20 The Good

Jessica-

I sat down hard on the sidewalk. It was cold, and hard, but my legs couldn't keep me up anymore. They felt like wet noodles. I pulled my shaky knees up into my chest clasping the stack of missing papers in between.

"MISSING! Jack Walker. Black hair, six feet tall, with one blue eyes, and one brown eye. Vehicle is a red, ninety-three, Cobra Mustang."

The paper had a number to call with information, and a picture of both Jack and his car. There was one for Johnny too but no description of his car since it was left at his house. The only thing anyone knew was that he brought the three-oh-two from Tony's shop before leaving. All I had to go one was the phone call between him and me.

His last words kept playing over and over. Like a scratch record.

"Forget I existed"

It was almost like he had stopped existing. He was just gone without a trace. No sign of him for four days. His parents and the law in town were optimistic, but I knew what he was into. I knew the trouble he and Johnny were in.

Every time I thought about it I felt sick. The idea that either of them could be dead somewhere made my stomach do flips. I curled into myself tighter trying to stave off the wave of fear and nausea.

"Forget I existed"

I can't forget. How could I? I can't just pretend you weren't here. You made me who I am Jack. You can't just stop existing

I felt like a child. Small, weak, and helpless. No clues to follow, and no one to go to. I just sat there on the side walk. Cold, and worthless. The papers I had been putting up would do fuck all, and I knew that. Even if I did want to keep putting them up my legs felt like gelatin. I had been walking the streets for hours putting them up, and asking people on the street if they had seen either of them.

Footsteps clacked on the side walk to my right. Slow and easy steps as if the person had nowhere to be. Every two steps were accompanied by the sound of something striking the concrete. My first thought was a cane.

Step, step, clack. Step, step, clack. My world focused in on the steps. Something small to tether me to the real world and get me out of my head for a moment.

Step, step, clack... The feet stopped right next to me. I tensed half out of fear and half out of reflex. My breathing stopped short as dread gripped my stomach for no real reason.

Step, step, clack. Step, step, clack...

They continued past and out of ear shot. I let out the breath I was holding before standing up against the will of my legs.

You're way too high-strung right now

I gazed down at the stack of missing papers. It was useless, and I knew it. He told me he was leaving town which made the papers useless. I rolled them up and put them away in my back pack. My school books had been replaced with bottles of water and more missing papers.

I need some kind of lead to find him. I know he isn't in town.

The three-oh-two crossed my mind. Like a bullet through my head. It was the last thing he did before he disappeared. He went out of his way to put the thing up before leaving, so maybe he left some clue there.

A long shot, but I didn't have any options. I was killing myself worrying and looking for an answer. I set off on my own across town to the North side. I knew how to get to Jack's house, but it was a hell of a walk from town.

By the time I made it the sun was done setting, and all that was left of it was a dying purple glow to the West. No car sat in Jack's drive way so his parents had to still be off putting up papers or whatever. Using my last bit of energy, I jogged up to the shed doors and yanked on them.

The rusty latch on the front caught it, but it didn't have a lock. With it out of the way the doors flew open easily groaning painfully.

The three-oh-two sat under a big brown tarp. I tossed the thing to the ground exposing the three-oh-two in all its glory. Faded paint job and all. I greeted it like an old friend hugging the driver side door. For some stupid reason I felt like I was closer to Jack and Johnny now. Like I was on a trail even if it was days cold by now.

The door was unlocked, and I slipped right into the driver seat. I checked the glove box, the center console, and under the seats. I found the key to the car tucked behind some insurance papers in the glove box. I felt it best to leave it alone. Last, I checked the trunk and came up empty. I slammed it shut swearing under my breath.

Leaning against the car I tried to think of another move.

Where might he go to lay low? I don't know if I even know him well enough to answer that question.

I wracked my brain trying to come up with an answer as headlights from a vehicle scanned over me through the crack in the barn doors. I peeked out surprised to see not Jack's parents, but a black Chevy. A figure came from both sides. The one on the driver side slipped out sporting a cane as well. In the dark light blasted from behind by the truck's headlights I couldn't see who they were.

Clearly, they were both headed for the shed. I felt fear rip through my chest before one called out to me.

"Fear not Jessica! We are friends of Jack and Johnny!"

Given his line of work I felt like that line could have a double meaning. The two-marched right up to the doors and pushed through. The one with the cane wore a black three-piece suit with a red tie. The other wore street clothes. Blue jeans, and a red sweatshirt.

"I am Jack and Johnny's employer."

He stopped on a dime and bowed flicking the cane out. The flamboyant vibes were off the carts. His bright blonde hair stayed perfectly slicked back even during the bow, and his eyes glimmered something similar to charm at me.

"You, my dear, are in danger"

Quickly I shot looks between him and the other guy. Fear rippled through my chest again and seemed to lock my legs where I was.

"Are you going to hurt me?"

It was a stupid question, and I felt stupid the second I said it. Both smiled, and the dark-haired guy rolled his eyes off handedly before turning around. From under the baggy sweatshirt he produced a hand gun. The sight made me gasp and step back only to bump back into the car.

"We have no intentions of hurting you. Quite the opposite. If I fail again Jack will have my head I'm sure."

