Ace Of Spades (Complete Raw First Draft, Unedited)

Thirty- Three: Fourteen Hours

I placed my hands on his shoulders and he gripped my waist, resting my forehead against his, relaxing under the gentle strokes of his hands as he ran them up and down my sides.

He puled me down with him again, and I rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes.

***

I'd only been sleeping lightly, drifting in and out of dreams, waking up feeling frantic, and relaxing once more when Ace's arms would tighten protectively around my body.

I awoke once again, trying to lay still so that I didn't wake him.  This time was different.  It wasn't the tensions or the dreams that woke me, but a sound coming from outside.

No, I realized, my heart leaping.  It was coming from inside.

"Ace," I whispered, sitting up, listening.

"Mmm?" He responded, slowly opening his eyes, becoming more alert when he saw my alarm.

"I heard something," I told him in a hushed tone.

"Wait here," he murmured in my ear, silently climbing out of bed.

He moved soundlessly through the dark, disappearing in the shadowy hallway, and I perched on the edge of the bed, listening.

I just about jumped out of my skin when I heard voices, my heart slowing when I recognised Ace's.  The second voice that came sounded urgent, and I recognised Clyde's as he swore, trying to keep his anger in check.

I got to my feet, moving toward where I heard them, finding them both standing in the front door of the house, still swinging in on its brokem hinges.

"What's going on?"  I asked softly, and they both quickly turned to look at me.

"Fuck," Clyde swore again, gazing out into the night, then turned and threw his fist at the door frame, the impact loud enough that I jumped in fright.

"It's alright, Clyde," Ace reassured him, putting an arm around my waist.  "Now we know where she is."

"Yeah," he agreed, but he didn't look happy.  If anything, he looked angrier than before.  "So, what?"

"So we can get her back," I said hopefully, looking between the two, but my smile fell when they exchanged a glance, Ace grimacing and Clyde pursing his lips, both of them still looking unhappy.

"What is it?"  I asked hesitantly, and, with shaking hands, Clyde handed me a piece of lined paper.

"That was pinned to the front door," he explained as I glanced down to examine it.

I recognised the neat cursive hand writing right away and collapsed against the wall, groaning in despair.

"Lucas will give us Bonnie back," Ace confirmed, twining his fingers together behind his head.  "But we have to trade her for you."

***

"There's a way around this," Clyde repeated, as Ace paced back and forward in front of us in the loungeroom.  "There's gotta be."

I was curled up in the corner of the couch, dashing away the angry tears that were streaming down my cheeks.  Clyde was on the other end of the couch, leaning his forearms on his knees, his hands clasped together in front of him, scowling at the ground.

"We have..." Clyde checked his phone, making a face at it, "fourteen hours to come up with a plan.  What are we going to do?"

Ace racked his fingers back through his hair, glancing at me.

"We aren't giving Jenna up," he said firmly, and Clyde nodded in agreement.

"But Bonnie-"

"We'll get Bonnie back," Clyde cut me off.  "But he's not getting you."

I smiled gratefully at them both and Ace resumed his pacing while Clyde's knee started bouncing up and down in anticipation.

"What if we meet them there tonight, when they specified," Clyde started.  "We'll bring Beast and a couple of the others and pump them full of lead.  Simple."

"Lucas is too smart for that," I told them, shaking my head.  "He'll send his people in his place, but he won't have Bonnie there, in case something like that happens and she gets away.  He'll dump her somewhere later."

Clyde growled in frustration.

"I'm ringing Beast," he said, grabbing his phone once more.  "The boys might be onto something by now-"

"No," Ace cut in, snatching the phone away.

"What the fuck, man?"  Clyde demanded, getting to his feet to try and take it back, but Ace evaded him.

"Not Beast," he said firmly.  "You can't trust him with this."

"What do you mean?"  Clyde asked, narrowing his eyes.

"He's the one who convinced Jenna's mother to sell her to Lucas when we were all still kids," he explained.  "He was going to follow them, and shut him down, but he lost Jenna."

Clyde opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, and he glanced at me, uncertain.

"Then, he used my sister Kim to bait him, and that's how she got kidnapped and beat up."

The muscles in Clyde's jaw jutted out as he clenched his teeth, rubbing a hand across his eyes in exasperation.

"I'll call Axe," Ace clicked his fingers, handing Clyde his phone back, pulling his own out of his back pocket.

"Axe?" Clyde seemed dubious.

"He's onto this somehow," Ace explained.  "He'll know what to do."

Ace disappeared into the kitchen to make the call, leaving the two of us alone.

Clyde went to the window, gazing out into the early morning light.  The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, the first rays of morning giving new hope to the day.

"How are you doing, Jenna?"  Clyde asked softly, turning back to me.

"Honestly, I replied, avoiding his gaze.  "I'm freaking out."

He dropped down on the couch beside me and nodded.  I tensed at his close proximity, but reminded myself to relax.  A lot had changed in the few weeks I'd known Clyde for.  I understood, now, that he was nothing like I'd thought he was, but, I knew he was still a wild, dangerous person, and he still made me nervous.

"We won't let him take you back," he assured me, and I nodded.

"If it comes to it, and it's the only way you can get Bonnie back," I began, my voice hitching in my throat, "I'll exchange myself for her."

Clyde stared at the ground, saying nothing for a moment.  I fought to control my breathing, the thought of going back to the life I was so desperately trying to leave behind working me up into a state of panic.

"It won't come to that," he said, as Ace entered the room again, frowning.  "Lucas is going to fucking die, even if I have to tear his damn throat out."