Keeping it Safe
Chapter Ten: Is This It?

That's when the riot started.

Yeah, I'd like to say that we were civilized enough to restrain ourselves and let Swifty and Jack sort out their own differences. But we're teenage boys. We'll look for any excuse to get into a brawl. So once Jack floored Swifty with that massive punch to the jaw, it was all over. With a chorus of yells the platform leading to the office was emptied and all hell broke out.

I sank a fist into someone's stomach and felt all the frustrations and anger start to pour out from my body. With each hit I felt a little better, every time I made contact my expression brightened a little more. By the time the bulls came we were all bruised and bloody, exhausted but still going at it. They took us all away to the refuge, just for a night. I had a feeling it was going to be one to remember.

-

It wasn't the longest night of my life but it came pretty damn close. For all his stories and claims, Jack made no attempt to escape. As soon as we were all in and separated he sulked off by himself and proceeded to ignore us all -- which was good, considering we were all trying to do the same to him. Race found me almost immediately though we had been separated. He knew the place well.

"Guess who's gone," he said grimly.

I couldn't help but feel a little relieved. I hadn't been looking forward to spending the night with my close Chinese 'friend.'

"Swifty. Where'd he go? More importantly, how'd he get away?"

Race shrugged. "He slipped out before the coppers got everything under control. I don't think he's the only one who got away… plus he was pretty close to the exit. And I have no idea where he headed, but…"

"You have a few guesses," I finished. We both fell silent. I sighed. There was no use talking around the real subject at hand.

"Think it's true?" I asked and shifted awkwardly.

Race rubbed at his eyes as if he were in pain. "Yes," he said. "And no."

I waited.

"A few months ago I would have said no. But with what I've seen since then?" His voice dropped lower. "Still, I just don't think Jack could've done it. Not the Jack I know."

"This isn't the Jack you know. That's why you've been trying to get away from him," I reminded him. "He changed. Changed from an arrogant bastard to a dangerous one."

"So after all this you believe Swifty's word?"

I paused. He had a point, yet… "Jack didn't deny it."

"We'll see about that," Race said and headed across the room. Skittery, who had (of course) been listening in the whole time, sidled over to me.

"He's sure got his knickers in a knot," he sneered. "I thought Race and Jack weren't getting along."

"You know how close they used to be, though," I said. "I think he shocked. Jack's a bastard, but would he go this far?"

"Jack hated Bumlets as much as Swifty hated Jack. And the feeling was returned. Why not get rid of hi,?"

I didn't answer. Across the room, Race and Jack were in the middle of a heated discussion and I couldn't help but watch. Skittery followed my gaze. He whistled under his breath.

"Here we go."

We approached the two, me absentmindedly rubbing at my jaw where I had been hit earlier in the day. I could feel a bruise forming at my collarbone as well. What a day.

"What was I supposed to do?!" Jack was asking Race. He looked annoyed. "he just would have challenged me again. I worked too hard for this. I waited too long. I deserve this!"

"You deserve nothing," Race said, disgusted. "You killed someone, Jack. Killed him. Did you ever really think about that?"

Jack was silent. He noticed Skittery and myself.

"Hey," he said sullenly. I shook my head, but Skittery romped right over and gave him a hearty slap on the back.

"Jacky-boy!" He cried. Jack looked almost relieved. But the smile disappeared from Skittery's face. "You bastard," he said, and the punch that followed drove Jack back into the wall. Jack sprang forward at once, fists up and ready to retaliate, but Skittery had turned his back and was already walking away. Jack deflated a little. At once I noticed how haggard and tired his face looked, but I felt no sympathy. I imagined mine was much the same. He looked to me, expectant for another attack of some sort.

"So it's true," I said finally, lamely.

Jack hesitated, then nodded. Race tried to catch my eye, but I avoided his gaze. I could feel the frustration I had gotten rid of that morning building up again. I didn't know who to direct it to, but I felt like if I didn't let it out soon I would do something stupid. I looked again to Jack and curled my hand into a fist, my nails biting my palms. He noticed the motion and tensed.

I opened my mouth and then the door creaked open and the warden entered our room.

We all split up and hurried to our beds.

-

We were released early enough the next morning to pick up the morning edition. Race walked by my side, unusually silent and sullen. I ventured a question.

"Do you know where Jack is?"

"Back at the Lodging House, I guess," he said.

"He dares to?"

Race had no answer.

"There's no way in hell he'll be able to keep control after what's happened," I continued.

"Yeah?" Race looked angry. "Well who's going to stop him, Snoddy?"

