PHOENIX

21| THE SAME WAY SHE DID LAST TIME

Jackson quietly closed the front door behind Sarah, making sure the latch clicked into place before resting his forehead against the wood for the briefest of moments. He drew in a slow, controlled breath, forcing the panic threatening to overwhelm him back into the darkest corner of his mind. Panicking wouldn't bring Sue home. It wouldn't answer the dozens of questions racing through his head, and it certainly wouldn't help him think. Right now, he needed a clear mind more than anything else. Every decision he made from this point forward mattered. One reckless mistake could cost him the only family he had left.

Pushing himself away from the door, he rubbed both hands over his face before making his way quietly down the hallway toward Ethan's bedroom. He eased the door open as carefully as possible and peered inside. The little boy was fast asleep beneath his dinosaur blanket, one arm hanging off the side of the bed while a stuffed elephant lay trapped beneath his other arm. His breathing was slow and peaceful, completely untouched by the chaos unfolding around him. The sight instantly softened something inside Jackson. For a few precious seconds, the relentless fear loosened its grip on his chest. Ethan had no idea that his sister was missing. He had no idea that the only adults he trusted were slowly coming apart, trying to figure out where she had gone. Looking at the boy's innocent face reminded Jackson exactly why he couldn't allow himself to fall apart. Someone had to stay strong, even if he no longer felt strong himself.

Quietly stepping back into the living room, Jackson reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone once more, already knowing exactly what was going to happen. Still, he refused to give up without trying again. He tapped Sue's number and lifted the phone to his ear, silently praying that this time she would answer. Instead, the call lasted barely a few seconds before the familiar automated voice informed him that the number was unavailable and directed him to voicemail. Jackson closed his eyes briefly, swallowing the frustration building inside him. The urge to throw the phone across the room flashed through his mind before he quickly forced it away. Losing his temper wouldn't accomplish anything. When the tone sounded, he deliberately kept his voice as steady as possible, refusing to let the fear bleeding through his veins become obvious. "Sue," he said calmly, though his fingers were gripping the phone tightly enough for his knuckles to turn white, "it's Jackson. Please call me the moment you hear this. I don't care where you are or what you're doing. Just call me. We're worried about you." He hesitated for a split second before adding quietly, "Please." The line disconnected, leaving him staring at the blank screen as though somehow it might magically ring if he looked at it long enough.

After slipping the phone back into his pocket, Jackson walked over to the kitchen table and slowly lowered himself into one of the chairs. The apartment felt strangely quiet now. Too quiet. Normally Sue's presence filled every room, whether she was arguing with him, laughing with Ethan, humming while she cooked, or absentmindedly talking to herself as she cleaned. Without her, the apartment felt unnaturally empty, almost lifeless. Jackson rested his elbows on the table, clasping both hands together beneath his chin as he forced himself to think systematically. He replayed every conversation they'd had over the past several days, searching desperately for anything he might have overlooked. Had she mentioned meeting someone? Had she received a suspicious phone call? Had she behaved differently before he left earlier? Every memory played through his head in painstaking detail, yet none of them offered him anything useful. The only thing that continued repeating itself was Ethan's innocent comment about Sue coming home late recently. At the time, Jackson had dismissed it, assuming she was simply being stubborn and continuing her own private investigation despite his repeated warnings. Now, however, that harmless little observation felt much heavier. Much more dangerous. He couldn't shake the horrible feeling that whatever had been keeping Sue out late at night was directly connected to her disappearance.

Frustration slowly built inside him until he leaned back heavily in his chair, dragging both hands over his face before staring blankly at the ceiling. His thoughts refused to cooperate. Every possible explanation seemed worse than the one before it. He had already lost too much in his life. He had lost his parents. He had lost years he could never recover. He had lost the woman he thought he would spend the rest of his life with. He refused, absolutely refused, to lose Sue as well. She wasn't his biological sister, but blood had never determined family in Jackson's world. Sue had been there long before either of them understood what family truly meant. She had protected him when no one else would. She had shared her food when he went hungry. She had stood beside him through the darkest years of his childhood without asking for anything in return. Losing her wasn't something he was willing to even imagine. Then, suddenly, a terrifying possibility forced its way into his mind. Sue had argued relentlessly about joining him against the Roy family. She had repeatedly insisted that she was capable of handling herself despite every warning he had given her. What if... she had finally decided she was tired of waiting? What if she'd gone after someone connected to the Roys on her own? The possibility chilled him to the bone. It wasn't merely possible. It sounded exactly like something Sue would do if she believed she could prove herself.

