Page 133 of Addicted

He was standing at the end of the hallway, his gun raised. He fired. I ducked, the bullet whizzing past my ear. I fired back but missed.

Javion ran toward a back room. I chased after him, Kenzo right behind me. Javion turned and fired again. This time, Kenzo returned fire. The bullet hit Javion in the throat. He dropped his gun, clutching his neck as blood poured between his fingers. He fell to his knees, then collapsed face-first on the floor.

I didn’t spare him another glance. I kept moving, kept searching. And then I heard her.

“Stone!”

Indie’s voice. She sounded weak and scared, butalive.

I burst through the door of the back room with Kenzo, Antoine, and Deacon right behind me. My heart stopped.

Indie was tied to a chair in the middle of the room. Her face was bruised. Her lip was split. There was dried blood on her chin. And Wes was standing next to her with a gun to her head.

Indie’s eyes locked on mine, and I saw something I’d never seen before.

Fear.

Real, raw fear.

Indie was the most fearless woman I knew. She’d stood up to me when I was ready to kill her brother. She’d hit me and cussed me out more times than I could count. She didn’t back down from nobody. But right now, she looked helpless. She looked scared.

And it fucking killed me.

“Drop the gun, Stone,” Wes said, pressing the barrel harder against Indie’s temple.

Indie flinched. I saw a tear roll down her cheek.

“Drop it, nigga!” Wes yelled.

I lowered my gun slowly, my eyes never leaving Indie’s. “It’s okay, baby,” I said, my voice calm. “I got you.”

Wes laughed.

“You ain’t got shit,” he said. “You selfish mothafucka. You think you the only one supposed to eat? I was one of yo’ top soldiers, nigga! I been putting in work! Y’all sitting up, taking vacations and shit while we out here steppin’ for real. And now, you going soft ‘bout this random bitch.” He looked at Indie. “I shoulda blew yo’ head off the first time you tried me.”

He was ranting now. Getting more and more fired up. Getting distracted.

“You ain’t loyal, Stone. You a weirdo,” Wes continued. “I moved yo’ product. Knocked niggas off. Kept this shit moving! And for what? Scraps? Nah, fuck that. I’ma get mine.”

I wasn’t listening to his bullshit. I was watching and waiting. Looking for an opening. And then I saw it.

Wes was so caught up in his speech, so focused on his anger, that his grip on the gun loosened. Just slightly, but it was just enough.

I caught Indie’s eye, and I knew she realized it too. She leaned down fast, giving me a clear shot.

I didn’t hesitate. I raised my gun and fired. The bullet pierced Wes in the side, just below his ribs. He staggered back, his face twisted in shock and pain, but he didn’t go down.

He raised his gun, aimed at me, and fired. The bullet hit me in the shoulder, tearing through muscle and bone. Pain exploded through my body, and I used all my strength to remain standing, but I couldn’t aim my gun fast enough.

Indie screamed. “Stone!”

Wes tried to take another shot, but Kenzo intervened, immediately putting another bullet in him. The gun fell out of his hand, and he dropped to the ground. Antoine and Deacon rushed to Indie, cutting the ropes that bound her.

I felt my legs give out. Felt myself falling. I hit the floor hard, blood pouring from my shoulder. And then Indie was there. She dropped to her knees next to me, her hands on my face.

“Stone, no,” she sobbed. “Please. Please don’t leaveme.”

I looked up at her. At her beautiful face, the tears streaming down her cheeks.