This time I had no answer.

Race walked on ahead and with a sigh I shoved my hands into my pockets and looked at the ground as I walked. Because of this, I failed to notice the slight female figure standing in my path until I bumped right into her.

I grabbed her arm to keep from falling with a hurried apology, then saw her face and released my grip. Jacklyn.

She recognized me instantly and her features paled.

"I didn't know you came outside into the sun," I shot. "Bad night?"

She was clearly taken aback.

"Snoddy, I-"

"I don't need to talk to you," I said, and started to brush by but she took hold of my wrist and turned be back around.

Now she looked angry.

"If you listen to me, maybe I can explain!" She said, but it was as if I couldn't see her, only Pie's bloody body with her voice over the image. I put a hand over my eyes.

"Swifty is a bad, bad person, Snoddy," she said.

"Oh really," I said, eyes still covered.

"I mean it, Snoddy. And you know it."

I withdrew my hand, seething, the anger continuing to grow in me. "So? It's all his fault?"

"Yes! I didn't know, Snoddy. I was just doing my job. Swifty set the rest up. I was as shocked as you were." Her voice quieted. "Just as sad as you were."

"Horse shit. Are you trying to tell me that you loved him? Because I would've thought you'd have a better way to show it. Better than, say, sleeping with other men."

"Snoddy, it's my job to-"

"Did you love him?" I interrupted.

"What?"

"Did you love him?"

Silence. She looked to the side.

"Swifty asked you to do it, didn't he. To step out with Pie. He made you."

She nodded, biting her lip.

"And you never noticed how badly Swifty was using you? What his final goal was?"

She shook her head. "You don't asked questions," she said softly. "Not in those situations."

"Looks like you should have," I said bitterly.

She turned back to me with a glare.

"What will it take for you to realize that I could do nothing? Even if I had known about it all I couldn't have done anything!"

I closed my eyes. She was telling the truth. Why should Swifty let her in on his plan when there was the chance that she could ruin it? No, better to leave her ignorant.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

I pretended I hadn't heard. "Where is he?"

She frowned. "Swifty? I don't know…" She paused. "Actually I haven't seen him - except from a distance - since that night. Of course, I've been trying to avoid the bastard."

"How does that work? You guys are in the same place every night."

She shook her head. "He stopped coming a few nights after… that… happened. From what I've heard, he's in some trouble at McSweeney's. Big trouble -- money trouble. Yeah, he's been making himself scarce."

I was surprised. Somehow, in the back of my mind, I had always thought Swifty to be invincible.

"People are starting to get upset," Jacklyn continued. "They'll find him." Suddenly her expression changed to a grim smile. "He'll get it."

I felt a chill dance down my back. Jacklyn looked over my shoulder and waved to someone I couldn't see.

"I have to go," she said. I think we were both relieved.

"Listen, you have a good head on your shoulders. Don't lose it."

I laughed mirthlessly and nodded her off. She left me alone on the crowded street. It was too late to sell now.

I was hungry.

-

Around noon I caught up with race, who had worked his way up to Central Park and had a few of the younger boys with him, some of which I didn't recognize. Showing them the tricks of the trade, I guessed. I watched from a few yards away.

"Don't stick so close together, now. Spread out, but be sure you can still see him, Maze. Or hear him. Just in case there's some sort of trouble."

Maze, a tiny thing with white-blond hair, said something in response that I didn't catch and Race laughed. I found myself smiling -- leave it to Race to keep his cool in these times. As he sent the boys off and picked up his own remaining stack of papers, I made my entrance.

"New boys?" I asked.

Race wasn't surprised to see me. He had probably known I was there all along.

"Just one," he said. "The punk with green eyes. I found him trying to pickpocket me this morning."

I took a seat on one of the park benches.

"Guess who I saw this morning?"

Race shrugged. Now that the boys were gone, he was back to being sullen.

"Jacklyn. Remember her? Dark hair…"

He nodded silently and raised his eyebrows.

"Is she the one that Pie…"

"Yeah."

He nodded again, almost to himself.

"Well? What'd she want?"

"Nothing, I guess. She wasn't looking for me, but… well, she said she had nothing to do with any planning involving Pie. She had no idea."

"It could be true," Race mused. "Or she could be trying to get on your good side."

"She had no reason to," I said, though now I had doubts. "The meeting was accidental, remember?"

"Swifty's next victim?" Race continued.

"She said she hadn't seen him…" I sighed.

Race studied me carefully. "I have to sell, but… just be on your guard, okay?"

