Rebels

Ch. 19

For the rest of the week, Lyla had decided it was a week for rest, and Jack sure was looking forward to it. He concluded it was the most relaxing week he had ever had in his entire life, but it went by too soon, for the moment the following Monday hit, Lyla was straight to business, as if Jack had never been shot nor been in a fight with multiple drunken men, nor Luca in a drunken haze for the previous days of his life.

Lyla had forced Jack to train against Luca and his gun, which was the exercise Jack was least looking forward to. He knew what to expect this time around, all things considered.

Jack was on his toes, ready for Luca to cock his gun. As soon as he did and aimed, Jack dodged to the left. He ignored the pain in his leg, though the pain had dulled a bit sine he had previously been shot. Luca followed his dodge, and Jack moved to the right. Luca pulled the trigger, and Jack instinctively ducked down, covering his head. He peered up at Luca who aimed straight at Jack's head. Out of sheer panic, Jack rolled forward. He stood and grasped the gun from Luca, twisting Luca's arm so the gun would be easy to grasp. Once the gun fell from Luca's grip, Jack aimed it at Luca's head.

Lyla was surprised by this. She thought surely Jack would get shot again, but she was impressed by his speed. "Maybe we need to get you to the pub more often." She said, stepping forward.

Jack bit his tongue, suddenly nervous of what Lyla had implied. "Please, not again."

Lyla walked passed Jack, slightly bumping into his shoulder. She grabbed another gun from the crate off to the side of the room, and a round to go with it.

Jack shifted uneasily in his spot, piecing together what Lyla was doing at that moment. "Now you both are surely going to kill me." Jack said, attempting to get himself ready for what was to come. He reluctantly handed the gun he was still holding over to Luca, who grabbed it with a faint sense of joy.

Lyla cocked the gun and smirked, yet did not say a thing. She and Luca both aimed directly at Jack's head.

Jack ducked. He knew he could not stay there, for wherever he went the pair of guns trailed behind. He rolled to the side and stood, frantically looking around. Lyla fired, having the bullet graze Jack's left arm. He winced, but didn't falter, for he knew Luca was still on him. Jack's eyes landed on the wooden crates in front of him. Without thinking, he ran to them and sought shelter as he ducked down behind two crates. He could hear bullets slamming wildly into the crates. He looked around him, itching for an idea to get him out of the situation. Four more crates were across from him and he blinked rapidly, trying to get his brain to focus on the letters on the crates. One crate read 'FIREWORKS', whereas another read, 'FRAGILE.' Not knowing what was in that crate, he quickly read the other two: 'RUM' and 'FIREARMS'. He smiled on the inside.

Jack realized he could not hear any more bullets being fired. He risked a glance over the top of a crate, when another bullet raced through the air. He ducked back down, the bullet burrowing into the wall beside of him. He had not seen Lyla, and this worried him. Nevertheless, Jack took his chances, however slim they were, and crawled as fast as he could to the box. He threw the lid off and reached in, his hand grasping something cold. He retreated back behind his protective wall of crates, examining his weapon. He found it, however, not to be a weapon. Instead, what lie in his hand, was a gold coin.

Luca cleared his throat, still aiming his gun at Jack's head. Luca had used the time of when Jack was distracted with the coin to casually walk up behind him. Luca had propped his elbows up on the crate without Jack even looking over his shoulder. To be honest, Luca seemed a bit disappointed in this.

Jack turned at the sound of Luca clearing his voice, scooting back until he hit the wall behind him. Luca sighed, lowering his gun and stepping around the crates. "I'm not going to shoot you."

Jack seemed to remember he had been holding his breath, and he was finally able to breathe. He felt the coolness of the coin against his palm, and looked down at it once more. "What were these coins doing in the firearms box?"

Luca scratched awkwardly at the back of his head, using the tip of the gun while doing so. "That belongs to Lyla's friend. We shouldn't be touching it."

Jack stood, curiosity taking a hold of him. "Who is this friend of Lyla's?"

Luca sighed and plopped the gun down back in the firearms crate. He knew he surely would get a beating from Lyla later for telling Jack. However, Luca was the older brother. "Lyla's friend is a royal officer to the king."

Jack was taken aback by this unexpected answer, for he had thought Lyla's friend was in jail, because that was what Lyla had told him. Clearly, she was lying. "Why can't you ask him to get Arin out?"

"It's not that simple. Lyla's friend is loyal to the king. Every year, the king sends us a small bag of coins, courtesy of Lyla's friend's persuasion skills. This is actually Tom's home, Lyla's friend, but he began to stay overnight in the palace years ago." Luca's expression turned to a frown. "I've only ever met him once, and that was five years ago. He's a total douche. He only ever pays any attention to Lyla. He thinks he's 'in love' with her. He's a jerk as well."

Jack raised an eyebrow, understanding now why Luca did not want to involve Tom in this plan of theirs. "So, Tom sends you both money every year because he is in love with Lyla, and this is his house? He's also a jerk?" Jack bent down and took handfuls of coins into his arms, shoving them into his pockets. "Don't mind if I do." He smirked.

Luca stepped forward, his face serious. "Jake, can you do me a favor?"

Jack ignored the fact that he had once again mispronounced his name and looked up at Luca.

"When you get into the palace, beat Tom up for me, will you?" Luca asked.

Jack raised his eyebrows once again. He did not expect Luca to ask such a thing, but he couldn't deny the man. "Sure thing." Jack responded, portraying a small smile.