Vigilant

Over the loudspeaker, the announcer informed the athletes they had five minutes until they were required to go back to the locker rooms and for attendees to head out.

“So you’re besties with everyone around here now, huh?”

Oliver shrugged in his easy way. “I like this place. These guys are kind of cool. Peter says that besides the fighting, they spend a lot of time on parkour.”

“Oh yeah?” Ari knew this of course, having seen Davis at the club.”

“Have you seen it? It’s like backflips and jumps. Using regular stuff like walls or stairs to get from place to place.”

They followed the rest of the people leaving, passing by the now empty rings. Ari searched for Davis, hoping she would see him before she left, but the crowd was too thick and he was most likely busy anyway.

“I’ve got to use the restroom,” Ari said, as they entered the lobby. Oliver rolled his eyes. “Meet you out front?”

“Yep,” he said, being carried away by the crowd. Ari ducked into the ladies’ room, and took her place at the standard too-long-ladies’-room line. When she finished, she dried her hands on her jeans since the paper towels were out, and walked back into the lobby. The entire gym was empty except for a couple of guys cleaning up.

Pulling her gloves out of her pocket, Ari tugged them on. She pushed the door open with her hip and stepped into the parking lot. The cool air hit her face and she saw Davis standing in the middle of the parking lot talking to a tall guy with a blue bandana wrapped around his head. A Glory baseball hat sat askew on top. Davis’s jaw set, clenched so tight she could see the muscle bunching in his jaw. At some point she would have to thank him for the tickets. And break the ice.

Ari took a step forward and the door closed behind her with a slam. Everyone turned to stare. She made eye contact with Davis and smiled. He didn’t smile back.

“Don’t move!” the guy said, pulling a gun out from behind his back. Even from across the parking lot it was leveled clearly at her face.

Ari’s hands immediately shot in the air, palms faced out.

“He has a gun!” Ari heard from the crowd on the fringe of the parking lot. From the corner of her eye, she saw Oliver.

“It’s okay,” Ari said to the gunman. She took a deep breath, fighting the panic of being in a situation like this again. Now that he faced her, she realized he was younger than she thought. An older teen. Just like the group of thuggish-looking kids circling behind him, tense and ready to back him up.

Davis looked between Ari and the guy. Calmly, he said, “Antonio, put the gun down.”

Ari lowered her hands and Antonio shouted, “Back up! You may be one of them!”

She jerked her hands back up.

Them? Great. This guy was crazy. Delusional or something. Ari waited, on…well something. Davis? The police? She didn’t even know why this guy had a gun on her.

“You know there’s no violence on the property and we have zero tolerance for weapons,” Davis said. He took a step toward Antonio. The boy swung the gun away from Ari and pointed it at Davis. They were only feet apart.

Oliver called her name, “Ari!” and she turned to him. He frantically waved her toward a parked car. She snapped to her senses, pulling her eyes from Antonio and Davis’s standoff. She ran as fast as she could.

“No!” A woman yelled, but her voice was silenced by the shot. Loud and echoing against the metal building. Ari’s body slammed to the ground, the wind knocked out of her lungs. She skidded backwards, landing on the hard pavement.

Holy crud, that hurt.

She lifted her head, rubbing the side of her face where she’d scraped it against the pavement. Antonio was on the ground. Peter stood over him, holding the gun, one foot on his back. The gang of men that had backed him up had scattered, running into the dark. She lay back down on the cold, hard pavement. The realization that she’d been injured—maybe shot—washed over her. Her chest ached and she couldn’t see straight due to the wooziness in her head. She rubbed her chest, searching for the blood.

“Oliver,” she called. Why he hadn’t come looking for her yet?

Her name came from the dark and she twisted her head. Davis lay next to her, his dark eyes narrowed and tight.

Blood oozed from his shoulder, spreading wet and thick across his shirt.

“Oh, God,” Ari said, struggling to sit up. Her head swam. “Help! Someone help!”

“I’m okay,” he said softly.

“No, you aren’t.” The panic that had been building in her chest amplified. “Over here!”

“Ari!” Oliver called. Boyd and another man rushed over. They started to help her up, but she pointed at Davis.