Free as a Jailbird

Chapter 60

He meets my eyes and they go wide with fear. He fights against Garcia's men but they hold him steady, throwing them both to the floor just steps from where I'm hanging.

"He has to be one of them," says Lurker.

Garcia looks at me. He's trying to figure out which one I love. I can't hide my emotions but I try my hardest not to look at either of them. The other cop is older than Nick with side-cut blond hair. He looks worse than Nick does. I close my eyes and feel the tears try to squeeze out of them.

"Jess," says Garcia. "Open your eyes."

I don't.

I hear a man groan in pain and look through blurry eyes at the blond cop as he rolls on the floor, clutching his stomach. I try hard to keep a poker face. But then Garcia points the gun at Nick. He bravely stares down the barrel as if daring it to try. My heart feels like it's going to leap up into my throat and fall out.

With an evil smile, Garcia cocks the hammer.

I can't help it. It's instinct. I suck in a breath.

Garcia's grin widens. "This is the infamous cop you've been seeing, is it not?"

I shake my head.

"I don't appreciate liars Jess. I will kill him."

"It's him," I spit out. It's like my mouth won't cooperate with my common sense.

"Jess," says Nick softly and he lowers his head.

"That's better," says Garcia. Then he swings his arm and shoots the blond cop right between the eyes. He falls sideways and his head cracks on the concrete.

Nick shouts a name I don't hear and leaps to his feet, ready to charge at Garcia. Lurker and another man hold him back.

"Nick, is it?" Garcia says as he walks slowly toward him. "Tell me ... were you aware that the entire time your girlfriend was dating you, she was also planning to assassinate me?"

Nick looks from Garcia to me. I shouldn't feel guilty, we've broken up. I've already hurt him enough. But the pain in his eyes tears me apart more than any wrench, scalpel or burning iron ever could.

"If she succeeded," Garcia continues. "You would have to arrest her, wouldn't you Nick?"

Nick says nothing. His jaw is grinding left and right.

"I expect that would be a striking sense of dejavu. First you turn your father in, then you arrest your murdering girlfriend. Not having much luck in the relationship department, are you? Maybe you're more like Diablo than you realize."

Nick tries to rip himself away from the large men holding him. He spits on Garcia and receives a nasty punch to the face from Lurker.

"Alright, here's what's going to happen next." Garcia wipes the spit from his suit and straightens his tie. "I'm going to shoot Nick in his pretty little head–"

"No!" I scream. "Please, don't–"

"Shh!" he snaps. "I'm going to shoot him, Jess. Then I'm going to call the police and give the gun to you. I'll remain here as a witness so that the cops know who to arrest-" He points a finger at me, in case that wasn't fucking clear. "Then you'll go to prison for the murder of two very noble policemen. It shouldn't take too long – there are still cops around the place. Sound like a plan?"

I actually feel like vomiting. I'm going to end up in prison not for the murder of a murderer, but for the murder of the love of my life. Morrison is going to hell for this.

"Dad, wait."

We all turn to Danny. His father has both eyebrows raised in shock.

"What is it, son?"

Danny has sweat on his upper lip and I can tell there's an internal war going on in his mind. "Well technically Jess didn't do anything wrong. Does she really deserve this?"

Garcia lowers the gun and turns toward his son. "Did your mother deserve a bullet in her skull?"

"Mom killed herself. She had nothing to do with it," he says softly and points to me.

"That's where you're wrong. Because if your mother didn't kill herself, Jess would have gone ahead with her mission. I would be dead right now instead of talking to you. And your mother ... she would be dead within a few months, leaving you and your sister as orphans. Does she deserve this now, Danny?"

Danny shuts his mouth. He lowers his head and nods.

"I thought so." Garcia turns back to Nick. "Now I'm rather bored, let's get this over with."

I can't do this. I can't watch. I squeeze my eyes shut again.

"Jess, your eyes need to be open for this."

I shake my head.

He moves toward me. His footsteps crunch over the plastic. I feel his dry fingers clasp my chin again.

"Open your eyes."

"No."

"OPEN THEM!" he screams.

I take a deep breath and let my eyes peel open. All I can see is Garcia's malicious face.

"Go fuck yourself," I mouth.

Anger boils inside Garcia's eyes like lava from the crater of a volcano. He turns. He raises the gun. Then the sound of a bullet rips through the silent warehouse.

Nick doesn't move. He doesn't drop dead.

The guard next to him does.

A second bullet is fired and the third guard drops to the floor. Garcia steps away from me, his head twitching in every direction, trying to find where the bullets are coming from. Nick keeps very still, as does Danny.

"Alright," says Garcia. His tone is casual but there's a small pinch of fear in it. "Whoever you are, you can come out of the shadows and finish this fight like a real man."

I hear laughter coming from the dark warehouse somewhere to my left. And then the killer does emerge, my M-16 raised and ready to fire.

"You wouldn't know a real man, Garcia, if he bent you over and butt-fucked you to hell and back."

Todd.Always knows how to make an entrance.