Jack (8 page)

14

Jack rode with Law and Lamb as they drove to Viki’s apartment.  He’d left her sleeping in his bed with an alarm set to wake her in time to go get Bobby at school.

She had looked so peaceful lying on his pillow.  He was one lucky bastard.

It hadn’t taken very long to gather up the few items of worth in her place. 

Law and Lambhead both shook their heads at the place, but they understood too.  They’d all had their share of hard times.

“This shit is worthless.”  Law spat as he picked up a little shirt that was coming apart at the seams.  “That kid needs some fucking clothes.”

“Yeah, I know.  I left her some money.  Hers are in worse shape than his.  Fucking shame.”  Jack spat.

“How did we fucking miss this?”  Lamb slammed the refrigerator door.  “They were starving!  How did we not see this shit right under our noses?”

“You were too busy trying to get her to fuck you to worry about what she did in her free time.”  Law pointed out helpfully.

Lamb hung his head.  “I can’t believe I was such an animal.  She was desperate and we just used her like she was worthless.  I don’t even want to go into what Fish did to her.  He fucking knew and he used it against her!”

“Yeah he did, but he fucked over the club and we all know what that gets him.”  Law said with a wicked grin.

“Damn, you’re one sick, twisted son of a bitch Law.”  Jack laughed.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Yeah, you would.  Let’s get the hell out of here.”  Jack said as he held all Viki owned in the world in just a couple of boxes.

Lamb plopped down on the couch to tie his boot and gagged.

“Somebody had a baby on this couch.  That’s sick.”

Law and Jack looked at each other.  “How the fuck would you know what that smelled like?”

Lamb grinned up at Jack.  “There is much you do not know about me young padawan.”

“Oh hell.  Get in the truck you dumbass.”

They drove to a local discount store and bought some gear for their fishing trip.  It was time for Bobby to be getting out of school and Jack knew he would be one excited little boy and he wanted to be home before that excitement turned to disappointment.

Law insisted on buying the kid a fishing pole with some superhero on it and one for Nikki and Viki that were pink with purple flowers.

“Girls love that shit.”  He’s said in true Lawless fashion.

To tell the truth Jack hated that he hadn’t thought of it himself. 

Lamb insisted on getting a lifejacket for Bobby and again Jack wanted to kick himself.

“You really do suck at this you know that right Pretty Boy?”

Law said and not for the first time Jack wanted to punch him.  He leaned over and whispered though and Jack had to give him credit for actually being a thoughtful human being.

“How about you buy the kid a tackle box full of bobbers and plastic worms and shit?  He will think you are the greatest thing since sliced bread.”

Jack offered his brother a grateful sigh and grabbed a kid sized tackle box and everything a kid needed to fill it.

It had taken them twice as long to shop as it had to clear out Viki’s whole apartment.

“Fuck.” Jack said.  “I forgot to check on the neighbor.  Viki made me promise to check on the old lady next door and take her some food or something if I could.  Apparently the old woman is on a strict budget, but she shared food with Viki and Bobby.  Need to drop by and make sure she’d alright and knows how to get ahold of Viki and shit.”

“Yeah sure, why not, I think I still have a few bucks in my wallet.”  Law shrugged as he made his way toward the food side of the store.

They loaded up on a few things for Mary, Viki’s neighbor and headed back to the ratty old apartment building.

Each man grabbed a few bags so they wouldn’t have to make two trips and knocked on Mary’s door.

She opened it and Jack frowned.

“Are you Mary?”

“Yes.  Who are you and what do you want?”  She spat viciously which was not the welcome he had expected.

“I’m a friend of Viki’s.  She asked me to bring a few things over and give you a number where she can be reached.  She’s living with me, her and Bobby…”

The old woman sagged against the door as tears sprang to her dark eyes.

“Are they safe?  Are you sure they’re safe?”  Her voice quivered.  “Those men….”

Jack saw the blood in her white hair them and he felt his heart race.

Lamb yelled out a curse and caused Jack to look toward Viki’s door, it had been kicked in.

“How long ago did they leave and what did you tell them?”

“I said I didn’t know where she was, that she hadn’t been home since Sunday.  I said I thought she had moved on.”

“Thank you Mary.  I’m leaving Lambhead here with you to make sure they don’t come back.  He’s a good man.  Brought you some groceries too.  You stay inside until we get back to you.”

