Chapter 3

Unconscious, Sam leaned over and cuddled up to Jack's shoulder. She would have moved closer to him still in her drugged state; but he'd handcuffed her right hand to the door and then secured her left wrist and right together in another pair of cuffs. He hated doing this, but he needed to get her to listen to him and it would be nice to spend some time with his Samantha. As he drove out of the Atlanta city limits, he allowed himself to savour the warmth of her body next to his. Gently, Jack leaned over and kissed her forehead.

All these years of devotion gifting her with roses and playing their games, she was still his puzzle and he was hers. Drawing himself out of his reverie, Jack forced himself to focus on the road. He was transporting precious cargo and he drove with extra care. A smile crossed his face as he drove and he reached down to push the tape in the deck. In the car Jack liked tapes that he'd made from his records. He was probably the only hacker in the world with a rotary dial phone and a record player. Softly Jack sang along to "Night and Day" as he drove towards their destination. Sam roused slightly and nuzzled against his shoulder as she passed back out.

"Rest Samantha," Jack soothed gently and wrapped his arm around her, drawing her as close as her bonds would permit.

As he made the turnoff for their stop, Samantha started to wake up, and reluctantly Jack withdrew his arm. He knew as soon as Sam was alert she'd start yelling at him and he didn't want to add fuel to the fire. Normally he enjoyed her fire and fanned it happily, but this was important and he had to get her to hear him out. Sam sat upright and blinked slightly, confused from her drug induced stupor.

"What's going on? Who are you?" she demanded angrily and started pulling at her cuffs.

"Samantha darling, I'm hurt you don't recognize me," Jack purred sibilantly.

Samantha looked at him in horror as two things dawned on her. First that this was the face of Jack the man she'd once loved before he died and she'd grown to hate the associations of the name! And second and worse, that this was the voice of Jack of All Trades!

"Jack," she gasped in distress.

"At your service. Don't bother trying the door Sam dear, it only unlocks from the outside and I'm going too fast for you to try anything stupid."

"All these years of terrorizing me and the killing and disguises and it was you!?! You Bastard!" Sam screamed incredulously.

Jack smiled and replied in a sweet voice, "Now darling I seem to recall telling you my parents were married. Don't you remember that nice conversation we had on our second date?"

"Oh God," Samantha breathed and looked wildly about her. Panic and fear warred with grief and she just sat gasping.

"I seem to remember making you say that a quite a few times one magical night," Jack teased, curling his tongue seductively for a moment before returning his attention to the road.

"You cock sucker!" she cried out indignantly.

"Such naughty language Samantha," Jack scolded and added, "I seem to remember you doing that and quite well; but I can honestly say that's one thing I've never done."

Samantha opened her mouth to give him a scathing retort and fell silent. Nothing in all her years of training had prepared her for this. All these years of imaging what Jack might look like hadn't prepared her for this! Here was the man she had been ready to leave Tom at the altar for, whom she'd believed to be dead for the past 9 years. And of all people Jack could be Jack was JACK! A hysterical bubble of laughter escaped from her before she could stop herself.

Oh God, Jack, her Jack killed Tom and all those people. It was horrible and worse still some small part of her rejoiced that he had been alive all this time and thinking of her. This was awful! What the hell did he have planned? She had to get home to Chloe! Oh Christ Chlo! All these years of thinking Tom was her daddy and not only wasn't he, but the most infamous serial killer in modern history was her biological father! Could this day get any worse?

"Now my Sam when we get to the cabin, I'm going to give you your cell phone and you're going to call that annoying roommate of yours and tell her you won't be home tonight-"

"You son of a bitch! If you think I'm going to help you kidnap me, you've got another thing coming!"

"Finally on the scoreboard Samantha. Yes my mother is a bitch, but I would appreciate it if you watched the language. We have a daughter to think about."

"If you think for one minute I'm letting you near my daughter-" she growled.

They remained silent for a moment as they pulled up to a large cabin in a pretty clearing in the woods. Jack leaned over and began to release Sam's bonds.

"Our daughter Sam. Our baby needs her father or don't you care about her health?"

"You'll never be a father to her! And how do you know already?"

"When it comes to you and my daughter I'm always there Samantha. And I always will be. Now when we go inside the cabin, you will make a call to reassure your roommate and our daughter. This is a tricky situation and we have a lot to discuss. You know I would die before hurting you Samantha."

Jack got out of the car and went around to open Samantha's door. As she stepped out she looked at him and slapped him.

"Die before hurting me! How many times, how many ways have you hurt me?! You killed Tom and how many other people!?" Samantha cried out and then started sobbing. "And you flaunted that damn Sharon and you were dead and you-"

Jack held Samantha firmly in his arms and kissed her into gasping silence.