"April, I'm really sorry about this." Elise apologised whilst getting into the parked car outside Punks apartment block, "I didn't want you knowing how bad my family really were." She admitted.
All the while Dean and Sami were still outside standing at the door which led up to the apartment block. Dean was finishing off his cigarette whilst joking around with Sami.
"It's ok. It was me who got myself into it. I… I just want to forget about it and go home." She told Elise who nodded, "I promised your brother I wouldn't tell anyone." She said, "I don't have anyone to tell anyway. And he's right… it's been too long, if I go to the police, I'll get sentenced too. It's just too complicated. I'd rather we just leave it alone and move on. Clearly your family live off doing this. I wouldn't want to interfere." She told Elise who nodded.
"Yeah, they're pretty scary." Elise nodded, "And what's worse is, my brother is probably the least scariest out of the group. My father… you don't want to meet him." She warned April, keeping her eyes on Dean and Sami.
"It's easier for me if I just move on and forget about it. It's gonna be hard. I still… can't get the images out of my head. But I'll be able to move on." She nodded.
"At least you can talk to me about it. I understand how it feels to hate these guys. I understand how it feels to watch innocent people die at the hands of them." Elise said.
"How long has your brother been doing it?" AJ asked.
"Since he was thirteen." Elise said, "He doesn't now any different. I always… I always shout at him, but really it's my father who's the problem. He's the one that brought us up into it." She said as AJ sighed.
"You made the right decision getting away from this place." AJ said. It was the more run down side of Chicago. Although Punks apartment was nice, and clean oddly… the block and the stairs up to it was completely vile.
"You know how… I told you about Toni's father." Elise swallowed loudly, looking over at Sami and Dean.
"Yeah?" AJ turned to her as Punk suddenly came out, roughly shoving Dean and Sami back into the block, pushing them up the stairs as they joked around like children.
"It's the blonde one."
"What was that all about?" Sami asked, walking back into Punks apartment as Punk collapsed down on the couch.
"Just my sister and her friend. Doesn't matter." Punk shook his head, "What do you guys think of that girl Elise was with?" He asked them both.
"She's hot." Dean said, "A little too timid to be hanging around the likes of us though. God knows how she managed to befriend Elise. That girl is hard work." Dean rolled his eyes.
"Why? Thinking of recruiting her to the dark side?" Sami laughed.
"No." Punk said, "She's just… she's not scared of us. Normally… normally people are scared of us." Punk said. He couldn't wrap it around his head how this woman was so calm. Of course she was shaken up at the fact she'd witnessed a live murder at the hands of him. But she was strong, and brave. No woman would ever stand across to him and try and negotiate. Especially a woman who didn't really know him.
"Losing our touch." Dean said, "So what? She's lucky she isn't messing with Joe or any of the other guys. They would have shot her in a second." Dean admitted.
"Whatever." Punk just shook his head.
He just couldn't get the girl out of his head. He felt guilty that he had now left this girl with such a burden on her shoulders. He couldn't stop seeing her big brown eyes looking at him, as if staring into his soul. He knew she seen that part of him inside that he refused to show to anyone else. She was different. She made him feel weird and a part of him really wanted to see her again.
The next day Punk had been summoned by his father, of course, and was lying on the couch in his fathers living room whilst he watched Jack pace around on the phone.
Sometimes he wished he was a kid again whilst looking on at the framed pictures of he and Elise around the house. He actually had a smile back then. He loved the picture of himself and Elise when she was just three and he was eleven. His arms were wrapped around her tightly, she was grinning and mid laughing whilst he shielded her, even if it was just a picture.
His father was very family proud, despite his family being rather small. He loved his children. Perhaps that was the only reason Punk had actually stuck around him for so long. There were very few pictures of his mother around. It was a touchy subject with he and his father. Elise unfortunately never got the chance to meet her, but Punk could have sat for days and days just telling her how wonderful she was.
He could remember on bad nights where his father would be out, taking out some organized victim, his mom would just sit with him in bed and sing. She'd always tell him that if dad had to go away, she had him, she always had him. But it turned out, she left way before his dad ever did. It seemed unfair in that way.
"Phil, I need to go up and see Dennis." Jack said, coming off the phone and looking over at Punk who nodded whilst watching the TV, "Look at me, boy." Jack hissed as Punk turned to him slowly, "I'm looking at you to hold the fort."
"Why me?" Punk huffed.
"Because your uncle needs me, and I need you to run this place while I'm gone. You know what to do, so don't pretend you don't." Jack warned him.
Punks Uncle Dennis, Jack's brother also ran a similar group on the other side of Chicago. His group however had a larger number and was more known. All the money that Jack and his boys would make, would be split and given to Dennis for him to sort. Punk wasn't all clued up on the money side of it all. But he knew there was a shit load that they'd made.
"What does Dennis want?" Punk asked curiously.
"He just wants a brothers opinion." Jack said, "You can stay at my house while I'm gone. But no girls." He warned him, "Tidy up after yourself and keep Invictus going smoothly. I don't want a replay of last time I left you in charge." Jack warned his son who nodded.
"Ok. Fine." Punk said, "You still want me to take offers?" He asked.
"Yes!" Jack exclaimed, "Yes, of course. Don't say no to anyone. Take them to the office and negotiate the highest price. You know what to do." Jack said, "I'll be back in two days." He said, grabbing his coat and walking to the door, "Feet off the couch!" He yelled before opening the door and leaving the house.
Punk sighed, swinging his legs round and sitting up, running his hands through his hair and sighing to himself. He coudn't be bothered running the joint for two whole days. That was a lot of days and a lot of work.
