Raise by A Thief

Chapter 16

Alexa POV

"you are amazing" the man told me as he hold my face rudely. I was crying and helpless after what he did to me.

" You are a fighter aren't you?" he said as he rub his bleed in his neck. I cut him with my nail when he force himself in me.

" please let me go, I won't tell anyone" I begged him crying.

"let you go?" he said and then laugh loudly like it was a funny things.

" you stayed with me Julie, I like your fight." he said grinning.

And then he call his man.

" give her marks, she is mine." he said, " and I took this in return" he said as he took my necklace from my neck.

" No!" I scream, told him not to take the necklace. But he tooked it from me and kept it in a box as he smile in victory.

His man took me. I kicking and punching him, I'm struggle with what left on me. But he is to strong for my weak body.

" No! Let me go! Let me go!" I scream and crying as I saw another man had a stick with burning metal on his hand.

"No please! No! No!" I scream so loud and make me sit in my bed.

" Alexa!!" Jack jump on me as he wake up on my scream

" It's okay, it just a dream" he said as he hold my arms.

But I keep crying and my body shaking. Everything looked so real to me. The pain he cost me, the hurt, the scare, everything.

Jack hugged me to stop me from shaking.

" It's okay, I'm here. I won't let anything bad happen to you. " he said holding me tight.

I hugged him back and feel comfortable on his arm. I feel save and my heart beat started to steady.

I break his hugged when I realize the distance was too closed and I feel too comfortable with him. I turned on the dim light as I slightly move from him.

" You want to talked about it?" he asked me as he took a bottle of water for me. I took the bottle and drink it.

" Is it about him? Your bad dream?" he asked me again.

I nodded.

" I have talked about this to my supervisor. If you can recognize the man, we can re open the case and put him in jail. Do you have anything related to him? Proved? Anything else than the burn mark? "he asked me

" no. " I said

" but I think he had mine" I said

" I know, and I'm sorry about that" he said feel sorry of what the man did to me.

" No, Jack! He had something which is mine. He took my necklace." I told him as I started to remember everything clearly.

" Your necklace? You mean he took a trophy of his victims?" he asked me.

" Ya, if that what you called." I said. " Max told me, he saw a lot of small jewelery, in a box in his safe that night. But he didn't took it"

" If he haven't get rid of it." he said. I know he is right. He might had gave rid of the trophy, knowing his victim was found out by the fed. But who know? If only I can recognize him.

And then I remember, what max gave me in the Locker in Chicago few days ago.

" Can I borrowed your laptop?" I asked him.

" Sure? What are you looking for?" he asked me as he took his laptop and bring it to the bed.

I took my backpack and pull out the disk Max gave me. I gave him the disk.

" What is this?" he asked me, accepting the disk.

" I'm not sure. Max gave it to me. I don't know what inside. " I said.

" can you open it for me?" I said as I move away from him.

He plugged the disk on his laptop and started to open the file.

" you don't want to see?" he asked me.

I shook my head as I feel nervous, scare, afraid if that's what I think it was. I wait in the couch.

I know Jack started to open the file as I hear screaming voice from his laptop and Jack expression change. I can't decipher his expression in right words. It was between nasty, hate, angry, sorry, anything that come out with what he saw in his laptop monitor.

And then he stop what ever he played there, closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

I tried not to cried realizing it was the tape that the man took on his victim. I remember he had a camera in his room, but I never realize it until now. Max took this disk from his safe. It was what the man asked Max when he killed him. Max died for me and the disk.

Jack walked to me after he closed his laptop. He sat in the table in front of me and he hold my hand.

"Is it me?" I asked him looking at his eyes. I can feel my eyes brimming.

" There are many files. And what I just saw, it wasn't you." he said.

I blink my eyes and feel my tears going down.

" Alexa, I want you to look at this." he said.

I shook my head. I can't watch it. I just can't.

" Please Alexa, you don't need to watch. Just looked at the face, and tell me if he is the man or not. Can you do that?" He asked me looking into my eyes.

Looking at that man face? I think I could do that.