Mary nodded and backed into her little apartment.  Lambhead wanted to argue, Jack could tell, but he knew he had to do what he was told until he earned his brother patch.

Law and Jack jumped into the truck and sped out of the parking lot.  Law grabbed his phone and dialed the clubhouse, but Jack planned to beat anyone there.  He wouldn’t leave the safety of his family to another man.

15

Viki laughed as she listened to Bobby ramble on about fishing and how many fish he was going to catch.  She had awoken to the deliciously satisfied feeling of a well-loved woman and she hadn’t been able to wipe the smile off her face since.  She had talked to Nikki, Law’s old lady and had found that she liked her very much.  Together they had figured out what to take on a picnic that would feed men who ate as much as elephants.  Nikki was bringing a pasta salad and brownies along with a jug of sweet tea and Viki had decided to fry chicken, a bunch of fruit, and baked beans.  It wasn’t fancy fare, but it was good and it would be filling. 

She had just packed everything in a big cooler she had found in the back of the pantry when she heard the back door slam.

Her smile lit her face as she turned expecting Jack, but instead found Fish leering at her.

“Hello mousey mouse.  I came to collect a debt.”

Viki’s stomach rolled and she had to fight not to throw up.

“Not a bad place you got here, better than that shitty apartment, that’s for sure.  Jack won’t mind if I take a little pussy, brothers share their mouses.”

“I’m nobody’s mouse.”  She remembered what Law had said.  She had to demand respect if she expected to get any.  “I’m Jack’s old lady so I suggest you get the fuck out of our house.”

“Like hell I will.  When they find out what you did they will cut your fucking throat you stupid shank.”

“I didn’t do anything and if you think anyone will believe a prospect over Jack’s old lady then you better think again.  This is over Fish, so you better just swim away.”

Damn that felt so good, until his fist met her cheekbone.

She went down hard on the kitchen floor and hard her own head bounce off the cold tiles.  It felt like she was floating.  She knew what was happening, but she couldn’t make herself react to it. 

Not until she heard Bobby scream.

The fear in his voice cause adrenaline to course through Viki until she was able to open her eyes.

Horror tore a scream from her throat when she saw Jerry dragging Bobby from his chair.  Bobby fought as hard as he could, but Jerry was a big man.  He reared back and slapped Bobby across the face as he spit curses at the boy.

“You worthless little piece of shit.  I was aiming for you and your stupid mama stepped in the way to save you.  Everything was great before you were born.”

He shook Bobby like a rag doll until he went limp.

Viki tried to fight her way to her feet, but Fish was still on her.  He had a crazed look in his eye as he tried to find something to tie her up with.

“I’m going to leave your clothes in pieces right here and take you with me.  Then that fucker will know who you belong to, not him, you belong to me!?”

Viki fought as hard as she could, but not for herself.  She had to get away from Fish and get to Bobby.

She reached above her head and pulled out one of the drawers.  She didn’t know what was inside, but she jerked with all her might and hit Fish with the drawer.  He cursed and grabbed his head which gave Viki enough time to wiggle out from under him and chase after Jerry.  She caught him in the yard and grabbed his sleeve.

“Let him go you dirty bastard.  Give him back to me.”

Jerry just batted her away like a fly.  Viki fell to the hard concrete sidewalk that led to the porch.  She felt the sting of it on her palms and her knees, but she lunged back into Jerry.

Jack would be home soon.  She just had to give him time to get to her.

She wrapped her arms and legs around Jerry and tore at his face with her nails.  He dropped Bobby in the grass and used both hands to fling Viki away.  She hit the ground hard again, but popped right back up to fight some more.

Jerry screamed in outrage when Viki found a clear shot to his balls and hit him with all her strength.

“Don’t kill her Jerry, I want to keep her.”  Fish said as he grabbed her from behind. 

Why hadn’t she cut his throat in the kitchen?  She’d only thought of getting to Bobby.

She struggled in his grip and he dropped her to the rough concrete walk.  He cursed as he tripped over her legs and fell on top of her.  Viki cried out when she felt her cheek grind against the walk.

“Stupid bitch.  Who the fuck will want you all scarred up?  Have to fuck you from behind until that heals up, nasty.”  Fish said as he scanned the damage done to her cheek.

