Jack Kursed Read online

  "Look, I don't think you're taking me seriously. I've done my homework on you, and I know you're loaded. You won't miss ten million dollars. I want you to throw that briefcase over here. That little girl's life is hanging by a thread, and I'm getting really fuckin' impatient."

  Jack sighed.

  "I tried. I really did. Mark, call your daughter."

  Mark flinched, ever so slightly. Jack read the fear in his eyes.

  "What?"

  "I said, call your daughter. And please, don't make me repeat myself again."

  The new Jack was gone, at least for now. The one who cooked breakfast for a little girl, argued with her over music on the iPhone, laughed at the ridiculous cartoons on TV, entertained the possibility of a something more with a comely schoolteacher. That man was on vacation.

  The old Jack was back. The man who felt no remorse as he burned people alive.

  "Hannah? She's not even in the damn state. She's in some cheerleading tournament-"

  "Just humor me, and put it on speakerphone. This will be fun."

  Jack dropped his briefcase and whistled.

  Mark looked shaken as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Jack tried not to laugh.

  The worst night of Mark's life was just beginning. The ringing phone finally gave way to a click.

  "Hannah, are you okay? It's me, Dad-"

  Mark nearly dropped the phone as he heard the terror in his daughter's voice.

  "Daddy! Help me! I don't know what they want! Please-"

  The phone went dead.

  Jack said nothing. He kept whistling while letting Mark reflect on what he just heard. Stretching his arms, he enjoyed the cool breeze as it blew through his coat. He picked up his briefcase and walked slowly toward Mark.

  "Do I have your attention now?"

  Mark had been staring at the silent phone. Now he looked up at Jack. The confidence, the arrogance, all gone, replaced only by barely-controlled horror.

  "What-what have you done?"

  "I haven't done anything yet. I'm just getting warmed up. Let's have a seat."

  He gestured to a nearby bench, still in range of Mark's laptop and camera. Mark fell hard on the seat, his face getting paler by the second. Jack sat next to him and set the briefcase on the ground.

  "Poor Mark. You did your homework, huh? You must have sucked in school, because you know nothing about me. You have no idea what you've gotten yourself in to."

  "So, I guess, my little girl for yours? Is that where you're taking this?"

  "Oh, no," Jack said, laughing. "You're not thinking big enough."

  He opened his briefcase just enough to pull out an iPad. He touched the app he already had set up, and passed the tablet to Mark.

  It took nearly ten seconds for him to understand what he was seeing.

  Mark was looking at a collection of camera views. Four by four, sixteen cameras on a page. The cameras were pointing at his family and friends, all being held against their will.

  His brother was tied to a chair on camera thirteen. His sister, who lived in Ireland, was cowering in a corner on camera eight. His uncle, who apparently had put up a fight, lay bloody and beaten in his bathroom, as a man threatened him with a knife. His only daughter, who he'd just talked to on the phone, cried in a dark room. She still wore her cheerleading uniform.

  "Are you starting to understand now, Mark?" Jack said. "You took my Tiffany. Well, I didn't know who you cared about, so I figured, fuck it, why not just take them all?"

  A tear ran down Mark's cheek as he stared at his family. He touched the camera image of his daughter, like it would bring him closer to her.

  "Don't think this little page is all I've got, too. Slide your finger to the right there. Plenty to look at."

  A cry caught in Mark's throat as Jack leaned over and scrolled to the second page, then the third, and pointed at different cameras.

  "That's your aunt, right there. And your poker buddy who lives down the street. There's your favorite prostitute. I know you've paid for her at least four times."

  "My God-"

  "No, little police officer. God can't help you. You get to deal with me."

  "What do you want?"

  "Tiffany, of course. Get her here, right now. For every hour that she's not at my side, someone you see there will die."

  "How...did you do this? You knew it was me, the whole time. You must have. You couldn't have set all this up-"

  "I told you, I had six people I was keeping my eye on, including you. This little adventure we're in to tonight, I planned the same thing with all of them. I've been planning this for a while. One little text message, and off we go. I love technology. There are a lot of people who work for me-"

  Mark let out a quiet sob, and looked at the ground. Jack lost his composure, only for a moment.

