unedited** and slightly all over the place ;))
——
"You want to be beaten don't you mutt. You constantly make me want to hurt you, and then you wonder why your life is a mess."
"If you don't tell anyone what I've done to you, I'll let you leave..."
"Caught up? What life do you have to be caught up in other than being here when you are supposed to be?"
A hand reached out, sliding a yellow envelope across the table. She reached her hands out and opened the envelope, pulling out images.
The first image was dark, she set it down and moved to the next. This one just a bit lighter, as the subject had now been seen as a man with a dark hoodie on.
And a knife in his hand.
Setting that image down, she then went to the last image in her hand. Suddenly her hands began to tremble as the content of the image caused a gasp to escape her lips.
—
"What was in your dream again Eve?" Jessica asked, staring at the trophy on her shelf as she half listened to what Eve had been saying.
"I-In my dream, there were pictures, and the words of a man taunting me." Eve stared at her own feet, gazing at the tattoo inked across her skin.
A branding it now had seemed.
"And what did this man say again-"
"I've already repeated it three times Jessica." Eve interrupted, slightly frustrated with Jessica's absence in their conversation, as her eyes snapped to Eve's and raised an eyebrow.
"But everytime you've told me, it's a different thing happening. One minute it's a familiar voice just talking to you. The next it's the voice of a man guiding you, and finally it's the voice of a man who's taunting you." Jessica tilted her head as she eyed Eve.
"I ask because each time you've told me about your dream, it seems to be different in each spit of your lip." Jessica nearly spit herself as she clenched the arm chair, her nails digging into the leather as Eve saw her fingertips go from pale white, to blood red.
Gulping she blinked and looked down at the ground. "M-My apologies, I didn't mean to yell-"
"Don't worry about it." Jessica said, grabbing her clipboard as she signed her name, and handed her back her medication sheet.
"The pharmacy has your meds, pick them up on the way out and I'll give you a call tomorrow morning to see about that dream." She got up from her seat, as Eve hesitantly followed her to the door, and stepped out.
Just as she had turned around to apologize again, Jessica had slammed the door shut in her face.
Leaving Eve choked up with words as she clenched the purse in her hands, and looked at the sheet signed off by Jessica.
"Yay, more crazy pills." She sighed, as she turned the corner to get to the pharmacy.
——
Jackson watched her make her way home. Her uniformed steps and calculated route seemed so natural to her, that he questioned whether or not this truly was a hidden Ebony.
Then he remembered burying her. Carrying her body into the woods for as far as he could manage, on stumbling legs, making sure to never drop her.
Digging the hole out of the ground, with his bare hands. Eyes blurred with tears, and his throat burning from screaming.
Hours went by of just digging, making sure the hole was the right size. Gently lying her down into it, seeing her face one last time. Before covering her with the earth.
Finally saying goodbye.
"Are you going to go and talk to her?" Markus asked, taking a sip from his can of beer as Jackson shook his head, watching as she safely entered the apartment building and disappeared behind the doors.
"Now's not the right time-"
"Honestly in this day and age for you, there never is a right time kid." Markus interrupted, raising his eyebrow at Jackson as he felt irritated by Markus calling him a kid still.
It was years later yet Markus still acted like he was his father at a time, and one of his close buds at another. Neither could Jackson agree with and woefully title him to be either of them, yet Markus continued to use terms such as 'kid', and 'buddy'.
And his excuse always was 'it comes with the age.'
35. That's all it was compared to Jackson's 27.
A few measly years and Markus felt he could speak to him like a child. It pissed Jackson off.
Jackson got up from the bench and walked away, as Markus knew he pushed a button. "Jackson, bud- bro you know I mean the best when I refer to you like that-"
"Forget it." Jackson said, not wanting to have the conversation as he crossed the street, not even looking for any oncoming cars.
And also slightly hoping that Markus would follow just in case one were to come.
"Jackson I only call you that because you're so close to me, and even after everything with the Darwin's-"
Jackson could feel the hair on his neck stand when he noticed a man looking up from his newspaper, watching the both of them as they crossed the street. With furrowing eyebrows he continued his way and turned a corner, with slight suspicion.
"And Paris isn't doing so well with me, and I honestly think her and Eve should get together and talk sometime-"
"Shh." Jackson tried shushing Markus as he stopped, and waited as he heard footsteps following them into the alleyway.
"Why are you shushing me-" Jackson covered Markus' mouth as he pointed at his ears, and they both heard the scramble of footsteps coming closer.
And the voice was unfamiliar to them both.
Both Markus and Jackson locked eyes then, as Jackson let him go and they both held onto their waists, clutching their pistols.
"Boss I saw him turn a corner, I'm following en route-" The mysterious man turned the corner to come face to gun with Markus and Jackson, and he Immediately hung up the phone, and tried to turn and run.
"No you don't!" Jackson grabbed the man, and threw him against the brick walled building as he held the gun to his head, clicking off the safety as they locked eyes.
