Small Bump [EN]

Chapter 21

The air was cold. Justin felt it freezing his skin through his jacket, but there was nothing he could do to get warm. The place they were in didn't give him those amenities.

"Why are we here?"

Jeremy paused for a moment, gave a sigh, and turned to him. "Anne's father came back. I'm not sure what he wants, but he insisted on seeing us."

"Do you think he knows about Anne and me?"

"Probably."

"We should have warned Detective Clarke. This is stupid. We'll only put her in danger."

"Listen to me," he said stopping abruptly. "No matter how stupid this is, he needs help. I can't just leave him like this after what he did for me."

"But..."

"My, my. Little Justin has really grown up," John said coming up to them.

"Hi, John. Have you been well?" asked Jeremy cautiously.

"Oh, yeah. My wife died and your family left my daughter on the street. Of course I've been wonderful."

"John, you know it wasn't like that."

"You think I'm an idiot? I entrusted her life to you and you threw her out on the street."

"You left her in the town on her own! Did you think the police wouldn't intervene? There was nothing we could do but turn her over to them."

"Shut up!" his eyes were red with anger. His personality seemed to almost fade behind a slight psychotic haze.

"You need help. Please stop this silly chase and come with us. You'll be able to see Anne again and..."

A wry chuckle escaped the man's lips. "You're still the same, but this time it won't be so easy for you to save your ass. I'm one step ahead of you. Get in," he motioned toward the wooden shed behind him. Jeremy and Justin obeyed.

The place was damp and dark. It was hard to make anything out without a light source. The brunette felt the danger vibrating on his skin. All his senses were alert.

"I ran into an old acquaintance the other day," John's voice could be heard like a muffled echo. A light bulb suddenly turned on and revealed an unconscious man tied to a chair. He was dirty and beat up, as if he had been enduring physical torture for a few days.

"Shawn?" asked Jeremy.

"You remember him, don't you?" he smiled. "Why don't you tell little Justin who he is? No, wait! I'll do it," he pulled a gun out of his pants and started fiddling with it. The Biebers instinctively took a step back. "Years ago, when our business was having complications, your father met this man. He said he was a simple accountant and would help keep us from going bankrupt," he scratched his chin with the gun before continuing. "In reality, he was working with some gangsters and we were forced to let them use our business as a cover to launder money."

"John, this isn't right. It was all settled a long time ago. You need to let it go before they come after you."

"Silence!" he pointed the gun losing his temper. "This man and your father left me vulnerable to those murderers. They left my family in their hands and took everything I had."

"It's not like that..."

"You know why I wanted to see you so badly, little Justin?" he smiled. "Because I found a way to return the favor to your father," he said and shot the man in the chair.

***
Anne watched from the doorway as the Biebers played with little Jason in Justin's hospital bed. She felt oblivious to the scene and, at the same time, had a sense of being part of the picture, as if that family laughing in there was her family too.