Donovan's coming. He's here.
For a moment, Max stopped dragging her and Jack stopped wriggling in his grasp to watch Donovan's approach. No. Max would kill Donovan if given the chance, and thanks to Jack's recklessness, he now had that chance. Donovan was driving into his front yard.
Jack had to do something. She couldn't let Donovan enter the range of Clyde's gun which he was now steadying on the crooked porch railing, but she knew he wouldn't stop until she was safe.
"Lover boy's here to rescue you," Clyde said with a chortle. "Now we can finish all our business, get the deed, and go home."
"Shut up, Clyde!" Max called, tightening his grip around Jack's neck.
She gasped for a deep breath and took advantage of Max's distraction, ramming her elbows into the soft flesh above his rib cage. Max staggered backwards at the impact just enough to allow her to wriggle free from his grasp.
Max cursed at her. "You witch!"
Jack stumbled away from him and turned to face him as he barrelled towards her, teeth bared. As he lunged forward, Jack lifted her knee and rammed it into his crotch. Max fell to the ground and curled into a ball with a howl of pain. As much as Jack wanted to stay and enjoy the man's pain, Clyde still had a gun and Donovan was still driving towards them.
"Max, you alright?" Clyde asked, staggering down the steps.
Jack turned and ran, abandoning her bicycle to the Slate brothers. She cared more about her and Donovan's lives than a metal contraption, and even those were in danger.
Max stumbled to his feet, slurring profanities at Clyde. "Shoot her, you imbecile!"
Her heart pounding in her ears, Jack sprinted towards the nearing automobile. She had to make it to Donovan before a bullet found either of them. She heard Clyde muttering and the gun fired. Jack dove to the ground, landing hard on her chest, as a bullet soared over her head. Dirt smeared across her face and she stumbled to her feet, running forward again. She wove as she ran, hoping the unpredictable path would deter Clyde's bullet. The gun fired again, this time wide to the right.
"Jack, get in!" Donovan yelled, and she saw him slam on the brakes, the end of the automobile fishtailing in the middle of the road. He reached for the door handle and swung it open as a bullet pinged off the back fender.
Jack hurtled forward, her chest aching for more air than she could give it, and she lunged for the door as Clyde's gun released another bullet. Donovan caught her by the arm, pulling her inside the automobile while simultaneously pressing the gas pedal. The car zoomed forward, and at the disgruntled cries of outrage, Jack turned back to see the Slate brothers swearing at them in the front yard. She couldn't resist a grin. That might have been close, but what an adventure!
"Have you lost your mind?" Donovan yelled over the roaring engine.
Jack kept her gaze behind them for a moment, not wanting to face Donovan's well-justified rage. She had been reckless, stupid, and endangered both of their lives in her panicked furor to do something. Still, the exhilaration had not faded and Jack found herself wishing she'd brought her shotgun to show those Slate brothers just what she thought of them.
"Jack?"
Finally, she turned to look at him. His dark eyes burned through the starless night, fastened on her with startling intensity. He was angry, hurt, confused, all emotions Jack wished she hadn't inflicted.
"I had to do something."
"And getting yourself killed was your chosen course of action?" he returned, voice cracking. He shook his head, returning his focus to the road. "We'll talk about it when we get home."
Jack was grateful for the silence to gather her frayed nerves and her frantic thoughts, finally settling after the ruckus of the evening. What had she expected to accomplish by going over there? She certainly hadn't scared or threatened them like she had hoped; her confrontation had only put her and Donovan in danger and further imperiled Donovan's position. Still, Jack had faced the enemy and survived--and, perhaps, learned more about them. It wasn't just greed that drove the Slate brothers; it was vengeance.
When they arrived outside Jack's house a few minutes later, Donovan still hadn't said a word, but Jack could feel the anger rippling off of him in waves. He disembarked from the automobile without a word, helping Jack down with expressionless features. Instead of walking to the Bookers', Donovan led the way to Jack's house and she followed him. As the adrenaline faded, so did her certainty that she'd made the right decision.
Inside Jack's dark house, Donovan started to build a fire with a few dirty pieces of newspaper and a stack of firewood beside the hearth. Jack stood next to him and studied him, his face sharp and unforgiving in the harsh moonlight. He struck a match and the fire blazed once it caught on the newspaper. The shifting light of the fire painted his features in a new light, shadowed and weary. Regret ached in Jack's heart for the pain she'd caused him by her foolhardiness.
Donovan rose slowly from his crouched position in front of the fireplace and turned toward her, his voice breaking as he spoke. "What were you thinking, Jack? You could have been killed."
Jack sighed and looked down at her hands in the absence of a defense. "I know. It was...I couldn't just let this go on, not with what I know about Soka and Willie."
"This has only put us in more danger, Jack! Don't you see? Now they know that you're aware of their treachery."
"I threatened to expose them," Jack confessed, looking up at Donovan. "I thought that if they knew there were others behind you, they would leave us alone."
