Chapter 30 – Ki

 

“I’m full,” I said pushing my plate aside, “but I’m taking the rest home to Alexa.”

My father didn’t talk much but what could he say? Most of his work was illegal, and I didn’t want to know about it anyway. I was pretending he was a nice man, with a great job, and that we had a great relationship. The nice man part was surprisingly true. He had been nothing but nice tonight. He wasn’t pushy or rude; he didn’t rub the fact that he was rich in our faces, and he talked to Prescot about lawyer stuff. Well, he talked and asked questions, Prescot just nodded or said yes or no. My father got used to Prescot quickly and didn’t ask why he wasn’t much of a talker.

I briefly told him about my childhood and how I ended up in New York City with Alexa. He was attentive, like I was the most important person in the room, and he asked a lot of questions. His questions surprised me, because they were random, like my favorite color, what kind of student I was in school, and how I spent my free time. He was interested in my college career, and he laughed when I told him some of my college antics. His eyes gleamed when I told him how well I did in college, and how I received scholarships. He said he was proud of me, and I believed him. I pushed away the tingle I had in my chest when he said that. It was the first time someone told me they were proud of me, and it was coming from a man that barely knew me. Other than that, we ate and drank wine. Well, I drank wine. But now that I was full, my buzz was slowly fading.

The waiter boxed up my meal but we never got a check, so I assumed everything was included when he paid for the entire night. I glanced around and felt like it was a waste of money, but it wasn’t my money that was wasted.

“I’m riding home with Prescot,” I announced while standing.

My father stood, and his bodyguards moved from out of the shadows. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Try and make sure I get a few days to prepare.”

“Of course, Ki. Thank you again for tonight.”

“And for my bone marrow.” I smiled at him and he dipped his head.

He walked us out, and we said our goodbyes. He went to his town car, and we stayed by ours, but a part of me felt like something wasn’t finished between us; something was missing. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I found myself asking Prescot for a minute so I could talk to my father. I walked over to him, and his bodyguards backed up enough to give us a little privacy.

“I know this meeting was more than just a nice way to ask for my bone marrow.”

“I should have never used the word meeting. I feel the same way you do, Ki. Uncomfortable. Awkward.”

“I guess with time we’ll feel normal around each other.”

“I’d like that.”

I gave him a quick hug and was then tackled to the ground from behind. My father was yelling, there were cracks in the air around us, and I realized that someone was shooting at us. I looked up and saw Lucas was the one who tackled me and was shielding me from the flying bullets, but I only had eyes for Prescot. He kneeled by his car and I could barely look at him because of Lucas’ quick movements that were blocking my view.

“Don’t move, Ki.” His arms were moving fast and he was shooting in two different directions.

“No one’s protecting Prescot!” He kept firing, and I kept trying to push him out of the way. “Please help him, Lucas.”

“I’m doing the best I can.”

I yelled his name, and he put his hand on my shoulder, telling me to calm down. How was I going to do that with bullets flying around? Prescot couldn’t walk that fast, so I yelled at him to get in the car, but he couldn’t hear me. Why wouldn’t he get in the car?

I looked passed Prescot and saw a few men shooting from around the corner that leads to an alley. The men were dressed in black suits, and it appeared they were flanking and protecting one man in particular. My father yelled something and aimed for the man in the middle, narrowly missing him. Shots fired rapidly as my father ducked and moved closer toward us. His bodyguards took bolder shots, standing away from the car to get a better angle. My father told Lucas to get me into the car, but he was still shooting. I didn’t want to get in the car.

“Get in the car, Ki.”

“No.”

More cracks and more yelling. Bodies dropped, and I could faintly hear a siren in the distance. Did someone report this? Were they even coming here? What would happen to us if they did?

I glanced at Prescot and saw his leg give out.

“Prescot!”

He gripped his left leg with both of his hands like he was covering a wound.

“Lucas, help him.”

“I’m here for you, Ki.”

Between him and my father trying to push me into the car, I lost sight of Prescot. It was pure chaos, but I knew one thing, I had to get to Prescot.

I crawled through the car and opened the other door.

“Ki!” Lucas yelled, and I looked over my shoulder.

“You’ll save me, but who’s going to save him?”

“Ki, don’t do it,” he yelled as I slipped out of the car. I crawled to the end of the car and peeked around the hood. There was a body lying on the side of the car, blood seeping out of multiple shots in the man’s chest. I held my breath and stretched my neck a little higher so I could see further. I saw no one and crawled to the other side of his town car and opened the door. A loud smack hit the side of the car and I saw a hole where the bullet went through. My heart hammered in my chest. It was so close. The hole was in line with the center of my throat, and I knew I only had seconds before another shot was fired in my direction. I scurried in the car and shut the door.

I opened the other one, Prescot looked at me and scowled. “Ki.”

I pulled my shirt off over my head and wrapped it above his wound. I ignored the blood and everything around me. I just had to get him into the car. “Get in the car.”

I glanced at Lucas who had his back pressed against my father’s, still shooting. One of my father’s bodyguards was on the ground, blood oozing out the back of his skull. His other two bodyguards had murderous looks on their faces as they methodically aimed and fired at their targets. Lucas shoved my father down and fired three times in succession. He glanced at me and shot again. “Come on, Prescot; I can’t carry you.”

He pulled himself into the car, and I went out the side door and opened the driver door. The driver was slumped over with blood over his face, and with a shaky hand, I pressed my fingers against his neck. He had a pulse, though faint. I pushed him over and grabbed the keys.

“Ki,” he said, and I glanced at him through the small window, “hurry.”

I peeled out and drove as fast as I could, watching as the police cars were coming from the opposite direction. They passed us, kept going, and I kept going as well.

“It’s a flesh wound, Ki.”

“Good.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No.” I quickly glanced down. My white bra had blood on it, but it was from Prescot, not me. “I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?”

“I feel fine.”

I took the corner too fast and heard Prescot grunt in the back seat.

“Sorry!”

I slammed the breaks when I got in front of the emergency room doors and ran inside yelling for help and grabbing a wheelchair.

He gripped my hand. “It’s a flesh wound, Ki.”

I walked at his side while a nurse pushed him back into the ER. One was asking questions, one was putting an IV in his arm, and one was cutting his pants off. Alexa’s white shirt was tossed aside and I bent down to pick it up. It was destroyed, and barely white, but I held it in my arms like it was the most expensive thing in this world as I watched them work on Prescot. Eventually, I was asked to leave so I could talk to the cops, but I was starting to get dizzy. I asked for a minute to collect my thoughts. The adrenaline was wearing off, and I felt cold. My back hurt, and I was worried about Prescot. He had suffered enough over the last month, he didn’t deserve this.

I blinked my eyes a few times as the room started to spin.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” I felt a nurse touch my arm. “Ma’am?”

“I feel sick.”

“Get me a chair!” she yelled and wrapped an arm around my waist. “Shit.” I felt her hand push on my back and pain shot through my shoulder. “I need another bed!”

“Ki!”

Through the haze of the room, I saw Prescot trying to get out of bed to come to me. I felt my mouth slowly smile at him as I fell to the floor.

“Ki!”