It all started so innocent. So simple.
The afternoon seemed no different than any other day. She only went to his house to talk about work. Granted, she could have called him. But she had become accustomed to meeting him in person when she could. She preferred to meet him face to face because honestly, she was still trying to put her finger on him. Each conversation was another piece of the ever-incomplete Jacob puzzle she was trying to put together. But she hadn't ever dreamed the result of the trip.
Cady was looking at the man in front of her. He had black hair that was cropped short on the sides and left long in the center. His chin had a grey goatee that added character to his long face. They were talking about work.
"I'm thinking about setting up a website and social media page for the legal aid center. It could really help raise awareness and spread the word about what I do," Cady said.
They were standing around Jacob's pool in his expansive backyard. In place of Jacob's typical business suit was a navy-blue t-shirt and dark jeans with leather boots, making him seem much more human. The birds carried a tune on the wind.
"Those fliers with your face on them didn't quite do the trick?"
She chuckled. "I think we can do better."
He nodded and played with the sunglasses he was holding. "If the website is going to cost any money, write up an expense report and it should go through," he said.
With a smile, she began to say, "Thank you," when loud pops made her ears ring. Jacob lowered his level and his head snapped around, looking for the source. Gunshots rang in the air and terror possessed her then.
There was another shot and Cady's legs collapsed out from under her like an invisible force took her use of her muscles right out from under her. She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. She could barely move when she tried looking around for Jacob, needing to make sure he was okay. Her shaky hands reached out in front of her and she saw that they were bright red. It looked like she had dipped her hands in paint.
Jacob had a gun in his hands. Where did he get that so fast? He was firing shots into the woods. She thought gunshots would be louder but all the noises around her seemed muffled. What felt like the blink of the eye was all it took before he was at her side again. It sounded like he was saying words but they didn't sound like words. Her vision got blurry.
Hands were touching her gut. They pushed hard. The pain she felt seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, and this brought things into focus.
"Cady. Cady. Hey. Look at me. Stay with me." These words sounded like words. That had to be a good sign. Her vision cleared up a bit and she saw Jacob hovering over her with a phone pressed to his ear. His hands were still on her gut. She looked down at them and saw that they were bright red, too. Her clothes were soaked in red. It was all coming from her stomach.
"Jacob," she tried wheezing. It took nearly all her energy to speak. "Help me."
"I'm trying. Just focus on my voice, Cady. It's going to be okay."
Her breaths became hard to take in. They tugged on her remaining bits of energy, as if each breath said whatever you have left- give it all to this activity. This was her body's job now. Breathe. Breathe. Stay awake. Breathe. Go to sleep… no. Jacob says no. Stay awake, Cady.
"Dammit," she heard him say. Yes. Dammit. "There's no time to wait for anybody," he said.
Strong arms wrapped around her. As she was lifted into the air a flash of pain caused her to cry out. The back door to Jacob's SUV opened – somewhat roughly as he tried to balance holding her and pulling the handle – and she was being slid in. Her hands were being moved around to cover her stomach. "I know it hurts but I need you to press down there for as long as you can, Cady. Do you hear me?"
With a shaky breath she nodded. He got in the driver's side and started the engine quickly, throwing it into drive and taking off. She groaned in pain.
"You're going to be okay, Cady, we're going to make it to the hospital and everything will be-"
Words stopped sounding like words again. Her breathing was getting rapid and her vision was closing in. Everything that passed through the window looked like big blobs.
Jacob's voice was the last thing she knew before she was pulled under the warm embrace black nothingness.