CHAPTER 7
I stopped suddenly then within a second, dove to the side as a gun shot was heard. People screamed and yelled as I dropped to the floor in pain from my leg.
“Gun!” an officer screamed.
The police station went into a frenzy. Officers ran to each side to get out of firing range. I scooted back and Josh took out his weapon and got in front of me.
“You all right?” he asked me.
I nodded and checked myself over, “Yeah, he missed me.”
“Who the hell was that? Did you get a look at the suspect?” he asked, peeking out of the station.
I shook my head, “No, it was a sniper.”
“Son of a—” he sat back against the wall and looked at me, “You sure you're okay?”
“Yeah, Josh, I'm fine. Thank God I saw the dot in time.” I shook my head.
Everyone in the station was on guard with their weapon drawn. There were no more shots going off and the only sound was police sirens.
“Whoever that was, he's gone now.” an officer stood up from behind the front desk with his pistol at ready, “But, just in case I want six of you to take a perimeter check and report anything back to me, I want to know who that guy thinks he is shooting people in my station.”
A couple officers ran out of the station and Josh stood up as I did. I sighed and put my head down as I leaned on the wall.
“You okay, man?” he asked me.
I shook my head and looked up at him, “I think that was the same guy who killed the others...”
“Why do you think that?” he whispered.
“He was aiming for my heart, Josh. The same way he murdered them.” I told him quietly.
He nodded then ran his hair through his hair, “I'll, uh, I can take you back to your house. If you want.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, “That'd be cool.”
He nodded and I put my arm on his shoulders and he helped me outside of the station. As he helped me towards the parking lot, I nodded at my white van that was parked against the fence.
“There she is.” I said.
He nodded and helped me over to it. I took out the keys in my pocket and unlocked the doors.
“I'm driving.” Josh helped me inside the passenger side.
I shut the door as he ran around the van and got into the drivers side.
“This place is going to be hectic for a while,” he started the van then looked at me, “You sure you're okay, Joey?”
“Dude, will you stop asking me that? I'm fine, okay?”
He nodded and put the van in drive, “I'm just making sure you're good, bro. No need to get smart.”
He pulled out of the parking space as I sighed.
“Yeah, well, that's basically all I hear now from everyone.” I told him.
He nodded and made a left turn out of the lot and sped down the street, “That's because we're concerned about you, man. God only knows whats going on in that head of yours.”
I looked out the window and bit at the inside of my cheek.
“Because, whatever it is, I know its not good,” he sighed, “If there was something bothering you, you'd tell me, right? Because I'm here for you, man, I always will be.”
I followed the lines on the side of the road with my eyes as I stared out the window. The van came to a stop and Josh looked at me.
“You hear me?” he spoke.
“Yeah, Josh, I do.” I sighed.
“Whats the matter with you lately?” he asked.
I looked at him and shook my head, “Nothing you'd care about.”
He knit his eyes, “What's that supposed to mean? I thought we worked all this shit out, man?”
“I dunno.” I shook my head.
The car moved forward as the light changed. Josh sighed and turned left into a neighborhood. I looked back out of the window and at the houses.
“Joey...” he sighed, “I know what it's like to lose someone close to you. But, I can't even begin to imagine what's going through your head these past few days.”
“Then don't, okay?” I snapped.
He turned to me and I shook my head, “Josh, I can deal with my own problems. I don't need you to play big brother.”
He looked back to the road and kept quiet. I quietly sighed and gazed back out of the window.
“I'm sorry, Joey...” he said.
I knit my eyes and turned to him, “What are you talking about?”
“I knew what dad had done to you, yet, I still let him back into our lives. I should have just told him that we didn't want him back when he knocked.” he admitted.
I licked my top lip, “He didn't do it to just me. He did it to Megan too. Well, he tried anyway, I used to try to stop him...”
He knit his eyes and looked to me, “You never told me that.”
“There's a lot of things I've never told a lot of people man... The only person I only really told was... Cole.” I sighed and took a deep breath.
“You guys were close, huh?” he asked.
I laughed and nodded, “Yeah, he basically raised me. He basically raised all of us. Him and Ken. We were all like brothers.”
He nodded and made a left turn into my neighborhood. I sighed and looked at him, “Can you not drop me off here?”
“Why not?” he asked.
“Take me to my safe house.” I ordered.
He sighed and made a quick U-turn and drove back out of the neighborhood.
“Only cause I know that there might be people there that can look after you.”
I huffed and shook my head “Yeah, like dad? You have to get him out of there, Josh. I can't work with him looking over my shoulders.”
He nodded and looked at me, “Alright man, I'll confront him, but you have to help. I understand that he's a pain, and he needs to know that too.”
I swallowed, “I think he knows. I think he just does it to mess with me.”
He made a right turn and stopped in traffic.
“I don't know, Joey. I mean, he seems like he did change. He's not the same ass as I knew growing up.”
I looked to the side and thought about what my dad had said to me back at my safe house. I was still a bit shaken up from it. I wanted to forget everything about my past and he shows up and makes me relive it once more.
I nodded and looked back up to the street.
“Yeah man, I know.” I lied.
The cars in front of us pulled off and we started to move again. I sighed and looked back out the window. Josh started to sing under his breath as he moved to the opposite lane. Sirens wailed and two police cars sped passed cars on the other side of the road.
Josh looked behind us, “Wonder where they're goin'...”
He shrugged and kept on the road. Seconds later three more police cruisers whizzed passed going in the same direction as the other two.
“Prob some jerk holding up a store.” my brother suggested.
I knit my eyes and looked into the rear view mirror. My brother pulled onto a highway and sped passed a yellow light before it changed. He then made a right turn into the path that led to my safe house. He parked my van in front of a familiar van. I huffed and nodded, knowing that Alan and the guys may be back.
Josh turned the car off and looked at me, “I'll help you out.”
I shook my head and unlocked my side door.
“No,” I told him, “I can manage. Thanks though.”
He sighed and opened the door the same time I did. I turned myself and slowly started out of the van. I landed on my good foot and then carefully placed the other one on the ground next to it as I closed the car door behind me.
“You sure you're okay?” Josh asked me.
I nodded and put my hand on the van.
“It hurts but I have to walk on it. I'll get James to take a look at it to see if it's broke or not.” I informed him.
As I took a step towards the front door of the safe house he watched me with concern in his eyes.
“How did that happen again?” he ask
ed coming up to me.
I sighed and took another step, “I kinda got an attitude with one of the officers and he put me in a cell with a couple of the guys from that biker gang that was after us a while back... I dunno, I guess they recognized me and tried to kill me. And some big ass guy stomped on my ankle when I was on the ground. It was at a hell of a angle at the time.”
“Ouch.” he flinched.
I nodded, “Tell me about it. But, I've been though worse.”
The front door of my safe house opened and Sam came out with a worried expression on his face.
“We have a problem.” he said.