The chase

"What's going on?" I looked at Jason before putting my head out of the window. He grabbed the scruff of my neck and pulled me inside just before something bounced off the car's body.

"Are you insane or do you have a death wish, roll up the goddamn window"

"Was that... a bullet?"

"No, it was a piece of rock from a fucking asteroid, of course, it was a bullet"

I hastily rolled the window up.

Four cars closed in on us, headlights blazing and men hanging from their windows with submachine guns in hand.

"We're going to die"

"Could you stop sucking up the oxygen and close your mouth"

"Do you only care about yourself? This might be a normal thing to you but I've never experienced a car chase before, not to talk of being in one"

"You talk too much"

"You–"

"Get down" Jason grabbed my neck and pulled me down just as the window shattered from the impact of bullets. "Keep your head down, you can only raise it if your skull is bulletproof"

"What about you?"

"Just stay down" The wind entering through the window whipped my hair about, some flew into my eyes and some into my mouth.

That was it, if I ever survive this car chase, I'm going to visit a hairdresser.

We tried losing them but they were persistent.

"Shit! I can't shake them off"

Jason looked at me and I shook my head.

"No, whatever you're thinking is a no"

"Do you want to die?"

"Can't we just stop the car and settle this?"

"Good idea" Jason stepped hard on the brakes, a car caught us to us and one of the shooters began to manically shoot at Mafia Jason's car.

"Drive, drive"

"Didn't you want to settle scores? I told you that's not how the Mafia works, there's no way to peacefully come to a gray point"

The car suddenly lowered and the chairs adjusted themselves.

"What happened? Did they shoot our tires?"

"Take the wheel"

He let go of the steering wheel and pulled out his guns.

"What? No, I can't, I can't drive and besides, the tires are bust, it's going to be hard steering"

"The tires are fine, it's in sport mode and you can only choose one of the two options I present, you drive or you shoot?" he stretched the guns towards me.

To drive or to shoot, are you asking?

I grabbed the wheels and swapped places with Jason.

"Oh God!" my fear of cars was catching up to me. I struggled against my nightmares.

I need more time, I need more time. I fought back as hard as I could.

~"Kill her, I don't care how. Drunk driving, overspeeding, faulty brakes" her Aunt whispered into a man's ear.

He nodded and pulled Selene into a small almost junk car.

Selene smiled cutely at the man.

"Aunty said that'll you will take me to my parents"

The man grunted and started the car, it croaked and groaned before coming to life.

"Do you have a daughter?" Selene asked him as the man drove in silence.

"Sit down" he grunted and took a swig of alcohol.

"You should stop drinking, my teacher says..."

"Sit down girl, I'm trying to find the guts to kill you, don't you understand? Your aunt doesn't want you anymore"

"It's not true. Aunt loves me, she would never..." Tears welled up in Selene's eyes.

"I'm telling you girl..."

Bright headlights and... ~

Jason was shaking me hard.

I blinked as I tried to reboot my brain systems.

"Were you trying to kill–" he stopped. "Why are your hands shaking?"

"I'm fine" I clenched and unclenched my fists, they felt cold and clammy.

"Are you that scared of driving?"

"Maybe I am" It was then I noticed we had stopped. "Where are they?"

"Dead" he said nonchalantly. "Switch"

In the process of switching, he touched my hand, I jerked my hand away immediately.

If he noticed anything strange, he didn't say a word about it.

"You sure have a lot of secrets for some who looks that innocent and naive"

"Naive? I'm not naive"

"Sure you're not sweetheart, when pigs can fly"

The dark hands remained at the back of my mind, waiting for every opportunity to strike.

"Do you take medications?" Jason suddenly asked as we drove to my house.

"What?"

"Are you on meds?"

"Why would I be?"

"Because it's not just a fear of cars"

Damn his observation skills.

"I'm fine, that's all that matters"

"Whatever makes you sleep well at night"

Jason dropped me at my house gate and when I spied the time on my phone, I gasped.

I had promised Lena I'd be there by nine, this was freaking nine forty-two.

I sprinted as fast as I could to Lena's place.

The front door was open and voices were coming from the living room.

"Let's not panic, the police are on the case"

"On the case? She needs to be missing for twenty-four hours before they can take up the case. Why should I not panic?"

"Who's missing?"

They turned to me with wide eyes.

Kelvin crushed me into a very tight bear hug that probably shifted a few of my bones out of place.

"What's going on?" I managed to gasp out under the crushing weight of Kelvin's embrace.

"I was so worried when I came back from work and discovered you hadn't come back, where have you been?"

"I got lost" it was the quickest and the most efficient lie to tell in this kind of situation.

"Did you go out alone?"

"I just wanted to see the city and I ended up getting lost"

I might have been lost forever if a bullet had hit me.

