Hostile Takeover ❖ Jake Riley | ✓ [book 1]

13~ A Pearl in Rubbish

"There is an electric fire in human nature tending to purify - so that among these human creatures there is continually some birth of new heroism. The pity is that we must wonder at it, as we should at finding a pearl in rubbish."

~ John Keats

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Jenna had reached a new record; two severe wounds in three days! And if she'd run as fast as she had this morning, she surely would've scored an A in gym. She now had two stitches sown into her cut, covered by a white bandage, and her bullet wound was healing nicely. It wasn't so red and wet anymore, now it had fully dried out and scabbed over, warping her skin in the most unusual way.

Dr. Tate was working like a man man, typing away on a computer one minute, then scribbling notes on paper the next, and taking sips of water in between. Jake watched from afar, crinkling his brows together, wondering how one man could move at such a high speed pace in so little time.

"It's like watching an attention deficit kid on adderall," Lex said.

"I know. Quentin doesn't even move that fast on pizza nights," he replied.

"How's he doing anyway?" he asked.

"He's hanging strong. I'll talk to him again tonight," he replied. Lex looked at Jenna, who sat at one of the desks and doodled away on a piece of paper with a pen.

"How about her?" he asked. Jake took his eyes off Tate and re-established them onto Jenna. This was probably the most quiet Jenna had been in hours, and Jake wasn't so used to not hearing her smart-ass remarks.

"She's very against the second amendment," he replied. Lex scoffed.

"Well, like it or not, she was probably a marksman in another life," he said.

"Huh... yeah,"

Jenna Desmond was truly something to marvel at; she was unlike anybody Jake had ever met. She had this way about her that would drive someone insane with fury, and she was stubborn as the day was long. But she was smart, and her smarts were the reason she was able to survive in this environment. Jake admired that about her.  She was a sure sight for sore eyes; small, cute, and she had that big, beautiful smile and pearly white teeth that lit up her whole face. She made him furious, and she made him laugh, and she understood the crosses he had to bare. She almost like Katie; they shared the same wit, and the same type of wisdom.

And while Jake stood there, watching her doodle across her paper, he started to realize that Jenna was starting to become more than just a pain-in-the-ass asset, or another petty thief who would later strike a deal with the district attorney. And she wasn't just a friend now, either. He remembered how she gripped onto him for dear life, not wanting to let go. He'd kept her safe, and he'd been doing so since day one. He liked Jenna, he really liked Jenna.

But he didn't think he loved her.

Lex cleared his throat, disrupting Jake from his thoughts, "I've been in contact with the National Guard. We chatted with your buddy, Larritate, and we agreed to ship out a load people out of the district and into St. Anne's Hospital," he said.

Jake looked at him with disbelief, "You're serious?" he asked.

"We don't have enough supplies to keep our wounded in the shelter. Our best bet is to move them out; besides, less people inside, the less casualties," he replied.

"Is there a reason you're telling me this, other than common knowledge?" he asked.

"You've been telling me how Jenna really wants to go home, take care of her dad and all. Well, after what we put her through today, the poor kid deserves it," he said. Jake's eyes lit up, but a piece of him felt heavy. He didn't want Jenna to leave, not just yet.