Jail Bird. by Em. Z. (best free ebook reader .txt) 📕

It was obvious that Ike had some of his men in the police force. They didn't question, or even scan him as he passed through. I felt tears cloud my vision, but I blinked them back. I had to be strong for Kent.

I let out a breath as soon as we left the building, looking up at Ike. "Where is my brother?" I rasped.

"Oh, him? You'll see him soon enough."

We walked toward a white, windowless van. Two men got out of the front and went around to the back. When the doors opened, Ike shoved me in. 

"Kent!" I cried.

He laid in the corner against the wall, his face bruised. He reached out for me, and I felt the binds on my hands release.

I crawled over to him, pulling him into my arms. I cradled his head to my neck, patting down his matted hair. "I'm here. They're not going to hurt you anymore." I promised.

"J-Jane..." He looked up at me. "Dad set us up. H-he said you were in danger...th-that I needed to help him find you. H-he punched me a-and kicked me in the stomach."

I stared at Kent with wide eyes, filling with tears. "Oh, Kent. I'm so sorry." I whispered.

I didn't understand. Was this some plan he had? Was he really betraying his own family? But he always promised me we would never get hurt. He was always there for me.

How could he do this to Kent? To Mom...to me?

We were pulled roughly from the back seat, and I tried my best to keep Kent out of harms way, ripping one of my arms out of the man's grasp so I could hold onto my injured brother.

They didn't pull me away, staying close to my side as we walked through the empty streets of this deserted area of town. Ike pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door to a rundown-looking building. They shoved Kent and I in, and Ike smiled wickedly at me.

"No, my love, as I recall, we have some unfinished bussiness." He grabbed me up, pulling me against him.

I let out a disgusted noise in the back of my throat as he pressed his lips to my neck, but didn't struggle. I had a feeling the punishment would be something directed at Kent.

"No!" Kent struggled to stand, being held down by the two brutes.

"Don't, Kent. Please." I pleaded.

Ignoring me, he struggled still, watching as Ike's hand traveled lower and lower on my side. 

Suddenly, he jerked me to the side, and began dragging me to a different area. He pulled me into a room, and I realized that this was a temporary living space. A bed, and a few bags were scattered here and there. I gulped.

He threw me on the bed, and I struggled against his hold as he climbed on top of me.

"I told them I'd have you screaming my name, didn't I? I told you that you couldn't run forever. You're mine!" He snarled, taking my shirt and ripping the bottom.

I refused to let the tears blurring my vision fall, as I looked around for an escape. I noticed a pocket knife on top of one of the bags closest to the bed, and quickly formulated a plan.

I looked up at Ike, catching his shoulders in my hands.

He paused halfway through rippng my shirt, and looked up at me. I used all of the strength I had to flip us over, so I was on top of him. I swallowed the bile in the back of my throat at the horrible thing I was getting ready to do.

I leaned down, and smashed his lips to mine, capturing his attention to the fullest.

With one hand grudgingly running through his hair, the other reached out to the side, fumbling for the knife that I knew was there. As soon as my hand brushed the cool, metalic handle, I grasped it, slowly pulling my arm back to my side and flipping it open.

Ike's hungry kissing stopped as we both heard the sound of metal scraping against metal. I inwardly cringed, knowing I'd been caught.

In a flurry of movement, I pulled back, and pressed the knife to his neck before he could move.

To my surprise, he only grinned. "Are you really going to kill me?"

I swallowed thickly, pressing the knife harder. "I'm going to damn well try!"

He laughed. "You couldn't kill me, Jane. You wouldn't be able to."

I hated the fact that he was right. The fact that he knew my weaknesses - my faults. A new anger took over. He didn't know everything, however. I couldn't kill him, but I could damn well hurt him.

"I won't kill you, but I will do this!" I brought the knife up, and stabbed through his shoulder, making a sickening snarl/gurgle escape from him.

I rolled off of him, scrambling on my hands and knees to get to the door as he roughly pulled the knife out. I crawled over the duffels blocking my way, trying my damndest to reach the door.

A hand grabbed my ankle, and I cried out in fear, kicking feverishly at him. My foot came in contact with his face, and he growled, letting me go.

I scrambled to my feet, finally grabbing hold of the doornob, but a body collided with mine, sending me crashing into the weak door, causing it to fall through.