  "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

  Grabbing Mark by the jaw, he stared into the cop's fearful eyes. He forced his voice to stay even, to remain calm.

  "There is no limit to the number of people I will kill to protect those I care about. Women, children, I simply don't care."

  Mark could barely speak. "You-You're a fuckin' monster."

  Jack rolled his eyes. "The clock is ticking, and you've wasted enough time."

  The corrupt cop summoned one last ounce of courage and jumped to his feet. Still holding the iPad, he pointed an accusing finger at Jack.

  "No. No! This is all just one big trick. You're bluffing."

  "They always want proof," he muttered to himself. "Take a peek at camera thirty-nine."

  "That's...that's my wife!"

  "Yup." Jack stood up, grabbed his briefcase, and set it on the bench. "You know, I almost spared her. I mean, to be honest, I didn't think you cared about her. You've certainly screwed enough women behind her back. But then I thought...if most of her family was gonna die tonight, would she want to survive that? Eh, I'm not a shrink, and I'm getting off the subject."

  Mark stared at camera thirty-nine. His wife was sitting on their living room couch. Every light in the room was off. The only light came from the soft glow of the TV. A man stood in the corner near the door, his arms crossed. She rocked back and forth, and he thought he saw a gag tied around her mouth.

  She cradled her arm.

  "What's wrong with her-"

  "Here. Catch."

  Jack tossed the disembodied hand. Mark instinctively caught it, and then dropped it when he realized what it was. He fell to the ground along with it, crawling backwards as fast as he could.

  He recognized the wedding ring, the scar under her knuckles from a childhood accident. The hand was severed just below the wrist, and he could see tissue and bone.

  "Sonya-"

  "This is the last time I'll say this," Jack said. He grabbed the bag of bread crumbs Mark had on the bench and tossed some in the lake, watching the geese enjoy their snack. "Bring Tiffany here. Now."

  Mark was reaching for his phone before Jack even completed his sentence.

  "Dom. It's me. Listen, plans have changed. Get the kid here. Don't argue with me, just drive."

  "Now, was that really that hard? If Dom drives fast enough, maybe you can save your wife's hand. Modern medicine is amazing."

  "Listen to me," Mark said. "It’s not just the girl we’re leaning on. We couldn't pry that teacher out of the Jeep, so we just took the kid. I have a few friends on the way to the hospital now to get her. One of them isn’t...normal. I know it sounds weird, but he’s a vampire, right out of the movies. That little girl of yours, she saw us in that alley."

  Jack left the phone on speaker as he called Victoria. She answered on the first ring.

  "Yeah?"

  "You’ve got some trouble heading your way."

  "The normal kind?"

  "Nope. The supernatural kind."

  "On it."

  He hung up and looked down at Mark. The cop sat on the bench now, holding his wife’s hand in his lap. Mark stared at Jack with a look of shock on his
face.

  "I think you’re gonna find that my friends are better than yours."

  Jack sat next to him on the bench, leaning on his knees.

  "You know, I’ve killed a lot of people in my day. I mean a lot, and I don’t have any limits. I killed a pregnant scientist back in World War II who tried to cut my throat. I’ve always killed in anger. I never killed anyone out of love before. So this is new to me."

  Mark was quiet a moment as he glanced at the iPad. "Please don’t hold the teacher thing against me."

  "Shut up. My friend is more than capable of killing anyone you send at her. You’ve got another twenty minutes before I start killing. But if Tiffany is hurt-"

  "She’s not. She might have a scratch or two from the accident, but she’s okay."

  "For the sake of those fifty people,” Jack nodded toward the iPad. “you’d better be right."

  They sat in silence for nearly five minutes. Mark stood and paced in front of Jack, looking at the iPad and time on his phone.

  "So Tiffany witnessed a murder, I’m guessing."

  "Being a cop doesn’t pay as much as you’d think," Mark said. "My friend helps me keep my people in line, and I get him all the fresh blood he wants. Your kid caught us."

  Jack laughed. "Your vampire must be an idiot. They can smell a kid a mile away."

