HOOOOOOOO boy the cruise was FUUUUUUN! Best new year's, by far. Drunk british people...drunk people in general...I am proud to say that I didn't have ANY alcohol...other than the champagne that was sprayed all over me...and I didn't write much (oopsie) cuz I was having SO MUCH FUN! hahha I learned a bunch of English vocabulary...like nob and chip and crisp and fit and dobber. Two of my best friends on the cruise were these English twins from West Yorkshier...both gothammered on New years...pretty awesome. Well here is the...sixth chapter! WAHOO! It's Jamie's point of view...so...have fun

ps, Jamie calls her friend in London in this chappie...and if you're english and reading this Don't laugh at me for my weak attempt at English vocabulary...I'm just a stupid American who doens't know nothin.

Jamie's POV

Aaaaaaaaaah…Moonshining in the middle of a swamp in Georgia. A week ago I arrived in Atlanta, Georgia. This guy I met in some bar in the Caribbean told me about his fabulous moonshine and invited me to try some. So what could I do? I'm always up for illegal activity…especially when it involves alcohol, my party-time necessity (line from Alcohol, Bear Naked Ladies).

Anywho, so I had to tell all my friends and family that I'm going to South America and wouldn't be in contact 'cause this guy, Martin Humberg, wants the location of his still to be a secret. It's not like I lied. I was in the south of North America, I just left out the north. We flew up to Atlanta and then I was blindfolded and stun-gunned. I mean, this guy could have been a psycho-rapist who wanted to keep me as his sex slave…but I was lucky. He was actually telling the truth. And let me tell you, that was the best goddamn moonshine I'd ever had.

I wasn't completely out of contact, anyhow. I still had my phone on. I always answer my phone, no matter what. One time I was running away from these poachers in Africa carrying their elephant rifles and my phone rang. I answered, of course, and it turned out to be a telemarketer. So I kept my phone on but I figured that if I told people to try not to call me 'cause I wouldn't answer, they wouldn't call. Clearly I was wrong.

It was a beautiful fall morning in Brandy Bay. I had finally figured out where we were, mostly from Martin getting so drunk he would answer anything. I wasn't feeling to pretty that morning, mostly 'cause I had the mother off all hangovers. I shuffled through theleaves and twigs and other such debristo the remains of our fire the night before. There were only two rules for visiting Martin's Still. One: What Happens at the Still Stays at the Still; and Two: Whoever Wakes up First Makes Breakfast. I was up first, so I got to make breakfast. Goody for me. I struck a match, dropped it on some twigs in our fire pit, and cracked some eggs into a pan. While the eggs were cooking I checked the messages on my cell phone. There was one from my older sister, Stephanie. "Are you okay?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes. I knew no matter what I did, she would wig out. I guess I could ignore it.

The rest of the day was spent getting over a hangover for more drinking that night. I'm surprised I haven't died from alcohol poisoning yet. What's with that? There were a bunch of different variations of drinks to try and Martin said we had to getshit-faced every night, and sober up everyday. I spent the day hunting for cool-looking snakes or other wildlife. I took a bunch of pictures, saving them to send to Stephanie.

Around sunset I was drunk enough to do something really stupid. I called an old friend from London to tell her about this GREAT moonshine I was drinking. It was two o'clock AM her time, and when she answered she sounded like she just woke up.

"Heya Cassie," I lengthening the 's'.

"God Jamie you sound pissed," she told me.

"Yeah you better believe it, baby. This here's the best-tastin' stuff I've ever…haded…hade? Haved. Tha's the one. Haved."

Cassie laughed at me. "Jamie, you nobhead. I thought you were kidnapped."

"I am? Tha's news ta me."

"Your gorgeous friend Ranger phoned me. He said you were kidnapped and asked me if I knew where you were."

I frowned at my phone. Kidnapped? The last time I had been kidnapped was….Jack Summer. I hadn't seen him in a while. But I had talked to him a couple weeks ago and he had threatened Steph.

"Bu….I'm not kidnapped…" I said, utterly perplexed. If I had been sober it would have clicked into place a lot faster.

"Ranger said Jack Summer mailed him a picture of you all beaten up."

"Ah really? I 'member when he took that picture….that was…a couple…years…AW SHIT." That's when it hit me. It was a trap. Fuck.

"D'ya know where they are?" I yelled at Cassie.

