Chapter Two

Annie slipped a towel around herself, her skin still burning from her hot shower, smelling of pinecone. Her phone had rung multiple times while she was occupied in the shower, but Annie couldn't bring herself to leave the comforting heat of the scalding water. It felt too nice, too fresh, she felt too safe. Her head was caught in daydreams of what her life could be if she just had the confidence to follow her dreams if she had the confidence to go back to Cindy's and just see her cousin one more time. To get just one more glimpse at the boy she had been in love with all these years. She often wondered how he had developed, how he looked now if he still had those dimples when he smiled if his eyes were still that golden brown colour she saw so often in her dreams. She would never be able to get the answers she so desperately wanted.

When she was dry and in her pyjamas, Annie finally looked at her phone. She had received multiple missed calls from her mother and father. Along with multiple messages demanding that she call them back. She rubbed her head, the headache from talking to them already picking at her. She decided to call her father back first. He had left the most recent call and their conversations were generally shorter. He picked up after a few short rings. 

"Annie, honey, how are you?" Her father said in a voice that was much happier than what Annie was used to hearing. Since her parents' divorce, he had become much less of a happy man and more grumpy and closed off. This tone hadn't been heard in years. 

"Hey, dad, same as usual. What's gotten you so chirpy?" Annie asked back, purchasing on her bed as she slid her feet into her slippers. Her father's excitement was heard from the other end of the phone. 

"Well, I have some good news." Her father started. "I'm getting married." Annie halted her movements and took a deep breath. He was getting re-married? She shouldn't be surprised, but she was. She hadn't even known he was in a new relationship. Nothing had been mentioned. Maybe it was just the distance between them. The distance that had been there since the divorce. Why the distance existed, Annie wasn't sure. Everything just kind of fell apart. The family hadn't been a family in years. No member kept in touch with the other. There was so much distance between them. 

"I - What?" Annie stuttered out. She was almost completely speechless. She had wanted a surprise from her ordinary life, this wasn't the surprise she wanted. 

"I'm getting married, isn't that wonderful?" Her father gushed as if this wasn't utterly shocking news. "You'll love her too. She's just wonderful. We met a few weeks ago on a dating site." 

"You met a few weeks ago!" Annie exclaimed. The rush of their whole relationship was even more surprising. Her father wasn't usually an impulsive man. Yet this rash decision was, it was unusual, odd. "I assume you've told mum." Annie sighed, now realizing why her mother would be calling her. 

"Well of course. It's only out of respect, better hear it from me now than somebody else later." Finally, her father started to sound like he was. Sensible, smart, respectful. Annie remembered the story he used to tell her before he asked her mother to marry him. He had gone to her parents and brought his. He wanted to make sure their parents got along. Then asked both of their permission and advice. They were overjoyed of course. 

"I'm happy for you, really I am," Annie assured, and she was. Even if she was minorly worried at the impulsive speed of his new relationship. "I just have to go now." Annie sighed. They said their goodbyes, her father still bubbling over his new engagement. He sent her a message to suggest that she should meet his new bride to be and her children, whether she was up to that now or not she wasn't sure, so she didn't reply just yet. Instead, she slid into the living room where Rebecca was still sitting watching Riverdale. Although sensing Annie's tension made Rebecca pause the show and turn to give her full attention to her friend. 

"What happened?" Rebecca asked, Annie, frowned. 

"Am I that obvious?" Annie sighed, slipping next to Rebecca who slid her arms around her friend. Annie leaned into her friend's embrace. Rebecca just nodded. "My dad is getting married." 

"And that's not a good thing?" Rebecca asked, Annie just nodded, her eyes closing and reopening after a few seconds. She tried to blink away the headache and frustration. 

"He's known the woman for a few weeks. They met on a dating site. It's just not like him. Plus he told mum so I'm going to have to hear her scream about that. I don't even know if Jack knows yet, maybe I should tell him. Maybe dad has. I don't even know anymore." Annie ranted, tears coming to her eyes as her head throbbed even more. Everything was so frustrating. She wasn't sure what to do with her life anymore. Rebecca hated seeing her friend so upset and hurt. Yet she wasn't sure how to help. 

