Disclaimer: I do not own this film or the characters
"Mitchell Harrison?" She exclaimed excitedly, having stumbled out of Luna Mesa and fanning herself from the humid weather.
"Yeah, heard you were in town" The voice on the other line said.
"What Caineville?" Officer Jacks replied, she glanced over her shoulder and peered into the tavern. She could spot Mac's broad shoulders, he was moving in on another woman. She rolled her eyes at him, veering off around the tavern to avoid any other rednecks.
"Thats the one. I was chatting to Milton and he told me you moved here-"
"Here? Are you telling me you live here Mitchell?" She asked incredulously.
"Yep, Nina wanted us to move here. She grew up here so of course I obliged" Mitchell replied, sounding smugger than usual.
"Whipped" She muttered, only to receive a booming laugh on the other end.
"You still haven't changed" He remarked, "Anyway, once I heard the news I thought I'd invite you to stay with us"
Jacks hesitated, "I couldn't possibly-"
"Of course you can, its only temporary right?" Mitchell interrupted.
"Um-"
"C'mon Jacks. Nina, Johnny and I have missed you so much" Mitchell pressed.
"Well since you put it that way-" Jacks started.
Mitchell snickered, "Good, now heres the address"
He barked out his address before hanging up quickly, leaving Jacks to blindly make her way back to the motel room. She didn't like the motel, she wasn't a superstitious person but she got bad vibes off it. Without hesitation, she barged into her room and started to pack wildly. If staying with Mitchell and his overbearing girlfriend meant getting away from the Luna Mesa's regulars, then so be it.
She stumbled back outside, her luggage in one hand and her car keys in the other. Ignoring the feeling of being watched, she hopped into her SUV and sped away from the Luna Mesa. She did not know why she felt so paranoid, perhaps it was the intimidating encounter with Mac or the general eerie feeling of the small tavern, regardless she felt as if someone was watching or following her.
She kept glancing in her reflection mirror, spotting two orbs of lights in the background. She shuddered, pressing her foot onto the pedal and following Mitchell's instructions to his house. Before she knew it, she was at their doorstep waiting with baited breath.
The door swung open and she was momentarily blinded with a flash of light.
"Audrey!"
She was enveloped into a tight hug, the bright light was cut out and she was met with a broad chest.
"Hua Mittpaul" Her voice was muffled into his sweater.
"Get off her" A voice grumbled, pulling Audrey's face from Mitchell's chest before she was pulled into another tight hug. "I've missed you so much!" The voice crooned, squeezing her tightly and shaking her excitedly. A flurry of questions were thrown at her, she was too dazed to answer or understand them.
"Give her some space Nina" Mitchell laughed, pulling the shorter woman away from her.
Audrey glanced at them, taking in a deep breath at the sudden space. "I certainly haven't missed your hugs" She joked wryly, sending the couple her best smile. They chuckled among themselves, inviting her in and taking her luggage from her.
She was bombarded immediately with a sweater clad child, the kid latched onto her leg and squealed at her. Audrey pulled the child up and onto her hip, grinning devilishly as she tickled him mercilessly. The young boy shrieked with laughter, squirming on her hip and pushing at her with two weak arms.
"Stop or he's going to throw up" Nina tutted. She brushed past Audrey and made her way into the kitchen, "You eaten yet?" She called over her shoulder.
"Yeah" Audrey replied, letting go of the younger boy. "How have you been Johnny?" She asked sweetly.
"Good" He grinned.
"Got any girlfriends I should know about?" She joked.
"Aunty Audrey!" Johnny blushed, turning away from her and running off down the hallway.
"I'll take that as a yes" Audrey muttered, turning to find Nina standing behind her.
"Unfortunately for us, Johnny has taken a liking to his school teacher" She rolled her eyes, before handing over a hot cup of coffee. "I'm going to put him to sleep, probably put myself to sleep as well. Goodnight" Nina added, giving Audrey another quick hug and peck on the cheek, before also disappearing down the hallway.
Audrey was left to sit on the couch, spreading out with a yawn and gulping down a mouthful of coffee.
"Where were you when I called?" Mitchell asked from the doorway, causing Audrey to yelp in surprise. He snickered and shuffled forward, "I just heard a lot of sound in the background" He elaborated.
"I was at the Luna Mesa, doing some research" She muttered. She patted the couch and let Mitchell join her on the sofa. He looked at the wall clock and swallowed loudly, looking back at her with concerned eyes.
"At this time?" He asked, when he received a nod, he shook his head. "I really don't think you should be down there at this time, its too dangerous" He added.
"Why?"
"Theres a group of men that go down there. Particularly one man who shouldn't be messed with" Mitchell clarified.
"Mac?" Audrey interrupted.
Mitchell glanced at her quickly, "You know him?"
