Danger Close by James Sumner (classic novels for teens txt) 📕

Collins just rolled his eyes and sighed. He tossed the gun on the bed and fumbled around the trashed room for his clothes.

A couple of minutes later, he hopped out into the hall as he struggled to slip a boot on. The gun was tucked into his waistband behind him. Finally dressed, he set off running along the corridor, desperate to catch up with Jay.

He burst out of the main entrance and onto the sidewalk. He looked up and down, not worrying about the fact he didn’t recognize where he was. Up ahead to the left, he saw a disturbance in the flow of foot traffic. People were being forced to make room and were turning to complain.

“Got ya.”

He started running again. He reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone, trying to place a call at full speed.

Julie was going to kill him.

19

Collins twisted and turned as he threaded himself through the gaps of people, holding the phone to his ear as it rang out.

“Ray?” said Julie. “Where the hell are you?”

Collins didn’t immediately answer. He gasped in deep breaths. His eyes were focused on the top of Jay’s head as it swayed and bobbed in the distance.

Julie sighed down the phone. “Ray, I swear to God, if you’ve butt-dialed me while you’re having sex again…”

He grunted as he fought against fatigue. “Jules… I got her. I got the…”

“What? I can barely hear what you’re saying. What are you doing?”

He jumped over a small dog that had wandered just in front of him, narrowly missing its leash and owner as he pressed on in his pursuit.

“The shooter… Jules, I have the shooter!”

Her voice changed. “How? Where are you? What’s going on?”

“I’m chasing after her… I’m…” He quickly looked around, searching for something recognizable. “I dunno… still in Brooklyn, I think.”

Julie’s tone hardened with professionalism. She knew her questions could wait. She needed to find Collins.

“I’m getting in the car now,” she said. “What do you see?”

He looked around again, making sure he didn’t lose sight of Jay. Along his left side was a row of hardware and convenience stores, interspersed with diners and cheap restaurants. It was a busy sidewalk.

He glanced across the street. It was a similar story there. Typical city streets with nothing that stood out. But then he ran past a side street opposite and caught a glimpse of the bay.

“I see water,” he said.

“Okay. Which side?”

“My right. Hang on… street sign…” He ran across an intersection, causing vehicles to slam on their brakes and sound their horns. One car missed him by a couple of feet. “I just almost died crossing… 57th and 2nd.”

“Got you,” said Julie. “I’m in the car with our two-man escort from yesterday. Leave your phone on so we can track you. I can see you heading west on 2nd Avenue.”

“Great…”

“Get them, Ray. No matter what.”

He slid the phone into his pocket and carried on. He was gaining on her. He could see her in front of him, now maybe forty feet away. Jay looked back at him, then grabbed the nearest person to her and threw him to the ground.

Collins vaulted over the young man and continued his pursuit.

Thirty feet now.

“Jay!” he shouted. “Woman! Stop running… damn it!”

She looked back again. Their eyes met. He was close enough to see her sickening, malevolent smile.

She turned away, pushing another person to the ground in front of her—a middle-aged woman this time. Again, Collins jumped to avoid her as he caught up.

Twenty feet.

Fifteen.

Just ahead, Belt Parkway ran across the street, bridging over it on its metal and concrete pillars. Collins didn’t know what lay beyond it, but he could see it was a built-up area. Lots of buildings, possibly residential. Too easy to lose her.

He had to take her down.

Ten feet and closing. Almost near enough to reach for her.

He screamed through gritted teeth as pain wracked his chest from the exertion of sprinting for so long. But he couldn’t slow down. Not when he was this close. He had to—

There was a loud, high pitched screeching of tires in front of him. From out of nowhere, a gray Suburban shot into view, stopping abruptly. Jay saw it too late and ran at full speed into the side of it. The impact against the metallic frame was dull and partially echoed beneath the bridge. She bounced backward, landing hard on the ground at Collins’s feet.

He stepped back a couple of paces and drew the gun, prompting screams of panic from people nearby. He trained it on her.

“Move and you die,” he said, fighting to catch his breath.

He looked up to see two GlobaTech operatives climbing out of the vehicle. The driver hurried around the hood to join his colleague. Their guns were holstered, but their hands were ready to draw if needed.

Julie climbed out of the back, her own gun held low and aimed at Jay, who had maneuvered herself up onto one knee. She had a hand placed on her chest, breathing heavily.

“You were… you were quick,” said Collins, nodding gratefully at Julie.

Julie shrugged. “Our hotel isn’t far. You would’ve known that if you had come back to it last night.”

He rolled his eyes. “Really? The what time do ya call this speech… now?”

She gestured to Jay with a nod. “You said this is the shooter? Are you sure?”

“Yeah… she… she admitted it. She’s also the one who… who killed Mama.”

Julie looked down at Jay, who was glaring up at her with a venomous gaze. “You’ve been busy. On your feet. You’re going to tell me everything, then you’re going to spend the rest of your life in a prison so far off the books, it has its own time zone.”

“Not a chance…” hissed Jay.

She lashed her back leg out, catching Collins in the knee she had previously attacked with the gun. He buckled beneath his own weight and fell hard to the ground. The gun flew from his grip.

As Julie moved in, Jay spun