  Mark stopped and stared at Jack. "Who are you?"

  "Right now, I'm the man who controls your life."

  A car pulled up into the parking lot. A haggard-looking man with unkempt hair and scruffy beard pulled Tiffany out of the car. Jack’s heart skipped a beat in his chest as he rose to his feet.

  He made out details as they drew closer. Tiffany had a small cut on her forehead, but wasn’t hurt beyond that. She tried to run to Jack when she saw him, but Dom held onto her arm. She'd been crying, and for that reason alone Jack decided Dom and Mark would die. Maybe not in the next five minutes, but their fates were sealed.

  "Fifteen minutes to spare," he said. "I’m impressed. How did you put it before, something about the right motivation?"

  "Call your people off. Please."

  "I will...in ten minutes, when we’re far away."

  Dom and Tiffany were within earshot. She tried to break away again, but Dom held fast.

  "Let her go," Jack ordered.

  Dom looked to Mark for approval, who nodded. Tiffany broke free from his grasp and ran to Jack. He scooped her up and held her close, clenching his eyes shut to hold in the tears. Tiffany sobbed openly as her little body shook.

  "We’re leaving," he said.

  Tiffany didn’t budge as he carried her away from Mark and Dom. She kept her arms wrapped around his neck.

  "That’s the man I saw in the alley. The one with the monster."

  "I know, honey."

  Mark and Dom argued as Jack walked away.

  "What the fuck is going on? Where’s our money?"

  "Just shut up. Like I said, plans have changed."

  "I don’t give a shit what you said. You said you had this whole thing planned out. Now they’re walking away? Fuck this."

  Jack knew trouble was coming.

  "Listen to me," he whispered. "I’m gonna put you in the truck. I want you to duck down in front of the seat as far as you can."

  "Don’t leave me."

  "I’ll only be gone a minute."

  "I don’t want you to get hurt."

  He once again had to stifle emotion. Tiffany had been in a car accident and kidnapped, and she was worried about him.

  "I can’t be hurt, sweetie. I’ll explain it all to you someday. Right now, just do what I say."

  He opened the passenger’s side door and set Tiffany in front of the seat. Their eyes met before he shut the door, hers full of fear. He simply smiled and winked at her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dom approaching, gun in hand. Mark jogged behind him.

  "Hey!" Dom called. "Hey you! I think you’ve got some money that belongs to me."

  "Dom, I said fuckin’ stop!" Mark shouted.

  Jack ran toward Dom, catching the henchman completely by surprise. His eyes shot open as he raised his gun and fired, catching Jack in the shoulder and stomach. Jack didn’t slow down as he lowered his shoulder and tackled Dom around the waist. The air rushed out of Dom’s lungs as they fell to the ground. Dom tried to fight back, which only made Jack angrier. He drove his elbow three times into Dom's nose, breaking it. Mark tried to grab Jack under the arms, but Jack shoved him away.

  "I’ll deal with him," Mark said. "Just get out of here and make that call!"

  Jack leaned away from Dom. As much as he wanted to kill both Dom and Mark, Tiffany’s safety came first. He was on one knee and ready to stand up when Dom pointed his gun at Jack’s head.

  "No!" Mark shouted.

  Dom pulled the trigger.

  Jack flinched from the noise. The bullet struck his forehead, stinging for a moment before falling to the grass. Dom gasped when Jack didn’t move, and Mark backed up a step.

  Dom’s face took on a look of utter terror right before Jack threw the first of many punches. He growled as he attacked, landing blow after blow. Dom tried to cover his face, so Jack stood up and kicked him repeatedly in the ribs.

  He stood up and went to a nearby trashcan. He picked it up and slammed it down into Dom’s body, getting garbage all over him. Dom curled on his side, coughing up blood and spitting out a few teeth. The fight had all but left him, but it hadn’t left Jack. He grabbed the plastic liner and wrapped it around Dom’s face, pulling with all his might. Dom struggled and grabbed at Jack’s arms uselessly.

  "Stop!" Mark shouted. "I said stop!"

