***
“Can’t you go any faster?” Daniel asked.
The cab driver simply shrugged and gestured to the red brake lights in front of him. The thick Halifax traffic was at a standstill. Daniel’s body wouldn’t stop shaking. He wasn’t sure whether it was because of fear or anger. The fact that Jones had actually gone through with his threat shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but the lingering shock wouldn’t go away. Daniel dialed the only number he could think of. He just prayed that he would pick up.
“Daniel, is everything all right?” Smith asked.
“David! My family’s in trouble!”
“Whoa, slow down.”
“Jones put a hit on me, and he’s using my family as bait. I need your help. You have to help me.”
“Okay, just calm down. Where is your family?”
“Charlotte General. They’re in my wife’s car. It’s a blue Audi A4. Please, David, don’t let him hurt them.”
“I won’t. Where are you?”
“I’m stuck in traffic on my way to the airport.”
“The plane I had bring you to Halifax should still be there. I’ll have the pilot start getting things ready for takeoff.”
“Thank you.”
Daniel ended the call and closed his eyes. The cab started to feel hot. He loosened his tie. His breathing accelerated. This can’t be happening. This isn’t real. Everything started to spin. Get a grip. You need to get a grip. Control it! All of the rage running through him funneled into his fist as he pounded the ceiling of the taxicab repeatedly.
All of this was because of him. Jones might have his finger on the trigger, but Daniel was the one who had put his family in the crosshairs. He’d let his ego get the better of him. And now his family was paying the price for his mistakes. The fate of his family’s future rested solely on his shoulders. Daniel prayed that that he’d be able to bear it.