Jack Cage: Troubled Ones

FOURTEEN

Cage didn't turn around. He couldn't afford to. He would get shot instantly. The man with the gun said, "Don't move Cage. Yes I know who you are. I need to make a call and say I've found the prize after a few weeks of killing."
So he was the man who killed those people. Cage waited for him to dial the number, which was the dumbest mistake he could make, and Cage was about to make it the last. He felt the gun lower as the man put the phone to his ear.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Cage quickly turned and smacked the wrist away and the gun went flying out the attacker's hand. Cage grabbed the attacker by the hair and dragged him to a window and used his head to break it. Then Cage pulled him back in and punched his face 3 times with his free hand. He then kneed the attacker in the groin and booted his chest and he crashed into a wardrobe.
Game over.
At least Cage thought it was. The attacker got back up. Disoriented, but still alive and conscious. No problem for Cage. It only means the hype was going to increase. Cage lunged at the attacker and tackled him to the floor. He then moved to the side and grabbed the attacker's shirt and smashed in on a bookshelf. He then crashed his elbow on the attacker's left ear and used his left hand to unleash a fatal uppercut. The unmistakable sound of the jaw breaking and the head snapping backwards was enough to tell Cage victory was his.
But Cage's hands hurt like hell.
He had been involved in a hell lot of fights and his hands were growing tired. Unmistakable. But Cage had to keep going. No choice. He continued to rummage through the Changs belongings before he heard the phone ring.
It belonged to the attacker. And odds were it was the head of The Forsaken.
    Cage picked up the phone and accepted the call. He listened.
    "Hello Brett? What is it? Why did you call me?" Came the voice. No one Cage could recognise.
    "Brett? Don't play games with me," said the caller.
    "I'm afraid Brett's not here. He's dead. But I can give you someone who isn't," Cage responded.
    "Cage."
    "Are you the boss of The Forsaken?"
    "You bet your ass I am. And do you know who you are to us?"
    "Your greatest enemy?"
    "No. Our most wanted."
    "How sweet. I'm privileged."
    "I will say I am impressed. Not even gangs with combined forces can get this close. You've earned our respect Cage. To some extent. And you're only what, 13 going to 14? You're good."
    "How do you know my age?"
    "I know a lot about you. I've been there every step of the way yet you couldn't see me."
    "I'm going to find you and I'm going to kill you."
    "Where are you?"
    "Outside your building."
    Silence. Cage listened hard and heard the moving of a roller chair, the opening of curtains and the window, and traffic, but no definite location. But Cage knew he was in an office behind a desk.
    "You're not here. Don't lie to me Cage," the man said.
    "I'll call you again," Cage said before hanging up.
*

Mavean got out of the fight club and changed to regular clothes. She knew where to go. She went to find Jack Cage and she expected him to be at the house. His own house. She has to gamble on the fact that he's resting after a long day.
She needed to talk to him urgently.
*

Jack Cage didn't find much. It seems like The Forsaken did get rid of certain things. And Cage was beat. He took all the blueprints for the future and brought them to his house which was next block. He then took two Glocks and went off.
Cage ordered coffee and chicken rice. His favourite. He then opened all the files he collected from both his visits. They were full of information. They were all about the attacks and the murders they've committed and the files are the victims' personal information. He then read their daily routine, and felt that they always spy on their victims. Possibly take photos of them weeks prior to the murder date. He observed them and tried figuring out if the victims had anything in common or if they were just choosing at random.
Cage was certain if there were photos, it would be back at the Changs' house. There were more photos there and Cage was sure of it. He finished his food and his coffee and grabbed his jacket and headed out.
Just as he did, he came face to face with Mavean.
    "Well, hello Mavean," Cage said.
    "Hey Cage, are your parents home?" Mavean asked.
    "No. And you don't have a gun on you right?"
    "Not this time. Don't worry Cage."
    Cage let her in. He locked the door and served Mavean some coffee.
    "Nice house," she said.
    "I don't plan to stay long," Cage replied.
    "Why not?"
    "I intend to be a ghost. Someone who is impossible to find."
    "Can you afford to live like that?"
    "I have worked before. I've got a lot of savings. And my parents are really rich. So I think I'll be fine."
    Mavean nodded and looked around, then her attention turned to Cage's knuckles. They were bruised and bleeding. They were recent.
    "Forsaken?" She asked.
    "Yes. Now, why did you come?" Cage replied, raising his eyebrow.
    "I've saved your life. Roughly around 5 times altogether since we've met and that was 2 days ago."
    "And you're expecting thanks?"
    "I'm expecting you to know why."
    "Simple. I'm a valuable asset to bringing down The Forsaken."
    "Seems that way. You have done it well so far, taking pieces off the board slowly but progressively."
    "So?"
    "That's not the only reason Cage."
    Silence.
    "What is the reason?" Cage asked, intrigued.
    "Cage, I care for you."
    "Why thank you."
    "I'm serious Cage. You could get yourself hurt or killed. This is not your fight. It's mine. It's the gangs'. You shouldn't get involved. You don't know what they're capable of. They will kill you and everyone you love."
    "They made it my fight when they brought it to my neighbourhood and tried to kill me."
    "And you escaped it. You evaded death. How long more can you afford to?"
    "As long as I want to."
    "Please Cage, don't make me go through you too."
    Cage thought hard about everything he saw at the house. The photographs of Mavean and himself. The murders.
    "You need to walk away," Cage said.
    "Why?" Mavean asked.
    "Cause I care about you too. More than I'd like to admit. I care too much and that's my weakness. Before you, I didn't have to worry about anything. Then I met you, and suddenly I started to care. You need to walk away so I can finish what they started."
    Mavean paused. Cage cared about her? Did he love her?
    "I'm sorry Mavean. But you have to tell your men to stand down and let me finish the job. It's the only way to survive. I'm close, closer than I've ever been. I am up to the point that I could end the reign of The Forsaken once and for all. You need to walk away now, cause I don't want anything bad happening to you."
    Mavean thought for a while and then said, "I'm sorry Cage. I can't. I've been at this for too long to stand down now. I'm sorry Cage."
    "Understandable. And that's why I'm gonna tell you this."
    "What?"
    "Opposite block, 18th floor 4th unit, is the house of the Changs. You'll find information there. Good luck."
    "Thank you Cage," Mavean said, and she turned and walked off.
    Cage watched her and thought, just how much do I really care?