JACK
Iknow I only had four shots last night, but that stuff was potent. I’m sitting in the sunny living room of the richest person I now know, and the whole penthouse is silent. Playing on my phone seems to be a good way to waste time while I wait for Vince to wake up. I like racing games, so I turn the sound all the way up and zoom through some tracks for a couple of hours. Agent Smith sends me a message at around 2 p.m.
“The girl’s safe. New life, new family, new location. Keep up the good work, kid.” I beam at the message proudly and respond with a simple “thank you” before turning back to my racing game.
“Jack.” I squint over to see Vince's bleary-eyed bed head look, and I’m kinda digging it. Makes him look less threatening. He’s rubbing his eyes and furrowing his brows.
“Good morning, sunshine.” I smile, blinking my eyes at him as he grunts and walks over to the kitchen.
“Would you turn the sound off on that thing? God, you’re like a twelve-year-old.” He pulls some sort of drink from the fridge and begins to chug it.
“Well.” I exaggerate, acting as if I’m offended, and turn the volume all the way down. “So, what’s on the agenda today?” I look up from my game to see he’s standing by the window, looking out at the city, and I’m not blind. I know he’s upset about Jess. I didn’t realize that her loyalty to him was a lot more complicated than I initially thought.
He doesn’t respond, and I think maybe it’s best I don’t push it, so I continue with my game for the next hour as he disappears into his room.
Eventually, my stomach begins to growl because I haven’t eaten, so I get up and scavenge the kitchen for something tasty. After a minute without finding even a scrap of food, I conclude the dude must be a vampire and walk to his room for help.
I peek through the crack in his door before slightly knocking and pushing it open the rest of the way. He’s sitting on his bed watching a movie, and he whips his head around when he senses me.
“Jesus, what are you doing?!” He sort of panic-yells, and I'm startled to the point of jumping a little. (Only a little. I'm no wuss.)
“Oh, I’m—I’m pretty hungry.” He lets out the world's longest exasperated sigh.
“Well, then eat something.” He keeps watching his movie, and possibly, he can go a whole day without eating, but I need some sustenance. I scowl.
“There’s no food here.”
“Order some and leave me the fuck alone.”
“Jeez, man, why are you so mean?” I regret saying this because he turns the tv off and contorts his body around like he’s possessed as soon as I do.
“Figure it out.” He hisses, eyes full of crazy.
What I think he really means after a second of looking at this human dragon fuming in front of me… is that he needs a hug. I don’t have a death wish, so I refrain from reaching for him. But I do give him a sympathetic smile, to which he returns an eye roll. I think that means he felt my love telepathically.
I flutter out of the room and approach one of the security guys standing at the elevator.
“Can I order a burger or something?” I ask, and he glances down at me before pointing to the phone. There’s a menu on the wall next to it and a number to call for ordering food. I dial it and get about five things, hoping maybe Vince will want to share, but when it arrives, he locks his door, so I get the sense we aren’t as friendly as I thought. He’s rough around the edges and clearly not in the best of moods, so I give him the pass and eat my food alone.
As the sunstarts to set, I get a text from Jess. It’s pretty exciting that she’s out of the hospital. I’ve been covering for her and telling the boss she went on a trip for intel. She doesn’t know I’m aware of where she really is, but she’s my friend now, and I want to help.
I can’t wait to tell her that I’ve teamed up with Vince. I bet she’ll be less snappy with me when she knows I am doing something to help both of us. I type in my passcode and open her message.
“Hey Jack, I’m back, but I need to get out of here. Please cover for me. I know you know where I’ve been. These past few weeks, you’ve been… well, you’ve been rather annoying but in a brotherly way, so thanks for that. It was nice knowing you, buddy.” I shake my head at what I’m reading. She’s leaving, she wants me to lie about it, and it seems like she’s preparing to never see me again. I check her location on my tracking application and see almost back to her apartment.
Wait a second.
“VINCE!” I practically scream. There’s a thump on his door, a rattling of the handle, then he runs out to the foyer, his bare feet squeezing across the marble floors.
“What?!” He doesn’t yell quite as loud as I have, but he seems pretty shaken.
“Sorry… I just— I think I know what Carlito is planning.” When I pause, he makes a turning motion with his hands for me to continue.
“Right, uh… I think he is going to try to take Jess. She just left the hospital, and according to my tracker, she’s just got home.” His face drops, exasperated.
“Jack—“
“I’m serious! I have a good gut feeling. It’s rarely ever wrong.”