Page 106 of The Fallen Man

Caitlin reached the corner and didn’t stop as she ran out into the street. A taxi rounded the corner just as Caitlin entered the road, and she bounced off the hood with a sharp smack thatDominique could hear even half a block away.

Dominique grabbed the golf club off the pavement and ran after Caitlin. Ahead of her, the man in the khakis and mask seized Caitlin by the coat lapels as she lay on the pavement and thumped her back onto the ground again, banging her head off the pavement.

“Where is it, you dumb bitch?” the man screamed.

Dominique came in swinging hard. He turned at the last second and put up an arm, half blocking the swing. The golf club bent and he went sprawling onto the pavement. He rolled and came up, awkwardly pulling a gun out of his waistband with the arm she hadn’t hit.

“I’m calling the cops,” yelled a skinny Black kid running out into the street, waving a cell phone. “I’m calling the cops right now. They are on the way!” He stopped mid-way out onto the road as the man pointed the gun in the kid’s direction. The taxi driver looked at the scene and then pulled away with a screech of tires.

The man in the khakis looked between Dominique and the kid, clearly trying to weigh his options.

“Don’t fucking do it,” said a man’s voice. Dominique looked around and saw another guy in jeans and a puffer coat with a gun come out of the park. He was holding it sideways, like they did in the movies, but it was pointed at the guy in khakis. Dominique took a firmer grip on the golf club, standing over Caitlin’s prone body.

Slowly, the man in khaki’s put up his gun and backed away. They watched as he jogged back down the block and got into a blue sedan. Moments later, the car disappeared around the corner.

“Oh, fuck,” said the kid, putting his hand on his knees and inhaling. “Fuck. Rufus, shit, man, thanks.”

“Jamal, you dumb shit, you don’t run up on someone likethat,” snapped the man.

“I didn’t know he had a gun. He looked like he worked at an Apple store!”

“Is Katie OK?” asked Rufus, stopping a few feet away.

Dominique looked down at Caitlin. She had bruises and there was blood on the pavement, but she was breathing and nothing appeared obviously broken. “I don’t know. She’s unconscious. Did you call the cops? Tell them to send an ambulance.”

“I was lying,” said Jamal. “My phone’s dead. I was on my way to Katie’s to see if I could charge it up for a bit.”

“OK. Uh…” Dominique shook her head, trying to focus. “I have a phone. I will call for an ambulance. I am doing that.”

“We should call Jackson,” said Jamal.

“He’s going to be pissed,” said Rufus, looking over Jamal’s shoulder at Katie.

“Pissed isnotgoing to begin to cover it,” agreed Dominique, dialing. “But ambulance first. Take care of Katie, and then I’ll call Jackson.”

“You know Jackson?” asked Jamal.

“He’s my cousin.”

“Oh,” said Jamal. He and Rufus both nodded as if she had explained everything.

Jackson

St. Anne’s Hospital

Jackson felt his heart race as he saw Katie’s number on the phone.

“Hello?” He picked up cautiously, not really sure what to expect.

“Jesus, thank God,” said Jamal. “Jackson, you’ve got to get down here. I don’t know what to do.”

“Down where? Jamal, where are you? Where’s Katie?”

“We’re at the hospital. You’ve got to get down here. She got hit by a cab. And I think that guy.”

“Which hospital?”

“The big one with… St. Anne’s. It’s St. Anne’s. And you cousin is trying, but the hospital bitch is being a dick. You’ve got to get here before they call the cops and kick us out.” Jamal’s voice dropped on the last words as if he was trying to say it without being overheard.