Breaking Point

cleared as those nearest to him contorted out of the way. Billy jumped on Chase’s outstretched arm, but it was too late. The trigger had already been pulled.

A crack of gunfire had me hitting the deck reactively. A flash of a red sweatshirt fabric and my fingers were smashed under someone’s shoe. The next thing I knew Sean’s fist was in my collar as he was shoving me farther down on the floor.

Chaos. Shouting. Running feet, echoing in my eardrums.

“Chase!” I screamed.

I got away from Sean. I shoved past Riggins. Tucker had ducked back into the supply room, and for a brief moment I panicked, realizing he had access to more than one weapon inside. But I had to find Chase first; everything else came second.

I could barely see him. He was beneath at least four other men. One of them was Houston, and he was slamming Chase’s forearm repeatedly into the floor to get him to release the gun.

“Stop it!” I jumped on Houston’s back and he burst up, spinning me into the wall. I grunted as all the air fled from my lungs at the impact. But I didn’t let go. I held fast to his neck.

Hands gripped my waist, pulling me down, squeezing me into submission with one arm locked firmly behind my back.

“Stop!” Sean ordered. “I don’t want to hurt you, okay?”

“Then let go!”

He released my arm but trapped me in a bear hug against him, where I struggled until his knees locked my flailing legs in place.

“Ember!” I heard Chase yell.

“I’m here!”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” roared Wallace.

Houston and Lincoln hauled Chase to his feet, and I glanced fleetingly over his body to assure he wasn’t badly harmed. They pointed guns at him. As if he were the danger.

I smelled it now. Gun smoke. Just like in the house on Rudy Lane. Where had the bullet lodged? Somewhere in the floor. Every muscle pulled taut, like frayed twine, ready to snap.

“You and your damn hot head!” Wallace was shouting. “You had it, Jennings. You had it, and you threw it away. Dammit.” He got right up in Chase’s face, and I had the sudden image of a drill sergeant yelling at his troops.

Chase spat a mouthful of blood on the maroon carpet. His white teeth were stained red, and for some reason, of all things, this frightened me the most.

“Tucker and I have business,” Chase said.

“Not here you don’t,” said Wallace furiously. “You come here, into this family, and draw on one of your brothers? You’re out, Jennings. Clear your effects and get out of my sight.”

Silence.

“What? Hold on a second.” Sean was the first to speak. He loosened his hold for just a moment, and in it, I dove in front of Chase, blocking Wallace’s words with my body.

“You want a gang, go find one,” said Wallace sharply over me to Chase. “There’re lots of them, right outside. You can shoot anyone you want.”

“I don’t want to shoot just anyone,” Chase said.

“There’s a reason,” said Billy in a tenuous voice. “There’s a reason, right, Chase?”

Chase didn’t answer.

“There’re a lot more than one.”

The way parted, and Tucker was revealed, one hand in his pocket, the casted arm hanging limply at his side. I immediately scanned for weapons. None that I could see, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t one in the back of his waistband.

“But one main reason, I suppose,” he finished flatly.

“Care to elaborate?” challenged Chase.

“Not really,” he said. And his head hung down, as if in shame. As if he were capable of such a human emotion. “But for the record, she kissed me.”

The shock exploded within me.

“You…” I began, ready to spring on him again. To scratch out his eyes and choke him with my bare hands. He spoke as if my mother’s murder held the same gravity of some stupid, fraudulent kiss! As if either one of these occurrences could be the reason Chase might want to kill him.

“Stay back,” Chase whispered to me. I felt a string break somewhere inside, beneath the hardened exterior of fury. That kiss was a secret I would have taken to the grave.

I stood as tall as I could, feeling Chase warm and solid against my back, and Wallace just inches in front of me. I placed my hands squarely on his narrow chest and pushed him away.

“We have to get out,” I hissed at Wallace, every muscle braced to defend myself. “He’s brought others!”

“He’s brought no one,” said Wallace.

“I got kicked out,” said Tucker. “Because of you.” His voice was rougher than the last time I’d seen him, but it still sent waves of dread through me. A hateful, green-eyed gaze met mine.

“Hey, come on, man,” said Sean, nursing his jaw and grimacing at his recruit.

Wallace put one hand on my vibrating shoulder and clamped down slowly, like a tightening vise. Then he turned around to Tucker and told him authoritatively:

“We play nice around here. We play nice, or we don’t play at all.”

Tucker scoffed, then stared at the wall beside him, as if it might burn him to look at me one second longer. The air hummed with tension.

“I don’t know what he told you,” I said, voice shaking with adrenaline. “But he lies. That’s all he does. He’s here to take us down.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” said Tucker, his face dirty, his expression flat. “I liked you better when you thought you were dying.” He turned to Sean, who was now snarling in my defense. “If she and Jennings are here, forget it. I’m out.”

Every nerve crackled within me like the end of a live wire. The hallway thickened with spectators, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Tucker. I had to watch him, be ready for anything.

“Cool off,” said Wallace loudly. I tried to jerk away but his grip on my bicep did not loosen. “We knew he was coming, remember? The recruit from the Knoxville base. Billy retrieved his discharge papers from the mainframe after he made contact with Sean last week.”

I lowered my center of gravity, ready to punch, kick, bite, whatever I had to do should Tucker spring on me.

“We need him, Miller. To get into the base. He’s got information no one else has. And now we have you to back up if it’s legitimate. We need to make this work.”

It took me a second to grasp what he was saying. He meant for Chase to go, but for me to stay. With Tucker Morris.

“Make it work without me,” I said.

“Don’t be stupid,” said Riggins, face grim. “You know what it’s like out there. You’re wanted in connection with the sniper murders.” He sounded genuinely worried.

“I’m only wanted because he turned me in,” I spat, jerking my head toward Tucker.

“That, actually,” ticked Tucker, “is not true.”

“Like I believe you!”

“I’m guilty of most everything she’ll accuse me of,” said Tucker, now speaking to everyone. “But not that. They arrested me before I made it back to my office. You remember Delilah, don’t you, Ember? You should. You tied her up and locked her in a cell.”

An image came before me of an elderly woman with white hair and blue, translucent irises.

“Did you kill her, too?” I asked. “You said you would if she ever told anyone.”

“I never said that.” He glanced at his feet. I couldn’t deny he looked beaten down. I reminded myself this was all part of his plan to lure us in.