"Hey, sweet, it'll be okay. Let's get the girls together this weekend and take your mind off it, yeah?" Rebecca offered. The best solution to problems was alcohol or at least giving Annie something to look forward to. 

"That'd be nice. I feel like we haven't seen them in forever." Annie agreed. 

"Exactly. I'll give them all a call. Go get into bed, call your mum, I'll bring a coffee in." Rebecca instructed. 

"Thank you, Becca, that sounds great." Annie agreed, slipping away from her friend. Rebecca smiled and wandered to the kitchen where she flicked the kettle on and Annie slipped into her room, dialling her mother's number. She took four rings to answer. 

"Annie, where have you been? I called you five times." Her mother scolded. Annie felt like a little child, getting told off for coming home just a few minutes late. 

"I'm sorry, I was in the shower." Annie apologised. She wasn't completely lying, after all, she had originally been in the shower. 

"For a whole hour? You waste too much water." Her mother informed, her voice strict and harsh. Annie frowned. Even after years of this treatment it still hurt her, her mother was always so critical and judgemental. Rebecca snuck in and shot Annie a thumbs up. The night continued with Annie's mother ranting and raving about her father's engagement followed by complaints about how Annie was living her life. Barely even touching on Jack's existence. 

Everyone laughed around Alexander as he downed another drink. When he had invited Mason over he hadn't expected everyone to join. The fact that they had was minorly irritating. He loved them all, of course, he did, but he didn't feel all that much like socialising. It just didn't seem right. Of course, he wouldn't admit that. He was the ultimate people, pleaser, in many ways. In many ways, he wasn't a people pleaser at all. It greatly depended on who you asked. Although, for the second time that day his phone unexpectedly, and rather frustratingly, rang. 

"What is it?" Alexander asked, irritated that his drinking session was cut short. 

"We found the guy you were looking for." The woman on the other end of the phone said. Now Alexander's attention was spiked. "Jack Hill, I'm sending his information through now." Just then Alexander's phone pinged. 

"Thank you, Madi." Alexander praised, well his version of praising someone anyway. Like that the call was over and Alexander was reaching over for his keys. 

"Where are you going?" Cindy asked, looking over at her cousin.

"I need to talk to someone," Alexander spoke. 

"You mean threaten." Chris chuckled. Alexander shrugged. 

"What's the difference?" And at this point in Alexander's life, in his mind, there was no difference. He did both so frequently that there was no difference. Threaten one person, talk to another. It all felt the same. It almost all was the same. He always got what he wanted, no questions asked. He always got his way. He made sure of it. He had to. There were many methods to it, but it always ended with the same result, Alexander getting what he wanted. 

When Alexander arrived at Jack's garage, it was dark almost eery. To most people, the seemingly abandoned environment would be terrifying, but Alexander wasn't scared. He was never scared. What did he have to be afraid of? He was the scariest thing out there. The only discomfort he had to feel was that head breaking headache he felt daily. The only thing Alexander had to fear was himself, his mind and prison ganging up on him. 

Jack wandered out of his garage, his mind elsewhere. He didn't notice Alexander creeping up on him. Alexander had mastered stealth a long time ago, yet now it was seemingly unneeded. Jack seemed so lost at this moment in time that if a meteor was crashing down to earth, he would just keep walking. Unfazed, unaware. It seemed like a blissful, peaceful existence to Alexander who had to constantly be on alert, ready and waiting for the next threat. 

"Jack Hill." Alexander's voice boomed, Jack jumped, startled from the deep, threatening voice that had broken him from his trance. Alexander's voice wasn't loud, just dark. His voice was the embodiment of darkness. It captured and threatened anyone who would listen. Alexander had lost all forms of light-years ago. Even his brown eyes had darkened to turn to almost black colour. 

"W-Who are y-you?" Jack stuttered out, turning to face Alexander who was only a few meters away. The power Alexander seemed to admit was intimidating to everyone who had the misfortune to end up in his presents. It wasn't something Alexander could entirely turn off, no matter how much he wanted to. 

"The person you've been stealing from for the past five years," Alexander said in a calm voice that shot chills through Jack's body. Instinctively Jack flinched away. His initial suspicion was correct. After all, it didn't take a genius to figure out who Alexander was. As long as you had heard the rumours that are. 

