To Love, To Fight, To Win

Chapter 9

"Jack," I said while I placed my hands on the counter and leaned forward, interrupting Jack from talking with someone else about whatever they wanted to eat or drink. I pressed my lips into a thin line, feeling a little guilty for interrupting him from talking with someone else, but I needed him and needed him now.

Jack sighed mockingly and rolled his eyes, but for some reason, he was going to go to me without finishing the person's order. "Give me one second, Love, and I will be right back to take your order," he said before he went over to me, not taking his time like I thought he would, much to my surprise and relief.

"Well, what's up?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question. He frowned and narrowed his eyes when he caught the small look on my face and knew that it was something and something not good. He set his jaw and narrowed his eyes further while he studied me. "What happened? What's going on? Are you ok?"

"I need your keys," I said, not answering him because I was not ok. "I have a problem."

Reif touched my elbow and tapped a little message, silently indicating that we are being looked at and that we need to hurry and get this done.

Jack frowned and furrowed his brows, pressing his lips into a thin line. He looked behind me at Reif and then looked further away in the direction that I didn't look at before he looked at me again. "Does this have to do with the man coming our way?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper while he raised an eyebrow in question.

I pressed my lips into a thin line before I slowly nodded. "Yes," I confirmed before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "It does have to deal with the person coming our way."

Jack pressed his lips into a thin line and narrowed his eyes further while he studied me. "Are you saying that you know him?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "Or do you know him?" He looked at Reif and then looked at me again, raising his eyebrow.

"I do know him," I admitted, gesturing to Reif, "so if you do anything to him, then I will kill you. Is that understood?" I sneered and narrowed my eyes while I looked at him, and Jack bit back a small smirk and nodded, becoming slightly amused.

"Understood," he said, biting back a small laugh before he cleared his throat and grew serious again. He looked at the man that was still coming toward me before he looked at me again. "What about him?"

I bit back a small sigh and shook my head, pressing my lips into a thin line. "That's a long story that I do not have the patience or time to tell you, Jack."

"Hmph." Jack nodded and took his keys from his belt before he tossed them to me, and I caught them. "Make sure that you lock up and put them where they need to go when you are done. Ok?"

I bit back a small sigh of relief and nodded, feeling very relieved that Jack wasn't going to fight me on this. "Thanks, Jack," I said and squeezed the keys tighter in my hand.

I hesitated before I looked at the man that was still trying to get to us and then looked at Jack again. "Can you set up a distraction so that I can have a head start?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question, praying that he would do it.

An amused smile appeared on Jack's face, but he nodded in confirmation. "He has you scared; doesn't he?"

I let out a breathless chuckle before I hesitated and shrugged with a small grimace on my face. "Something like that," I said. "I'll explain a bit later when it is safe," I promised, mentally hating myself for it but knowing full well that it was something that I needed to do, especially if Biggie B tried to get to me in the future while I was here.

Jack set his jaw and nodded, knowing full well that I would do what I promised. "I'll hold you to that, Myers," he said before he gestured for me to go the way that I needed to go so that I could get out of here without crossing paths with Biggie B. "Now go ahead and go. You know what to do and where to go."

I pressed my lips into a thin line and bit back a small sigh of relief. "Don't let this get to your head, but you are the best, Jack," I said, earning a small smirk from the other male while he nodded in confirmation. I looked at Reif and touched his elbow, getting him to look at me again and not watching Biggie B. "Let's go."

And with that, both Reif and I left while Jack went over to someone to have them help distract Biggie B so that we could escape without being seen again.

Oh please, let this work, I silently prayed, setting my jaw while it shook and grabbing Jack's keys tighter in my hand. My heart pounded harder in my chest and seemed to jump in my throat while my hand shook.

Please...

***

"Where are we going?" Reif asked, his voice barely above a whisper when I stepped into the back where no one else was allowed to go. He looked around the area before he looked at me again with a raised an eyebrow in question. "And are you sure that no one is going to stop you?"

"No one is going to stop," I said and shook my head, not telling him where we were going. "This isn't the first time that I have had to escape this way." I stopped in front of a bookcase and looked around to make sure that we were alone before I pushed the bookcase to the side.

I took a deep breath and released it with a small sigh, moving the small rug to reveal a trap door with a small lock on it.

"Holy, shit," Reif said, his voice barely above a whisper, and I looked at him with a small smirk. His eyes were wide while he studied the trap door before he looked at me again. "How many secrets are there about you and this place?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"A lot," I said while I unlocked and opened the trap door to reveal a ladder leading down into darkness, pulling the key out of the lock. "Go ahead and go down first, Carter. I will meet you down there as soon as I push this stuff back into its respected place."

Reif looked down that way before he looked at me with a small scowl on his face. Worry and nervousness filled his eyes while he looked at me, and I could tell that he didn't want to do it. "You got to be sh-"

"It's fuckin' safe, Carter," I snapped, interrupting him. "I would never put you in danger, you stupid piece of shit. Go down there now before I break that fuckin' promise and push you down there myself."

Reif set his jaw and narrowed his eyes while he studied me before he sighed and slowly nodded, relenting. "Fine," he grumbled. "But if I die, then I am going to haunt your ass. You do realize that, right?" He raised an eyebrow in question while amusement filled his eyes.

I rolled my eyes and scowled, knowing full well that he was going to do it. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Carter," I grumbled. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, go."

Reif bit back a small smirk and slowly nodded. "As long as we are on the same page, Myers," he said.

And with that, he did what I told him to do and went down the ladder and into the darkness, and I waited a few seconds before I set it up so that as soon as the trap door was closed, everything would be set back in place, leaving no trace of us behind.

Let's just hope that Jack stays safe because I had no idea what I would do if he wasn't...