LIMERENCE S1: Easy Does It 0.3

Joey couldn't be wrong. His memory matched the face of the man in the ski hat who shot Jacob Doyle that night to the same man who was pointing a gun at him now.

Not less than two meters away, Stechking with a full-automatic shot, the same gun was also pointed at the temple of Joey who was still sitting on his knees staring at the man wearing a black parka jacket in front of him. The index finger pressed the trigger, Stechking was ready to spew bullets that could perforate the head especially at close range.

The loud explosion and how Jacob Doyle collapsed flashed briefly in Joey's vision. Now it was his turn. Joey could not move, not even run. The gun had a shot facility that hit its target precisely, which was a rear pisir device with an adjustment capacity ranging from a distance of 25, to 200m.

Before the trigger was pressed, the ringing of a phone stopped the killer's index finger. The man in the parka jacket pulled out a cell phone from under his jacket-without taking his attention away from his target. In less than a second, the phone was back in his pocket. The man retreated, without changing his position, let alone the direction of stechking's muzzle from Joey's temple.

Only when the distance was more than ten meters, the man turned around and left Joey's sight.

The young man was still in his position. The events that were currently happening successfully made his mind malfunction. Sitting on his knees, staring blankly at the place of the stranger who almost killed him. Then his attention shifted to the cell phone lying next to the gingerbread man cookie jar.

Domenico's name brought his mind back from its momentary daze. Joey immediately took back the cookie jar. Unfortunately, the cell phone could not be saved-the battery was loose and the lid was thrown away. The screen itself was cracked due to the hard impact with the floor.

Joey was frustrated, unable to contact Domenico to tell him that he was okay, at least for now. The pay phone was located downstairs. There were reporters, journalists and paparazzi about to swarm him, worse yet different assassins.

Joey couldn't go anywhere for now, couldn't call his assistant to give him news or ask Charlie to come over. At the moment, Joey felt like he was back to being a child where danger could catch up with him at any moment. Blue eyes glanced at the crack in his apartment door.

Was there another killer inside? Joey didn't dare to go in yet. Staying in the deserted corridor was more dangerous - in case the killer returned.

Slowly Joey stood up, his eyes narrowed as he peered into the apartment. There was no sign of strangers there, and the pounding of his heart had not slowed down. One long breath escaped as Joey entered and his instincts told him it was safe enough.

The door was closed tightly, providing support for Joey as his slumped body fell to his knees while holding a jar of gingerbread man cookies and a broken cell phone in his right hand.

Once again he took a deep breath with his eyes closed. A surprise that could not make Joey free and must always be vigilant. He knew this was just the beginning. In the future, more dangerous threats would come.

But ...

What did he do wrong?

Why did something like this happen to him?

Joey wanted to scream, but he couldn't, fear silencing him, his own hands trying to keep his mouth from making a sound.

He had never tried to hurt anyone, no matter how much the so-called hatters hated him - no matter how much people loved him for his career. Joey just wanted to live a quiet life as an actor without any scandals and controversies. However, that seems impossible. The more famous you are, the more unwanted things come along.

Joey closed his eyes, unconsciously a drop of water escaped without being able to hold back.

***

The tenderloin steak with mushroom sauce in a white porcelain plate on the table did not attract a brown-haired boy to taste. His pair of eyes just stared boredly, the fork in hand not being used as it should.

Just as the boy put the fork down on the table, his mother asked, "Would you like something else, Jackie?"

The boy called Jackie looked up at his mother. He shook his head slowly and ate the potato slice without enthusiasm. He silently glanced at his father who had been watching him without any desire to ask.

"Yes, we only had steak yesterday, but it was heated up and added mushrooms and potatoes," informed his mother, a pretty wheat-blonde woman wearing a pastel blue home-made dress, busy brewing hot tea with lemon slices.

Charlie Douglas sighed faintly. The man knew what his son wanted, not another dinner menu. Like most seven-year-olds, it was easy to get bored and Jack Douglas wanted a playmate.

"Is Joey coming tonight?" Jack expected his father to say yes, but a faint smile and a shake was all he got.

"No, Jackie. Joey's resting tonight, he went to bed early," his mother replied, coming over to the chair where the boy was sitting, Laura stroking her son's brown mane and bringing the plate of steak Jack had pushed away. "Finish your dinner, then go to bed."

"It's only eight o'clock," Jack said, looking at his father. Charlie had just finished struggling with his book and pen before setting them aside to eat his still intact steak.

"Can't Daddy call him?"

Charlie looked at his son as he chewed. "No, Jackie."

"Why?"

"He's very busy tomorrow."