Jackson shot to his feet so quickly that the chair scraped loudly across the kitchen floor. Sitting around wasn't going to help anyone. If Sue had gone looking for trouble, then every minute he wasted sitting here was another minute she could be in danger. He grabbed his car keys from the counter before returning to Ethan's room. The little boy barely stirred as Jackson carefully lifted him from the bed, wrapping the blanket around him to shield him from the cool night air. Ethan sleepily rested his head against Jackson's shoulder without fully waking, mumbling something unintelligible before immediately drifting back into a deep sleep. Jackson carried him downstairs and gently buckled him into the back seat of the car, making sure the child seat was secure before tucking the blanket around him once more. Only after double-checking every buckle did he close the rear door and climb behind the steering wheel. He didn't have a real plan, only instinct. He would search every place Sue regularly visited until he found something, anything, that pointed him in the right direction. The nearby park where she occasionally took Ethan on weekends. The grocery store she insisted sold better vegetables than every other supermarket in town. The small neighbourhood café where she practically knew every employee by name. It wasn't much, but it was somewhere to begin.

The streets were unusually quiet as Jackson drove through the sleeping city, illuminated only by scattered streetlights reflecting against the windshield. His eyes constantly scanned both sides of the road, half-expecting Sue's familiar car to suddenly appear around the next corner. Every passing minute seemed to tighten the knot in his stomach even further. His imagination became his greatest enemy, presenting one horrifying possibility after another. Had someone taken her? Had she confronted the wrong person? Had Roy somehow discovered their connection? Jackson immediately shook his head, refusing to let fear cloud his judgment. He couldn't afford to imagine the worst before he even had evidence that something terrible had happened. Sue was smart. Reckless sometimes, yes, but far from stupid. She knew how dangerous the Roy family was. Surely she wouldn't have confronted them alone... would she? The question lingered painfully in his mind because deep down he knew exactly how stubborn his sister could be once she'd made up her mind.

One location after another proved completely useless. The park was deserted except for a lone security guard making his rounds. The grocery store had long since closed its doors, its parking lot almost completely empty. Even the pharmacy she occasionally visited yielded nothing. With every failed stop, Jackson felt the invisible clock ticking louder inside his head. Eventually, almost out of desperation, he steered the car toward the small café Sue loved so much. As he turned into the parking area, his heart almost stopped. Sitting beneath one of the streetlights was a vehicle he recognised instantly. Sue's car. Relief slammed into him so hard that for one glorious second he forgot how to breathe. She was here. She had to be. He parked so carelessly that he barely remembered pulling the handbrake before jumping out of the car. After making absolutely certain Ethan was still safely asleep in the back seat, Jackson hurried toward the café, his pulse pounding inside his ears. This had to be it. This had to be where she'd been all along.

