Patrick's POV
I didn't like this one bit.
My hand hovered above the gun in my holster as I sat in my car. I stared at the seemingly abandoned building.
It seemed to be more on an old warehouse. No lights were on and no one else was in the parking lot but knowing Jem, this wasn't surprising. I'm sure he had his fair share of abandoned warehouses.
It was pitch black out here already and it seemed that I was alone here. No other cars were parked outside, no one seemed to be inside, and something in me hated everything about this.
My hand shook slightly as I reached for the handle before easing out of the car. I closed the door silently as I walked to the nearest door.
My right hand freed the gun from its resting place while my left reached for my flashlight. My shoulder pushed the door open just enough for me to see inside but I saw nothing.
It was only a dark, empty room. No boxes lined the walls, no shelves made up isles, and nothing in here indicated a warehouse.
I didn't even bother stepping inside. I gripped my gun tighter as I backed away from the building.
I wasn't about to die tonight because Jem decided to meet in a creepy ass warehouse but I froze when headlights appeared behind me.
My heart lurched as I made a split second to hide in the large building.
I knew my old car wouldn't be able to out run many other cars so just leaving was out of the question. Hiding behind or in my car would be a death sentence considering the gas tank. So even if I didn't know anything about the building I was in, it was better than anything else I could think of right now.
I hide on the right side of the door with my gun pointed right in front of me. My flashlight was turned off and discarded at my side as I waited for the person outside to make a move.
The sound of light footsteps got closer, making my heart sped up as I readied my finger on the trigger.
I watched as the handle twisted slowly before to old door creaked open. The second it was open enough the person took a timid step forward.
"Springfield County Sherriff's Department!" I yelled, my finger still ready on the trigged as the person stiffened. "Put your hands in the air and get on the ground!"
He screamed but didn't comply as he jumped in the building.
"Get on the ground now!" I yelled again, this time he listened and got down to his knees with his hands straight up in the air.
"Patrick?" He asked as he stared at me. The voice sounded familiar but with the blood rushing through my ears, it was hard to tell.
My hands reached for the flashlight at my side before turning it on and raising it to his face.
Andrew winced at the bright light before glaring at me.
"You scared the shit out of me," I seethed at him as I holstered the gun.
"You weren't the one with a gun pointed at you! What was that for?"
"Jem texted me but he's not here. I thought it was a set up or something and you were going to kill me."
"Jem texted me too," he said as he stood up and allowed his eyes to adjust to the dark room. "Are you sure he's not here?"
I was just about to tell him no when someone cleared their throat.
My gun was back out in a second as I stood in front of Andrew.
"Get on the ground," I said again as I pointed my gun at the general direction of the voice.
"You two are very loud," Jem sighed as he stepped closer to us. His green eyes held nothing but boredness in them while the scar under his left eye stood out against his pale skin with the bright light shinning in his face. "That's a good thing to know I guess. You wanna put the gun away now?"
"What's with you two and scaring people," Andrew asked as he put a hand over his heart and willed it to slow down.
"I have a feeling you're quite easy to scare so I'm not going to take that personally," Jem noted. "Now will someone tell me what I'm doing here?"
"You texted me to meet you here," Andrew said with a frown.
"Same for me."
Jem's eyes changed from bored to alert in that moment as he reached in the waistband of pants and pulled out a pistol of his own. His action was enough to make me do the same with mine.
"I didn't text either of you."
His eyes scanned around the building as if he were trying to find something he had missed.
"We need to get out of here," I said as I eased back towards the door, forcing Andrew to follow me.
"It could be too late if they have the building surrounded."
"If who surrounded the building," Andrew asked as he looked around.
"Who knows? I didn't think I had pissed off anyone lately but maybe I did," Jem sighed.
"So you want us to just sit and wait for us to die. We can at least try to make it to a car," I said, trying to get us back on track here.
Jem didn't have a chance to answer before the first shot rang out.
Jem yelled something but I paid him no mind as I grabbed Andrew by the head and forced him to lie down on the ground. I barely had a chance to make Jem do the same before the next round of bullets rang through the air.
They came one after another until my ears hurt at the constant sound.
