Together

126. Begging

Where do we go when we walk on light?
Who do we call at the edge of night?
Carry me close like the teardrops in your eyes
All I can give you is memories
Carry them with you, and I'll never leave
I'll lay my head down, but when I lay my head down...
-RAIGN

JJ doesn't even look at Mike before he's rushing into the Wreck, cussing when he runs into a chair in the dark, and pushing past the pain in his shin. 

"Kiara!" he calls, searching in the dark for any sign of the curly haired girl. His heart is hammering and every second she's not in his sights he's becoming more panicked. "Kie!"

They heard her. That was her scream. Her call for help. JJ would know. Not like they haven't been in many situations where she was calling for assistance or fighting her way out of someone's grasp.

JJ hasn't thought about Travis since he left his house. The only thing he could think about was Kie and Kie alone. He wouldn't let himself think about whether or not Travis would be the reason for her not answering their calls or texts, but now. Now he's looking around a dark empty restauarant after hearing his girlfriend scream and it's flooding him.

He knows that wherever she is, she's not alone. The rage he feels doesn't dampen when Mike rushes past him, swiftly winding around tables and chairs expertly in the dark. He doesn't call out for his daughter the way JJ did, instead his attention is zeroed in on going to the back of the restaurant.

Fuck, the back.

Coming into the parking lot of the Wreck, the back of the restaurant was blocked from view, obviously. JJ can't believe he was so stupid as to not go around in the first place. Rage he continues to feel starts to turn inward as he thinks about how much fucking time was wasted standing around in the front.

He's hot on Mike's trail, running at the man's heels as they go through the kitchen. Mike flips on a light but doesn't stop running until he's met the back door, pushing it open.

JJ nearly collides with him since the door is heavier and takes more strength to open freely. His eyes quickly scanned the area of the kitchen on his way through, not wanting to miss anything even though Mike seems certain she wasn't actually in the area.

Coming out into the night air JJ feels dread, because there isn't any noise coming from the back of the restaurant and for a second he's about to lose his mind. It takes his mind a second to adjust from the harsh lighting in the kitchen but when it catches up, he's horrified.

Reality is far worse than whatever idea JJ had cooked up in his head about what they were going to find on the other side of this door. Travis has Kie pinned against a car, hands wrapped around her neck. His posture is menacing, clearly meaning her harm.

They can't see Travis' face, as his back is turned to them while he's choking the life from the girl they both love.

"Kiara!" Mike yells, rushing at Travis.

JJ is stunned by the amount of force that Mike throws into punching Travis in the face, honestly. Whatever bond or business tie that had Mike giving Travis the benefit of the doubt all this time is gone. His absolute love and fierce need to defend his blood was evident. JJ didn't even know that a parent could react that violently and it not be directly towards their child. Mike would never raise a hand to Kie, JJ knew. He didn't know he would raise it against someone else over her either though.

Mike's gotten in his face, sure, but this was definitely different. Way different. Mike's blow knocks Travis completely off balance, and he releases Kie from his grasp, staggering backwards due to the force.