The tiny burst of hope lasted less than two minutes. The moment Jackson stepped inside, he knew something was wrong. Sue wasn't there. Every table was occupied by complete strangers, and not a single familiar face looked back at him. Refusing to accept what his eyes were telling him, he searched the café twice before approaching the counter. The employees immediately recognised him from the handful of times he had accompanied Sue there, but their answers only deepened the dread growing inside him. Yes, Sue had been there earlier that day. Yes, she had stayed for a while. Yes, she had left... several hours ago. No, they didn't know where she went after that. Jackson thanked them mechanically before walking back outside, where Sue's abandoned car suddenly looked far less comforting than it had only moments earlier. If her car was still sitting outside while she had vanished without it, then something had happened after she left the café. Standing alone in the silent parking lot, Jackson slowly turned in a full circle, his eyes searching the darkness as though the night itself might finally reveal where his sister had disappeared. The sick feeling settling inside his chest told him something he desperately didn't want to believe. This wasn't a misunderstanding anymore. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Jackson drove aimlessly for several minutes after leaving the café, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his fingers had long since gone numb. The quiet streets rolled past his windows in a blur of empty intersections and flickering streetlights, but he barely registered any of it. His mind had become trapped inside a relentless cycle of possibilities, each one darker than the last. Every passing minute without finding Sue made the knot in his chest tighten until breathing itself felt like work. Then, almost without warning, another memory forced its way to the surface. Dirty Tom's Bar. The thought hit him like a slap across the face. It wasn't somewhere he would ever willingly allow Sue to spend her time. The place was infamous throughout the city, a haven for criminals, smugglers, mercenaries, and men who considered prison sentences nothing more than inconvenient vacations. Respectable people didn't walk through those doors unless they were hopelessly lost or desperately searching for something. Unfortunately, Sue had already proven she was willing to walk into dangerous places if she believed the reward justified the risk. Jackson remembered seeing her kiss Tom only days earlier, offering him that ridiculous payment in exchange for information. Even now, the memory alone was enough to send another surge of anger rushing through him. The thought that his sister had willingly let that greasy bastard put his hands on her simply to gain information made his stomach twist violently. He knew Sue hadn't done it because she wanted Tom. She had done it because she believed revenge was worth every sacrifice. That knowledge didn't make him hate the memory any less.

Without giving himself time to reconsider, Jackson turned sharply at the next intersection and headed straight toward the bar. The familiar neon sign came into view several minutes later, flashing weakly against the darkness like it was only barely holding itself together. Dirty Tom's Bar looked exactly as depressing as he remembered. The faded paint, cracked windows, and rusting metal sign hanging crookedly above the entrance gave the building the appearance of somewhere even hope refused to visit. Jackson pulled into the gravel parking lot and immediately scanned every vehicle parked outside. Shutting off the engine, Jackson remained seated for a few seconds, drawing one slow breath after another while trying to force the anger simmering beneath his skin back under control. Charging inside looking for a fight would accomplish absolutely nothing. Tom wasn't the kind of man who responded well to threats. If Jackson lost his temper too early, he would only make the conversation more difficult than it already needed to be. Swallowing his frustration, he climbed out of the car and made his way toward the entrance, every instinct telling him that whatever answers he found inside probably weren't going to be the ones he wanted.

The moment he stepped through the heavy wooden doors, the familiar smell hit him like a wall. Cigarette smoke hung thickly beneath the low ceiling despite the smoking ban that everyone conveniently ignored. Cheap liquor, stale beer, sweat, and old wood combined into an unpleasant scent that somehow managed to define the entire establishment. The dim amber lights barely illuminated the room, leaving most of the patrons hidden beneath deep shadows while a tired country song played softly through ancient speakers that had probably stopped working properly years ago. Conversations continued in hushed voices around battered wooden tables where hardened faces turned briefly to acknowledge the newcomer before immediately returning to their drinks. Jackson slowly swept his eyes across the room, searching every booth, every table, every corner. His pulse quickened each time he spotted a woman with dark hair, only for disappointment to follow seconds later when he realised it wasn't Sue. She wasn't there. Not anywhere. His jaw tightened. That left only one person worth speaking to.

At the far end of the bar stood Tom himself, exactly where Jackson expected to find him. The man looked as unpleasant as ever. Thick shoulders strained against a faded black T-shirt while tattooed forearms rested comfortably on the polished wooden counter. He was in the middle of entertaining a small group of regular customers who laughed far louder than his joke deserved, each of them clearly trying to stay on the bartender's good side. Jackson ignored them completely as he crossed the room with measured, deliberate steps. He stopped directly opposite Tom, waiting patiently until the man finally looked up. Recognition flashed briefly across Tom's face before his expression settled back into its usual irritated neutrality. "Well," Tom muttered dryly while polishing a glass that was already spotless, "if it isn't Zachary." He deliberately emphasised the fake name as though he already knew it wasn't real, his eyes narrowing slightly as though trying to gauge Jackson's mood. "What brings you back here? Looking to give me a lecture about kissing women who aren't interested in you?" A few chuckles erupted from the nearby patrons, but Jackson didn't even acknowledge them.