"Like Daddy." Jack was slightly sarcastic to his father this time. The boy went back to eating his steak. It was his wife's turn to stare at him, and he stared back. Charlie said nothing at Laura's bland smile at him.

Charlie let out a long sigh. "I can't help it, we're in the same line of work."

"My classmates told me that Joey was involved in a murder case," Jack said, typical of a kid his age.

"It's in the movie scenario." Laura hurriedly replied. Knowing a bit about Joey's work, without further curiosity Jack simply believed her. "He must be very busy."

Once again, the husband and wife looked at each other. Soon there was a ringing call. Charlie quickly took his cell phone from his pocket and left the dining table to take the call.

-

"When Joey's not busy, we'll invite him over for dinner," Laura said as she pulled the blanket up to Jack's chest as he lay on the bed.

"Might as well invite him to stay the night."

"Sure." Laura kissed her son's forehead and turned off the light. "We'll have him stay here until he whines about going home."

The two chuckled briefly.

Jack looked at his mother standing in the doorway, saying, "Good night, Jackie, sleep well." And the door closed.

-

Laura realized something was wrong when she returned to the dining table. Her husband was pacing back and forth with his cell phone in hand, looking agitated and the tenderloin steak on the table was untouched.

"Is something wrong?" asked Laura as she approached Charlie.

He turned his head in slight surprise, seemingly unaware that his wife had returned from Jack's room.

At first Charlie seemed hesitant to tell her. "Joey has been unreachable since morning. Sheira went to his apartment just now and he wasn't there."

Laura couldn't help but look surprised and worried.

"He probably went out to buy something. But, with his current condition...," Charlie rubbed his temples. "I hope nothing bad is happening to him."

Five minutes of boredom before drowsiness struck, Jack opened his eyes when he heard a faint tapping on the glass window of his room.

The seven-year-old boy pulled the blanket up to cover half his face, leaving his eyes to peek out.

Knock knock knock!

The tapping on the window sounded again. Jack was increasingly wary of criminals, or ghosts-no. Joey said there were no ghosts. Jack remembered that. Who was knocking on his window at night? The boy would scream at the third knock. Jack was ready to scream.

"Jackie, it's me," someone said from outside the window. "Are you asleep?"

Jack recognized this voice.

"Open the window, please..."

There was no mistaking it.

The boy pulled back the covers, got out of bed and quickly opened the window.

"Joey! You're here!" he exclaimed happily, no longer feeling sleepy.

While entering through the window, Joey hurriedly rested his index finger on his lips, asking the boy to be quiet. Jack immediately covered his mouth with both hands.

"Before going to bed, I prayed to God for you to come. And now you really came." Jack hugged Joey once he was standing in front of him.

Joey smiled blandly, sat on his knees to match Jack's height and patted the top of the boy's head. Remembering his past as a child, Joey asked God for his mother to come, but she never did, and little Joey stopped asking.

"You're going to stay here, right?" Jack asked more like a plea.

Joey nodded. "But first, I have something to talk to your father about." He stood back up, heading for Jack's bedroom door. Behind him, the boy followed, hoping to play for a while.

At the same time, the door to the boy's room opened suddenly. His mother stood in the doorway saying, "Go to sleep, Jack, you don't want to be late for school..." Laura couldn't finish her sentence once she saw who it was.

"Hi," Joey greeted with his trademark thin smile.

*

"Sheira is very worried about you, you know." Charlie looked at Joey who was busy eating his tenderloin steak. Seeing the young man in front of him, eating voraciously, he was greatly relieved.

"I know," Joey said. "She's been having a lot of panic attacks lately, maybe she needs to see a psychologist, or take a vacation."

"I'm worried about you too, all of us, Joey. Especially when I heard on the phone that you weren't at the apartment when Sheira visited you."

Joey looked at the man in front of him and smiled, he was done with Charlie's dinner. He wanted to go to Jack's room and get some rest.

"Why didn't you call before you came here?" Charlie asked, his serious gaze fixed on Joey. "At least I could have picked you up."

Joey let out a long breath. "No need, I'm not a kid who needs to be picked up." The young man stood up. "My phone's broken too, waiting in line at a pay phone, you said it was dangerous." He walked past Charlie and Laura who had been standing at the sink washing dishes.

"Thanks for dinner, Laura," he said before disappearing into the doorway.

"What did you say? Your phone is broken?" Charlie was about to catch up with Joey, but was held back by his wife.

"Charlie, please..., leave him for tonight." It wasn't only Laura who realized that Joey was physically and mentally exhausted from what he had been through. Charlie too, and in the end he let Joey go from his interrogation tonight.

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