× Ammo? Don't aim for the head or torso? Ankles and hands first? What in the... Was it a joke? Was her boss rehearsing some lines from a script? Reading them out loud for fun? Or he could be talking to someone on the phone. "Maybe. Maybe not..." Jessi sat still on the cold floor and leaned against the door, imagining the more believable scenarios. Maybe she just wasn't used to it but Jenson kept getting phone calls in the middle of the night lately. It didn't sound like he was talking to Charmaine, though. Must be Darren. Or Magnus—Jenson's mysterious boss and uncle. Apparently one of the head honchos. One of those rich executives who invested millions in Hollywood movies and TV shows they deemed would be a big hit. All she knew about the man was that he was a Californian businessman with the same last name as Jenson. His real surname. Therefore, Magnus could be the brother of Jenson's father. Also Italian by birth? "His dad died in prison years ago. Mob boss tyin' up loose end
×Calm. Quiet. Some friendly encouragements here and there...No need to panic. It wouldn't help the situation, and it wouldn't help Jessi at all. If he showed how worried he really was, the panic and anxiety would only worsen her mental state."You don't have close friends here in Cali?" he asked casually, sitting hunched over, waiting for her to finish packing."Not really. No." Jessi kept her back to him as she paced in the other room. She was tidying up her personal belongings on the divan to distract herself."Any relatives? Family friends?""My Uncle Pete and Aunt Marin," she called out from the other room. With the door wide open, she put on a white sweater, and then some pants. "Is this okay?" She turned to look at him and pointed to her jeans."Yeah. Why?"Well, to be fair, she'd look good in anything. Even a dirty potato sack wouldn't distract people from her naturally pretty face. "Or should I just wear a dress so they wouldn't have to ask me to take off my pants in th
×"No vas a morir. Quieren ayudarlo.""Gracias.""Estará bien." Jenson gave the guy's lean arm a quick pat and glanced down at the thick silver restraints keeping the guy still on the lab chair. "Just do what they tell you to do.""Okay." The dark-haired kid nodded weakly as his droopy eyes stared back at Jenson.At first glance, no one would suppose this teenager had killed people before—his own parents, according to the kid's most recent straitjacket confession. The new, expensive drugs physically sedated him now, but without suppressing the bouts of clarity, said the medical staff.This one just didn't look like the dangerous kind. Not predatory at all. He didn't even look like he was half of Darren's weight.Jenson backed away and glanced over the kid's condition.Skinny.&nbs
×"Just come back here, hon. You don't need that job. It's safer here. For you. For us.""I know, Mom." Jessi sighed and stood by the door. Some hesitation still lingered in the back of her head, but the worry and impatience in her mother's frail voice ultimately defeated her stubborn logic.Considering the emotional rollercoaster she was going through, her recent hospitalization, and the growing number of positive cases here in California, leaving Los Angeles to live the small-town life again sounded much smarter—not a setback at all if she wanted to make it to her next birthday.Sure. The treatment worked. The medical staff did their best, helping her and the other infected patients recover fast after the strict hospital confinement. But it didn't mean she was already out of the woods. Reports of reinfection had been spreading all over the news. Meaning, her full recovery from the dreaded viral disease would not guarantee immunity from reinfection. And worse: there were no approved
×"You're really leaving next weekend?""Probably." Jessi took a deep breath, her heart still thudding hard in her chest. The total privacy they now had mostly dulled the urge to leave him in here.After locking the doors, Jenson took off his face mask, revealing the days-old stubble that partly hid the angles of his clenched jaw. "How's your mom and dad?""They're fine." "Real worried, I bet.""Dad really thinks Cali's gonna be the biggest hotspot soon. Mom just wants me home like, now, before the travel restrictions get worse.""Yeah. I get it," sighed the guy beside her. The lengthy silence that followed only emphasized the disappointment in his gruff voice. His backseat stayed dark, but the faint lights coming from the other side of the street helped as she studied the look on his face. "They want you back there 'cause they're worried about you.""Sorry.""I mean, your choice..." Jenson muttered with a weak shrug. Their sleeves touched when he reclined. "It's not like I could keep
× 10:39PM × "Hey, Joss. Congrats!" "Thanks, man. Grab some drinks. Just gonna say hi to the guys." "Heard there's already a season four in the making?" "Don't get too excited." Jenson exchanged smirks with a heavyset guy in plaid as he walked past the busy pool table. The other guy must be a reporter or a good friend of one of the producers. Partly disguised by her face mask, Jessi reclined and watched the amicable exchange. She sat alone at a table for two, waiting on the sidelines, just minding her own business. Everybody else seemed busy mingling and whiling the night away with booze, chit-chatting about their lives, Road to Valhalla updates, the news, and practically everything under the sun. Darren left her side half an hour ago to catch up with Kara, his blonde co-star and the leading lady in their TV show. For the past two hours, Jenson and Darren got busy catching up with co-workers. Mostly members of the production team. Two of the producers also showed up.
× They pulled over outside a small hotel a few blocks away from the psychiatric facility. It looked decent enough for a multimillionaire like him, but Jenson didn't even budge in his seat. He just stared at the dashboard, his gaze blank. Her chest ached at how he looked stuck in a daze more than anything else. "You okay?" she sighed. Obviously he wasn't, but she just wanted him to talk to her. Sure, she was used to seeing him stressed out—just not in this way. Intoxicated. Confounded. Quiet. Too quiet. Why wouldn't he just talk to her? The scenes in her head was already leading her thoughts down a pessimistic road. She really wanted to ask about his mother. To ask if anything happened back in the facility. But he probably wouldn't tell her much. Right now he definitely looked like he'd rather be alone. All night. She couldn't help thinking he was someone who carried grudges, hard feelings, and a lot of secrets—deep, dark secrets he would take with him to the grave. Then again, s
×A nauseating mix of worry, pity, and shock pooled deep in her gut. What he said just halted her breathing. Her guess was not far from the truth at all.But how did his mother die in that psychiatric facility? Nobody told her that Mrs. Roiz had been critically ill. And Darren didn't mention anything over the phone."I'm sorry." Jessi sat close to her tightlipped boss. "Sorry about your mom."Would he mind if she hugged him again? How should she console him? By apologizing for not knowing anything about his mother's condition?The shock gradually turned into pure sympathy for his emotional state. She should've been more attentive to him. She should've asked if he wanted company, before she let him step out of his truck to see his mom. Jessi swore inwardly. She'd stupidly assumed it was just a random visit. "Is that why you... Why d'you have bloodstains on your shirt?""It's her blood." Jenson snuffled and kept his head down. His left hand clutched the bloodstained sleeve of his sweatsh