Chapter 3: A Game of Chicken
JACOB's POV
The man inside me felt an immense relief once my giant paws had hit the cool dirt, but the wolf inside me was snarling in fury. It was furious that I had left its mate behind in my father's kitchen.
That's right. It was his mate, not mine. That woman I left back there was not the woman I loved. I loved Bella Swan. That woman I left in the kitchen was the wolf's mate. Something that fate had sent us to screw with me and take away my free will.
I had thought that my life couldn't get any worse, but you can never assume that you've hit rock bottom. It'll just come back and bite you in the ass because later you'll find out that underneath the rocks there's a basement and inside the basement is a shit hole. Unfortunately, I found myself buried amongst the shit underneath the basement.
I can't believe that it was only a couple hours ago that I believed that I had hit rock bottom. I was in love with a married woman… a woman who was married to my mortal enemy.
'What are you doing here, Jacob?' I heard Leah's cranky tone in my head, 'Your shift ended ten minutes ago!'
'Just leave me alone, Leah!' I barked. Of course Leah would be here
'Leave you alone?' Leah scoffed, 'Easy for you to say!'
I tried to block Leah out of my mind as I fought the urge to turn back to my imprint. Her face flashed in front of my mind's eye and I could feel the warmth and comfort that consumed me at the thought of her. My wolf howled at me to turn back and I nearly did…
'Wait!' I could feel the shock in Leah's mind, 'You imprinted?'
'No, Leah, I spend all my free time falling in love with random girls…of course I IMPRINTED!'
There was a brief moment of silence I almost thought that Leah had phased… almost.
'What are you doing here then?' Leah said calmly, 'Go get her!'
' What! I thought you hated imprinting?' I snarled at her. I thought she would be the only one to understand my urge to fight the imprint.
'I do.' She scoffed, '…and I do understand why you're fighting but you're a freakin' idiot!'
I growled, 'What?'
'You heard me.' She spat, 'All you do is mope while Bella Swan lives happily ever after with that glittery douche bag."
'Whatever, Leah.' I snarled, 'I never wanted any of this.'
'Well, I never wanted to touch your hairy balls but they're going to meet my foot if you don't get your lazy ass back to your imprint,' she quipped.
I ignored her last comment, 'Why do you even care?'
She sighed in frustration, 'Because, Black, you're pathetic. All you do is sulk about shoulda, woulda, and coulda. You need to move on, man. She's married. Besides, you're driving the rest of us crazy with your pathetic thoughts.'
'So, you're really doing this for your own benefit then?' I asked.
'Yeah,' Leah answered without hesitation, 'Definitely. I ain't playin' matchmaker for kicks.'
I paused to gather my thoughts.
'I still hate imprinting.' I groaned.
'So do I, but what you're doing is even more pathetic.' Leah barked, 'You're thinking about this the entirely wrong way.'
'How should I be thinking about this?' I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. I was taking love advice from Leah frickin' Clearwater of people.
'Now that you imprinted, you can focus on something else besides Bella Swan!'
'What if I don't want to forget about her? Huh? I love her and nothing is gonna change that!'
'Ugh!' She groaned in frustration, 'Did I say "forget"?' She drawled sarcastically, "I'm pretty sure I said focus on, Black…,' she paused briefly, '…Sadly, you'll never forget that leech lover, but maybe this imprint will help you move on and live your life.'
Well.I couldn't argue with that. It was just an hour ago that I couldn't get Bella out of my mind. Now that I had imprinted… everything had changed. This random stranger was all I could think about. Even though I didn't like it… that was my reality.
I might as well accept it.
LEXI's POV
Once Sam had closed the door Jake made his way towards the dining room table. I could feel my heart beating out of my control as I watched him. I had decided back at the Black's house that I would spend as little time as possible around this man. My instincts had told me that the less time I spent with him the better. So I quickly came up with an…activity to take up my time. Even though I wasn't looking forward to it, I guess it was something that had to be done.
Jake kept his eyes focused on me. I could feel those dark eyes boring into me—filled with hunger and need. I felt my shoulders stiffen and my jaw clenched. My stomach felt uneasy. Yet I still felt that pull towards him. The muscles in my thighs twitched as I made an unconscious step towards Jake. Uhg! What was he doing to me? My body felt like it was being pulled in two different directions. This unexplainable force was pulling me towards Jake while my conscious brain told me that this was crazy. Jake was crazy! I needed to get out of here… NOW!
"Emily!" I shouted at her, even though she was standing right next to me.
She jumped at my outburst and her hand shot to her chest. I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
"Um… I realized as I was in the shower that I haven't called my sister in over a week…" I swallowed in nervousness, "…I bet she's worried," not, "Could I use your phone?"
"Oh…uh…sure." She looked a little flustered after I basically shouted at her, but she got a cell phone out of her pocket and handed it to me.
