I drive the back way, and end up down the bottom of the Warf. I slide out of my car and pull my gun out. I tiptoe down to a line of trees and crouch behind them. I peer out and see a lineup of black cars down at the Warf entrance. It’s Manchez. I crawl closer, and I hear the sounds of more cars coming in. Jagger?
I’m just about to make a run for a line of shipping containers, when a hand goes around my mouth from behind. I kick and struggle, but I can’t get out of the vice like grip. A voice fills my ears, and I shudder. It’s Manchez. “Thought you could outsmart me? Stupid girl.”
He crushes my mouth with his hand and drags me towards the group of cars. My Father meets my gaze and his eyes widen. I kick and squirm, but a fist drives into my ribs, and then I’m on the ground, screaming in pain. A foot hits my side and I roll, gripping my ribs and whimpering.
“Manchez, you said you wouldn’t hurt her!” My Father yells, dropping to his knees.
“She fuckin’ betrayed me! Now get up Kane, or I’ll blow your fuckin’ brains out.”
My Father stands, his eyes meet mine and he looks sorry. Hot tears slide down my cheeks and I struggle to keep calm and not give Manchez any further reason to hurt me. When I hear a car coming into the lot, my tears start again. Jagger. When I see his car come into view, I become desperate for a way to stop Manchez hurting him. Manchez raises his gun with a sick grin on his face.
“Enjoy this Willow, he’s about to be splattered all over his own car.”
“I copied the information!” I cry. “He has it!”
Manchez lowers the gun and spins around, gripping me by the hair and pulling me closer to his face. “What did you say?”
“I copied it! The rest of Jagger’s gang has a copy at his house.”
He spins me around and wraps an arm around my throat and presses the gun to my temple. Jagger gets out of the car with Ace and Angel. His eyes fall on me, and he looks beside himself.
“Ah Jagger, just in time to see the show,”
“Let her go Manchez, I’m what you want.”
“She just broke the news to me.”
“What?”
Jagger’s eyes fall on me, and I close mine.
“She said you have a copy of the information, now why would you play those kinds of games with me?”
“I don’t know what you’re fuckin’ talking about.”
Manchez laughs and the air around us is thick and still.
“Now, you know I’m smarter than that.”
“Obviously not, because I have nothin’,”
“Jagger, why do you insist on pissing me off? Now I’m going to have to hurt her.”
“DON’T!” Jagger roars, stepping forward.
Manchez tightens his arm around my throat and I struggle to breathe.
“One more step Jagger, and she’s dead.”
“I don’t have your fuckin’ information!”
“She said she copied it!”
“Well I don’t have it!”
Manchez squeezes again, and I feel my eyes beginning to haze over.
“Stop Manchez, this wasn’t part of the deal!” My Father snarls.
“Back down Kane, or you’ll die too!”
Just as my vision goes blurry, I hear the sound of a gun being fired. Suddenly I’m on the floor and Manchez is beside me, half his face blown off. I retch and struggle to breathe as gun shots ring out all around me. I cover my eyes, desperate to escape from this hell zone. I just wait to feel the sting of a bullet imbedding into my body but it never comes. Guns and gurgled sounds play out for what seems like forever, and then suddenly everything is silent.
“Jagger?”
I hear Angel’s voice, and I lift my head. I see Jagger on the floor, his stomach bleeding. I get to my knees and drag myself over, dropping down beside him.
“Jagger!”
His eyes are closed and there’s so much blood.
“Oh God, Jagger!” I scream.
Angel checks his pulse. “He’s still alive; we have to get him to a hospital, now.”
“Jagger,” I croak, shaking him. “Please wake up, please baby, wake up.”
“Willow we have to go, the cops will be here any minute.”
I turn and stare at the dead bodies lying around on the floor. Then I see my Father, he’s lying about two meters away, right near Manchez’s dead body. I force myself to my knees again and crawl over. He’s bleeding from the mouth and his body is jerking. I lift his head into my hands and my tears drop onto his face.
“Daddy, oh God, please!”
“Willow,” he croaks. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok; you’re going to be ok.”
“I thought…you’d get away when I left those ropes loose. I gave you nothing in your life, but I wanted to give you that freedom. I wanted to give you something…I wanted you to be safe. I shot Manchez, but I don’t regret it. I did it for you, I never did anything for you but I wanted you to have something…”
His voice his hoarse and he’s gurgling. Hot tears slide down my cheeks.
“Daddy, please…you’ll be ok.”
“Willow, we have to leave.” Ace shouts.
“I can’t leave him!” I scream.
My Father reaches up weakly. “I’m proud of you; I hope…I hope that you can forgive me.”
“I do,” I whimper. “I forgive you.”
“I love you Willow, I always did,” he croaks, his voice barely above a whisper.
He strokes my cheek and then his head drops back and he stops breathing. My screams echo across the water as Ace lifts me into his arms and carries me to the car.
“We can’t leave him here,” I scream.
“He’s gone Willow, we have to leave.”
“Please!”
“I’m sorry.”
He slides me in the backseat and they lies Jagger down beside me. I stroke his face, my tears drip over his pale cheeks.
“Please, don’t you leave me too. Jagger, please.”