Jack's redemption

you can't refuse." Jack stirred lightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder,

a moment. Julias was standing across from him, the counter between them, and was kinda smiling, and kinda

t random shit." Jack walked to the door, put h

d, and the man gave

, this job ... a

y. Different world, my

ave all these suits." Jack's words apparently caught the bi

oin me, and I'll hook you

his hand from the door handle. "I'll d

s clear in the sky. At least as can be clear in a dense city. Even at this hour, people were walking the streets. Business suits and c

pleb," he said. He couldn't help but laugh at hims

n't exactly sleep. Jack didn't worry, at least not about the people. The cold was starting to

use

im was smooth, alluring, feminine and

air, pale skin, sharp blue eyes, and dark lips. It was unfair how gorgeous she was. The coat she wore, black and long, hugged her figure nic

er. What was so inviting about that voice? At eye level with him, her gaze was unrelenting, but intoxi

re just lik

.. ye

nd, she beckoned the boy into the darkness. The cold was suddenly not a problem, and Jack stepped toward her yet again. The backgrou

to her finger, Jack was deep into the darkness now. Any light that would normally line the walls in the al

ords just came out. N

he one I've be

even see

only occasionally glanced out to look at the city lights. His eyes were fixed on his

w, but still his eyes stayed on his drink. The swirling p

on his counter. "I don't want to hurt him, and now I just left this bombshell on him ... he doesn't deserve that. I can't give him half-truths. Fuck Viktor. None of that manipulativ

s set on the sink. With a strained hand and tight gri

the glass down, he walked toward the door, all the while looking at his shaking hand. He

d night, but he didn't mind. While most everyone was in trench coats of some shape or another, Julias stuck with the

tive, with her blond hair tied into some fashionable shape against her skull's crown. Julias managed a small nod and kept walking. "Never the same. He could s

to Jack tonight what this was really about, instead of

m..." No, don't think about it. Jack was a smart man, and a disturbingly tenacious little man at that. He could trust him.

and he came to a dead halt in the street and looked around. Something wasn't right. His insides clawed at

more than knocked aside, and more than one crashed into nearby members of the street crowd with loud hollers of pain. He got faster, and

khet when you need one. Jack couldn't have gone far, he had only one possible route to walk, and he could glance down the alley of each as

ngers into their limbs and rip them out of their sockets. You do not just walk into someone's domai

y to glance down an alley to see the coat of a woman, a

way fr

ed and ran. She was like liquid. Her motions were beyond fluid and her speed was be

ees and looked down over his little frie

onto the street. He was always tiny, but now he looked like a spec against the

to his stomach. Julias fought to keep his eyes from staring at the growing pool. He would

s and pulled them away. Jack fought against him, groaned and moaned in pain, but J

. His desperation even ripped it, but then, it was a cheap

ood up. Panic-filled eyes looked around from deep within the alley. It would take only a second to get Jack out into

." The little guy coughed up some bloo

.. you're dying!" Julias pulled Ja

" Being sat up brought a new fit of coughs, and Jack clutched at his stomach hard. Julias could

ing! God damn it Jack, I

..

this to you to get at me,

he stopped trying to talk. Instead, his draining eyes looked

it. Jack, I'm go

h let loose another pool of blood to spill over his fingers. "I'm dead

nutes, the amount of blood pouring out of him was insane. And yet he was ju

quietly into the good night

.. you

ns really

d pulled Jack up into his arms. The tiny guy was weightle

him up the side of the building easier. Julias jumped the fire escape railing, and then onto the railing of another, and another

w d

u trus

ias,

down between his legs with his back to his own stomach. He cradled the

..

. Just relax and

iled off when Julias sank