| Title: Hemorrhage Author: Priscilla Chapter 5: Steel and Lace Jack sat in Nick's office scowling. What the fuck was Riddick's problem? He got her into this fucking mess and now he was nowhere in sight. She was gonna rip his balls off. Nick came around his desk and took the papers Montoya handed him, looking them over and then looking at Jack. Her scowl deepened. *************** "Riddick got away." Wei didn't bother to look up at Stoneham, but continued to rub at his temples in a futile attempt to fight back a migraine. "We shouldn't be chasing our problems Christopher, we should be solving them." "How would you like us to handle it boss?" Stoneham asked looking down at him intently. "Get some men of his talent, and remove the problem permanently." Stoneham nodded his head and left the room. ************* "You'll get two years for this. At least." Nick said sitting down in front of Jack. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said for the third time since their conversation began. "Well you've been clean for two years. Must finally be a good girl or extremely lucky. I can help you Jackie." He said tossing the papers back to his partner. Jack busted out laughing. "You know, I can't really remember the last time a cop helped me out or called me 'Jackie'. Don't do it again." She warned. Nick raised his hands in mock surrender and handed her a picture. "What about this guy?" It was a still of Riddick standing outside her door taken from her security camera. The quality wasn't too good, sort of fuzzy, making it impossible to get any clear physical attributes. Again Jack shrugged her shoulders. "Looks like a ghost. But then, he could be the janitor." Nick snorted and ran his fingers through his brown hair. "If you were as smart as you look you wouldn't be messing with John Wei." Shock ran through Jack's brain at the name. What the hell was he talking about? She never did anything with or for that man. "John Wei? As in the biggest crime lord on this side of the galaxy?" Jack asked dumbfoundedly. "Yep. Where did you think those guys in your office came from? We figure he's got you fitted for a toe tag and he'll do anything to get it tied. The question is, why?" Nick asked watching Jack closely as she ran nervous hands through her hair. "OK, this is where I talk to an attorney." She stated, sitting up in her chair. Nick shook his head smiling. "You aren't under arrest so you're not entitled to one." He stated innocently. "Which means I can walk out of here anytime I want." Jack said getting up and making a move towards the door. Nick moved to the doorway, blocking her. "You can, but there's someone on the other side of that door that wants you dead Jackie girl." Jack shrugged into her jacket and pushed past him. "I'll take my chances." She muttered walking swiftly through the buzzing police station. Montoya got up from his desk shaking his head at Jack's retreating form. "She's dead meat, man." Nick nodded his head in agreement. "Let's put her on a hook and see what the dogs do." ************** Jack walked back to her apartment, looking back constantly to make sure she wasn't being followed, and to see if Riddick showed his slimy ass. That was highly unlikely though. She frowned when she got to the third floor and found all her doors busted in. She weeded her way through the police tape and into her room to hopefully take a shower, she needed one. Jack found some clothes to change into. She stopped buttoning her pants, ears straining to make sure the noise she'd thought she'd heard was real and not something imagined. Hearing nothing she resumed getting dressed. Jack bent down, pushing back a rug under which was a locked trap door. Pulling out a key from her boot, Jack once again stopped to listen for noise. Nothing again, but she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Reaching into the floor, Jack found what she was looking for; the mate to her Tauckson and some bullets. "Smart." Jack shot up and pointed the gun at the source of the voice. Riddick stood against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his broad chest. "Way to scare a person half to death Riddick!" Jack said lowering the gun and clutching her chest. "What do you want?" "Papers." He said smiling. Jack broke out into sarcastic laughter. "Take a look around Riddick. My thousands of dollars worth of equipment is now a great mass of paperweights. Everything else was either shot up or impounded." She said motioning to her surroundings. "We need to get out of here. You'll be safer with me." He said moving away from the door and closing the distance between them. She'd always hated when he did that. Like he needed to prove to her that he was bigger and stronger than she was. "Do I look like I want, need, or am going to take any kind of help from you?" Shed raising her eyebrows. Riddick face betrayed no emotion, as always. "You're coming with me Jack. I'm not leaving without you." "What happens when I tell you to fuck off?" Her question was answered with a blood-stopping smile from Riddick, surely meaning pain. "Fine." Jack muttered letting out a loud sigh. Riddick took hold of her forearm and half dragged her out of the building. They went out the back where Jason had a car waiting for them. "Get in." Riddick said gently shoving Jack into the back and then coming around to sit on the passenger's side. "So you're the Jack I've heard so much about?" Jason asked glancing at Jack briefly and then turning his attention to Riddick he whispered, "Nice." Riddick couldn't prevent the smirk that creeped up his face. Yeah, she was nice and she looked even nicer in the shower. Too bad she wasn't his, not yet anyway. "Where we goin'?" Jason asked shrugging his shoulders. "Vince. He knows where the rest of my stuff is in storage. Drop us off and then I want you to get the hell outta dodge." Jack listened intently from the back seat, arms crossed over her chest. A million questions were running through her mind all at once and when the time came she was gonna get some richly deserved answers. One way of the other. Title: Hemorrhage Author: Priscilla Chapter 6: New Foes "Watch your ass." Jason said before driving away. Riddick grabbed Jack's forearm again and dragged her into The Dungeon's dreary interior. Jack squinted