"you keep on trying,
but i see cold, cold blood."
- Cold Blood, Valen

╳

~ Jenavieve's POV ~

"An apex predator can use their senses to track down another animal that passed by that same spot hours, or even days, before." Stryker told me one day during training, while we were adjusting to our heightened senses.

The memory floats through my mind as I follow my target down the street.

Jake wears a khaki camo jacket, displaying to everyone around him that cares to notice, he's served.

I turn the same corner he does, and Curtis joins my side, giving me a nod. I smile and let him take the lead catching up to his man.

"Hey, Jake." Curtis says, using his friendliest voice.

Jake winces and turns in surprise. "H-Hey, Curtis. What are you doing here?"

Nervous much.

"I'm with him." Curtis says, pointing behind the former soldier.

Jake turns around and meets Franks fist.

They put an unconscious Jake in the back of the car and we return to his apartment, where Frank tapes him to a kitchen chair. And we wait.

I give Frank a nod when Jake's conscious, and Frank moves into position in front of him.

Jake soon lifts his head and begins to moan and groan as he tries to open his eyes, his left eye already bruised and swollen from where Frank hit him.

"I bet you want some of this shit right now, huh Jake?" Frank says, holding up the little bag of white powder between his thumb and fore finger.

"You got the wrong guy, asshole." Jake groans.

"Quiet." Frank says and tosses the bag back into the bowl. "I get it. You were in the army, took your SERE course, ain't gonna say shit. The bad news is, I took it, too. It ain't gonna work. Not today." Frank stands straight and tall, hands resting together in front of him.

Interrogation Frank is hot as fuck.

"You got one thing goin' for you, Jake." he continues. "And that is, as of now, all you are is a guy who was havin' a few beers with his friends. So let's just keep it that way, okay?" Frank steps towards the young man. "I need you to help me find Billy Russo."

"Who?" Jake asks, almost convincingly.

Frank sighs. "Billy Russo, Jake.. I hear his face is all scarred up these days." he says, stepping closer. "You know what's crazy about that is.." he comes to a stop right in front of Jake. "..I'm the guy that put 'em there."

"I don't know him." Jake tries to deny.

"No?" Frank questions, before backhanding Jake hard across the face.

"Be smart, Jake." Curtis advises beside me.

Jake lifts his head and glares at Curtis.

"Why should I listen to you? I can't believe you done me like this." he grumbles before looking back up at Frank. "I know who you are." he mutters lowly.

"That means you know how this goes, one way or the other." Frank remarks.

"Cut me loose, let's see what happens then." Jake says.

"You're strong, Jake. You're proud, you're a soldier. You're not gonna give up your brother, I get that. I get it." Frank replies.

"Kiss my ass." Jake sneers.

Frank punches him in the stomach and both Curtis and Dinah tense beside me at the assault.

Dinah then flashes her badge at Jake as he coughs. "Right now, you're guilty of harbouring a fugitive. If Billy commits any more crimes, then you're an accessory." she informs him.

"You can't let this happen. You know I got rights." Jake says to her.

"I was never here." she states.

Jake glares back at Curtis. "You a bitch for the feds now?"

"Jake, why don't you just tell us where he is?" Frank asks, taking Jake's focus from Curtis.

"Why don't you shut your mouth and try that shit with me untied?" Jake retorts.

Frank chuckles. "Look at you, huh? All right." He pulls a ka-bar from his waistband. "You wanna play, Jake? You wanna play games, huh?"

Frank stares into Jake's eyes while he slices through the tape around Jake's wrists. Then he stabs the knife into the seat of the chair between Jake's legs.

"Do it." he states. "Come get it, Jake."

He steps backwards across the kitchen until he's in line with the rest of us.

"Come on, come get it." he taunts, with a wave of his hand.

My whole body tenses as Jake pulls the knife from the chair and lunges at Frank.

But Frank easily dodges the offence and knees Jake in the stomach, the knife falling from his hand as Frank drops him to the ground.

Jake gasps for air on the floor, reaching weakly for the knife. Before he can grasp it, Frank kicks him onto his back and picks up the knife in one hand, grabbing Jake's wrist with the other. Dragging Jake's body to the table, Frank presses the man's hand flat on the surface. He brings the knife down hard, stabbing it straight through Jake's hand and into the table.

Dinah jumps in shock and Jake howls in pain.

Frank grabs the scruff of Jake's neck, pulling his head up onto the table.

"Where is he, Jake?" he growls. "You got a permanent reminder, just like Billy. Whatever comes next, Jake, is on you. It's on you. You understand me?"

"Stop.." Dinah whispers so low that it reaches my ears only. She stares at Frank and Jake with wide eyes, while I let her go unheard.

"Where is he?" Frank yells, clasping his hand around Jake's throat. "Where is he, Jake?!"

"..Kiss my ass." Jake pants between pain-filled groans.

Frank slams Jake's head onto the table and grips the handle of the knife that still pierces Jake's hand. Jake squirms and strains and howls some more.

"I said STOP!" Dinah yells this time, making sure she's heard.

Frank lets go of Jake and throws a glare over his shoulder at Dinah.

"I need to talk to you, outside. Now." she stipulates. 

