All of us Horsemen are currently running around like chickens without heads. The FBI are wasting no time coming for us and we are literally shit screwed. I look up from the endless stacks of paper on the desk to see Daniel smash Rhodes' phone with his foot.
"The firewall's down," Henley says, typing away on the computer. "Do they know about this?"
"They who?" Daniel asks.
"I think she's referring to they, them, or whoever we're working for," I answer.
"Who are we working for?" asks Merritt with a bunch of rolled up papers in his arms. "And are we prepared to go to jail for them?"
"Okay, stop being paranoid," Daniel says.
"It really does happen."
"Yeah, it happened to you. It doesn't mean it's gonna happen to us," Daniel says and I swear I heard a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Guys, I don't know if I can do this, alright. I don't want to go to jail, you know?" Jack says as Daniel hands him some papers.
"Then don't screw up. Alright, you're always talking about how you wanna be treated like an adult, now might be a good time to start acting like one. Stick to the plan. Stay here and burn it all," Daniel says rather harshly.
"Hey, Danny, ease off, would ya?" I say, giving him a stinky look. "There's no need to treat him like shit."
"I'm not. I'm just simply stating that if he doesn't pull this off correctly, we could all go to jail. Do you want that?"
"No, which is why I am staying here with him and helping him burn all the papers," I say, crossing my arms. "Besides, I'm not even sure I understand what the plan is."
"Uh, Kate," Henley says. "That's probably not the best idea you've ever had. Maybe you should come with us."
"And do what, exactly? No, I am not leaving Jack alone. I am staying here and there is nothing that will change my mind."
"But your ankle—"
"My ankle is fine. Would everyone please stop babying us just because we're the youngest ones?"
Daniel shakes his head. "You know what, yes. Go ahead, Kate. Stay behind and do whatever you want. It probably works better this way, right?"
I walk over to Jack and take some papers out of his arms to throw in the fire. Everyone in the room stares at me uneasily, except for Danny who seems to be the most at ease for the first time in the longest time.
"I don't know what I'm doing here," Merritt says, diverting away from our conversation.
"Well, I don't know what you'll do anywhere else," Danny says.
"I'm here for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. That's it. Then I'm gone." Merritt slams some papers on the table, indicating that he is not messing around.
I frown at his confession. As much as I hate to admit it, I know that once this is all over we'll all go our separate ways and never speak to each other again. A part of me really wishes that we can continue this trick on forever.
"You can do whatever you want when this is over, Merritt, but until then you stick to the plan," Henley says.
"Still don't know what the plan is," I say under my breath, throwing more papers in the fire.
"The plan is to not get arrested," Daniel explains sarcastically.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious."
"Look, I don't need your—" Daniel looks out the window, distracted by what he sees. "Hey guys, uh, they're here."
My blood suddenly runs cold, goosebumps forming on the skin that covers my entire body. There's no way out now. Daniel, Henley, and Merritt all grab their bags and walk towards the door.
"Be safe!" Henley yells, opening the door.
"Okay, let's go," Merritt instructs. They all leave and shut the door behind them, Jack and I left to ourselves.
"You know, you didn't have to stay here," Jack says, tossing a paper in the fire.
"Did you not hear me? I am not leaving you alone. God knows what will happen."
"Yeah. God knows... I just want you to know that—"
Before Jack could finish his statement, we hear a loud slam outside.
"What was that?" I ask. I hear the door squeak, faint footsteps shuffling right after.
"Go in there! Go, go!" Jack quickly yells, so quiet that it is barely audible and more like he mouths it. I walk into the study room in the apartment and sit down on the floor.
"Jack, what's going to happen?" I whisper.
"Alright, I want you to listen to me. No matter what happens, I want you to stay right here. Do not move. I'll try to kick these guys asses and then lure them out."
"No, no, Jack, I told you I am not leaving you alone."
Jack puts his finger to his lips, indicating to stay silent. "I'll be fine, trust me. Everything will be fine, you'll see. Just stay in here. Kate, no matter what happens, I want you to know that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you."
We stare into each other's eyes and if I had known any better, I can swear that this feels like a goodbye. "I love you," I say to him, bringing him in for a kiss.
The kiss lasts a while, me taking everything I can from him before he has to leave. When we pull apart, he stands up and makes his way to another room and climbs on top of the door. I shut the door quietly, but leave a mere crack open so that I can see what is going on. I watch him crawl down and quietly step to the kitchen. Then I hear a bunch of groans, slaps, and everything else I do not want to hear. I stop watching and just listen.
