Chapter 96 - Shame

For a few seconds, Jack thought hard about what to answer.

Those seconds dragged on for hours in his head.

But having come up with nothing, he chose another tactic.

Sitting down at a nearby table, he spoke.

— Why did you leave?.. Hmm, the answer is obvious. Jack replied calmly, although he was far from calm inside at all

— I'm listening. — Balalaika was still speaking sternly, frowning

— Don't you have any guesses? Think about it. — Jack stirred up the water

Sophie was perplexed by such a statement of the question and some strange calm tone of the guy.

As if it was her fault now, and not him.

A moment before her retort, Jack spoke, almost interrupting her.

The moment was caught perfectly.

He heard her inhale air before the verbal attack.

But he attacked first.

And he attacked, as it seemed to him, rather meanly...

— Where have you been?

Balalaika froze and looked at all the other ladies who were with her now in the guy's empty room.

— I was lying on a cot for a day in the company of nothing but books, and your shadow was not even close to be seen.

Balalaika was silent.

All because the woman, wide-eyed, looked at the others, just as surprised, Revi, Coco, Chiquita and Valmet.

— Don't think about it, I'm not touchy. Anything happens. Maybe you or someone else has been very busy. But all at once?.. Even Revie, who was also wounded, but she wasn't in the hospital?

There was a deathly silence on the girls' side.

They didn't think about it, to be honest.

All their thoughts were about revenge on the cartel and hiding their brutal massacre of them in front of the guy.

Now their eyes were frantically running over each other's faces, as if trying to find an answer that needed to be said.

— Again, I'm not touchy. — Jack spoke in a calm tone, sighing

In this sigh, he put all his acting skills, perhaps.

— It's just all very strange. Everyone talks about feelings, but when I woke up after hours of surgery... after a dozen bullets... after torn, in a mad rush to protect, muscles... When I woke up, I saw only the doctor, the nurse and the guards. That's all. When I called you and asked... to stay together, then met with a general refusal, although it seems to be justified.

In alarm, Balalaika quickly said — Jack! Wait!..

— The answer to your question why he ran away from the hospital is simple. I was bored. I was too lonely.

Revie snatched Sophie's phone in a panic—Wait! You got it all wrong!

Even before she continued, Chiquita went to the girl's back and closed her mouth.

— No need for words or excuses. Again, I'm not offended. Simply... at a loss. — Jack said, closing his eyes for a moment and pursing his lips in shame — You knew for sure that I had come to my senses. The guards couldn't help but pass it on. I called you personally. He talked about it to everyone. The doctor didn't forbid you to visit me either.

Revi was kicking in Chiquita's tight embrace, but she couldn't do anything, especially after being wounded in the shoulder.

Coco calmly took the phone away, but before she could say anything, Jack added, "Okay, never mind. My phone is going to go out. I haven't charged it for a long time. See you.

Immediately after that, he 'hung up' and fell face down into the table with a groan.

Gunther in his head was slowly clapping and also nodding slowly — "You shit yourself, but you managed to take off your pants in time. Yes, I took it off so much! So filigree!"

Jack wrinkled his face in shame and covered his head with his hands — "What a horror... what a shame..."

...

With a wry smile, Coco took the phone away from her ear and hung up.

Sophie bit her lower lip—Offended?

— I don't think so. — Coco answered a little uncertainly, handing the phone to her — He said that the phone was almost dead.

— Most likely the truth is discharged. — sighed Balalaika — After he was riddled, I checked things for integrity that were with him at that moment. The phone was intact and really almost discharged.

An awkward silence reigned in the ward.

Everyone instantly forgot that Jack had run away from the hospital after the operation.

It was already clear that he really does not feel bad, since he was able to get down from such a height, and then get home.

Much more now they were worried about something else...

Chiquita let go of Revie and the girl, without saying a word, noisily sat down on the bed, staring at the floor and biting her lower lip.

Valmet pursed her lips and looked at Revi, then at Coco with a Balalaika.

Chiquita is the same...

Not discouraged, she spread her hands, with a wry smile — Ladies... we're in the shit.

Although they were probably all lovers of the guy, each of them, at least once, talked about feelings for him.

Each of them remembered this.

Everyone did not doubt these words.

