Stitch by Jaime Lewis (ebook reader online .txt) 📗

weight on it and bounced a little. It was a little sore, but she could do it. She had to do it. The thought sounded good, and before she could question herself, she yanked open the door and took off to the right. As she made her way down the stairs and toward the tree line that led to the trails, she heard the shouting behind her, followed by gunfire, and she prayed the girls were okay and that this plan would work.

◆◆◆

“Stitch! Gather everyone up,” Sheriff Prescott called out just as the team made their way back to the Sheriff’s department. The so-called rally ended up being a dud with only a handful of protestors showing up.

They met the Sheriff by his patrol truck. “What’s going on?” Stitch asked.

“A 9-1-1 call just came in. There was an explosion on your property. I can’t get in touch with my Deputy. There are reports of gunfire. I’ve got other deputies en route now.”

“Fuck!” Everyone scrambled into their vehicles and took off toward the cabin.

Stitch was scared, angry, and felt guilty. He banged his fist on the dashboard.

“Motherfucker! The bastard from the bar must have followed us.”

“That, or he saw you all cozy with Mia and asked around and got your information from somebody. It is pretty easy to check a background, especially with his connections. Think about it, Stitch.  We have a lot of cop friends. This asshole is a detective who most people would assume is a good guy. If he asked, it’s possible someone said something.”

Stitched glanced back at Irish, who was trying to call Bailey.

“I can’t get through.”

“Shit!”

Ace pressed the gas pedal to the floor, and Stitch held on. In record time, they made the turn up the driveway leading to the cabin with cop cars following. The truck skidded to a stop, and Alex emerged from the front door carrying her glock, but it wasn’t so much of her presence that drew their attention. It was the blood all over her.

Ace got to her first, pulled her into his arms, and then started patting down her body and looking her over to find out where the blood was coming from.  She swatted at his hands. “The blood isn’t mine.”

“Whose is it?” He barked, obviously shaken up by the scene.

“The guy who made a huge mistake by trying to attack us.”

“Where is everyone else?” Stitch asked, looking around. He saw the flames shooting from the shed. Just then, the fire department arrived. He didn’t care about the shed; all he cared about was that all the women were safe.

“Autumn and Tenley are inside along with two dead perpetrators.”  She looked at the Sheriff. “Sorry, I tried to warn them, but they fired first.”

“Where are Mia and Bailey?” Irish asked.

“Mia took off towards the trails. I think she was trying to lure the other two guys away from the house. I think Bailey may have been with her. I don’t know for sure, though. She definitely isn’t in the house.”  She looked between Stitch and Ace. “I think it was Dr. Walters. One of the dead inside is the guy from the bar.”

“Dammit!”

“Are you okay?” Ace asked, pulling her into a hug.

She looked at Potter. “I’m fine. It’s Tenley I’m more worried about.”

“Tenley’s hurt?” Potter asked as he took off in a sprint toward the front door.

“Potter!” Alex shouted, making Potter stop and turn towards her. “She wasn’t injured. Her water broke. She’s in labor. She’s in the bathroom downstairs with Autumn.”  He nodded his head and ran toward the house.

As Potter left to tend to his wife, Stitch and the rest of the crew all gathered their weapons and took off on foot toward the trails searching for Mia, and possibly Bailey.

◆◆◆

Mia was sucking air big-time as she made her way through the trails. Even with her running regiment, she still struggled on the incline. Her bummed ankle wasn’t helping as she hopped over branches and slipped on rocks and leaves. She could hear the footsteps of the men following behind her. They were yelling as if trying to intimidate her.

She had tried to pay attention when Stitch brought her up here, but she was so enthralled with what nature had to offer that she may have missed a few things he had pointed out. Mainly when he spoke about where certain trails led to.

She paused for a moment to rest against a tree. She bent over and took deep breaths. Her mind was still on Alex, Tenley, Autumn, and Bailey. She prayed they were okay and that the guys were alerted to what was happening. She looked around and noticed a clearing up ahead. It wasn’t the same one that Stitch had taken her to, as this one wasn’t up as high.

As she cleared the trees, a small area opened up. She heard a gunshot in the distance and prayed it hadn’t hit anyone she loved. She looked around and noticed she had hit a dead end. The only way out was to go back the way she had come, or over the side of the mountain.

She heard the crunch of footsteps as she turned and gasped when she stood face-to-face with Elijah, holding a gun in his hand. He, too, was breathing heavily.

“Mia.”

She shook her head as tears emerged in her eyes.

“How could you? I trusted you. I looked up to you.”

“I could say the same about you. You betrayed me by working with the authorities who sent you to spy on my organization.”

She was jerked back by his comment, clearly confused.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I never worked for anyone other than you.”

“It doesn’t matter now.”

She took a few steps back into the clearing, being careful not to go too far or she’d go over the edge.

“I don’t want to die,” she told him. “I swear I didn’t know about anything until after the fact.”

“You don’t have to die, Mia. Just come with me, then you and I can put all of