"You guys think I should apologise to Elise?" Punk asked, sitting in Invictus with Sami and Dean, the club busy and packed like it always was.
"The bitch threw a lamp at you." Dean screwed his eyes up, "Why should you apologise to her?" He asked.
"Because she specifically moved away from here to get away from me and my dad, and now I've brought her and her friend into this shit." Punk said.
"What shit? Dude, the guy is dead, he's away, there's no evidence and you said the girl was going to stay quiet." Sami said, "Why are you overthinking so much?"
"I'm not." Punk said, "I just feel bad."
"Why?" Dean asked, "You never feel bad? If it's because she's hot then you have to grow up." Dean laughed.
"Don't be stupid." Punk rolled his eyes, "She was an innocent girl that I've brought into this mess." He sighed. For some reason, he just couldn't stop thinking about April. He wanted to stop. But he felt bad. He never felt bad like this. He wanted to hate her and forget about her, but he felt awful for bringing her into his mess.
"Yeah, and we kill innocent men." Sami said, "What is wrong with you?" He asked.
"What? I can't feel bad for ruining some girls life now? Every time she'll walk by an alley, she'll think Oh God, what if he's doing there." Punk said, "I wrapped my damn hand around her neck and told her I'd kill her family if she said anything." Punk said.
"And?" Dean shook his head, "You've done worse to girls." He said.
"Alright, don't make me sound like a rapist or anything." Punk scoffed, "I know… ok, just… this one felt wrong. It felt wrong to hurt her. Is that so wrong?" Punk asked them as he watched them both look at each other and smirk.
"So wait… you're saying you feel bad for this girl, but you want to go apologise to Elise?" Sami asked, "Or is that just a cover up so you can drive down and see the pretty girl again?" He laughed.
"You two are jerks." Punk spat, "You two watch this place tomorrow. I'm going to see my sister." He told them as they both laughed, "My sister." Punk repeated to make himself clear.
The next day, Punk indeed drove an hour down to Elise's house, although, he decided to go against his word to his friends, and parked at the dance studio instead that he had gone to on his first quest to find his sister a few days ago, where he first met April.
He felt like a fool for even driving down here, but he just wanted to clear his conscience. How he could possibly say that when so much was on his conscience since he was thirteen was beyond him.
He stepped out of his car, walking through the large wooden doors, letting the soft music calm his ears as he looked on. It was a room full of older girls, following directions and movements of AJ, who stood at the front of the class, having yet to notice him.
She was elegant and dainty. Her body just moved like it was born to. Everything in the room was so peaceful and relaxing. He stuck out like a sore thumb.
He stood for around five minutes watching her until she noticed and immediately turned the music off, looking over at him as he stood up straight from slouching on the wall. He only wished she didn't notice him. He oddly enjoyed watching her.
"Girls, go take a break." AJ announced to her class, "That was really good." She smiled as they walked away to the corner to where their bags were.
She had no idea what he was doing here. How dare he come to her work and just stare in like this. It was a private dance school. She didn't want him feasting his eyes over on all these sweet, innocent girls.
"What are you doing here?" She asked him.
"You're good." Punk nodded, "You're really good." He smiled as she shook her head and looked down at the ground. What was he trying to do? She wanted him to leave. The more he was around her, the more she had to be burdened by what he done.
"Is that all you came to say?" She asked him.
"No." Punk said, "I came here to say I'm sorry." He said.
"You told me you were sorry when I was in your apartment." She folded her arms, "What do you really want?"
"No… really, I just want to say sorry." He said truthfully, "You're clearly just an innocent girl who had a stroke of bad luck that night." He said, "I should never have spoke to you the way I did or put my hands on you. I had no right." He apologised sincerely.
"Is this what you do to everyone who sees you carrying out disgusting deeds?" She asked.
"Well… to be honest, no one has ever seen me. You'd be the first." He said, "I guess you could say I panicked. I seen how defiant you were. Normally a girl who seen that would have fainted." He said.
"Oh, so you're praising me now?" She asked, "Look, I appreciate you coming here and apologising to me. But I'm not some unstable bimbo who needs watching. I can carry on and forget about what I seen." She told him, "I'd like it if you just left me alone." She admitted.
Although appreciating his attempts to make this situation better, she wanted nothing to do with the man. He was pure filth, and she had no time for someone who done such things for an occupation. The good inside him she thought she could see was just too hidden underneath the darkness.
"Well that'd be the first time a girl has told me to leave them alone." He placed his hands in his jean pockets, "I was actually here to see Elise." He quickly said to disguise his embarrassment that he had actually come up to see her.
"Ok. Well I know she's working today and Toni is at kindergarten." AJ said, "She's pretty mad with you, so maybe you should just go back home." She suggested.
"Maybe you should stop telling me what to do." He looked at her, shrugging as she looked down.
"Suit yourself." She said, "But I don't want you hanging around here waiting on her. I have a class to teach." She said.
"Don't worry. I have better places to be." Punk told her.
"I seriously doubt that." AJ looked up at him, "See yourself out." She told him, "And please… don't come back." She shook her head.
He stood and watched as she walked away, her curvy body moving as her feet softly tapped against the wooden floor, "Ok, girls. Let's go again." She called as Punk watched her, turning away and walking out of the doors.
Why did he even bother? She was too perfect in his ugly world. He knew there was reason he stuck to treating people like shit. It was much easier.
AJ standing her ground! You go girl. Will Punk continue to make visits to her? What will AJ tell Elise? Is Toni's father really Dean? Why is Jack away to visit Punk's uncle? All coming soon. Stay tuned and keep reviewing! A massive happy new year to everyone. I appreciate all your support so much. Thank you.