by Kylie Parker
“Yeah,” Jake affirmed, watching as relief flashed in his friend’s eyes. “She started it. I didn’t stop it, but that’s as far as it goes. She’s not the crazy girl you thought she was. In fact, I think she’s quite nice.”
“I’m just glad you didn’t nail her,” Clay maintained with a grin on his face as he patted his friend on the back. “You didn’t do exactly what I said, but it’s ok.”
“It’s not ‘ok’,” Jake disagreed. “I should have stopped her. I wasn’t thinking right.”
“It was just a kiss,” Clay smirked. “You’re hurting so much you would have let a freaking monkey kiss you. I got to go. Later.”
“See you, Clay,” Jake said, making his way back to his storage room. As he stepped onto the narrow corridor that led to it, however, he laid his eyes on a familiar face. He recognized her at once. It was Holly. Her sight brought back the painful scene of their breakup in an instant. He shut his eyes, dropping his gaze from her face as he bit his lower lip, in an obvious attempt to prevent himself from speaking, as he heaved a long, deep sigh.
“Um, hi,” She waved, hesitantly. “I still have the key to this door.”
“What are you doing here, Holly?” He asked her, his voice cracking as he started towards the door of his storage room.
“I read that report you left me,” Holly said, her own voice getting lower by the second, as she followed him.
“Good for you,” he muttered, staring down at the floor. “I’m pretty busy right now.”
“Jake, I’m sorry,” she whispered brokenly, melting his heart, as he felt her hand on his right shoulder. Still, he would not face her. “I should have let you explain.”
“Yeah…” he whispered with a bitter smile on his face as he blinked back his tears.
“Please, look at me,” Holly urged, her voice a tender, almost inaudible, whisper. “Please.”
A tear streamed down his face as he obliged. The sight that greeted him made his heart sink. Holly’s lips were trembling. Thick tears had pooled in her big, playful eyes and her face was twisted in fear and pain.
“I lost my faith in you, baby,” she whispered, raising her hands to his face. “God, I’m so sorry…”
“Did you ever believe in me?” He asked in a shattered voice as he gazed deeply into her eyes. “Did you ever trust me?” His questions put her in a difficult position. She wouldn’t speak; Holly squeezed two tears out of her eyes, caressing his face. Closing his own eyes, he savored her featherlike touch, knowing in his heart that he would not feel it again. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’,” he answered himself quietly, his voice thick with emotion, as his tears soaked her thumbs.
“Please, don’t be mad at me,” Holly whispered once more, as a tear rolled off her face. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“Mad at you?” Jake’s voice went up an octave, as he leaned over her. “I’m disappointed in you. The little…” he paused and bit his lower lip; “the little angel on my shoulder turned against me.”
“I didn’t mean to,” She sighed, shaking her head sideways. “I love you, Jake. I miss you…”
“No, Holly,” He forced an emphatic tone into his voice. “You don’t. If you love someone, you trust him. You just admitted you never did.”
“I can’t imagine my life without you,” she sniffled, as her right hand slid down his face and his chest, “without this face; without this heart; your kind heart, Jake.”
“You failed me,” He let out a deep, painful whisper, as more tears streamed down his face. “You thought I was false.”
“Don’t take this away from me,” Holly’s pleading voice flooded his heart with sorrow. “Don’t throw away something you know is so good.”
“You did that the other night,” Jake responded, his voice wobbly, as she stroked his cheeks.
“Baby, please don’t…” He didn’t allow her to finish her sentence. Overwhelmed with emotion, he lifted his hand and put his fingers over her moist lips. Then, he bent his head down towards her and pushed his forehead onto hers.
“Goodbye, Holly,” He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut, as he laid a soft kiss on her forehead. Her grip loosened, before she dropped her arms. Jake moved around her and walked out of the storage room, her painful screams echoing back at the walls of the hallway. Part of him wanted to go to her, hug her, kiss her and tell her everything was fine between them. But he would do no such thing. Her lack of faith had broken his heart. To him, she was now a completely different person than the girl who had captured his heart. The Holly he had fallen in love with had protected him from himself, helped and supported him. She had nothing to do with the enraged woman who had accused him of being unfaithful to her.
“Don’t say that word, girl. You never loved me. I can see that now. If you did, you’d have given me a chance to defend myself. But, you didn’t. You never trusted me, not even when I said I would never get back together with her. I’m sorry, Holly. You let your insecurities wreck what we had…”
27
Jake’s emotional scene with Holly filled him with an uncontrollable urge to confront the person responsible for the end of their relationship. He contacted Logan International Airport but, sadly for him, all the flights to Washington for the next two days had been booked. He couldn’t wait that long. If he wanted to come face-to-face with Allison, he would have to endure an exhausting, nine-hour drive. In spite of that inconvenience, though, his desire to have some sense of closure prevailed. Jake was desperate to humiliate his ex-girlfriend in front of her colleagues at the Pentagon. For him, it was an ideal revenge for what she had done to him. It didn’t matter to him that he would have to drive through the night or that he would most likely have to keep his bar closed the next day. The idea of paying Allison back dominated his mind.
