I got you Care Bear, I got you.

The words echo in my head and Jacob holds me. I’m shaking like a leaf on a tree as he subtly shuffles me so I’m hugging his front now instead of his side. I wrap my arms tight around him. I know he’s protecting me from seeing the body. I don’t really want to see it, so that’s fine with me. I hold him tighter and breathe in his scent. I want to forget everything that just happened, but something is stopping me.

“Jacob?”

“Yeah, Care Bear.”

“He said he was going to kill me.”

“I know baby, but you don’t have to worry anymore. He won’t hurt you ever again.”

“I know but he…”

“I told you baby, you don’t have to…”

“Jacob! He has a bomb at least I think it’s a bomb,” I exclaim and I can hear the wild panic in my voice.

“Carrie…”

“Under his coat, Jacob! We have to get out of here!”

Jacob lets go of me to investigate. I look over his shoulder when he bends down. I don’t want to look at the dead guy, but I have to know if that is really a bomb. Jacob moves the coat back and the small timer device now has only a minute showing. Jacob grabs my hand, and pulls me to the door.

“Run!” I stumble to catch up because of the force he uses to get us through the door.

“Alexand…”

“Drag said Crush was in the garage! GO CARRIE!” He yells and I take off running as soon as I clear the door. Jacob must have decided I didn’t move fast enough, because he picks me up in his arms and takes off running.

We’ve almost made it to the garage when an explosion rocks and vibrates around us. Jacob is propelled downward from the force of the blast and we hit the ground. He braces himself so I’m not crushed beneath him. Even more, he uses his body to shield me. This is a man. This is the type of man you love for life. This is a good man. Please God, let me keep him.

My ears ring and sound becomes distorted either because of the loud noise of the blast, the gunshot or maybe both combined. Jacob is asking me if I’m okay, but it sounds like his voice is in a dark hole and being filtered before it gets to me. I can barely make it out.

Dragon and several others come running toward us. I look at the house and the entire right side is in flames. The roof is caved in over the area we just left.

“Bull! Where’s Bull?” Dragon growls when he makes it to us.

“Bull? What are you talking about? You only mentioned Crusher being in the garage?” Dancer responds, motioning over to where Poncho, the club doctor and a couple of the other boys are.

“Dani said Crush called Bull this morning and asked him to come watch Carrie while he did some things. We went back and checked the cameras. They picked up Bull getting here right after you left. It looked like they met outside and Bull went in the house while Crusher went on in the garage.”

“No one was here when I woke up,” I respond, feeling a sense of dread come over me. Could the man already have killed Bull?

“I didn’t see anyone in the house either,” Jacob adds. “Only rooms I didn’t check were the hall bath and the second bedroom.”

We all look back at the house engulfed in flames and I get physically sick to my stomach. The thought of Bull trapped in there…

“Fuck, let’s go around back. Maybe we can get in through a window,” Dragon orders.

“The bathroom window in Carrie’s room is already open, it’d be our best bet, plus it’s furthest from the main blaze.”

Jacob stands up and he and Dragon start running towards the other side of the house.

“Be careful!” I yell, but I don’t think he hears me. I start to follow them, maybe I can help them somehow. I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up to see Freak.

“Where are you going?” Freak asks.

“I need to be close by in case they need help getting Bull out.”

“Dragon and Dance can handle it and Gunner and Frog are there too. You stay here where it’s safe. If you get closer to the house, you’ll just distract them.”

I don’t necessarily agree, but I give up trying to go after them. I don’t want to do anything that might distract Jacob and get him hurt.

In the distance I can hear sirens.

Freak leads me over to the garage. I look back at the house not wanting to leave Jacob. I want to see him the minute he gets free…

“We’re getting company, is Crush going to be okay?” Freak asks.

“Shit! There would have been less questions if we could have taken care of Crush at my place,” Doc says.

I turn around to see a very pale Alexander, a white bandage stained with red blood on his chest, up close to his shoulder. Dani is standing close by and there are tears in her eyes. It could be nothing, but it seems like more. I finally decide it is my imagination, since she makes no move to touch him.

“Shot in his chest, but you could tell the man either didn’t know what he was doing, or was in a hurry. If Crush hadn’t hit his head on the fall down he wouldn’t have been out of commission. It went straight through, so there was a lot of blood, but it was clean.”

“Shouldn’t you be glad an ambulance is here to take him to the hospital?” I ask confused. The others say nothing.

Alexander gives me a weak smile. “I’ll be okay, Red. I’ve had worse.”

I don’t think I believe him, but I’m too worried about Jacob, Dragon and Bull to say anything else.

Please God, let them be okay.