"Freeze!" I hear someone yell, my guess is Agent Rhodes. I hear something being grabbed, hit against something, and fall to the floor. Punching. Whipping. Slamming. God, when is this going to be over?
"GET HIM!" I hear another person yell and glance through the crack for a mere second to see Jack running into the main room. He rolls under the table and Agent Rhodes pushes it against him, but Jack jumps and rolls on top of it, stopping Agent Rhodes. I see him grab Jack's jacket and I look away. I silently put into the universe for Jack to be alright when this is all over. After a few more grunts and punches, I hear handcuffs and a walkie talkie.
"You little shit," Agents Rhodes says. For a second, my heart drops, but when I look over I see his ankle cuffed to a chair and Jack standing up with his walkie.
"You little shit," Jack repeats.
"What game you playin'?" Agents Rhodes asks, struggling in his seat.
"What game you playin'?" Jack mimics in the exact voice that is Dylan Rhodes. Jack begins to speak into the walkie talkie, "We're all good at six, move to seven."
Jack then begins to throw flash paper at Rhodes, but he unfortunately dodges and it hits the fire instead. Jack falls and grabs a paper, putting it in his jacket.
"Come here!" Rhodes yells, grabbing a fire iron in attempt to use it as a weapon.
Jack throws the flash paper that vanishes into sparks and hits Rhodes, him constantly trying to block it with the fire iron. The fire iron instead ends up in Jack's hands while Rhodes is temporarily blinded and he throws it up in the air as a distraction. Rhodes kicks Jack into the curtains and jumps after him, tangling himself in the process. I giggle because Jack isn't in there, just his reflection in the mirror.
Rhodes rolls the table to the mirror, smashing it. Jack appears, jumping from the ceiling door frame, but Rhodes gets a chair and smashes it against Jack's back. I wince as he falls to the floor with a loud slam, taking everything within me not to go and help him with the fight. This entire time, Rhodes' ankle is still cuffed to the chair and he only now attempts to get out of it. When Jack is aware of what's in front of him, he sees only two options: the fire iron and a scrambled mess of playing cards.
C'mon, Jack. You know which one you have to pick.
As if he read my mind, he looks over to me for a mere second before scrambling to grab a bunch of playing cards and turns around. He sits on the floor with his hands up as Agent Rhodes goes after him.
"Come here!"
"Alright, aye, aye, aye. Hold on, hold on!" Jack says, his hands up in surrender. Rhodes stops and with a shift in his hands makes the cards appear, several in each hand.
"Really?" Agent Rhodes asks, looking at Jack as if he's joking.
"Yep," Jack simply says, throwing one of the cards at Rhodes which successfully hits him in the eye. He continues to do so, standing up in the process. I always loved the way Jack throws his cards.
He throws his final card at Agent Fuller who has had his sleeves stuck in the garbage dispenser this entire time. He shrieks as Jack runs away, not before quickly winking at me. Agent Rhodes runs after him and Agent Fuller gets himself out of his strange situation, following them right after.
I wait for a while before I hear absolute silence. My pulse is racing and I close my eyes, reliving everything that just happened. I stay in silence for a bit, appreciating it as my heart beat attempts to go back to normal. I don't get a lot of silence since about a year ago, so it really is relaxing just being by myself. Finally, I decide enough is enough and I stand up and walk out the room.
I don't doubt in my mind that this chase is currently being broadcasted as breaking news. The Horsemen have been a hot topic in the media for quite some time now and it scares me to even check up on how Jack is doing. Regardless, I pick up the remote and turn to a random news channel, my theory being correct.
"We're coming to you live from FDR, where NYPD and federal agents that you now see are engaged in a high speed pursuit following a black sedan."
"Jack, I whisper, watching his car swivel through the traffic, cars chasing after him. I get close to the television, my heart racing once again. "Please don't crash."
"We are now trying to get you a better shot," The news reporter says.
"You can do this, Jack," I say to myself more than him. He can. He will.
"It looks like they're turning down the 59th street bridge. As soon as we get an image on the bridge, we will bring you those pictures live!"
Jack's car speeds through an incredibly tight space, making me very anxious and full of fear. I grip the remote tightly, biting my nails instinctively. "Come on, Jack! Come on!" I continue to yell at the screen, as if it were actually going to do something.
And I really wish it did.
