#juleesiswriting

I shook my head slightly to break the train of thought. I couldn't think about Jake that much now, he was my weakness and weakness wasn't allowed right now. We went to the flower stand and as I was looking around, my favorite flowers caught my eye. I took a bundle and smelled them, a lump forming in my throat immediately. The memory of Jake watching me here back then came flooding back. He was a stranger and yet I felt drawn to him in a way. The corners of my mouth twitched up briefly, but I immediately put my face back to normal.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and put the flowers back as Alan wasn't going to buy them for me anyway. Alan had his back to me, and he was talking to someone, but I couldn't see who it was as he was completely hidden by Alan. I wanted to take a closer look, but suddenly I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. I could already guess who it was, but I turned around to confirm my suspicion. In front of me was a red-haired beauty and I saw relief on her face. I put my arms around her, and she hugged me tightly to make sure I was really in front of her. I heard her sigh joyfully. The last time we saw each other was before I was kidnapped and held captive.

I wanted to detach myself from the hug, but Jessy wouldn't allow it. "MC, Jake told us everything. Everything. Would you explain to me why you are with him?” She whispered in my ear. The way she pronounced the word him sent chills down my spine.

I leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "I know what I have to do. Please be on standby, Jessy. You're the only one I trust completely." She loosened her grip, and I broke the hug. She put her hands on my cheeks and wiped my tears from my face with her thumbs. I didn't even realize that I started to cry. She gave me a compassionate smile.

"You can't let him see you cry. You can do it, I'll always have your back. You are so incredibly strong.” She took my hand while saying this.

Jessy looked so innocent and sweet, but when it came to her loved ones, she knew no bounds. When she cast her eyes on Alan, I saw pure hatred blazing in her irises. She hated this man like no other person in this world. I knew she would do anything to help me, and I was beyond grateful for that.

"Listen, I'll try to persuade him that I can meet you. I miss you and I could really use a girls day,” I sighed.

She knew that when I said girls' day, I didn't mean a normal girls' day. We wanted to catch up. I saw that Alan had finished his conversation and was approaching us. He put his arm around my waist. "Hello Jessica," he said cold as a stone.

Jessy rolled her eyes and I spoke to Alan, "Alan, I'd like to go with Jessy. She's on her way home and I haven't had a chance to meet her. I'd just like to have some girl time with her."

He took my chin in his fingers and looked deep into my eyes, scanning me. I sighed softly and my eyes softened, getting the answer I wanted. "Only if you promise to come back. I'm worried, you're not fully recovered."

He drove me crazy with his care. It was his fault that I felt so bad. Take a deep breath, MC! You have to pull yourself together if you want to reach your goal and get back to Jake. Since getting back together with Alan I've had serious problems controlling my temper. Knowing that I was pretending to love the man who put me through all the torture made me frustrated.

"Don't worry, I'm feeling pretty good today and besides, Jessy is with me,” I said shortly. I just couldn't speak long sentences with this man without losing my temper.

Out of the blue he took my face in his hands and kissed me firmly but sweetly on my lips. I kissed him back, I had to keep up my acting. I wanted this kiss to end, but Alan let the kiss deepen. What was the matter with him? I opened my eyes and saw that he was looking to the right. I followed his gaze and my heart shattered into a million pieces.

Jake stood there and his eyes were on us. He didn't even grimace, but there was pure pain in his eyes. His eyes made my heart clench painfully. Alan was really enjoying Jake's suffering and I broke the kiss abruptly. Alan glared at me, but I smiled sheepishly, "Alan, you know I'm not that fond of kissing in public." That was the truth, Jake respected my opinion and wouldn't kiss me in public.

Alan stroked my cheek, "Sorry, my feelings for you took over for a moment."

Fucking liar. I didn't understand what that was about, did he want to see Jake suffer? He didn't seem to realize I saw Jake and I took advantage of that. I kept acting the innocent woman in love with Alan. I said goodbye to Alan and when I turned around, I saw Jessy buying some flowers. She gave me a bunch of my favorite flowers and my eyes shone with joy, "Oh Jessy, that wasn't necessary. Thank you!"

On the way to the carriage, I saw Jake walking towards my father's trade business with his head bowed. He avoided my eye contact, and it broke my heart. I had broken his heart in the worst possible way. I began to have doubts as to whether he would even want me back once I had achieved my goal.

As we got into the carriage my lips started to tremble, Jessy already noticed from the outside of the carriage that I was watching Jake. She put her arm around me, and I let my head rest on her shoulder, exhausted.

"So, I'm waiting for an explanation. I know you know he was behind it all. Why are you with him?" She asked when the carriage took off.

I sighed shakily and tilted my head back. "You're right. I know it and I hate his every touch. Every time his lips touch mine it sends a shiver down my spine. But I have to go through this if I'm going to have a quiet life with Jake.” I pulled the ring out of my corset and held it in my hand, my eyes shining as I looked at it. “The question is if he even wants me back.” I spoke my thoughts out loud.

"Oh, my love, you still love him?” she asked happily. "Everyone thinks you don't love him anymore, including him. He needs to know that!"

