Chapter 10

She was mad as hell.

She was sitting locked in the car and all she wanted to do was smash Jack's cell phone as hard as she could. It was getting cold and the snow started to cover the window sheets which restricted her visibility in the darkness.

Once more she tried to prise the doors with her whole body but it didn't even twitch.

This time Bobby, Angel and Jack decided together that it was way too dangerous for her to go with them and when she protested they simply grabbed her and put her in the car.

It was Jack that left her his phone with an apologetic face and was now calling her so that she could at least hear what was going on.

"Don't you even try your tricks on me 'cauz it's not gonna work" she snapped to the phone and waited for him to say something"

"Well, sorry baby but I don't think it's a place for you" hearing his voice somehow made her calmer but that was quite opposite of what she wanted to feel right now.

"Oh, I'm gonna show you your place when I get my hands on you" she hoped he didn't hear what she really meant by these words but something didn't let her to stop thinking about it.

"Well, I can tell you for sure that nothing exciting is happening right now. We're walking down a hallway and here come the stairs… Wow, it's pretty bright here. OK, so, for your information it says Casino Restaurant on my left in bright blue…"

"Jack!" she interrupted "Stop playing and talking some shit about Casinos! Can you see him? The guy said he's wearing a goatee, look for a goatee"

She heard some muffled voices on the other side of the line.

"I don't know, guys" Jack was back with her "I don't see nobody with a goatee. Wow, this place is fancy" he added after a minute "Hey Liz, you need to come up here one day and see it yourself"

"Well yeah, if I could I would right now. So why don't you let me out?"

Jack didn't have time to answer because suddenly she heard Bobby.

"There he is. Right there. Come on, let's get him"

It was followed by loud gun shots that she could even hear outside the building.

There was nobody on the phone anymore and she only heard someone running, glass shuttering and someone shouting "Go, go, go!"

"Guys, what's going on?" she couldn't tell what was going on in there so in frustration she smashed the phone one the dashboard.

It was then she saw two guys running and getting into a car parked nearby, followed by the Mercers and Jack shooting at them from his gun.

They had already left by then but one of the bullets hit their back window and crushed it into pieces.

"You go, girl" Bobby was already in the car about to start it "Let's get these motherfuckers".

And the crazy chase began.

Liz didn't even know that it was possible to drive like that and not get them killed, she's seen something like that in movies before. There was snow all around them but it took her a minute to realize it wasn't falling from the sky but from down below them where their tires skidded violently.

"Watch it, Bobby" she heard Jack shouting but she didn't think it would change anything. Bobby was so into it and he wasn't planning on letting it go.

She only heard him saying "I got no traction!" when she realized it was better not to look outside but just sit and focus on the interior of the car.

It was the next turn which was way too icy for their speed and they hit a car parked on the corner but they seemed not to even notice it and started to gain even more speed.

"Shit! I scraped the whole side of my car!"

Well, Bobby did notice it, Liz thought. Shame it wasn't because he almost crushed it.

"Get these guys before you kill us!" Jack was sitting close to her, his hand as if ready to hug her for her protection, but he hadn't moved it yet.

"Sit back and put your seatbelts on!" Bobby shouted but he didn't have to tell them that twice.

Suddenly she heard gun shots and a few wholes appeared on their windscreen.

"Where the hell is the shotgun, Jack!?" Bobby asked in a rush and with a terror she realized Jack was still holding it in his hands.

"Jack, no" she tried to stop him.

She didn't know why. She should want those guys dead and she did. They killed her mother and they should pay for it.

But not like this, she thought. This is not the way.

"I'm sorry Liz, this is the only way" Jack looked at her and she could feel how difficult this decision was for him when he was passing the gun to Angel n the front seat.

It took Angel only two shots and the car in front of them dangerously swerved on the icy road, jumped off the snow bank and got stuck in the snow right where he landed.

This was a perfect opportunity for them.

With their whole strength and speed they hit the other car which turned around and started literally to roll over the street still maintaining its high speed only to stop on its roof.

