Alice wiped her tears before Jack even opened his eyes. She wanted him not to suspect anything from her emotions so she joyfully said "For a drunk man, you are well-balanced."
Jack opened his eyes, with a spark in his eyes this time, and stopped dancing as he saw her idly staring at him.
He replied "I already threw up lately and took a shower but the dizziness is still there. I'll maybe just workout later tonight to sweat the rest of the toxic off."
"Did you miss me so you drink?" ,she teased.
He knew how to play the teasing remarks with Alice so he said "Probably because I woke up late and you were gone."
She cackled as she grabbed his hands again, put one in her waist and held the other stretched straight to their right. She put her other hand over his shoulder and said "This is how we should do it."
He joked, noticing their position, "Please tell me we're not doing ballroom."
She bursted into laughter. Jack just smiled and watched her laugh. She said "We are definitely not."
"Good. 'Cause I thought I should change the song so it fits."
She laughed even harder. His humor gets her every time.
She stopped and stared at him after laughing for quite a while. She was memorizing his face, detail to detail, like a piece of art in a museum. He observed his eyes. It was slightly droopy; tired and lack of sleep. His pupils were dilated as he was staring at her face.
He asked, "What's wrong?"
Alice turned off his iPod and stood back in front of him. She said "I just want you to hear this clearly..." She paused the continued, "I feel so lucky to be yours."
He chuckled and said, "What is this?"
She loved the sound of his laugh, even the slightest, like an angel gets its wings whenever he does.
She struggled to make eye contact when she said "Come on, Jorge. I'm serious. I just thought I needed to get that into your head. And please, always remember that there is an Alice who loves you very much."
"You're always on my mind. Forgetting you is impossible."
"Right." She looked at him and bit her lip. She held back her tears to avoid drama.
There was a long moment of silence...
BGM:
They locked eyes for a moment, just enough for them to feel safe with one another. Their souls mingling in the quiet moment. They both felt the specific attraction within their gaze. He moved closer and closer until he gently ignited his lips to hers.
It was a kiss both soft and hard. She loved it. It was the taste she was addicted to. His lips as soft as pillows were dominating her lips moving along.
Then she can feel his mouth stretching wider than it should, letting in his tongue. It was both wet and warm.
They knew they've done it many times and it keeps on getting better.
Alice felt good to Jack. She's the only woman on earth for him, the only person who can breathe fire into him when he's cold.
Their clothes were a hindrance and he solved it in under a minute. He pulled her shirt over her head and he lifted her right off her feet, carrying her toward the bed, with her legs in between his hips. He let her fall with a soft bounce on his bed and groaned a bit.
He said "Gaining weight?"
"Was I that heavy?"
"Eh... I can handle it."
She smiled and replied, "Show me what you got, buff guy."
They both laughed. She wore off her underwear and he did the same. He sank down into the mattress. His hands wrapped around her back and in one gentle pull, their skin touched. In that split second, his touch electrified every nerve in her body. He was touching her legs and she can feel her back arching, knowing where his fingers will soon reach. She couldn't move, like his fingers had short circuited her mind in the best possible way. It's the anticipation of sharing the moment together in a way that is more than words and completely tangible. Their bodies fit together like they were made to fall into one another to feel their natural rhythm. They became one, each utterly drunk in love for the other.
They were naked and their skin was moving together like the finest of silk. Their tongues were entwined with a kiss.
He leaned in to listen to her heartbeat. He can feel her desires through her warm touch and see the beauty of her bare body. The faint smell of cologne left her body as Jack covered her with his lips. Every kiss had a raw intensity; breathing fast as their heart beat faster.
The side of his thighs were pressed against hers. As he thrust inside, all she can see was his face rocking back and forth. He's inside, charging his breathing with every thrust, hearing her moans timed to each. His thrusts got faster and faster and her moans turned to screams that got louder and louder.
They exchanged positions and worked whatever felt best for the other. Jack loved it most when Alice was on top of him and seemed like he couldn't get enough of him as she did the humping. It was intense. His moans sounded so sexy and it was everything Alice wanted to hear. Everything about him simply turned her on.
Jack held both sides of her face and kissed her again. He helped her with the work and thrust her this time.
