KILL SHOT

9. Two.

Darkness.

Flash. That's not light. That's pain. A flash of pain.
Excruciating pain.

Nicky.
Black.

"Charlie! Oh my God, no! Charlie!"

Someone is screaming. Fucking pain.
Stop this. The screams. The pain.
Let me die alone.
Nicky I'm sorry. I loved you.

"No, no, no! Charlie stay with me! Charlie!"

Nicky!
What's she doing here?
Hands pat my face. My pulse point. Those hands.
Nicky. I love you.

She's crying. Don't cry my love. Keep stroking my face so I could die peacefully.

Black.

Reacher.
Final fight. He's old, like 50 maybe less. I'm 27, sharper, stronger, faster.
I'm going to beat him up in a blink of an eye, spit on his still warm corpse, kill the blond woman, the Zec and go back home. To Nicky.
Hope she's OK. Maybe she's still sleeping, dreaming of me. Of us.

"Vet clinic Artemis, how can I help you?"
Jane.

Reacher got the better of me. Fucking old bastard. Man down. Not the one you thought. Surprise!

"Fuck your code! I'm telling you Charlie's dying!... I don't know. DK 70-something! He called you yesterday about Justin! Please help me!"

Babe, don't mess up with codes. 4 rings and the vet clinic turns into a gangsters' hospital. Fixing everything on every robber, dealer, mobster, regardless of their race or felony. But money. 30 to 50 000$. And codes.

"Fuck you Jane Thomas! You know him! Please I don't know who else to call! His arm is broken and... dislocated! And his neck, oh my God that angle! He's still alive, don't let him die, HELP ME!"

Oh I'm still alive, good to know. Not for long, yelling at Jane never has worked. There are rules. Respect the rules, the codes, the cash payment, the courtesy or she will kick you out.

Thank you Nicky. I don't know how you found me, I don't know how you manage to make that call, you my smart mermaid. I'd rather spend the last minutes of my life in your arms than hearing you wasting your time on the phone.
Hug me baby. Kiss me. I need you.

"50 000$" the voice blindly says at the other end.

"I'll pay. I have cash. A ton of cash. What should I do now?" Her cries renew.

I'm cold, but she warms me. Inside.
I can feel life leaking out of my system drop after drop. It's a shame. We could have been happy together. This week has been the happiest of my entire life.

"I can't! It will kill him, you can't see his neck! Jesus!"

"Do it. Or he will die for real. I'm texting you the address." Jane is breaking the rules for me. All this is surreal.

Nicky's touch is hesitant, her voice shaky, her lips on my temple so soft.

I grunt. Don't stop. Kiss me again.

"Baby I'm sorry. Hold on."

Grunting, she grabs my leather jacket and pulls on it with everything she got.
I guess she plans to turn me on my back and what, carry me at Jane's? I'll never know.
A flash of bright light and shot of pure pain explodes in my shoulder. I roar in agony, my stomach throws up its poison. Nicky bursts into tears and howls.

Total black out.

***

"Charlie! Charlie wake up!"
Someone is pinching my chest and it's awful. When will the pain finally stop?