Alexis
I’m shaking as I unlock the door and shove my way inside, and I don’t even know why.
But I mean, why would he offer me that? Just call him? There’s not a chance he actually wants me to. I mean, I’m certainly not planning on it, but still. If I was a different kind of person, he would be risking me actually calling him. Then again, if I was a different kind of person, maybe it wouldn’t be such torcher. And maybe I would have never been in a place where he thought I needed it.
Whatever. I don’t ****** need him. I don’t need anyone. But I don’t want these three stupid numbers on my hands. If they want to text me and get ignored, that’s fine, but I just don’t… I don’t know. I don’t know why I’m so set on the ball being in their court, but I am.
So I drop into a chair in the front room and grab all three, quickly putting them into my phone and labeling them. Luke, Mike, and Colton. I don’t even know anyone beside Colton’s last name. Not that it wouldn’t be as easy as a Google search term to find out. But you know what? I don’t care either.
I select all three of them, type in nothing more than my name so they know who it is, and send. There. Now it’s not in my hands anymore.
And, suddenly, I’m just completely exhausted. I mean, it is like twelve forty-five, but it’s different than that. I’m just emotionally exhausted, whereas I’m physically and mentally on edge. So I get up, grab the remote, and flip on the TV.
It’s time to forget about life for a few hours.

Colton
I stare at the point where she disappeared for a long moment, but there’s nothing more I can do. So I turn around and start walking back. I check my phone, and wince at the time. And I think we’re supposed to head out tonight, too.
I put in my earbuds to block out the shouting from one of the trailers. I can’t believe Alexis lives here.
I hit shuffle, and the first song that pops up is tobyMac’s Get Back Up. I smile slightly. Yeah. I just wish Alexis actually believed that she can.
A text comes in, from an unknown number. Alexis is the only thing it says.
“Thank You, Jesus,” I murmur into the darkness. I’m more than a little surprised. I quickly put her name in, but I don’t respond yet. I don’t wanna be too pushy.
I’m almost back into the housing part of the neighborhood when I hear the gunshot.
I drop flat to the ground without having to think about it, and I feel my heartbeat pick up in a matter of seconds, every muscle in my body going tense. Slowly, I reach up and pull my earbuds out.
The faint sound that they still produce is the only thing that breaks the night silence for a long moment. Even the shouting has gone instantly quiet.
A dark figure emerges from behind a trailer, but I don’t see anything about him except the gun in his hand. Because it’s centered straight on me.
I close my eyes momentarily, sending a prayer I don’t understand myself up to God before opening them again. And I see two more figures coming out from either side of me. And they also have guns. And they’re also pointed at me.
“Get up…” The voice is coming from the first one, hoarse and gravely, obviously the product of a lifetime of smoking more than one product. “or the next one will be in your head.”
I take a deep breath and get to my feet slowly, raising both hands above my head.
He doesn’t lower the gun. “What were you doing with the Greggors girl?” he growls.
I assume he means Alexis. Another deep breath.
“I… I was just walking her home.”
“Oh yeah?” Another one of them snaps, and I swing slightly to face him. “And what about before that?”
“She was at my concert.” I’m shocked by the steadiness of my own voice.
“And I suppose you’re some kind of ****** celebrity?” the first sneers.
“Not really.” I swing back to face him again. “not unless you’re a Christian.”
He lets out a sharp bark of laughter. “Now I know you’re lying to me. Cause the Greggors ain’t no ****** Christians.”
“No, Alexis certainly wasn’t.” I swallow hard. “She was only at my concert because she didn’t know I was.”
“Oh, very convenient,” the second one growls. “As is the fact that you’re ******* religious. You think just cause you throw that in our faces we’ll believe you’re ******* innocent?”
“No, I don’t.” I have no idea how I’m even talking anymore. “But I am married, and besides that, I believe that every woman is priceless and should be treated with respect and honor, and I would never dream of doing what you are implying to a teenage girl… or any woman, for that matter.”
“And that’s what she’d say if we went and asked her, is it?” the one who hasn’t spoken yet asks. “How about we go and see?”
I feel myself tense at his words. “It’s what she’d tell you alright,” I say quietly. “but if you wanna go into that house, you’re gonna have to shoot me first.”
Not that that would be much of a problem for them.
“That can be arranged,” the first guy spits dangerously. “And then, no matter if you touched her or not, we have a body to show the girl’s mother when she gets home. Proof that we were protecting her daughter. And then we don’t lose our customer.”
And that’s what this is about. I feel anger welling up inside of me, and I control in with an effort. They don’t even care about Alexis. All the care about is selling their disgusting drugs to her parents. And I’m probably gonna die before I can do anything about it.
“What do you say, boys?” the guy continues. “Three bullets to the head should do the trick, don’t you think?”
I swallow hard, forcing myself steady. And my mind snaps to Luke and Joel’s song.
And I start singing before I can even think about it.
You keep me steady when the sky is falling.
I’ll keep steady after You.
I’ll carry on when my strength is failing.
Take heart, cause You’re with me.
So let the stars drop.
Whatever comes, I’ll be ready.
You keep me steady.
“Shut up or you death won’t be as quick as bullets to the head,” the leader snaps, his grip tightening on his gun. “We’ll see how steady you are when you’re falling over dead.”
“Hey, at least he knows where he’s going, Mate.”
I feel my mouth come open as I swing to face the voice, coming from just to the right of the man in front of me. Not that I’d need to. I’d know that voice anywhere.
Sure enough, I recognize the shadowed figure of Joel emerging from one of the trailers, partially hiding something that he appears to be clutching to his chest.
I think I’m imagining him.
“Yeah, good point, Man.”
Cole? And, that would be a yes.
Seriously, this can’t be real.
I notice he’s doing the same thing as Joel… making an effort to show us he has something in his hands, just not reveal exactly what it is.
“Do you know where you’re going, Mate?”
Luke. I think my mind just snapped.
“The point that my friends are trying to make…” John. I’d know that gravely voice anywhere. “is that we really don’t want to get in a shoot-out with you tonight. But, if we do, we’re all headed straight for Heaven. What about you?”
And I realize what they’re doing with whatever they’re holding. They’re trying to make them think they have guns. This is completely insane.
“And, for the record…” Mike. I’ve never heard his try to sound so intimidating. “we do seem to have you outnumbered.”
The three men surrounding me take one look at my friends, look to each other, and, wordless except for muttered curses, storm into the night.
And that just worked. How on earth did that just work?

A/N: And, I probably just blew all of my chances of this book being realistic, but that idea popped into my head, and I kinda ran with it. Oh well. Anyway, I actually posted a song that has to with the chapter this time, if that counts for anything. It’s Steady, by for KING & COUNTRY, and it’s the song Colton sang the chorus of. You probably all already knew that, but just in case. ;)
Also, Jordan Taylor is engaged!!! Maybe I'm the only one who cares, but I do...