"You don't have to yell, luv, he said he was in Florida."

"ARG. I havta go, Cass, see ya later," I said and hung up. Martin had passed out next to the fire and I staggered over to him and kicked him in the ribs.

"Uunnnhg…" he groaned.

"Marty wake up! I need the keys to your car." He was so drunk he would do anything for me. He handed me the keys to the car and I took off, through the brush. I had to be careful of snakes and crocs, but in my drunkenness I wasn't really paying attention.

I tore out of the little abandoned road at the edge of the swamp. Even though I was three sheets to the wind, I could still drive well. I've always been able to drive well, it didn't matter if I was drunk or sober or high. At midnight I stopped at a McDonald's for a coke, large fries, three hamburgers, and a twenty-piece chicken nugget. I stopped at a pay phone(to save my phone battery)and called my friend Kiley in Quebec. She was one of my best friends. We met in Key West a couple weeks after I met Ranger. He surely would have called her.

"'Lo…?" she answered huskily. I winced. I had forgotten what time it was.

"Sorry. It's Jamie," I said.

"Jamie? I thought you were kidnapped?"

"That's what I heard. Did Ranger call you?"

"Tank did. He and Ranger are in Miami."

I swore. That was still about 200 miles away. "Did he say anything else?"

"Errrm…no, just that they couldn't find you. I told them you told me you would be in South America. Where were you anyway?"

I grinned to myself. "A still in Georgia."

I could feel her rolling her eyes. "One of these days, Jamie Rose, one of these days." I laughed.

"Well I gotta go Kiley-poo, see ya later."

"Alright. Come visit me sometime."

"Will do, oh princess," I said and hung up. Miami, huh? I could do 200 miles in four hours. I would get there by four am. And then I would have to find them. But find Jack first. ARG. My life is so freaking complicated.

By four twelve I hit Miami city limits. I knew Ranger would have searched all of Jack's residences…except the one only I knew about, have being held there for three miserable days a while ago. The highway was all blocked up from some accident, so it wasn't untilfive that I actually got into the city. I knew Ranger's brother had an office in the downtown area, but from being hit in the head so many times I had a horrible memory and couldn't for the life of me remember where is was. So I decided to visit my dear friend Jacky-Poo first.

I parked in front of the old warehouse on the other side of town. It had taken me THREE FREAKING HOURS TO GET THERE. Two accidents plus Miami traffic. I was still pretty wired from all that moonshine but mostly it was out of my system. Now I was just left with nausea and a killer head ache. OH boy. I angled out of the old nameless sedan and crunched up the gravel lot to the warehouse, stopping in front of the big metal sliding door. I pounded on the door. "Hey Jack, you JERK are you in there?" I hollered. I know I should be scared and all, but hey, I was under the influence.

With a screech that almost knocked me out, the door slid open. "What the fuck are you doing here? I thought you were in South America." Jack asked me. I blinked away the clanging in my brain and pushed past him into the warehouse.

"I was….kind of. I was in Georgia, so that's still south and in America, right?" I turned and grinned at him. I wasn't really scared of this guy. Sure, he's beaten me to a pulp, shot me, stunned me, tear-gassed me; hell, he's even thrown a grenade at me. But for some reason I just wasn't scared. I knew in my gut that I'd always get away, no matter what.

"So," I went on, looking around. It wasn't a very big structure. There was a TV, couch, card table, and a bunch of old abandoned junk left over from when this place used to be a storage unit. It was also Jack's weapon arsenal. I turned back to Jack, standing there, glowering at me. "You sent an old picture of me to Ranger, knowing he'd come rescue me and bring Stephanie along. And then I'm assuming you're going to hold me for ransom, right? And you'll ask her to come alone. And then when she comes to make the drop you'll kidnap and/or kill her and take the money. How well did I do?"

He lunged at me, something I had been expecting. We both got some good hits in. But like every other time in the past, he was a lot bigger than me and had the advantage. I managed to protect my face okaybut I felt some ribs crack. Finally he stood up and brushed himself off.

"That was rude," I said, head pounding beyond belief. I assessed the damage on myself while Jack disappeared from view. A couple of cracked ribs, bruises all over my arms, and what I assumed to be two black eyes. Jolly. I closed my eyes for a moment. Boy, I don't think I'd ever been this stupid. I should have contacted Stephanie first thing. Well shit, I tried. She didn't answer her phone. ARG. Why didn't I call Ranger or Tank? Because I was shit-faced, that's why. Fuck, I'm a moron. I opened my eyes again when I felt boot connect with rib and heard an ominous crunch. I groaned and glared at Jack.

