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Chapter 52: The Eyes Have It

Bobby looked up at Angel as they walked past Sofi's car. "You wanna wait here? I gotta go find Jack and Craig, I told them to keep out of sight." He turned his gaze to Jerry. "You know, both of you are fucking lucky."

"Lucky?" Jerry cried out, turning to look at the disaster taking place behind him. "What the hell was that with my car? You killed my car! You call that lucky? And my warehouse, man. Damn, must have been a fucking gas leak or somethin', but I didn't smell nothing, did you smell anything Angel?" He cried out the words and flinched slightly when a loud, distinct whistling sound screamed out in between the pops and crackling of the flames. Bobby figured it was best not to enlighten his brother as to his suspicions at that very moment. He managed a small laugh and shook his head.

"I don't remember smelling shit. But at this moment I don't remember wiping my ass this morning either." Angel started to lean back on Sofi's car as he fingered his aching head with a wince. The gash was on the right side of his forehead, blood drizzled downward from the open wound. "I hope to hell I still got Sofi's keys." His other hand fumbled in his pocket and withdrew the key ring which held a pink butterfly. "I'm gonna move this thing before it gets messed up, she'll kill me if anything happens to her car. She's a bitch about her baby." His words sounded slurred and slow, and as he leaned away from the support of the car he swayed on his feet.

Bobby was about to stop Angel from getting in behind the wheel of the car. He knew damn well his brother couldn't drive, he could barely walk straight. As he moved to grab hold of him and tell him he was too fucked up to handle a car, the sound of another car's engine reached him.

He turned, expecting a passing car to be slowing down and coming towards them, a Good Samaritan offering help, so to speak. What he saw was Jack pulling his brother at a fast run under the headlights of a speeding Impala. "Shit!" He forgot about Angel for the moment and started running. He watched in horror as the car picked up speed, closing in on the two younger Mercers. He was about to let out a long yell for both of them to turn, when Jack dove into Craig, sending him to the pavement and into the wall of the abandoned office building at the last possible second.

Bobby's legs picked up momentum as the car spun around, engine still revving at full speed and the tires kicking up dirt and gravel off the pavement. He watched as Jack hauled Craig's ass off the ground and into a nearby doorway, the car heading at them again, obviously out to leave nothing in its path alive. "Bobby!" Heard Jack's voice yelling his name and his mind snapped back to the day in front of the house, when Jack had been shot and was lying just out of reach while the house was ripped apart by bullets. He had yelled for his brother that day. He couldn't handle that again, a brother missing, another one fighting for his life; or worse, both of them dead. Blind rage fueled his body and he could hear himself yelling out as he closed the distance between himself and his little brothers.

They were both out of his sight now, but his mind's eye could see them huddled in the doorway, watching as the headlights bore down, bringing on the inevitable. He was watching as his little brothers were being killed and he couldn't hold in the panic or the utter devastation he felt inside. He couldn't get to them fast enough, he couldn't reach them. They were going to die and there seemed to be nothing he could do to stop it.

The Impala ripped through the doorway of the building, bringing down the front wall in a mass of rubble and dust and kept going. Bobby's mind could imagine the mangled bodies under the wheels of the car, and felt his mind reeling. He was near the broken wall, close to the opening the car had created, when he realized he wasn't alone. Jeremiah was to his left, and Angel was just behind him, to his right. He slowed down, but didn't stop. "What the fuck are you doin'?" He glanced at Angel who looked as if he could drop at any moment.

"They're our brother's too." Jeremiah was the one who answered.

Bobby had to slow to a walk as they reached the void where the doorway had been only moments before. He stepped ahead of his brothers, over large piles of bricks, into the swirling dust. "Jack!" He called out, hoping for the miracle of an answer, but there was none. He moved around the car, with Jerry and Angel behind him, the driver's door was hanging open, and there was no sign of the ass hole that had been driving the car.

He hesitated before he leaned down and checked the debris trapped on the underside; there was no sign of his brothers' mutilated bodies, and his heart constricted with hope. He looked at the hall way on the other side of the second demolished wall and slammed the car door closed. He glanced back at Angel, and in the deceptive lighting provided by the headlights dust and building exhaust the man looked as white as a ghost. "Angel, you hang back, right here. You look like shit. Come on Jerry." He turned to move towards the hall way, or what was left of it. He pushed his way over piles of crumbled wall, looking first to his left, and then to his right.