The next thing I see is his car crash on the side of the bridge and flip over. Once. Twice. Several Times.
No, no. That didn't just happen.
His car lands upside down and flies forward, smoke and fire emitting from the vehicle. The television shows Agent Rhodes running over to the car. My hand balls up in a fist and I bring it to my mouth. Please be okay.
Agents Rhodes struggles to get Jack out and Agent Fuller goes after him. It takes a while and I see both of the agents run away from the car without Jack. I am not prepared for what I am about to see, but I know it's going to happen. I hear a boom so loud that I swear I can hear it from outside the window, Jack's car blowing up into a big explosion. I quickly shut my eyes as I feel tears running down my face.
"Ja—" is all I can say. I don't want to open my eyes and see his damaged car, or worse, his damaged body. I still can't find it within myself to believe that Jack was in there. My boyfriend was in that car. Still is, no longer breathing or thinking or anything.
"Please," I cry, stuck watching the scene in front of me. "Please, Ja—"
I can't even say his name. Every time I try to, I just end up sobbing. I stare at the television and scream some more. I whine, I shriek, I sob. That painful moment is when realization finally hits you and it truly does hit you. I can't feel my legs. I can't feel anything. I fall back on the recliner, my head down in my hands. My hands shake as I reach for the blanket Jack covered me in last night—yes, I took it from New Orleans to New York. I put it around me and lay back on the recliner, the foot rest up.
I don't know when my screaming and crying will ever stop. I wipe my tears with the blanket, patches of it becoming moist. I eventually calm down, but inside I am still in absolute rage. They are going to pay for this. They are going to pay for the death of my boyfriend. I try to flip to another channel, but every single one is breaking news. There is no escape from it.
Before I know it, I hear the front door open and several footsteps come near me. At this point, I don't even care if it's the feds coming to lock me up. I don't care.
"Kate?" I hear Henley say.
"Did it really happen?" I ask, my voice shaking.
"Kate, we just—" Daniel begins, but he doesn't finish.
"I saw it, but he's not dead." I stare emotionless at the screen, my eyes burning as I hope I am right.
"Pumpkin," Merritt says, trying to step into his role as my makeshift father.
"It couldn't have happened. That doesn't happen to the good guy."
I watch the car flip over and over and over again, listening to the news anchor speak. "Today, the unfolding story of a popular and controversial criminal of magicians who aments, capturing the public imagination took a dark turn when a police action that began in Chinatown, developed into a dramatic high speed chase across 59th street bridge, which caused a fatal collision that took the life of Jack Wilder, one of the so called Five Horsemen. There whereabouts of the other four horsemen remain unknown at this time."
I close my eyes and nod my head with acceptance. The words took the life of Jack Wilder haunt me.
"We need to leave, hun," Henely says, walking next to the recliner and grabbing my limp hand. "We can't be here, this is the first place they'll look. We need to go, now."
I struggle to get out of the recliner, the skin around my eyes wrinkled up with tears. "Can I get some things from my room?"
The other Horsemen nod, watching me drag myself to my little old room. I've had many memories in this place. I never really had much time to decorate it, but it still contains some things that make it feel more homey. I walk over to my bookshelf, intensely staring at the framed picture I have of Jack and I. I grab it, running my fingers over the memory that once was.
With my anger building up inside me, I throw the picture frame to the wall. I take some of my books off the shelf and throw them across the room. I kick my desk chair and pick up my lamp sitting on my dresser and slam it to the ground. I yell a thousand mumbled up words that sound more like sobs, Henley quickly running into my room.
She attempts to shush me, hugging me tightly as I scream some more. "It's okay, sweetie," she whispers, practically smashing us together, my arms stuck in between our hug. She softly pats my head, running her hands through my hair and continues to shush me.
"IT'S NOT FAIR!" I scream, my legs no longer being able to support my heavy weight. I slowly fall to the ground, Henley coming down with me and never letting go. I know from the open door, the other two watch in disbelief at how broken I have become. I stare at the picture frame, now shattered on the ground. Even after all that has happened, everything that I have seen, I'm never really able to believe it until now. I have to accept the unholy truth: Jack is gone.
---
fun fact: i wrote the original chapter of this three years ago and the dialogue is basically the same. having only just recently assigned malese as my face claim and finding the gif of her crying "please" that went along so well with the chapter, it was like a sign lol.
also, when jack said "i don't want to go to jail" did anyone think of...
;)