Edge of Grey

by Phelps, J. C.

  I shook my head. I didn’t want to say it out loud.

  “One of the men over at White and Associates?” He asked with a sickness in his voice.

  “No.” I said.

  We were quiet for a long time after that.

  “Alex,” Jake finally said. “I don’t know what this job is, but maybe you shouldn’t do it. Posner will eat you whole if you let him and this feels like that might be what he’s doing.”

  I shook my head. I wanted help with this one. My father might have something to do with White’s death. If he did, he deserved everything he had coming to him. Still, he was my father. Could I pull the trigger?

  “I have an idea what job he’s hired you for.” Jake cut off my thoughts. “I know I’ve been telling you to trust me and I understand why you can’t. But, if you decide to trust anyone, don’t let that person be Posner.”

  “I accepted the job. I’ll do it, but I have some research ahead of me. The problem is, I screwed myself with that last job. The people I do trust to confirm what Posner told me back in his office are the ones I completely alienated.”

  “You think they’d have the information you need?”

  “I know they do and even if they don’t they could find out.”

  “Do you trust that they’d even tell you?”

  “They might have, until I killed a man in front of them. And one they were questioning. Do you know why they were questioning Garcia?” I asked.

  “I might have an idea,” Jake said.

  I turned toward him to watch his face as he spoke.

  The sound of a gun pierced my ears and I heard a bullet rip into Jake’s Charger. He pushed me to the ground just after we heard another shot. I hit my head hard, my vision started to close in and I had that familiar feeling of floating. I couldn’t lose consciousness. The only thing stopping me from blacking out was the pain in my shoulder. It wasn’t until I felt the hot blood pooling under me that I knew I’d been shot. I tried to move my arm and couldn’t. I was pretty sure my shoulder was dislocated.

  “Stay down,” Jake said into my ear as I reached for my pistol in my holster.

  “I think he got my shoulder,” I said.

  Jake helped me sit up.

  “Damn it,” he said as he saw the blood on his hands and shirt. He made me lean forward and checked my back. “I can’t see anything in this light.”

  “I can’t move it.” Even trying to move it hurt enough to make my vision swim.

  “It’s dislocated. Do you think you can be quiet if I put it back in?”

  I nodded.

  “Lay down,” he said then took me by the wrist and put his foot in my armpit. “This is going to hurt because I have to do it fast.”

  I didn’t have the chance to nod my agreement before he pulled hard. The pain was almost unbearable, but it didn’t last for long. I heard a pop and the pain was almost completely gone for a few seconds then the pain from the gunshot became progressively worse. At least it wasn’t on the same level as when it was dislocated.

  Jake helped me sit up and I wiped the sweat from my upper lip.

  We sat under the cover the car provided until we heard the crunch of gravel under boots.

  “Get ready,” Jake whispered. He had his own pistol drawn.

  “Jake,” Eric’s voice came to us from the darkness.

  “Eric? What the hell, man,” Jake hollered to him without moving from his spot.

  “She’s all I want, Jake. You come out from behind there and I’ll let you go.”

  “She’s down. Drop your weapon.” Jake put his finger to his lips to signal me to be quiet.

  “No. You throw out yours.”

  “Why did you do this?” Jake asked.

  “Posner told me to take her out if she didn’t complete the job. I heard her tell you she wasn’t going to do it.”

  “She didn’t say that, Eric,” Jake said.

  “That’s what I heard. Just throw out your weapon so we can tell Posner she told you she wasn’t going to complete the job.”

  “Okay,” Jake said. “I’m going to stand up.” Jake gave me a look indicating I should be ready to fight.

  “No. Toss out your weapon first,” Eric said.

  Jake did as he was told.

  “Okay, now you can stand up, slowly,” Eric said.

  Jake stood with his hands raised.

  “Stay there. How do I know she’s not waiting to shoot me as soon as you walk out?”

  “This isn’t my blood,” Jake looked down at the front of his shirt that was covered with my blood.

