Her Majesty's Bad Boy

20: BETTER IDEA

I blink stupidly, not quite processing his words. We're leaving? What does that mean?

"I-I-I-" my tongue is too heavy to lift, my brain is too foggy, I can't piece together a coherent sentence.

Jack exhales and pulls my limp body to his, holding me like back in the janitor's closet, like his life depends on it.

"I know I fucked up badly, I know you can never trust me again but right now we need to leave, I'm not letting anything bad happen to you"

I still can't talk so I nod against his chest, accepting to let him take me away. I shouldn't follow him anywhere, the last time I did that, I ended up kidnapped, surely there's nothing worse that can happen.

I'm quiet as Jack unzips the large backpack and pulls out a hoodie. I'm still as he maneuvers my arms into the holes. The hoodie swallows me, covering my dirty school shirt and skirt, reaching mid-thigh.

I inhale deeply as his scent overwhelms me, the thought of carrying it with me as I go clears the fog in my head and one coherent thought is formed.

Where are we going?

"Jack" my voice is small, "where are we going?"

"I'd like to know that too"

I let out a strangled gasp as Jack grabs my arm and pushes me behind him.

The man is there, watching both of us with a dark, evil smirk, there's a gun casually hanging from his left hand. I clutch the back of Jack's hoodie, sobbing quietly. So much for leaving.

The man holds out his right hand, his palms upturned, waiting for Jack to put something in it. "Piss off" Jack seethes.

The man chuckles, retracting his hand, "I take you in, care for you and your sister, train you and this is how you repay me? Steal my weapons, money, property" the man's cold bottomless eyes meet mine, peaking from behind Jack.

"Give her to me. Now" since I've been here, the man has been mocking, observing, his evilness came in the form of amusement, but now he's pure business, serious and I have no doubt that he'd use that gun in the blink of an eye.

Jack's grip on me tightens painfully, "You stole me, took my sister away from me, tortured me, physically and mentally so you deserve everything you're getting. And she doesn't belong to you" Jack's voice is cool, like he expected this.

The man wastes no time in pointing the gun at Jack and another whimper escapes me, "Enough of this, you will give her to me and go to your room, or I will make sure your brains splatter all over her pretty little face"

Jack's body shakes with silent laugher and the man's face darkens, confusion and slight unease flashing in his eyes.

"I made you a promise a while ago" Jack says and I watch as he reaches behind him, lifts up his hoodie and shows me the gun tucked in his waistband.

"Surely you haven't forgotten?" Before the man can reply, Jack pulls out the gun and points it at him.

There's a loud bang and Jack falls.

My first instinct is flight and I force my numb legs to run. As soon as I start, a rough hand grabs the material of the hoodie and yanks me to an even rougher body.

I choke as his arm wraps round my neck, locking me in place, I let out a shaky sigh when I feel something cold and solid, rest on my temple.

"Nice try" the man calls out, "I taught you everything you know but not everything I know"

"Jack" I call out in a shaky voice.

He's crouched on the floor, breathing heavily. He's not dead.

He stands up slowly, rage darkening his eyes till they're the same shade as the monster holding me. Black and bottomless.

I notice the blood dripping from his left ear where the bullet must have nicked him, before ricocheting off the wall.

"Jack are you okay?" I cry.

He glances at me and the look in his eyes softens, "It's okay." he promises before turning back to the man.

"Let her go Sam, we're leaving" Jack's voice is scary and does nothing to calm my rapidly beating heart.

Sam chuckles and presses the gun harder into my temple, causing me to whimper, "yeah I don't think so and the longer you point that gun at me, the harder it'll be to resist the urge to do what I've been wanting to" His malicious voice holds wicked promise and the way Jack's jaw tightens almost to the point of breaking, tells me he knows exactly what he means.

Jack's grip on the gun tightens but his gaze falls on me, his eyes moving frantically. I frown, not quite getting what he's trying to communicate.

"You touch her and I kill you" Jack promises firmly, still trying to tell me something with his eyes.

The man scoffs, "The slightest move from you and I'll kill her on the spot, everything you've done would be for nothing, you'd lose both her and your sister."

The man leans and rests his head on mine, using the gun to stroke my hair, "We wouldn't want that now would we?"

I finally understand what Jack is trying to tell me and I mouth to him, "I'll die"

He shakes his head ever so slightly, "Trust me" the words are directed to me but he adds more so Sam won't pick up on it "that's the last thing I want"

The man shrugs, "Exactly, so drop the gun and she stays safe, I keep it in my trousers and we forget this ever happened hmm?"

"Better idea" Jack counters, "I kill you now" I take that as a cue and with all my strength stomp on Sam's foot. It's not hard enough to hurt him, but it's hard enough to make him flinch and relinquish his hold on me, I duck just as two bullets echo in the small space. One from Sam's gun that narrowly misses my head and the other from Jack's gun that passes straight through Sam's head.

I watch, stunned as his hands slip from me and he slumps to the ground.

My eyes are transfixed on his wide empty eyes, my vision blurred by the blood running down my face.

I turn to Jack, his hands are still on the trigger and he's staring down at Sam's body bitterly, a hint of satisfaction swimming in his eyes.

"Have fun in hell bastard" he spits. I let out a strangled cry at his actions. He just killed a man and he's okay with that. He's happy.

I suddenly feel like I'm back in the hallway, watching him pummel Jeremy over and over again, then, I was scared he'd kill the boy but I told myself that Jack would never do that, that he wouldn't kill someone else.

But now looking at the stranger in front of me, cold, hard and completely unrecognizable, I feel my blood freeze in my veins, "Y-you killed him"

His head snaps up to meet mine and his eyes transform drastically, from molten hate to warm concern.

"Ana" he reaches out for me but I'm too far away, I'm running but I'm rooted to a spot, I'm crying but my eyes are frozen open, I'm screaming but my voice refuses to work anymore. Blood drips from my face down my cheeks like tears and I know that if I don't leave this room now, I'll lose what's left of my mind.

So I fall and let the darkness take me away.

***

Question: Where do you think they're going?

💕Sophie