"No, I saw his files down at the station. I met at the Luna Mesa as well, he seems fairly harmless" Audrey shrugged casually, not wanting to show that the man had actually bothered her severely.
"Well he isn't Audrey" Mitchell cut in, "Just stay away from him-"
"I can't very well do that when he's the town trouble maker, it is my job to deal with guys like him" Audrey argued.
"I know, I know. Just don't interact with him out of working hours, I'd hate to see what he'd do to you" Mitchell reassured calmly, he pulled himself off the sofa and looked back down at her. "I mean it Audrey" He warned.
"I don't understand what the big deal is" She muttered.
"You wouldn't. Goodnight" Mitchell said with finality.
"I see marriage has made you into an old timer" Audrey chortled, laughing at his need for early sleep.
"Wrong again Jacks, its fatherhood" He sniggered, waving her off for the night.
#
The rattling of plates, the explosion of water going down a drain and the quirky voices of cartoons on TV, awoke Audrey Jacks from a deep slumber. She sat up with a startled expression, her hair sticking up at odd ends while she tried to figure out where she was.
The room was dim, the only light source being from the sun that peaked behind the curtains. The television set was blaring, Johnny's small frame sitting before it and bobbing along to the music. She could make out Nina's slim figure bending down and unpacking her dishwasher, and Mitchell beside her, he was fixing the tap and sink pipes. She yawned quietly, stretching her muscles and placing her feet on the ground.
It was strange to live in such a family home. Her apartment back in Atlanta was so empty, the only sound being of the sirens outside and the thumps of domestic violence next-door. She shook her head, getting up from the sofa and padding her way across to Nina and Mitchell. However she didn't make it there, there was a loud thump on the door and she answered it willingly.
She was stunned when she found Sheriff Pratt standing on Mitchell's doorstep.
"Sheriff?" She questioned, suddenly feeling exposed by the small bed shorts she was wearing.
He shifted on his spot, dragging his eyes away from her bare legs. "Erm-" He stuttered.
"How did you know I was here?" She asked, deciding to fill the awkward silence.
"Nina called in for you" The Sheriff answered simply. Audrey snorted at this, Nina was always so organised and loved taking control of situations. Audrey wasn't even surprised by the revelation.
"So why are you here Sheriff?" She asked as politely as she could.
"I brought around your patrol car and your uniform" He said, handing over a bundle of clothes and car keys. "I should warn you though, this car hasn't been used in a while. Perhaps you would like to get it checked out, I recommend the Motor Body Works in town"
Audrey tucked the uniform under her arm, "I can do that"
"You won't be needed in today, Wednesdays are normally slow. We'll call you if we need you" Sheriff Pratt said before scrambling down the steps and back to his patrol car. Audrey watched him leave the house quickly, with a red face and heavy breathing. She frowned at his reaction, shrugging it off and setting her eyes on the dusty vehicle beside her SUV. She cursed loudly.
#
After an hour or so, Audrey found herself in town and outside the Motor Body Works. The air was thick with heat, she was already sweating profusely, making her t-shirt stick to her. She looked around the town, scoffing to herself when she realised how small the town really was.
"You're definitely not in Atlanta anymore" She muttered to herself.
She glanced around one more time, before stepping forward and entering the mechanic shop. She was greeted with a attractive muscle bound mechanic, a thin lanky mechanic and a pair of legs underneath a car. She made a small noise of approval towards the attractive mechanic, and then she scolded herself inwardly.
"G'mornin' ma'am" The attractive mechanic greeted, smiling cheerfully at her.
"Morning" She responded, her eyes slyly did an overrun of his body. "Am I able to talk to you about my car?" She asked, secretly hoping for a yes.
"Unfortunately no." The man replied, seeming genuinely deflated. "Mac however can do it"
Audrey froze and her jaw slackened with disbelief.
"Carson, what did I tell you about freely offering my help?" A familiar voice snapped. Audrey's eyes zoned in on the pair of legs beneath the car, a body soon emerged followed by a face. She chewed the inside of her mouth, watching as he rose up and wiped his dirty hands on a spare cloth.
He turned around, faltering slightly in his step when he saw her. He was soon smirking widely, stepping forward with an air of smugness.
I see he isn't any different from his drunk self, she thought.
"Officer" Mac greeted, he licked his lips keenly.
"Officer?" Carson exclaimed, he turned to her "So your what he's been rav-"
Mac stopped Carson quickly, sending him a murderous glare. It made both Carson and Audrey involuntarily shudder in response. Carson made a feeble apology, before disappearing to the back of the mechanic store. Leaving Audrey alone with Mac.
"The faggot doesn't know what he's talking about" Mac grumbled.
"He's gay?" Audrey asked, her voice hinted a slight disappointment.
"Yep but I ain't" Mac smirked at her, stepping closer to her without hesitation.