"No!" I protested heatedly. "He mustn't be involved, do you hear me? And earlier he walked in the direction of my father's business. Something tells me that my father is helping him on the right path.”

Jessy shook her head, "Don't you want to give him at least a glimmer of hope?" She bit her lip, and I could tell immediately that she was holding back something. I ignored it.

"He doesn't need that, if I judge my parents correctly, they will have already given him hope. And if my assumption is right and my father really helps him to get back on the right path, then it would be more than wrong to involve him in it,” I said while bringing my head back to a normal position and avoiding Jessy's gaze.

I hid the ring again and let out a bitter sigh. What did I do in my previous life that my current life is such a mess? I treated the ring like a religious artifact. A talisman. A lucky charm.

Jessy watched me and she realized, "He doesn't fully trust you yet, does he?”

"No, I can tell by his behavior. He still checks me everywhere and I wouldn't be surprised if he even sent someone to check if I'm really going with you. So, you know if we get to you soon, then there will be acting!"

She started giggling and I joined in, after a while the carriage stopped, and we got out. Arm in arm we walked into the house, giggling. As soon as the door slammed shut, our giggles stopped, and we got serious. She took me in her arms again and let out a soft sob, I stroked her back soothingly.

"He stopped by our place," she said softly, resting her chin on my shoulder. "He doesn't think you don't love him anymore. He thinks he can't give you the life you deserve and that's why you left him."

That was the coup de grace for me. Jake was more than hurt, he really thought he wasn't enough for me. All my dams broke, and I burst into bitter tears. I clawed Jessy's back and she pressed me even tighter in a reassuring way.

"He only thinks that because I told him Alan could offer me a better life. Oh god what have I done! For a short time, I was disappointed in him for hiding this dark secret from me. I'm no better if he knew what kind of secret I was carrying."

"Hush. Calm down for now, ok? I'm here and we can talk, ok?” She held me in her arms while I shed my tears. She started rocking us back and forth and at some point, I giggled because I felt a bit silly. She pulled away from me and took my shoulders in her delicate hands, "You are such a strong woman! I don't even know how you stand it all. You've already been kidnapped twice and each time a man was a reason. Your father was the reason for your first kidnapping, and Jake was the reason for your second. I hope there isn't a third party!"

I had to giggle even though it wasn't funny at all. She was right, somehow men put me in danger. She looked at me in shock, probably because I was giggling. Shortly thereafter, I lost myself in thoughts about my first kidnapping. The memories flooded me like a giant wave.

"Ok, I see. Let's sit down and you tell me everything. Did you ever talk about your first kidnapping?"

"No, never. I don't want to burden anyone with this,” I answered quietly.

"Come on, tell me. I'm listening, you know we've been through a lot." She took my hands in hers and her face was so open, it was enough for me to burst out.

"I was kidnapped at night. They somehow managed to break into our house, I wanted to scream, but they immediately stuffed a rag in my mouth. I didn't stop thrashing around. At some point it was enough for one of the kidnappers and he hit me on the head with something, so I lost consciousness.”

Jessy squeezed my hands tightly, which gave me some support. I continued, "I woke up tied to a chair and they told me that my father had some kind of debt. They must have left a threatening letter offering an exchange. My father pays the debt and gets me back in exchange. They wouldn't tell me what kind of debt he had, but I didn't believe them either. They tortured me and kept sending my parents small gifts.”

"Gifts?" Jessy asked unsuspectingly.

"Not normal gifts. It started quite harmlessly at first, they just pulled my hair out and brought it to my parents. At some point they removed one of my fingernails and brought it to my parents. They always brought these little gifts at night and displayed them on their doorstep. I mean, how nice can a morning start for parents when they find their daughter's fingernail nicely wrapped on their doorstep? At some point they cut off my scalp like a slice of cheese and sent it to my parents, I got a scar from it.”

I turned my back to Jessy and lifted my hair on the right and showed her the bald spot with the scar. Hair never grew back there. She gasped and was shocked she had never noticed.

"Jessy, how are you supposed to notice? I usually wear my hair down and if I have a different hairstyle, I cover it up."

She nodded glumly, "What happened when they did that?"

"Nothing at first, they also tortured me like that, just for fun. Mostly psychological, they held a knife to my neck and threatened to kill me, enjoying the fear in my eyes. But it was always just empty threats, but I didn't understand that at the time, and I was terribly afraid afterwards.”

"This is so horrible, how long were you trapped there and how did you get free?" She asked as she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and hugged me tightly.

"Five days and the debt has never been paid as my father personally released me. At that time, he came into my room completely out of breath and freed me from my bonds. He was different. I don't know how to describe it, Jessy."

"How different do you mean? Hey you're shaking, calm down. Don't rush, take your time.”

After ten minutes I stopped shaking and stared at the opposite wall. "My father... His eyes were so dark and so empty. At the same time, I saw relief on his face when he saw me. None of the men who tortured me were anywhere to be seen. My father got me home as fast as he could. He didn't answer any of my questions and just told me everything was fine. I was treated by a doctor and for days I kept asking my father what his debts were.”

