Scared of Beautiful (Scared #1)(54)

We dissect the plan for the robbery one more time, and when I’m satisfied that we have considered every angle, we discuss the getaway. I’m supposed to drive as soon as Emmanuel jumps in the car, leaving his contact, the other guard, to fabricate a description of the robbers. And then Emmanuel leaves me the f-uck alone.

The van pulls up at exactly 10:45 as planned, and comes to a stop next to us. From my seat I can see a large blood stain on the passenger window, which I can only assume are the contents of the innocent guard’s head. God help me, this shit feels so real all of a sudden. An anxious knot forms in my stomach. I may be rebellious, but this just feels so f-ucking wrong. Emmanuel springs into action as the other guard, a tall skinny black guy jumps out of the driver’s side door. They unlock and yank open the back doors, and shovel the bags of cash into a duffel bag. My hands twitch nervously on the steering wheel. Hurry up! I think anxiously.

Then something happens which was not in the plans, not in any of them. The worst sound I could ever imagine breaks the silence of the night. Sirens. Followed quickly by the glare of blue and red lights. Emmanuel hadn’t counted on this either, judging by how startled he looks as he glances towards me. In a flash, he turns his gun towards the guard and pulls the trigger, landing a shot straight through the guy’s heart. The contents of my stomach threaten to expel from my body as the guy slumps onto the ground next to the open doors. And then I get a sickening feeling. That guy and I, we’re witnesses. We knew the plan. If Emmanuel does get caught, he can spin a ridiculous story about us, as long as we are both not around to refute it. His eyes meet mine, and there’s regret, almost sadness about what will happen next. This was plan B, the plan that only he knew.

Maia’s face pops into my mind and I know that I have to get out of there. I’ll definitely never see her again if I’m dead. The sirens and lights are almost upon us as Emmanuel raises his gun in my direction. I jump out of my seat, turn, and run away from the car, towards the salvation of the lights and sirens. A gunshot rings through the night and I feel a searing pain in my right arm, just below my shoulder. I drop to the hard ground on my knees just as a police car skids to a halt between Emmanuel and I. The rest is a blur. I hear two more gunshots, the sound of screeching tires and one God almighty bang before I pass out on the gritty dirt. Loss of consciousness or death, at this point, I have no f-ucking clue. Everything goes black.

* * *

I open my eyes to a startlingly bright light and the monosyllabic drone of a machine beeping next to my head. Unless this is heaven, I presume my story isn’t over yet. A hand rests over mine and I hope that when I open my eyes, the hand belongs to Maia. But sadly for me, though just as sweet a sight, the hand belongs to Jade. Her head rests on the bed, next to our conjoined hands. I try not to wake her by moving, but as I try to readjust myself, a searing pain shoots through my right arm, causing me to jolt and grit my teeth. I try to use my left arm to prop myself up as Jade raises her head, but I realize that it is shackled to the hospital bed rail via a set of cold steel handcuffs. Jade eyes me with a mixture of anger, concern and sorrow.

She understands. We just stare at each other for a while. “If I wasn’t so worried about you almost being dead, I would probably kill you,” she says sternly. I prepare for the verbal assault. “What the hell were you thinking, Jackson? You could have been killed! You might still end up in jail! What the f-uck man?” Jade stands and walks over to the door.

“Where are you going?” I ask hoarsely.

“To get you some water!” she practically screams, and shuts the door.

I really did f-uck up good and proper this time. The nurse that comes in to give me my medication and check my vitals looks down at the handcuffs and immediately her attitude changes to one of contempt. She doesn’t need to say anything, and she doesn’t. We both know I’m scum. The Valium she gives me takes effect, and I fall asleep reliving the blood bath I had a hand in.





Chapter 31




Maia

I decided to tidy the apartment before Blake brings dinner over. I even manage to apply the smallest amount of makeup, and change out of my Ugg boots and track pants. Just as I’m about to vacuum the floors, the shrill ring of my cell startles me. JADE. The name flashes across the screen. I should answer it. I’ve been stewing over the way our conversation ended yesterday, and just before the unanswered call diverts to my voicemail, I pick up the phone and press answer.

“Hi,” I say in a small voice.

“Thank God you answered Maia!” Jade’s voice is high pitched. Panicked.

My stomach immediately bottoms out. Nothing usually perturbs Jade in this way. “What’s wrong Jade?” I ask quickly.

“It’s Jackson,” she begins. Before she can continue, the phone slides from my hands and lands with a thump on the carpet. I scramble to retrieve it with my trembling hands, hoping she’s still on the line.

“He’s been shot. He’s okay but he’s in the hospital,” she says somberly. “But he’s okay?” I repeat. The thought of Jackson hurt causes an ache in my heart that threatens to rip open inside my chest.

“There’s something else, Maia,” Jade continues. I listen in tortured silence. “He’s being charged with armed robbery. As soon as he is well enough, they’ll move him to the prison and formally charge him in court. There were two people killed. He may also be looking at accessory to murder…” Jade’s voice breaks as she trails off the end of the sentence.