Jack laid awake most of the night. Space lag. Strange how when she'd been twelve or thirteen and jumping planet every few weeks it hadn't bothered her nearly so much.
She had her stuffed brown bear to keep her company, she never went anywhere without him. Bear had lost and gained a multitude of names over the years. The one that had stuck the longest was Lil' Evil, or LE, pronounced Lee.
Jack squeezed Lee tight, remembering the day Riddick gave him to her. He'd just been switched to the night shift at the club he was working at, promoted to head bouncer. He wasn't going to be around when she woke up screaming in the night anymore, so the day he had to tell her he got her a teddy bear to try to make up for it. She'd been a little crushed at the time. Back then they'd only been off T2 for a little over six months, and Jack was still being sent running to Riddick's room in fits of terror at least twice a week.
Strange how those nightmares never faded
Riddick had tried to be there for her back then. She would often eves drop on the late night conversations he would have with Imam, during which the Holy Man would instruct the ex-convict in the proper methods of calming and comforting a young teenaged girl. The first few times that she ended up in his bed, cowering under the covers, Riddick simply pretended to still be asleep. He allowed her to stay but acted like he didn't care.
In time, with experience and Imam's guidance, he became fairly adept at soothing her. When it was especially bad he'd guide her back to her own room, tuck her back into her own bed, and would rub her back in slow circles until she fell asleep. She missed that feeling of security more than anything.
And then there had been the times when paralysis would overtake her in the darkness, and she would lie still so the monsters wouldn't be able to see her. During one of those times he'd come to her, even though she thought her calls of his name would've been too soft to be heard, even through the thin walls of Imam's apartment.
He'd tapped her side through the blankets, signaling her to move over so there would be room in her small bed for him to lie down. It took her a long time to stop trembling, even with him there. She could barely remember the feel of his fingers smoothing her still-short hair.
"There're things in the universe to be afraid of Jack, millions of monsters waiting to grab you. But right now, I am the biggest, badist mother fucker around, and there ain't nothing that's gonna get past me."
"I'm so scared all the time Riddick, I dream that I'm still there watching them die. Then I wake up and it's dark and I don't know if I can move because maybe it wasn't really a dream, maybe I am s—s—still back on that planet." Jack clutched at his big ribcage tighter, burying her face against his chest.
"Shh, don't worry. You're human, it's natural to be afraid, but don't you can't let the fear overtake you. Let it be your ally, not your weakness. You have to take the power, the adrenaline it gives you, and use it to keep yourself safe."
She'd chuckled a little bit at that, slightly comforted. "Actually, I was thinking that could be your job. Keep me safe Riddick?" She turned trusting eyes up at him, knowing he'd be able to see in the darkness even if he had his contacts in.
He'd taken a long moment to answer, drawing her head back against his chest, allowing his sharp senses to pick up on all the signs of life she made no matter how quiet she tried to be. Her heartbeat and breathing had both begun regulating. Her fear had slowly abated in his presence.
"Always Jack. I must've been meant for something, and everyday I'm starting to think more and more that it was to do just that. When I was in slam though, I never thought that freedom would mean checking for the boogie man under a teenage girl's bed."
"But you're so good at it."
"Yeah, I know. I'm really good at a lot of things, they were just never the right things at the right time."
"I disagree, I thought you being a mass murderer when those things were trying to eat my face off was perfect timing."
He'd chuckled, squeezing her upper arm. "Maybe kid, maybe."
"What happened to him Lee?" Jack asked of her teddy bear, and as usual he was relatively unresponsive. "When did I lose Riddick? Where did he go? Cause he ain't here, I know that. Maybe he really did die on the planet, maybe it just me forever to notice."
Tears filled her eyes, stinging as they threatened to overflow for the second time that night.
"And the worst part," she choked, slowly wiping away the first tear that slid silently down her cheek. "Is that I really loved him, fell for him hard the second I saw Johns forcing him blind and bound onto the Hunter-Grazner. He fought tooth and nail, never gave an inch for free even though it was hopeless. That was when I was just about to give up and turn myself in, and then I saw him and he was so amazing...And now he's beat, he's whipped..."
Jack gave into the sob that clenched her throat shut, trying to bite down on her lip so no one but Lee would hear.
"Now he's just as dead as I am."
So, there was a girl. Must've been the one from the crash.
He'd watched her get out of the car and shoot a venomous glare at her host as he'd allowed her to walk in the door ahead of him. So, not just a visitor. Staying for a while perhaps? God he hoped so.
She was young, late teens at most, probably vulnerable. Most teenaged girls were. Conte smirked. A girl his age. It was almost like having Christmas come early. He'd been looking for a way in, and here was an almost sure one. Hell, Riddick might as well have gift wrapped it with a big red bow on top.
I needed a break, now here's Little Red Riding Hood to guide me home. And who better to work her over than the big bad wolf himself?
He chuckled wickedly. "Weak old man, really weak. I could put a bear trap next to your bed and I'll bet you'd step right into it first thing in the morning. And I'm sure that the new addition ain't gonna go over well with the lady of the house. But you're a lucky bastard, I'll give you that. Two beautiful girls in a home that ain't big enough for both of them. Catfight central, and I'll just bet they'll be fighting over you."
Conte's classic Cheshire Cat grin slowly spread over his face as he stretched large frame further across the back seat of the SUV he'd rented, taking a long pull off his beer. He couldn't help but have fantasies about...Shiela? Shella? Whatever. The resident bitch.
During the multitude of spare time he had while sitting around watching the house he daydreamed about putting her in her place like it was nobody's business. Yup, he'd show her the true meaning of being with a badass son of a bitch in ways that the old man couldn't anymore.
Maybe he would, when the job was done. Maybe make her beg for it, then walk away and let her realize that she'd been nothing to him but an easy fuck. Probably not even the best one he'd ever had. Not even close. He'd broken women far tougher than her, mentally at least.
"This lil' psychofuck family's gonna just tear itself apart before I'm done here," he informed himself, rather pleased with the fact.
Hmm, psychofuck family huh?
It was starting to sound like he'd been putting in a few too many hours on surveillance and character profiling. Conte may have been young, but he knew full well it never hurt to know an enemy to such a degree that you could easily take on his mannerisms, habits, even a few of his catch phrases.
"Old catch phrases, R.B. Riddy hardly even cusses anymore. Too bad, from the sound of it he was a pretty talented trash talker."
Conte knew all about being talented at talking. He often did more than his share of it.
"Cause I can back it up," he concluded proudly, flexing one well rounded bicep for his own amusement. Laughing at his own joke he reclined a bit more, taking another slow sip of his beer. "Yup, these fuckers ain't even gonna know what hit um..."
Rather suddenly Conte smacked himself on the forehead in frustration. "Damn, I forgot the Twinkies! Of all the times to run out of junk food...stupid!" He smacked himself again, harder this time.
He'd never claimed to have the longest attention span in his field, just the longest record, the longest string of perfect jobs, and the longest...
