Uncle Jack

The rain had slowed to a drizzle, tapping faintly against the windows of Soonie’s apartment.

Naomi sat on the edge of the couch, the thin towel still draped over her shoulders, damp hair sticking to her skin. Her legs were tucked underneath her, a blanket pulled loosely around her knees, but nothing could quite warm the chill running through her body.

Soonie sat across from her, hands on her thighs as she studied Naomi in silence. She knew she wasn't okay, she didn't need to ask her that.

The room smelled faintly of antiseptic and a mop bucket sat in the center of the room.

Soonie was cleaning her apartment when she got Naomi's call and she'sld storm out of the building in her shorts and a hoodie.

Soonie pushed a cup of coffee across the table, her eyes fixed on Naomi calmly.

“You should take this before it gets cold..”

Naomi gave no answer. The thoughts in her head were louder than Soonie’s voice. Hell, she had no clue where she was either.

Damon. Had he really betrayed her? Lied to her? Why are her fathers properties that ought to be her's, be in his name? Was this what Jack was insinuating the day they met?

Her eyes followed the shadows cast by the city lights outside. Every flicker of movement made her heart skip a beat. Even though she was safe for now, the image of the explosion, the sparks, the sudden, deafening roar in her ears, lingered in her mind.

And her body ached with phantom pain. The medics said she was okay but she didn't feel okay. It felt like she was sitting on a time bomb. She had no clue who to trust..

Her phone vibrated against the side table. The name flashing on the screen made her fingers freeze.

Uncle Jack.

Her stomach twisted. Why is he calling her? What does he want now? A feeling of dread crawled through her veins. She hesitated before answering.

Soonie glanced down at the phone screen, horrified. She and Naomi were thinking the same thing clearly.

“What should I do?” Naomi whispered, her voice shaking.

Soonie swallowed, she had no clue either. She exhales. “Pick it up and put it on speaker.”

Finally, Naomi swiped.

“Naomi,” Jack’s voice came through the speaker. There was a faint tremor beneath the surface, the kind he tried desperately to mask.

“I heard about… the incident. Are you alright?”

Naomi’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m alive,” she said flatly. “Barely.”

A pause as she exchanged looks with Soonie.

Naomi could almost picture him, sitting somewhere behind a polished desk, hands steepled, eyes glinting in the dim light.

“Alive, I see… well, that’s… fortunate,” he said, carefully.

Naomi narrowed her eyes, her pulse quickening. “Fortunate? You sound oddly… calm. I was in an explosion.”

Jack chuckled softly, a low, pleasant sound that made Naomi’s skin crawl.

“Calm? Perhaps. Or perhaps it’s just that I can’t quite believe what you’ve gone through.”

Her hands tightened around the blanket. “Why the hell did the USB explode?”

Another soft laugh. “Explode? What USB?”

Her grip on the blanket tightened. “You gave me a parcel and inside that parcel was a USB. It exploded and the police officer said it was an explosive in disguise. It was meant to go off once inserted.”

“Naomi… you’re imagining things. I assure you, I would never…”

“You think I’m imagining it?” Naomi’s voice rose, tinged with fear and fury. “The flashdrive? The desktop blowing up? My ears ringing, my chest aching! I nearly...” She cut herself off, trembling, taking a deep breath to steady her voice.

“You didn't die, did you?”

Her blood rang cold. Her suspicion was confirmed.

“You knew, didn’t you? You gave me that drive knowing it would blow. You planned this!”

“Planned? My dear Naomi… I think you overestimate my malevolence. Or perhaps… you’ve finally caught on.”

Naomi froze. Her pulse hammered. The words sank in. He knew she realized. Her own blood ran cold.

Soonie sat still too, eyes wide open in horror. This was the man Naomi spoke so often about and here he was…admitting he wanted her out of the way.

“You wanted me dead.” she whispered, her voice shaking. “You gave me that parcel because you wanted me dead..”

Jack smacks his teeth in irritation, his tone now mixed with cruelty.

“Let’s not use words like ‘dead,’ Naomi.

That is a strong allegation. Besides, I needed to be certain you were ready to see the truth. You moving back in with Damon was a clear indication of your naiveness. I had to test you.”

Her chest tightened. Every hair on her arms stood on end. “A test? You almost killed me! You nearly made me die!”