So, later that night, he left the small town of Adams behind him, with a heavy heart and the taste of his tears still strong in his mouth.
“It’s time you paid for what you did, Allie. Damn… There’s something I never thought I would think. But, you left me no choice. You’re not the woman I remember, Allison. You were kind, sweet, sensitive… Now, you’ve turned into a manipulative bitch, which has no problem pretending everything’s fine. I mean, you acted as if you had done nothing wrong, but, all this time, you’ve been plotting on how to break me up with her. Congratulations. Holly was gullible enough to believe that crap.”
The long drive took its toll on him. Jake was very tired, but he was so determined to confront Allison that he would not stop. Almost nine hours later, as the massive structure of the Pentagon came into view, a rush of adrenaline forced his drowsy eyes open. The long identification process annoyed him, but he wouldn’t let that deter him. Finding himself on the second-floor C ring, he felt his pulse rising. Jake strode quickly past quite a few offices, before noticing the young blonde, sitting at her desk. Unfortunately, however, she was all alone.
“Jake!” She exclaimed, surprise written all over her face, as she jumped from her seat. “What a pleasant surprise!”
“Really?” He said sarcastically, slamming the door behind him.
“Of course it is!” Allison chirped, smiling up at him as he sauntered towards her. “What brings you over here?”
“Did you take up acting while you were in Iraq?” Jake raised his tone, stopping in front of her. “Because I’ve got to tell you, I’m impressed, I really am.”
“I’m not following you,” she claimed, as her smile disappeared. Her response made his blood boil in his veins. Still, as exhausted and frustrated as he was, he could not even yell at her.
“The pictures, Allie,” he said, his tone firm. “The pictures you sent to Holly.”
“What pictures?” She asked as she squinted at him.
“Look, I’m a little too tired to play games,” He made his voice sound sweeter, as the stiffness of his face vanished. “Did you send her any pictures of us having sex or not?”
“No!” Allison yelled, looking deep into his eyes; “Of course not! What kind
of person do you think I am?”
His initial thought was to insist, but the fact that she had maintained eye contact and her tone of outrage were enough to convince him. However, her negative response puzzled him. Now, he had no idea who had sent those pictures to Holly.
“I’d rather not answer that,” Sadness lingered in his voice.
“Please take a moment and think about how absurd this sounds.” She maintained her presentation voice. “I apologize to you for all the crazy things I did in Adams on our flight home, and then I do something so hideous?”
“I had rejected you, Allie,” Jake groaned. “Why shouldn’t you? I mean, it wouldn’t be completely new to you, would it?”
“Okay, I deserve that,” She said, nodding at the same time. “But, I wouldn’t do that to you. What would I have to gain?”
“Then who the hell sent her those pictures?” He resumed his deep, bossy tone, intensifying his stare.
“Oh, God…” She sighed in despair, dropping her gaze from him. “When we got back from Iraq, I discovered my laptop had been stolen. The hotel manager said a couple of teenagers took it. He tried to catch them, but he was unable to do so. I was furious. I threatened to sue the hotel. But then, the strangest thing happened: I was about to check out, when this kid left my laptop case at the reception desk. He left very quickly; I didn’t get a chance to talk to him.”
“So, we’re back to square one,” Jake sighed.
“Not quite,” She rejected that notion, as her eyes sparkled with excitement. “The laptop’s in my car. I’m going to hand it over to the lab rats, see what they can find. Good enough?”
“That would be great,” He gave her an appraising nod. “Thanks.”
“Go get some sleep,” Allison suggested. “You look terrible. The results may take a while. I’ll call you when I have something, okay?”
“I will,” Jake assured her. “Thanks again.”
Her willingness to assist surprised him. Jake would have given up hope, had it not been for her suggestion. Nevertheless, it didn’t take him long to realize that the one behind everything was a military man or at least someone who knew exactly where to find her laptop.
“I wonder if there’s something you’re not telling me, Allie. How many people knew you’d be staying in a hotel in the middle of God’s nowhere? I’m pretty sure it’s someone close to you. You might even consider him a friend. Whatever… I’m not going to ask you. You’ve agreed to help me out. I’ll ruin it if I start asking questions.”
28
Jake’s exhaustion prevented him from leaving the capital. He was forced to spend the rest of the day in a nearby hotel, anxiously waiting for Allison’s phone call. Much to his disappointment though, it never came. He had no other option but to drive back to Adams.
Eighteen hours, I've spent, driving back and forth from Adams in less than two days: lucky me.
Halfway through the trip, he turned on the radio, hoping that a few, fine tunes would take his mind off of his ordeal. As soon as he did however, the melodic, acoustic guitars that filled his ears reminded him of the night he had been trying to forget. The song was none other than MSG’s “When I’m gone”.
“More irony,” he thought to himself. Luckily for him, it was only seconds from being over.
“You’re listening to ‘Broken Hearts Encore’,” A low, feminine voice spoke. “Holly, I do hope you work things out with Jake. Jake, if you’re listening: please give her a second chance.”
“Yeah, because some radio chick said so,” Jake grumbled.