My heart pounded in my chest. Andrew's look was nothing other than pure terror while Jem looked like this was nothing other than an average Tuesday night for him.
Eventually the bullets ceased but the ringing in my ears stayed.
A loud voice cut through the air but the sound of screeching tires ended whatever speech he was giving.
I stayed pressed against the ground until Jem forced himself up.
"Did you happen to hear what he was yelling about," I asked a bit louder than I probably meant to.
Andrew was still lying on the ground and I decided it was better to leave him there just in case something else happened.
"No I was busy trying to keep my ears from bleeding," Jem chuckled as he brushed off his clothes. "You doing okay down there Andrew?"
"No! I'm not okay," Andrew seethed as he stared at both of us with wide eyes. "Why are you two acting like we didn't just get shot at?"
"Occupational hazard," I dismiss as I put my gun away again.
"Just got used to it," Jem shrugged off at the same time.
"Well I'm not used to it and I'm ready to go home!"
"That's probably not a good idea. They didn't kill us so they want us alive for some reason. This was probably just a warning. My guess it they aren't very experienced or this was only a small group rebelling against their leader's wishes. They'll be watching you now. It's not smart to be alone."
I only glare a bit at Jem, knowing he was somehow the reason we were in this mess to being with.
"What are we supposed to do then?"
"If you don't mind, you can stay with me," I said as I glanced over at Andrew. "Very few places are safer than a cops house." I don't bother tell him that it would also be nice to not have to alone in my apartment now that I no longer have a wife to share it with.
"Other than a gang leaders house. Both of you would be welcome until I can figure this out. It would be the safest way."
"You're literally bat shit if you think I'm going anywhere near you right now," Andrew said.
"So you'd rather die alone and bleed out in your bed tonight?"
"You said we were alive for a reason."
"Oh got it," Jem said with a half smile. "You'd rather be kidnapped, tortured for information that you probably don't even know, and then bleed out. Well it that's what you prefer then I won't stop you. What about you?"
"I can protect myself just fine," I said as I rolled my eyes. "Getting shot out doesn't change the fact that I can't be seen with you."
Jem's eyes darkened for a second, his confident smirk spread across his face as he took a step closer to me. With every step he took forward I took one back until my back was pressed against the holey wall.
"Don't you remember what I told you," he said. His head moved down to my neck while I tried to focus on keeping my heart rate steady. "I have my ways. No one would have to know."
His hands cupped my waist while his lips traced behind of my ear, his breath tickling my skin.
This could be my chance.
If I really wanted to have a night with Jem this could be the way to do it.
"Now's not the time for that," I end up saying instead. "I'd rather not end up dead because of you." My hands come up to push him away but he barely moves.
"That doesn't change the fact that my house is safer than yours," he whispered, causing his lips to brush against my ear. "Think about Andrew. He won't come with me alone and you can't protect both of you yourself. Don't get him killed just because you're being stubborn."
"That's not the only reason."
"I won't touch you. I promise. Not until you want me to at least," he said. The second his words registered in my head, his hands were gone and he was leaning back.
"What about our jobs? We can't just not go."
"I'll put a shadow on you and you'll have my number on speed dial. If anything goes wrong the guard I give you will protect you with his life."
"Then why can't we just use them and go about like normal?"
Jem sighed as anger flashed across his face for a moment before his face became unreadable.
"Men have to sleep and I only have two people I trust enough to babysit you two. They won't be able to watch you 24/7 but if you slept at my house you would be safe at night. We've been out here for too long though. That group's leader probably knows what they did by now and he's going to be mad about it. His original plan is ruined and he'll know you'll be on alert now. He'll say fuck it and just come after you at random now. Whatever your decision is you need to make it quickly."
I looked over to Andrew who watched the two of us skeptically.
"You're not actually considering this, are you," he asked as he looks at me like I just grew an extra head.
"I don't like it either but it's for the best," I sighed.
"I'll drive you to get your stuff." Jem said as he walked to the backside of the building. I guess that's where he parked his car.
Andrew still looked hesitant as he glanced over to me.
"It's for the best," I repeat, mostly to myself that time, before following Jem's lead.
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