by Kylie Parker
Jimmy had no choice but to comply. Thomson walked into his living room, tightening his grip around Anna’s neck and kicked the door shut behind him.
“Get over there!” He yelled, violently pushing Anna across the living room. She landed flat on her face and stomach, five feet behind Jimmy. He looked down at her over his right shoulder, boiling with rage. Jimmy clenched his fists. As soon as he did though, Thomson cocked his gun.
“Don’t get any ideas, fucker. Hands behind your head. Now!” He commanded, aiming the gun at Jimmy, standing barely six feet across from him. Once again, he complied, biting hard on his lower lip. He was so upset that he was almost out of breath. His chest kept rising and falling very quickly, as Anna slowly rose.
“I’m going to kill you for this, asshole.” Jimmy snarled. His words seemed to amuse Thomson.
“How?” He asked, a smug smile on his face. “Go stand next to him.” He commanded, averting his gaze from Jimmy, looking down at Anna.
“Put the gun down and I’ll show you.” Jimmy’s voice rumbled like thunder.
“I don’t think so.” Thomson shook his head sideways, as Anna stopped on Jimmy’s left. “I had a feeling that bitch would come here. She made it easier for me. I wanted to kill her in front of you. You two are quite something, you know that? You were a thing back in Highland Park. Boy, I wanted to kill you for taking her from me. But then, you left. Why?”
“Fuck you!” Jimmy yelled, his stentorian voice reverberating through his apartment.
“You should do something about your anger, Jimmy.” Thomson spoke in a sarcastic tone. Jimmy kept staring down at the silencer, gritting his teeth, as Anna gently wept, with her hands behind her head as well.
“Kill me. Let her go.” Jimmy urged, taking a short step towards him.
“Jimmy, no!” Anna cried, turning her gaze to him. A loud, banging sound on his front door drew their attention. Thomson looked at it, over his right shoulder.
“FBI! Open the door!”
It was the moment that Jimmy had been waiting for. Without much thought, he leaped onto their aspiring killer. Thomson’s grip on his gun was loosened, as soon as his body fell with a thump. He landed flat and hard on his head and two feet away from the door, with the hands of a furious Jimmy on his throat. He squeezed it hard, raising his right arm over his head, clenching his fist. A tremendous, vicious punch in his eye rocked Thomson’s head back, as the FBI agents kept banging his door. Just when Jimmy was about to punch him again, an even harder bang knocked down his door. The top rail hit Jimmy behind the knees, while the doorknob struck him on his upper back. It was agent Berry, along with his partner, agent Turner and four, young, male officers in uniform. One of them put his leg under the edge of the door and kicked it away from the two men.
“Let him go, Holden.” Berry commanded, looking down at him, pointing his gun at Jimmy. “He’s my problem now. Get up.”
“Have fun in prison, you little prick.” Jimmy grumbled, gazing into Thomson’s brown, terrified eyes, as the officers in uniform went over to Anna. One of them tried to lead her to the couch on the right, as Jimmy rose.
“Get away from me!” Anna screamed, violently pushing him away. She dropped to her knees and put her head in her hands, bursting into loud tears of mixed pain and fear. Her emotional breakdown broke Jimmy’s heart in a million pieces. He couldn’t stand watching her like that. With his hands still shaking uncontrollably from the adrenaline rush, Jimmy slowly walked up to Anna, watching as large tears streamed down her face. He sat back on his knees, hardly making any noise. He did not need to speak. Anna leaned towards him and collapsed into his arms, with her hands still on her face. Jimmy wrapped his arms around her upper back, feeling her body shaking for the second time that night.
“Shhhhh… It’s all over.” He whispered, burying his face in her hair.
“I’m so sorry.” She sniffled. “This is all my fault.”
“Pardon me for interrupting.” Agent Berry interjected, stepping in front of Jimmy. “But can either of you tell me what happened here?”
“Anna.” Jimmy whispered in her ear. “Go sit down, baby. I got this.”
She nodded, but Jimmy held her tightly as he rose and kissed her hair, before loosening his grip.