Alice let out an aggressive moan and spoke, "Oh God!"
It felt so good that it summoned the animal side of Alice at the moment that when Jack was tired and paused, she begged for more. He grabbed her head and pulled it towards him. He went in for her chest and kissed her breasts while he recharged for the next minutes to come.
They were both sweating and panting. When he got enough energy to do it again, he suddenly tossed her upside down and decided to do her from behind this time. It was fresh. It was new. It felt different.
Jack's dominance always prevailed between the two of them. They were caught in the intoxication of the climax and extending a moment they never want to end.
It wasn't like any other nights they had. He took all of her this time, savoring every moment. It was passionate. It was more than lust and sexual attraction. There was pure love.
When they both got exhausted after half an hour of sex, they lay beside each other, breathless.
Alice said "Our neighbors will kill us tomorrow."
"Yup. Pretty much."
Then they both chuckled. Jack paused after and held Alice's hand. He said "I really am... truly in love with you, Alice."
"And I am deeply... madly into you."
They giggled. Jack sat up and grabbed his bed sheet. He covered both of them with it and hugged Alice as they remain naked underneath the sheets. They were too worn out to get dressed.
Alice hugged him back and smiled. Feeling secure in each other's arms, they closed their eyes to rest. Within just a few minutes of silence, they both fell asleep.
Within the night, the special agent called the FBI for the meeting, informing them to discuss whatever they have concluded to the chief.
The FBI police said "You know we cannot discuss this to the chief. There is a reason we are not coordinating with the office."
"I'm afraid I didn't know too much information about it. Enlighten me."
"Anyone cannot be trusted for now. We cannot simply give out information."
"Then why should we trust you if you do not coordinate with us?"
"Is he anywhere near? We need you to go to a secluded place to talk."
"Why do I need to do that?"
"Phone calls could easily be tracked. We should do this in person. Just know that once we discovered you're with them, we will put you to jail along with the other suspects for this organized crime."
"Okay. Meet me at---"
"No, I'll give the place. Meet us at the Elevated Acre Park, downtown Manhattan."
"What about the meeting?"
"We'll discuss it at the park."
They met after half an hour at the designated place of meeting. Not many people were around that night so it is just perfect to discuss something private in the corner of the park.
The special agent said "I was thinking about what you said earlier. Them? You mean there are other people involved in this?"
"Yes. Frankly, we suspect the chief."
"Our boss? How?"
"The case has been kept away from the media. If there's nothing strange going on, why do they have to hide it? We understand that there is a witness who testified for the case and if the photographs are published in the media, the complainant may be influenced during the identification parade later at the jail. The masks are just a way to protect the sanctity of the evidence as identification is one of the corroborative evidence. But he has been convicted already and not a single picture of the killer was shown. His identity remained unknown to the masses despite being a threat to the public."
"Maybe they're not sure about the criminal itself so they hid him to the media? I was not yet a part of the team when the killings of the 10 people happened so my idea was very vague. I actually just fought with the chief about this that maybe they caught the wrong guy. Maybe someone else did the murders. But I am not so sure about it... I just raised my opinion... hypothetically."
"Your opinion is somewhat right. We were thinking that they control the media. I think Jack Kinley was an instrument they use that's why they protect his image."
"To kill people?"
"Yes, but for some good reasoning we are yet to find."
"What about the hospital he's been in? Why can't they release his records?"
"He was sent to the hospital within a quite while spending time in prison after an insanity plea. He never confessed to any of his crimes nor defended himself to anything. I say, the hospital also had something to do with it. We would like to think that they cooperated with the police department."
"I don't understand. You're suggesting that there is a connivance going on?"
The FBI police just nodded as a response.
"Shit."
"And can you cancel the meeting? We just received a call from Catskill. There was a dead body found inside a house."
"Catskill? The outskirts?"
"Yes. Tell them we're busy in that case. And remember, never tell them about what we talked about."
"Got it."
"We will find the suspect when we finally traced all the connections."
"Ms. Simone would be a good help."
"Yes. We are in daily contact with Ms. Simone."
"Great."
They part ways right after the meeting and the special agent was seriously bothered as he rode a taxi back to the police office.
He kept on thinking about what happened earlier. He just debated with the chief not knowing he was involved.