“What did he say?” Jessy asked, concerned.

"He said they lied, he never had any debts, and it was just unhappy customers."

"And you believed him?"

"No, but I never asked again as he would never tell me the truth."

"It seems everyone has some dark secrets, even the two of us," giggled Jessy.

“White Night,” I whispered, reminiscing.

"Mhm, exactly. I have to say I miss our time there at times, but I would never trade my life now for that life.”

"If Jake found out I worked for a secret service that takes people down. Oh saint.”

"But then he would understand why it was so easy for you to leave him. We've been trained to ignore other people's feelings for just such missions.”

"I know it's not usually difficult for me, but Jake is the first man that has truly won my heart and made me weak."

"That's how I felt with Walter at the time. The love for him was stronger than my will to stay in this service."

I saw how Jessy closed her eyes, I did the same. We put ourselves back to that time, I will never forget the time back then, especially because that's where I met Jessy for the first time.

.......................................

Once again, we took down a criminal, it's always been like that here. A sleazy asshole who presented himself as a good businessman but only exploited the poor and stole even more. We only ever brought down those who did evil.

Here we were in our hiding place, a shabby wooden hut in the woods. As we planned how to take down the next one, there were a few reports again that someone was torturing the poor people because they couldn't pay their bills on time. I always got angry when I heard stuff like that. People already had nothing and worked hard just to afford enough food and then there comes this rich bastard who can afford anything and tortures these poor people.

Jessy and I were assigned to track him down and bring him to our hiding place. The boss wanted to take care of him personally, so there was probably something private involved. In the evening Jessy and I found each other in a bar. The whole time we were looking for the man, Jessy kept looking at a brown-haired man who looked back at her. After a while I pretended to leave earlier. I nodded to her where he was sitting, and she swung her hips and sat down next to him. Jessy has always attracted everyone's attention and so we decided that she should seduce him.

I was standing around the corner when I heard Jessy's voice and a strange male voice, I knew that my mission had come. I came out of hiding and hit him on the back of the head with a rock, not too hard. Just so he lost consciousness. The boss gave us a carriage that we could use to transport him. We put him on the back seat of the carriage, and we sat down in front and set off. When we got to our hideout, we dragged him into the cabin and took him to the room our boss had asked us to use.

He sent us out, he wanted to do it alone. I didn't ask any questions, but before long we heard bitter cries of pain. He tortured him, something must have happened between the two personally. Jessy was sitting in another room, I went to her and saw her staring at the wall, lost in thought.

I sat down next to her and asked, "What do you think he's doing to him?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, but I don't care." At first, I thought she was mad because she wasn't allowed to be there, but I saw that she had a small smile on her face.

"It's the brownie from the bar, isn't it? I saw your looks, my dear."

She put her hand over my mouth, her eyes wide, "Hush!" I understood, I got up and closed the door. I sat down next to her, and we whispered despite the door being closed. Love was not allowed in this service as it made you weak. You had to be able to think neutrally and not be influenced by love.

She began to relate, "I bumped into him in the market. I almost threw his bread down but was able to catch it. I apologized a hundred times, but he kept saying it was ok. He was so nice and so understanding. We met again and again at the market, I noted his times when he went to the market and at some point, he bought me a bouquet of flowers. That's when I knew that he too was coming to the market regularly at the same time on purpose. Well, tonight in the bar, that was him. I just couldn't take my eyes off him, not only because he's handsome, but also because I just can't get him out of my head. The meetings in the market were like little dates, I would like to give it a chance, but as long as we are in this service it doesn't work, and I don't want to leave you alone.”

"Jessy, you know I follow you everywhere," my voice got even quieter. "When do you want to leave here?"

She looked at me with big grateful eyes, "You would really take that risk for me?"

"Of course, Jessy. You're my best friend and I didn't intend to spend the rest of my life here either." I took her hands in mine and squeezed them lightly to show her my support.

"Tonight? Let's leave the White Night tonight,” Jessy said.

“Deal,” I said smiling. It was decided. Tonight, we will leave the White Night service. Since it was hunting time again at the moment, we didn't come home. We all slept here, and I hated lying to everything and everyone at home. Once a year we are trapped here for two weeks, and we bring down one by one.

We went to sleep and waited for the boss to go to sleep. We had already packed our things and when it was quiet in the hut, we got up quietly. We snuck out of the bedroom and tiptoed to the front door. We heard heavy footsteps, and we knew immediately who it was. I held my index finger to my lips to tell Jessy not to give a peep. We hugged the wall as tightly as we could and held our breath. My heartbeat quickened as the footsteps stopped in front of the open door. Luckily for us, there was another pillar on the wall so he couldn't see us.

The steps came closer, and he murmured, "The door is usually always closed. Hello?"

I closed my eyes and cursed myself. How could I forget to close the door? He walked into the door frame and grabbed the doorknob and closed the door. When the footsteps became quieter, we breathed a sigh of relief and left the hut as quickly as possible.

We ran through the woods in the middle of the night until we got to town. Jessy was so happy that she turned several times in circles with outstretched arms and cheered, "So this is what freedom feels like!"

