A couple of days had gone by, ever since my place had been trashed. It took me hours, hell days to get everything back, to almost normal. Now I found myself sitting, at a dimly lit bar, having a smoke and…um…I had lost track of the number of jack and cokes. I couldn’t stop from wondering what Yelina was doing, if she was ok. I needed to know, and every time I tried calling her, I got her answering machine, or her fucking voicemail.

She hadn’t been so happy, after I stuffed her in the trunk, drove her home and carried her screaming ass up the stairs. Fuck, and I thought the kid, was stubborn. I just don’t learn, I should stay the hell away from women, in general.

I just can’t let, the same shit happen again, although my feelings for Yelina aren’t the same, as they were for the kid. There is no way I’m putting her in danger too. I took hold of the glass, and slammed back the last of my drink. Quickly I waved down, the foxy bartender and ordered another one. Just then, a caught a glimpse of a face in the far corner.

Squinting my eyes, I tried to get a better view, but the smoke and the lighting didn’t help me much. I could have sworn it was a woman, and she was looking directly at me. I laughed a bit, thinking the jack’s were getting to me already, the bartender placed my drink in front of me, and I thanked her with my signature smile.

“Compliments of the girl in the back…” she grinned and walked away.

I turned to look in the same direction, my eyes were so focused, on the empty seat, that I didn't see the figure walking toward me. Until, it passed me, like a blur. A hand softly brushed across my back, sending a wave of shivers, through me. I spun around a little too quickly, trying to see her, and lost my balance. I stumbled, as I started walking after her, catching only a glimpse of blonde hair, as she exited the building.

Holding on to anything in sight, I finally made it out the door, just to catch a cloud of dust and what I thought was…no, it couldn’t be. Holy fuck, it was my ‘sheeba’ flashing by, like a fucking bolt of lightning. I started to laugh, running a hand over my face, this was some shit, that’s what I get for drinking. Hallucinations. Suddenly all I wanted was to follow MY car, but I couldn’t even find my damn keys. I dug into my pockets, feeling nothing. Suddenly I felt somebody standing behind me, but when I turned no one was there. “What do you want?” I still slurred, out loud.

“You have something of ours…” I heard a husky voice, I whirled around, but once again, saw nothing. “Haven’t you lost enough…JACK!” He spoke my old name, followed by a mocking laugh.

A hot rush, ran through my whole body and I tried to force my eyes to see. No one called me, by that name anymore. “I don’t know what the fuck…you’re talking about!” I stated, feeling sober by the second.

“We want it back…by Monday at noon. I’ll call you to tell you were…” I finally spotted, the rather tall figure. Is it weird, that you sober up, when shit happens, at least I do.

My brows furrowed and I clenched my fist, into balls. I was pissed, being pushed around, is not my cup of tea…don’t laugh, Yelina taught me that lame ass phrase. “Fuck you and everyone else…I’m not doing shit. I don’t even know what the fuck you’re talking about, plus Jack is dead…”

He was in my face, before I could even react, his dark eyes boring into mine. “You don’t want to fuck with us, Jack. It would be a shame, for people to start getting hurt!”

Then it hit me. Was this the bastard that had, ransacked my fucking house? Anger coursed through my blood, and I was balling my fist so tight, I could feel an aching in my palms. “It was you…” without giving him a chance to move, I let him have my fist in the face. I watched him tumble to the ground, and realized, I wasn’t as sober as I thought, because I came tumbling right down with him.

His hands, went directly for my neck, and I chocked, feeling my air flow stop. My hands were flying everywhere, looking for something to defend myself, but it was just my damn luck, there was nothing in sight. While I struggled, I heard the clinking of my keys, hitting the pavement, my hands felt all over, searching for the damn things. Feeling the key ring, around my finger, I took them in my hand and felt for the longest one, which of course, was used to rev up ‘beauty’. With no hesitation, I drove the key into his left eye, with a loud yell, he instantly let me go and fell back against the wall.