And I nodded. He took his laptop and put it in the table in front of me.

He open his laptop and I saw the scar man face on the monitor.

" It is him" I said.

" Do you know who is he?" I asked him as I saw him exhale.

" Ya." he said.

" Who is he?" I asked him I want to know what is his name, and who he is. How powerful he was.

" His name is Xaverius Black, he is the only son of senator Gregory Black." He explained to me.

He is a senator's son. The famous one. I saw Gregory Black on TV, he was running for the election this year. But I never know his son did that to me. His son is the monster.

" I will report this to my supervisor Alexa. But I need you to be ready of what might happen in the future." he said.

" What might happen Jack?" I asked him.

" If you are a witness, you might get exposes. Everything about you, and what he did to you." he said.

" What? I can't do that Jack. " I said as I stand up in jittery. I don't think I am ready for that, to exposes my self and to tell them what he had done to me. I can't even told Jack what he did to me or watch the video on the disk.

" Do you want him in jail Alexa? You are the only survived victim. You have his mark and you recognize him. But you need to testify. That's why I asked you to be ready. " he said as he holding my arm.

" Can you just use the video to put him in jail? Please?" I asked him." and I could help to find the trophy. "

" We will used it, but... Like I said, we might need you to testified. You have to be ready for that. "

" I don't know Jack." I said. I want him in jail, but exposes my self?

" Alexa, I want you to think about it. I will be with you. Believe me, you don't want to run all of your live. " he said to me.

" Now, let's go to sleep, you need rest. " he said as he tidy up his laptop and put the flash in his suit Jacket pocket.

It was only 2 am, and he is right, we need to rest. I get back to my bed and he layed him self in the couch.

I turned off the dim light and tried to sleep, but I can't.

" Jack" I called him. No answer.

" Jack" I called him again

" Tried to sleep Alexa" he finally answered.

" I can't sleep, Jack" I told him.

" Everything is going to be okay Alexa" he said. " Or Maddie... Or Julie..." he said. I smile.

" You don't need me to lullaby you, don't you?" he said jokingly. Of course not! But then..

" Jack... Can you sleep here?" I asked him. I feel safer with him around.

He silent before he wake up from the couch and walked to the bed.

I gave him space in my left side of bed. He layed on the bed next to me.

" Thank you Jack," I said as I sleep facing him.

" Good night Alexa" he said. Then I closed my eyes.

****

I heard people talking and I open my eyes, seeing Jack face sleeping close in front of me. I smile, feeling the best good night sleep I ever had in the last few days, without bad dream.

And then I realize that his arms was around me and mine was in his chest. Our legs were tangled. Were we hugging each other? How was that possible?

I can still heard people chat outside the room. It was lower ground motel room, so we can hear people talking in the parking lot.

I tried to wake up slowly, don't want to wake him up, because it was going to be awkward if we both woke up and realizing our sleep position.

The hardest things was to untangled my legs with him. I move my right legs slightly in a very slow move. I almost did it, but then he move and circle his other arms on me and his legs wrap my thigh. Damn! How am I going to wake up now?

I can feel something hard down there. Gosh, this is not happening! This is going to be very awkward if we both woke up.

And to make it even worst, his phone in the table was ringing. And his eyelashes flutter, he can be awake at any time. Please God, make me disappear!

I don't want he caught me awake with our position, so I closed my eyes pretending to sleep when he started to move and I know he was going to open his eyes.

I can feel he moved his hand slowly from my body and lift his legs from mine. He had difficulty to lift his other arms under mine. I can hear he curse him self for positioning his arms in mine.

I turned around facing other side, and still closed my eyes, pretending still sleeping. I can feel he get up from bed and hear him picking up his phone.

" Hello Sam" he said. It must be Agent Gray called him.

" Ya, I just awake."

" No, she had a bad dream last night and can't sleep."

" Ya, I have something to tell you about it. It's important. We will leave after breakfast."

" She is still sleeping."

" Shut up Sam!" he said " No! I mean she is attractive, but she is not my type"

I'm attractive but Not your type? Really agent Hampton? You are not my type either!

