There was no sign of Jacob, and her heart squeezed tight.It seemed he hadn’t been able to slip past Miller and Bakshi.Yet, she reminded herself.But he would make it.Jacob was smart and well-trained.He would succeed, she had to trust in that.
She wasn’t sure she could take the next step if he wasn’t by her side.
She might have no choice, however.He’d made her promise she would go without him if he wasn’t at the rendezvous on time.
And she needed to go.While there was still a chance, while the agents were still overrun with Russell's cohort of the faithful.Henry’s fence was a low iron railing, not so much meant to keep people out as to delineate his property.She pushed her way between two shrubs and stepped neatly over the railing.Now she was standing on the pathway, out in the open, and she felt terribly exposed.Hiking the backpack higher on her shoulders, she turned and jogged down the path toward the other end of the street, away from her house, ignoring her neighbors; they wouldn’t recognize her in the darkened street, anyway.
Russell should be waiting in his little blue Mazda at the end of the block.She squinted her eyes.Was that a hint of blue underneath a streetlamp, right down at the intersection behind that large tree trunk?It was still a few hundred yards away, but as she picked up her pace, the car crept forward, so that its nose peeked out onto her street.
It was Russell; it had to be.She surged forward, excitement and adrenaline driving her on.As she got closer, the passenger door swung open, and she could see Russell in the driver’s seat beckoning her onward.
She gave a quick glance over her shoulder, hoping to spot Jacob coming up behind.But the street remained empty.She slowed, wondering if she should turn around, go back for him.
“Nikki, come on,” Russell yelled.His car was now only fifty yards away.
She was almost safe.
But she didn’t want to go without Jacob.
There was a shout, and she turned to see a figure sprinting down the pathway.It had to be Jacob, although it was hard to be sure as he flashed from dark to light and dark again, passing each streetlamp and on to the next.He was still a long way behind her, but he was waving his hands at her, urging her to run, miming that he would catch up.
With a grin of relief, she jogged over to the car and leaned in the open door.
“Hi, boss.”She gave him what she hoped was a cheeky smile.But her relief faded when she caught his gaze and found it fixed on something behind her.Russell’s brow furrowed with concern, and she spun around to find out what had worried him.
Jacob had stopped and pivoted, his feet planted akimbo, arms braced by his side.
Turned to face someone running after him.
It took Nikki a few seconds to make out that the dim figure was Agent Miller, charging down the road at full tilt, her gun raised, yelling at the top of her lungs.But she wasn’t screaming at Jacob; she was looking past Jacob and shouting Nikki’s name, telling her to halt, or she’d shoot.
Nikki could only stand and stare, as frozen as a statue.
Jacob took off like a sprinter starting a race, straight for the agent barreling toward her.
“No!”Nikki screamed.
“Get in the car,” Russell demanded, but Nikki remained standing in the open door, watching Jacob run directly into danger, watching Miller point her gun at him.
A hand clamped around her elbow and pulled hard, dragging her forcefully into the car, so that she banged her head on the doorjamb as her butt landed in the seat.
“No,” she shouted again.“No, we can’t leave him.”
“I’m sorry, Nikki,” Russell said, his voice grim, but Nikki didn’t have time to turn and look at him; still captured by the scene unfolding down the street.
Miller tried to dodge out of Jacob’s way, aiming the gun over his shoulder and straight at Nikki.Jacob sidestepped, putting himself directly in the agent’s line of fire yet again.What was he doing?Now wasn’t the moment to play the hero.He could get hurt.Or killed.
In the background, Nikki noticed a group of people spill out of her driveway and jog down the street toward her.
Jacob had almost reached Miller now.She zigzagged to the other side of the road to avoid him, and he stumbled and half-fell as he changed direction to stop her.Miller was past him now.But then he was on his feet and chasing after her.Miller was fast.But Jacob was faster.He tackled her while they were both running full pelt, and they came to ground in a tumble of arms and legs.
More people were flowing out of her house, all of them now charging down the road toward the agent and Jacob, who were wrestling, rolling over and over on the street.
There was an unmistakable sound of a gunshot, so loud in the quiet street it made Nikki flinch and cover her ears.But just as quickly, she lifted her head and stared down the street.Who had been shot?She couldn’t take her eyes off the pair, both lying unmoving in the middle of the road, lit by a puddle of yellow light from a lamp above them.She went to put one foot out of the car, but Russell leaned across her and slammed the door shut.Then he put it into gear and gunned it down the street without a backward glance.
“No, Russell, you have to stop.We have to see if Jacob’s okay.”
“My job is to get you onto the video link in time for your testimony.This is what Jacob would’ve wanted.He wouldn’t have wanted you to put all of this,” Russell waved his hand in the air, indicating the rear vision mirror, “in jeopardy because of him.You are the key, Nikki; you need to remember that.”