"What a deceiving man!", he thought.
He was so eager to catch Jack and imprison him again now that their instrument had finally served its purpose. Could they be moving on to their next plan?
The FBI was right. They cannot trust anyone for now. Anyone could be part of the crime and they wouldn't even have an idea. Anybody could be putting on an act making the people believe what should be believed.
Since he had almost the same idea with the FBI, he's sticking through their ideas and suspicions. They were undeniably on the same page. All he could do now was to help the FBI assure their suspicions to the chief while they slowly crack whatever is going on.
Nonetheless, he was rooting for them to solve the case.
He came back to the office and announced that the meeting was cancelled. He was now watchful of the chief's actions. He noticed that the chief got really angry and very persuasive to know about the FBI findings.
"What do you mean it's cancelled? Why aren't they coordinating with us? We have the right to know! I... have the right to know!", the chief shouted.
But he knew better this time, he cannot just give it away. He tried to divert the topic to other cases, like the recent one from Catskill.
"They were busy with the new case in Catskill. Maybe it was related to Kinley. I am sure they will catch him soon."
He was avoiding the trap the chief could put him in. He didn't like them sensing he knows something so he smartly played the act that he was clueless about whatever the FBI found.
The chief looked frustrated about the cancellation of the meeting. He, having the idea, knew that something was up. Maybe the FBI was right... the chief was involved.
The long night rolled away as the sun prepares to set in. Alice woke up at 5 AM and saw that Jack wasn't in his bed with her again. She heard the sound of the shower from the bathroom so she thought he might be going somewhere so he took a bath early.
She closed her eyes, waited for him to go back to his room, and tried to sleep it off again.
She waited for half an hour and he's still not coming in the room. She began to worry. The shower isn't stopping since lately and he hasn't come out yet.
There's not even a sound from any of his movements inside the bathroom. Just water continuously falling through the shower head.
She dressed up and went out of his bedroom to check him in the bathroom. But first, she looked around the living room just to see if he's anywhere inside his apartment.
She thought it might be a diversion for her to check the bathroom first while the killer attacks her from behind.
No one's around and the living room was tidy and quiet. The windows and his door were locked.
She now knew they're safe. It isn't abnormal for someone who lived in constant terror of being killed to make sure no one's around to strike.
She walked towards the bathroom and saw the door slightly opened so she said "Jorge, are you okay?"
He didn't respond so she opened the door and saw him sitting on the floor, naked and trembling as the water ongoingly ran down on him.
He was pale and his hands and feet were pruny. It looked like he was there for more than an hour. She panicked so she turned the shower off immediately and ran to his room to get a towel. He wasn't speaking. It was like his mind was awake and his body was asleep.
As soon as she got a towel, she wrapped his whole body with it. She said under her breath, "Oh my God... What happened? Oh God... Oh God."
She hugged him to transfer her body heat. He was almost frozen like ice and his lips were almost white.
She asked, "Jorge! What happened? Why are you here?"
He wasn't responding and his body won't stop shaking. She assisted him to go to his bedroom so she could turn on the heater and let his body warm up a little bit.
She was very distraught while she's rubbing dry towels in his body to dry him and lose the cold in his body. She didn't know how to handle his situation. She couldn't read his intentions for his actions. But because it happened yesterday, she thought it had something to do with his trauma.
She instantly had an idea of why he badly wanted to take a shower but not that long of a shower. He was disgusted in himself.
She hugged him tightly again and said "I'm so sorry it had to happen to you."
"He violated my whole being." ,he cried.
She kept quiet to create a safe atmosphere. She didn't talk back to let him open up more, and he did.
"He did it to me until I was 12. He stole my childhood."
Alice was shocked to hear it from his own mouth. She realized perhaps that is what heightened his sexual desires. She finally responded but angrily this time, "Was he in jail now? 'Cause if not, I will report him to the police!"
"There's no use. He's already buried 6 feet under."
"Oh thank God, he's dead!" She sighed in relief.
Jack hugged her and he was sobbing like a kid again. She thought it was one of his personalities with him at the moment. She said "What should I do? What can we do? Tell me how to help you."
"I just want to go home."