"I-I wouldn't call i-it stealing." Jack trembled, the words clumsily falling from his lips. He was trying to be calm. Trying, but failing. It was near impossible for an amateur to hide their feelings. 

"Hmm." Alexander hummed, sending a new strand of horror through Jack. "What would you call it then?" 

"Well..." Jack simply didn't have an answer. Alexander hadn't been the first person to 'talk' to Jack about his debt, but he certainly was the most intimidating. 

"I'm going to say this once," Alexander said, stepping closer, saving Jack from any further thought. "You have 24 hours to get my money, or I'll take something of yours." With every word Alexander took a slight step forward, he refused to let Jack break eye contact. "Get me my money, or your sister dies," Alexander said after a few seconds of what seemed like thought. 

"That's impossible!" Jack exclaimed. Frantically trying to grab onto a threat of humanity in the cold-hearted wall of a man that Alexander was. 

"Tik Tok," Alexander spoke in a broad voice. "If I was you I'd get a move on." Alexander looked at his watch as he spoke. Jack gave up looking for decency in someone who seemed so lost to human emotion and instead ran. He ran like his life depended on it. It wasn't far from the truth. He needed a plan, and quickly, or else Annie would die.

Jack sat on the edge of his bed. He was covered in sweat from his frantic run home. He simply didn't have the money to pay Alexander back. How could he? It was almost one million pounds that he owed. The garage hadn't been doing so well these days, and it wasn't like he could go to his parents. They already viewed him as a failure. Then it came to him. Annie... But she was already caught up in it as it was and she didn't even know. Alexander's words ran through his head 'Get me my money, or your sister dies.' It was hunting him. Following him around like a toxic fog. For now, he would sleep, he couldn't do anything if his mind was in an exhausted shamble. 

Annie's alarm woke her up. It was 7 am, she had an hour to shower and get ready. Rebecca was already awake, eating her cereal and watching the news when Annie wandered past, her hair a mess and towel in hand as she stumbled towards the bathroom. Her eyes widened as she saw her best friend, they always did. Annie still wasn't used to her best friend is such a morning person. Annie used to be, but she had changed. Now she didn't want to wake up and embrace the day. She knew how it ended. She knew everything that would happen. Nothing happened that was out of the usual. 

"Your coffee will be on the side when you get out of the shower," Rebecca assured. Annie gave a soft smile and a mumbled thank you as she tottered to the bathroom. She only took a short shower, just enough to wash the exhaustion away. She wasn't tired from not sleeping, she wasn't tired because of sleeping problems. No, the exhaustion was from her life. It was boring and exhausting living the same day over and over just in a slightly different way. She hated it, yet knew it was how it had to be. This was just how the world worked; how life worked. 

Alexander hadn't slept that much, a quick hour between phone calls then he was off on another task. Sometimes he wished that he could just disappear. He wanted to be able to just disappear. As the boss; the leader; the top dog; you would think he was relatively free to do whatever he wanted, but his life was much more controlled than that. Of course, he had people he could push things onto, but sometimes the job could only be done by him. For example, Jack Hill. 

Jack had been threatened so many times before, by so many different people under Alexander's control, each time the threats went undone and unheard, and so for his final warning, Alexander had to come. Yet there was always someone like Jack. Sometimes it was a drug dealer skimming too much off the top, someone who ran a hotel or casino who thought they could take over, a rival, just someone who thought they could pull the wool over Alexander's eyes and be done with him. That was not how this life worked. So Alexander had to make that clear. Jack had a sister, he liked her more than his parents it seemed, so to make him pay she was threatened, receiving her file felt strange. Like he was looking into the tired eyes of someone he knew...

Jack woke up, springing from his bed. Now, with three hours of sleep, he felt even less refreshed. He would spend the next hour debating what to do. Throughout his morning shower, where he washed the sweat and smell of alcohol off his skin, she made up his mind. He would talk to Annie. He had to know that she was involved too. He wasn't sure if she would answer his calls though, they hadn't been close in years. None of their family had. 

