Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Jay

He saved me. He's got me in his arms, and I'm going to be okay. Relief floods me, and just as I open my mouth to tell him how happy I am, he comes to an abrupt stop.

"Put her down or she's dead."

I turn my face away from Jordan's chest and to the truck up ahead. I'm completely shocked when I see Spencer standing there holding a gun and pointing it straight at me. He must have gotten it from Michael after the accident, because he didn't have one before.

"The six of us are armed and ready to kill you. Are you sure you're in a position to make those kinds of threats?" Jordan asks, but his grip on me tightens.

"Stand down," Ryan says to everyone, and nobody moves.

Spencer laughs, but it's bone-chilling and he looks crazed. The gun shakes in his hand, and if possible, it makes me even more nervous.

"Spencer, don't do this. Put the gun down," I say, trying to plead with him.

"If I put down the gun, I'm a dead man. But I guess I'm a dead man either way. You may have blown up those two, but the rest of them will come looking for their pound of flesh." He uses his other hand to steady the gun on me as he takes a step closer. "The least I can do is give them something in return. I'm sure a peace offering would smooth things over."

He licks his lips, and revulsion rises in my stomach.

"You're not putting a finger on her," Jordan says through clenched teeth. "There's only one way you're getting out of this, and it's in a body bag. How quickly that happens is up to you."

"Don't do this," McCoy says from behind us, and I don't know if he's talking to Jordan or to Spencer.

"If you kill me, I'll take your precious little bird out with me. Is that what you want?"

Jordan is shaking with rage, and it's all I can do to stay still and not panic.

"Don't you dare call her that!" he yells, and then he's moving.

My world is flipped upside down as Jordan spins his body and puts me behind him. I hear the gun go off, and screams ring in my ears, but I don't know if they're mine or someone else's.

My body hits the ground, and Jordan comes over on top of me, but he doesn't look right. His face has gone white, and his mouth is open with no words coming out. The light in his eyes is dimming, and I don't know what to do.

"Jordan? Jordan!" Hysteria takes over as I look down and see red blossom across his chest. It's spreading fast, and I place my hand over it to try to make it stop.

"Get him in the truck, now!" someone shouts, and his weight is lifted off me.

I climb in behind him, hands helping me to sit in the seat as someone starts compressions and counting off for CPR. Someone else is on the phone, screaming for medics as the truck is in motion.

Everything is happening so fast, and suddenly my head is swimming. I feel like I'm going to throw up, but at the same time the truck is getting darker. It's like the sun is setting, and I blink it away to make it stop, but it doesn't work.

"Jordan," I mumble as the lights of the truck fade to black and I can no longer feel the beat of his heart in mine.