I took it with hesitation, "Um…My sister lives back east—"
"Don't worry, honey, that's fine. I don't get charged extra for long distance." She smiled at me sweetly.
"Okay." I smiled as I felt relief washed over me. Now, I would be able to get out of the same room as Jake.
I took the phone from Emily and avoided Jake's stare. I walked outside and dialed my sister's number.
Riiiing…riiiing… ri—
"Hello?" I heard my sister's voice over the speaker.
"Hey, Jeanine." I tried to keep my voice polite. "It's me."
"Oh." I could hear her falsely polite tone, "Did you get to La Push alright?"
"Yeah, I got here fine." I nodded.
"That's good…" she paused, "…Any luck?"
"Not yet." I replied.
"Oh…Right! Um… this man called the other day… Sam I think his name was. He said that he had been friends with Frankie and that he needed you to call as soon as you could. He said it was important."
I groaned. Did my sister not listen to anything I told her? Did she really not care about Frankie at all? I had told her the story of how he died when I stayed at her house. Sam… the bastard! I wasn't going to talk to him. He didn't have anything to say that was worth listening to!
"Yeah, whatever." I growled and then quickly changed the subject, "How is everybody back there, good?"
"Yeah…yeah, everyone's good."
There was a long pause. I guess my sister didn't have anything else to say.
"Have you visited dad?"
"No, I haven't had the time."
I knew that that wasn't true. You make time for those you care about. She didn't give a shit. I visited dad every day when I was staying with my sister. I would have stayed longer, but she kicked me out!
The Angel of Death… that what she called me. She said I acted 'like an Angel' and no one would expect it. I was the Angel of Death because everyone around me seemed to drop like flies. First, our mother 'fell victim to my curse' (her words…not mine). Our father wasn't dead… he just couldn't remember anything about us. Then our Aunt died in an accident just before my seventeenth birthday (Frankie had been eighteen). Now, Frankie had been murdered two weeks ago.
It pained me to even think about him. My cousin had treated me like his little sister. I think, besides my father, I loved him with all my heart.
I pressed the end button on the phone without another word. I had enough of Jeanine.
I just stood on the porch as I stared at my car. I thought about my cousin. My father sent me to live with my mother's sister back in New Jersey when I was fifteen. That's where I lived with my aunt and cousin. My aunt was never married and Frankie was a single child. So Frankie took me under his wing in a heartbeat once I moved in with him and his mom. I had only known him for a couple hours before he introduced me to everyone as his sister. He taught me how to live on the street. We spent a lot of time with his friends, including Sam.
I think he knew he was going to die. I had only been gone for a day before he was killed. He had given me most of his things before he told me to stay at Jeanine's for a couple days. Now the majority of clothes I owned were actually his. Which was when it hit me…
I dialed another number… Frankie's girlfriend's cell phone number.
Riiing…
"Hello?" A depressed voice whispered over the speaker.
I already felt a wave of sadness wash over me once I heard her voice.
"Christine?" I wondered how she was doing. Frankie and Christine had only been dating for a couple months, but they had really hit it off.
"Lexi!" I pulled the phone away from my ear because Christine had basically shouted my name into her phone. "Lexi? Oh my god. You're alright." I could hear the genuine relief in her voice.
"Why would you be worried?" I scoffed. It wasn't like I was a helpless girl who didn't know how to fend for herself.
"Sam called me. Do you have any idea what's going on? Did you call him back? We've been trying to find a way to reach you."
It took me a while to understand what she was saying. She had been speaking way faster than a normal human being.
"Huh?"
"That gang that killed Frankie…," Christine gasped dramatically, "…Sam told them that you were in La Push!"
I felt the blood rush from my face and my stomach contract as the fear washed over me.
"They caught up with Sam and forced it out of him."
"Why do they care about me?" I felt my voice squeak and waver from the fear.
"Apparently Frankie had been keeping something for Sam. And Frankie gave you that —"
"Frankie didn't give me anything of the sort." I growled out as my fists clenched in anger, "He would never do anything to put me in danger."
"Well Sam is convinced that he did." She gasped for breath, "You need to get out of La Push right now."
I didn't need her to tell me twice, I abruptly hung up the phone and set it down on the porch. I was fishing my keys from my pocket as I jogged towards my car. I opened the door of my impala and twisted the key in the ignition. I didn't care that I left some clothes and my bath supplies inside Emily's. I'd just buy some new ones. I needed to get out of here A-S-A-P and going back inside would lead to questions and arguing. Loss of time that I couldn't spare. I revved the engine as I peeled out of the driveway. The last thing I saw as I looked in the rearview mirror was Jake standing on the porch with pain written all over his face. I wonder if he felt the same pull I did when I was around him?
Get your head out of the clouds… it ain't gonna happen, I told myself mentally as my baby's engine roared down the streets of La Push.
