I clutched the back of Rayner's soaked t-shirt for dear life. My knees wobbled with each step toward the parking lot. We still were under the cover of the trees but I could make out the cars now. I felt the tension in the air despite the oddly quiet night considering what had just happened in my apartment building. I prayed my neighbors hadn't fallen victim to these bad men and were safe tucked away inside their beds.
Rayner swiped his forehead on the shoulder of his shirt and I could tell he was more badly injured than he'd led me to believe. I didn't dare make a single sound despite my worry too afraid I'd get us both killed. It was so quiet I could hear my heart beat loudly in my ears. I knew this situation could go awry at any possible second but I found myself fearing not for my own life but Rayner's, and Jackson's, and even my dog Kato's. I was almost sure he'd met an ill fate for what he did to Riley.
Rayner halted and I looked around in horror wondering what he was listening for. I could hear sirens in the distance now but I feared that was not what he'd heard. He turned to me slowly and inaudibly and I wasn't reassured by his face for the first time since I'd met him. He looked afraid and I realized something was very wrong. I waited for his direction, still trusting his expertise completely. He held a finger to his lips and then pointed to my right and I could only assume he was telling me someone was nearby. He took my hand in his and we tip toed quietly around one of the larger trees I'd seen.
Rayner peered around before his lips whispered so softly I almost didn't hear his words. "They've found us." I immediately grew nauseous and started panicking. He unloaded his clip and I saw he only had four bullets left. He better make them fucking count. He mouthed the words 'get down' before snapping the magazine back into his gun firing a single shot around the tree into the darkness. I heard a man's disgruntled cursing and then more shots were fired. "Run." Rayner spoke normally and I didn't stick around to see why going with all my stamina into the opposite direction deeper into the woods which eventually would spit us out at the other end of the complex. Fuck the car.
Rayner strayed behind a bit before joining our hands back together and again pulling me even faster than I'd ever run. I was having a hard time believing I hadn't tripped or smacked straight into a tree at this point. As I suspected eventually the trees spit us out into the other side of the complex parking lot. Unfortunately for us the entire complex was gated making our escape that much more difficult. Rayner led me into another stair hall and toward the front office building. I saw the sparkle of the pool off the glass doors even in the dark. He stopped for a minute leaning heavily into the wall of the building obviously in a lot of pain despite his trying to hide it. "What can I do?" I whispered still to afraid to talk loudly. "I'll be okay, come here." He leaned against me grunting angrily and he limped toward the community mailboxes and I helped as he lowered himself to the ground. He unlooped his belt and made a tourniquet right above the wound on his thigh he'd told me was just a flesh wound. Even under the dim lighting on the pole I could see it was worse than that and blood started pouring out making me a bit queasy.
I looked away trying not to get sick from the blood that had me feeling some type of way. "I promise it looks worse than it is." He assured me but I could tell by the paling of his skin he was minutes from collapsing. "We have to get out of here. It's too dangerous to stay here." He hopped back up inching along the wall finding his footing again. I didn't protest still trusting he knew better than me. "I only have two bullets left and I'm not going to lie I probably can't fight that bigger guy off Tori. Not like this. We need a car, we have to run. What I am about to do I wouldn't do unless I thought it were absolutely necessary." He told me as we inched closer to the front of the office. He helped me over the locked gate and then shakily pulled his own body over taking a second to recover before leading us toward a dinky little Honda.
He tried the handle, it was locked, then looked around inconspicuously. He leaned down picking up a large landscaping rock, "Stand back." He cautioned smashing the rock once, twice, and once more before it splintered into a million tiny square pieces. He took a deep breath giving the window one final blow and it gave shattering all over the driver seat, there was no way they hadn't heard that. "Keep watch." He ordered carefully unlocking the door and began searching. "Please, please." He whispered popping the trunk digging around. "Fuck yes." He muttered finding a tire iron and a rusty old flat head screw driver. I frantically looked around praying the men didn't find us again. Rayner got to work prying pieces of the dash apart plastic flying in every direction as he broke multiple panels under the steering wheel off fiddling around with wires cursing after what I assumed being shocked.