The dark haired one kept his gun trained on the barn doors ready for action. My heart was beating off the charts, and I couldn't keep air in my lungs long enough to use it. The blonde stepped forward placing a hand slowly on my shoulder.

I recoiled at first, but the mustang kept me from escaping. He shot a few glances around the barn before locking those frighteningly electric green eyes on me.

"Do me a favor and try to find Jack's key for the three-oh-two. Hopefully he left it here in his workshop. If he didn't things could get tricky for us, but I assure you that we will all make it."

"What?! Why? What's going on?"

"Jack has made some people mad, and they want to go after you to get to him. I won't let it happen. Easy enough to understand, yes?"

My eyes were bouncing between the blonde, the dark haired, and the barn doors like a sick game of ping pong. My eyes flew over the door as more headlights flashed across the opening. I heard engines roar and a shrill smashing sound as the new vehicles crashed into the Chevy blondie had showed up in.

"Get to it. If you can't find a key I'll think of something."

The dark-haired guy glanced back at us then out the barn door.

"Adal, we got four I can see. Probably more I can't past the lights."

"Right..."

The blonde let go of me and pulled a gun from his waist as well. He turned his attention to whatever was going on outside those doors. I stood frozen for a moment as time stretched on for an eternity. Without warning the sound of a gunshot shattered the time warp.

It kicked me into action. Fight or flight was turned all the way up, and flight won hands down. I dove for the ground trying to crawl to the passenger side door. Shots varying in loudness and intensity rang out from all angles. I screamed like a bitch the whole time, and I couldn't seem to get myself under control. Being shot at was kind of a new experience.

I scrambled up into the seat and fumbled around in the glove box for the key. A shot shattered the back window of the car, and instinct forced me to duck my head. I bashed my nose good on the dash.

"I have the key!"

I tried to scream over the bullets and through trembling breaths. Blood splattered across my black sweater from my nose as the pain caught up with me.

"Great! Now climb in the back seat! Nate you're driving!"

They both bolted for the car and I threw myself in the back seat. Both men dove into the seats and the dark haired one reached out for the key. I slapped it into his hand and plunged between the seats trying to be a smaller target.

The car came alive and suddenly slammed into reverse. I heard us smash the wooden barn doors, and more bullets skip across the three-oh-two. Shots rang out from both men in the front seat as the car maneuvered the yard.

I couldn't see the whole time. I had my head buried in the floor and my hands tight over my ears. Faintly I realized I was still screaming, but I couldn't hear it. My ears just tuned the sound out automatically. My lungs were heaving out air as a scream faster than I could get it in.

I felt light headed, and with all the shaking of the car my stomach wanted to unload on the floorboard. Finally mercy found me and we steadied out, but I could tell we were still going damn fast.

With some effort on trembling arms I pushed myself up right and sat in the seat. It was tight in the back of the three-oh-two. The back seats were mostly just for show anyways. My knees dug into the back of the driver seat.I tried my best not to be noticed as he seemed busy taking turns at insane speeds.

The blonde one turned back to me offering a weak half smile.

"I am so sorry. As a matter of fact, sorry doesn't begin to cover it. My name is Adalwolf. Pleasure to make your acquaintance Jessica Song."

He offered a hand shake. I looked at him like he was crazy. Adalwolf nodded shrugging.

"I figured you would be like that. You have just experienced something similar to hell. However, I really do mean it when I say we are on your side."

He gestured to the man in the driver seat.

"This is Nate. He works for me. He and I figure that Jack is in danger right now, but we don't know where he is."

Adalwolf turned back around slipping off the jacket of his three-piece suit. Using his phone for a mirror he slicked his hair back and checked the time.

"You and Jack share a special bond. We were wondering if you might know where he would have gone. The two of us were going to question you when we realized you were being tailed. Naturally we had to help."

He turned back now smiling wide. It seemed genuine. Weirdly enough I wanted to trust him. He had some connection to Jack and Johnny, and I needed that. On top of that Jack seemed to trust him, so I guessed that I could.

"So, tell me, Jack left to lay low, do you know anywhere he would have gone to do so?"

I tried thinking again on the subject. Anywhere at all he might have gone.

"He said he already knew a place he could go when I told him to leave town. It must have been a place he was familiar with, and comfortable with. Do you know any place at all like that?"

It clicked right then. A place Jack would have known right off the top of his head. Familiar and comfortable and a great hiding place. His grandfather's house seemed perfect for it.

"It could be his grandfather's house."

My voice was shaky and raspy. The screaming took its toll hard. I coughed trying to clear it up, but that only hurt it.

"I know it's in North Dakota, but I don't know where."

Adalwolf turned back to the front.

"Nate, head for North Dakota. Take back roads out of town. I'll make some calls to some contacts and pull up his grandfather's name and last residence."

Nate shifted and got comfortable in the seat.

"On it boss. I'm getting hazard pay for this right?"

"Oh of course you are! Get us to Jack safely, and Ill double your Christmas bonus on top of that. Sound fair?"

"You are too kind Adal."

Adalwolf dialed a number and put the phone to his ear. He turned back to me once more.

"You may call me Adal for short. You don't consider this a kidnapping, do you?"

"Uh..."

"Please say no. The last thing I need is to be dodging kidnapping charges."

"Well I was looking for Jack and Johnny too so I guess not."

"All I needed to hear. Right Nate! Punch it!"