As I turned the corner I saw a large, black SUV heading towards me. I don't know… I had a bad feeling about it… I gripped the steering wheel painfully as my stomach twisted into knots. My intuition never failed because suddenly another SUV pulled out from behind the first and started driving towards me in my lane. There was no one else on the street so I knew that their maneuver was nothing but bad news for me.
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. My heart wrenched as I wished Frankie was here with me—he would know exactly what to do. I swallowed as I pushed harder on the gas and my engine roared ferociously. Their vehicles had more mass than mine so I'd have to be quick. The two SUVs stopped at an angle blocking off the entire road and sidewalk. The only way around them would be to drive up onto the surrounding lawns of the homes on either side. A ridiculous idea came to my head—I had to be quick because I only had thirty feet left until I would collide with the other vehicle. I yanked on the steering wheel with force and my tires squealed and rubber burned as my car spun around. I shifted into reverse and slammed on the gas as I plowed through the SUV. I heard the sound or the metal groaning as it became twisted and warped. There was tinkling as shattering glass fell to the asphalt.
Then, something happened that I should have accounted for. I should have foreseen it for I was dealing with coldblooded criminals and murderers.
The sound was earsplitting. I had never heard it happen so close to me before. Yeah. In the neighborhood back home it was common to hear every couple weeks, but when you were only a couple feet away. It certainly was different. It was different in the movies too—much much louder in real life. It was the only thing I could hear. Gunfire. It sounded like I had entered a warzone. I could tell that the bullets had shattered my windshield as they whizzed by and I lost control of my car. I could tell by the way the car slid across the ground that I was no longer on paved road. I could tell that I hit something when my body whipped around like a rag doll from the abrupt deceleration.
I was hyperventilating as I sat unable to move in the driver's seat. My engine coughed as it died and I felt the painful pull on my scalp as someone dragged me by my hair out of my car. I let out a cry of pain as I grabbed onto the hands that were tangled in my hair. The muscles lining my spine ached from whiplash.
I had crashed into a tree in the front of someone's house after the people had shot my tires out. I could hear men shouting as the person let go of my hair. I didn't even bother to stand up because all the men around me had some sort of weapon in their hands. I flinched when I heard more gunfire. I covered my ears with my hands as the gun discharged beside me. Would I have known if they shot me? Maybe the adrenaline pumping through my veins prevented me from feeling it?
I saw some men rummaging through my boxes of things from my car and dumping the contents onto the muddy lawn. There were clothes and random items that fell from the boxes. There was a metallic crunch as a small boxlike television fell out onto the grass. It was a small, portable television that looked like it belonged in the seventies complete with rabbit ears. I knew immediately that it was out of place. Frankie and I never owned a TV, hell, because we never could afford a decent one. Frankie wouldn't waste his money on this piece of shit.
Several gun barrels were pushed into my face and more shouting ensued. I couldn't understand what they were saying—partly because of the ringing in my ears and partly because there were five people all shouting at me at once and partly because they were all speaking Russian. Huh? This was definitely not the gang that killed Frankie. The gang that killed Frankie was definitely not these Russian men.
However, I couldn't ignore the five guns that were all pointed at me… They must be after the money too because –I actually couldn't think of any other reason than what the fuck else would they be after!
"THE T.V.!" I shouted covering my face with my hands. The shouting stopped and there was another crash as the T.V. was ripped apart. I peeked through my fingers as a velvet bag was pulled out of the empty T.V.
The blue velvet bag was carried over to a man in an expensive suit. The man honestly looked constipated- his face was twisted into a permanent scowl. He glanced in at the contents of the bag and nodded his head. I felt a hand wrap tightly around my arm which forced me to my feet. My neck and spine protested because of the whiplash. I tried to ignore the pain as I was pulled towards a car that I hadn't noticed before. I almost laughed because it looked like one of those stupid cars that only old people drive in. It was rusting in places and it looked like it could use some love. They were steering me towards the open trunk of the decrepit vehicle. I saw that I wasn't the only one that was going to be riding in the trunk.
My heart nearly stopped as I got a good look at the man. It was the other man from the beach, not Emily's Sam, but the other one that had seen me bathing in the ocean. He had two bullet wounds in his chest and blood running down out of the side of his mouth. Despite his dark skin he looked too pale—deathly pale.
He wasn't moving.
I was turned around to face one of my captors as he bound my wrists and covered my mouth with duck tape. He laughed at my panicked expression as he pushed me into the trunk with the other man. He slammed the trunk and I was consumed by darkness.
Hmmm.
I posted this chapter because the story had taken a new path, which I find much more exciting. I won't be posting another chapter untill I get some more reviews. I don't want to waste anyone's time by posting a story that no one is interested in. If I get lots of reviews, I promise that I'll have a new chapter posted within a weeks time.
No reviews = No more posts
;) Thank you! Reviews are really appriciated.
