PHOENIX

14| DIRTY TOM'S BAR

Jackson closed the door behind her and took a deep breath. He needed to think clearly and act quickly. First, he checked on Ethan, who was sleeping soundly in his bed. The sight of his little brother, innocent and unaware of the turmoil, somehow calmed his raging heart.

He pulled out his phone and tried calling Sue, but as Sarah said, it went straight to voicemail. He left a message, trying to keep his voice calm. "Sue, it's Jackson. Please call me as soon as you get this. We're worried about you."

Next, he sat down at the kitchen table and tried to piece together any clues about where Sue might have gone. He thought about her recent activities and if she had mentioned anyone or anything unusual. His mind drifted to their earlier conversations, but nothing stood out except what Ethan had said about Sue coming back home late.

Frustrated, he leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't lose his sister—not now. As he pondered his next move, a thought struck him. Sue had been adamant about joining him in fighting the Roy family, but what if she had tried to handle something on her own? It was a long shot, but he couldn't ignore any possibility.

Jackson stood up, grabbed his keys, and made sure Ethan was secure and safe in the back seat of his car before leaving the apartment. He decided to head towards some of the places Sue frequented, hoping to find some clue about her whereabouts. He'd start with the nearby park, the grocery store she often visited, and even the small café she loved.

As he drove through the quiet streets, Jackson's mind kept circling back to the same question: what had Sue gotten herself into? The thought of his sister being in danger filled him with a cold dread, but he pushed it aside. He had to stay focused. He had to find her.

The first few stops yielded nothing, and Jackson's anxiety grew with each passing minute. Finally, he pulled up to the café and noticed a familiar car parked outside. Sue's car. Relief washed over him as he quickly parked and ran inside.

Jackson’s relief at finding Sue's car outside the café quickly turned to concern when he saw that she wasn’t inside. The café staff confirmed she had been there earlier, but she had left hours ago. His anxiety mounted. Where could she have gone?

As he drove back through the quiet streets, his mind drifted to Dirty Tom’s Bar. It was a seedy place, not the kind of establishment he wanted his sister frequenting, but it had its uses. Sue had kissed Tom earlier, hoping to get some valuable information. The thought of her being with Tom now made his blood boil.

He parked outside the bar, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. He had to keep his cool. Bursting in there with guns blazing wouldn't help anyone. He walked inside, the smoky atmosphere and the low hum of conversation greeting him. He scanned the room, looking for any sign of his sister.

Dirty Tom's Bar was a dimly lit dive with a reputation for attracting unsavoury characters. Jackson moved through the crowd, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. At the far end of the bar, he spotted Tom himself, a burly man who always wore a permanent scowl. He was talking to a group of regulars, but there was no sign of Sue.

Jackson approached the bar, trying to keep his anger in check. "Tom," he called out, his voice steady but firm.

Tom turned, his scowl deepening. "What do you want, Zachary?"

"I’m looking for Sue. Her car is outside, but she’s not at the café. I need to know if you’ve seen her."

Tom’s expression remained unreadable, but he hesitated before answering. "She was here earlier. Said she needed to find someone. Gave me a kiss for some information."

Jackson clenched his fists, struggling to maintain his composure. "And where did she go after that?"

Tom shrugged, leaning back against the bar. "She left a few hours ago. Didn’t say where she was headed."

Jackson felt a wave of frustration. He didn’t have time for Tom’s evasions. "Look, Tom, I’m not here to play games. If you know where she went, you need to tell me. Now."

Tom sighed, realizing Jackson wasn’t going to back down. "Alright, alright. She mentioned something about checking out an old warehouse down by the docks. Said she was looking for some answers."

Jackson’s heart sank. The docks were a dangerous place, especially at night. He turned to leave, but Tom’s voice stopped him.

"Hey, kid," Tom said, a rare note of concern in his voice. "Be careful down there. It’s not safe."

"I'm not a fuckin' kid, Tom and you should have told that to my sister. Thinking you're telling the wrong person."

"Told your sister, promised she wasn't going to get into trouble."

"I don't care, Tom. You shouldn't have entertained her in the first place. You said it yourself that it's dangerous and you should have found a way to put that to her skull."

"Your sister is old enough and smart enough to handle her business. You should let her in." Jackson didn't know if the man was trying his patience but even if he wasn't, he was winning.

"Listen to me, dirty Tom, I don't want you in my business and I certainly don't want you in my sister's life. Stay away from her." He didn't wait for his answer as he left the bar.

He hurried back to his car, his mind racing. He had to find Sue before something happened to her. The docks were a maze of abandoned warehouses and dark alleyways, a perfect place for trouble.

