Chapter 28: If You're Lucky

*NOTE: There is minor sexual content ahead. There's no detail or anything, but I just thought I'd tell you guys in case it could be too much (I'm not sure how old my readers are, just trying to be safe here.)

-Jack-

"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled at a gun wielding Paxton.

He walked in front of me to the guy kneeling on the ground. It's like he didn't even hear me. He snarled at the blubbering guy under gunpoint. He cocked the gun and pressed it to his temple, "He deserves it." Paxton ran a hand over his face in a quick motion.

I stood a few feet away from Paxton. I was ready to tackle him if I have to, "Paxton, don't. There's no reason-"

"He hurt Lily." Paxton threw me a glance over his shoulder, "He deserves everything that's coming to him."

"Paxton!" I said sternly, "It was an accident, don't do this. You'll regret it."

Paxton waved the gun in front of the guy as he shook his head, "You don't accidentally kill someone."

"It was a car accident. An accident, Paxton." I took a few steps closer to him, "Just put the gun down and stop acting like a complete idiot!"

Paxton growled and placed his boot on the guys shoulder. He kicked him hard so he landed on his back with a loud thud. I've never seen Paxton this bent on anything. He's so angry you could almost see the steam coming from his ears. And I didn't know what to do. I was stuck.

The guy yelped when Paxton pressed his foot down on his chest. He kept begging and pleading, but Paxton wasn't letting up. "Shut up!" He hollered, "You're not making this easier on yourself."

"Paxton, just let him go!" I took another step closer, "He probably has a wife, kids...he probably has a family. Don't do this."

Paxton started shaking his head again, "What about Lily? Did she not have a family? Did she not deserve to live also?"

"No, that's not what I meant. Of course she deserved to live. But killing him is not going to solve anything. You might think it'll make you feel better, but I guarantee you'll feel like utter shit for the rest of your life. That's not something you want to carry around with you. Just drop the gun and let's go."

"Oh my gosh, stop being such a baby and shoot him!" Another voice carried through the ally. He stood at the edge of the alley, but soon made his way towards us. "Do it or I'll do it myself."

He stopped beside us and looked at me, "What's he doing here?"

"I called him." Paxton answered simply, "But he's leaving."

"Who are you?" I asked him. He wasn't taller than me, but he was definitely buffer. He could probably take me out with one punch.

He opened his mouth to speak but Paxton spoke, "He's Jeremy, Lily's older brother." Paxton wiped the back of his hand over his forehead, "You can leave now, Jack. I don't need you."

All of this was a disaster. I had no idea what was going on and my head was still in a haze from my alcohol consumption. It wasn't enough to get me drunk, but I felt a slight buzz and my head was still killing me. "I'm not going to let either of you kill this man."

Jeremy barked out a loud laugh, "Go home, kid. It's past your bedtime."

I grounded my teeth together and threw the first punch that connected with his jaw. Jeremy came back full force, tackling me to the ground and throwing his fist in attempt to punch my face, but I moved in time for his fist to connect with the concrete. He hissed out a few curse words and came back at me again.

I braced my feet against his chest and put all my strength into shoving him off of me. He fell to his back, sprawled out against the black asphalt.  "Enough!" Paxton's voice echoed through the empty alley.

I stood back up and brushed myself off.

Jeremy swiped a thumb over his bottom lip and examined the spot of crimson the action left behind, "This isn't over."

"It's definitely over." Paxton said, "Jack, go home. I don't want you part of this."

"Don't you think it's too late for that, Paxton?"

"No. So go. Now."

Everything that happened after those few words were spoken went by in a flash. Jeremy yelled something and snatched the gun from Paxton. Two quick gunshots sounded, piercing the night air.

I hadn't realized I covered my ears until I uncovered them. They were ringing from the loudness of the gun. I looked around and ran my hands over my body at the same time. I looked over at Paxton and he was still standing. He hovered over the body of the man that was once alive, but now lay in a pool of his own blood.

"What did you do?" I bellowed and rushed to the guy lying on the ground. I bent on my knees, pressing down on his wounds. He wasn't breathing, it was far too late. And now I had blood all over my hands.

"Jack, stop-"

I shoved Paxton back as I stood up, "Look what you did! You just killed that guy." I felt my chest tighten when I turned to Jeremy, "I hope you're both happy."

Jeremy looked a bit freaked out. He dropped the gun and caught my arm before I could leave, "Oh, no. You're not getting out this now."

He shoved me to the ground and kneeled beside me. He picked the gun up from the ground and attempted to clean it with the sleeve of his jacket. He put the gun in one of my hands and tightened my fingers around it, "You should've left when your little friend Paxton told you to."

When he let go of my hand, I dropped the gun and tried to get up. Jeremy kicked me back down and wrapped his hand tight around my throat. "We're going to get a few things clear right now."

I couldn't focus as his hand tightened around my neck.

He used his free hand to tap the side of my face to get me to focus, "Listen here, Pretty Boy."

I tried lifting my arms, but I couldn't feel them anymore.

"I need you to understand something. I'm not going down for this."

"Jeremy, just let him go-"

"No!" Jeremy snapped, "Do you want to go to prison?"