“Anna’s the girl with the restraining order against him.” Jimmy explained, casting a rapt glance at her. “She was here earlier, but she left. Then, she came back. Thomson had a gun to her head. He was going to kills us. I jumped him when you guys showed up. You know the rest. What are you people doing here anyway?”
“What you said about that restraining order got me curious.” Berry muttered. “I called the bureau’s field office in Dallas. Thomson’s superior was kind enough to send me the case file. One of his colleagues has filed a complaint for sexual harassment against him, too. His career’s effectively over.”
“Just his career?” Jimmy asked, a hint of frustration in his voice.
“Oh, don’t worry. The FBI’s got a strict set of rules on this matter. He’s going away for a long time.” Berry assured. “Listen, I know this is a bad time for both of you, but we’ll need you to testify on this.”
“Ok.” Jimmy said with a nod. “We’re coming with you.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Jimmy’s testimony was over quite soon, whereas Anna had to tell the police everything from the day she met Thomson. Narrating her story took a heavy toll on her; she remembered almost every single detail and she was so emotional that she had to stop three times. It took hours for her to finish her testimony. Jimmy waited patiently for her and called Emily in the meantime. She arrived at the police station on Santa Rose Avenue at dusk. As one would expect, she was happy that he was alive and well, but Emily did not seem surprised at all. It seemed as if she somehow expected something like that to happen. After all, Jimmy was an outlaw. Being held at gunpoint was something that came with the life.
The two of them were still arguing passionately, when Anna emerged out of a narrow corridor on the left. She threw Jimmy a fiery look, but she did not stop. Instead, Anna made her way towards the massive exit to the right. Jimmy jumped from his seat and sprinted across the large hall, hoping that she would turn around and face him. To no avail. Anna did not react at all at the sound of his hurried footsteps.
“I take it that’s her.” Emily murmured, joining him just a few feet away from the exit.
“Yeah.” Jimmy sighed.
“Don’t waste your time, Jimmy.” She advised. “Let her go.”
“What if I don’t want to?” He wondered, watching her walk away.
“Well, she does.” Emily put a little force in her voice. “I’ve just realized something.”
“What’s that?” Jimmy inquired, as he turned facing her on his right.
“That I’ve never given you advice on love matters.” She replied. “Anyway, I got some bad news. I’m leaving tomorrow night. I got a gig in Vegas.”
The news of Emily’s departure added to Jimmy’s sadness. He was getting used to having her in his life. She was fun, understanding and patient with him. Emily Paxton was his one and only friend and he was about to lose her as well.
“Alone again.” He croaked. “I can’t say I’ve missed that.”
“I’m sorry, Jimmy. But we both knew this was going to happen.” Emily lowered her tone, putting her hand on his shoulder.
“This doesn’t make me feel any better.” Jimmy complained.
“Is there anything you want to do tonight?” Her question put him in a difficult position. He could not touch her again. She could get hurt and Jimmy did not want to lose her over a simple mistake. Nevertheless, his prolonged silence gave him away.
“Ok, that’s not going to happen.” She teased him.
“It did cross my mind.” He confessed, a faint smile on his face. “But no. Which hotel are you staying at?”
“Drury Inn & Suites. Why?”
“The cops busted my door. Again. I’ll need a place for the night.”
He remarked.
“You’re not staying in my room.” Emily’s smile grew wider.
“Fine.” Jimmy reluctantly agreed. “I’ll get a room, have a drink and relax. God, I need one right now.”
“Oh no, Mr. You’re not going to be alone tonight.” She got serious. “I won’t let you. That hotel’s got a great terrace. We’re going to have a long, long talk and drink our asses off, you hear?”
For a moment, Jimmy believed that Emily was joking. Yet, the sullen look in her eyes soon forced him to change his mind.
“What’s wrong, Em?”
“Nothing.” She responded. “But this is my last night in San Antonio. I’m not going to let you feel sorry for yourself. Because, let’s face it, Jimmy. That’s exactly what you’ll do, once we get there.”
“Guilty as charged.” He hummed, blinking back tears.