Jack pulled on a semi-smart looking outfit, his hair sat on his head in an organised way, lots of water to hide the sleep deprivation under his eyes. He had to make sure he looked presentable. He called Annie once, just for it to go to voicemail, surprise visit it appeared it would have to be. He sighed as he climbed into his rundown car, it was a miracle it was still driving at all. Throughout the drive, he attempted to picture the conversation in his head, but it failed. He was too distant from his sister to even attempt to imagine her reaction. He recalled times in their lives when he knew Annie better than anybody else. They had been so close. So strong. They loved each other. Even when their parents got too overbearing or their arguments got too loud, the siblings stuck together. That was until Jack went to college. College seemed to have changed everything. Jack hadn't spoken to his parents in years because he dropped out of the medical course they wanted him to take, Jack had barely spoken to Annie. Just a call on her birthday and Christmas, honouring his promise he made so many years ago that the time was almost forgettable. 

The car journey had gone slowly, he only lived 20 minutes from Annie's workplace. Something he wasn't even sure she was aware of. He hadn't seen her in over two years. He told himself it was because he simply didn't have the time, but he knew that wasn't true. It was his shame that kept him away from his little sister. He was a gambling addict. His parents knew all about his habit, they didn't care. They didn't matter in his eyes. However, Annie was a whole nother story. He wanted to be someone she was proud of. How she would take the news he wasn't sure. He knew he had to tell her the truth now. All his demons would be played out on the table. Now that he had put Annie's life in danger he wasn't sure how he could ever face her. How could an older brother approach their little sister and tell her that she was in danger because of him? There wasn't exactly a g****e search that could tell him the answer. Where would he start? Would he indulge in small talk or dive right in on the hard and heavy stuff? He had no plan. So as Jack sat in his car, he looked in the rearview mirror, the person that looked back at him was not someone he recognised. Nor someone he, or anyone else, could be proud of. He knew that. So as he climbed out of the car he kept his head down. Soon Annie would be associated with him. His paranoid mind feared that his addiction was written all over his face. It wasn't of course. He looked like anyone else that was coming into the building. He looked like any other person on the street. Yet, Jack knew he wasn't, maybe that was where his paranoia steamed from.

As Jack approached the receptionist he put on his most charming smile. He wasn't sure it would be enough. He wasn't as good in the looks department as he was at 18, but he still had a firm build and dazzling eyes, he hoped that would play in his favour. Fortunately for him, the receptionist was into the rugged look that Jack was unknowingly show-casing. 

"Hello, Julie, is it? I'm Jack Hill, here to see Annie Hill." The stubble on his face with the rasp in his voice is what did it for the poor receptionist to who nobody paid much attention. 

"Do you have an appointment?" Julie, the receptionist, gulped. She wasn't sure how she could say no to Jack. She was never really shown enough love or attention and so the rare occasions she did receive attention from the opposite sex was enough to make her cave into their every desier. Something she was in therapy for. Although, Jack wasn't aware of this. He just wanted to see his little sister, warn her. In all honesty he knew he needed her help. Why he hadn't gone to her 6 years ago when all of this started, she wasn't sure. Not consciously anyway. 

"Not exactly, is there any possible way I could see her anyway? It's an important family matter." Jack gave his best puppy dog eyes and Julie frowned. She wanted to say no, it was her job to make sure unauthorised people didn't just wander in and out of the office buildings. However, just one couldn't hurt. That's what she told herself. 

"Just this once. In future you will have to make an appointment, your sister is a very busy woman." Julie spoke, she did her best to keep her voice professional. Her effort was not needed. Jack wasn't paying enough attention to notice. His only focus is on his sister.

"Thanks Jewels, which is her office?" Jack smiled, giving her a nickname like he did with all people who he felt had helped him out. Juile was unused to this act and her heart skipped and butterflies swarmed her stomach. 

"Third floor, office 202." Julie smiled, in a complete daze from Jack and his charming personality that he was unaware he possessed. 

"Thanks Jewels." He smiled, heading towards the elevator and to his little sister. 

When Jack reached Annie's office and peered through the door like some sort of stalker. The first thing he noticed is that Annie looked so different. Her eyes looked tired, yet she was working at an extraordinary speed. She looked so stressed, the lines on her forehead showed him that. She had aged in his eyes. He hadn't looked at her in years, not really looked at her. His eyes had skimmed over her, but now that he was taking a real look at her, he could see how much she had changed. Gone was his little sister's carefree personality full of life and dreams. Gone was his little sister's day-dreamy personality. Gone was his little sister. 

