27. Zoe

Today was the day.After so much planning and so much exhaustion dealing with cartel’s thirst for destruction, we were going after them with everything that we had. Justice had to be served for all that they had done, and this could be our final chance to succeed.

Failure couldn’t be an option.

My knee bounced anxiously as I rode in the back of the fire truck with the others, tense silence surrounding us. My eyes swept over each one of them, taking in their narrowed eyes of determination and tight jaws. They were ready for this fight.

As we neared the gym, so many unspoken words rose up my throat, begging to be released. I wanted to tell them how much I cared about them and how I couldn’t have made it to this point without them. I needed them to know that they were some of the most important people in my life and that the thought of not being with them crushed my heart.

But it wasn’t the right time. Or was it my last chance to say these things?

“Getting close to the gym! The police are about to confront the cartel members there,” Paolo shouted from the front. “If they surrender, all we have to do is search the area for any runners. If they don’t, we’ll approach the gym from the back to help the police pin down the cartel members inside.”

Tobin reached out and gave my hand a squeeze from where he sat beside me.

“And you and I will watch their backs,” he said.

I smiled at him, but I couldn’t shake the nervousness haunting my mind. What if something went wrong?

Jae turned the volume up on the radio from the driver’s seat as he slowed the truck down. Police chatter filled the truck as officers reported to each other and stated their next moves.

“Making contact now.”

“Police! Come out of the building with your hands in the air!”

“Signs of movement inside.”

“Step outside right now!”

My heart raced as the loud, demanding voices of the police officers poured through the radio speaker. The tension felt like a rubber band about to snap, and I knew that the cartel wasn’t going to surrender. They staked their lives on making money and screwing over people to do so.

But that stopped today.

“Fire crew move in! Move in now!”

Jae hit the gas, speeding forward down the road that led behind the gym. Everyone in the cab gripped whatever they could to keep themselves from bouncing around as the ride grew rough. I planted my feet against the floor to prevent me from going flying.

“Alright, let’s go!” Paolo shouted once Jae hit the brake, slowing the fire truck down to an abrupt stop that threatened to knock everyone off balance.

I forced myself to stay still as the others poured out of the truck, my fingers curling into fists. I wanted to follow them, but I told Detective Jennifer that I wouldn’t get in the way. The last thing I wanted to do was mess things up.

“Stay with Tobin, okay?” Cohen told me as he placed his hands on my upper arms.

My heart almost leaped out of my chest, my fingers digging into his shirt.

“Be careful. Please, be careful,” I begged him as our eyes met.

Cohen nodded, pressing a brief kiss against my forehead before storming out of the fire truck with the others.

Numb with fear for them, I backed up, my hand finding Tobin’s as we watched them leave. Cold sweat threatened to break out on my forehead, my entire body going rigid. What if they didn’t come back?

“It’ll be okay,” Tobin assured me, like he could read my mind.

Would it?

Only a few minutes passed by before I shook my head and walked toward the door.

“I have to see what’s going on,” I said, stepping out of Tobin’s reach and poking my head out of the fire truck.

My jaw dropped at the sight of the long hose stretched across part of the parking lot. It led to the bottom of a tall ladder where most of the firemen were positioned at different intervals. Each held the hose, directing it upward toward the roof where there was a skylight.

Well, not anymore.

Paolo and Kieran were at the top, shooting water down through the broken skylight at the cartel members who were trying to hide inside as the police stormed the building. They gripped the hose tightly with gritted teeth, directing the powerful spray as precisely as they could.

Angus and Matty maintained the middle of the hose, relying on iron grips to not plummet to the ground.

“What’s going on? Is everyone okay?” Tobin asked.

“They’re fine! That hose is on full blast,” I relayed with awe in my eyes. The plan was on!

“Shit!”

I gasped as Matty lost his balance toward the top of the ladder, his hands flying to the rungs to keep himself from plummeting to the ground. The heavy hose dragged down on the others above him, making them grunt and strain as they tried to hold the hose in place.

Angus’s grip on the hose slipped for a second as the ladder rattled, throwing him off balance at first as he clung onto the ladder a few feet under Matty.

“Matty!” I shouted.

Angus tried to reach up toward Matty, but his fingertips brushed the air a few inches away from Matty’s boots.

“Hold on!” he yelled at Matty, having to press the large hose against his body.

Matty planted his feet and wrapped his arm around the side of the ladder, anchoring himself to it as he regained control over his portion of the hose. He grabbed the hose and steeled his body, sweat dripping off his face.

“Got it!” he yelled.

I released a sharp exhale, relief washing over me.

“Come on, guys. Just hold on a little longer,” I murmured before turning toward the radio.

“Go! Go! Go!”

“They’re scattering! Run them down!”

“Get on your knees! Hands up!”

My eyes widened. They were making arrests. It was working!

I looked back outside, closely watching the firefighters until I saw something out of the corner of my eye. A flash of black tore across the parking lot, my heart lurching at the sight of what looked like a cartel member trying to flee the scene.

“Hey!” I shouted, trying to get the attention of the firefighters, but they were too focused or too far up for them to hear me.

I couldn’t let this guy escape!

“What’s going on? Zoe, what are you doing?” Tobin questioned me, confusion and concern flooding his voice.

“I’ll be right back!” I told him before hopping out of the fire truck and breaking out into a run.

The cartel member reached the edge of the parking lot and kept running, not even daring to look behind him.

This was crazy! I shouldn’t have chased the guy alone, but the thought of a single cartel member escaping and evading justice sucked the soul out of me. I refused to let it happen.

With gritted teeth, I pushed harder, determined to take this criminal down. No matter what.