It was early; early for someone with a raging hangover and still high off of cocaine. He sun hit his eyes like a laser, causing him to throw his hand up in disgust. "Fuckin' shit," he crooned getting up to shut the blinds. On his way to the window he tripped over a mound of beer bottles, condoms, cigarette butts, and a small mirror with coke residue on it. The noise caused the girl in his bed to yell out in protest to the noise. "The fuck are you still doin' here?" He turned to scowl at the girl as the shades fell to the windowsill with a loud bang.
"Spendin' the night, Jem. You fuckin' said I could, asshole," she barked back, rolling herself up into his sheets even farther. His blue eyes surged with rage. No one was supposed to spend the night with him. That was reserved for one girl only and the fuck if he knew where she was now. His head spun as the anger overrode his senses.
"You get your whore ass the fuck out of my bed right now," he spat, ripping the sheets off her. The girl yelped out of fear and stood bare assed before him. Her body was bruised in places with needle marks tracking the insides of her arms. Her blonde hair was a ratted mess and her body odor was even worse than the sight. "You know my damn rules, Mandy." She rolled her eyes at him and threw a worn out, stained hoodie with baggy jeans on.
"It's Jessica, you fuckin' prick. At least get my name straight if you're gonna be an ass. You called me Kate almost all fuckin' night and now my name is Mandy? For a playboy, you're a pretty shitty one if you ask me." She stormed out past him and slammed his front door on the way out. Jem sat down on his bed, combing his dark blonde hair between his hands, he stopped at the nape of his neck, rubbing his tattoo of a fighting Irishman. The name Kate haunted him even his drugged out stupors. He would never forgive himself for what he did to her. She was supposed in his bed at night, she was supposed to be in his bed holding him close, in the kitchen making him breakfast, humming random music, and helping clean up his mess of a room.
Before he could stop himself he pulled a worn down picture out of his nightstand. His eyes traced the girls face, her bright green eyes, her long, curly light brown hair, her square jaw… he felt his eyes swell at the smile on her face. It had been 10 years since he had last seen her and as far as he knew, he deserved to never see her again. His admittance into Walpole caused her father to pull her as far away from Jem as possible. Her father had succeeded. Jem had put his own anger and "brother" ahead of the one girl he knew he had a chance at spending the rest of his life with. By making the bold mistake of pulling the trigger on some piece of shit that threatened his best friend when beating the shit out of him would have been enough to scare him off. He rubbed a hand along the silver chain necklace and cross pendant Kate had given him on his 18th birthday as a present. Holding it brought back a memory that he desperately wanted to forget. Jem swiftly stood and pulled a small Ziploc bag of coke out of his jeans pocket on the floor. "I'll drown you out of my life if it's the last fuckin' thing I do," he raged. He cut the coke up on the extra mirror next to his bed, snorted threw an old straw and collapsed on the bed. "I fuckin' loved you," he mumbled through the haze as he tossed her picture to the ground.
Kate sat up in bed with a jolt. She was supposed to give a speech and her alarm hadn't went off. Was she late? Was it early? "Brian," she huffed, pushing her boyfriend's side lightly. He didn't stir. "Brian!" she repeated a little louder, this time giving him a hard shove in the side. Brian groaned and peered up her. Her light brown hair slightly messed from their night before, her eyes wide as she searched through the room to see if she could spot a clock. "What time is it?" He rolled down and picked up his cell phone before handing it over to her. She peered down at the time with a curse escaping her lips. She had an hour before she was supposed to be at the town hall to meet the mayor. She threw the cell phone back at Brian before running into the shower. After a quick scrub and drying of her hair she ran out in a hurry, dressing quickly. Her hair cascaded down around over her shoulder as she bent over to pick up her clothes exposing a four leaf clover tattoo with the initials JC on her right shoulder. It was about the size of an index card. Brian sighed as his eyes landed on it.
"I wish you would get that shit on your shoulder removed," he grumbled while standing up to dress himself. He stood tall, wide, and muscular with a shaven head. He had been her bodyguard since she started out on this political journey, having just been elected, it was time to make a difference. She was going to be giving her speech today and he needed to be on his guard. She smirked while buttoning her purple dress shirt.
"I wish you would quit crying about it. It's so pathetic. It was years ago. He was an ex-boyfriend of mine. He's in prison for murder. You shouldn't worry yourself about some reject from Charlestown." He rolled his brown eyes. How could he forget? He'd heard the story a million times since they had started dating a year ago. Kate had been born and raised in Boston up until she was 17. Her father moved them straight out of the city the minute he had heard about her boyfriend's arrest. Her father did everything he could to keep them under the radar out of Jem's reaches. She hated her father for years. She never wanted anything more than to marry Jem, have children, and live out her life in Boston. It took a lot of courage and maturity to understand that her father had done the right thing. He saved her from drowning in the swirling pit of failure and crime that was Charlestown. She spent years recalling on what could have been, how she would have ended up a miserable woman with multiple kids, living off Jem's huge 'busts', addicted to pills and alcohol, never making her life anything more than a baby maker and house keeper. "It's my life and my memories. I don't regret a second of it. Even this," she said pointing to her shoulder as she strode past him to grab a charcoal pencil skirt out of the closet. "It's made me who I am today."
