Page 43 of The Storms Between Us
thirty-five
Everettand I pushed our bikes to their fucking limit, but we made it to Durham in record time. We turn off the engines and idle closer to the apartment so the rumble of the pipes doesn’t announce our arrival. I spot Ember’s Jeep parked in front of the building and my already rushing adrenaline spikes to an all-time high. My woman is in there facing god knows what and I have to get to her.
“What’s our plan here, Elijah?” Everett says beside me.
“Just give me a second to think,” I say, dialing Breaker’s number.
“I’ve got eyes inside,” he says, answering on the first ring. “I can at least see all the elevators and hallways.”
“Can you patch it through to my phone?” I ask, my voice sounding hopeful for once today.
“I’m sending you a link now. I’ll keep it scanning through each corridor until you tell me where to stop,” he says, hanging up as my phone beeps with his incoming message.
I pull up the camera and look through the feed with Everett. “Do you know which unit they’re in?” I ask him.
“316. It’s right around the corner from the elevator, so we should be able to find some cover if we need it,” he says. We both make sure we have one in the chamber before we head inside and up the stairs. With each flight of stairs, my heart beats faster and faster. Adrenaline floods my system and tunnel vision kicks in. All I can see is one step in front of me, my feet carrying me towards Ember. I don’t want to think about any other scenario than the one that ends with her in my arms. I’ll do whatever it takes to get her and our baby out of here untouched.
We make it to the third floor, and the door to the apartment is right around the corner. More than anything, I want to rush through the door and sweep her out of there. But I know that’s more dangerous than making a plan and doing this tactfully. I pull Ev to a stop at the edge of the wall next to the door so we can figure out a way to make this clean.
“We can’t go in there guns blazing, Everett,” I tell him, seeing the anger barely under control in his eyes.
“Just let me kill this motherfucker, Eli. The world won’t miss him,” he says, the malice clear in his voice.
“Everett, your sister is pregnant,” I make sure he sees the truth in my eyes and understands the magnitude of the situation. He stills, staring directly into my eyes, but his mind is somewhere else. I don’t know if it’s shock or something else making him react this way, but I don’t have time to find out. I didn’t want him to find out like this, but I need him to know there’s so much more at stake here than just us. He gives me one sharp nod, motioning for me to take the lead. I round the corner and knock on the door, quickly pulling back out of the line of sight if Justin should check the peephole. I just need him to crack the door. Once we’re in, I know we can get the upper hand on this son of a bitch.
Every second that passes feels like an eternity. It’s like time is moving in slow motion. My skin is crawling with nervous anticipation as I clench and unclench my empty hand. My grip tightens around my pistol as I hear footsteps approaching the door. It cracks open a tiny bit and I see the security chain is still latched. I see Justin’s beady eye peering through the crack, and I jump into action. I slam my boot into the center of the door, kicking with all the power I can manage. The chain snaps and I hear a sharp crack as the door connects with his skull. I hear him let out a pained howl, but we don’t hesitate. Everett and I both rush through the doorway with our guns drawn. I see him lying on the floor behind the door with blood pouring from his nose, but his hand still has a firm grip on his weapon. Shocking, since I literally knocked him on his ass. He immediately aims it at my chest and fires, but I’m able to dodge in time. I launch my body on top of him, trying to wrestle the gun out of his hand. I hear it clatter to the ground and slide away from us. His legs flail around as he attempts to kick out from under me, but I’ve got at least a hundred pounds on him. I think I’ve got him under control, but he places a perfectly timed kick to the side of my knee and I lose my grip on him for just a moment. He scurries quickly to the side of the room to grab the gun as I stumble to my feet.
I hear a scream coming from the bedroom and I don’t think. I just run. As I sprint down the hall towards the bedroom, I hear another shot ring out and feel something burn across my neck and cheek, but I don’t stop. I hear two more shots and the thump of something hitting the floor and I just pray it isn’t Everett. I rush through the doorway to find my girl sitting on her ass against a dirty mattress, her hands covered in blood as she holds a rag against Kelsea’s right hip. Black spots dance in front of my vision and I know I’ve taken a pretty bad hit.
“Ember,” is all I can manage before I feel my muscles start to give out. My shoulder slumps against the doorway as the adrenaline wears off and searing pain pushes through. I feel something warm and wet pouring down the side of my face and onto my shoulder, but my arms are too heavy to reach up. I see Ember’s beautiful emerald eyes connect with mine and I breathe a sigh of relief. My body feels tingly and sluggish as I slide my back down the nearest wall.
“Elijah!” I hear her scream, her voice sounding shrill and terrified. I can’t reach her. I can’t move at all. The edges of my vision blur and darken. A hazy figure rushes into the room, coming to my side and holding something against my head. But I can’t hold on anymore. I hear someone talking next to me, but I can’t understand what they’re saying.
Ember’s delicate face fills my sight for a second, then everything fades to black.
