I woke, seeing patches of greyish sky above me.

In fact, it wasn't sky at all, it was a dense cloud of smoke. I could hear nothing but a piercing ringing in my ears.

I coughed loud, smoke catching in my throat.

Then I regained sensation, and a throbbing pain to my head told me I'd hit it, and I had been knocked out by something.

Other areas of my body ached and twinged in varying degrees of pain and I groaned as I attempted to move my limbs slowly to get myself up, with little success.

I laid my head back on the concrete.

What in the hell just happened, I thought.

From my position on the floor, I could see pieces of shattered glass, metal and other materials scattered all over the ground around me, some pieces much larger than others.

I could fathom another sound, a car alarm. Then it hit me where I was.

I scrabbled to get myself up and with a huge effort, I shakily got to my feet, swaying with dizziness.

I managed to take in my surroundings through my disorientation. A vehicle I could only guess as being what was left of my limousine was smoking a good few metres away.

I was alone in the car lot, the same car lot I had been in... I wasn't sure how long ago.

The place looked like something straight out of an action movie, my car had been blown up, and I was so close to being inside that car.

I felt a sick sensation in my stomach.

But I couldn't understand why or who would want to... kill me and-

My heart slammed to a stop as I remembered Susie was here with me, she had been near the car, but I couldn't remember how far away she had been before whatever explosive went off.

I turned my head left and right, looking for her.

I couldn't see anyone at all.

Where had she gone? Was she hurt? Did she just leave me here half dead?

It sounded like some sick trick she'd pull, unless she had gone to get help instead. I wasn't sure if she was going to come back.

Suddenly I bent double and was sick, a result of both my panic and concussion no doubt. I wobbled backwards as I straightened up.

I had no idea how I was supposed to get home, even if I had a vehicle, I was in no state to drive.

I walked slowly in some sort of direction, hoping it would lead me out of the car lot. I needed to find a payphone or a store that was open.

I felt a strange liquid trickle down my arm, and I knew I was bleeding from somewhere.

This was the worst place to be in a crisis, I was stuck in the club district, nothing opened til the late hours, and I doubted I had any change on me to call anyone except the emergency services, but I didn't want to do that as I knew the paparazzi would follow suit.

I was in serious trouble.

*

My ears popped as a sudden screeching of tyres ricocheted off the surrounding buildings.

I swivelled round in the direction of the noise and saw a plain black van come to a smoking halt a mere distance from where I was standing.

Two ominous, black cladded men jumped out the back and came running in my direction. I reacted instantly and tried to outrun them, with no sense of direction or body strength.

I was soon tackled by the both of them, my arms restrained behind me as I attempted in vain to fight them off and wriggle out of their grasp, but they were far too strong and I was easily manhandled to the back doors of the van.

"LET ME GO! GET THE HELL OFF ME! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! YOU-"

My shouting was cut off by a fine hand pressing firmly on my mouth. I felt lips tickle my ear but I couldn't see who they belonged to from the way my head was being held down.

My hearing had restored enough to hear an all too familiar voice.

"Yes... yes I can"

Susie had come back after all.

*

She took her hand away swiftly and the two men practically chucked me inside the back of the van. I hit my shins as I fell forward and tears stung my eyes.

I pulled myself up and turned back to look at the owner of the voice. She was just a silhouette, the sun behind her.

She seductively blew out a cloud of smoke, then leaned closer to my face.

"Do pick yourself up, you look pathetic."

I gave her a stony look, her words cutting through me.

"Why the fuck are you doing this to me?" I growled, half suprised at my cuss word.

She looked at her nails before answering, running a finger along my jawline with her other hand.

It made me shiver, how could I still be turned on by this psycho of a woman?

"You had your show, Jackson, now mine has just begun"

She stepped back, holding my gaze for a long time, then shook her head, snapping out of her reverie and shouted at her two cronies.

"Close the doors and let's get the fuck outta here before the cops start sniffing round"

The light disappeared as the two doors slammed shut.

*

I crawled across the floor until I hit a box of some kind.

I maneuvered myself so I was in between it and the wall of the van before it lurched into motion. At least my aching body wouldn't be tossed around in the van.

I sat there, cramped in the dark, in pain, terrified of where I was heading.

I put my head in my hands and heaved as I sobbed in frustration.
After a while on the road to nowhere, I snapped out of it and I angrily hit the box over and over again, inflicting more pain on myself, but I was past caring. All I cared about was how stupid I had been.

All I wanted was one night out, one night. But instead I decide to get rid of my only protection, and end up with the wrong girl who has a damn screw loose, and I was still being manipulated and controlled by her psycho ass. I didn't know where I was being taken to or why the hell she wanted me in the first place.

I have to escape somehow, I have to get home to my... to my family, even if I haven't spoken to them in months I still need them. I need to get back to my friends... although... I don't have many at all. I just need to get back to my life, to myself... even if I'm starting wonder who exactly that is.

I realised on that long drive just how little I really had.

*

The van finally stopped for long enough for me to assume that we had arrived at whatever place she had decided to take me to.