  “Is she dead?” Eric asked.

  “I don’t know. If she isn’t, she’s unconscious.”

  “Check for me,” Eric ordered.

  Jake bent down and took my pistol from me.

  “I don’t feel a pulse,” he said as he stood up and fired the pistol.

  I heard Eric fire at the same time and Jake fell to the ground beside me. I grabbed the pistol and stood up. Eric was clutching his stomach and fired as soon as I stood. I fired my own weapon and hit him in the head. A sharp pain in my shoulder made me fall to my knees. Did he shoot me again? What were the odds he’d hit me in the shoulder twice?

  I bent down to check Jake. He was barely breathing.

  “Jake!” I yelled.

  “It’s okay, Alex. Call Joe. My phone,” he said between clenched teeth then went silent.

  I pulled out my phone and dialed then hung up and dug Jake’s phone out of his jacket pocket. I didn’t know if Jake was the only one monitoring my calls but I didn’t want to take the chance. My hands were slippery and shaking. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hold onto the phone very long.

  “You have to come help,” I said, fighting to remain awake. I was aware that I was losing a lot of blood and was pretty sure the knock to the head wasn’t helping my situation.

  “What? Alex? Is that you?” Joe said.

  “Yes. Jake’s been shot. You have to come help.”

  I told him where we were and he said he’d be there right away.

  I dropped the phone and moved over Jake. He was still breathing, but I couldn’t find the wound. He had so much blood on him and I didn’t know what was mine and what was his.

  I ripped open his shirt and immediately saw a chest wound. How could Eric have missed all the kill zones when shooting at me but get in an almost perfect shot to Jake? I put pressure on the wound, but the blood oozed out of my hands. The pain in my shoulder threatened to make me pass out, but I couldn’t let up. My vision started going dark and I let up some on the wound. I could feel the blood flowing out faster as I let up so I pushed down hard again.

  Only a few days ago I’d thought about how different Jake and White were because White would die for me but Jake wouldn’t. I couldn’t let him. I started to cry.

  Again my vision started to falter and I forced my sobbing down. That didn’t help lessen the lightheaded feeling overcoming me so I let up long enough for the pain in my shoulder to subside. I had to remain conscious. Jake’s blood had pooled beneath him and was now pooling under my knees.

  “Hurry up!” I screamed.

  From a long distance, I could hear a familiar voice calling my name. I swam toward the voice and started to feel the cold ground under my body. I’d passed out. How long had I been out? I heard my name again. This time it was right near my face and I could feel the hot breath on my cheek.

  “Helix?” I said.

  “Yes, babe.” His voice held relief. “Be still. We’re going to get you outta here.”

  “Jake?” I asked.

  I immediately felt myself being lifted off the ground. I knew I was going out again when I tried to ask about Joe and it barely came out.

  “HOLD HER DOWN,” I HEARD another voice say over the ringing in my ears. I was in the back of a vehicle and every jolt sent sharp pains through my entire body.

  I willed myself to fight. Why did they want to hold me down?

  “No,” I managed before I felt a
needle prick my arm.

  “Quit fighting, girl,” I heard Helix say. “You’ve lost a lot of blood and they are just trying to help you.”

  I calmed a little until I realized I didn’t have the energy to open my eyes. I started to fight again. This time I managed to sit up before I was restrained and I felt another needle prick in my other arm.

  “Sit still, Alex,” Helix said.

  “What,” was all I managed before a calm settled over me. “What’s going on?”

  I finished my question in a more mellow tone.

  “They just gave you some pain-killer. You have to be still.”

  His words got smaller and smaller as he spoke.

  Chapter Fifteen

  MY BED WAS SO COMFORTABLE. I’d forgotten.

  I opened my eyes and wasn’t surprised to be in my bedroom in White and Associates’ building. An unfamiliar woman was standing above me.

  “She’s awake,” the woman called out and started fiddling with an I.V. in my arm. She injected something into it.

