Chapter 9
Jack’s P.O.V
I kicked my feet up on the table and stretched before turning on the TV and popping open a can of beer. I hadn’t stopped thinking about Jasey since the plane had landed. I looked at my phone, half expecting a message or a phone call, half hoping for both. I put my phone down beside me and tried to occupy myself with something other than the blank screen.
I knew I shouldn’t have been expecting her to call. Hell, she’d probably already forgotten who I was, but something inside me longed for someone who understood to talk to. I stood up, beer in hand, and paced my small living room. I picked up my phone, and then put it down again. C’mon Jack, I thought, just call her yourself.
I put my can down on the bench and raided my almost empty fridge for something to eat when I heard my phone vibrate on the arm of the sofa before falling on the floor. I wacked my head on the top of the fridge as I slammed it closed and raced over to answer my phone.
“Jack it’s me, Jasey. I need your help,” Her voice echoed through the receiver.
I listened as tires squealed and Jasey swore under her breath, “I’m being followed. Someone was outside my room out in the yard. I didn’t know what to do, so I just got in my car and left.”
The sound of a trashcan clattering to the ground stung my ears.
“What’s going on Jasey, where are you?”
“I’m not really sure,” She paused for a moment, “Belview Place.”
“That’s around the corner from me. Turn left when you see the fountain, I’ll be standing out the front of my house. You should see me.”
Jasey hung up and I pulled on a pair of shoes and a jacket before racing outside to wave her down. A black, beat up sedan pulled up on the nature strip of the block of flats and Jasey climbed out, slamming the door behind her. She looked at me for a few seconds before throwing herself into my arms.
“I’m sorry,” She murmured, pulling away just as quickly, “I just didn’t know what else to do.”
“It’s okay. Come inside,” I whispered, showing her to the door, “We’ll talk in there.”
I locked the door behind us before ushering her up the stairs to my flat. We both sat down on the sofa and I muted the TV.
“What happened?” I asked.
Jasey shrugged her shoulders, “Too be honest, I don’t really know. I was feeding my cat and I was about to go to bed, but then he started staring out the window and making this horrible growling sound. When I went to see what he was staring at, there was this guy outside the window standing in the bushes, just staring at me.”
She shuddered, and brushed her arm against mine. In the few seconds of contact, I saw a figure standing in the darkness flash into my mind. I gave Jasey a sidelong glance before taking hold of her hand and closing my eyes. As soon as our skin touched I could see the dark figure again, but clearer. What I could see in the small crack of moonlight was the grinning, beady-eyed face of Shiny Head from the crummy hotel. I immediately let go of Jasey’s hand and stood up, pacing the living room again.
“What, what was it?”
“I know that man. I’ve seen him before.”
I shook my head, raking a hand through my hair. I felt nauseous; I didn’t understand anything anymore. No amount of Zack’s logic was going to explain this now. I moved over to the kitchen sink, splashing cold water over my face. I was fully aware of Jasey’s worried stare, but I ignored her as I leant over the sink. I looked through the kitchen window, and what I saw in the dim light made me feel like I was going to throw up. Standing in the backyard of the apartment below, was the Shiny Head man. He grinned up at me, his black eyes shining in the moonlight.
“Jasey,” I called over my shoulder, “Jasey we’ve gotta get out of here.”
“Why? What’s going on, Jack?”
“I’ll explain later, we’ve gotta go, now!”
I grabbed her arm, pulling her up off the couch and running down stares. We slammed through the front door and raced over to where her black sedan was parked. Jasey grabbed the handle, pulling it up and down. She swore under her breath before cupping her hands around her eyes and peering through the car window.
“Damn it! I’ve locked the keys in!”
“We don’t have time for this. My car is parked around the corner.”
I grabbed her hand, dragging her along behind me as I ran as fast as I could toward my car. But it was too late. I couldn’t slow down in time to stop myself from slamming head on into the Shiny Head man. My first instinct was to flail a misplaced punch at his face, barely clocking him in the shoulder and hurting myself more than him.
Another man appeared, grabbing Jasey from behind, sending her kicking and screaming for help. A beefy hand clamped over her mouth before a set of large arms grabbed my around the waist. I felt something cold cut into my neck and I looked down to see the glint of a knife being held up to my throat.
“Let her go!” I shouted, resulting in nothing more than the knife digging further into my neck.
“In due time,” the Shiny Head man said, “But for now, you need to come with us.”
Alex’s P.O.V
“Thanks for the bed,” Stella thanked me as I helped her take her things out to the car.
I opened the door for her and closed it behind her as she pulled on her seat belt.
“Hey, Stella. I was wondering if you’d maybe like to go out for dinner sometime. If you’re free, or interested.”
Stella laughed, “Sure, how’s tonight sound?”
“Tonight? I’ll pick you up at 7?”
“Sure, I’ll text you my address.”
Stella smiled and blew a kiss in my direction before driving away and disappearing around the corner.
“Sappy,” I heard Rian say from behind me.
Later that night I pulled on a dress shirt and black skinny jeans before attempting to tame my mess of hair. I shouted a goodbye to Rian over my shoulder before climbing into my car and quickly reading the address Stella had sent me. After half and hour of driving, I pulled up outside a small cottage covered in ivy that kind of reminded me of the orphanage Madeline lived in.
I double-checked the address before pushing open the front gate and knocking hard on the front door. After a few moments, Stella appeared behind the door wearing a pale blue cocktail dress. She widened the door and ushered me inside. Her house smelt like your grandma’s house would, like mothballs and old things.
“I live with my Gran,” she reassured me.
After she touched up her make up, she grabbed her handbag and I led her out to my car. We drove a few minutes down the road to where I had booked us a reservation at the not-so-fancy restaurant. A waiter showed us to our table by the window that looked out onto the street. The sun had start to set and cast an orange glow on everything outside. Stella and I ordered before we sat in an awkward silence that left me wondering if inviting her out was a good idea.
“Sorry if I’m boring you,” She broke the silence, “I just haven’t been out like this for a while.”
“It’s fine. Neither have I to be honest.”
She laughed as a waiter brought over a bottle of wine and two glasses. I half filled her glass before drinking a whole glass of my own. I swallowed hard, trying to calm my nerves, and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans.
Before either of us had a chance to realize how much wine we had downed, we were both walking in zigzags down the street. It was dark out, and the streetlamps only provided a little glow in the dim light. In my alcoholic haze I could barely see where we were going, but I felt Stella grab my hand as she ran barefoot down the foot walk. I found myself in a small alleyway, with Stella smiling widely at me.
“I haven’t had this much fun in a long time,” she laughed, leaning against the brick wall.
“Neither have I,” I murmured, moving closer to her.
I pressed my hands up against the wall on either side of her, moving my body closer to hers. She fell silent, except for her heavy breathing. I moved my head closer to her, pressing my lip against hers in an urgent kiss. I pulled away and checked if she was okay, but she put her hand behind my head and brought it back to her lips.
After a few seconds, we pulled apart for a breath when I felt something hard smack me in the head. In my last fleeting moments of consciousness, all I saw was Stella’s wild, animal like smile and a familiar shiny head…