chapter 6

“Why the h*ll did you shove her? Are you out of your fucking mind?” Jessa yelled the moment Blaine stepped back into the van. Her face was red with rage, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. What annoyed her the most wasn’t even what he’d done, it was the smug smile plastered across his face, like he was proud of himself. He knew that such action could have ruined everything they had carefully planned out and he still went on to do something crazy.

Blaine shut the van door behind him and shrugged casually.

“She didn’t get run over. That’s what matters,” he said calmly. “All I did was give her a little shove. She froze up. She wasn’t ready to stop the car. If I hadn’t done something, she would’ve let him drive off and you wouldn't have liked that. Isn’t that what you wanted?"

Jessa groaned loudly and dragged a hand through her hair. “You could have gotten her killed,” she snapped. “Do you even understand what would have happened if that car hadn’t stopped in time? all of this would have been all for nothing, we would be done for"

Blaine rolled his eyes and leaned back against the side of the van.

“But it did stop,” he replied. “And didn’t things work out in the end? She finally got Max Hult’s attention. Isn’t that the whole point of this? Or did you forget why we’re doing all of this in the first place?”

Jessa turned away from him, pacing the length of the van.

“We would have been in a hot mess with the boss if things had gone wrong,” she said tightly. “Next time, don’t do anything without giving me a heads-up. I don’t care how confident you feel. don't ever do something crazy like this like this again. I've had enough of your crazy stunts."

“Loosen up, Jessa,” Blaine said with a lazy smirk. “You should be worried about more important things.”

Jessa stopped abruptly and glared at him, her mouth opening to fire back, but she stopped herself. Instead, she turned to Rico, who hadn’t said a word since they left the scene. He was seated in the front, focused on a small screen in his hands, his fingers moving quickly.

“Do you know where they’re taking her?” Jessa asked, her voice calmer but still tense.

Rico didn’t look up immediately, his eyes still glued to his screen like he didn't want to lose concentration.

“Not yet,” he replied. “But let’s see.”

He tapped a few buttons, then turned the screen so they could see it.

“I slipped a tracker into her purse before she got out of the van,” he added. “As long as she still has it, we’ll know exactly where she is.”

Jessa nodded, letting out a slow breath. At least one thing had gone according to plan and Rico wasn't acting up like the fool beside her. that would have been too much for her to handle.

"Alright let's go" Blaine said and started the car.

__________

They parked across the street from the hospital and waited.

And waited.

Time dragged on painfully slow. The rain had stopped, but the night air was cold and heavy. Hours passed with no sign of Max Hult’s car leaving the hospital parking lot.

Blaine shifted impatiently in his seat.

“What do you think is going on in there? are you sure she was brought here" he asked.

"Yes blaine. this signals stopped right here" Rico answered and almost rolled his eyes.

“Do you think he’s suspicious?” Blaine continued with his questions. and Jessa let out a deep sigh.

“What do you think?” she shot back. “He wouldn’t have a reason to be if you hadn’t shoved her like that. You almost ruined everything.”

Blaine scoffed.

“No one noticed the push,” he said. “And be honest, do you really think she would’ve gotten his attention if I hadn’t done that? She stood there like a log of wood, ready to let him drive off. I did us a favor.”

Jessa clenched her jaw. Part of her hated to admit it, but he wasn’t entirely wrong. Still, the risk he’d taken made her stomach twist.

Before she could respond, Rico finally spoke up.

“Enough,” he said firmly. “What matters is that today was a success. She’s in Max Hult’s head now. That’s all that counts. We wait and watch. Let’s see what he does next.”

Blaine sighed loudly.

“And how long do we have to wait? It’s been over three hours already.”

Jessa shot him a sharp glare.

“As long as it takes.”

He raised his hands in mock surrender.

“We could just call her,” he suggested. “Ask how things are going in there.”

He reached for the burner phone, already dialing, but Rico snatched it out of his hand before he could press call.

“No,” Rico said sharply. “Max could be close to her. We can’t take any chances.”

Blaine groaned and leaned his head back against the seat.

“This is ridiculous,” he muttered. “I’m starving. It’s late, and all we’ve had today is breakfast.”

“Stop complaining,” Jessa snapped. “Food should be the least of your worries right now. I’m sure you know how the boss would react if I told him how you almost messed things up today.”

She was about to say more when Blaine suddenly leaned forward, pointing out the window.

“Isn’t that his car?” he asked.

All three of them turned to look.

A sleek black car slowly pulled out of the hospital parking lot and Jessa narrowed her eyes.

“That’s him,” she said quietly.

“Is she in there with him?” Blaine asked.

No one answered.

The windows were tinted too dark to see inside.

“It doesn’t matter,” Jessa said after a moment. “Either she’s with him, or she’s still inside. What matters is that she finally got his attention.”

Rico nodded.

“And now,” he added, “we can finally get to work.”