Capture Me

Hiya, Mom

Ryder

Four. Four assholes tried to kill us.

I waited until the thumping steps of my wife faded did I walk to the wall beside her bedroom door. My shoe's already soaked with my blood and my leg hurt like a motherfucker. Thank God it was only a flesh wound.

The scuffling continued. They scattered, two probably went in the kitchen, one stayed in the living room, and the unluckiest walking to where I was.

I waited.

Breathe in. Out. In. Out.

The door opened and I strike. I hit his jaw with the butt of my gun, stunning him. I took the chance to get ahold of his head and twisted. The man slumped against me.

I laid the dead body on the floor.

Nine more minutes, my watch showed. I got out, immediately fired on the one standing in the living room. Head-shot—nothin' new there. I limped to the kitchen and shot twice. Their bodies collapsed before they even knew what happened.

I sighed. Easy peasy.

Huh, one-and-a-half minutes. Not bad.

Now, I gotta take the goddamned stairs to get to my wife. Before I drain myself of blood.

Thalia

I struggled against the hold, I noticed that Ryder's car key and his phone were still in my hand. I gripped the head of the key and stabbed down blindly and felt the metal rapidly sink. I did it again but this time my weapon caught nothing.

"Jeez, Thalia!" I was still struggling, the need to get out from the person's grasp was all I could think.

The person let go and I wasted no time and ran. I was once again caught by the hand. "It's Jesse, goddamnit!"

Jesse? Jesse!

I turned towards him and my first though was I just stabbed my subordinate in the leg. "Jesse,"

"Yes, we need to talk." I know but I have some more pressing matters at the moment, like my husband getting killed.

"I can't now, Jesse." Walked away again but he followed.

And then I heard gun shots. Oh, god.

"I am not leaving you here, Thalia." His voice was muffled by my thundering ears.

I went in the car and waited for Ryder like he told me to. I heard the door at the back closed.

"Why are you here?" I asked Jesse, I didn't need this right now.

He didn't answer. Oh, fuck it. Fuck it all.

My hands were shaking as I searched Gid's number through Ryder's contact list and dialed.

Come one, come on, come on—

He picked up on the third ring. "Yo, Ryde. What's up?"

"Operation Predator is on." I blurted. My breath came in big gulps of air.

"Who's this? Why do you have Ryder's phone?" His tone changed, it became menacing.

Arg! Hyperventilating at the wrong moment! "Wife." It was all I got to cough out before I ended the line. I had to wait for Ryder.

Four minutes.

Oh, God. Please Ryder, be safe.

I stared at the two dots blinking on the console. I palmed my gun.

The person at the backseat was quiet.

Three minutes.

I swung my head to the entrance of the building. Still no sign of him.