Rayner pounded the screw driver into the ignition with the tire iron and the car miraculously turned over. Just as I was going to ask how in the hell that worked a large hand curled around my bicep. A shrill scream escaped my lips and Rayner immediately drew his gun at the man who had his own gun pressed against my head. I was given one job but was too distracted by Rayner's fucking hands. "Drop the gun." The man's voice was stern but he was definitely winded from running through the woods. Rayner withdrew pointing his gun at the sky with his hands up. "Put it on the fucking ground." Rayner did as he was told slowly lowering it down. "Now turn around with your hands on your head." I had to do something. This had been my fault after all. I thought hard remembering I still had the knife I'd tucked into my front pocket. I slyly inched it out opening it as stealthily as I could. Luckily the gunman was focused on Rayner and not me the puny teenage girl.
I took a deep breath remembering everything Rayner had taught me wondering if I could actually fight off this man long enough for us to both escape safely. It was a risk but I had no other ideas. I thought back to the first thing I was suppose to do trying to gather the courage it was the click of his gun that threw me into action. I punched him as hard as I could in the groin. With a low heave he hunched over and I threw my elbow right into his nose with a sickening crunch throwing him off balance. I slammed another elbow right into his rib cage then promptly crushed my heal on the top of his foot. I finished him off burying the knife deep into his leg and giving it a twist as directed. The man immediately dropped his gun both hands shooting to his leg in horror. He screamed out in pain and I actually felt guilty for hurting him. I kicked the gun toward Rayner who scooped it up quickly pointing it right at his head.
"You stupid bitch!" He shouted spit flying from his lips. I ran to the other side of the car climbing into it without hesitation and Rayner sat in the passenger seat gun still pointed on the man who was much more concerned with his leg than us to care we were going to get away. I booked it pressing my foot heavily on the gas speeding away. I sighed with relief feeling a rush of adrenaline leave my body. I was nauseous again and if I thought too hard I knew I was going to hurl. "I am so. Fucking. Proud." Rayner was beaming and I wished I could share his enthusiasm but quite frankly I was queasy because I'd just stabbed a person. He sensed that I was going into shock, "Tori, stop. I still need you okay?" I just nodded as I raced toward the nearest hospital.
We pulled straight into the closest parking spot and we both sprung out of the stolen vehicle. Rayner slung his arm around my shoulder for support and I helped him limp inside the ER. I was terrified the men would follow us straight here but Rayner didn't seem worried that would happen. They took Rayner back almost immediately seeing his condition and I was taken to a small waiting area told he was being taken into surgery.
I stood awkwardly against the wall for a few minutes and then finally sunk myself into a chair. My hands shook, my knees bounced anxiously. I needed my meds severely before I had a panic attack. I was on the brink of having an absolute meltdown, "Ma'am?" My head shot toward the voice of a young looking nurse beckoning me. "Can you follow me?" I nodded. "He is going to be admitted for the night will you be staying with him?" I nodded frantically, "Okay I also have to inform you that all gunshot wounds must be reported to police, if you would sit tight in the surgical waiting room while we work on his room I have already called the police. They'll want you to answer some questions." I was more than relieved to hear that the police were on their way. "Okay, is he going to be alright?" She grabbed my arm gently, "I'll let you know when I know more but I can assure you he is in great hands. As far as I can tell according to his chart so far its a mere flesh wound, but we will update you periodically. They've rushed him to the surgical floor, you'll want to take elevator b all the way to tower 3 then you'll follow the signs to the trauma surgery waiting area. If you get lost just find a nurses station okay?" I took a deep breath hoping I'd remember her directions. "Get there and sit tight alright?" I nodded my head again going in the direction of the elevator. I grabbed my cell phone from my back pocket seeing I had twenty missed calls from Jackson. I called him back immediately while boarding the elevator.