She paused and discerned that this place is not helping him at all so she agreed to bring him back to his home. She dressed him up like a young boy and held him close with her as they went down to get to her car. She brought the blanket and covered him with it as soon as they sat down inside.
He spoke, "What about your things?"
"Don't mind me. You are my priority today."
He looked at her with his weak and somber demeanor. She caught his glance and she couldn't help but to feel sad about what she saw.
The powerful man she once knew seemed gone. He looked helpless and in a such a poor physical state. She remembered the last time they were driving towards his house in New Hampshire. He was energetic back then but now, it's like something sucked all of the happiness inside him and dried him out empty.
She thought it would be over after their wonderful time last night but every after a cherishable moment, it just kept getting worse. She felt glad though that at least for a fleeting amount of time, she was his and he was hers. But she could not be so sure that the moments would stay permanent like the way it is, so the least she could do was value every second with him.
She said "It will get better."
He repeated her words and slouched in his seat, "It will get better." He closed his eyes and like magic, he fell asleep quickly.
It was a long drive and Jack was sleeping the whole time. Alice didn't mind. He was mentally and physically exhausted. He deserved it.
After two hours of tiresome driving, she pulled over to a grocery store in Worcester. She woke him up with a kiss on the cheek. She said "Wake up, Jorge. Let's buy groceries so we can eat altogether in your home."
He opened his eyes, sat properly and looked around. He said "Where are we?"
It was Jorge once again. He's back to his normal self.
"Worcester."
"Groceries? What's the occasion?"
She cheerfully answered, "I will make you and them happy!"
"You know there's no need to do that, right?"
"Come on, Lucas is going to love this. Let's go?" She wore her seatbelt off and she was waiting for him to do the same.
Jack stared at her for a minute then finally wore his seatbelt off. He said "I don't see the need for grocery shopping but you look excited and I don't want to rain on your parade so..."
Alice laughed and kissed him on the lips. She said "That's my man!"
They went out of the car and proceed inside the grocery store to buy ingredients. Although without aim of what they need to buy, they managed to get the items necessary to whatever they feel like cooking. It is a given, Jack bought pasta together with the sauce and spices.
Alice grabbed a whole chicken to roast.
Jack said "I've never celebrated Thanksgiving in my entire life and I'm starting to hate it....... The worst part is, it wasn't for Thanksgiving at all!"
She chuckled as she saw his upset face. She teased him more, "Oh come on! This was the best part!" She can tell that she really wasn't into shopping.
"Yeah yeah." ,he said, agreeing to disagree.
She laughed and wrapped her arms around his arm as they walked along the aisles to grab items to add to their cart.
When they were at the cashier, Alice took her wallet out and brought out some cash to pay for everything.
Jack saw what she's about to do so he said "No, no. Here." He took his credit card from his wallet and swiped it to the credit card swiper.
The lady started bagging their items to a shopping bag. Jack's eyes were wandering around the grocery store. It was his first time visiting such a place after a long time.
Alice noticed that the lady kept on glancing at Jack. She looked at Jack and he wasn't paying attention at all. If she was too paranoid at the moment, she would think that the lady had an affair with Jack and he was trying to play it cool. But then she thought maybe she just admired him as a good looking stranger. She couldn't deny that even at his worst state, he still looked attractive.
His charm was a magnetic force, pulling every girl he came across.
After the bags were ready to pick up, she put them on the cart and held his hand immediately. It was Alice's way of marking her territory.
Jack was surprised by that but chose not to say anything. They walked away and went to the parking lot to load the back of her car with the bags filled with groceries.
She said "See? That's it. Now let's go home to cook these."
They got back in position and Alice carried on driving. Jack pulled the blanket up and covered his body with it. He was just looking at the view from the window on his side. Watching the surroundings pass through his sight. He was quiet.
She asked, "Are you feeling well?"
"Cold."
She turned off the AC and said "Is that better?" in a very soft spoken tone.
He nodded and leaned his head on the window. He closed his eyes and within several minutes, he dozed off.
Alice noticed that her car was running low on gas so she stopped at an empty gasoline station to fill her car. She turned off her engine, stepped outside and grabbed the fuel dispenser. She locked the doors to secure her sleeping boyfriend inside.
While she was filling her car, her phone rang from her pocket. She waited for her tank to be filled before she could check her phone.