I giggled and joined in her joy, and we held hands and twirled each other in circles. We celebrated our newfound freedom. My heart did a little jump of joy. I just couldn't stop smiling. Jessy laughed and took my shoulders in her hands, "You will be my maid of honor if we should work out!"

I smiled and I nodded happily like a little kid, "Oh Jessy, I would love to do that!"

We made our way home, it was early in the morning when we got home. Jessy went to her house and I to mine. When I entered our house, I heard my parents in the kitchen, they were eating breakfast. Their conversation ended when the door slammed behind me. Immediately, the kitchen door sprang open, and my mother hugged me tightly. I told them what had happened, and I saw relief but also concern on their faces. It might not have been the best idea to just flee.

……………...........................

Jessy and I came back to the present and we started laughing, but concern graced her face. She looked at me questioningly, "I'm surprised the boss never looked for us." I bit my lip and immediately her eyes almost popped out, "Wait! You know something I don't know about!"

"Damn it," I sighed. "I met the boss in town a month ago."

"What?!" She exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"I'm sorry, I was so stunned by what he said to me that I had to process it myself and then all things happened." I hung my head and was terrified that Jessy would be mad at me.

She lifted my head by taking it in her fingers, "Then tell me now."

"He babbled and told me that he had a wife with a child at home. He immediately regretted it when he saw my victorious smile on my lips. I threatened him that if he hurts us or anyone, we are close by a hair, the rest of the service will find out about his little secret. He said he has his eyes everywhere, but he trusts us because we haven't told anyone about it either. At least that's what he thinks. He doesn't know that my parents know or Walter.”

"And it should stay that way.”

"But I swore to myself I'd tell Jake, he deserved it,” I said agonized.

"If you want to tell him I'll have your back, ok? Once again you made sure that I can lead a normal life."

“I'm so glad you joined this goddamn service, as soon as I saw you, I knew I wanted to be friends with you,” I confessed.

She then just took me in her arms. Jessy loved hugs, but I had no problem with that. I put my arms around her, and I giggled. I was happy again for the first time. But the thought of going back to Alan immediately made my joy vanish.

"Jessy, how far would you go for me to reach my goal?"

"Regarding Alan?"

I just nodded and looked at her.

"I would walk over corpses,” she said sternly. That was enough for me, no matter what I had in mind Jessy would help me.

Jessy winced when there was a knock on the door, "Oh crap! How could I forget that?"

"What did you forget?"

"Your parents wanted to come over. They wanted to see if I had heard or seen anything from you. I have a hunch they're going to bring-“ Jessy was interrupted by a voice that was all too familiar to me, "Jessy?"

"Jake," I whispered, shocked. Jessy motioned for me to be quiet as she walked towards the door. You couldn't see me from the front door.

She opened the door, "Jake, what are you doing here?"

"I'm supposed to bring this from Charles. He says it'll be later, he thinks we won't be able to until tonight.

“We?” Jessy asked confused.

“Yes, we. I'll come with them, I want to know everything too. Can't you tell me now if you've heard from MC?"

"Jake, this is not a good time. Please come back tonight."

"Jessy, you saw it today at the flower stand too! How they kissed. Or should I say how Alan kissed MC?"

"How may I understand that?" Jessy continued to act as if she didn't know anything.

Jake raised his voice, "Oh come on! Everyone there could see that she didn't want that kiss.”

She sighed and spoke to herself, "Even nature tries to stop me."

Just as her instincts were winning her internal battle, a shot rang out from far away. The fox from earlier ran timorously back into his hiding place and whimpered softly. Janice turned to face the shot and saw a thousand birds flee the area from the trees. All the birds fled from the horrific event. She shook herself and started walking again. Again and again she was stopped, whether it was by a wild animal living out its nightlife or whether it was a branch that fell to the ground. 

Mother nature didn't want her to go there.

"I have to do this! Please understand that!" she whispered into the wind. She didn't know who she was speaking to, whether it was nature, the universe, or her own mind. She only knew one thing, she was alone. She felt almost lost, knowing she might not  come back to her beloved son, Jake. She turned around one last time to take a look at her hometown. 

Duskwood.

There was nowhere to hide, as the city lights burned.

That's why the villains' hideouts were never found in the city. It would be far too easy to find them there. 

Another shot rang out, and by reflex she reached into the slit on the right side of her skirt and felt her gun under her garter. If Arthur found out that she stole his gun for this mission, no, he wouldn't find out. In fact, she knew she probably wouldn't need a gun at all, but that wasn't why she stole it. 

She wanted something of him with her.

From Arthur.

So she wouldn't feel completely lost and alone. 

She listened to the rush of water from the river beside her to steady her mind. The owls sang their songs and she listened to them with a smile as she walked on with firm steps. After she finally got rid of all negative feelings she went on.

What was she willing to lose?

She covered her wounds from the past, but underneath them a million voices in her head screamed, "Stop, now!" but she didn't listen. She tore herself from her peaceful life for this mission. She left all the thoughts for her loved ones at home so she could focus on the mission alone. 