“Alright, I get it.” Emily muttered, stepping in front of him. “This is the first time you fell in love. Take it from me, honey, self-pitying doesn’t help. It just makes you feel worse.”
“Look around you, Emily!” He cried. “I have no one! I lost the woman I love twice today and my only friend is leaving tomorrow!” Jimmy put his head in his hands, unable to fight back the tears. He rubbed his forehead with his fingertips, turning his back to her, unwilling to let her see him cry.
“You can change that.” She stated, her voice firm.
“I can’t come with you.” Jimmy groaned.
“That’s not what I meant.” Emily added. “I talked to Sister Margaret. She said your mother is alive. She lives in San Antonio. I’m sorry; I didn’t ask her about your father.”
Jimmy flipped around, upon hearing her words.
“What did you just say?” He squinted at Emily, leaning towards her.
“She told me that after you got arrested. I was going to tell you tonight. I was just waiting for the right moment.” She spoke in sighs.
Jimmy was stunned to stillness. He could not force another word out of his throat. His broken heart did not allow him to think about anything or anyone else other than Anna. Racking his brain to find a way to approach her again, he had not considered asking Sister Margaret about his parents. All of a sudden, Emily’s suggestion had given him hope. At long last, Jimmy could have a real family.
“Let’s go.” She whispered, caressing his cheek. “I’ll give you her address when we get to my hotel.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
“My mother is alive? And she lives here? I wonder what she looks like. How old is she? What does she do for a living? What about my father? Why didn’t they want me? I don’t know if Sister Margaret was telling me the truth about that. But then again, why would she lie?”
In the passenger seat of Emily’s purple Lexus, Jimmy could not stop asking himself the same questions, over and over. Of course, those thoughts had crossed his mind many times in the past, but he had no idea whether his parents were alive or not. He would not look them up back then. Jimmy was still mad at them for abandoning him and his brother at the orphanage and he was enjoying his life as an outlaw. The two things on his mind back then were how to have a good time and how to choose his next target. Everything else seemed trivial. But things were very different now. Anna had broken his heart, but before that, she taught him the value of love. He could still recall the warm feeling in his heart when he was with her. It was nothing like the cold, painful emptiness that overwhelmed him.
“Are you still with me over there?” Emily’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m here.” He mumbled.
“Good. We got company.” She announced, looking in the rearview mirror. “White van, three cars back. He’s been following us since we left the police station.”
“What the hell is it this time?” Jimmy groaned, as he checked the outside mirror on the passenger side.
“You were never good with dates.” Emily remarked with a toothy smile on her face.
“What’s that got to with the fact that we’re being followed?” His voice had turned into a high-pitched squeal.
“Nevermind.” She waved her hand in front of her face. “What are you going to do about your mother?”
“I’ll go visit her tomorrow. Em…?” Jimmy paused, turned his head to the left and faced her. “Have you met your real parents?”
“Yeah.” She chirped. “I was performing in Boston last year. They were in the audience. They came by my dressing room. I didn’t believe them at first. Then, they showed me some baby pictures of me. I had never seen them before. I was three months old when they gave me up. Jesus…” She whispered. “They were just kids when they had me.”
“What did you say to them?” Jimmy posed one more question.
“There’s nothing much to say.” Emily was quick to reply. “It got very emotional. We cried and I mean a lot.”
“How come you never told me about it?” He sounded upset.
“I’m sorry honey, I was too busy trying to mend your broken heart.” She laughed.
“Thanks a lot for that.” Jimmy said. “I owe you one.”
“No, you don’t.” She disagreed. “You owe yourself. We’re here.”
Located right on the River Walk, Drury Inn & Suites was tall and quite impressive. There were several restaurants on the narrow, bustling street between the hotel and the San Antonio River and dozens of very tall trees on the bank. But Jimmy did not bother checking the wonderful view of the river and the few boats that were in it at the time. He couldn’t wait to get away from all the noise. The terrace was guaranteed to be much quieter. Jimmy was so eager to get there that he got out of Emily’s car and left her behind. She had to sprint across the lobby, in order to catch up with him at the elevator.
“Jesus Jimmy, what’s gotten into you?” Emily asked as they stepped into the empty car.