When she was done, she answered her phone while going to the store beside the station to pay for it in cash. It was the FBI.
They had a chat for 20 minutes as she kept an eye on her car outside. She watched him sleep peacefully sleeping and oblivious of what's going on around him. She had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach so she hurried her way to her car to reach his home.
She did not talk for the last few hours of driving. Jack was sleeping so it was a completely silent ride.
They reached his house and her car was restricted to enter so she parked it outside and woke him up again.
She touched his shoulder frigidly and said "Jorge, wake up. We have to put the groceries inside."
He squinted then rubbed his eyes. He twisted his torso and before he even said a word, Alice went out of the car and closed the door. She opened the back door of her car to get as much shopping bags she could carry on her way in.
Jack went out of her car and noticed her behavior. He politely asked, "Did something happen?"
She did not respond and just rang the doorbell beside the gate. Jack went closer and said "Hey."
Alice said "Nothing. I'm just tired."
Lucas went out of the entrance door, screaming as he saw Jack once again. He was so overjoyed to see him back in the house. He opened the door to rush and give Jack a hug.
Jack replied, "Hey buddy!" He knelt down to welcome his small embrace.
Lucas pulled him to go inside and said "Jorge! I need to show you something. The TV show is about pimping cars! Come on!"
"Really? You were looking for a reference on your future car now huh?" ,he teased while staring at his adorable young face.
"I was about to show you what you should buy for me."
Jack laughed.
Lucas smiled widely and pulled him again.
It was the first time Alice ever heard him speak. She wanted to watch them bond much longer but she had to carry on to put the bags in the kitchen.
She went inside his house first and left Jack and Lucas on the patio.
Alice shouted from the inside, "Jorge, the other shopping bags are still inside the car. Can you get them for me?"
Jack replied, "Sure!"
He stood up and looked at Lucas. He said "Stay here. I'll get something from the car."
"Okay! Hurry up!" He jumped excitedly in his position.
Jack went out and opened the back of Alice's car to get the remaining groceries. He saw blue and red lights from the reflection of Alice's car rear view mirror.
(police sirens wailing)
The cars rushed and stopped behind him. He turned around with shock in his face. His heart stopped as he saw two police cars in front of him.
"NYPD! Freeze!" ,the policeman ordered as he stepped out of his car with a gun in his hand pointing at Jack. "Put your hands in the air!"
He slowly raised his hands in the air. He was speechless.
"You are under arrest on suspicion of murder. You have the right to remain silent. If you do say anything, what you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult a lawyer and have that lawyer present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you if you so desire."
"What's going on? I didn't do anything."
One policeman came closer to him and said "Mr. Kione, your father was found dead in their house."
He acted as if he was ignorant about the whole thing. He said in his defense, "I don't know anything about what you're talking about."
"We found out that the address was given to you by the guard of your company. Then within a few days, he's found dead. Coincidence? I don't think so."
He was frowning while he was listening and he remembered that the guard knew about it so he must've told them when the news surfaced around the city.
He replied "I didn't do it."
"We command you to explain everything in the office." The policeman put him on a handcuff.
To his surprise, Joe came out of one of the police cars.
Jack said, "What is this? What's going on?"
Joe waved his hand and said "Hello sir Jorge, I guess I should bid you goodbye in the office from this day forward."
Jack was confused. Was he in contact with them all this time? He had no idea but he was insulted after hearing what he said. He got furious so he immediately attempted to attack him but the police tackled him and held him down to the hood of their car so he could not fight back.
He shouted, "How could you do this to me?!"
Lucas saw the furor outside so he shouted, "Jorge!" He ran straight to him and the police pointed their guns at him to their defense. They wouldn't know if the kid has a weapon with him so they had to make sure. Lucas got scared so he stopped running.
Jack saw the terrified look on his face so he made a huge effort to be freed from hold as he saw them pointing their guns at Lucas. He pleaded, "Don't hurt him. Please."
Lucas said "What are they doing to you, Jorge?"
"Lucas, go back inside."
"The cars! I wanted to show you the cars!"
"When I come back, I want you to tell me everything you saw and let's go buy the car that you want."