She came closer and closer to the unfamiliar building. With a pounding heart, she entered her enemy's territory and climbed over the fence that surrounded  a cozy brown shack. Before attempting to enter the cabin, she snuck  a look around the property. 

At the entrance hung a wall lamp, in which a candle was close guttering out. The walls were very dark wood and ivy snaked up one of the square windows. In the reflection of a window she saw a flame blazing from a nearly burned out candle. To the right of the building were several carriages with horses. 

This was no ordinary bar. 

This was a whorehouse.

In the backyard, she heard two men arguing loudly.

"Why did you shoot her twice?"

"She was pregnant by me! You know what happens to married men who sleep with a prostitute!"

"Maybe you should have just held back, you miserable bastard! And how could you be so sure that she's pregnant by you, huh?"

"She was new here and I was her first guest."

"You are disgusting! Cheating on your loyal wife who would die for you. You should be punished with death!"

The man drew a pistol and pointed it at the married man. Janice decided to move from the scene. She had to concentrate. Just as she was about to enter the bar, a shot sounded, goosebumps spread over her skin. The poor woman had to die because of this disgusting man's horniness. She shook her head, said an inward prayer for the poor woman, and finally entered the bar.

Arriving at the bar, she heard the moaning of different women from different little rooms. No one seemed to mind, which was no wonder given how drunk all the men here were. She saw a man paying a prostitute, before they disappeared into a back room. 

It wasn't long before she was approached by a man. He offered her money and wanted to satisfy himself on her. He held out money to her and, not waiting, started kissing her neck. When she took the money from him, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a side room. He smelled of drugs, alcohol, and his eyes were slightly red. He was an easy target and she would pound him with questions.

As he locked the door behind him with the key, he turned to Janice, pushed her onto the bed behind her and climbed on top of her. He kissed her all over and ran his hand up her skirt, but faltered when he felt her garter and the gun on it.

"You are not a whore," he stated, looking at her with wide eyes.

"You guessed it, and now I want answers," she ordered while he was still lounging on her body. He didn't move, forcing her to bang her head against his. While both moaned in pain, she didn't let it stop her for long and kicked his crotch hard. He pulled away from her and jumped up, clutching his hand to his crotch, hissing in pain. She stood up, taking advantage of his vulnerability and flipped his body over with his back to the bed and kicked him in the stomach, dropping him onto the bed. She immediately mounted him and squeezed his hands under her knees while he pressed his lip tightly up in pain. She smiled softly at him and he swallowed hard, realizing his situation.

"First question, what kind of wine did you drink?"

"Wha- Why are you asking me such a weird question?"

"Answer me," she commanded. 

"Red wine!" He blurted out.

"There you go, very simple. Next question, what drugs did you take?"

"I didn't do drugs!"

She laughed mockingly. "Oh my dear, you can smell from miles away that you've been on drugs. So, I'm listening!"

"Who the hell are you?"

"None of your business. Answer me."

"I can't believe I'm asking this, but will you sleep with me in exchange for answers?" He asked.

She smiled softly at him. "But of course." She kissed him as a promise, he hummed deeply.

"Fine." He sighed. "It was the drug Madak. Happy now?"

"Not quite yet. Who are the drugs from?"

"By God's blood, I can't answer this!"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know!"

She eyed him critically and noticed that he was only telling half the truth. She put her right hand around his neck, squeezing and getting closer to his face, so close that she could feel his disgusting breath. She heard him swallow hard and knew he was scared.

"You better tell me what you know."

"What if I don't?" He asked with a smug look on his face.

She squeezed his neck so tight that he couldn't breathe at all. His eyes flickered, but just before he could pass out, she let go. 

"Again?" she asked.

He shook his head in panic while coughing and gasping for air miserably. After an eternity, he was breathing normally again, but still coughing occasionally. 

"Answer my question right now."

"I bought it from a strange man near the wharf. I really don't know more!"

"Good." She smiled. "Any last words?"

"What is with our deal? I will give you answers in exchange for sex with you!" 

"I don't remember signing anything. I feel sorry for your wife." She glanced at his hand, which was wearing a wedding ring on his ring finger. "But if she hears that your body was found in a whorehouse, she won't care."

"I am so sorry Cecilia," he sobbed. 

"Too late, darling." She choked him with both hands and put a pillow on his face.  She finally felt him collapse lifeless under her. She climbed down from him and searched him for money, taking it.  He wouldn’t be needing it any more. 

She heard voices from outside the door. Apparently the owner of the bar found this room too quiet. Janice ran to the window, opened it in no time and climbed out. When her shoes sounded on the wood of the terrace, she immediately ran to the other side of the yard where the horses and carriages were standing. She freed one of the horses from its carriage, climbed into the saddle and rode into the night, letting the darkness swallow her.

Panic broke out in the bar because Janice had murdered a corrupt businessman without knowing it. There was no trace of Janice. The last thing the bar owner heard was the horse's hooves on the gravel.

-----------------------

Janice rode through meadows, fields, gravel roads to finally arrive at her destination. The Wharfs. She got off the horse and miraculously the horse stayed for her. Janice was just good with animals and apparently she had already found a new friend.  She gave the horse an apple from a nearby apple tree, stroked its muzzle, and said goodbye. 