"Jack!" It was Craig's voice he heard calling out but he couldn't quite figure out where it had come from.

Jerry smacked at his arm and pointed to a stairway at the end of the hall, on their right. "Ya think?" He barely got the words out.

"No!" Craig's distinct scream, the same scream that came out when he was having a nightmare filled the building, and it was defiantly coming from above.

"Craig!" Bobby yelled out, his feet hitting the stairs before he realized he was on the move. "Craig!"

"Run!" Jack's voice seemed to echo off of every wall in the building.

"Jack!" Jerry yelled out from directly behind him.

The sound of a gunshot split the air as they neared the top landing.

"Jack!" Bobby bellowed, sure that this time he was going to find the still bodies of both his little brothers.

"Craig!" Jerry's voice mirrored Bobby's fear.

Two more shots rang out as they hit the top of the steps, and Bobby could make out the sight of his brothers, Craig in front with Jack pushing him from behind, coming towards him at the first open door he came to. Craig looked as if he were about to fall on his face. Bobby reached out and grabbed his arm, jerking him hard to free him from the room and the chance of another bullet being aimed at him. "Get the fuck down those stairs!" He yelled out as he gave the youngest Mercer a hard push in the direction he wanted him to go. He gave Jack a push as well. "Get the hell out of here and take Angel with you!"

Neither made any attempt to speak. Craig seemed to be in a trance, and Jack was staying with him, keeping him moving. It made Bobby feel a little more comfortable at letting the kid out of his sight, knowing that Jack would look after him.

Bobby stayed low, watching the retreating forms of his brothers until he was sure they were well on their way down the stairs. Jack hesitated, just as he was about to move out of view and looked back at Bobby, fear written across his face. Bobby gave him a quick nod to let him know he understood.

Bobby knew Jack was scared shitless but he'd done a damn good job at keeping himself and Craig both safe. Jack had been ready for whatever action he would have had to take to keep Jones, or Macks, or whoever the hell it was after them, from getting his hands on the kid. He knew this and he understood this, because that was how he felt. That was exactly what he was prepared to do right now, kill the son of a bitch who had nearly ran his brother's down in front of his eyes. He was ready for this to be over and done with; he was tired of the pain and the torment his family continued to be thrust into and he was damn sure going to put an end to it, that night, one way or another.

Bobby turned and his eyes focused on shadow at the other end of the abandoned room, kicking furiously at the door there. The fucker was gonna die. He glanced at Jerry for just a moment before moving into the dark shadows his brothers had just escaped from. The ass hole beating down the door on the other end of the room had a gun, and at that moment he wished like hell he had his own in his hands, though he was sure he would prefer the pleasure of killing the threat to his family with his own two bare hands.

Jeremiah followed him, both keeping their bodies low.

Bobby flinched when the gun fired once more, sending sparks flying from the door on the other side of the room. "Macks!" He yelled out as the door burst open under hard slam from the shadow, allowing for an escape route.

The form turned towards him, and the man's face came into view in a beam of light streaking across the room from the window, but only the eyes were vivid against the dark, sending an eerie chill through the eldest Mercer. The eyes were the same as the pictures Craig had drawn. They were hard and cold and evil, and they belonged to Adam Macks. The face turned away, disappearing into the shadows and retreating through the door on the other end of the room.

Bobby let out a loud yell, raising his body to a full stance as he ran after the son of a bitch. Macks had helped Sweet plan out the murder of his mother, had stolen his brother from him and messed him up both physically and emotionally, and was now taking aim on the entire Mercer family. Bobby's purpose in life at that moment was to put an end to the bullshit now and free them all from the threat.

"Bobby, you crazy son of a bitch," Jerry called out from behind him, but was following closely. Bobby could feel him there, keeping up with no hesitation.

"Where the fuck do you think you're running to Macks?" Bobby yelled out as he reached the back wall, and that door. He found himself propelling down a back staircase, the sounds of Macks' retreat echoing off the walls below him. His pulse quickened and his legs seemed to find more speed from somewhere. He surged forward into the dark pit below.