Frank looks back at Jake for a moment, and then lets out a little grunt as he storms outside.

"..Why are you doing this, Curtis?" Jake whines lowly, as Frank and Dinah make their exit.

"We just need Billy, Jake." Curtis says with a sad and tired calm. "And I know you know where he is."

"You're out of control." I hear Dinah chastise Frank from out in the hall.

"Christ, don't start with me, Madani. You ain't got the stomach for this, then just walk away." Frank counters gruffly.

"You know, Frank and I have been friends with Billy since about the time you were sproutin' your first chin hairs." Curtis says, bringing my attention back to the room. He sits at the table, tending to Jake's hand. "We didn't just train with Billy. We served with him." He wraps his belt around Jake's arm as a tourniquet. "Covert operations." he continues. "Blood doesn't make brothers closer than that."

He places his hand overtop of Jake's, holding it down as he pulls out the knife. Jake groans quietly through the pain.

"Right up until the point where Billy murdered Frank's whole family, and shot me for getting in his way." he says, placing a gauze overtop of the wound. "If he did that with us, what do you think he's gonna do with you when he's done?" he asks Jake, trying to offer him perspective.

"And the only person worse than him, is gonna be back in here any minute." Curtis adds, wrapping Jake's hand in a bandage.

"Then why are you here?" Jake manages between heavy breaths.

"'Cause I'm the guy dumb enough to get in between them." Curtis replies. "Please, don't do the same."

Curtis is a gentle soul, that's why he doesn't fully agree with Frank's tactics. But he knows it needs to be done.

Dinah is a law abiding woman of strong morals. Hence why she's currently busting Frank's balls out in the hall. I know, deep down she knows that this way, albeit brutal, is affective for what she needs. She's just having trouble condoning it. She keeps shitting all over Frank while she wages her internal battle. And Frank doesn't need that. Especially since she's the one that brought him back into this.

Fuck it.

I march over and pull Jake's head off the table by his hair.

"What are you doin'?" Curtis questions, frowning up at me, eyes wide.

"This situation needs a woman's touch." I tilt Jake's head back so he's looking at up me. "Where's Billy, Jake?"

Jake stares at me in confusion. He wouldnt answer Frank, why would he answer little old me?

I hold my fist in front of his face and slowly extend my claws, watching his eyes widen and listening to his heart rate hike. He's barely spared me a glance this whole time, but I definitely have his attention now.

"Oh, shit.." Curtis gasps.

I run my blades along Jake's jaw line, tickling his skin. "Where?" I ask again, and he pants with fear.

I apply a little pressure to his throat and the sharpness snaps him into action.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay." he pleads, flicking desperate glances between me and my claws. "They're hitting the ReadyQuick check-cashing spot." he finally divulges. "This morning. Bunch of us. Right after the truck makes the Friday drop, we're gonna rob the place." he divulges. My back to the door, I hear it open behind me as he continues. "Last night we all stayed in the empty warehouse on 12th. I snuck out to score."

"What the hell are you doing?" Dinah demands, and I retract my claws before she can see them.

"What needs to be done." I reply, letting go of Jake's hair with a shove.

"Jesus- you've been spending too much time with Castle." she chastises, passing me as she heads to Jake while I move back into the kitchen.

"Yeah, not lately." I mumble under my breath.

Frank takes in the subtle shock on Curtis's face and approaches me.

"You show the kid your claws?" he asks, keeping his voice low.

"..Maybe." I answer, just as low.

"Jesus Christ.."

"He's a tweaker, no one will believe him." I say, looking up at him. 

Frank tilts his head and then gives a nod at my plausible reasoning.

"I know where Billy is." I add, and his eyes snap to mine.

╳

Frank heads out onto the street, holding Jake's camo jacket and the devil mask he was to use during the robbery.

Curtis unlocks his car and Frank jumps into the passenger side as Dinah and I follow after them.

"Wait- I can't let you do this." she calls after him.

"I'm not askin' for permission." Frank says, before reefing the passenger door open.

"Frank, I felt bad. I did, okay? Everything that was done to you.." she tells him. He hops into the car and she grabs onto the door before he can close it. "So I swallowed a mountain of shit, because I felt like I owed you. But I owe myself, too."

Frank shakes his head, while Curtis watches the exchange from the drivers seat.

"I took an oath." Dinah continues. "I'm calling Mahoney. Let him take Billy down. You need to get out of New York before they come looking for you."

Frank flicks a glance in my direction as I head for the back door of Curtis's car. He swiftly reaches over Curtis and switches on the door locks.

"Hey-" I grumble, tugging at the door handle.

"You do what you need to do, Madani." Frank tells her.

"I'm coming with you-" I say.

"No, you're not." Frank says, pulling the door from Dinah's grasp.

"You know I can help-" I yell as he slams his door shut.

He scowls at Dinah and I through the window, shaking his head.

Curtis drives away, leaving the two of us standing in the street.

"Son of a bitch." I curse under my breath.

A/N

Bit of action coming up in the next chapter.  Yay.

references:
- adapted dialogue from "One Bad Day," episode 7 of The Punisher, season 2.
- the "apex predator" speech at the beginning of the chapter is from the tv show Beauty and The Beast (2012).