“Sorry, Em. I just need that drink really bad.” He said, running his hand through his hair.
“Quick question: What happened on September 15, 1991?” She chirped, smiling up at him. Her big grin made Jimmy understand what she meant earlier. Indeed, Jimmy was terrible with dates. The date that Emily was referring to was her birthday. However, it was the day after.
“Damn it.” He murmured, banging his fist against the aluminum elevator panel. “I totally forgot. But, today is the 14th. You’re celebrating it tonight?”
“That’s right.” Emily nodded. “I haven’t celebrated my birthday in my birthplace in four years. I wanted to celebrate it with you. I’ve booked the terrace. We’ll have it all to ourselves tonight.” She continued, pushing the elevator door open.
“We, as in…?” Jimmy squinted at her. She only winked at him and walked up to massive, glass door of the terrace. Dying with curiosity, he followed her.
“Surprise!” The cheering voices of more than a dozen people tore the silence, as Emily opened that door. Several fireworks lit up the clear, San Antonio sky. For once, Jimmy was glad to hear woo-hoo’s and ye-ha’s. Emily looked up at him, over her left shoulder.
“That’s my band. They don’t know I knew.” She said with a big smile on her face.
“You scared me there.” He admitted. “I thought you had changed your mind again.”
“Nope. Not this time.” Emily claimed. Jimmy put his arms around her back, maintaining eye contact with her. He closed his eyes and kissed her on the forehead.
“This is your night. Go to them.” He urged. Jimmy stepped into the terrace and watched, as Emily joined her band. They were all smiles, hugging and kissing her. But one man stood out and judging by his looks, he was not a member of her band. The man in question was short, thin, quite old and he wore a tuxedo, whereas the rest of Emily’s band were casually dressed.
“Heeey!” He yelled, opening his arms, standing across from Emily, his voice hoarse. “Happy birthday, sugar!”
“Hiii, Wayne!” She sang. “Thank you so much.” A quick hug followed, before Jimmy joined them.
“Jimmy, this is Wayne Jamison. He
’s my manager. Wayne, this is Jimmy Holden.” She introduced them. Jimmy offered his hand, but Wayne preferred to scan him from bottom to top. He fixed his gaze on Jimmy’s face, as his lips curled into a razored smile.
“Holy shit!” He exclaimed, offering his hand for a polite handshake. “Emily said you were big, but dude…” He faltered. “You’re huge!”
“Nice to meet you.” Jimmy spoke in a polite tone.
“What do you do for a living?” Wayne was quick to ask, embarrassing Jimmy.
“He’s a bodyguard.” Emily interjected. “He just quit his job.”
“Actually, n…”
“Awesome!” Wayne cheered, interrupting him. “I fired my last bodyguard this morning. Normally, I’d ask you a shitload of questions, but Emily thinks highly of you. What do you say, son? Do you want the job?”
Once again, Jimmy did not know what to say. He was about to tell off Emily for lying about him, but the job offer made him think twice. It was a perfect chance for him to finally do something legitimate. It meant that he would follow Emily across the country. However, it also meant that he would leave San Antonio and his mother behind. More than that, he would have to give up on his dream of getting back together with Anna. Speechless, he kept staring at his smiling friend.
“Fifty-two thousand a year, plus benefits.” Wayne went on, tempting Jimmy to say “yes” immediately. But, before he could verbalize, Emily’s voice drew his attention.
“Excuse us.” She said, taking him aside.
“Em, a bodyguard? Really?” He wondered, bending his face towards her, trying hard to keep his voice down.
“Sorry, Jimmy. It just slipped my tongue. I didn’t know he’d fired his bodyguard.” She replied. “It’s a great job, really. It doesn’t pay so well, but you’ll travel a lot. And we’ll get to spend a lot of time together.”
“Yeah, but my mother is here!” Jimmy exclaimed.
“I was the one who told you about that, remember?” Emily remarked. “I mean, sure, if you stay here, you’ll get to see her a lot. But, if you want to do something legit, you’ll probably end up working at Wal-Mart. Anyway, think about it.”