"Cute" She responded, although her face screamed disapproval. It made Mac chortle at her response, he side stepped her and took a look at the patrol car.
"That piece of shit yours?" He asked whilst spitting on the ground.
"Yeah, can you fix it?" Audrey asked, she inched away from him.
"I can fix anything baby" He responded. He leered at her with a devilish grin. Audrey automatically regretted wearing shorts today, she was going to have to wear more conservative things to get this horn-dog away from her.
Mac strolled towards the vehicle, he opened the hood and let out a low whistle.
"This could take a while" He muttered, raising an eyebrow at her.
Audrey shrugged, "Take as long as you like" She said, her eyes settled on the towns supermarket.
"I always do babe" Mac leered.
She made a noise of disgust, storming past him and crossing the street. She didn't know why she allowed him to get under her skin, she had been here only two days and she was already annoyed by him. He watched her go, he was smug that he received a reaction from the woman and he wanted more.
Audrey entered the supermarket, deciding she might as well get some groceries for Mitchell and Nina, if she was going to stay there. She walked around aimlessly, slowly filling up her shopping cart to avoid getting back to the mechanic store. When she reached the last aisle, she was stopped abruptly with several things falling down in front of her. She heard a low groan from beneath it and she raced forward.
She kicked away toilet rolls and plastic dishes, finding a man buried beneath it.
"Are you aright?" She asked, helping the man to stand up.
The man nodded with a grimace, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "Yeah, thanks" He murmured.
"You sure?" She asked, watching him waver slightly.
"I'm fine, honestly" He said, flashing her a bright smile.
Audrey smiled back at him, she picked up some of the fallen items and returned them to their place.
"I'm Jim" The man added, outstretching his hand in a welcome gesture.
"Audrey" She replied, taking his hand and shaking it firmly.
"Oh, Audrey Jacks?" Jim questioned, raising his eyebrows and inspecting her from head to toe.
"Yeah?" She said hesitantly.
"I'm a close friend of Mitchells, he's told me a lot about you, said you just moved into town" He elaborated.
"Word spreads fast around here" She muttered, only to receive a deep chuckle from Jim.
"Thats Cainneville for you" He sighed, he shook his head. "What are you doing down here anyway, aren't you the newest edition to Cainneville police department?"
"Todays my day off, and besides shopping, I have to get my patrol car fixed" She grumbled. She retreated back to her shopping cart and he followed her.
"Do you have a ride back to Mitchell's?" He asked, he furrowed his eyebrows together.
Audrey shrugged, "Depends on how fucked the car is" She said brazenly. Jim laughed again, Audrey was starting to like him already.
"Well if it isn't working, would you like a lift back to Mitchell's? I've got to pick up somethings from his house" Jim asked, he smiled warmly at her. Audrey hesitated for a moment, she wasn't sure if she should so willingly hop into a vehicle with a stranger. Then she remembered, she had a revolver tucked away in her purse for emergency situations. She grinned at Jim and nodded.
"Sure" She murmured.
Once she had finished her shopping, she and Jim strolled over to the mechanic store. She could see Mac lowering the hood of her car and wiping his hands on a cloth, he was peering at her car and in deep thought.
"Verdict?" Audrey questioned, she made sure to stand as far away as possible.
Mac turned to face her, only for him to narrow his eyes at her company. "It'll be about four hundred" He said gruffly.
"Four hundred" She exclaimed, she raised her eyebrows at him. "Thats a lot, how damaged is the car?"
"Pretty fucked" Mac shrugged. Audrey spotted a familiar gleam in his eye, "But if you can't afford it, I can let you pay me in other ways" He suggested.
"Such as?"
Mac grabbed at his crotch, he wasn't even bothered by Jim's presence. "Sucking me off would do" He said brazenly.
Jim tensed beside her and Audrey scoffed, "And I'll repay you with another impressive mark on your record" She muttered. Mac narrowed his eyes at her and then at Jim, a sly smirk crossed his features and Audrey recoiled from the look.
"If this is your tactic to make me jealous babe. Then you're sorely mistaken" He leered, he walked closer until he was just inches away.
Audrey frowned at him, "You knew it all along" She scoffed sarcastically. Jim stepped forward, frowning towards Mac and glancing down at Audrey.
"C'mon Audrey, let me take you back to Mitchell's" Jim said.
Audrey could of killed him then and there. Not only had Jim revealed her name, but he had also revealed where she was living.
Mac grinned triumphantly, "Audrey" He said, "Such an innocent name for a devilish body"
"Pig" Audrey spat.
Mac had the audacity to snigger, "You can pickup your car tomorrow baby" He dismissed her and Jim.
Audrey turned on her heel, followed closely by Jim while they made their way towards his car.
"Do you know Mac or something?" Jim asked, he was jogging just to keep up with her pace.
"No, but thanks to you, he knows who I am" Audrey snapped.