“This next one is dedicated from Holly to Jake. It’s also one of my personal favorites. Here’s Scorpions’ ‘Send Me An Angel’.”
“An angel…” He whispered, as the melodic introduction of the famous, sensual, ballad reminded him of their first kiss. In a split second, her words that night flashed through his mind. He felt again Holly’s caring touch, saw the puzzled look in her eyes as he called out her name and then, the moment that had been engraved deeply in his heart: their kiss in the pouring rain. It was sheer magic. Amid lightning and thunder, they lost themselves in each other’s embrace, living for the moment. Here with Klaus Meine’s magnificent voice ringing in his ears, he took one more trip down memory lane, as tears rose up in his tired eyes…
The wise man said just walk this way
To the dawn of the light
The wind will blow into your face
As the years pass you by
Hear this voice from deep inside
It's the call of your heart
Close your eyes and you will find
The passage out of the dark
Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star
The wise man said just find your place
In the eye of the storm
Seek the roses along the way
Just beware of the thorns
Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star
The wise man said just raise your hand
And reach out for the spell
Find the door to the promised land
Just believe in yourself
Hear this voice from deep inside
It's the call of your heart
Close your eyes and you will find
The way out of the dark
Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star
Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star
Hot, thick tears were running down his face, as the Scorpions’ ballad faded out. Jake couldn’t deny it to himself: he still loved Holly; but the pain of her distrust was still too fresh. He had no idea if he could ever get over it. A song dedication was not enough for him to change his mind. Holly had expressed her regret many times already, but had not once said that she would trust him from then and on.
Hours later, he reentered Adams. As his bar came closer, it became clear to him that something was very wrong. Every light in it was on, including the two, large chandeliers on the ceiling. More than that, each and every one of “The Golden Saviors” motorcycles was parked outside.
“Clay, you son of a bitch… I hope you’ve not turned my bar into a crack house.”
Jake jumped out of his SUV and rushed towards the entrance. However, his negative thoughts quickly fled his mind. In spite of what he suspected, there was no music on whatsoever. As a matter of fact, all he could hear throughout his short sprint was loud chatter and laughter. He ran through the door, only to find Clay’s crew, drinking and obviously having a good time. They were not alone. Jennifer was there as well, working on what appeared to be his laptop.
“Alright, what the hell is this?” His stentorian voice rumbled like thunder, his chest rising up and down.
“Sorry about the door, brother,” Clay winked at him, rising from his seat. “We’ll pay for the drinks. Jennifer had a hunch. We came here to check it out.”
“What kind of hunch?” He asked, turning his face to the left to face her.
“That you’ve been hacked,” she replied, rolling her gaze up to meet his. “This laptop is always facing the window. And, judging by the amount of dust I saw on it the other night, you never close the lid. I was right. The guy who hacked into your laptop used your wireless connection and the onboard camera to spy on you. He knew Jensen was here that night. That’s why he tried to pin this on you. It gets better. I was able to hack into his system. Remember those four pictures that were used to create the one you gave me? I found them. I’ve pinpointed his location. He’s in old Sherman’s flourmill, two and a half miles east of here.”
Jake did not speak. Eager to finally discover the identity of the man who had unraveled his life, he flipped around and stormed out of his bar. Clay
tried to talk to him, but his words passed by him unheard. He had been waiting for this moment for far too long; he wouldn’t let anything or anyone stop him.
“Alright you motherfucker,” he said to himself, starting the engine of his SUV. “Let’s dance.”
All four tires screeched and picked up smoke, as he drove off. The nervousness prior to every mission paled before the one that had already overwhelmed him. Sensing his blood pumping through his veins, Jake set off on perhaps the most important drive of his life.
“Wait till I get my hands on you, you sick fuck. You’re going to pay for everything you’ve put me through. You’ve cost me my Holly, you goddamn piece of shit. By the time I’m done with you, you’re going to beg me to stop. Who are you, you son of a bitch? Who the hell are you? We know him, Jake. Allison knows him, too…”
The flourmill Jennifer was referring to had been abandoned for years. Jake eased on the breaks and turned off his SUV’s headlights, as he turned into the dusty, deserted plot. Quietly, he opened his door and stepped outside, taking a few, furtive looks around him. The starlight helped him locate the front door of the large, aging structure. His shoes sank into the mud, as his slow footsteps brought him closer. A sliver of gold light was peeking through the partially open door.
He pushed it open, feeling his heart thumping in his chest. The sight before him sent shockwaves coursing through his body. Allison was tied to a chair further inside the room, surrounded by computer monitors. Her mouth was duct-taped shut. Moreover, the wall behind her was lined with smaller and bigger pictures of her. Her muffled screams sent shivers of fear slicing through him. Just when he was about to say something, he felt the cold, steel barrel of a gun, pressing against his right temple.
“Captain Isaacs,” a familiar, manly voice filled his ears. He recognized it at once. It belonged to his good, old friend, Austen Rivers. “How nice of you to join us,” he continued, kicking a chair towards Allison. “Have a seat.”
“Rivers,” Jake said through gritted teeth, heading towards the chair. “I saved your ass.”
