[Hailey]
When we got back, I was still on a high from the amazing holiday we'd had. Lucy had asked me to help her with one of her design projects for a new clothing line, so I was helping her with that when a note came through the letterbox in red letters.
"You will pay? What does that mean?" Lucy asked. She showed Nathan the note, but he reassured her that it was probably a prankster issuing an empty threat. They'd had that kind of thing before.
The following week, I accompanied Lucy as she went to drop off a creation at a client's home.
"It looks like no one lives here" I commented.
"True, but this is the address. I'll try knocking."
She went towards the door to knock, and as she did, the front of the house exploded, sending us both back several meters.
"Lucy? Are you alright?"
"Yes! How about you?"
"I'm fine. What was that?"
"No idea."
The boys were worried about us when they found out what had happened. They told the police about the note, and it seemed that someone was out to get us.
"We should probably lie low for a while" Nathan suggested. We left the shared house and all of us stayed at our own places while the police investigated. I had hope they'd find something, but nothing came up.
"Do you think it was a fluke?" Lucy asked. "Two coincidences?"
"Those are two pretty big coincidences."
I had a feeling something was going on, which was confirmed by what happened next.
One evening I was hanging out at the boys' place when a letter came through the mailbox. All that was written inside was "a friend in need is a friend indeed." I was immediately suspicious as I remembered the threatening letter Lucy had received and the explosion we had both been a victim of.
A friend in need? What could that mean? Someone was probably in danger. My mind went straight to Jay. "I hope I'm wrong..." I muttered as I grabbed my phone and rushed out the door.
Using my phone to track him, I ended up in front of an abandoned school. Jay's phone was lying in front of it, but there was no sign of him.
"Jay?" I called as I searched through the hallways. I kept looking until I heard a suspicious noise in a dark hallway, causing me to tiptoe. Taking off my shoe, I raised it above my head in preparation to hit the other person with it, but before I could they turned on the lights.
"Jay?! Oh my goodness you scared me!"
I was momentarily relieved until I noticed Jay's red eyes from crying. As I took in the sight of him, I noticed he was wearing a bulky black vest.
"Run Hailey", he pleaded, opening the vest. "It's a bomb."
*
"Calm down Jay, I'll get this off you." I examined the bomb and thought quickly. "How did this happen?"
"I got a text which I thought was from you to come here. Next thing I know I wake up with this thing on and no way of calling for help. I thought I would die here alone."
"You won't, I'm here now" I smiled.
I quickly called the detective on our case. "No time for questions, just pass me the bomb squad."
"Have you seen if there's any way to remove it?"
"There isn't."
I described the bomb to the person on the other end and hoped there was something I could do.
"Hmmm in a case like this, I'd say I'm 80% sure you should cut the red cord."
"Wait."
Jay put his hand on mine. "You should go Hailey, I don't want you to die if things go wrong."
"I'm not leaving you here like this Jay. Everything will be fine, remember I don't want to die either." I hugged Jay as best I could then located the red cord.
"Tell my family and friends I love them."
"We will."
"And Hailey? I love you too."
"So do I."
"Thanks for always being there for me."
I held Jay's hand and cut the cord. Thankfully, nothing happened.
"We made it!" I smiled. Jay smiled broadly and kissed me on the lips, surprising me.
"I owe you a big one."
"I'm just happy you're alive."
We embraced as the police entered the building.
While this was happening, Nathan got assaulted by two guys when he was out in town. That made us a priority to the police, who put the boys and Lucy in a safe house. I continued to work because they were unsure that I was even a target.
I was sleeping soundly one night when I heard a knock at the door. I thought I was dreaming but it happened again.
"Let us in quickly Hailey" Max said. The boys were at my door.
"It's four in the morning."
"We need to crash here tonight."
"Weren't you guys in a safe house?"
"We got another note."
I let them in and immediately started sorting the sleeping arrangements. I didn't have a guest room, but I did have a bed couch, so I set that up for Nathan and Lucy. Tom and Siva had gone elsewhere with their wives, leaving me with the others.