Jack chuckled, a sound that seemed to echo through the room despite the phone’s speaker. “And yet, here you are. Alive. Observant. Smart enough to question me.”

Naomi’s heart raced, anger and terror mixing in a swirl she could barely contain. “You’re insane,” she whispered, almost to herself. “You… you handed me a bomb in my own home. You wanted me dead!”

Jack’s tone turned almost playful, a soft, cruel lilt. “ And this my problem with you, Naomi. You focus on the wrong things. You've seen what Damon has done and instead of asking the right questions, you're in your friend's crappy apartment, spewing nonsense.”

Naomi's heart went cold. Her eyes flickered over to Soonie in horror, he knew where she was.

“How did you…”

“If I wanted to know how often you breathe, I have people who can find out. Everyone has a price, you know? Everyone and it's only a matter of time before the most moral of them to break.”

Naomi clenched her fist . This was supposed to be her uncle, the man she'd grown up very fond of and he wants her dead! She had no clue how to take the news!

“My problem is Damon. He had over a hundred men parading the apartment already. “ Jack sighs, “That boy always makes things difficult, his greedy ass does.”

“I can't believe you would…do this! You're a monster!” she whispered, disbelief and horror mingling.

Jack didn’t answer immediately. His voice came back. “You've never had to work hard for anything, have you? You're a child, you have no clue what is at stake.”

“I don't care what is at stake! You wanted me dead!”

“Then you better watch yourself."

Naomi’s stomach turned. “Are you threatening me?”

Jack’s chuckle was low, menacing, almost affectionate in its tone. “It's advice. While you sit there and whine, Damon still owns what should be yours. If you stay with him, you'll never get what is yours.”

Naomi scoffed. “Now you're giving me advice?”

“Yes. So you get what belongs you and I get Damon out of my way!”

“You’re… you’re sick,” she said finally, voice trembling. “You’re sick and cruel and… and dangerous. You don’t care that I….”

Jack interrupted softly, almost too calmly. “I care, Naomi. I care that you live. That you survive. That you understand the world you are stepping into. It's best you run along before it gets messy.”

Naomi’s mind raced. She realized, with chilling clarity, that she was not just in danger from outside threats.

Her own family, her father’s brother, had engineered her near-death. Everything had been calculated. Her own life had been the proving ground for Jack’s lessons.

“You… you could have killed me,” she whispered. “And you…”

Jack’s voice cut her off. Low, deliberate, chilling: “I could have. But I didn’t. And that is the difference between you… and me. Things were peaceful when you were back in Kentville.”

Naomi swallowed hard, the lump in her throat making it difficult to speak. Her hands trembled as she gripped the blanket, nails digging into her skin. She could still see the sparks, still hear the ringing, still smell the faint smoke.

“Go back there. Divorce Damon and stay out of this. I don't usually give warnings but for old times sake, I'll give you that.”

Jack ended the call. The dial tone buzzed in her ear like a warning bell. Naomi pressed the phone to her chest, trembling.

Soonie remained quiet but fear was evident in her eyes. “We need to report this to the police.”

Naomi leaned back against the couch, pulling the blanket tighter around herself, trying to steady her breathing. Her ears still rang faintly. Her heart raced. The rain outside tapped softly against the windows, but the sound felt distant, unreal, as if it belonged to another world.

“He's right. This started when I decided to get back together with Damon.”

Soonie sighed, seeing the look on Naomi’s face, it was clear she wasn't herself at the moment.

Naomi's mind was a storm of thoughts: the files, the inheritance, the explosion, Jack’s voice, his words, his threats, his twisted sense of guidance. And in the center of it all, one truth screamed at her: she could no longer trust anyone completely.

Soonie exhaled. “You should rest. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”

And with that, she was gone.

Naomi closed her eyes, letting the towel fall to her shoulders. Her pulse slowly began to calm, though a tremor ran through her hands. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold onto something solid. Anything.

She was alive. She had survived. But the chilling realization lingered: her uncle, her father’s own brother, had planned her near-death. And he was still out there, watching.

Naomi’s eyes drifted closed, the faint light of the city reflecting off the windowpane.

She would survive. She had to. She would not let fear control her. And one day… she would make sure Jack understood that.