As she ran down the slope to the docks, she already heard several voices. She crept behind a large wooden trestle, crouching on the damp ground as she listened.

"Is this seriously everything you got for me?" A deep male voice asked heatedly. 

"I'm sorry, but you're not the only one buying from me."

"You can not be serious."

"I am serious,” he said in a calm but menacing tone.

"Next time you'll give me double!" He almost yelled.

A large fist came crashing down on the box behind which Janice was hiding. She flinched, but quickly gathered herself and regulated her breathing again. She couldn't allow herself to lose control now. She took a quiet deep breath and closed her eyes for a second to steady her pulse. Seconds later she heard the deep voice that seemed to belong to the boss again.

"Do you have any of  the latest drug, at least?"

"Yes, the drug to make someone unconscious."

"Very good. That will help me with some problems," the boss almost cheered.

Suddenly there was an awkward silence. So awkward it was almost dangerous. She heard the seller slip away and quietly ride his horse away. After the horse's hooves had stopped in the distance, only the splashing of water could be heard. Normally she would love and enjoy that sound, but right now there was no time to relax. A man came running down the slope with a hand signal that shocked the boss. 

When Janice tilted her head back, she saw the boss's chin. He stood directly in front of the box and looked towards the slope. She pressed even more against the heavy box and made herself as small as possible, not moving an inch. She even stopped breathing. Her situation worsened when the man finally told the boss what was going on.

"We found a carriage horse up the hill, but without a carriage. The pairs of lines were cut. We're assuming someone stole the horse to get here."

"This is not good. Keep your eyes open!" He kicked the box, making Janice flinch again. 

Just as he was about to look down, something distracted his attention and he walked away from the box. She exhaled in relief and snuck deeper into enemy territory to eavesdrop. 

Her heart was pounding in her chest, so loud she feared everyone would hear. 

"Angus what the hell are you doing here?" The boss asked.

Angus…

Jake's father…

What was he doing here?

Those were the thoughts that flew through her head. She felt the tears pool in her eyes and silently ran down her cheeks. He had lied to her. Angus lied to her. She thought he had always been honest with her, but she seemed to have been wrong. Everything she had suppressed on her way here overflowed like a full keg and big tears fell on the floor. Even though the two were no longer together, it hurt to know that he lied to her without batting an eyelid. 

No matter how hard she fought against it, her heart ached. She loved someone new now, but their love was forbidden. She didn't love Angus anymore, but it still hurt her. 

She let her emotions control her and made a fatal mistake.

"Angus…" She whispered loud enough for everyone to hear it.

The man in question snapped his head at her, eyes wide and a flash of concern. He still loved her, his eyes gave him away. Angus' heart was beating fast and burning tears pooled in his eyes, but he blinked them away. Unfortunately, the boss noticed that his eyes were directed elsewhere. 

The boss turned and caught her eye. He saw her and she saw him. Angus was like a copy of him. The jet black hair, those piercing blue eyes and that damn sharp jaw. 

I saw the remaining blood residue in my sink that was not washed away by the water. I cleaned up the remaining blood and burned my clothes in my oven as there was no point in trying to clean them.

A thousand thoughts ran through my mind, but they all ended in relief. We were able to save MC in time and the devil of the whole drama is finally dead. Jessy promised to take care of MC because she saw that I still had something to do.

I braced myself with both hands on the sink and lifted my head. I saw myself reflected in my mirror. It still wasn't over. We had to find the devil's father.

"Agnus Barnett," I whispered. "Where are you?"

It was maddening! I asked each of the Whispers if anyone had heard that name before. Nobody knew him, but there had to be someone.

He's got people he bossed around. He did not run this business alone, he had employees. This man knew how to hide himself. He was the master at hiding and running such a big business.

I couldn't do this alone, I needed help from someone I trusted 100%. Dan. I immediately made my way to Dan, although it was the middle of the night, he was always willing to help me. I walked to his house because I didn't want to draw attention to myself.

When I arrived, I knocked firmly on his door and he opened the door a little annoyed. "Can't you even wait until morning?" he asked me grumpily.

"No time," I hissed and immediately I saw regret on Dan's face. Not wanting to contradict me, he let me in.

He tiredly ran his fingers through his hair and got his clothes to change. I looked at him confused and he just raised an eyebrow knowingly. "I know that look, you didn't come here for a tea party."

It's been a while, but with this sentence, Dan actually managed to make me smirk. Dan got dressed and then approached me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You look like you just committed murder."

When he didn't get an answer, his eyes widened. "Shit, who did you kill?"

"Alan, finally. But that's another story. We have to find the devil's father."

I took the blame on myself first, I didn't want to implicate MC even though she ended up being the one who killed him.

Dan suddenly looked at me seriously, "Do you know anything? Did you find out anything?"

"No!" I almost yelled, desperate. "But someone has to know something. I want to keep Jake out of it so he can focus on his new business.