  Blue’s face appeared over the top of me. I licked my lips. My mouth was dry and I couldn’t make any spit.

  “Did you administer the sodium pentothal?”

  She nodded.

  “How’re you feeling?” He asked me.

  “Thirsty,” I barely choked out.

  “Here,” he said as he helped me sit up.

  The room started to spin and I tried to put my hands down on the bed to steady myself. My left arm wouldn’t move and a piercing pain shot down my arm and into my back.

  “Ow!”

  I looked over at my arm and it was in a sling.

  Blue layered pillows behind me and gently laid me back. Then he held a glass with a straw in front of my face. I reached for it and he pulled it away.

  “I’ll hold it for now. I don’t trust you to not spill it. You had a rough night and you’re still shaky.”

  After he said that I noticed my outstretched hand was shaking violently. I let it fall to the bed and sipped on the water offered to me.

  “Did you shoot Eric?” he asked as he took a seat on the side of my bed.

  “Yes.”

  “Did you shoot Jake?”

  “No.”

  “Who shot Jake?”

  “Eric.” My voice was hoarse.

  “Why did Eric shoot Jake?”

  “He was trying to shoot me.”

  “Did Eric shoot you?”

  “Yes. Twice.”

  Blue’s head cocked to the side.

  “You only had one bullet wound in your upper bicep. It went straight through. You got a few stitches.”

  “Okay.” I was too tired to argue. “Must have been the recoil when I shot him then.”

  Blue smiled at me so I smiled back. My lips felt like they were going to split open they were so dry.

  The woman came up to Blue’s side and put her hand on his shoulder.

  “You’ve got less than a minute before she goes back to sleep. Giving this stuff so close to morphine will make her more tired than just one or the other.” she said.

  “Why did you shoot Garcia?” Blue asked me.

  “It’s my job.”

  “But what was the reason Posner paid for it?”

  “Garcia was talking to the authorities about Ruiz.”

  “So you work for Ruiz?”

  “No,” I spat out. How could he think that? “Garcia worked for Ruiz.”

  “Is that why you took the job?”

  “Yes.”

  “Isn’t Ruiz a major client for Mesa?”

  “Yes.”

  “That doesn’t make much sense, Alex,” Blue said.

  “Yeah it does. I don’t work for Mesa. I’m freelance,” I said.

  “But that job was for Posner, right?”

  “Yes.” My eyes drooped closed and I heard Black’s voice come from near the door.

  “How is she?”

  “About to go back to sleep,” Blue said and stood from the bed.

  “YOU SHOULDN’T FIGHT SLEEP,” THE woman told me as I opened my eyes.

  “I’m not. I just woke up,” I said.

  I was still sitting up in the same position Blue had put me in earlier and my neck ached. I groaned as I tried to sit up further.

  “What did you give me?” I felt as if I might roll off the bed from dizziness.

  “You got a small dose of morphine at the scene and then I gave you some sodium pentothal a little while ago.”

  “Take this out.” I pulled at the I.V.

  “Whoa. Don’t pull on that,” she said.

  “Then take it out!” I yelled as loud as I could.

  She just stood and stared at me so I ripped it out. Blood started pouring out of my hand.

  “What’s going on in here?” Blue asked from the doorway but then hurried into the room when he saw the blood.

  “What are you doing, Alex?”

  “I won’t let you drug me again,” I said.

  “Didn’t plan on it,” he said as he held a cotton ball over the hole in my hand. He asked the woman for some tape and he secured the cotton ball to my I.V. wound.

  “Can you excuse us, Janet? I think I can handle everything now. Send us a bill?” Blue asked the woman.

  She nodded and as soon as she left the room she was replaced with the rest of my partners. Former partners. I had to remind myself to be guarded.

  Panic started to well up in my gut. I knew this wasn’t right, but my brain was addled and foggy. I couldn’t show any weakness even if I was incapable of defending myself right now.

  I lifted my chin.