"Who's your boss." Jackson asked, not even caring who the man was as the man gulped, as sweat began to accumulate on his forehead.
"My actual work boss, see I work with Stone heat company to provide the best-"
"Keep talking your bullshit and you'll get provided with the best sleep of your life when we put a bullet in you." Markus spoke up, aiming his gun now at the mans head as well, as he gulped, knowing he couldn't lie, nor tell these men the truth.
"Speak up pipsqueak, I'm not too patient with people nowadays." Jackson pushed him harder into the wall, now pressing the cold metal of the barrel of the gun to his forehead, as the man finally broke.
"Okay okay! My boss is Gio I'm working with him to get more information on your return to the city, and your affiliation with Jerry Giles and Goliath Vendretti." He said, knowing that once word got out that he snitched, he'd be dead meat.
"Who the hell is Gio?" Jackson asked, having a sense of whom it could be, but also not wanting to think that they still had any business.
"Danieli." Markus whispered, as Jackson looked back at Markus to see his face twitch with anger. "What does he want with us." Markus asked, as the man gulped again, knowing if he spilled anything more he'd be fed to the lions instead of one clean shot to the head.
"I can't say anymore-"
"You will speak or I won't make your death so easy." Jackson growled, pushing him to the ground as he stood over him with the gun, and the man began to sob.
"I have a family, I'm just providing for them. I-I didn't even want to be involved in their business, it's sick. The children they play around with, and take from their families. The girls they use for their sick pleasure. The woman that runs everything is just as twisted-"
"What woman are you talking about?" Jackson furrowed his eyebrows at the mans words, as the man gulped, knowing that she had the all seeing ears and eyes.
As soon as he spilled this information, there would definitely be no going back.
And the whole shpeel he made up about having a family, definitely wasn't going to work up against Jackson and his friend, if not Danieli and his team.
"She has an accent-"
"Merci." Markus whispered, feeling his gut churn and his mouth instantly dry.
"She's still in operation with Danieli? After all these years?!" Jackson screamed, remembering their last meeting on the train, right before going to save Ebony.
"She's the head, next to Danieli. Both her and him overlook the entire oper-" A bullet pierced the mans skull and blood splashed onto Jackson, as the man dropped dead.
Jackson's gun wasn't hot, but Markus' was.
"What the fuck!" Jackson screamed, turning to Markus as his eyes were bloodshot red, and his hand shook.
"This wasn't an accident. He had to die Jackson, he knew he was going to die anyways and that bullshit story about having a family-"
"He was going to give us more information about Danielis plan for us! He had information that could've led me closer to the reason why Eve, may just be Ebony after all." Jackson examined Markus, seeing the emotion in his eyes as he began to put pieces together then.
But he knew the alleyway wasn't the smartest place to talk about things such as Danieli.
And now Merci.
Who knew if there were other men out here stalking them, just to get information on their whereabouts and 'plans'.
——
"Paris kicked you out." Jackson started, sliding Markus his drink as he slowly nodded, and stared at the glass in his hands.
He dryly chuckled, and shook his head with a shrug. "I mean what did I expect. It's my fault for assuming that she was still out of it from years ago, that she'd just let me sneak out in the middle of the night for the rest of our lives together-"
"Who did you cheat on her with." Jackson asked, getting straight to the point as Markus looked at him briefly, and then gulped as he downed his shot, and seethed through his teeth.
"You already know so why must I tell it into the air-"
"Just say her name." Jackson breathed, staring at the woman who stood behind Markus as he sighed, and put his head into his hands.
"It was Merci." He said, lowly, but still loud enough for both Jackson and Paris to hear.
She stared at his back, feeling her chest cave in as she had originally came to forgive him. For she had not known the extent of his cheating, nor whom it was.
Although she had a slight thought of whom, she just couldn't put Markus as being that low to have done such things to her.
"Merci?" Paris asked, her eyes watered now and her hands shaking as Markus quickly turned around, and let out a shaky breath.
"Baby I-"
Paris had turned and ran out of the bar then, on stumbling legs.
Markus immediately followed after her, as Jackson stayed in the bar, worrying about Paris and Markus slightly, but ultimately seeing the bigger picture at hand.
Merci, whom confessed to Jackson years back that Danieli had been an abusive force in her life, now had leadership over an entire corporation that had the Darwin's name, in practical affiliation with them.
She lured Markus in, tearing Paris and his life apart. Using this as a plan, for what and how that involved him, Jackson couldn't put together just yet.
But all that he now knew was that all of this meant one thing, and one thing only.
Eve was still in danger. And Jackson was still the target that could lead to her destruction.
——
Thank you so so so much for being patient, and kind, and sweet all around y'all! I appreciate the love, I appreciate the support, I appreciate all the good energy.
You're all so so so amazing...
With love,
Ellipticall 💓