"Amy," Dan suggested. "She might know something, after all she adores Alan and would do anything for him."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Jake told me she said she saved MC. I don't really believe it, but one thing's for sure, she'd die for him. She doesn't have to know Alan's dead, but we can pressure her to do that her answers could save his life."

"I knew you would be of great help to me. Now we just have to find out where she is."

I was glad I turned to Dan, he was always reliable, even if he could be a bit grumpy at times. Now all we had to do was find out where Amy was. I could see that Dan was already brooding.

"Any idea where Amy might be? The prostitutes are all over town, it would take us forever to find her," I paused. "Wait! I have an idea. I'm sure Charlotte can figure something out."

Dan nodded and we made our way to my bar. Once there I found Charlotte at a table with a man. I gave her a knowing look and she said goodbye to the man and walked towards me.

"What do you need to know?" she asked, since she already knew that look from me.

"Find out where Amy is at the moment, nothing else matters for now."

She nodded and got to work. Dan and I went to my office and tried to think if we really didn't know Agnus.

It wasn't long before there was a gentle knock on my door. I opened the door and Charlotte's eyes looked at me proudly. She whispered, "There's some kind of brothel across town, that's where she works."

I thanked Charlotte and nodded for Dan to follow me. I put a staff member in charge of running the bar. As we walked out of the bar, we made plans for how best to get to Amy.

"We register like normal guests and say that we would like to see Amy. Simple and uncomplicated," said Dan.

I hesitated, "It's a good idea per se, but I don't want to be recognized. I don't need rumors."

"Then we'll dress up a bit. A hat and a fake beard will do," Dan said, and we made our way over to his house. After we dressed up, I had to smile a little. A beard didn't suit me at all, but I had to go through with it now.

We took a carriage and made our way to the other side of town. We parked the carriage and got out. We entered the strange building and arrived at some kind of reception. A black-haired woman was sitting at the reception and there were men everywhere, smartly dressed. It must be the pimps.

Dan addressed the lady, "We'd both like to see Amy."

I was expecting everything, but not her next words, "No need to be so formal here. Room 9, she'll do whatever you want."

I grinned internally. Will she also answer our questions?

We both looked for room 9 and found it. We knocked and a gentle voice called us in. As she turned around, she gulped hard. She recognized us.

"You're not here to consider my service and I was about to leave anyway."

Dan chuckled darkly, "The receptionist told us that you do everything for us. I'm sure you'll also answer a few questions for us."

"What do you want? I have a date with Alan!"

I roared laughing, "Oh, I guess this isn't going to work out."

"What does this mean?" she asked in panic.

Dan took a step towards her, "If you want to see your beloved prince, then answer our questions."

She sat on the bed, sighed, and gestured for us to ask."

"Where is Alan's father?" I fell right in with the door, I didn't want to waste any more time.

She looked at us in shock, "How do you know I work for him?" She immediately put her hand to her mouth.

"That's easier than I thought," Dan chuckled. She shook her head in disbelief at her own stupidity.

"So, you know more than we thought. Well, I'm waiting for an answer."

"I don't know. For heaven's sake, I'm just a prostitute. He won't tell anyone where he is, at least that's what Alan always tells me."

"But you know who works for him, give us a name and location of this person."

She hung her head and said nothing more. I was right, she knew who worked for him. Dan sat down in a chair and spread his legs. "Either you answer this question now or you have to satisfy me."

I saw disgust on her face, Dan didn't seem to be her thing at all, and he seemed to have noticed and taken advantage of it. He knew that she would never willingly touch him if he gave her the choice.

She walked up to Dan, putting each hand on his knees and looking deep into his eyes. "I've had to touch more obnoxious guys than you. Come on, take off your pants. I'll satisfy you."

Dan smiled. What was going on in his head? "That's your job, if you're supposed to please me then you're supposed to do all the work."

With that, she winced and made a gagging sound. "Fine! You won. The name is Poke, he sells his wares in a park, behind a shabby shack. I don't know what time he is there though."

"There you go," Dan said as he rose from his chair.

"Are you releasing Alan? I gave you answers!"

This time I chuckled darkly, "Oh he's been free for a long time."

She looked at us confused and so we left her. She was lucky that she was a woman and not a man. No matter how much I detested a woman, I don't hurt a woman's hair.

Dan and I left the building and took the carriage to said park. I felt we had a better chance of finding this poke at night. We pulled our fake beards off our faces and parked the carriage a little further from the park.

We sneaked through the park to the shabby shack. We heard a branch snap behind the shack and immediately I ran behind the shack and there was a stranger to me.

"Poke?" I asked.

"Jesus Christ, who told you my name? What do you want to buy?"

"Answers."

As he tried to run away, Dan grabbed his collar and pushed him against the back door of the shack and to our surprise the door swung open. Dan didn't hesitate and shoved him into the cabin where he slammed into the opposite wall. I followed Dan into the shack and locked the door from the inside.

When I turned around, I saw Dan standing behind the man, holding a knife to his neck. He was helpless at our mercy.

"So, Poke, I'll ask you questions and you'll answer them well."

He just nodded and flinched as the blade of the knife digged a bit into his neck from his nod.