"Um Hailey?" Jay came to see me in my room.
"Yes?"
"You didn't set anything up for me."
Max had already received my only blow-up mattress.
"Oh yeah, um..." I scratched my head and tried to think about it for a moment, but I was too exhausted. "Just stay here with me."
He nodded and began taking off his clothes as I got back into bed. He slipped in soon afterwards dressed only in his boxers.
"Goodnight" he whispered.
"Night Jay."
The next day, we started to make a plan.
"We need to get out of here for a while. The police can't keep us safe while they investigate."
"So you're suggesting just running off?"
"Something like that until we figure out what's going on."
They agreed to do that together and already had places in mind.
"Come with us Hailey."
"Why? I'm not a target."
"We're not sure of that. You did almost die after all."
Jay had a point. "Well when you put it that way...But what about my job?"
"We'll arrange something."
Despite the fact that we were going into hiding, we informed the police of our plans. They arranged things for me with my workplace and landlord.
We did our best to hide in improvised safe houses, but somehow the person who was after us seemed to always know where we were. I figured that it was someone who knew how to track us on our phones, so we had to stop using them.
Nathan got poisoned at one point, but we were able to get him help on time.
One morning, I noticed that Jay was missing. He'd been abducted and a note had been left giving us clues to find him and a time limit to do so.
"I think I know where he is!" I exclaimed when I put two and two together. "He's buried in the football field!"
I dropped to the ground and began digging with my bare hands, eventually finding Jay in the mud. His hand shot up and gripped onto mine for dear life as we rescued him together.
After that incident I took care of Jay. I washed the mud out of his hair as he looked out into space, probably still stunned by what had happened. My guess was that he'd been drugged and put there. Whoever was after us definitely had help.
"How are you feeling?" I asked Jay after I'd finished with his hair. He was lying down in a bathtub as I took care of him.
He shrugged. "I don't know."
"That's understandable."
I didn't need to say much to him. He only needed my presence to feel reassured, at least I hoped.
At night, we all slept side by side in a room for warmth. Jay was lightly shaking next to me, to the point where I nudged him.
"Are you cold?" I whispered. He didn't answer. His breathing became shallower and he sat up, clutching at his chest and gasping for air. It seemed he was having a panic attack.
"Try to breathe slowly Jay, I'm here. It's a panic attack."
I stayed breathing with him for what felt like a long time before it subsided. I tentatively went to hug him and he practically crushed me into a hug.
"I thought I was dying."
"You know I wouldn't let that happen."
He closed his eyes and rested his head on mine. I could feel the frenzied rhythm of his heart beginning to match mine. I wanted to hold him like that forever and tell him that everything would be okay and take him away from all of this.
"I'd like this to be over now" I whispered. "I want to go home."
"So do I."
We kept up our embrace even as we lay down to sleep.
By the next day, I had a plan to speed up the process of wrapping this up: I wrote a note to whoever was after us. I wanted them to come out into the open to show themselves so that we could face the problem and settle it. Not everyone thought that was a good idea though, especially Max.
"That was reckless Hailey! You have no idea how dangerous this guy is!"
"At least I'm doing something! I'm not going to hide for the rest of my life. I'd rather die with dignity."
Max huffed. "We never should have taken you."
"I never should have come. This is your problem, not mine. Maybe I'll just go home instead of wasting my time listening to you."
I took my stuff and went out to another building nearby to be alone. Jay sheepishly followed a little while later, bringing a can of soup with him.
"Peace offering?"
"I'm not angry at you Jay."
"Max regrets what he said."
"I'll bet he does. I don't."
"I don't want you to leave. I need you."
"I know." I smiled and touched Jay's face. "Let me change into my nightwear."
He turned around as I undressed and then we shared the can of soup. The sun was going down, so we made up a bed and laid down.
"Hailey?"
"Yes?"
"When all of this is over, will you go on a date with me?"
"Sure."
"Ah thank goodness" he sighed with relief. "Could have been really awkward!"
"Why would I say no?"
He smiled at me and kissed me, both of us feeling happy in each other's embrace.