to see in the dim light of the place as Riddick pulled her towards the back. Suddenly lights came on and a small runway came into view. A strip club. He’d brought her to a strip club. Jack wretched her arm out of Riddick’s grip. She’d had enough of this. "What now?" He asked crossing his arms over his massive chest. Jack gaped at him dumbfounded. "What the fuck are we doing here Riddick?" She asked mimicking his actions. She wasn’t going anywhere until she got some goddamned answers. Riddick’s scowl deepened. "Go up to the bartender and ask for Vince." He said above the thumping bass of the music where a naked red head shook her goods at the happy patrons. Jack shook her head in denial. "I’m not doing shit until you tell me why I’m being shot at." Riddick let out a loud breath of frustration and pulled his gun from the waistband of his pants, pointing it at Jack. Of course, he never meant to use it; he just had to look like he would. "I’m not asking Jack. Go to the bartender and ask for Vince." He growled out between clenched teeth. Jack’s pupils dilated as she stared down at the gun in his hand, causing her to gulp loudly before shaking her head and walking towards the bar. "What'll it be?" The bartender asked he spotted Jack sitting down. She waved him over, leaning her forearms on the bar to whisper. "Vince, he around?" The bartender pulled back and eyed her curiously before nodding his balding head and pointing to a dark hallway at the back, near the bathrooms. "Yeah he's out back in the in his office." He said before walking over to serve another customer. Jack walked over to Riddick and relayed the information. He grabbed her by the arm again, making his way to Vince's office. Riddick made Jack knock once, twice. No answer. Jack's heart began to thump in her chest at the possibilities why Riddick's forehead creased suddenly as he stared at the door. He pressed a finger to his lips and then pushed Jack away from the door. Withdrawing his gun, he gave the door one powerful, smooth, kick. The smell hit Jack like a slap to the face; pungent, strong, and unmistakable. The smell of violent death. Riddick walked into the room first, making sure to keep Jack close behind him. The first small room was empty, no sign of the source of the smell. Riddick walked over to another door that looked like it led to another room, possibly Vince’s office. When she made a move to follow him, Riddick put his hand on her shoulder in a way to tell her to stay put, then walked into the room. Minutes ticked seconds turned into minutes since Riddick had gone into the other room and Jack felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. Had he left her? What was he doing? What did he find? New questions kept springing up in her head with each second that passed; so Jack got up and walked into the room. Riddick was standing in front of a large wood desk with his hands resting on the top. He was staring intently at something and Jack walked further into the room to find out what it was. An obviously dead Vince stared back at an expressionless Riddick. He’d removed his goggles and continued to stare at the corpse even when she tapped him on the shoulder. The smell was almost unbearable causing Jack to cover her nose with her sleeve. What was left of Vince’s head was a bloody mass of broken bone; the left side slumped inward as if he’d been kicked repeatedly. Jack shuddered and for lack of knowing nothing better to do, she placed her small hand on top of one of Riddick’s massive ones, just to let him know she was there for him. Riddick visibly tensed and then turned his silver gaze on her. Jack found a small smile to give him and Riddick nodded, clearing his throat and replacing his goggles on his head. "Let's get the hell outta here." He said, taking hold of Jack's hand and leading them back out to the club. As soon as they stepped back out into the blaring music, Riddick tensed, instinctively putting Jack behind his bulking frame. The place completely deserted. As if on cue 5 men dressed in black sat up and walked towards them. "You two make a great couple." Stoneham said with a smile that showed off his bad teeth. He gestured to the two men behind him. "Bring the car around." Turning back to Riddick and Jack he smiled again. "I've been bashing my head against the wall just trying to anticipate your next move Riddick. Well, actually, I've been bashing Vince's head against the wall trying to anticipate your next move." He said chuckling at the joke. "Handcuff her." Stoneham ordered one of the men. Jack began to struggle against him as he cuffed her hands against a wall, finally landing a sharp kick to his right kneecap. "How's your leg asshole?" She seethed from her position on the floor. The man took a step towards her and violently kicked her in the same place she had him. Riddick closed his eyes against the fury pumping through his veins at Jack's cries of pure agony. "How's yours bitch?" The man asked. Stoneham chuckled loudly, moving towards the front doors where a car was waiting for him. "Take care of our friends boys." The men moved towards Riddick with guns drawn. Riddick grabbed one of the men approaching him by the neck, while delivering a powerful sidekick to the other one. The man went down with a loud thud. He pulled his shiv from one of his pants pockets and sliced the throat of the man he was still holding. That left only one more. Riddick swore when the man pointed his gun at Jack's head and trained the second one on him. Jack nodded slightly catching Riddick's eye. He raised his hands up in mock surrender. The man smiled to himself as he made a move towards Riddick. Suddenly, Jack brought her legs up and wrapped them tightly around the man's neck. One swift twist of her hips and he slumped to the floor, neck broken. Riddick smirked and shook his head in amusement. So Jack had picked up some things while she had been gone. "My kinda woman." He said while searching the dead man's pockets, he found the key to the handcuffs and unlocked Jack. ********* Later that night..... "Another problem Mr. Wei. Riddick was lucky." "Don't confuse luck with skill Christopher. Where are his replacements?" Wei asked from his place at the bay windows that overlooked his estate. "Should be here any minute, sir." |