"How did you even make it to this position? Here you are a girl with a history in Charlestown and now a Representative of Massachusetts. Most people would raise their eyebrows at such a story."
"I lived near Charlestown, Brian. Not in it. There's a big difference," she spat. "And it's not as rough as everyone claims it is. There are just bad morals there. The people need a big change."
"And you're going to bring that?"
"Yes, I am," she whispered while adjusting her clothes in the full length mirror.
Jem sat down on the bar stool at his usual pub. It was only two in the afternoon and after his high he was ready to get drunk. "Fill it up and don't stop 'em, man," he ordered the bartender. "I'm ready to get fucked up." He grabbed the Budweiser placed before him and started chugging it almost immediately. One of the patrons ordered the bartender to turn up the television as the mayor came on the screen. Jem's eyes diverted to the television as he drank. He hardly ever watched the news. To him it was pointless and boring. The bartender turned up the television as the mayor spoke. He took a long swig of his beer, sat it down, and snapped his fingers. Another bottle was placed before him quickly. The bartender knew better than to keep Jem Coughlin waiting.
"Ladies and gentlemen of Boston, I would like to introduce to you our newest Representative, Katherine Faust…" Jem's eyes grew to the size of plates as her name was announced. He refrained from drinking anything for a minute as the camera switched to her walking up on the stage. Her eyes were bright green, just as he remembered. He felt a pain in his heart watching her smile and wave to the crowd as they cheered. Pain was not something he dealt with very well. The pain always made him angry. His right fist balled up as the camera closed in on a shot of her face. Memories flew through his brain. All of the memories he was trying so desperately to forget flooded into him. He spun his gold and green Claddagh ring around his finger to keep his hands busy as the first day he met her played through his head like a nightmare…
"You sure it's safe out here?" Kate asked looking over at her friend, Sofia. Sofia was a rich girl with a fetish for trouble. The worse a boy was, the harder she fought to win him into her bed.
"Girl, I've been out here plenty of times. Never had one problem in the hundreds of times I've walked these streets. Besides, the men love me. They'd defend me if there was trouble," she answered with a cocky shake of her hips. They were wearing jeans and tight fitting t-shirts with tennis shoes. Sofia's cousins had a small apartment that they threw parties in and Sofia was always invited, even at 16. The apartment was in the shadiest part of a shady town. It was as bad as it could be. Kate held onto Sofia's arm as they walked into the apartment. There were at least 30 people in the small apartment. Bodies were everywhere. The music was loud, people dancing in the every area, some people making out among the few that were doing drugs. "He's over there," she sang, pointing to her cousin Hector sitting on the arm of a couch with a few rough looking guys. One had dark blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes, the other had dark brown hair and equally dark eyes, the last one was larger in frame with his head shaven and eyes shut. Sofia pulled her through the crowd as she sang at her cousin. "Hector!" she cried running over to throw her arms around him. He greeted her with a large hug.
"Who'd you bring with you?" Hector asked motioning to Kate standing awkwardly on the edge of the crowd. His eyes traced her body and face.
"Hector, this is my best friend Kate," she giggled, dragging Kate closer to the group of men. Kate's father would have grounded her for life if he had found in her such a place. It wasn't the Faust way he would say harshly while telling her all about the hardships he went through to make a life for them. He worked as a prestigious doctor at the hospital downtown along with her mother who was a nurse. Kate smiled and gave a wave at Hector, while sheepishly standing beside her friend. "Kate, this is my cousin Hector and his friends Jem, Doug, and Gloansy. They each nodded at her with respect, greeting her into the group. Jem stared at her for a long time causing her to dip her head down to stare the floor. She was painfully shy. It was a major weakness she had that drove Jem absolutely wild. He wasn't used to girls behaving that way.
"You wanna beer?" he asked holding up his cup.
"Get two," Sofia barked as Jem walked into the kitchen. He gave her an odd glance before walking away. Sofia had been trying to get Jem for months, but failed miserably. He wasn't into girls who were too into themselves. It was intriguing and fun for a while until they were complaining that he was spending too much doing his job instead of spending all of his time with them. All girls like Sofia wanted was more and more, once the bad boy effects wore off, they were done and onto the next. Jem returned and held out the beers to them.
"Thank you," Kate told him with a smile. He smiled back to her and refilled his space on the couch. Sofia ignored the gesture like it was expected and sat on the small loveseat that sat perpendicular to the couch.
"You go to school around here?" Jem asked, taking a drink from his cup.
"I live downtown and go to a private school just outside the city." Jem nodded his head.
"A fancy city girl, huh?"
