The Piece System

Chapter Eighteen: JAKE

Jake didn't like hospitals. Never had since they'd dragged him in for a drug test at fifteen. And that was ignoring the time he'd broken his leg riding his bike when he was eight. They just reeked of either illness or way too much hand sanitizer and rubber gloves. All the white, it made him shiver. Yet there he was, stood by a bed.

The doctor had told him Nia had a concussion and would likely wake up soon. She said it was nothing serious. But it was serious to him. He would find whoever it was that hurt her, hospitalised one of the only people who looked out for him. Albeit it in her own, lawful, arbiter-y way. And he would make sure they knew who they were dealing with. They'd hurt Nia, and they could've hurt Sophie. He clenched his fists, the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor making it worse.

What made it a little better was how peaceful she looked. He'd only ever really seen her as a Corrector, sat in the arbiter station on a shift. Anxiety was one of the only emotions he'd seen on her. That, exhaustion and pity. He didn't like that last one, though. But right now, she looked like she hadn't a care in the world.

He kind of wished he was the one in the bed.

Once he was out of Blackmoore Hospital, he headed back to Nia's house. He wanted to check it again for any clues, seeing as the arbiters had been lazy enough to close the case as unsolved.

Idiots. He thought, shoving his hands in his pockets as he left the large white building behind.

Something buzzed in his pocket, making his heart stop. His legs kept going though. He kept walking as he flicked open the burner phone. There were only two people he'd given the number to, and if they were calling him, it couldn't be good.

He pressed the phone to his ear, "Hello?"

"Hey, Jake." the crackly voice on the other end was a woman, so it wasn't Kieran.

"Piper, what's wrong?" he asked, voice hushed as people passed him on the pavement.

"Someone came to Darlseys asking about you and Charlie."

"What? Who?"

"Some woman."

"What woman, Pip? Be specific." he said.

"Some woman with a cane," she said. That made him stop. The crackle from the other side was half due to the horrific signal Rockfoot had and half due to the fact he was barely listening anymore.

"What was her name..." Piper hummed, "Allie, something or other. I don't know."

"Alex?" Jake's knuckles went white around the phone, "Alex Geller?"

He heard her snap her fingers and yell at someone, "Yeah, yeah that's the one."

Jake groaned, "Okay thanks, I appreciate it."

"Don't do anything stupid—" Piper's voice was cut off as he snapped the phone shut and tossed in in the trash. 

He was going to do something stupid. Or rather, she'd done something stupid, and he intended to match her.

***

If there was ever a definition for 'storming,' it would be the way Jake entered Rockfoot.

How could someone be so stupid?

For once he had no issue ignoring the Pawns in the street. It meant he missed the way they looked at him with the hopeful recognition that he was trying to stay away from. He couldn't help them anymore—he wouldn't.

Yells up ahead caught his attention.

"Get off!" It was a woman, "I'll hit you!" It was Alex. He didn't give her the luxury of having him run to help with whatever hungry Pawn was trying to rob her for something to sell. She got herself into this mess, if he didn't get there in time that was her fault. Well, that's what he'd like to say. It took three seconds for him to change his mind and break into a run.