Jack dozed in the car, not realising he had dropped off until he herd the beep of his phone which caught his attention. Sitting up in the seat he ran his hands over his face, realising just how tired he was. Squinting through the darkness he found his phone, and then through shielded eyes, began to read the message from his niece, the light of the phone bright in contrast to the darkness.
Switching on the dull light in the cars interior Jack read the message again, feeling slightly worried. It simple said, "we need to talk." She wanted to see him, but how could he, when he'd promised Carol he'd wait? The message had been sent at eight o'clock, Jack almost jumped when he glanced at his watch and saw the time. He'd been asleep over three hours. Cursing he put his phone away, now angry with himself for falling asleep. How could he have fallen asleep when his family needed him?
Tapping his hands against the steering wheel Jack closed his eyes as he tried to think of some sort of solution. He wanted to see Casey, and Mark. Mark! Shit, Jack thought, what if the bastard had come home and Jack had missed it?
Getting out of the car Jack ran down the street and hopped over the small gate instead of going through it. He tried the door but it was locked. Rummaging through his pockets Jack founded what he had been looking for and quickly set to work on picking the lock. He was in in no time.
Creeping through the house Jack was not comforted by the silence. Deciding that Carol wouldn't be pleased to wake up and find her brother intruding, he took out his flashlight and silently searched the house's lower level, pleased to see no sign of Mark.
Climbing the stairs painfully slowly Jack turned the beam of his light down as he thought about the situation. If he hadn't been worried for his family, or angry at Mark he would have found his current condition amusing, breaking into his sisters house. But his need to stay silent was a constant reminder of Marks actions. Carol had tried to play the incident down but Jack knew there was more too it, and he wouldn't stop until he confronted Mark with it himself. That could wait, if he wasn't here now, but not for long. Something like this couldn't be ignored.
The bathroom and upstairs studies were empty, as was the spare bedroom. Deciding to leave Casey's room until last Jack patiently worked Carol's room door open, wincing with every creak the door made. Looking in he saw his sister asleep, alone in the large bed. He was pleased to see no sign of Mark. Closing the door another creak sounded, and Jack cringed as he saw his sister roll over in bed. She was a light sleeper, Jack knew, but thankfully, she didn't wake. Jack gently closed the door behind himself before stepping into the adjourning room, knowing there was no need for caution, Casey could sleep through a bomb siren.
Like his sister, the girl was sleeping, out like a light. Relief flooded Jack, knowing that the two were physically okay, and that Mark hadn't come back for more. Maybe it had been a misunderstanding? Not having the heart to wake her Jack moved over to her desk where her planner sat. Quickly flipping through it Jack opened it up to a clear page and scribbled a note to her, knowing it would show her that he had been here, and would be there for her when she woke.
Smiling again that she was alright, Jack kissed her on the forehead before leaving the room, making sure everything had been left as he had found it. He felt the urge to grab a snack from the kitchen but knew not to push his luck. Carol would be furious if she knew he'd picked her locks and done a sweep of the house. She didn't need the added pressure of having to scold him too - right now she needed to concentrate on one thing, her life and where it was going, she didn't need to worry about anything else.
Locking the door from the outside Jack turned around and hopped back over the gate in the darkness, hoping no nosey neighbours had seen him. As he turned to head for his car he was suddenly grabbed and slammed into the wall hiding Carols garden from view. Startled Jack's head hit the wall hard and for a second his vision went blank.
Seconds later Jack squinted through the darkness and realised that he wasn't being attacked, the rough hands were no longer pinning him to the wall but a figure was facing him, Jacks own gun in his hand. Looking down at the weapon Jack gritted his teeth, knowing he had left it in the car. The man leaned forward and whispered in Jacks ear, the stench of alcohol on his breath.
"Looking for someone," Mark asked, his face setting into a nasty grin.