"I guess…" she trailed off and took a drink, looking over to watch Sofia pull out a cigarette. She lit it and handed it out for Kate to take. Kate took it from her hands and placed it in her mouth clumsily. Jem smirked behind his cup as she inhaled and coughed abruptly. "No, thank you," Kate coughed holding the cigarette back out for Sofia to take.
"You make it look so unsexy," Sofia scoffed as she took the cigarette back. She inhaled gracefully and blew it out of the corner of her mouth.
"It took me a few times to get used to it," Jem added as Kate pounded on the front of her chest. "Don't feel bad."
Present day Jem felt his body heat rise. "Turn that fuckin' television off right fuckin' now or I will shoot the mother fucker off the fuckin' wall," he screamed as Kate started talking. He couldn't listen to her voice. It would drive him over the edge and he was already standing on the cliff. He flung himself off the stool and started pacing. His black Adidas track pants making an audible swish with each step. This was too crazy for him. She haunted his mind and now she was back. His body carried him out of the door and before he could think twice he was outside of the Town Florist. He needed to kill someone and he needed to do it fast. "Give me a fuckin' job right now," he ordered, slamming his fist onto Fergus Colm's counter. Fergie jumped. He had been off in his own mundane world of trimming flowers and the noise Jem made shocked him back to life.
"What's your damn deal, boy?" Fergie asked turning on his heel to watch Jem pace angrily.
"That bitch is back," he growled through his teeth as he slammed his hands back on the counter.
"Cut that slammin' shit out. It's rattlin' my fuckin' ears. I'm an old man, Jem." He sat a few stems of roses down with the shears and walked out from around his counter. "Now who is back? What bitch are we talkin' about here? Last I checked, every woman was a bitch to you." Jem dropped his head, put his hands on his tattoo, and took a few deep breaths.
"Kate. She's back," he responded quietly. He held his head down and continued deep breathing. It was an exercise they tried to teach him anger management that he never fully understood until this moment. The heat released from his body, but he still felt the anger in his throat. Fergie's bright blue eyes grew brighter at the name. Kate was the one woman Jem had truly loved and she was back. This was going to pose a problem. Not just for Jem's personal life, but his work life as well. He needed to nip the situation in the bud as soon as possible before Jem went out and got himself thrown in prison again. Fergie could barely scrape through the years Jem spent in Walpole. Doug McCray, Jem's best friend, was a hell of a conman, but nowhere near as successful as Jem was.
"What're you thinkin' about doin', son?" Fergie asked calmly as he returned to his spot behind the desk.
"I just want to fuckin' kill someone. Fuck that bitch." His eyes circled around the small flower shop as he thought about what would happen if he ran into her on the street. How he would handle seeing her feet away from him, knowing he would never have her again. It had been different before she was back in town. He couldn't find her. He had tried unsuccessfully many times only for his trails to stop right before he would find out where she was living. She seemed completely fine and it ate his insides away. He was confused as to how she could be back in Boston and seem completely at ease. She seemed fine knowing the man she claimed was the love her life was somewhere in the city and that she hadn't seen him in 10 years. He wasn't going to let her continue to think it was alright. He had to do something.
"Somethin' tells me that's not what you really feel."
"Since when do you fuckin' care? All you care about is your money and when the fuck you get your money. Leave my fuckin' feelings out of this," Jem hissed.
"Hey!" Fergie yelled, bringing Jem to attention. "Watch your tone with me. I do nothin', but give you jobs to keep your sorry ass alive, Coughlin. If it wasn't for me you'd be rottin' in a ditch, dead. You're under my command and it's my damn job to make sure you don't get all hormonal like a bitch and go do somethin' stupid for some pussy you had ten years ago. Let it fuckin' go." Jem breathed in out heavily. Every fiber of his being pulled back to keep him from exploding. He knew if he even touched Fergie he'd have 10 guys up his ass sideways.
Kate snuggled into bed next to Brian in her silk ivory nightgown. It clung to her curves nicely, accenting everything in all of the right places. Brian pulled her closer to him and breathed in her scent. She smelled amazing. He closed his eyes and kissed her neck. She buckled at the feeling and smiled realizing what he wanted. She moved on top of him, ready to progress things to the next level when a knock came from the door. "Room service," called out a voice. They both raised their eyebrows at each other and stopped kissing.
"Did you?" she asked curiously.
"Hours ago, but I cancelled it," he answered seriously. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and cracked the door open slightly. There was a loud bang as Brian shot back against the wall and two masked men entered the room. Kate screamed loudly and breathlessly as the men walked up to her, guns in hand. She kicked and screamed louder until one man cocked his gun.
"Scream again and I will fuckin' kill you." She shut her mouth and cowered in the corner, tears rolling down her face as she peered over to see blood pooling out of Brian's chest. "We're gonna put this on your head. You even attempt to move and I won't think twice." He motioned towards his gun while the other one threw a blindfold over her face.