"I'm looking for Sue," Jackson replied calmly, his voice low enough that only Tom could hear him clearly. The restraint in his tone surprised even himself because every instinct urged him to grab the man by the collar and demand answers. "Her car is sitting outside the café, but she isn't there. Nobody knows where she went." His eyes never left Tom's face, watching carefully for the slightest reaction. "I need to know if you've seen her." For the first time since Jackson approached him, Tom stopped polishing the glass. The subtle pause lasted less than two seconds, but it was enough. Jackson caught it immediately. The bartender knew something.

Tom slowly placed the glass beneath the counter before folding his thick arms across his chest. His expression remained frustratingly unreadable, though a flicker of hesitation briefly crossed his face. "Came by earlier," he admitted eventually, speaking far more carefully than before. "Wanted information." Jackson's jaw clenched so hard that a dull ache spread through his temples.

"And?" he asked quietly. Tom sighed through his nose, clearly aware that leaving out details would only prolong the conversation. "She paid the same way she did last time." The words alone were enough to make Jackson's blood boil. He didn't need Tom to explain further. He already knew exactly what the bartender meant. Sue had kissed him again. The thought ignited a furious possessiveness inside Jackson that had absolutely nothing to do with romance and everything to do with the fact that Tom was taking advantage of his sister's desperation. His fists tightened involuntarily at his sides until his nails dug painfully into his palms. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to reach across the counter and introduce Tom's face to the nearest whiskey bottle.

"And where did she go after that?" Jackson asked, each word measured with painful precision. His voice remained calm, but the dangerous edge beneath it was impossible to miss. Tom shrugged casually, though this time the gesture looked far less convincing than usual. "She left," he answered. "Didn't exactly give me her itinerary." Jackson remained perfectly still, studying the bartender's face in silence. He had spent enough years reading liars to recognise one standing directly in front of him. Tom wasn't telling the whole truth. Maybe he wasn't outright lying, but he was definitely holding something back. Jackson leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice until it became little more than a whisper. "Listen carefully, Tom." His eyes hardened into something cold enough to send several nearby customers pretending not to listen anymore. "I am not in the mood for your games tonight. My sister is missing. If you know something, you are going to tell me right now." There was no shouting. No threats. Somehow that made the words even more intimidating. The quiet certainty behind them carried far more weight than anger ever could.

For several long seconds, neither man spoke. Tom stared back at Jackson, apparently debating whether keeping his mouth shut was worth the risk. Eventually, he released a long, defeated sigh before rubbing one rough hand across the back of his neck. "Fine," he muttered reluctantly. "You're not leaving until I tell you anyway." He glanced around briefly, making sure nobody nearby was paying obvious attention before leaning forward across the counter. "Mentioned checking out one of the old warehouses near the docks." Jackson's heartbeat immediately accelerated. "Why?" he asked sharply. Tom shrugged again, though this time the movement carried genuine uncertainty instead of indifference. "Didn't say much. Just that she thought she'd finally found someone who could answer a few questions she'd been chasing." He paused before adding in a quieter voice, "She seemed... determined. More determined than usual." Jackson felt a cold weight settle inside his chest. Determined. That single word was enough to confirm his worst fears. His heart dropped straight into his stomach. The docks. Of all the places Sue could have gone, she had chosen one of the most dangerous locations in the entire city. Sue hadn't accidentally wandered into danger. She had gone looking for it. And if she had walked into one of those abandoned warehouses alone believing she was about to uncover secrets connected to the Roy family, there was a very real possibility that she had just stepped into a trap from which she might never walk back out.

At that hour of the night, the abandoned warehouses became a playground for smugglers, gang members, drug dealers, and people who preferred settling their disputes where no innocent eyes could witness them. The darkness itself seemed to belong to criminals. Every instinct he possessed screamed that his sister had just walked directly into the lion's den. He spun around, ready to storm out of the bar without wasting another second, but Tom's rough voice stopped him before he could reach the door.

"Hey, kid," Tom called after him, and for the first time since Jackson had met the man, there was something that resembled genuine concern in his tone. "Be careful down there. It ain't safe."