"And your phone? You weren't answering your phone"

I tapped my pockets.

"I..uh... must have forgotten it on the bench I sat on to eat pastries"

It was definitely in Jason's car. I'm screwed.

How would I get it back?

"I'll leave a message so that anyone who takes it would be able to return it"

"If they're nice enough"

The trio stared at me.

"What? A homeless man might sell it for money or a gangster might sell it for drugs. Didn't you guys think of that?" Or Mafia Jason might have tossed it wherever he keeps useless things.

"She does have a point"

"If you don't find it, get yourself a new one. Was there any useful information on the phone?"

Already talking like I'm going to buy a new one was never a good sign.

"No"

"Alright"

We had dinner at Lena's place.

"Right Selene..."

"Hmm?" I stopped chomping on the spicy chicken to look at her.

"Dusty said you should use tomorrow to apply for the university of your choice"

This was a good thing, I could finish up quickly and go see Mafia Jason, maybe he would be nice enough to keep my phone.

"That's great, thanks"

We finished dinner and I and Kelvin walked back in silence.

"Where were you again?"

"I told you–"

"Don't lie to me"

Uh-oh...

Did he catch on to something? No, I didn't do anything to give myself away.

"What are you talking about? I told you, I got lost"

"You have a wound on your cheek, a sharp object maybe"

"Glass wound" From when those bullets hit the glass.

"Where?"

Why was he so persistent?

"What do you mean by where?"

"Where did you get the glass wound?"

"The same place I stopped to eat my pastries"

"Your phone's last five locations were..." he checks his phone,"... Green Fall gardens"

Oh no!

"And then you stopped at the house, then went to Blue jade mall and then to its liquor store and finally to the junkyard owned exclusively by the Vipers–"

"The who?"

"The Vipers, Don Danvier is their leader"

"Who's that?" Did Jason trade his car? I hope not, my phone was inside it.

"You don't know him, there's no need to worry about that. The reason I went to the police was because of the junkyard. I thought perhaps they had killed you and wanted to hide the fact by crushing your body with the car"

That seemed like a very good way to hide a missing person...

What was I thinking?

"Look you got it all wrong, I bought pastry, ate it, tried to find my way back, got lost, had a ride from a total not-so-total stranger, stopped at the house and that was all..."

"So you didn't go to the garden?"

"I did"

"Do you know what that place is for?"

"For sightseeing? It's a garden, isn't it?"

"Did you go with anyone?"

"No" Yes.

"So you met the total, not-so-total stranger after the trip to the garden?"

"Yes" No.

"That place is... I don't know if I should tell you this?"

"Go on"

"It's not for sightseeing. It's more of a sex club"

"I'm sorry?" What?

"It's a privately owned garden, Mario Dimitri owns the place, he's a... how do I put this?"

"Peeping Tom?"

"Something like that. That place was designed to have people come and watch other people do their dirty business in the open. That's why the place is surrounded by thick trees"

Does such a thing even exist? How does one feel when someone else is watching?

That would explain the look on that man's face and the look I was receiving from the taxi driver.

I felt goosebumps coat my skin.

"Explain what you meant by total, not so total stranger?"

Why was he hooking on to every word?

My subconsciousness was screaming, he's an attorney, what do you expect?

"We talked, and I got to know him better"

"Him?"

"Oh come on Kel! Do you seriously think a woman would give me a ride?"

"Perhaps you should get one for yourself"

I would if I could drive. My fear of driving stemmed from that one unfortunate accident, every time I take the wheel, I see it happen over and over again.

"Why so quiet?"

"I can't drive"

"You could learn–"

"I can't"

He must have caught on to the meaning because he didn't say anything again.

"Where are you going?"

I was so deep in thought that I walked past our house.

I gave Kelvin a nervous laugh.

"Where's my mind?"

"Don't tell me you're okay. What's going on with you?"

"Simply recalling things I shouldn't have"

Silence...

"Would you tell me everything if I ask?"

"Some other time"

"When? I hate seeing you like this. You look weak–"

"Excuse you!? I'm not weak–"

"You look weak when you think of your past. I won't let you end up like my mom...."

The words hung in the air between us. Kelvin sighed and rubbed his face.

"After our Dad left, she always had that look. I didn't let her know that I cared and look what happened at the end. She's now an addict and I blame myself for it. I won't let you become the same"

"I'm sorry Kelvin, I'll tell you but not now, it's really hard for me to open up"

He took my cold hands.

"What I'm saying is that you can trust me, lean on me a little, I'm always going to be there, okay?"

"Muchísimas gracias"

"De nada"

"So you can speak the language?"

"Not very well, probably at a B minus"

I laughed.

"What? I might not be extremely good at the language but I know more than two different languages besides Spanish"

"I know three"

"Oh yeah? Like what and what?"