"Bobby, this is insane!" Jeremiah called out behind him.

"Shut up and stay with me!" Bobby didn't look back. He hit the bottom of the stairs, and shot forward in the dark, slamming hard into a door and bouncing back a step. He ignored the shock his body had taken and pushed on the door. He found himself in an alley way behind the building. He turned to his left, and then to his right, but there was no sign of the man he'd been chasing. "Fuck!" He yelled, finally allowing himself to stop. There seemed to be a thousand different shadows lining the dark passage on either side of them and Macks could be hiding in any one of them, watching and taking aim with that fucking gun. He could be hunkered down behind the overflowing dumpster just to their left, or the piles of trash further down. He was almost certain the man had to have turned to the left, away from them. He leaned down, bracing his hands on his knees for support and huffed at the fresh air hard. Normally he would have gone on down the alley, searching out the fucker, but he had Jerry to worry about, and three other brothers to get back to.

"Where'd the fuck he go?" Jerry stopped next to him, his breathing just as strained as Bobby's.

"Hell if I know Jerry. He's some kind of fucking phantom I guess." Bobby stood up and turned to look back at the door he'd just spilled through. "There wasn't any other direction for him to go." He shook his head. "We didn't miss anything, did we?" He was wondering if there had been another hallway at the bottom of the stairs, or another door inside that the man could have ducked into.

"I don't think so, that stairway was pretty tight." Jerry gave him a smack on the back. "Come on, man, let's go make sure he ain't heading back the other way."

Bobby looked at Jerry and let the meaning of his words sink in. Angel was hurt; he wasn't going to be much help if Mack's chased them down, though he knew he would do his best. As for Jack and Craig; well hell, Jack would do his best, and he'd done a damn good job up until now, but he was no match for Macks, not with the man carrying a gun, and Craig was already too fucking scared of the man to try to fight him. He'd melt on the spot and let the ass hole drag him off, Bobby knew that. Craig was fourteen, and he was young, and vulnerable, more so now after all of the shit that had been dumped on him.

Bobby felt the air coming a little easier and nodded his head. He looked down the alley to see where it might empty out. They started walking towards the corner of the building, where the cross street came into view.

They had rounded the corner to face the remains of the warehouse blazing ahead of them. In the parking lot, gathered at Sofi's car, were his three brothers. Bobby felt relief and was about to call out to them when an explosion rocked the entire block. It seemed the front of the warehouse blew apart, sending large sections of the wall flying in all directions. He could see his brothers diving for the ground.

"Shit." Jerry cried out.

Bobby and Jerry both pulled up, and stopped for a split second while they watched a section of wall drop on Sofi's car, as if it had been aiming for it.

Bobby looked at Jerry, who was holding in a grin. "Well, I wonder how she's gonna take this?" Bobby gave into the need to lighten the mood around them.

Jerry looked at him and let his laugh break free. "Well, I'm glad I ain't the one who's gotta tell her."

Both men started moving forward, keeping their pace at a trot. Bobby took in their surroundings, certain there was no more threat in the immediate area. The faint sounds of sirens reached his ears and he was thankful. Macks wouldn't come back with fire crews and police on the scene.

"Aw shit. How the hell am I supposed to explain that one to her?" Angel was rising up to examine the remains of Sofi's car.

"Tell her Bobby did it." Jerry's tone came out flat. "That's what I'm telling Camille." He shot Bobby a look and moved to help Angel stand.

Bobby leaned down to grab hold of Craig, who seemed to be staring at Sofi's car, but still looked dazed and confused. He pulled him from the cold ground and up to his feet. The fourteen year old seemed to latch onto him instantly, his arms hooking around his neck and locking there.

Bobby watched as Jerry moved to help Jack to his feet.

"You both okay? You still got all your fingers and toes?" Bobby spoke loud, giving Craig a hard squeeze to let him know he had him, and that he was safe.

"It was him." Craig cried out with no warning. "It was him."

"I know." Bobby kept his hold tight on the boy and looked at Jerry. "Your buddy Jones ain't no fucking warehouse worker, or whatever the hell he told you he was." He drew in a deep breath and kept his hold on the boy. "That was Adam Macks, and he got too fucking close, too fucking easy."

