I told you I wanted no part in the Knights.”

“And it’s a good thing I did call them,” he snapped back. “Those douchebags had you on the ropes, Jade.”

“I had it handled.”

Boy, was that a lie. I had seen it myself. If Ricky and his gang hadn’t showed, things would have definitely ended differently.

Ricky didn’t seem convinced either.

“I broke that guy’s nose, didn’t I?” Jade pointed out.

“Yeah, but it’s always good to have some back up. Why do you think Yonny and his thugs travel in a group?” He held up his hands, exasperated. “It’s a dog-eat-dog world out here, Jade. Every man for himself in the Heights.”

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