Chapter 19: Chapter 19
Nineteen - “You are in danger, no?”
"Did you sleep well?" Jake murmurs down my ear. I smile and close my eyes before nodding.
"I sleep like a baby when you're next to me." I tell him. The nightmare are slowly beginning to become less frequent and for that I'll always be grateful. Jake chuckles quietly in response before climbing out of bed.
"You should get dressed Muffin, we've got stuff to do today." He tells me firmly, pulling a clean white shirt over his head. I'm slightly disappointed at the sight of his clothes, I prefer the shirtless bedhead look on him.
"Can I at least know where we're going?" I ask him, feeling slightly nervous from his mysterious act.
"You'll soon see." Jake replies, not giving away any clues. He walks over to his wardrobe and I roll my eyes at his back before jumping off the bed and heading for his bedroom door. I pull it open and step out in to the hallway, coming face to face with Tobias.
"Hey," I say quietly noticing how his eyes are roaming down my body disapprovingly. I quickly tug on Jake's shirt self consciously knowing exactly how this must look to him. Tobias barely glances at me before scoffing and walking away. God, what is his problem?
*****
"Jake, can you slow down? I'm not an olympian athlete." I mutter in his direction, jogging to try and keep up. He comes to a slow walk, turning to give me an apologetic look.
"Sorry, I'm a little on edge."
"A little?" I question, my eyebrow raised as I glance around at our surroundings. We drove for around twenty minutes and the buildings around here don't resemble the ones I see daily. Half of them are closed up, boarded with wood and cardboard to stop anyone from entering. The streets are littered with rubbish, glass bottles and its so deserted, I haven't seen a single other human being.
"Can you at least tell me where we're going? I don't like surprises." I ask him firmly, reaching out to take hold of his arm. He pauses and turns around, blue eyes darkening with worry. I begin to chew nervously on my bottom lip, noticing how rigid his body is and how he keeps checking over his shoulder every minute.
"Are we being followed?" I say quietly, glancing around the empty streets. Jake shakes his head, peering down at his watch before sighing.
"No, I'm checking to make sure it stays like that. Emily, you need to listen to me carefully, okay?"
I nod my head, looking up into his blue eyes to show him I'm listening. Once he's satisfied with my level of interest, he speaks again —
"Where I'm about to take you is not a game. Don't speak unless you're spoken to and be very careful what you say. Let me do all of the talking if possible, okay?" Jake says firmly. A thousand and one questions whirl through my mind but I'm so confused, I simply nod back in response.
His hand finds mine and he intertwines our fingers together before squeezing. The small sign of affection causes my anxiety to subside slightly and I smile up at him tightly, my stomach a ball of nerves.
"Okay, let's carry on. We're almost there." Jake murmurs. I nod again, resembling a robot and both of us begin walking. We turn the corner and head for the metal staircase placed at the side of a large building. When Jake begins to climb them, I stumble slightly and his hand shoots out, steadying me. We don't speak another word until we're at the top. I peer over the edge, grimacing at the distance to the floor.
"Why are we here? Who are we meeting? Can I go back?" I blurt out all at once, the feeling of safety completely disappearing. Jake stands directly in front of me, taking hold of my arms.
"Look at me." He says firmly, blue eyes flickering between mine. I breathe in sharply, my heart hammering against my chest.
"You're with me and I'll never let anything bad happen to you. We're here because I think he can give us the help that we need. We can't fight this alone Emily."
That's how we end up walking along the roof of a derelict building before we come face to face with another door. Jake enters and walks down the staircase with me directly behind him. It's dark, cramped and smells like rotting fish. At the bottom we're faced with another door and I stand back and watch as Jake knocks on it three times before kicking the bottom right corner. I blink and take a step back, wondering what the hell I'm witnessing right now.
"Is that a code?" I mumble in slight shock. The door bangs causing me to jump and it opens slowly, creaking. Jake takes a deep breath, releases my hand and pushes the door open further.
My hand grow clammy with nerves and I follow Jake, taking in my surroundings. It's a dark room only lit up with a few bulbs hanging from the ceiling. In front of me is a large pool table and next to it was a small bar scattered with a few bottles of alcohol on top. The walls are covered with graffiti, a language I don't recognise.
I glanced to my left, noticing a set of leather seats pushed up against the wall. So it's basically a bachelor pad. . . Nothing too scary.
I inhale deeply, forcing my nerves to calm down. My eyes flicker over the room and I notice the desk in the far corner. Sat behind it is one of the most intimidating men i've ever laid eyes on. He's staring directly at me, dark eyes flickering with interest. His black hair is fixed firmly in place by gel, catching the light from the bulbs.
