Tonight is the night we die

Chapter Twenty-One

JAKE'S POV

I am spending the day with Alan. He asked me to come to his house to talk about a case. An old one that ended up left in the dark. This is going to be my life now, digging up old stuff with the sheriff. It was not an outcome I was expecting. I am willing to help him as long as he stays correct with me.

When I arrive in front of his house, he is waiting for me on the patio, sitting in an old rocking chair. This is so cliché. I laugh under my helmet before taking it off and going back to my usual poker face. The house is in a calm spot in Duskwood. Probably only two oh three houses nearby. It is so quiet you can hear the river not far from here :

" Should I risk myself to ask for your license and registration ? " Alan jokes and gets up from his chair

" I have all the papers you can wish for, Sheriff ! " I walk up the three little stairs and shake the hand he is giving to me

The inside of his house is neat. The decor is nice, he has a good eye. Not my taste but it is far from being a dump. It feels very lonely despite the warm welcome it gives you. No pictures, one chair in the living room, and four around the kitchen table but only one of them is being used, the others are dusty and in perfect shape. I bet if I open any of these cabinets, they would be mostly empty. Finding more than two plates would be a miracle. I am not judging, I do not even own one plate myself. Not a single trace of more than one person living here. Alan and I have one thing in common.

Alan invites me with a hand to sit around the dining table in the living room. It is a big dark brown table. He has the furniture just not the family that goes with it :

" Would you like anything to drink ? " He proposes and I shake my head. Alan props his hands down on the table " Thank you for coming here, I do appreciate it Jake ! " He is sincere but I cannot help to scoff :

" Like you gave me a choice, Alan. A real one I mean. " He sighs and looks away. He is just as uncomfortable as me here but he is the one that led us into this situation so I do not have any sympathy.

" I gave Gloria my word, I promised I won't do anything to put yourself at risk. I do not mean any harm and I hope you will actually see that " He explains. The corner of my mouth lifts, of course, she reprimanded him.

" Let's just get to work ! " I take off my leathered gloves and leave them on the table as Alan is bringing out a big box.

Time passes by and I find it hard to focus. It was easy at first but the further Alan got into his explanations the less I was listening. My elbow is on the table, my chin on the palm of my hand, and my eyes fixed on that piece of paper in front of me. But I am not truly looking at it. I am tired and my mind is elsewhere. Gloria and I had a long night together. I guess we both wanted to enjoy it until the sun came up and we had to go back to our everyday life. I was proud of not letting my doubts and insecurities ruin our date night. I wanted her so bad I didn't have any patience left in me. I needed her closer to me and it was the perfect timing. I almost ruined it because of fear. The fear of disappointing her, not being good enough, not being able to satisfy her enough. So she would have to find a Phil. I think I was up to her standards. The images are still clear in my mind and the sounds and the touches are too. The way she gripped my hair while I was tasting her, the way she moaned my name when I entered her, the way she begged me for more. She was wonderful. No other woman can compete with her :

" If I'm boring you, just break my heart right now ! " Alan's voice brings me back to earth. I rub a hand on my face. I do not have time to apologize " Listen, I know you think I'm trapping you here and you are forced to help me. But... " He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose " To be honest with you, I don't approve of what I did. Giving you an ultimatum like this, is not correct, you are just a kid and finding some freedom again... I feel guilty. I never planned on calling anyone about you. " He looks at me, defeated, crossing his arms on his chest " I just needed a reason for you to help me " He admits. Alan gets up, and paces around the room, rubbing an anxious hand on the back of his neck " If you wanna leave, please do so, it was stupid of me ! " He walks to the kitchen. That is a bit dramatic ! I cannot tell him I was distracted by unholy thoughts about my girlfriend.