Jackson stopped walking but didn't bother turning around immediately. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, inhaling deeply as he fought to control the anger boiling inside him. When he finally looked over his shoulder, his jaw was clenched so tightly that it hurt. "I'm not a fuckin' kid, Tom," he growled, every word dripping with irritation. "And you're telling that to the wrong person. You should've been saying all this to my sister instead of me."

Tom spread his hands helplessly, looking far less confident than he usually did. "I did tell your sister. Warned her more than once, actually. She promised me she wasn't going to get herself into any trouble. What else was I supposed to do? Chain her to the damn bar?"

Jackson let out a bitter laugh that held absolutely no amusement. "I don't give a damn what she promised you," he snapped, taking a few slow steps back toward the counter until they were standing only a few feet apart. "You knew exactly why she wanted that information. You knew where she was planning to go, and you knew how dangerous that place is. You said it yourself just now. Instead of pointing her in the right direction, you should've found a way to get it through that stubborn skull of hers that she needed to go home. Hell, you should've lied if you had to. Tell her the place burned down, tell her the man she was looking for disappeared, tell her anything. Anything would've been better than sending her down there."

Tom's expression hardened slightly, though Jackson noticed a flicker of guilt hidden beneath the older man's usual scowl. "Your sister's a grown-ass woman, Zachary. She's smart, she's capable, and she can make her own decisions. Whether you like it or not, she doesn't need anyone's permission to do what she thinks is right. Maybe instead of trying to lock her away from the world, you ought to let her in. She's tougher than you give her credit for."

Jackson stared at him in complete disbelief. For a moment, he genuinely wondered whether Tom had developed a death wish overnight. Every word coming out of the man's mouth scraped against his already shredded patience, pushing him closer and closer to the edge. He had spent the last several days arguing with Sue about exactly this, trying to keep her alive while she insisted on throwing herself into danger, and now this i***t was standing here defending her recklessness as though it were something admirable. He slowly shook his head, a humourless smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"Listen to me very carefully, Dirty Tom," Jackson said quietly, his calm voice somehow sounding far more threatening than if he had shouted. "I don't want you anywhere near my business, and I sure as hell don't want you anywhere near my sister. Whatever friendship you think the two of you have built, it ends tonight. Stay away from her. Don't give her information. Don't encourage her. Don't answer her questions. Hell, don't even look in her direction if you can help it. If she comes in here asking about the Roy family or about me again, you tell her you don't know a damn thing. Am I making myself clear?"

Tom opened his mouth as though he intended to argue, but one look into Jackson's eyes made him think better of it. The older man knew the younger one wasn't bluffing. There wasn't the slightest trace of humour left on his face, only the terrifying determination of someone who had already lost too much in life and wasn't willing to lose anyone else. Without waiting for a response, or caring whether one came, Jackson turned on his heel and strode out of the bar, pushing the heavy door open hard enough for it to slam loudly against the wall before swinging shut behind him.

The cool night air hit him the moment he stepped outside, but it did little to calm the inferno raging inside his chest. But it was at that moment that he realised the mistake he had made. He had called Sue his sister when they had told Tom before that he was Sue's boyfriend. He didn't have the time to regret that though, since finding his sister was of utmost importance.

He crossed the parking lot in long, hurried strides, fishing his car keys from his pocket before climbing into the driver's seat. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white, yet he couldn't stop them from trembling. Every passing second felt like another second Sue was spending somewhere she had absolutely no business being. His mind immediately began painting horrifying scenarios: Sue cornered inside one of the abandoned warehouses, Sue walking into an ambush, Sue discovering something she wasn't supposed to see, or worse, someone discovering her first. He shoved the thoughts away before they could overwhelm him, started the engine with a violent twist of the key, and sped out of the parking lot. The docks stretched for miles, a maze of rusting shipping containers, deserted warehouses, narrow alleyways, and forgotten buildings where people disappeared without anyone ever asking questions. Finding one stubborn woman in that endless labyrinth wasn't going to be easy, but Jackson refused to consider any other outcome. Whatever trouble Sue had thrown herself into tonight, he was going to find her before it swallowed her whole.