I heard muffled shouting from outside the vehicle, then the doors were yanked open. I slowly looked up and there she stood once more, but this time I could see her face.

I wished that I couldn't, I didn't want to believe this was happening to me, or that she had anything to do with it.

"You can get out at your own leisure, Jackson, it's not like you're gonna be able to find your way outta this place."

I couldn't believe how she could be so sarcastic all the time, it was really starting to get on my nerves.

I decided to test her.

"And if I don't?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Then I'm going to make you, you stupid son of a bitch, now get the hell out before I shove my stiletto heel up your ass"

"I don't think you'd want to break your shoe, considering you lost one before. I could have bought you a replacement, but I guess you decided you don't want me to be kind to you no more"

She snorted.

"Are you kidding me? You really think this is the time for games? Just do as I say if you plan on staying alive"

Her last sentence shook me to the core. She couldn't seriously want to kill me, right? And besides, I was much more valuable to her alive than dead.

I decided not to push her though, and stepped out of the back of the van.

We were in the middle of a dirt track in a forest of some kind. We were definitely miles away from the city, I must have fell asleep on the journey.

She sighed deeply and ran her hands over her face, mumbling something I couldn't make out, before looking at me.

"Well come on, we ain't got all day"

She walked off, trusting me to follow her.

I stayed where I was.

She paused, then turned to me, frowning.

"I said come on, Jackson, what part of that didn't you understand?"

I shifted from foot to foot under her penetrative stare.

"You better tell me where I am and what I'm doing here before I follow you anywhere, Susie"

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I know you don't want to do this. I know you're not the one in charge here. I'm not an imbecile, I know that you're being controlled or blackmailed into this bullshit. Whatever money you're being offered for this I will double if you take me home, I swear it. You don't have to do this, you're better than this"

Susie sighed heavily, picking at her nails as she spoke.

"You don't know me. I told you before, you think you know me, but you don't. And you must think I'm gullible as hell to take you up on your lameass attempt to bargain yourself outta this. Not gonna happen. So I suggest you do as you're damn well told because quite frankly you are being an imbecile right now. Do you have a death wish or summin'?"

My palms began to sweat a little as I realised the severity of my predicament.

I inched closer to her, I wanted her to at least see sense.

"I'm not trying to bargain. I'm trying to save you from doing something stupid. You think you'll get away with this? Abducting me, someone who is probably the most tracked person on the planet? They are so up in my grill they probably even know when I go to the damn toilet. They will find me, and you will face the consequences. I'm not scared of you, I am doing you a favour right now, not that you deserve it."

"A favour?! Well thank you so much your royal fucking highness. And if you're so well protected, then how are you even here huh? Where is your so called protection Jackson?"

She gestured to the empty parting in the woods, before hoisting up her already tiny dress, revealing a holster complete with a small revolver on her thigh, strapped to her hoisery underneath.

I felt myself twitch in arousal, before I realised what this meant.

She could kill me right here and no one would know.

She smirked as she pulled out the gun, her dress dropping to its original position, pointing it straight at me.

She held it firmly with two hands. She obviously wasn't experienced with that thing.

I felt sweat pool on my back, my mouth went dry.

"Now you're scared" She ran her tongue over her lips.

"Y-you are not going to shoot me, Susie... I know you're not"

She clicked the trigger. "You sure about that, Jackson? What are you gonna do now?"

I inched closer to her, my body trembling.

"Put it down... you are better than this. You are not a killer, Susie"

"D-don't come any c-closer. I'll shoot!"

I took two more steps, the barrel of the gun inching closer to my chest.

"No... no you won't. You would have killed me before, you had plenty of opportunities, Susie. What about in your flat, huh? With the fire? What about my car? I'm still alive. If you wanted me dead I would be. Now put down the gun...please"

I saw her hands shake but she didn't reply.

Two more steps. I felt the barrel press lightly on my shirt as I looked deep into her eyes.

"Whoever is making you do this... You have to fight them, not me. You say you're strong, but you are just their puppet, I can see it in your eyes. Who are you working for? We can put an end to this. Just please, please drop the gun, baby."

Tears leaked out of her eyes as she pushed the barrel against my chest. My breath hitched in fright.

"He can't be stopped... Nothing you do will get to him, he's too powerful."

"Who baby? Tell me who... It's Foxx, isn't it?"

At the mention of his name she dropped the weapon and collapsed into my arms, confirming my suspicions. She was shaking all over.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I can't do this anymore! I don't want to hurt you, I don't want to hurt anybody! But he's got me caught Jackson, I can't ever get away from him!"

She continued to cry aloud, her makeup and tears staining my silk shirt.

I stroked her hair, breathing in her intoxicating sweet smell. I had never felt so strongly about anyone before. I had to keep her safe. No way were those bastards going to lay another finger on her.

"I told you that I wasn't going to let him touch you, Susie. That's a promise. You will be safe with me. I will keep you safe"

We stood there, holding each other for a long time as the birds sang, blissfully unaware of the ordeal we had been through.

*