As he drove towards the waterfront, Jackson couldn’t shake the fear gnawing at him. Why had Sue gone to such a dangerous place alone? What information was so important that she would risk her safety? He gripped the steering wheel tightly, determined to find her and bring her back home.

When he reached the docks, the area was eerily quiet, shrouded in shadows. Jackson parked his car and got out, his senses on high alert. He moved carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible. As he navigated the labyrinth of warehouses, he caught a glimpse of movement up ahead.

He quickened his pace, his heart pounding in his chest. As he rounded a corner, he saw Sue standing near one of the warehouses, talking to a tall, shadowy figure. Jackson approached cautiously, not wanting to startle them.

"Sue," he called out softly, trying to keep his voice calm.

Sue turned, her eyes widening in surprise. "Jackson, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied, relief washing over him at the sight of her unharmed. "I’ve been looking for you everywhere. What’s going on?"

The tall figure stepped forward, and Jackson recognized him as one of Tom’s bartenders. "We’re just talking," the man said, his voice low and gruff. "Sue here was asking some questions about the Roy family." Jackson was going to kill Tom!

Jackson’s relief at finding Sue quickly turned to anger and concern. He grabbed her arm and started dragging her toward the car, his grip firm but not painful.

"Jackson, let go! What are you doing?" Sue protested, trying to pull away.

He didn’t answer until they reached the car. He opened the back door, revealing Ethan sleeping soundly in his car seat. "Do you see this?" he said, his voice low but laced with fury. "Do you see your little brother sleeping here? Do you realize you left him with Sarah for more than five hours? And at night?"

Sue’s eyes widened in shock and guilt as she looked at Ethan. "Jackson, I..."

"You what, Sue?" Jackson interrupted, his voice rising. "You thought it was okay to go fishing for information and leave Ethan behind? What if something happened to him while you were out there? Would you be able to forgive yourself?"

Tears welled up in Sue’s eyes, but Jackson wasn’t done. "You have no idea how worried I was. I had to come back and check on both of you and when I found out you weren’t home and hadn’t been for hours, I panicked. Ethan is your responsibility, Sue. You said it yourself that you became everything to him when your parents died. You can't just disappear without thinking about him."

Sue looked down, her face flushed with shame. "I'm sorry, Jackson. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I thought I could handle it."

Jackson sighed, his anger beginning to ebb. "I know you want answers, Sue. I get it. But I told you that I was going to handle everything. You can't just go running off into dangerous situations without thinking about the consequences. Not just for you, but for Ethan."

Sue nodded, wiping away her tears. "I messed up. I’m sorry."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Let's get Ethan home. We'll talk more about this later."

Sue silently got into the car, and Jackson started the engine. The drive home was quiet, the only sound was the gentle hum of the engine and Ethan’s soft breathing.

Jackson parked the car and carefully lifted Ethan from his seat, carrying him inside. Sue followed quietly, still processing the evening's events. Once Ethan was settled back in bed, Jackson turned to Sue and stopped her with a stern voice. "One more thing, Sue."

She turned back, her eyes meeting his.

"Stay away from Tom and his fuckin' bar," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "The man is almost twice your age, and for f**k's sake, stop giving him kisses as p*****t. It's dangerous, and you deserve better than that."

Sue’s cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and defiance. "I was just trying to get the information we need, Jackson."

"I get that," he said, softening his tone a bit. "But there are other ways. Safer ways. Tom is not someone you should be getting involved with, even for information. We can find another way to get what we need without you putting yourself at risk and that is you staying here at home and allowing me to deal with everything."

She sighed, nodding reluctantly. "Okay, I’ll stay away from Tom. I promise."

Even though she had agreed to stay away from Tom and his bar, he knew her well enough to understand that her determination to uncover the truth might lead her back to dangerous paths. The worry gnawed at him, preventing any chance of sleep when he got to his bed.

He tossed and turned, glancing at the clock every few minutes. Before he realised it, it was the early hours of the morning, and still, his mind refused to quiet down. He couldn't shake the image of Sue putting herself in harm's way, all in the pursuit of information that might help them but could also get her into serious trouble.

By four-thirty, he found himself pacing the room, his thoughts a whirlwind of worry and plans. He considered calling a few contacts he had, people who might help keep an eye on Sue without her knowing. He knew it might make her angry, but he'd rather have her furious and safe than pleased and in danger.

Finally, at five in the morning, exhaustion began to take its toll. He collapsed into a chair, his eyes heavy, and drifted into a fitful sleep filled with dreams of chasing shadows and losing sight of Sue in a maze of dark alleys.

When he awoke an hour later, the sun was just beginning to rise, casting a pale light through the windows. He rubbed his eyes, feeling the weight of the sleepless night pressing down on him. He decided to sleep a little bit more. There was no harm in getting another hour of sleep.