I snorted and stretched out on the bench, ready for a nap.

"Aren't I always?"

-

I woke with a start when a small rock bounced off my forehead.

"Hell!" I cried and clapped a hand to the spot. I tried to sit upright but tumbled to the ground instead…

…right at Swifty's feet. He had another stone in his hand but dropped it when I stood up.

"Good," he said. "You're awake."

I simply stared, and he grinned.

"Good," he said again.

I was feeling a little groggy and was startled to notice that dusk was falling. I'd been more tired than I had thought.

"What do you want?" I said finally. The coming darkness wasn't the only thing that was making me edgy.

"Believe it or not, I'm looking for your help."

I blinked. "What?"

Swifty looked amused. "To get what I want needs more than just one person. So I'm coming to you. Is it really all that strange?"

"Yes," I said immediately, then regretted it. I remember both Jacklyn's and Race's words of caution.

Swifty looked at me carefully. "You know what Jack did, right? I mean… you know that it's true."

I nodded. It continued to get darker. Swifty hadn't moved an inch from his original position.

"Hey, Snoddy." He had a new light in his eyes. "I'm leaving, you know. I'm out. But I can't leave knowing that that bastard won it. After all this. One last thing on my 'to-do list,' Snoddy, and then I'm gone. For good. New York is history. Help me with this. A favor. Do me a favor." His smile grew wider.

His words rewoke the anger resting in my stomach.

"A favor! I owe you nothing!" I shouted, my words fighting through air thick with tension. The half smile remained on his face.

"Calm down, Snoddy. You don't like Jack either, and you know what he did. What's stopping you?"

I took a deep, shuddering breath. "It's wrong, Swifty, whether you know it or not. I don't just go around killing people because I don't like them, or because they themselves did something wrong." My voice lowered. "Though there are a few exceptions."

He laughed loudly. "Is that a threat?"

I didn't answer.

"You wouldn't even be hurting him," Swifty continued. "All you have to do is bring him to me. It's not hard and I'll give you something in return. Whatever you want. Money. Respect. Girls…"

"Seems like you've already arranged that," I said under my breath, remembering again Race's skeptical words.

"What?" Swifty frowned, confused.

I sighed. "I met up with Jacklyn today."

"Who? Jacklyn… oh, Jackie. Really." He seemed completely uninterested.

"Yeah. She said you were in money trouble, or something."

His frown deepened, then his composure returned and he shrugged.

"She can believe what she wants." He glanced over his shoulder and then returned to watching me.

I took advantage of the lull in conversation.

"I have to get back," I told him.

"Alright. Meet me on Duane around seven-thirty tomorrow, then?"

God, I hated that smirk of his. I began to walk away, and he made no move to follow me. My frustration, barely held in check, pounded in my head.

"I'm not helping you, Swifty," I called back over my shoulder. "I'll just be much happier when you're gone!"

Author's Note: This chapter written over various days on a bus while driving across Ireland. Woo! About half of chapter eleven was also written, so I can confidently promise you that this story will be finished soon. Ahh! The prospect is almost too much to bare, for me. This never happens. Anyway, thanks to my oh-so-faithful readers and reviewers who somehow remembered this story after 392759843 hiatus months and dropped in to say 'hello.' I truly appreciate that!

Keep up the good work… hee.
Pink!Frog: Remember: I love you. -evil smile-
Flare o' the Llama: Jack hate is oh so much more fun than Jack love. I don't think I've ever called anyone else in any of my stories a bastard more times than him. Hee!
Trolley: Contrary to popular belief, yep, I'm still hanging around! Yes… Lapdog Blink makes me sort of sad, but then Evil!Swifty comes along and gives him a swift kick in the rear and we all have a good laugh. And by 'we' I mean 'myself, alone in a room.' Yeah… I'm cool like that.
Flare o' the Midnight: -hands you a sleek blue ribbon- yes, you succeeded in the unnerving. You'd think I'd have seen it all in the past year or two, but… man. Who knows. Also, "blinks quizzically" pretty much sums up my expression the entire time of reading your reviews (which I usually must do three or four times, because they amuse me so much) and this is good. Thanks so much!
ershey: This is fairly soon, no? And longer too, woo! Twists are my favorite. They're much fun, and they make Falco mad, which leads to more fun, etc… sort of a delightfully bizarre cycle. Like cicadas. Hee.
Falco: Again… HAWT! Just you wait, my little panini. (Filled with cheese and spicy chicken, mmm.) For Evil!Swifty shall conquer the WORLD! Ooh, tinsel.