As Jake climbed the stairs to his apartment, that damned song kept replaying in his head... so did the events earlier that morning. Jake wasn't sure what to do. He unlocked the door and walked in as if on automatic. He was numb all over despite the warm afternoon sun shining in through the windows.
'sittin' on the beach
the island king of love
deep in fijian seas
deep in some blissful dream
where the goddess finally sleeps'
He looked around the apartment slowly. Three nights... three nights ago they'd made love desperately on the couch, then again in his bed - more tenderly that time... a ray of lightfiltered through the bllinds and lit up the apartment, beaming directly onto the couch in front of him. Bitterly he felt a hot tear roll down his face...
'in the lap of her lover
subdued in all her rage
and I am aglow with the taste
of the demons driven out
and happily replaced
with the presence of real love
the only one who saves'
Over and over he saw that bright yellow hot rod come screaming into the yard, kicking up gravel and dust when she reined it in to a stop. He saw her jump out of the door and go running across the yard below them and into the warehouse where Switch had him held hostage. Switch had thought it would be funny for Jake to watch Speed try to come to his rescue and had let him watch from the third story window...
'I wanna dance with you
I see a world where people live and die with grace
the karmic ocean dried up and leave no trace
I wanna dance with you
I see a sky full of the stars that change our minds
and lead us back to a world we would not face'
No... not again... too late he closed his eyes and tried to stop it from coming, but he heard her footsteps running from catwalk to catwalk, heard other voices too... he could make out Alex's voice, Frank's voice too... there were others that he assumed were the officers fromt he squad cars he'd seen following Frank, Alex and Speed into the yard... he'd twisted and pushed Switch into a wall with a vengeance and ran like hell was nipping at his heels. He had to get to Speed and get her out of there...
'the stillness in your eyes
convinces me that I
I don't know a thing
and I been around the world and I've
tasted all the wines
a half a billion times
came sickened to your shores
you showed me what this life is for'
A gunshot rang out, banging off of something metallic, the echo lost in the steam and other noises of the scrapyard... He was lost in the catwalks, Jake didn't care if Switch found him or if he was an open target. ... then he heard Speed's voice... Switch had her cornered. 'you don't want to do this....' ... 'yeah I do. I get rid of you and I become a legend.' ... 'you kill me and you become a target of the Federal Government' ... 'you're so full of it. I already know you turned rat to the Feds. You honestly think they give a damn if I kill you?' ... 'then go ahead, Switch, pull that trigger and see what happens.' More shouting back and forth, Frank's voice joining the shouts... He came around the corner of the catwalk to see Switch fire... then again... and again... Another shot rang out as Donovan fired... Switch was screaming in panic as he fell backwards off the high grating and landed through the roof of the office below with a crash.
Jake sank onto the couch, right in front of the spot where a few nights ago she'd had called out his name in pleasure. He couldn't stop the tears...
"I wanna dance with you
I see a world where people live and die with grace
the karmic ocean dried up and leave no trace
I wanna dance with you
I see a sky full of the stars that change our minds
and lead us back to a world we would not face'
He had shot her, Switch had shot Speed... Marissa... he saw her sink to her knees as Switch fell back... then her head roll forward over her chest as everything slowed down to slow motion. She landed face down onto the grated catwalk. Jake ran towards them, Donovan turning around slowly...
'in this altered state
full of so much pain and rage
you know we got to find a way to let it go'
Jake knelt down as Donovan moved back and holstered his gun. He looked at Jake and whispered 'I'm sorry...' He'd tried to save her life by shooting Switch, but Switch managed to get the jump on him... Jake turned Marissa over and pulled her into his lap. He tried to press down on the bloody mass of her chest and stomach to stop the bleeding, but inside he knew it was too late...
'sittin' on the beach
the island king of love
deep in fijian seas
deep in the heart of it all'
Marissa's eyes opened slowly, fluttering a bit as she tried to take a breath. A trickle of blood seeped out of her lips and wandered it's way down her cheek as she lifted one hand to Jake's face. He kissed her palm gently and she tried to smile. Her eyes were so glassy and distant... 'no Marissa.... don't go...' Her lips moved slowly and silently... she was trying to say something... he bent over and listened to the almost non-existent whisper... 'love... you....... Jake...'