Nobody could make it through this.

They all got out of the car and Jack grabbed her hand and stopped her from running when Bobby and Angel took out their guns and slowly approached what was now a pile of steaming and twisted metal.

To her amazement two shapes crawled out of it but they had nowhere to run. When Bobby and Angel got to them, Jack turned around and let her bury her face in his arms so that she didn't have to see it. But she could hear all the punches and curses from behind her, and screaming of a man dying in pain.

And then two shotguns came.

And then Jack had to hold her not to let her fall.

***

"Ouch!" Liz was trying to patch up Jack's ripped arm while Angel's girlfriends was taking care of Bobby, who was not wriggling in pain.

"You're such a pussy, Bobby" she was losing her patience.

"Give me a break, will you?"

Liz only smiled faintly.

This night has been horrible so far. She didn't remember exactly their way back home, she only felt Jack close to her but when they finally got there she couldn't sit and do nothing so she tested her first aid skills.

What else could go wrong tonight?

Her phone rung unexpectedly so that it made her jump.

"Hello?"

***

"OK, so they're in town and they're gonna be here in about 5 minutes" she gathered them all in one room to make sure everybody knew what to say.

Or how to behave.

"OK, so explain it once more to me. Your aunt and uncle are coming over here. In 5 minutes. And it's only what, 12 p.m.?" he was trying to be sarcastic but she didn't have time for this.

"Yes. They couldn't come for mum's funeral and they are passing by so they're stopping for the night"

"And we are supposed to act as a normal family?" Angel asked miserably from his chair.

"Good luck with that" Jack snorted but stopped immediately under her gaze.

"Exactly. They know I'm staying here only because I have nowhere else to go, which is partly true. So, please be nice. No spooky stuff, no guns, no talking about killing, shooting or whatever else you can think about that's not appropriate to talk about" she looked at Bobby meaningfully "They still think mum died in a car accident and I want it to stay that way. So, can you do this for me?" she asked pleadingly.

"It's one night, right?" Bobby asked.

"One night only, I promise"

"OK, we can do that, we can act normal once for a change, right guys?"

Oh my, she thought, this was going to be tougher than she initially thought.

***

"Lizzie, you've grown up!" her aunt was pulling her into a tight hug and she only made it because her uncle intervened in time.

"Well, dear, we haven't seen her for a few years now, have we"

She was trying to put everything that happened out of her mind and smile radiantly.

"Oh, poor child, how are you? I am so sorry, such terrible news" her aunt hugged her once more but she wasn't about to choke this time "How are you holding up?"

"I'm OK. I mean, I've been better but I'm not alone in this so I'm gonna make it"

"Oh, true, these are the handsome men you were telling me about!" her aunt looked at them charmingly "I am so grateful you are taking care of my niece in this difficult time, I'm sure it's a great comfort for her"

"She's rather taking care of us, m'am" Bobby laughed with even more charm and Liz was surprised he would ever do that.

"She also told us many great things about you, folks. Come on, come in, it's freezing outside" she was stunned when Jack invited them in but she didn't like the look on his face. She knew him too well. He was planning to do something stupid.

It took them a few minutes to get their luggage inside and the time of introductions came.

"So, guys, this is my aunt Muriel and uncle Nick. And these are... the guys. This is Bobby, Angel and Jack" she was about to lead them into the living room when suddenly Jack grabbed her hand and said with a very serious tone.

"Her fiancé"

Everybody fell silent.

Liz chocked as if there was no air and Bobby looked as if he was going to explode with laughter any minute.

"Lizzie, are you telling us that you two..." Aunt Muriel didn't finish the sentence but look at her and pure happiness spread across her face.

"I... am?" she said not sure what to do in such a ridiculous situation when she disappeared in a double hug from her family.

"Oh, dear, it's wonderful news! Your mother would have loved it!"

Liz was trying to give Jack the deadliest looks she had but he seemed to be interested with a stain on the wall.

He was going to pay for it.

Oh yes, he was.