"Italian, Portuguese, and French. They're structurally similar so it was easy to learn"

"Damn, what do you want to become?"

"I haven't thought of it but something relating to business"

"I see. Well then, your big brother has got your back because I'm a..."

"Yes, yes, I know, a civil litigation attorney whose main area is to defend businesses, blah, blah, blah"

"You did not just do that"

"And if I did?" I raised my eyebrows to challenge him.

He suddenly attacked my side with tickles, I shrieked loudly, and a few curtains opened to check the commotion. I might have grown older but tickles were still my weakness.

"Kelvin!" I was still twitching so hard from all the laughing after Kelvin had let me go.

"Come on. It's getting cold, let go inside" he helped me up.

"I'll never forgive you for that"

"Feel free to come at me whenever you like"

I pounced on him and tickled him, he didn't even grin like he was trying to hold back his laughter.

"No fair"

"Not my fault you're ticklish pumpkin"

I was still hanging on his back when he carried me up the stairs and into my room.

"Go to sleep. Night"

"Night Kel"

I was tempted to skip the night's bath and go to sleep but I knew it wouldn't work so I dragged my exhausted body into the shower.

The guardians of the dream world were already waiting for me when I was done.

...

I woke up light as a feather. Kelvin had prepared eggs again and had done a good job toasting the bread without completely burning it.

"Why not use your toaster rather than using the pan?"

"It's damaged"

"You can get another one, you have the money"

"I always forget, perhaps you can get it after submitting your application?"

"Whatever"

He passed me a plate of eggs.

"Take a bite"

I forked one into my mouth and mumbled an umm...

"So?"

I forced myself to swallow.

"Too much salt"

He passed me a full glass of orange juice which I finished in two gulps.

"But on the net, it says to add a tablespoon of salt"

A tablespoon? A whole tablespoon for two eggs? Was he trying to destroy my kidneys and liver?

"Let me see that"

I took the phone from him and facepalmed myself.

"Kel, this is the recipe for making an omelet for six people and not fried eggs for one and it's add a teaspoon, not a tablespoon, you're trying to eat eggs not salt"

"So adding salt is different in various meals?"

He was seriously hopeless.

"Yes"

"I see. Sorry about that"

He made another batch that wasn't as bad as the one before.

"So where to first?" Kelvin scrolled through his phone.

"New York University Stern"

"Tell me all about it when I get back?" he hurriedly grabbed his jacket.

"Where are you going?"

"A witness suddenly wants to give her testimony after so long, this could be the break in the case I'm working on. I'm sorry I can't take you to the place"

"It's fine" he kissed my cheek and raced to his car.

"Attorneys" I shook my head and chuckled.

I took the bus instead of a taxi and applied to five different business schools in NY.

On to my main target of the day.

"Sorry" I tapped a mid-aged man who was sitting and reading a newspaper on a bench.

"What do you want?" he replied gruffly.

"Do you happen to know where Mafia Jason is staying?"

He glared at me before curtly replying, "Fuck off"

No matter who I asked, their response was either to give me the skank eye or cuss at me, a mother even dragged her son away from me and proceeded to run to the nearest taxi.

It was almost half of the day and I'd made no progress whatsoever.

I was sitting on a park bench when someone suddenly asked beside me.

"What do you want with Mafia Jason?"

I jumped startled because I hadn't felt any presence.

"I'm just looking for him"

"Do you have a death wish?"

"Perhaps. You know where I can find him?"

"Don't tell me you're one of his crazed female followers?"

"Do I look like one?"

He looked at me from head to toe.

"You possibly couldn't be, even if you are, you're not his tastes"

I would have killed him if I didn't need him.

"So?"

"No one knows his house address but he owns Blue Jade Corporation, that's his workplace"

"Thank you" I stood up to head there.

"Careful doll, he doesn't have time for people such as yourself, but I do. You and I could just be what you're looking for"

Me and him, never.

"No thanks"

I made my way to the place, it was a huge building made mostly from two materials, glass and thin sheet metal.

I stopped at the gate.

"Pass card?"

"Don't have any but–"

"Get lost"

"Next?"

The nerves of these people.

"I need to see Mafia Jason"

The place suddenly quieted down.

Did I say something wrong?

The man drew a small knife from his left boot.

"Should I cut your tongue? How dare you say his name with such disrespect"

"I'm sorry" I squealed.

"Now get lost before I carve you"

No amount of pleading softened their hearts so I resulted in using my last trump card...

Rats scurried past my legs and I resisted the urge to scream.

The vents were surprisingly clean and had a lot of booby traps, I almost died thrice from lasers alone. I don't know how long I had been crawling but I was determined to see Jason.

I was going through my last hurdle when I suddenly fell and landed on a table.

I groaned.

The clicking of guns made me curl into a ball.