'where the goddess finally sleeps
after eons of war and lifetimes
she smilin' and free, nothin' left
but a cracking voice and a song, oh lord'
The breath caught in his throat. He didn't realize that he'd been sobbing.
Speed died in his arms, his name had been the last breath across her lips. Her beautiful ice blue eyes were fixed on a distant spot. A strong hand gripped his shoulder gently, even as it's owner knelt down next to him. 'Jake. She's gone...' Donovan reached out and gently pulled Jake's hand off of her stomach, then laid her down onto the iron flooring. He pulled Jake up to his feet and led him out of the warehouse. Dozens of police cars had arrived and the G.R.A.B. detectives were spreading out, arresting the people who worked in the ring. They were pulling the cars out of their cargo boxes and taking down the numbers. None of them had realized until then that the drop-off point was just across the canal from the scrapyard and as each cargo container was loaded, it was liftd across the canal via crane and into the scrapyard to wait for the cargo ship... which was due to arrive at 715 am - 15 minutes after the last car was supposed to be delivered.
Jake was numb as he let Donovan put him into the front seat of the waiting Suburban. He looked down at the blood on his hand. Her blood... a flash of yellow caught his eyes as they police impounded the Hemi cuda... Christine... Marissa's Unicorn... Sweet's words came back to haunt him. 'it's the one car no matter how many times you boost it, something always goes wrong...' He hadn't stopped crying the entire way back.
Jake curled up around the pillow from the couch she'd slept on for a short while... it still smelled like her...
'I wanna dance with you
I see a world where people live and die with grace
the karmic ocean dried up and leave no trace'
I wanna dance with you
I see a sky full of the stars that change our minds
and lead us back to a world we would not face
we would not face
we would not face
we would not face
we would not face
we would not face'
The last thought he had as he drifted off into dreams was that things were going to be complicated in the morning...
(( as in chapter 6, song is titled "I want to dance with you" by LIVE on the 'Distance To Here' CD ))
****
'sittin' on the beach
the island king of love
deep in fijian seas
deep in some blissful dream
where the goddess finally sleeps'
He looked around the apartment slowly. Three nights... three nights ago they'd made love desperately on the couch, then again in his bed - more tenderly that time... a ray of lightfiltered through the bllinds and lit up the apartment, beaming directly onto the couch in front of him. Bitterly he felt a hot tear roll down his face...
'in the lap of her lover
subdued in all her rage
and I am aglow with the taste
of the demons driven out
and happily replaced
with the presence of real love
the only one who saves'
Over and over he saw that bright yellow hot rod come screaming into the yard, kicking up gravel and dust when she reined it in to a stop. He saw her jump out of the door and go running across the yard below them and into the warehouse where Switch had him held hostage. Switch had thought it would be funny for Jake to watch Speed try to come to his rescue and had let him watch from the third story window...
'I wanna dance with you
I see a world where people live and die with grace
the karmic ocean dried up and leave no trace
I wanna dance with you
I see a sky full of the stars that change our minds
and lead us back to a world we would not face'
No... not again... too late he closed his eyes and tried to stop it from coming, but he heard her footsteps running from catwalk to catwalk, heard other voices too... he could make out Alex's voice, Frank's voice too... there were others that he assumed were the officers fromt he squad cars he'd seen following Frank, Alex and Speed into the yard... he'd twisted and pushed Switch into a wall with a vengeance and ran like hell was nipping at his heels. He had to get to Speed and get her out of there...