  Mark wrapped an arm around Jack’s neck and tried to drag him away. Jack let go of Dom and turned his attention to Mark. He spun around and grabbed Mark by the legs, taking him to the ground. The cop struggled for a moment, but a knee to his groin and a hard slap to the face stilled him.

  Jack glanced at Dom. The henchman lay in a pile of garbage and blood, the plastic liner still wrapped around his face. He coughed as he struggled to pull the liner away.

  Jack was prepared to beat Mark to death when a strange feeling crept over him. He grabbed Mark by the collar of his shirt.

  "She’s watching, isn’t she?"

  He pulled Mark up slightly so the cop could look over his shoulder. Mark nodded, and Jack slammed him back to the ground.

  "Yeah," he said. "She’s watching over the dashboard."

  "You should thank her, because she’s the only reason I’m not gonna kill you tonight. Now, what you need to do is take that piece of shit over there and find a nice hiding spot. The next time I see you, it better be on the side of a milk carton. Otherwise, I will kill you. Do you understand?"

  Mark nodded, and Jack had to shift his body to avoid touching the urine that was running down the cop’s slacks.

  "I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now. I’m worse than any vampire you could ever hope to find."

  Jack smiled and gave Mark one final slap across the face. He didn’t want Tiffany to see any more violence, but couldn’t help giving one final kick into Dom’s ribs. As he climbed in the truck Tiffany was hugging him again. He gave her a squeeze and a quick kiss on the cheek. He could feel her smiling. She had trouble buckling her seat-belt with shaking hands, and he had to help her.

  "You saved me," she said as they drove away from the park.

  "I’m so sorry," he said, wiping a tear from his eye. "I promised nothing bad would happen to you."

  "It’s okay. I was a little scared. They said they’d hurt me if you didn’t pay them a bunch of money. But it’s funny. I was actually more scared when I was with Miss Simmons."

  "Why is that?"

  "Because I knew you’d save me this time."

  He smiled at her and playfully ruffed up her hair. She closed her eyes for a moment, like she was about to fall asleep, and then jumped excitedly.

  "Jack," she said. "There’s still a monster out there!"

  He la
ughed as he sent the text message putting his people back on standby. In another two minutes the killing would have begun.

  "I doubt for much longer."

  *****

  "You’ve got some trouble heading your way."

  "The normal kind?"

  "Nope. The supernatural kind."

  "On it."

  Victoria hung up her phone and set it on the table next to her. Erica looked down at the cast on her ankle once again.

  "I can’t believe I broke my ankle. Who breaks their ankle in a car accident?"

  "I’ve seen weirder things."

  "Was that Jack? Is Tiffany okay?"

  "He just got there. But Jack will take care of her. Don’t worry about that."

  She hung her head sadly. "I bet he hates me."

  "What?"

  "I was supposed to take care of Tiffany, not get her in an accident." A tear ran down her face. "We were just going for ice cream."

  "On the contrary, Jack’s always been solitary...a hermit, almost. You’re the first adult I’ve really seen him take to. The first woman for sure. He cares about you, really trusts you."

  "He just wants to see my legs," she said with a smile. "And he’ll never trust me again after tonight."

  "You worry too much. You and Jack will be fine."

  "I haven’t made too many friends in Parkville. I definitely didn’t think he and I would become friends. The first day we met, the first thing he does is point out my scar."

  Victoria laughed. "Jack certainly has some social issues. But I couldn’t ask for a better brother."

  "I’ll make him dinner one night, for an apology. I’ll get Tiffany some flowers."

  "I’m not sure how much dinner you’ll be making on a broken ankle."

  "I’ll pull it off, don’t you worry, as soon as they let me out of here. And you’re invited, too."

  "Why, thank you very much," she said, and glanced around the hospital room. "You know, I don’t like this room."

  "It could be worse."

  "Maybe, but let’s go find another room."

  Erica laughed nervously as Victoria stood up and unlocked the casters on the bed. She propped the door open and pushed Erica’s bed into the hall.

  "Uh, Victoria," she said. "I don’t think you’re really supposed to-"

  "You’re saying you don’t want a nice room with a view?"