All their relationships with him developed quickly, so they tried to show at least a little, but that all this was not an affair for a couple of weeks.

Even Valmet and Chiquita, who at first did not take everything seriously, hinted, after intimacy, about the opposite.

The only one who hasn't talked about it yet was Coco.

And all because the relationship between them developed more slowly than with other women.

All because in a relationship she is, in truth, a complete layman.

And she was in no hurry to take steps, trying to sort out new feelings and planning each step.

In addition, the situation for her was aggravated by the fact that sooner or later she would leave Ruanapur and Jack would have to choose with whom to stay.

She had no illusions and understood that when such a question came, he would, not without difficulty, but make a choice and definitely not in her, with Chiquita and Valmet, favor.

She did not forget about this, as well as the fact that, despite everything, Revi and Balalaika were rivals, which prevented her from finding a cool guard and most likely the man of her life.

Coco smiled and clapped her hands— Without panic. I'll sort it out.

Revie looked at her quickly, just like the others.

— Next week, most likely tomorrow, I'll take him on a date and explain everything there.

Sophie sighed—How long? Who knows what he will be thinking about all this time.

"Are you suggesting we go to Ishtar now?" And what are we going to tell him? — Coco shrugged, looking at each of them — Or did you decide to tell what fate the cartel suffered?

Revie quickly said - We can't fucking tell him.

The girl's back was sweating from such an offer.

All because she felt responsible for what happened to the cartel.

It was she who began to muddy the waters and incite the other girls to revenge.

And it is she who may ultimately get the most.

— He won't understand. Too kind for this town. Revie sighed, looking at the floor

Coco shrugged her shoulders—And wasn't going to tell. I'll hush it up anyway.

Sophie lit a cigarette and exhaling smoke through her nose, asked, looking seriously at the trader — Are you sure you can? Because if not, then it's really better to go to Ishtar now.

Coco tilted her head to the side—I am confident in my eloquence.

Revie pressed her lips into a line with force—Are you sure for sure?

Coco looked at her—Exactly. Why are you so nervous?

Revi abruptly kicked the bedside table that stood next to the bed, shocking the other girls a little.

— Am I very nervous?! No! I'm so fucking nervous! — I clenched my fists and roared — I don't know how the fuck you are there, but there was nothing fucking good in my life! I do not know why I lived at all! I don't have so much happiness in my life to throw it away like this!

The other girls closed their eyes, sighing softly with understanding.

Revie grabbed her head — Fuck did I even offer to take revenge on these freaks!? Shit on them! Shit on them from a high bell tower! Only Jack is important! What if he's disappointed in us? What if you're disappointed in me!? What if he decides to stop this weird shit between all of us?!

Chiquita quickly raised her hands — Whoa, whoa, don't exaggerate so much, Two-armed. Pull yourself together. Jack wouldn't do that. Not in his nature.

In response, Revie laughed, saying — Not in his character? Maybe. Yes, only I myself would be very upset... if I wasn't in a rage at all, in his place!

Rebecca was torn from the inside with emotions.

It was she who suggested tearing the cartel to shreds.

She didn't visit and didn't even call the guy herself when he came to, although he literally became a demon or, as they say, a berserker to save her.

The girl abruptly got out of bed and the others became alert.

Balalaika lowered her eyelids a little — Where are you going?

— Ishtar. Revie replied sharply with a determined expression on her face, "I can't afford to fuck Jack up.

Even before she could take a few quick steps, Sophie sighed—Tie her up.

Coco smiled tightly, nodding slightly.

Valmet and Chiquita exchanged glances and rushed towards Revi.

The girl herself quickly looked at all the girls, ran to the door, but two cougars caught up with her anyway.

— Let the fuck go! I'm going to him!

— Hush, hush, everything will be at its best, Two-armed.

— Let me go, whores! I'm learning from mistakes! I won't step on the same rake again! Let me explain everything!

— Coco will take care of everything.

— I'll explain everything myself!

— Well, no, let Coco do it!

— Ah! Chiquita, she bit me!

— I see, not blind.

Coco looked sadly at Sophie, and the woman sighed — Love is crazy... and in a mad woman, she is stronger than ever.

...

It's been an hour since Jack talked to the girls.

This hour was terrible.

