Justin was on his knees in the middle of the hallway, oblivious of the strange looks he was getting from passers-by or autograph seekers backing away from him as he screamed into his cell phone. "Lance, Jesus, baby, talk to me! Lance, please!" Justin yelled into the phone, getting no response.
"Justin, come on. Get up. We have to get to Lance and JC. We have to catch this bastard before he can get away." Lonnie said, jerking Justin up by his arm and dragging him along behind him. In the back of his mind, Lonnie knew that he probably shouldn't be taking Justin out there with him, but he had no choice. He had no way to protect him if he left him in the mall since he needed Dave and Danny with him. His brain was running so fast, he hadn't really even registered that Justin had fallen to his knees, crying and screaming Lance's name, but Justin's next words made him falter in his fast pace and his blood run cold.
"Lance. Oh God, he shot Lance." Justin whispered, sounding as if he couldn't believe it. Then, as if coming out of a trance, Justin's pace picked up, matching and almost passing Lonnie's, as he ran through the halls of the mall. "God, Lance, please. Baby, hold on. Just hold on for me." Justin whispered in prayer, seeing the exit a few yards ahead of him.
Lonnie and Justin burst through the exit first, Dave and Danny close behind them. Through his panic, Justin barely registered that all three men had drawn the revolvers worn around their shins. He wondered fleetingly when they'd had time to do that.
All thought left Justin's mind as they first came to Phil's body, then Ronnie's only a few yards away. Justin felt the bile rise in his throat as his stomach turned.
After a look from Lonnie, Dave whipped out his phone and dialed 911, calling for ambulances and police backup. "He, Lon, Ronnie got his gun out. Looks like he got a shot off at some point, too."
"I hope he hit the bastard. Are they alive?" Lonnie called over his shoulder, biding time trying to brace himself for what he might face when he reached the SUV.
"Phil's got a faint pulse, but a gaping hole in his chest. Ronnie's not much better, but they're alive." Dave said, coming up behind Danny and Lonnie.
"Do you see them, Lon?" Justin asked in a small voice, almost afraid of the response.
"No. Not yet. But that doesn't mean anythi�wait a minute. I see Josh." Lonnie said, causing the four men to break into a run for their friend.
"Josh. JC man, can you hear me?" Justin asked, touching JC's head, his hand coming back covered in blood that was running from a cut on JC's forehead.
"Justin?" JC groaned.
"Yeah, buddy. It's me. Do you know if that guy's still around here?" Justin asked, while Lonnie quickly checked JC over for more injuries.
"I saw him walk over from the back of the truck. There was a loud noise. I don't know what happened after that." JC said, his eyes fluttering closed as he groaned against a wave of pain in his head.
"Dave, Justin, stay with Jayce. Danny and I are going to look for Lance." Lonnie ordered, standing as Danny stepped up beside him.
"Where's Lance?" JC moaned out.
"We don't know yet, Josh. But they're going to find out." Justin said, tears forming in his eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Justin. I tried to protect him. I'm so sorry. I wanted to keep him safe for you, but I couldn't." JC said, beginning to cry himself as Lonnie and Danny moved to look around.
"Shhhh. JC. It's not your fault. I know you tried. I know you did." Justin soothed, cradling JC's head in his lap, not caring about the blood seeping into his jeans.
"Oh shit!" Justine and JC heard from the rear of the SUV. Justin felt JC stiffen at the sudden and loud exclamation. Justin rocked back and forth, torn between needing to know what was going on and his need to stay with JC.
JC felt Justin's indecision. "Go, Justin. Find your boy and make sure he's ok." He urged.
Justin started to protest but the look on JC's face told him it wouldn't matter. After taking off his jacket and resting JC's head on the make-shift pillow, and exchanging words with Dave, Justin moved cautiously around to the back of the SUV, where he could hear Lonnie and Danny moving around quickly and talking rushed.
"Guys, what is it?" Justin asked, still behind the cover of the truck, afraid of what he would see if he moved.
"Justin! Get over here!" Lonnie barked. Justin quickly complied, his heart stopping at what he saw.
Right by the rear wheels of the car was a man clad in black, eyes open, mouth open in shock. He had a gun in one hand, a cell phone not far from his other. There was a clean hole going through his forehead and blood pooling around his head. Justin's stomach turned.
"Justin, hurry up and get over here!" Lonnie yelled at him.
Rushing over to where Lonnie was standing, tears leapt into Justin's eyes. In a car only a few slots over from theirs was Lance. Justin could see the hand cuffs attaching Lance to the steering column of the black, newer model Sedan. Lonnie, despite all of his attempts, couldn't get the doors to the car open, and Lance couldn't reach the locks.
"Break the window!" Justin shouted, trying to keep calm about the situation.
"We've tried. The bastard has shatter proof glass. And the locks are one of those new electronic laser key and keypad locks. I can't jimmy one of those." Lonnie said, obviously as frustrated as Justin.
For his part, Lance was practically hysterical, but couldn't do much about it. Not only were his hands handcuffed to the steering wheel, but his legs were tied to the handle by the passenger window. He was, for all intents and purposes, immobilized.
Justin hated to see Lance like that. Vulnerable, helpless and completely terrified. He wasn't sure that Lance realized that they were there, not to hurt him but to help him. "What are we going to do then, Lon? He's scared to death." Justin whispered, turning away from the car some so that Lance couldn't see what he was saying.
"I don't know. There's not much we can do until the cops get here. I hear the sirens of the ambulances. The police won't be far behind." Lonnie said, running a hand over his shaven head.
Justin took a deep breath and walked towards the car. He could see Lance's eyes getting wider. Justin couldn't figure out why Lance was scared of them. They were there to help him. Lance knew they wouldn't hurt him. Justin stopped when he was close enough to the car to clearly see Lance. He saw Lance shake his head quickly, his eyes darting to the backseat.
Confused, Justin moved forward a little more, then stopped cold when he saw the glint of metal. Backing up, he made his way back over to Lonnie, keeping his eyes on Lance, seeing his relieved expression.
"Lonnie, did you look in the backseat, at the floor when you tried to get in the car?" Justin asked, his heart beating wildly.
"No. It hadn't even crossed my mind. Why?" Lonnie asked, his eyes darting to the car.
"I know why Lance was scared when we came near the car. Why he was so hysterical after you had tried to open the door and break the window. There's a guy in the backseat, with a gun." Justin said, frightened eyes turning towards his bodyguard and confidant.
"Holy shit. Why the hell didn't he shoot when we tried to get in the car?" Lonnie asked, motioning for Danny to stop the cops and the ambulance from coming near the car as they sped into the parking lot.
"I'll be damned if I know. What the hell are we going to do now? If the police try to get in the car, he'll shoot Lance. I almost guarantee that. If he gets away and they chase him, he'll shoot Lance. Either way, what ever happens, Lance gets killed." Justin said, his voice shaky and thick with tears and fear.