We tumbled to the ground, and I struggled violently for the upper hand, punching, scratching, and kicking. I was covered in his blood from his wound, as he pinned me down, his shoulder shaking from the efforts.

I reached out for a piece of glass that had fallen from one of the windows, grasping it tightly in my hand until it drew blood. I took it and stabbed it into his side, making another gurgled snarl escape.

He rolled away from me, and I scrambled to my feet, holding the glass out as a weapon as the two brutes approached with guns drawn.

I pointed my weapon frantically at both of them, as they pointed their guns at me. As Ike lay coughing, and they stood ready for attack, none of them noticed Kent stand. He carefully walked over to the two of them, and then with a grunt, he grabbed their heads, slamming them together.

"Geez, I've wanted to do that for forever!" He exclaimed as they dropped.

I dropped my weapon, letting out a laugh as I picked up their guns and handed one to Kent. He took my hand, and we ran from the building.

We ran until we were out of breath, both of us panting as we rested in the shade under a large tree.

"Kent," I swallowed thickly, gasping for air, "I need you to go into that building and ask for a phone."

"Huh?"

"So you can call the police. It's a gas station. Tell him it's an emergency and ask to use the phone." I said.

"Don't you want to come with me?" He questioned, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I'm covered in blood. I'll wait out here for you." I lied.

He studied me for a fleeting moment, before nodding. "Alright."

Pushing himself up, he tiredly made his way to the gas station. I waited until he was out of sight, before pushing myself up as well. 

I made my way down the street quickly, figuring I'd only have about fifteen minutes. Picking a nondescript car, I pulled the handle, finding a stroke of luck, as it was unlocked. After all, who would steal this piece of crap?

If I hadn't been so sober by what I was going to do, I would have laughed at the irony.

I leaned down and began hotwiring the car. I sparked the wires a few times, and it roared to life beneath me, before settling into a light purr. She was in good shape.

Taking a deep breath, I settled myself into the front seat. I was going to hunt my Dad down, and I was going to get the answers I deserve.

I had questions.

Why was he in the gang in the first place? Who got him involved? And, more importantly, if he had any last words before I killed his ass for hurting Kent.

Of course I wasn't really going to kill him, I was just going to do much worse to him than he did to Kent.

Revving the engine, I sped off, heading God-knows-where to find the man I knew was out there.

***

Two weeks later.

Lifting my head from my desk, I stared up at my deputy in groggy confusion. "Yeah, Glen?"

"Vic, we're locking up the station." He informed.

I sighed heavily and rubbed my neck, glancing at the clock to see it was nearing twelve. "Leave it. I'll lock up when I leave." I replied.

"You sure, Boss?" Glen asked.

I nodded, waving him off.

"Alright then. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you then, Glen." I gave his hand one firm shake, before he left.

It had been two weeks since the day she dissapeared, and I was beginning to think I was never going to find her. She knocked herself off the grid, with no cellphone, no phonecalls to any close family, not even a letter.

I couldn't help but wonder why. Was it because of me? Because of Ike?

Frustration filled me, not only because I couldn't find her, but because Ike was gone again. I'd been told she stabbed him twice, but the bastard wasn't dead when they left. He was still out there, waiting for his chance to take the only girl I'd ever loved.

Sighing heavily, and realizing there wasn't much I could do here, I closed my laptop, standing up.

I flipped off lights as I went through the building, nodding to the policeman behind the desk. He nodded back, standing to lock up after me.

I headed outside, walking down the street to where my car was parked across from a bus stop. I noticed that a girl, by the looks of her small figure, sat on the bench, as if waiting for the bus. I couldn't see her clearly from the darkness, with only the dim streetlamp above her, but I could tell she had long, dark hair pulled over one shoulder, and she held something in her hands. I had the urge to go over there, and I wondered why. Maybe it was because it was late, and dangerous at night.

I was destracted, however, as the bus pulled up. The woman got up, and leaned down to set the thing she was holding deliberately on the bench.

She stood up straight, and surprising me, turned to look straight at me. From across the street, I saw her face with full clarity in the glare of the bus' headlights. She raised her hand, and gave me a fluttering finger wave, which confirmed my suspitions.

"Jane." I whispered, rooted in place with shock.

I watched, unable to move as she turned, and dissapeared behind the bus. And then, just as the doors were closing, and I could see her in the window,  I burst into a run.

"Jane!" I yelled, desperately needing to see her, to hug her, to kiss her.

But I was too late. The bus pulled