He's dressed in all black and I notice a very expensive looking gold watch perched on his wrist. In one hand he holds a cigar and in the other, a small black object. He twists his hand, almost as if he knows exactly what I'm staring at. It suddenly dawns on me what he's holding . . . A gun.
My eyes widen, the fear inside of me becoming almost unbearable. I look around for Jake desperately but he's the definition of calm, walking up to the man and taking a seat next to him.
"Jake."
Mr I-Carry-A-Pistol nods towards Jake in greeting, sporting a heavy Spanish accent. His tone is icy and dangerous causing a shiver to run down my back. He places the gun down on the coffee table in front of him and looks at me, eyes burning into mine. I watch in disgust as his eyes roam over my body and I stand there helplessly.
"Who is this?" He asks, quietly turning towards Jake. He held out a cigarette for Jake to take.
"She's the girl I was telling you about." Jake responds, taking the cigarette from his hands and lighting it. He leans back in his seat and I watch him in shock, seeing a completely different side to Jake. He doesn't bat an eyelid at the gun that is causing my knees to shake with fright and he appears . . .
Comfortable. Like he belongs here.
I swallow the lump lodged in my throat and tear my gaze away from an icy set of eyes. It's then when I notice two other men stood against the wall, holding pool cues and chatting quietly to each other. I've been so caught up and frightened from the gun, I didn't even notice them before.
They look young, maybe nineteen or twenty. They both wear identical black vests and have a slightly tanned complexion with dark jet black hair. One of the men glance at me giving me a cute lopsided grin before holding out a pool cue.
"You play?" He asks and I shake my head, feeling rooted to the spot. This entire room is creeping me out and the hairs on the back of my neck are stood up pin straight, covered with goosebumps.
"It's been a very long time since we've had such a pretty girl in here."
My head snaps back to Mr-I-Casually-Carry-A-Gun-On-Me. He's once again leering at me and I look down at my hands, fiddling with them nervously. Standing in front of him makes me feel like a piece of fresh meat, an object. I grit my teeth in anger towards Jake, he never should have bought me here.
I hear him get up, standing to his feet. He begins to get closer and my heart starts to thump wildly in my chest causing it to ring through my ears.
He stops until he's inches away from me, the strong scent of expensive cologne filling my senses. I want to turn my face and breathe in anything but his scent which is quickly becoming overpowering and sickly. I bravely take a small step back, creating distance.
"What is your name?" He asks me quietly, his voice slick and smooth.
"Emily." I respond, never once looking him directly in the eyes.
"Pretty thing suits you much better."
He chuckles quietly and I chew the inside of my cheek, turning so that my gaze meets with Jake's. His face appears emotionless, watching as his gang leader treats me like this. I notice his hands are clenched tightly in fists by his side.
Is his anger directed at me or his boss?
"Emily? You can look at me, I won't hurt you," the man says, humour lining his voice. I glance up at him and study his face, not believing his words. Nothing about this man could be associated with safety.
"I don't believe you," I whisper quietly letting my eyes drop to my shoes. He sucks in an annoyed breath at my response.
"You don't have to believe me but answer me one question. Would Jake bring you here if I would hurt you? You are a friend of Jake so you are a friend of ours." He replies a little too smoothly, gesturing to the other two men in the room.
"You are in danger, no?" he asks, his head tilted slightly as he studies me. I glance at Jake and he looks away from me, not meeting my eyes. A stab of pain flows through my heart and I clench my fists tightly. Jake didn't ask me if this is what I want, he assumed I'd want protection from one evil man against another.
Did he ever stop and think what I'd have to pay in exchange for this protection?
A strong feeling told me it wouldn't be pleasant.
I shakily walk towards the door, ignoring the burning stares I was getting.
"I'm not in any danger. I'm sorry for wasting your time but it looks like Jake got it wrong. It was nice to meet you, sir."
"Amil." he replies bluntly, studying me carefully. His eyes are slightly narrowed and I swallow the lump in my throat, willing myself to stay calm.
"It was nice to meet you Amil. I'm sorry but I don't want to be involved with any of this. Don't worry though, I'll keep quiet. I've learned to keep my mouth shut over certain things."
By this moment, my hands are shaking and I turn around, pulling open the door and walking away from the danger and away from Jake. I don't stop running until I'm back at home with my bedroom door locked and windows firmly shut. Darkness completely invades my room and I climb into bed, gathering as many blankets as I can find.
All I want is to feel safe and protected.