"Tori?! What the fuck is going on?! I snuck out for fucking cigarettes and our apartment is swarming with police. What happened are you alright?" I had this nagging feeling that he could be lying to me. I was afraid that he had been in on this whole thing no matter how much I didn't want to believe that. "Tori?" I couldn't help the little sob that escaped my mouth. "What happened?" I breathed in a shaky gulp of air trying to keep it together for Rayner's sake. "Riley came and ambushed us with some of his men. Rayner is hurt, and I am with him. Go somewhere safe. You aren't safe." He grumbled something inaudibly, "Where's Kato?" I cried knowing he was probably gone. "I'll find him Tori. I promise. Take care of Rayner, I'll take care of the dog okay?" I nodded my head even though he couldn't see me. "I'll call you when I find him." I sniffled, "Okay." I squeaked having the hiccups now. "Be safe." I mumbled a 'you too' and hung up.
I found the waiting area and my leg bounced with anticipation I could hardly sit down and decided to go find some water. I poured some water into a small Styrofoam cup gulping it down pacing a bit before taking a seat again. It wasn't long before police were here pulling me to the side to ask me questions. I answered everything the best I could and they arranged a protection detail for me and Rayner tonight while they did their investigation back at my apartment. I waited a long time in the waiting room with a police officer until an older woman whose badge stated she was a volunteer handed me a piece of paper. On the paper was a room number and she instructed me that Rayner was stable and being taken to there and how to get there. The officer followed suit not saying much of anything.
I was in the elevator again when my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Jackson. "Hello?" I answered frantically. "Tori? I found him. I rushed him to the animal hospital in your car he was shot. They took him into surgery and told me they were keeping him. Said if he made it through the night he would probably be okay but it wasn't promising." A few tears fell from my eyes, "Thank you." I showed my appreciation that he did that for me. "Anything for you, I am also being taken in for questioning. I'm being arrested, they haven't taken my things yet but I know how this goes. They let me take Kato in and now I'm in the back of a cruiser. I'll talk to you when I can." He promised. "Okay, thank you so much." He ended the call and I leaned back into the wall of the elevator feeling a bit of a weight lifted from my shoulders.
We found the room and Rayner was not in it yet, he'd been taken to recovery to be monitored for an hour and then they said he'd be on his way up. The officer grabbed a coffee and a chair and sat right outside the door leaving me and my thoughts alone in this empty hospital room. I collapsed on the couch laying back closing my eyes feeling absolutely beat. I was so exhausted physically and mentally it was a wonder how I hadn't had a heart attack yet bearing more trauma than most normal people ever would.
I didn't remember falling asleep but I woke up to the sounds of the transport team wheeling the loud rickety bed into the room. Rayner was passed smooth out his leg was wrapped tightly and casted sticking out from the blanket he was tucked under. He looked very peaceful and his original color was mostly restored. He was hooked to several IV bags including one that had O-Neg dripping into him. "The surgeon should be in soon to speak with you." A young girl assured me. I was just happy to see him in one piece. I scooted a chair in the corner of the room to his bedside sitting in it grabbing onto his hand. His knuckles were bruised but all the blood and dirt had been washed from him. I felt absolutely disgusting and didn't smell very nice either.
As promised the surgeon came in and discussed the details of the surgery to me letting me know he would be in for a bit of a rough recovery and would probably need some physical therapy but should fully recover. I thanked him for helping him and then after a few more visits from the nurses it was just me and Rayner. I decided to clean up some putting my dirty hair into a high pony and washing all of the dirt from my hands, arms, and face.
Once I'd cleaned up a bit I relaxed back into the sofa in the dimmed room. A nurse had turned on the television for me to a light hearted show and I tried to focus less on the situation at hand and calm down. I had to be the strong one this time. Rayner had done his part and now it was my turn.