Lucas cried as he saw him struggling in his position and being held down by the police. "When will you be back?"
Jack was panting. He did not answer his question. He knew he might not see him again when he got found out for everything he did.
He just stared at Lucas' face like it will be the last time he'll see him and just smiled.
Lucas was too young to understand what's going on so he cried loudly. He was panicking.
Jack talked to the police, "Sir, please let him inside. He has autism. This kind of scene will be disturbing for him. Keep him away."
The other police officers granted his request and forced Lucas to go inside. Lucas was whimpering so loud that it caught the attention of Aunt Maria and the other people from the mansion. They went out and saw Lucas being dragged by the police as he shouts, "Jorge! Promise me you'll be back! You promised to buy me a car! You promised!"
Jack was closing his eyes during the moment when the police was dragging Lucas. He didn't want to watch the painful scene. He thought Lucas might have felt so betrayed and confused. The moment he's gone, Lucas might get back to his old self. He's the only person Lucas talks to so Lucas might never talk again from now on. It crushed his heart to see the kid he ever loved so dearly being taken away, not just from his sight but from his life now.
When Lucas was finally inside, Aunt Maria who just stepped outside together with Uncle John and Jaime, worriedly asked, "What is happening here?"
She saw police cars and Jack being held down on the car. They had no idea.
Alice came out from behind her and calmly walked her way to Jack.
Jack was looking at her. He had never felt so ashamed of himself now that she's staring right at his eyes. Her eyes were full of anger. Something about her face at the moment, he couldn't quite depict. There was a disgust in her expression... the loathing, anger and pain.
The officers let him stand up now and she stopped right in front of him.
The feeling was odd when they were standing face to face with each other. He said "I'm sor--"
"Thank you, officer." ,she cut his sentence.
"Wha-what? I don't understand." He faked a smile while he scoffs. He was extremely bewildered of what's going on. "You're with Joe in this?"
"So long, Jack."
His eyes widened when he heard her call him Jack. She knew it. Joe laughed and said "He thought he could keep his stupid facade for too long."
Jack teared up as he faced the fate of defeat. He looked at Alice and said "I trusted you, Alice. I trusted you!"
His heart was crushed into bits, remembering everything that happened between them and realizing that Alice knew it all along. He felt betrayed but burdened not to feel that way because he was at fault.
She didn't say anything. Joe said "Maybe it's better that we keep him locked inside the car now?"
He glared at Joe. The police pulled him to get into the car.
He was fighting and kicking. He wanted to get back at Joe and punch him but he's unable to because of his handcuffs and the men pushing him from behind and some pulling him to get inside the car. He intensely fought with his whole body that his shoe already came off from his foot.
One officer saw it so he picked it up and tossed it inside with Jack and quickly locked the doors. Joe followed them until they got him inside the car.
The officers walked away from the car to search around his house. Some officers were left talking to Alice outside.
Joe was left beside the car Jack was in. He was just watching him. He liked to see him finally taken down. He liked to see the colors of victory as he watched him grappling.
Jack tried to pick his shoe through his feet and he accidentally flipped it upside down.
He stopped at what he saw.
It was a pin stuck in the heel of his shoe. The memory of him inside Joe's house flashed back to him. He stepped on something that made his shoe scratch the floor. It was not a pebble. It was a pin. The pin coming from the fallen photo of Alice on the floor. It was the evidence he needed but it was too late.
Every thought came to his mind. He knew it was real. His suspicions were true. Joe knew something about his life history. He knew his passcode and had his medical records. He probably set everything up. He might also be the one to blame for the wrong medicines he took that his alter ego was suggesting him to figure out. He connected his research about him to what he saw from the picture frames inside his house. "Could it be that the man in the photo was him and he was disguising all along?", he thought. He changed his name that's why he couldn't find him in the school he graduated from. He felt weak after all the realizations came to him all at once.
He looked outside the window and Joe was staring at him, waiting for his response.
Jack screamed, "You son of a bitch!"
He was banging his body to the door and hitting the window through his shoulder. He had gone ballistic inside the car.
Joe gave him a menacing look, wearing a wicked smile growing wider and wider as if he knew that Jack finally figured it out. He felt so proud of himself, especially with the fact that no matter how loud he screamed, no one can hear him.