  “What is going on?” I asked.

  “What do you remember of last night?” Green asked.

  It came flooding back and tears welled up into my eyes.

  “Jake? Where’s Jake? Is he—”

  “He just got out of surgery. We don’t know if he’s going to make it yet,” Blue said.

  My tears spilled over. I used my good arm to wipe at my eyes then put my hand on my forehead, trying to control the emotion. No weakness. I bit my lip hard enough to make it bleed.

  “Spend a little time with Red and we’ll come back in later,” Green said.

  My top lip curled up involuntarily.

  “No,” I said.

  “Then we’ll place you in custody and hand you over to the Admiral. He’ll hold you until you can be exonerated of your crimes or until you’ve served your sentence,” Green’s voice held regret.

  “What crimes?”

  “Hindering an investigation and murder.”

  “I was just doing my job,” I said.

  “But you were working for a company that has no ties to the system that sanctions this kind of work, Alex. How many hitmen do you know can use ‘I was just doing my job,’ as a reason to get out of prosecution?”

  He was right. Red hadn’t been wrong in calling me a mercenary.

  I bit my lip again until I tasted blood.

  “Work with us and we’ll figure this out,” Green said. “Talk to Red?”

  “Okay,” I said.

  “Here,” Blue held out his hand. Two brown pills sat on his palm.

  “What’s that?” I asked suspiciously.

  “Ibuprofen. It’s the best you're going to get right now. We want you clear-headed.”

  I took them from him and he handed me the same glass of water he’d held for me before. I was still a little shaky but nothing like I had been. I downed the pills and sat quietly as all the men except Red filed out of my room.

  As soon as the door was shut he brought a chair near the bed and sat down.

  “I know I’m the last person you want to talk to right now,” Red started.

  “You have no idea,” I said.

  “I apologize that it’s me that has to do this, but there has been some concern about your mental well-being,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes.

  “I do have a few questions, but first I have something I need to tell you.” He waited
for a response, but I didn’t give him one. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him.

  “I realize the damage has already been done and I can’t take any of it back. Just know that I’m sorry. For all of it. I had plenty of time to reflect when White cut me out of all jobs,” he said. “He was right. I should have come to you about my suspicions before making them public. My pride got the best of me. I think that’s something we have in common. Our pride gets in the way of logical thinking at times.”

  I planned on sitting on my bed with my head averted and not acknowledge him, but I couldn’t help myself.

  “First of all, don’t ever compare yourself to me. Ever.” I wished I could punch him but my shoulder hurt too much. “And, yes. The damage has been done. I don’t care if you’re sorry or not. No one has been sorrier than I’ve been these past months while I did my own reflecting out there all alone. You’ve always seen me as an enemy and that was something I never was. Now? Yeah, we are enemies and I’m praying for that contract to come through one of these days. You didn’t just take away Penumbra, you took everything.”

  He nodded and sat quietly for a few seconds.

  “You could expedite the contract. All you’d have to do is tell the Admiral that I know.”

  “He already knows,” I said.

  “If he had proof I wouldn’t be sitting here. You could provide it. Why haven’t you?”

  “Because, you’re part of White and Associates. You might be the biggest prick I’ve ever met, but you aren’t a bad guy.”

  “Was Garcia a bad guy?”

  “Yes. He works for Ruiz.” I was exasperated.

  “You’re right on that one. Did he deserve what he got?”

  I was quiet. I really didn’t know if he did or not.

  “If it makes you feel better, he did deserve it, but he was useful to us. Why did you take the shot with us in the room?”

  “I was pissed off,” I said.

  “Then why not pull that trigger again?”

  “We’ve been through this.”

  “You’re right. Sorry. I know you’re not going to like the next question, but I have to ask it. If you just answer it, we can move on.”

  I shook my head in disgust.

  “Have you entertained thoughts of killing yourself?”

  “Every single day,” I said.

  Again he nodded and sat quietly for a few seconds.