Paxton didn't say anything, "Of course you don't."

Jeremy looked down at me and let go of my neck.

I sucked in a ragged breath and clutched at my neck. He grabbed a fist full of my hair, lifted my head off the ground, and slammed my head down into the pavement. Everything was slowly coated in a blanket of darkness.

When I opened my eyes, I was staring down at the ground. I was kneeled in a puddle with my elbows on the ground. Juliet was calling my name, that's all I could hear and the sound of my heart beating rapidly through my ears.

I slowly moved and fell back on my butt.

Juliet stood in front of me, but she wasn't talking anymore.

I just remembered everything. All the gory details of that night came rushing in like a bad dream. It was Jeremy. I didn't do it. Jeremy shot that guy. I tried to help him, that's why I had blood all over my hands. And Jeremy is the reason why my fingerprints were all over the gun he used.

He's the reason for my memory loss also.

And Paxton let me believe all of this. None of this was my fault and Paxton said nothing to me. He was going to let me go to prison for the rest of my life. And now everything is clear. Karma was about to bite both Paxton and Jeremy right in the ass and I couldn't wait.

Juliet sat down in front of me and I lifted my head to meet her gaze, "What happened?" She asked softly.

I swallowed hard and stood up quickly, "Let's go back to your house."

Juliet stood back up and I grabbed her hand, "You scared me."

"I'm sorry." I looked around and started walking back to her car, "Let's just get back to your house so I can explain."

She didn't ask questions and nodded her head.

We walked quickly back to the diner, making it there in half the time it took us to get where we were. She got back into the drivers side and I slid into the passenger side. The diner was closed now, so having her car here probably looked a little suspicious.

She drove carefully, but she was tense. I should've just told her.

Juliet parked the car and I was out before she could even turn it off. James was still gone, that was a plus.

She trailed behind me as we ran up to her house. She unlocked the door and let us inside. I started up the stairs and she followed. "When is James going to be back?" I asked as we stepped into her room.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. Sometimes he doesn't come home until late morning." She dropped down at the foot of her bed, "Do you want to tell me what happened back there?"

"I remember everything."

She shot up, "All of it?"

"That's what everything means."

She dropped her voice down, "Was it you?"

"It...it wasn't me." Admitting that out loud and actually believing it felt unreal. I never thought I could actually get out of this and now I know I will. I have to. "It was Lily's brother."

"This is so amazing." She breathed a walked closer to me, "I'm just...I don't even know what to say I'm so happy. I'll just end up blabbering and not making any sense like I usually do-"

"You're doing that now." I laughed, "I think this is the first time I've ever seen you speechless before. Except when I kiss you, of course." I teased.

"Well now you have plenty of time to render me speechless, McKinnon."

Almost.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her into my lap. "I can't wait." I caressed her jaw and left a small kiss on her lips, "I want you to know the full story."

"You can trust me."

I smiled, "I know."

I broke into the story, starting from the very beginning. I repeated what happened at the bar and getting a phone call from Paxton when I left. That's when I met him at the diner and we talked about nothing really. The only thing that stuck out was our conversation about Juliet.

Then I told her everything that happened when I left the diner. I was outside of the diner, waiting for my cab when I got another frantic phone call from Paxton. Why I went to him will never be known. I told her everything up until my head was slammed against the pavement and I blacked out.

I knew everything that happened after that because I woke up in the hospital with two police officers waiting for me with a pair of handcuffs. The look on both of my parents' face is still etched into my mind. My mom's face was twisted with worry while my dad looked at me like what did you do now?

They should've known I would never do anything like this. Drinking is one thing, but murdering someone is another.

"Shouldn't you tell someone right now?"

"I don't think they'll do anything until morning if I mention it now." I looked at the clock that sits beside her TV and it read 1:26 A.M. "So let me stay with you and cherish this little bit of time we have alone together, because I'm not sure when that's going to happen again."

She still looked worried, "Don't you think telling your parents is more important than being alone with me right now?"

"Both things are important to me for different reasons. It would unfair to compare them." I cradled her in my arms and stood up with her. I walked to the side of the bed and gently laid her down, "And right now all I can think about is giving into you."

She smiled up at me, "I'm glad you have your priorities straight, Jack." She said sarcastically.

I walked to the other side of the bed and lay next to her. I propped myself up on my elbow and she scooted closer to me, "My priorities are always straight."

She grabbed my free hand, weaving her fingers in between mine, "Tell me what you would do."

"I'm sorry?"

She giggled a little, "As a writer, tell me what you would do...with me. How would you take care of me?"

I felt my cheeks turn to fire. This is the second time she's ever made me blush and I didn't even think that was possible, "Are you serious?"

"Deadly."

"Okay, fine." I pulled my hand from hers, "First, I would kiss you here," I moved the hair away from her neck and traced my finger over the sensitive spot below her ear, "and then I would slowly kiss my way down your neck," I made a trail with my finger moving swiftly over her skin, "I'd kiss every part of your body that was visible to me. Slowly sliding my lips over your skin until you were almost breathless." I placed a hand on her stomach and she shuddered under my touch.