"Where's Agnus?"

"I don't know," he said pleadingly.

"Lie!" I roared and looked around the shack. This seemed to be the gardener's hut, since only gardening tools were lying around here. Everyone knows garden tools are the best torture tools.

I took a smaller saw and took Poke's hand and sawed off his pinky. He cried out, but I slapped him, and he just whimpered while blood dripped onto the floor.

"Answer me or all your fingers will be off."

He didn't say anything, and I held the saw to his ring finger. A grinding noise arose as I took an extra long time on his bone. I looked deep into his eyes, but still got no answer, so I cut off his next finger.

The game went on until all his fingers were off and there was a puddle of blood beneath us. Tears streamed down his face, and I saw that he was about to finally answer me.

I put his fingerless hand in front of his eyes and put the saw on his wrist. "Last chance," I threatened him.

I began to rock the saw back and forth slowly, letting him watch as I sawed his wrist. I kept sawing but stopped when I sawed through his bone and left his hand hanging on a piece of skin. He saw his wrist swinging on a thread of skin in front of him.

I took his fingerless hand and yanked with all my might, skinning part of his forearm in the process. His wrist fell to the ground with a loud splash, and he cried out at the top of his lungs.

And he answered.

"Ah shit! He lives in a rather large mansion, he spends all day there and rarely leaves it. The villa is only guarded from the inside. It's very isolated. In the middle of the forest, there is no street and no house number."

"How many guards?"

"Five or six. Two stand right in front of his office. Two stand at the entrance of the house and there are usually two walking around the mansion."

He was getting weak, and I could see Dan using all his muscles to keep holding him up.

"End him," I said to Dan.

Dan dropped him on the ground, leaned over him and slit his throat. Blood spurted out of him and for a brief moment I saw gratitude in his eyes. I didn't really want to go that far, but the thought of Alan getting his drugs from his own father's business infuriated me. And those drugs he used on MC.

MC had never done anything to anyone but Alan, but he deserved it.

We left the cabin, we took the carriage to Dan's house and we planned to find Agnus before dawn. The thought of what Richy and Alan had done to MC brought out the inner beast in me.

We didn't bother to clean up, just thinking how to find this mansion in the vast forests. We decided to stop by Alan's house and see if we could find anything. Once there, we broke down his front door and searched everything. Dan winced when he saw the huge bloodstain on the floor.

I roughly explained to him what had happened, and that MC is now safe.

"Good thing that son of a bitch is finally dead," said Dan.

I just nodded when I found an envelope. Inside the envelope was a painting of a mansion, and Dan gasped. "I know this mansion, how could I forget that! I rode past the mansion."

We each took a horse and rode off, Dan leading the way. It was a long and difficult ride. So many hurdles, detours and strong currents. No wonder no one has found him on such a path. I saw the villa and we brought our horses to a stop and put them in a meadow where no one could see them. We gave them an apple to eat as a reward.

We made our way to the mansion, and as Poke said, it's not patrolled from the outside. Dan pressed something cold metallic into my hand. A pistol and a knife. I hid the gun in my holster and the knife in my belt pouch.

I don't care that we had to kill everyone in there to get to Agnus. We had to shut down the source to end this drug business. And the source was Agnus.

We entered the premises and crept to the large front door. As big as the door is, it was easy to break open.

In the foyer, two muscular men immediately ran toward us, but Dan and I each drew our knives and slit their throats in one motion. We didn't hesitate and went further into the villa, where we met another man. Dan stabbed the blade of his knife into his neck and life drained from him too.

A man attacked me from behind and choked me off, Dan didn't know how to act. No matter how he tried to attack the man behind me now, he would hurt me. I turned the knife over in my hand and just swung it back. I hit the man behind me as his grip on my neck loosened.

My knife was stuck in his stomach, I pulled it out with all my might and immediately slit his throat before he could start screaming. He gurgled and blood spurted out of his mouth.

I coughed and gasped, he had a strong grip on it.

"Son of a bitch," I cursed under my breath.

After my breathing settled, Dan helped me up and we walked up the stairs. At the top we arrived in front of a huge wooden door, it was powerful. Two men stood to the right and left of the door and unfortunately, they noticed us immediately.

"How did you guys get in here?" asked the man on the right.

"With a little help," Dan said, brandishing his bloodied knife in his hand.

He threw the knife and it hit the wall next to the man on the left. He sneered but stopped laughing when Dan aimed his gun at him and shot him in the head. Now we could make some noise, we were busted anyway, and Agnus knew we were here.

I walked a little towards the man on the right when suddenly another shot rang out and I felt a warm liquid splash on my face. The man in front of me sagged and Dan blew smoke from his gun.

I tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Wimp," I whispered to Dan, shooting the lock with my pistol.

The door opened and I saw an older man, but that black hair looked all too familiar. There sat the likeness of Alan.

He looked at us with wide eyes, for a brief moment I saw a flash of fear in them. But immediately I saw pure hatred in his eyes.

I wiped the blood from my mouth with my right hand and gave him a friendly smile like a businessman.

I had to look like a psycho.