Viki’s mind raced.  She had heard the statistics on kidnapped women.  Never go to another location.  That’s what they always said.  She had to fight until Jack got to her.  He would, she just knew it.

She kicked out at Fish and caught him in the stomach with all of her strength and tried to stand and get to Bobby.  Fish grabbed her ankle before she had taken more than two steps and she went down again.

Viki opened her mouth and started screaming.  The rough concrete cut into her face as she struggled to get away.  Jerry laughed as he watched Fish struggle with her to contain her.

“Damn, you’re having a lot of trouble with such a little woman.  Looks like she may be more than you can handle, better just cut her throat and be done with it.  You better shut her the fuck up too before somebody hears and calls a cop.”

“Shut up Viki!”  Fish yelled, but she just screamed louder.

He took a handful of her hair and slammed her head against the sidewalk.  Her vision dimmed, but she found the strength to keep screaming.  She thought she heard a truck and maybe Jack’s enraged voice, but she couldn’t be sure.  Fish slammed her head against the concrete again and everything went black.

16

Jack felt panic rising in his belly as he drove toward home.  It had taken Law a few minutes to reach anybody and Jack was almost to the house before help even headed their way.  He neared the turn to the house and heard a scream that made his blood run cold.  That was Viki and she sounded like she was being ripped apart. 

They skidded to a stop behind a big black van and both Law and Jack bolted toward the house.  A tall man wearing a three piece suit held Bobby around the waist like a sack of potatoes and headed for the van while Fish held Viki on the ground.  She let out one more scream that made the hairs stand up all over Jack’s body just before Fish slammed her head against the unforgiving sidewalk and silenced her.

“You son of a bitch!”  Jack lunged at Fish.  They fell against the stone steps that let up to the porch and Jack heard a sickening crunch when Fish’s head hit one step.

That didn’t stop Jack from pummeling his face until he couldn’t get his breath.

Viki let out a low moan bringing Jack back to his senses.  He rushed to her as the roar of motorcycles filled his ears.  Jack looked up to find Law holding Bobby cradled against his chest while he checked him over.  He nodded to Jack letting him know he was alright as far as Law knew.

Ink fell to his knees beside Viki and started asking questions.  Somebody yelled for an ambulance, but all Jack could do was hold Viki’s bloody head in his hands.

How could this be happening?

It seemed like forever before the ambulance screeched to a halt in the yard.  Jack was ushered into the back with Viki and he tried to listen as the paramedics talked, but the smell of her blood was too strong.  He grabbed a big plastic bag and wretched up everything he’d eaten that day.

How could this be happening?

He’d promised to protect her and he’d failed.

Jack didn’t remember much about the next few hours.  He found himself in a room with terribly uncomfortable chairs.  He sat with he is head leaned against the wall and somehow dozed off.

He dreamed he was back in that apartment he had once called home.  His mother had been laughing with one of her men.  Jack had hid from them.  He always tried to, but his mom knew his hiding places and always found him.

This time she pulled him into the shabby living room.  There were razor blades on the glass topped table and some kind of white powder.

His mom always laughed too much after sucking the white power up her nose and she always wanted to show him off, ‘her pretty little boy’ she’d call him.

Today had been different thought, this time mom wasn’t snorting the powder.  She had a needle and had poked it in her arm.  Then she had gotten on her knees and put that man’s dick in her mouth.  She’d seemed to enjoy it, but Jack didn’t see how anyone would like that.  He’d felt his own dick jump and it had scared him, but mom had seen him while she slurped the man’s dick and she had grinned at him around her mouthful and motioned for him to come closer.  Jack had shook his head because he didn’t want to be around any of those men, but mom wouldn’t be argued with.  He’d stepped closer and she had taken his hand and guided it to the man’s balls.

Jack had felt dirty touching the man, but mom wouldn’t let him take his hand away.  He’d be so afraid that he’d just closed his eyes and let her do what she wanted with his hand until her felt a big rough hand on his bottom.

“None of that now.”  He’d heard his mom say.  “He’s not ready yet and I’ll not have him spoiled.  My pretty little boy is worth a fortune.”

Mom had reached down and touched him them.  Jack had felt tears on his face as she tugged down his shorts and touched him the way she had touched the other man.

“Such a pretty boy you are Jackie.  You are growing up to be such a good boy too.”

