Romeo laid unconscious on the ground. Hopefully the bullet hadn't penetrated his heart and he still had a high chance of surviving. Jake couldn't move, he was supposed to be thinking of taking him to a hospital but he kept on crying beside him.
No member of the gang moved, it was like they were glued to the spot and would pass out if they made another single attempt to run.
Jake suddenly wiped his eyes with the back of his hands. He stood up after putting Romeo's hand on the injured place. He glanced back to where the bullet came from and met one of the Scorpion's hitmen with a gun in his hand.
He glanced around more but he didn't see any sign of Blade. There were only three guys dressing identically in black on the scene, one of which shot Romeo.
Jake walked up to them while clenching his fists in rage, he didn't seem to be thinking of the possibility of being killed by them even though they were all armed with assault rifles.
Bob ran after him with a fruitless effort to stop an angry Lion.
The three guys didn't look bothered. They seemed to be amused with Jake's courageous and bold steps and they were waiting to see what he could do.
Jake got up to them and he completely ignored the two guys on the left and right side while he focused his attention on the guy in the middle. He seemed to be the one who shot Romeo.
Jake punched the guy on the face before Bob could get to him. The hitman brought up his gun and was about to hit Jake with it when he was tapped by the guy on his left. He brought down his gun and put it by his side while watching Jake's angry face.
Jake was about to land another blow on the hitman's face when Bob held his hand from behind.
"What are you doing?" Bob asked. "This is not the right way to help our situation and you know it."
"Let go of me Bob!" Jake commanded. "I'm going to beat the hell out of this hitman and I ain't stopping 'till he kills me."
Bob turned Jake around to face him and Jake noticed the worried look on his face.
"Romeo might die," Bob said. Have you forgotten that he was shot and we have to take him somewhere to remove the bullet and treat his wounds?"
Jake seemed taken aback by Bob's suggestion. He sure will never be able to forgive himself if Romeo dies.
"We...we need to take him to the hospital," Jake stammered. "We need to do that now before he passes out from too much bleeding."
"Are you out of your freaking mind?" Bob said with his eyes wide open.
"We are fuc*ing gonna be arrested if we can't explain how he got a bullet stucked to his chest, we gotta think of …"
"I don't fu*cking care! Jake exclaimed. "He is gonna die if we don't take him to the hospital, what other freaking idea do you have? What other place can we take him to prevent him from dying?" Jake said while screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Well..fine!" Bob replied. "If you're taking him to an hospital, I wouldn't be going with you guys because all these probably would not have happened if you had just given Blade the fuc*ing money."
Julia and Vikram were at the back of them listening to their arguments. Vikram stood rooted to the ground while Julia was busy covering the body part where Romeo was shot with her hands.
Jake was dumbfounded at Bob's last words. He knew it was true, Romeo was shot twice because of him, because of his pride.
He wanted to say something when the hitman interrupted.
"Blade wants to see all of you," he said. He is at his resting place and he ordered me to bring anybody I shot to his location so the person can be treated."
Jake gritted his teeth in anger. "So Blade personally told his hitman to shoot any member of my gang. He thought angrily.
"We're not going with you!" Vikram said.
Jake glanced back at him and shook his head in disapproval.
"I'm only going because of Romeo's life," he announced clearly for everybody to hear.
Jake then strolled to where unconscious Romeo was lying and he signalled Bob to help him in carrying Romeo up.
Bob walked to him and was about to carry Romeo when Jake tore his Jacket. Bob looked at him with a shocked and confused look on his face.
"Why'd you tear my Jacket?" Bob asked Jake.
"It's for Romeo," Jake replied. He tied Romeo's injury with the torn piece of Bob's jacket before he carried Romeo with support from Bob.
"We should all go," Jake said. He was carrying Romeo in a grand way and he walked to the direction of the warehouse where the Scorpion's mission car was parked at the front.
****
They were all in a Honda pilot car. It was a car with nice speed and sitting space, it also has three rows and Jake was sitting at the last row with Romeo on his left. Romeo was rarely breathing and just thirty more minutes of not getting proper treatment, he would be gone by then.
Bob was with Jake and Romeo in the same row and they completed three. Vikram, Julia and the hitman who shot Romeo was in the car's second row and the other two hitmen were in the driver's seat.
The ride was going more quiet than ever, nobody had the will to speak and everybody was putting on a dull face.
Vikram's face was so pale like he was purposely walking to his death. Julia couldn't stop sighing, she seemed to be praying quietly in her mind.
Bob hadn't known that late Eric was so rich. He wondered how many cars he had, and how many properties he owned. And when he imagined that all his properties are being inherited by his right hand man Blade, he couldn't help but think of what he would inherit if Jake was to die.
Jake was busy wondering why Blade wanted ninety five thousand dollars regardless the fact that he was almost a million dollar rich. "It has to be a different reason," Jake thought. Blade obviously wanted something from him rather than the money.
"You made the cops to imprison three members of the Scorpions," the hitman said; breaking the silence.
Jake looked at him with a disinterested face, like he was talking about his least favorite thing in the world.
"Blade would never stop even if he collets the money from you, he would make you suffer and beg for his mercy. Especially as the guys you imprisoned has families."
The atmosphere in the car became suffocating, nobody replied him and Jake just stared at the city through the open car window.
**
They got to a popular place in New York and drove into a beautiful street. The car stopped at the black gate of a building and the gate opened automatically like it has been expecting the car.
The house seemed to be controlled by technology, there wasn't any left covered apartment for security or a gatekeeper.
Countless cameras pointed at different directions of the electric wires protecting the gate. Other buildings in the street weren't residential, they were either hotels or clubhouses and some other rich people's relaxing spots.
The car drove into a white penthouse and stopped at a black car canopy. The hitman opened the car door and walked out followed by Vikram and Julia.
They shifted the second row's seat for Jake and Romeo so they could come out, Bob followed and he was wowed by the beauty of the penthouse.
Jake didn't care to glance around, he simply asked one of the quiet hitman to take him to where Romeo was supposed to be treated. He was led to the place with the hitman tagging after him.
He came back five minutes later and the hitman who shot Romeo said..
"My name is Sparrow by the way."
"I don't give a damn fu*k what your name is," Jake said. Just fu*king take us to where the mother~fu*king Blade is."
The hitman nodded and walked them to the front door of the building. They were different paintings and drawings displayed at the varenda of the penthouse, six chandeliers hung at the ceiling. They were also different colours of flowervases with different flowers inside at the side of the beautiful glass door.
When the door was opened, the first thing Vikram said was…
"I want the root of all evil!"