It was the end for me. I had taken a gamble and I had failed. I failed Richie and I failed Ellie and I failed everyone else that relied on me.
We reached the ally’s entrance and they shoved me inside.
“Down on your knees,” one goon said.
I dropped to my knees. I was going to die in some filthy alley.
Unless . . .
“How much does she cost?” I asked suddenly.
There was a pause.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” one goon answered.
I turned my head and grinned back at him. “How much does your mom cost? I hear she’s a fantastic lay, and I could use it right now.”
He cocked his fist back and slammed it into my jaw, knocking me forward. I let out a small gasp of pain, but I forced it back and laughed instead.
“Jesus, this guy is crazy,” I heard the one goon mumble.
They grabbed me roughly by the back and pulled me to my knees. I looked down at the other end of the alleyway. Come on Leary . . .
“Any last words, asshole?”
“Make sure you tell your mother that I’ll miss her.”
The one goon stifled a laugh, and I felt a hard steel barrel press against the back of my head. Cold horror flooded through my chest. I hadn’t stalled long enough, or maybe he hadn’t seen us leave the field, or a million other things could have gone wrong and I really was going to get a bullet to my skull. It’s hard to really imagine your death, to really accept it, even when it’s about to happen to you.
Suddenly, I heard the screeching of tires, and a car swung itself into the other end of the alleyway.
“What the fuck—” the one goon said as I dove forward.
The gun went off, missing my head but clipping my shoulder. Hot pain lanced up my skin and arm as I scrambled forward, another shot ringing out and missing me. I dove behind a dumpster.
“Get the fucking asshole,” the goon yelled.
The car at the other end of the alley came barreling down toward us. I saw Leary’s wild face, grinning like an insane person as he pressed his arm out the window and began to fire shots at the two goons. They scattered, finding cover in doorways.
I stuck my head up. “Leary!” I yelled.
The car came to a halt in front of me as Leary continued to fire wildly at the two goons. I dove at the car, tearing the back door open and shoving myself inside as the goons figured out what was happening and began to return fire.
“Drive, mother fucker!” I called out as Leary barreled forward once again.
The goons shoved themselves back to avoid getting hit by the car as Leary flew out toward the other end of the alley, car practically scraping the dumpsters, the whole body shaking on its suspension. I could hear bullets panging against the doors. The two goons followed us, firing wildly, breaking the back window but missing Leary as the car flew out into the field, kicking dirt and dust up in the air. Leary accelerated through the dying brown grass, hit the curb, and swung the car back out into the street. The goons were chasing us, running as fast as they could, but they were too far away to hit the car with any accuracy as Leary flung us forward again. I could smell burning rubber as he floored it, as seconds later we were cruising away from the scene and out into traffic.
“Took you long enough,” I said, sitting up.
“That was fucking amazing!” Leary was laughing and his eyes were wild.
I couldn’t help but grin, despite the pain in my arm. “Yeah, it was actually pretty intense. Except for, you know, me almost fucking dying.”
“Holy shit, did you see me back there?”
“Yeah, I saw you. Hey, you need to take me to your doctor.”
His face got serious as he looked at me in the rearview mirror. “How bad?”
“Flesh wound, not bad. But I’m bleeding.”
“Don’t get blood on my upholstery, dick.”
I sighed. “Just drive.”
Leary laughed wildly again, and I couldn’t help but grin at him as I applied pressure to my wound. It wasn’t that bad, and I’d definitely survive it, but I was going to need stitches at least.
I couldn’t believe that stupid plan had worked. Leary had been hiding nearby, the engine of his car running, ready to come get me if there was any trouble. And he had showed up at just the right time with just the right amount of crazy.
I sat back, adrenaline coursing through my body as Leary drove us to his back-alley doctor, some dude who would stitch me up quietly for some cash. I couldn’t believe that I was alive.
But I also had to face the fact that I was out of options.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Ellie
The first thing I saw when Liam came in through the front door was the blood streaked down his left shoulder.
The second thing I saw was the grinning weirdo that followed him in.