Chapter 4

Jack had never felt so excited about running from someone in his life. This would b the first time that he had decided to run from his problem instead of facing it head on. Now, he kew that Kai cheating on him was not his fault, he just felt like he could have doe something, anything, to change the outcome of this chapter in his life. Pulling into the parking lot that belonged to a Walmart, Jack parked as far as he could from the establishment before turning the car off and flopping his head down into the steering wheel.

Nothing had ever been this hard for Jack. Luckily, his mom had always instilled into him to keep a stash of "run money" somewhere in the house that was easily accessible. He knew the one shelf he couldn't reach wasn't easily accessible, but it was the only place he had. Jack told Kai everything, he had nothing to hide from the man, apparently Kai was the act opposite, so Kai knew where anything Jack had was located.

Jack couldn't believe that this was actually happening. He never thought he would actually have to use his stash. This was the worst day of his life. This could not have turned out any worse. Stepping out of the driver's side f the car, Jack closes the door and turns to open the back door. Before climbing in however, he spots the gas station across the street. Standing next to a dimly lit corner of the gas station, was a figure. The figure was lithe. There wasn't too much that distinguished the character from the very darkness that they stood in, Jack had almost thought, only for a minute, that he was hallucinating.

Surely there couldn't be anyone watching him, he wasn't even that important to anyone. Shaking his head, he climbed into his backseat facing the front, reaching over the middle console, Jack feels for the suitcase. Once the suitcase is in reach, he pulls it forward, wrestling it through the tight space. When he gets the suitcase next to him, he unzips it and reaches inside for a dark sweater. Grabbing it and pulling it over his head, he reaches back into it and pulls out the light sweater planning to use it as a pillow. Rolling the sweater, he puts it onto the seat before bending down to rest his head onto the makeshift pillow.

This was okay, he hummed, he could start out with this and work his way up to an actual apartment. Nothing was stopping him now, not even the creepy figure that had somehow gotten just a little bit closer to the car.

"I'm just being paranoid, it's probably just a shadow." He rolled his eyes at himself. Leave it to the most clingy person in the world to hallucinate danger when alone.

"Whatever it is will be gone by morning," Jack told himself in order to trick himself into feeling some sort of illusion of safety and security. "I just have to go to sleep and it will be gone before I even wake up." Nodding his head once more, Jack started focusing on his breathing to force himself into sleep.

The morning after, Jack woke up groggy, confused, and a little panicked.He didn't know where he was and there was not as much light being cast into the car window as there should've been. Jack froze, as everything from last night came flooding to the forefront of his mind. Jack was terrified, he distinctly remembered the figure that had been standing outside the gas station,looking into his general direction.

Slowly turning his body, Jack comes face to face with a tree. He guessed that he had forgotten that he had parked next to it last night . However, his next breath caught in his throat. Standing next to the tree, was the figure. Jack could see that they were male and that they were wearing a suit with a small emblem on the pocket. The emblem looked like a bird carrying a hibiscus flower. Jack sat there, frozen in fear.

He saw the guy slowly reach into his pocket, like he was trying to keep Jack inside the trance he had put himself in. The figure pulled out what looked like a flip phone and proceeded to press a few buttons and then put the phone to his ear without breaking the eye contact he was maintaining with him. Jack could see the man's mouth begin to move. Jack stared for a few more seconds before, finally, coming to his senses and climbing over the center console to get to the driver's seat. Breathing heavily from all the exertion, he made it to the seat and turned on the car.

The figure saw Jack do this and started heading towards the car. Jack could clearly see him now. The guy had a soft jawline, and was pretty lithe, he also had black curly hair, and brown eyes. His lips were a pale pink, and he had eyes that tilted down at the outer edges. This was not important however, as Jack had seen the little bulge that was coming out side of the man's hip. Assuming the worst, Jack did not wait one more second after the car turned on, and booked it out of the parking lot.

Meanwhile at home, Kai had just received the news that a little over an hour ago, one of his 'subordinates' had seen his man sleeping inside his car in a Walmart parking lot. Kai was ecstatic, when he heard Jack had only been in the next town over. However, the smile that was once glued to his face, began to fall as he heard a shuffle and then tires squeak against asphalt. The squealing of the tires was then followed by the news that Jack had just sped of heading East.

Kai looked at the ceiling of his old office. "I don't care what you have to do, but you will follow him and you will not lose him again. Am I understood?" The command was immediately followed by a nervous 'yes' from the subordinate before Kai hung up the phone.

Kai hung his head low before beginning to chuckle to himself. The chuckling started off quiet,before it started getting louder and louder, towards the point where it eventually became hysterical. His love had been so close, yet all Kai had been thinking about was what number the stove eye should be set at to heat the food up and not cook it again. He had wasted such valuable time, but he was not going to let another opportunity become wasted because he didn't have his priorities set straight.

Laying his head onto the desk he sighed, imagining all the happy times that he and Jack had been through. All the times where he had surprised Jack with jewelry or clothes, and would have to hide how much they cost from him because he knew Jack would immediately return the clothes when he wasn't looking. That's what he loved the most about Jack, he wasn't the type to go around flaunting his money or what he had. Jack only wanted what was necessary and even then it couldn't be expensive.

His vision became blurry as he thought about Jack and what could have, no will be, if he had not been with the whore. She was the one who had started all of this, it was too bad he had already killed her. He would have kept her in their basement, but he didn't want Jack to see her and try to leave him again. That would not go over well for either of them.

Standing from the black computer chair, he takes a look around his old office. He had never meant for things to become like this, have to use his old ties to find the one person he would kill for. But if this is the only way to get Jack back into his arms, so shall it be. Opening the door, Kai heads down the long and dark hallway, watching the paintings and feeling as if they're watching him. Turning the corner he walks into a grand room full of rich shades of red, gold, and the darkest of blacks.

"Sir." A passing butler greets him. Kai pays the man no attention and keeps moving over to the dining table that was set in the middle of the room. The table was a dark mahogany, full of grain marks and had a mysterious red splotch on the edge of one of the corners. Kai spotted the splotch and shook his head as memories of his childhood began to surface. This wasn't the time nor place to be pitying himself, he had already paid the price for wasting time and he wasn't about to do it again.

Walking up to the table he saw a man sitting across him, he was bulky with brown hair, and a scar over his left eye. Kai could tell the man had been through many more fights after he had left, with the way his hands looked more callous, and the way the man had gotten beefier. Pulling out the chair, he sits down and the room is engulfed in silence for what feels like forever before the man finally speaks.

With a voice equivalent to that of gravel, he speaks, "Welcome home, boss." And smiles.