It was only a few minutes that Jack stood outside the door, just a few minutes, but to Jack these minutes felt like hours. He wondered how she would look at him after he told her the news, how she would look at him at all. They hadn't seen each other in years. Would she look at him like he was a stranger? Jack could not put into words how much that thought physically pained him. Jack, after minutes of observing, finally placed his hand on the door, making three loud knocks. 

"Come in." Annie said, in a voice he recognised as her 'I'm busy leave me alone voice', it was a voice he remembered well. As Jack opened the door it felt agonizingly slow, although to Annie it took no longer time than usual. Annie was not expecting to see Jack, nor his apologetic smile, yet there it was. She blamed herself really, she had asked for more excitement. 

"Hey sis." Jack's voice portrayed his guilt, yet what he was guilty of Annie was not ready for. How could she ever be ready for his news? Jack knew this, but it was news she needed to hear. This wasn't something he could keep from her. His addiction impacted more than just him now. 

"Jack?" Annie couldn't hide her shock, even if she had wanted to. It was bad news, and she knew it. She tried to tell herself everything was fine, but if it was really fine then why would he suddenly be in her office, just a few feet from the door. 

"Hey sis, long time no see." Jack gulped, cautiously taking more steps in. He closed the door behind him. They needed privacy. Jack couldn't be interrupted, he had to just get everything out. 

"What are you doing here?" Annie asked, clearly not in the mood for small talk. She just wanted to get whatever this was out of the way. She wasn't overly busy, however she was tired. Her mother had been calling her every few hours to complain about something she just found out about her father and his bride to be. Her father had called again to pester her about meeting his new bride-to-be. All in all it had been an exhausting day. 

"I just wanted to catch up." Annie's silence said everything Jack needed to know. "I have some news." 

"If it's about dad and his new bride-to-be I already know." Annie brushed off. She wasn't in the mood to talk about yet another person about the wedding, the wedding that was bound to be a disaster. 

"What?" Jack asked, genuinely confused about what his little sister was talking about. Annie gave him a guilty look. They clearly hadn't been talking about the same thing. 

"I thought you knew." Annie said softly. "Dad's getting married." Jack was silent and sat down in one of the chairs in front of Annie's chair. "It only happened yesterday." Annie quickly added, as if that made the news any less painful to hear. 

"Right..." Jack said, although he was out of breath as if he had been running a marathon. 

"What did you actually want to talk about?" Annie asked, placing her hand on his in a comforting manner like they always wanted their mother to do. 

"Oh um..." All of Jack's confidence was gone. He wasn't sure what to say, or how to say it. "Never mind." He found himself mumbling. "Tell me about dad's new bride-to-be." He requested. 

"Never met her." Annie shrugged, her mind now trailing to what this woman would be like. 

"How long have they been together? I thought you saw dad all the time." Jack chuckled. 

"Not on purpose." Annie defended, when Jack sent her a glare she looked down, ashamed of herself. She felt guilty, she hadn't done anything wrong but she felt guilty. Jack knew this but couldn't bring himself to care. He knew it had been years since he and his parents had been close, but over such an important thing, surely he would be told. "They've only been together a few weeks." Annie told him, as if that made everything better. 

"What is he thinking?" Jack exclaimed. "Marrying a woman he barely knows! How does he expect this to end?" Jack stood up, his mind racing. The original intent of his arrival long gone, Alexander's threat was long gone, replaced by the devastating feeling of betrayal. 

"Obviously, he doesn't expect it to end." Annie joked, her voice was soft. She felt uncomfortable in her older brother's presents, he was suffocating. He looked so different than he previously had all those years ago. Like Annie Jack looked different to Annie, they hadn't truly looked at each other, properly, in years. 

"Right." Jack sighed, his exhaustion catching up to him. After all, it had been such a long day, and by now the lack of sleep was catching up to him. "I should go." Jack sighed, standing to leave. Annie just nodded, she had so many things she wanted to say. So many words itching to spill from her mouth.

"Oh, catch up soon?" Annie asked softly. The shock of Jack showing up at her office was starting to ware off and she was left with the dreadful feeling of awaiting loneliness. 

"Of course." Jack brushed off, leaving the office quickly. Annie sighed and nodded at the disappointing turn of events.