Page 18 of Every Last One
Jordon sat down and got his first look at Mahoney. The nurse was back on the couch, a hand over his upper left arm. Blood was pouring out between his fingers. That location shouldn’t have struck anything vital, but the bleeding needed to be stopped or it would be fatal. Jordon gestured toward Mahoney. “Let me help him. I’m a doctor.”
The gunman narrowed his eyes and contorted his face into a sneer. “You’re going to stay right where you are. I obviously can’t trust you.”
In a burst of rebellion, Jordon wished he had just smashed that device and really pissed the man off. But to what end? A bullet in the head? And while he might be on the losing end of a physical altercation, he had his brains. “You don’t want him to die. Trust me on that. If the police find out, whatever you haveplanned here will be over. You’ll be happy if you don’t leave in a body bag.” Courage rose within him as he continued to speak. His mouth was running off like he was a rebellious teenager again.
“Fine.” The man nudged his gun, pointing toward Mahoney. “Help him. But don’t try any funny business.”
And there it was again.Funny business…It must be the man’s adopted colloquialism. Jordon hurried across the room, taking his white coat off as he walked. He lifted Mahoney’s left arm and fed the coat’s sleeve around it, planning to use it as a tourniquet. Mahoney cried out as Jordon tugged on the fabric and tied it off tightly to staunch the bleeding.
Mahoney’s eyes were clouded over with shock and spiked with adrenaline. For now, his body’s natural defenses were shielding him from feeling all the pain, but that would only hold out for so long.
“He needs medication to help with the pain and surgery to remove the bullet,” Jordon told the gunman.
The gunman shook his head. “That’s not happening. You help him as best as you can. Otherwise, we’re not going anywhere.”
“Then he could die. Is that what you came here to do today? Kill people?” Jordon was shaking with his own dose of adrenaline, and not doing well at keeping his mouth shut. It was a weakness his mother tried to rid him of since he learned to talk.
“It’s none of your business what brought me here. Get back to your chair.”
Jordon left Mahoney with hesitance but tapped the man’s hand before leaving his side. It was the best he could do for assurance. He’d done all he could for now.
He dropped back into his chair, feeling powerless. If only there was a way to get the man separated from his gun… Buthe’d witnessed how well Mahoney’s efforts had gone in that regard and wasn’t in a hurry to try it for himself. Not considering how close he’d already come to getting shot himself. And the gunman’s aim was bound to improve.
The next few moments passed in silence. Mahoney was wincing and hissing but breathing evenly. Less blood was seeping through the fabric of Jordon’s coat. The situation seemed to be stabilized. For now anyway. But would it hold out long enough for help to arrive?
It had already been two hours since the lockdown went into effect. If his mother had heard him before the call was dropped, she’d make the police turn up. But what if she hadn’t? Did the cops even know the situation here if people weren’t able to call out?
Jordon’s eyes drifted to the jammer. Even if they were aware, without a means of communication, the cops would remain in the dark. They would stand down. In the meantime, things would play out however these people with the guns wanted. Jordon had to get to that jammer and turn it off.
The gunman had returned to the newspaper, almost as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn’t shot a man. The observation was chilling.
Was Jordon brave enough to take a chance? After all, he knew well that life could change in a flash. Not just with his patients, but look at poor Mahoney on the couch. He wouldn’t have expected to be shot today. Life was unpredictable. And in case he didn’t survive this, he wanted Maria to know exactly what she meant to him and that he wanted his future to be with her.
Jordon discreetly slipped his cell phone from his pocket. No bars, as expected. He still brought up the text thread he had going with her, tapped out a message, and hit send. Even if she didn’t get it immediately, she would eventually and then she’dknow just how much he loved her. He pushed his phone back into his pocket just as the gunman looked up from the paper.
He was looking straight at Jordon, and his cold, calculating eyes lit as his lips curved into a smile. “Well, I’ll be.”
A sickening dread settled in Jordon’s core. Call it a gut feeling, but his mother and her insatiable philanthropic causes were going to get him killed. Usually he wasn’t roped into being a face among them, but last week, he was involved. His mother awarded full medical scholarships to five students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford the schooling. The announcement garnered media attention and netted an interview at his family home. His mother touted him and his accomplishments for inspiration.
“This is you.” The gunman held up the photo of Jordon smiling next to his mother. He walked over to Jordon, closing the distance between them to a few inches. The man laughed. “What do you know? My life has just changed for the better.”
Jordon should have known the man would discover his identity sooner than later. But he could use this as leverage. “Let everyone else go. Hold on to me.”
Nurse Winters gave Jordon a hopeful look, as if he was her savior, but she ought to hold on to her optimism. Jordon noticed the gunman’s face was unchanged. There was a calm, somewhat eerie peacefulness to it. Unsettling.
“Please, let them go,” he petitioned again.
The man shook his head, all the while smiling. “This is so much bigger than you and me, kid, but you are a godsend.”
Jordon bristled at being referred to as a gunman’s gift from God. He was just religious enough to take offense.
The man went over to his backpack and dug out a walkie-talkie. He was smiling as he spoke into it. “I just got us some more insurance.”
TEN
12:15 PM
Sandra tossed the stir stick into the garbage, took her coffee to her workstation next to Brice, and sat down. Maybe if she adopted an optimistic mindset, she’d be rewarded. She certainly wasn’t when she’d returned to the vehicle. No one had any updates to give her.