An all-consuming monstrous sense of shame devoured every scrap of his body.

All this hour he sat like an idiot, covering his face with his hands.

Several times Leah and Lola approached him, asking what happened and why he was not in the hospital.

They received monosyllabic slurred answers, because even then Jack did not dare to reveal his face.

— "It would be better if I honestly took on their anger..."

— "No, no, no, you did well." — O'Dim said quickly, with a grin — "Using women's weapons against them. Just fine."

- "Acted like a goat..."

"No, because you shouldn't have known that they went to take revenge by destroying the cartel."

- "What a horror..."

- "What a beautiful meanness! What a delightful speech! You made me happy, Jackie, so here, two hundred points of evil from me."

- "Two hundred points of evil... my meanness is worth four murders..."

"I wouldn't call it meanness, just a little trick."

Suddenly the guy's phone rang, and Jack looked at him in surprise.

— Alo? — he replied

— Jack, it's me. — Coco's cheerful voice rang out, as always — Don't you want to go on a date, huh?

The guy's eyebrows went up — A date?

— Yeah. I've got the next four days empty here, so... why not? Anything is better than going out in a hostel. So what? At the same time, I'll explain everything to you about our situation.

Jack frowned—you were attacked quite recently. Is it worth doing such a stupid thing? Wouldn't it be better to sit quietly in a safe place? And I don't need an explanation, I really wasn't offended.

— Pf, there will be no more attacks. We killed almost the entire group. Our intelligence, having received a good stick, worked as it should, so nothing is worth waiting for in the near future. And yes, I have to explain everything. I made a promise to the girls.

Jack sighed, pursing his lips— Are you sure?

— Yeah. Besides, Valmet will be with us as a driver, so everything is fine. And I have nothing to be afraid of with such a man, it's already clear.

— Don't exaggerate. — he sighed

— I don't do that. I say it as it is. The way you rushed to protect Revie in this bar... uh. Don't you want to be my guard yet, huh?

— Coco...

— Well, I couldn't help but ask. — Coco stuck out her tongue mischievously, sitting on the couch with the phone — And so?..

— good.

— Great.

— When?

— When it's convenient for you.

— Even today. Jack chuckled softly

— Okay.

— Eh?

— Wait for me in Ishtar, I'll be there in a couple of hours. Coco said with anticipation and ended the call

Jack listened to the beeps for a while while he thought — "How reactive she is today..."

...

A couple of hours have passed since the appointment.

Jack managed to check the work of the brothel, read a couple of books that were gathering dust in his office and go to the shower.

He didn't have time to dry out completely after the shower when the phone rang again — Yes?

— We're at the entrance.

— I'm coming. Jack replied and put the phone in his pocket, sighing

A minute later he came out of the brothel, meeting Coco.

The girl was dressed in casual clothes, but still looked amazing.

A blue thin top, bustier style, made of cotton, which perfectly emphasized the girl's breasts and exposed a little navel.

Skinny jeans perfectly emphasized the contours of the hips and buttocks.

If you add her natural beauty, ice-colored eyes, pale skin and snow-white hair, then the picture turned out incredible.

CoCo >

Jack looked at the car next to him and saw Valmet in her usual comfortable sports clothes.

Sitting behind the wheel, the woman was salivating looking at Coco and Jack understood her perfectly.

Jack himself also dressed up a little, but not pretentiously.

Black jeans, sneakers of the same color and a loose light plaid shirt.

— I know that this will sound too simple, but... — Jack shook his head with a soft smile on his lips — ...you look amazing.

The corners of Coco's lips lifted—I know. You're really, really nothing... You've become... more massive?

— Yeah...

Coco scratched her chin — Hmm, probably the body was swollen, a little, after everything that happened.

Jack's smile became somewhat crooked — There is no other option.

— So! — the girl clapped her hands — The date officially begins! Let's go! I don't think you've been to a place like this before. — she said, getting into the car

Jack, being intrigued, smiled and got into the car — I was hoping to just walk around the shops and streets in general.

— It's not bad, but Ruanapur is not the place where you can get pleasure from such a walk.

Valmet, starting the car, grinned — But this is how you can find adventures.

— That's also true.

— Okay, lead the way. Jack waved his hand and the car started moving