Donovan sighed and ran a hand through his hair, long loosened from its tail. "But now they just see you as a threat, a liability. They know they'll have to silence us both, and maybe the Bookers too."
Jack's heart beat a little faster at the words. The Bookers were in danger now too? Who else, her nieces? Doctor Benjamin, Sheriff Fletcher? Endangering herself was one thing, but to endanger everyone she loved was another.
"I--I'm sorry," Jack stuttered. "I didn't think about the consequences. I just had to do something. They've gotten to the mayor and to half the town, and I couldn't just let that happen."
Donovan turned to face her, taking her hands and looking at them instead of at her. "Jack, you can't--I was terrified for you. You can't put yourself in danger because I swear I would have done anything to save you." Jack felt her face flush as his dark eyes rose to hers. "I would have killed both of them with my bare hands before I let them hurt you."
He reached for her forehead and brushed away the mud encrusted there from her dive to avoid Clyde's bullet. "Did they hurt you?"
"I'm fine," Jack said though the bruising on her throat told a different story. "I told you, I can take care of myself."
Donovan chuckled, tracing her cheek with the back of his knuckles. "I won't doubt you again. But for my sake, please don't do anything that reckless again, Jack."
"I can't make any promises."
Donovan shook his head, but the anger had dissipated from his expression. "If you were any less brave, I wouldn't like you the way I do."
Donovan pulled Jack closer to him and slid his arms around her as she leaned her head against his chest, the steady thrum of his heartbeat sounding in her ear. Despite the uncertainty and the danger, she was safe for this brief moment, nestled in his arms. Jack couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so safe, so secure. She'd been alone for so long that she hadn't let anyone close enough to save her or protect her, yet here Donovan was, earning her trust with every action he took.
"I can't put anyone else in danger, Jack."
The words took Jack by surprise. What could he possibly mean? Surrender? He couldn't turn himself over to the Slate brothers. She wouldn't let him. They couldn't win, not after everything they'd done.
She pulled away from him, a hand on his chest. "Donovan, what are you talking about?"
Donovan hung his head with a deep sigh. "I refuse to let you get hurt, Jack. They shot at you. They wanted you dead tonight, and you barely escaped. You could have died because of me."
"But I didn't!" Jack cried, backing away from him. "I got away just fine, no harm done. I'm not some precious child you need to protect, Donovan. I'm a grown woman who can take care of herself."
"But it's not just you, Jack, don't you see? They won't stop until I'm dead along with everyone who knows about this. You, the Bookers, maybe even some of the townspeople. Nothing is going to stop them, and I refuse to be responsible for any more deaths."
"So, what? You're just going to leave, then?" Jack yelled, fear and fury intermingled.
If he left, what would happen to her? What would she do? I'd be just fine, she told herself. I can take care of herself. And though she knew this was true, that she would survive, she wondered how she could live the rest of her life knowing Donovan was out there but he wasn't with her.
"I have to, Jack, don't you see?" Donovan threw his arms wide. "If I leave, they'll leave Irvington and the rest of you alone. They don't care about you--they just want me dead."
A shudder went through Jack's body. No, you can't leave me. "Don't you dare leave," she seethed between bared teeth, her eyes afire. "Don't be a bloody coward, Kitchi Donovan. You're better than that."
Donovan took a step closer to her, desperation in his crazed eyes. "Am I a coward for protecting the people I love?"
The words hung between them for a moment as their eyes caught. Love? Jack could hardly comprehend the word through her anger. Jack knew that her care for Donovan was more than that of a mere friend--she would not have endangered her life so recklessly for a mere acquaintance--but she could hardly admit her true feelings now, when he was threatening to leave.
"If you leave," she murmured through cracked lips, "you are no better than they are. You're letting them continue to hurt people. They'll come after you and they'll find you if you don't stand up to them. Don't leave."
"But if something happens to you--"
"If something happens to me, that's my fault, not yours! I chose to go over there, not you. It's my choice to try to help you fight against them, and even if you leave, that won't stop me."
Donovan sank into a chair and bowed his head into his hands. Part of Jack longed to comfort him, but the rest of her was furious.
"Don't leave, Donovan. Please."
He looked up at her. "But what else can I do, Jack? If I stay..."
"If you stay, then we'll fight back. Sheriff Fletcher will help us--I know he will!"
"What can one sheriff do against the likes of the Slate brothers?" Donovan cried as he rose to his feet again. "What can we do, for that matter? It's no use, Jack."
She stepped closer and touched his arm. "Just don't leave, Donovan. Please."
Donovan stared down into her eyes, broiling with conflict. "If I don't leave, Jack, I might lose you."
Her heart thundering, Jack backed away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. "But if you do leave, you'll certainly lose me."
Donovan studied her for a long moment, but when she didn't relent, he walked out of the house, shutting the door quietly behind him. As soon as he was gone, Jack collapsed into the chair he had vacated and held her head in her hands, willing herself not to cry.
What do you think? Will Jack's recklessness mean the end of her and Donovan? Let me know in the comments!