'the stillness in your eyes
convinces me that I
I don't know a thing
and I been around the world and I've
tasted all the wines
a half a billion times
came sickened to your shores
you showed me what this life is for'
A gunshot rang out, banging off of something metallic, the echo lost in the steam and other noises of the scrapyard... He was lost in the catwalks, Jake didn't care if Switch found him or if he was an open target. ... then he heard Speed's voice... Switch had her cornered. 'you don't want to do this....' ... 'yeah I do. I get rid of you and I become a legend.' ... 'you kill me and you become a target of the Federal Government' ... 'you're so full of it. I already know you turned rat to the Feds. You honestly think they give a damn if I kill you?' ... 'then go ahead, Switch, pull that trigger and see what happens.' More shouting back and forth, Frank's voice joining the shouts... He came around the corner of the catwalk to see Switch fire... then again... and again... Another shot rang out as Donovan fired... Switch was screaming in panic as he fell backwards off the high grating and landed through the roof of the office below with a crash.
Jake sank onto the couch, right in front of the spot where a few nights ago she'd had called out his name in pleasure. He couldn't stop the tears...
"I wanna dance with you
I see a world where people live and die with grace
the karmic ocean dried up and leave no trace
I wanna dance with you
I see a sky full of the stars that change our minds
and lead us back to a world we would not face'
He had shot her, Switch had shot Speed... Marissa... he saw her sink to her knees as Switch fell back... then her head roll forward over her chest as everything slowed down to slow motion. She landed face down onto the grated catwalk. Jake ran towards them, Donovan turning around slowly...
'in this altered state
full of so much pain and rage
you know we got to find a way to let it go'
Jake knelt down as Donovan moved back and holstered his gun. He looked at Jake and whispered 'I'm sorry...' He'd tried to save her life by shooting Switch, but Switch managed to get the jump on him... Jake turned Marissa over and pulled her into his lap. He tried to press down on the bloody mass of her chest and stomach to stop the bleeding, but inside he knew it was too late...
'sittin' on the beach
the island king of love
deep in fijian seas
deep in the heart of it all'
Marissa's eyes opened slowly, fluttering a bit as she tried to take a breath. A trickle of blood seeped out of her lips and wandered it's way down her cheek as she lifted one hand to Jake's face. He kissed her palm gently and she tried to smile. Her eyes were so glassy and distant... 'no Marissa.... don't go...' Her lips moved slowly and silently... she was trying to say something... he bent over and listened to the almost non-existent whisper... 'love... you....... Jake...'
'where the goddess finally sleeps
after eons of war and lifetimes
she smilin' and free, nothin' left
but a cracking voice and a song, oh lord'
The breath caught in his throat. He didn't realize that he'd been sobbing.
Speed died in his arms, his name had been the last breath across her lips. Her beautiful ice blue eyes were fixed on a distant spot. A strong hand gripped his shoulder gently, even as it's owner knelt down next to him. 'Jake. She's gone...' Donovan reached out and gently pulled Jake's hand off of her stomach, then laid her down onto the iron flooring. He pulled Jake up to his feet and led him out of the warehouse. Dozens of police cars had arrived and the G.R.A.B. detectives were spreading out, arresting the people who worked in the ring. They were pulling the cars out of their cargo boxes and taking down the numbers. None of them had realized until then that the drop-off point was just across the canal from the scrapyard and as each cargo container was loaded, it was liftd across the canal via crane and into the scrapyard to wait for the cargo ship... which was due to arrive at 715 am - 15 minutes after the last car was supposed to be delivered.
Jake was numb as he let Donovan put him into the front seat of the waiting Suburban. He looked down at the blood on his hand. Her blood... a flash of yellow caught his eyes as they police impounded the Hemi cuda... Christine... Marissa's Unicorn... Sweet's words came back to haunt him. 'it's the one car no matter how many times you boost it, something always goes wrong...' He hadn't stopped crying the entire way back.
Jake curled up around the pillow from the couch she'd slept on for a short while... it still smelled like her...
'I wanna dance with you
I see a world where people live and die with grace
the karmic ocean dried up and leave no trace'
I wanna dance with you
I see a sky full of the stars that change our minds
and lead us back to a world we would not face
we would not face
we would not face
we would not face
we would not face
we would not face'
The last thought he had as he drifted off into dreams was that things were going to be complicated in the morning...
(( as in chapter 6, song is titled "I want to dance with you" by LIVE on the 'Distance To Here' CD ))
****