The pub looked deserted, a strange look for a place that was always bustling with the locals. Even on days when there was no game or sport airing, the locals still gathered and talked about the current happenings in the city. Jake had claimed he grew up there and he was quite popular among the men. Archie, the owner of the pub, was outside the pub, right beside where the power bikes were usually parked but on that day it was totally empty. Nate frowned as he stepped out his car, his fear had gotten a better part of him. He had always thought Archie’s beards were too long and he looked like one of the cavemen in a children’s storybook. “Have you seen Jake or Adam?” Nate asked immediately.He was in no mood for formalities.He could tell by the look on Archie’s face that something was wrong. The man was jovial and always had a joke to tell but most importantly, he had a bottle of beer in his burly hands. “My pub had been destroyed and they took Jake away” he sighed Nate
Nate’s brows creased with worry. Fear consumed him and he tried to keep calm. The smell of the antiseptic irritated him. The barmaid whose name was Florence sat on a bench, head in her hands. She had spent the car ride whimpering and crying. Nate understood she was terrified and had tried to comfort her. Adam sustained a head injury and Florence was kind enough to apply pressure on it.The ambulance had been delayed for another thirty minutes and Nate gave up on them. He took it upon himself to drive Adam to the hospital and called the police to check what happened to the pub. “I need you to calm down and tell me what happened” Nate said to herFlorence was wrapped in a blanket and had a mug of coffee in her hands. Her face was stained with makeup and she looked like she was about to pass out any minute. “The men we’re watching a match on the tv” she clenched her teeth together as her voice was shaky. “I was there serving some drinks to them. Some guys came to the pub”
Nate stirred in the uncomfortable bench, everything was a blur. He rubbed at his eyes as the light from the front irritated them. All the memories came flashing back immediately, he was at the hospital and Adam was injured, Jake was kidnapped and what of Ruby? “Oh shit” he cursed as he fished for his phone in his back pocketHe spent the night at the hospital after barely convincing Florence to go home and get some sleep. He reminded himself to call Ruby but somehow, it escaped his mind. It was a few minutes past six in the morning. Guilt washed over him, he couldn’t imagine how worried she must have been. He placed a hand on his waist, tapping his feet as he waited for her to answer the phone.He sighed as he went to voicemail and then tossed the phone into his back pocket again.Everything was happening too fast with little to no time to process all that was going on. “Mr Jacobin, I see that you are awake” a police officer said, walking up to him If looks could kil
Ruby shut her eyes tightly. She had tried everything to make her sleep but she couldn’t. Coupled with the heartache she felt from Esme’s outburst and Nate’s sudden departure. She decided to involve Grace if Nate wasn’t home by sunrise.Her stomach growled, she hadn’t eaten anything since the previous day. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and sat up in bed. Everything felt different without Nate. It was just one night but she missed the sound of his soft breathing beside her, the warmth his body exuded comforted her at night. She pulled the sheets to her chest and bit her lip, biting back the frustrated cry that almost left her lips. Could life get any more frustrating? She slipped into the sheets, using the blanket to cover her head, his scent wasn’t enough, she needed skin against skin.Her heart hurt so much she didn’t hold back the tears. Now, she had somehow gotten rid of Anderson for a while, she was free to travel just like she had planned. There wasn’t anything holding her
Nate yawned and groaned loudly. His eyelids felt heavy and he had a throbbing headache. The annoying ringtone if I gotta feeling by The Black Eyed Peas irritated him the most.Groggily, he got out of bed. It was late afternoon already. He placed the phone on his ear and stifled a yawn. Ruby had gone downstairs to get them something to eat. “Nate”His body froze as he recognized the sound of the voice. “What the hell do you want?” He demanded, unveiling the anger in his voice He kicked off the bed sheets off his body and walked to the window. He rubbed his temples as he stared out. It was such a beautiful day, a day he could talk Ruby on a walk and make her see that he wasn’t a bad person as people painted him to be of a beautiful day to have tea with his mother. With his fathers death anniversary by the corner, he wanted to spend more time with her and make sure they got through it together. When he was younger, once the month of his father’s death anniversary cam
Ruby rolled her sleeves as she strutted into Anderson’s office. Her heels clacking against the vinyl flooring. Her eyes were sunken so she covered them up with dark shades.Over the past few days, she had been through crying and throwing up. She tried to console herself but that wasn’t working, she kept reminding herself to eat but that wasn’t working either. Nate was even more frustrated, he told her about Adam and Jake. She had successfully put up an act around him because she didn’t want him worrying about her.Maria was now back in the house and took up her job, cooking for them and making sure everything was in place. “Ma’am, you can’t go in!” Anderson’s secretary exclaimed and then rushed to stand at the door, her hands wrapped around her chest with a stern frown on her face. Ruby sighed and laughed sardonically. If only the secretary knew the evil she was capable of doing at that moment. She had tried booking a flight and it kept getting canceled. She called an
Nate smiled, it was the first genuine smile he had in the last few days. Adam’s bed was surrounded by his mother and sisters. It wasn’t easy breaking the bad news to his mother but surprisingly, she didn’t throw a fit as he had expected. Instead, she was worried about him and offered as much help as she could. Adam smiled wryly, his head hurt from all the sedatives and painkillers he had taken. “I thought I’d died for a minute,” Adam joked as he sat up in bed slowly.Thankfully, he hadn’t broken any bones and he was going to be just fine. “You’re strong indeed,old man” Nate teased and then sat on the edge of the bed.He watched as Nate’s sisters chatted happily at a corner of the room. They were only in their teenage years and Nate was glad none of them had bursted into tears upon hearing the news of their brother’s injury. After dealing with Florence on the night of the incident, he made a mental note to run as far as possible from crying girls. “Do you think I
Both friends watched the sunset. Their silence held so many unsaid words as they wondered how Jake was faring. Jake’s children were grown up like Nate so there wasn’t much to worry about. His wife on the other hand was a local farmer and she wasn’t taking the news well, Nate saw that she was cared for and lacked nothing. “What do you suggest we do?” Katie asked as she walked into the room.Her black catsuit reminded Nate of Charlie's angels. Her hair was slick back from her face, making her cheeks and bones more rigid. Adam shifted a little in his bed and Nate smiled knowingly. They had gone on some sort of martial arts training with Katie once and Adam ended up with a broken nose. Ever since then, Adam avoided Katie like a plague.She didn’t exactly look like the type to fight but when she did, she shocked everyone. “Wyatt is very dangerous, we have to play it safe for Jake’s safety” Nate reasoned as he rubbed his chin. “Whatever happens, Jake must come out of it unhu