"What else?" She whispered.

"If there's something I love more than being in control, it's teasing. So I'd continue to tease you and kiss all of your weak spots. I don't know all of them, but it wouldn't take long to find out."

She started to take in a breath but it stopped.

I continued, "I'd wait until you were comfortable before going any further. That's when I like a girl in control. But I would make sure I take care of you. I am a gentleman after all." I grinned, "I wouldn't leave you...unsatisfied."

Her eyes scanned over my face as she took in slow, shallow breaths.

"I love you, Juliet." I whispered.

She gripped my face and brought my lips down to hers in a quick motion. She kissed me hard and a little aggressively. Definitely something new for us. It was needy and on the verge of being sloppy, but neither one of us could help it.

She loosened her lips and kissed me tenderly like she always does. It was my favorite kisses. Feeling her lips are my favorite kisses if I'm being honest. "I...love...you." She said quickly in between chaste kisses.

I hovered over her in seconds. Our bodies molded together like the perfect piece of a puzzle. We fought back and forth in more ones than one. Everything was moving too fast and I had to slow it down.

I pushed myself up and kneeled at her feet. I ran a hand through my messy waves and breathed. She sat up on her knees and her hands wrapped around the hem of her shirt. It came over her head in one fluid motion and thrown on the floor. "I want you to take care of me." She said slowly in a whisper.

A lump formed in my throat and I couldn't speak.

She reached for the zipper of my jacket and pulled it down. She pushed the sleeves down my arms until I was free of the fabric. Next, her fingers slipped under the hem of my shirt. They danced against my skin, sending chills speeding through my body.

She tugged on the hem of my shirt and I reached behind my head to pull it over. I dropped my shirt next to hers on the floor and tackled her to the bed. She let out a giggle as I buried my face in her neck. I kissed the spot I just told her about and started the trail down her neck.

I continued the journey across her collarbones and down the center of her chest. She gasped when my lips made contact with the bare skin of her stomach. I smiled.

I kissed her hips slowly and teasingly. She was already wiggling and it almost made me laugh. "Jack." She whimpered.

I lifted my head and looked up at her.

"Kiss me."

I climbed until I was hovering over her lips. I complied and kissed her with everything I had. She wrapped her legs around my hips and her hands went to my belt. I pulled away and leaned my forehead against hers, "Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything."

We shared a laugh before I tackled her with more kisses.

And after that, we definitely shared more than a laugh.

* * *

Juliet walked her fingers across my chest while her face was tightly nuzzled against my neck. She sighed with contentment and that made my mind ease a little more. I tightened my arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. She tilted her head back, her gaze catching mine, "Do you have to go now?" She asked.

"Not for a few more minutes."

She smiled and kissed me, "Good."

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and mocked her smile, "How are you feeling?"

She wrinkled up her nose, which made me laugh, "Ask me again tomorrow."

"Will do." I tilted her chin back up and gave her another kiss.

We laid in almost silence for the rest of the time, only a few words exchanged here and there. And a few laughs as well. When I got out of bed, Juliet clutched the sheet to her naked frame. I got dressed and slipped my jacket back on. I sat on the edge of her bed and laced my boots up. I had to leave as much as I didn't want to.

I twisted my body slightly to face her, "I'll call you with any news."

"You better." She leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss.

I stood back up and lingered by the foot of her bed.

"Sure you want to leave me like this?"

I choked out a laugh, "Definitely not. But I'll make this sacrifice for the both of us."

She giggled again, "Then I'll be waiting for your call, Young Prince."

"Funny." I started backing towards the door, "If I don't leave now, I don't think I'll have enough will to leave at all."

"Save yourself first and I'll be right here waiting."

"I hope in the same way, too."

"If you're lucky."

She was doing things to me, "Get some rest and I'll call as soon as I can."

Juliet nodded and it took everything in me to leave. I closed Juliet's door behind me and started down the stairs. James never came home. Not sure if that was good or bad, but Juliet did say sometimes he doesn't even make it until late morning.

My house was quiet so my parents were still sleeping. I took the time to take a shower and change into new clothes so they didn't ask questions. Which I guess is stupid because I'm about to tell them everything anyway.

It was a little past five when I was finished and heard them talking downstairs. I was nervous to know what they're going to do. Hopefully they'll be happy to know I'm not as stupid as they think I am. Even though taking Paxton's calls that night was clearly stupid.

They were in the kitchen drinking their morning coffee and sharing the newspaper when I made it in. They looked at me with wide eyes. Probably surprised to see me up at such an odd hour. "Why are you up so early?" My mom asked.

"Technically I'm up late because I never went to bed."

"Everything okay?"

"It will be." I pulled out the chair between them and sat down, "I remembered everything last night."

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I guess it's not a huge surprise, haha. But now you know what happened that night, wooooot. The next chapter will most likely be in Jack's point of view also to get more details in there.

Please vote and comment and I'll love you forever :) (I already do though, don't worry.)

Song: Heart Like Yours by Willamette Stone (From the If I Stay soundtrack. I recently watched it again and the music in the movie always makes me cry. I think it's the only movie I like better than the book, sue me, hahaha.)