On my hands and feet I scooted backwards, as far from him as I could, colliding with ‘beauty‘s‘ grille. Slowly I fumbled to my feet, watching as he squirmed around like a worm, yelling 'that I would be sorry’ I hopped into the car, and shoved the bloody key, into her ignition, and I sped the fuck out of there. What was I supposed to do now? Someone that knew me, as Jack, was still alive. I was wondering what the fuck, was it, that I supposedly had. I had not a damn clue, but it seemed they wanted it bad.

I sucked on my bloody lip, as I turned onto the familiar street, I had to know that she was ok. Even if she finished, beating me, or kicked me out. I had to know that she was ok. When you’re drunk, you believe you’re driving perfectly fine, but tonight I knew I was swerving in and out of traffic, and I was praying. Yes, I pray! That the cops wouldn’t pull my ass over, that’s all I needed, to explain my DUI , to Jenkins.

My body jolted as my ‘beauty's' tires, climbed on to the curb, but at this moment, I didn’t give a flying fuck. I stumbled out, and walked over to the building, pushing buttons and waiting for her to answer. I saw the main door cracked open, there’s only four apartments, and I don’t think the old people that occupy the place, are out partying at two in the fucking morning. Looking around, I crept in through the crack of the open door, everything was totally quiet, as I made way down the hall.

I could hear my breathing, and the loud thumping of my heart. I felt on myself, and realized I had left my protection, in the car. That was smart. The stairs creaked, with each of my steps, and my heart pounded even faster, the closer I got to the top floor. Then my heart sank, when I saw the open door, and I sprang up the last two stairs and down the hall. “Yelina!” I shouted, forgetting the old people.

Most of her things were intact, except for a couple of broken vases and frames. I could tell there had been a scuffle, all those crime scenes I had seen, were playing with my imagination. Every single type of death, was flashing through my mind. Would I find her on the bed? The floor? In the tub? “Yelina” I swallowed the lump in my throat, and ran my tongue over my dry lips.

I heard sniffling, as I looked around the room, and then I spotted her, in the far corner. Curled up into a ball, her knees against her chest, arms around her legs and her face buried in her legs. Slowly I walked over to her, and cautiously extended a hand to touch her. When she felt my fingers graze her skin, she jumped and let out a scream and swung her arms, in defense.

“Yelina…it’s me…baby it’s me!” I took a wrist and then the other in my hands, as she took in a deep breath and began to sob, giving into my strength. I knelt down, to her level, and ran a hand over her wavy hair “Hey…”

She looked up at me, and I almost fell back, as I saw her face. They had beaten her black and blue, and she was coated in blood. “They said…” she choked on her words, as her body began to tremble. “You have…something…they want it. They said…you should…give in…or next time…” her lips pressed into a frown and she let out another sob. “It will be…worse…”

I couldn’t help myself, I pulled her into my arms, and I swallowed the knot that was lodged up in my throat. I was angry, and saddened that I was allowing, another person that I cared about, get hurt. “It’s ok…” I breathed, caressing her hair “I wont let them hurt you again…I promise.” she held on tight to me, as the crying continued.

This was some serious shit, and I had no fucking clue, as to how I was part of it. I was trying to start a new life, a clean life and I was being fucked around with, once again. I wasn’t sure what the hell to do? As Jack, I would go on a fucking killing rampage. Then again who was I trying to kill?

As my new self, I was going to ignore this, and hopefully it was going to go away. Right? I didn’t know what they wanted, and most likely I didn’t have it. Someone from my past, was just playing stupid games with my mind. With my girl, and my new life. Shit…what if they were serious…

My thoughts were broken by the sound of my phone, announcing an unknown call. Instinct kicked in and I fumbled to answer the damn thing. “Mclean” I stated, shakily.

The familiar mocking laugh, flowed through the line “I told you not to fuck with us…she’s right…next time it will be worse…” my grip tightened on the phone, as I realized, that this was fucking serious.