" Okay Sam, stop that!" now Agent Gray mocking on us. Great!

" I see you in Clarksburg in 4 hour. Bye" and he hanged up his phone. I hear him open the bathroom door and took a shower.

" I'm not your type? but looked who's hugging me on your sleep?" I murmered as I woke up from my bed.

" Alexa, is that you? Are you awake?" he asked me as he turned the shower off.

Shit. Did he hear me? Am I said it out loud? I facepalm my self.

" Alexa? "he called me again.

" Ya... Yes, it's me. " I said outside the bathroom.

" Hey, we'll leave after breakfast, its better to tidy up your things." he said yelling from bathroom.

" oo okay" I said.

And I hear him turned on the shower again. I put everything in my bag, and I looked at the passport, ID and money, max gave me. I think it's best to hide it from Jack. So I went out of the room and walked to the receptionist.

It was an old woman, owner of the motel standing in the reception desk. I asked her if she had a deposit box. She said she didn't have, so I asked her if she can help me to keep my things for a month.

" Do you mind if I leave my things with you. It just some document. My boyfriend and I decide to travel in our backpack, and we will be back here in a month. I'm afraid we will lost it if we take it with us. We don't mind if we have to pay." I told her.

And she willing to help me. She wrote my name

" Evelyn Lane "I said. I gave her my new identity name Max made me.

" Okay, Evelyn. Just tell us your name when you want to take your things. " she said.

" Thank you so much Linda, we really appreciate it. " I said to her. She really a nice old woman.

" Don't mention it." she said smiling.

And I went back to our room. Jack already finished taking a shower and wearing his clothes in rush. He already wear his pants but his shirt was unbutton.

" Where were you? What have you thinking? " he said as he looked outside the door and then close and locked it. He looked very, I mean very angry.

" I'm sorry, I was just asking the receptionist about a clothes store around here." I said.

" You can't just go outside like that. At least you have to wait for me." he said.

" What if there is Black's man out there see you?" he said

" I'm sorry okay." I said. I didn't know he was so worried.

" Just don't go anywhere without me." he said finally in lower tone.

" Okay. " I said.

" Look, we go to the store later on our way, now better you took a shower. " he said.

I went to the bathroom and took cold shower and then wear my clothes back, and put very light make up, brushed my hair and put it in a messy bun.

Jack was calling on the phone when I came out of the bathroom. I put everything on my backpack and walked to him.

" I'm ready. " I said.

" Okay, wait for a second" he said in between his phone call.

I sat in the bed and wait for him finished his phone call. I put on my headset and ipod to hear some music. It was Cups by Anna Kendrick. I like her song, it make my hand do the claps as in her songs, and I sing the song in a low voice didn't want to disturbed Jack's phone call.

I got my ticket for the long way 'round

Two bottle o' whiskey for the way

And I sure would like some sweet company

And I'm leavin' tomorrow, what do you say?

When I'm gone

When I'm gone

You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

You're gonna miss me by my hair

You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh

You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

He poked me when he done with his phone call. I stood up and walked to the door, still listening Anna Kendrick's song. He asked me something as he closed the room door behind him.

" What?" I asked him as I took off my headset and pause the music.

" What song are you listening?" He asked me

" Oh, it was Cups by Anna Kendrick." I told him

He tangled his brow.

" You don't know? It was from the Pitch Perfect movie." I told him

" Here, listen." I said as I put the headset in his head and played the music.

" oh ya. This one. It was the song she sing at her audition. With the cup." he said as he gave back my headset to me. So he watch the movie.

" Yup! That's it. " I put the headset in my ear, and I played it.

We walked to the receptionist and I met Linda again. I turned off my music and greet her.

" Hi Linda,"

" Hi, check out already?" she asked me.

" Yes, please" Jack answer her and gave her our room's key. We finish the check out administration and thank her.

" Just look for me if you come back here again sweetheart." she told me.

" I will, thank you so much Linda" I thank her again

" Your welcome Evelyn." she said.