Jack’s dream changed and he was now in a brightly lit room.  It was only a few weeks after the day his mom had touched him, but everything had changed. 

He stood alone on a raised platform. The lights blocked out everything but the little space around him.  His mom told him to stand on the x and do as he was told and nobody would touch him.  She said if he wasn’t a good boy that those men would hurt her and it was his job to make sure nobody hurt his mom.  She depended on him to protect her. 

He did move or fight or even protest and when she told him to take off all of his clothes he did that too.  It wasn’t until after that he saw that the stage had been surrounded by men and they had all been staring at him.  He’d been taken to a room where there were other boys about his age.  Some were crying, but some looked like they were zombies.  Only one spoke to him.  His name had been Adam.  He had been small and afraid, but he’d explained that they were all being sold to those men and that they would be used in any way the men wanted.

“Oh no we won’t.”  Jack had vowed.  “We will fight them off and they won’t touch us.”

“You can’t do that or they will hurt you.”  Adam had said.

“I’ll protect you Adam.  I’m big enough.”  Jack had made that promise and he’d meant to keep it, but nothing worked out the way he’d planned.

He’d woken the two days later to the sound of Adam screaming. They had taken him to the end of the room where there were big iron bars and on the other side was a big bench looking thing covered in what looked like plastic.  Adam was bent over the bench while a huge man rutted into him.  Adam screamed and cried as blood ran down his thin legs, but the man wouldn’t stop.

“That’s just the sample.  Just a little runt.  You can see that we have several other boys who would not be so…noisy.”  A voice said from the shadows.

“I like it when they scream.”  The man grunted as Adam’s screams grew quieter and he lost the life in his eyes.  He still lived, but he’d become one of the zombie boys now.

Jack had gone into a rage.  He’d fought everyone who’d come too close until his mother came into the room.  She’d gripped his throat and slapped his face until he’d tasted blood in his mouth. 

In that moment he hated her.  It was all her fault.  He lunged at her causing her to fall against the iron bars.  He pounded her head against the unforgiving bars until blood covered his hands and she lay still.

It was all her fault.  She had planned it all and she had planned on selling him too.  She had planned on making him a zombie boy like the others.  He snarled and screamed at anyone who dared come near him.  He rubbed blood all over his skin so anyone who saw him would know what he could do and would if he ever got the chance.

A few days later he stood on the stage again, but refused to do anything and no one would come near him.  He’d still been covered in his mother’s blood and looked like some sort of demon.  They had sprayed him with a hose, but the blood was caked on his skin too thick.  It had only made pink puddles around his feet.

Ziggy had been an undercover cop investigating the child trafficking ring.  He’d brought down a few of his fellow officers during his time there and he couldn’t’ afford to blow his cover, but he could afford to buy one very screwed up kid. 

It had taken every dime Ziggy had saved over the last ten years, but he’d always vowed that it had been worth it.

Ziggy had saved Jack….

Jack woke with a start when someone kicked his boot.

“Cut that shit out man, you’re fucking scary.”  Law said dryly. 

Jack knew he was a noisy sleeper and he usually didn’t do it in public, but he was exhausted.

“They are getting your girl ready for a room.  Nikki got you some clothes and shit so as soon as you get a chance you need to shower and change.  You look gruesome.”

Jack looked at his hands.  They were covered in blood.  The blood of another person he’d let down.

“I can’t do this Law.”

“Don’t be a pussy man.  This ain’t about you.  Last time I checked you hadn’t had your brains scrambled by a maniac fish man.  Kid said she fought like crazy too.  If a little thing like her can fight then I think a big guy like you can at least be there, looking less like an axe murderer, when she wakes up.”

Law was right.  Jack let his eyes roam the room and found everyone was there.  Of course they were, that’s what brothers did.

He forced himself to his feet and stumbled to the bathroom.  Shadow stood by the door with his eyes on his wife.

“You have to believe she’ll be ok Jack.  Make whatever deals with the devil you need to or pray or whatever, but you can’t give up on her or you don’t deserve her.”

Jack had heard about Shadow and what he’d gone through to get Lacey.  He had almost lost his mind and now he offered Jack advice. 

“Thanks man.”

He went into the bathroom and tried to wash away his doubt along with the blood.  Viki needed him, Law was right, this wasn’t about him.