"Maybe not," he said, referring to my afore deduction of his plan, "Maybe I will just hold you for ransom and then take the money. Maybe I'll kill you anyway." I rolled my eyes. I couldn't help it. This dude has told me he was going to kill me SO MANY times over the last five years. And guess what! I WAS STILL ALIVE! My mental tirade stopped when Jack bent over and pressed something to my arm. A ratherglorious firework show blew up in front of my eyes and everything went black.

When I woke up I knew I was handcuffed to the wall. Mostly 'cause I couldn't feel my left arm. Jack was no where to be seen. And judging by the light coming through the windows, I assumed it was mid morning. Christ, he had only stun-gunned me, why the hell was I out so long? Probably 'cause he just beat you a pulp, genius, I thought. Not to mention I was pretty hung over. And the stupid headache from the stun-gun wasn't helping much.

Jack was getting stupid in his old age (actually, I didn't know how old he was, but humor me), he had only chained my left hand to the wall. I rolled my eyes. What a moron. I reached up and felt around in my glove (it was one of those that only goes halfway up your fingers) for a bobby pin. DAMMIT. It wasn't there! Maybe he wasn't getting so stupid after all….I looked around, looking for some scrap of metal. I felt around on the floor. Nope. Nothing. Fruck. I had some lock-picking stuff in my bag…I looked around again. GODAMMIT. Bag was on the other side of the room. I sighed and slumped back against the wall. Might as well go back to sleep.

When I woke up again I heard Jack talking on the phone. He must have thought I was still passed out because he wasn't talking any lower, so I just kept my eyes shut and listened.

"…800,000 dollars to Mike's Auto tonight at twelve thirty she swims with the fishes." What a cliché line. Loser. Jack's head snapped around and he looked at me. He walked over and gave me a good kick in the ribs. Ouch. Guess I said 'loser' out loud.

"Well it's true," I said weakly, a smartass to the last, "I mean, who uses 'sleeps with the fishes' anymore? Totally last year."

Jack shook his head, smiling evilly. "We'll see what you have to say when I bring your sister here." He said and stun-gunned me again. The bastard.

When I woke up again, the sun was in my eyes. I grumbled and squinched my eyes shut and passed out again. When I woke up next I knew I couldn't waste any more time sleeping. The sun had gone down and I didn't know what time it was. Not to mention I still needed to get out of this hand-cuff. My entire left arm and shoulder was numb and aching. I felt around in my pocket with my right arm. Nothing. GODDAMIT. I drew my knees up and felt around in my shoes. AHA! PAPER CLIP TO THE RESCUE! Later I'll ask myself why the hell I had a paper clip in my shoe. At the moment I had to unbend the stupid paper clip and shove it into the little key-hole.

Several minutes of swearing, pleading, swearing some more, and finally making deals, the cuff snapped open. Hurray for me. I spent a while rubbing life into my left arm and then got up and stretched. I was hungry as a football player and probably could eat one. After routing around Jack's mini-fridge I grabbed my bag. My gun, blackjack, dirk, and nun-chucks were gone so I took one of Jack's guns. I peeked out the ware-house door to see if Jack was coming home. Probably not, since it was nine-thirty. SHIT. I only had THREE HOURS to get to Mike's Auto and I was on the outskirts of town! FUCK. I hopped into my car (which Jack had stupidly left there, unscathed. I swear that man doesn't take me seriously) and shot out of the little gravel lot.

Two hours later I was nearing Mike's Auto. It had taken a lot of detours and honking to get here this fast. Now what to do? Knowing Ranger, he's probably told Stephanie that while she appears to be alone at the drop…she's wearing a wire and he's parked a block away. And he probably told her to get there early. I looked at my watch. SHIT. Eleven thirty. She might already be there. I snatched my phone out of my bag and dialed Stephanie.

I didn't even wait until she answered. "SHIT Stephanie TURN AROUND! Don't go anywhere NEAR Mike's Auto, do you hear me? TURN THE FUCK AROUND!" I hung up the phone and looked around at the cars. I saw a black SUV do a U-turn. BINGO. I followed it to a parking lot.

eh...heh...