" Bye" I wave her as a drag Jack walked away.

" you told her your name Evelyn?" Jack asked me

" Ya? I can't tell her my real name didn't I?" I just said.

He just shrugged his shoulder. Then we get inside his car. He put down the destination on the GPS and started the engine.

" Where is the clothes store you said earlier? " he asked me.

" I forget, but I think it's around here" I said as I don't know where the store was.

" you forget?" he asked me, and I nodded.

" well, I guess we have to looked for it." he said as he search clothes store in his phone.

Took a while until he found the closest one on the map. He drove for 10 minutes before we arrive at the clothes store. It will be open in the next 15 minutes, so we went for breakfast on the Cafe near the store.

"So Jack, what happen with me if we get to the headquarter?" I asked him

" well, first we will asked you a lot of question for sure. And then we will decide about your status." he said.

" And what my status possibilities?" I asked him

" I'll be honest with you Alexa. " he said, and I listening.

" I already talked to my supervisor this morning about your case with Xaverius Black. He haven't decide yet, but I'm pretty sure you'll be under witness protection program if you willing to testified. And it was good for you. " he explained to me

" but it's all up to you. I know it was hard for you to be a witness, but it was a win-win solution for you." he said again

" And Alexa, to testified and put him in jail, means you help other victim to get their justice. You didn't do this only for your self. " he told me.

And for the first time in my life, I realize what he said is true. This is not just about me. Max, Debra and 20 other girls buried in that wood will get their justice. The man who killed them will pay for what he did.

" okay Jack, I will do it. " I said. I will not run again. I will face him and put him in jail.

Jack smile and hold my hand.

" Don't worry, I will protect you." he said.

" Thank you Jack." I said.

" And what about my robbery case?" I asked him.

" We still investigate the case, and interrogate Frank. I guess we don't know yet." he told me.

" Am I going to be in jail?" I asked him

" Could be yes and no. Its depend on your information and the evidence. But if you proved to be under threat by frank, it might help you and made you as a witness."

" Okay. " I said. I still hope they didn't put me in jail.

" Oh looked, it's open. We better get hurry. We have alot of things to do today. " he said as he stand up and hold my hand. I followed him to the cashier and then after he paid our breakfast he accompany me to buy some clothes.

I bought a wrapped blouse and a cigarette pants. I think it will be suitable to wear to fbi headquarters. I want to make a good impression.

I paid my clothes while Jack talking on his phone. I want to wear my new clothes right away, so I went to changing clothes room not far from the cashier.

I went out from the changing room when I was done and I looked around for Jack. I walked to the cashier, but I felt, like someone is following me. I saw from the mirror reflection on the store, a man about 3 meter behind me, wearing black jacket and a hat

He stop as I stop pretending to check on some clothes. I saw Jack, he was about 5 meter away from me and Jack didn't notice me or the man presence. He was too serious with his phone called.

I talked with the counter women assume that he will not do anything if I was with someone else, but the man move forward slowly, so I decide to walked fast to Jack and leave the counter girls. I looked back, and found him looking back at me.

I run and drop some of the mannequin on the floor to trammell him. That's when Jack saw me running avoiding the man. And saw the man took his gun from his suit.

Jack running fast to me, he was only 2 meter away, and dodged me to the cashier counter as the man started to shoot. And I scream as the bullets pass above my head on the counter table. That was closed!

" Get down everyone" Jack told everyone on the store as he shoot him back.

Everyone in the store was screaming and running to the exit door.

" Are you alright?" he asked me worried.

" I'm fine" I answer him with my panting breath.

He took a peak on the man and the man shoot him, but he missed.

" You stayed here, I will go for him." he said.

" Jack... Please be careful" I said as I hold his arms. He smile and nodded. Then he go circling the cashier table and walked in between clothes. Until I hear man fighting at the back. I think it was Jack and the man.

I took a peak and found them fighting in the ground. Should I help him? I looked something I can use to hit the man. A phone in cashier table can be used!

I walked to grab the phone when a pair of hand covered my mouth, grab my arm and pull me away to the exit door.