"Macks?" Angel was swaying on his feet.

"Macks." Jack spoke up. "He ain't dead." He looked at Bobby, and the boy clinging to him. "He's out to get ahold of him, and he won't stop even if it means coming after us. You know that, don't you?"

Bobby nodded his head. "Well, I guess it's time for us to go after him then, ain't it?"

Craig seemed to shrink in the man's hold.

"We're gonna get him Craig, and I'm goin to make sure he's dead this time. I promise you that." Bobby lowered his head close to Craig's ear as he spoke. "You hear me?"

Jerry opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but sirens were drawing closer, and Angel seemed to tilt slightly to one side. He moved to catch Angel and help him to the ground before he fell and hit his head again. By the time he had Angel sitting in a pile of snow the fire trucks were coming into sight, the blaring of the sirens seemed to swell in the air around them. He turned and looked at Bobby as if he had something he wanted to say.

Bobby gave Jerry a hard stare, daring him to try to argue with him about Macks, or about Jones. He had yet to pass on the news about Green, or the reporter he'd talked to. He was sure once he did Jerry would accept the idea that his building had been blown to hell on purpose and that it wasn't some fucking gas leak. Jack moved in a little closer as the fire trucks and police cruisers rolled passed them to take control of the parking lot.

Jerry shook his head slowly, apparently not wanting to discuss the issue any further, at least not until they had talked to the cops that were heading their way, and they had all been checked out by medics.

Bobby watched as the whole block filled with activity. He answered questions thrown at him by a police officer and by the fire chief on the scene. He watched as paramedics loaded Angel into the back of one ambulance and other medics checked Jack and Jerry quickly at the back of another unit. He turned in all directions to take in what looked like mass confusion buzzing around him, and let Craig hold onto him for a long while, keeping his own embrace on the boy tight. He had no concept of time for the moment, but he was getting tired, his legs were aching and now that the massive adrenaline rush was over he felt exhaustion taking over.

When one of the medics said something about checking both him and Craig for injuries Bobby felt the boy stiffen in his arms. He told the man they were fine. He asked one of the police officers if he could sit with Craig in the back of one of their cruisers in order to get him out of the cold. The officer walked him over to a car and opened the door. He wasn't all too thrilled with voluntarily placing himself in the back of a police car. He felt a shiver run through him at the memory of walking into the police station under his own accord earlier that evening. He was starting to see a pattern that he was certain he had to break very soon.

Jack walked over just as Bobby was squeezing into the back of the cruiser, pulling Craig in awkwardly with him. He couldn't seem to pry the boy's arms away from his neck enough to maneuver him easily inside.

"I was going to call Camille and Sofi, but my phone was in Jerry's car." Jack gave him a look, as if it was his fault his phone had been lost.

Bobby stared at him for a long moment. "Well use Angel's phone." He spoke with little patience.

"Well I would, but apparently it's broken into little pieces." Jack held his hand out to reveal the chunks of plastic that had once been Angel's phone.

"What the hell am I supposed to do about it? Use Jerry's fucking phone." Bobby cried out.

"The battery is dead." Jack's voice picked up in volume.

"Then tell the cops that we need someone to call family or something." Bobby scowled at the idea that he had just referred to Sofi as family.

Jack let out a huff and looked at the back of Craig's head. "How is he doing?" He asked quietly.

"He's scared shitless." Bobby answered and drew in a deep breath as Jack turn to walk off and find someone to ask about contacting some family members. "Jack." He called out.

Jack turned and looked at Bobby. "What?" Apparently he was expecting one of Bobby's snide remarks, by the look on his face.

"You did good man. I'm proud of you." Bobby nodded his head.

Jacks' face went blank for a short moment, and then his eyes softened. He barely smiled as he licked at his lips. "Thanks, Bobby. That means a lot, you know?" He kept his voice quiet.

Bobby was sure he could see tears gathering in the younger man's eyes. "Now don't you go fucking crying on me, fairy." He hardened his voice, but he smiled. "What are you, my little sister?"

Jack shook his head slowly. "Always gotta be a hard ass." He turned and walked away. "Ass hole," He added just loud enough for Bobby to hear.

Now, Bobby just had to get the kid attached to him to let go, somehow.