Chapter 23: Old New Friends

I sit up quickly and wrap my arms around Jackie's neck. Pulling her down toward I plant a long kiss on her lips, "You need to calm down. This is serious, and we need to have a discussion. Plus, what about the three outside?"

"Hmph!" She sighs dejectedly as she crosses her arms and moves off of me.

She begins twirling her hair around her finger as she adds, "Talk about what? Can't you just take those guys out?"

Sitting up and pulling, crossing my legs, I try to explain, "Jackie, I'm not a God, and your memories don't come back for free…"

I start from the beginning as I explain my situation to the naive girl. To a normal person, I would probably sound crazy, so I'm glad someone is experiencing the same circumstances as me.

A burden lifts from my shoulders.

"So, you have superpowers, and you need to save a girl you've never met before…" The obedient girl seems lost in her mind for a moment.

She refrained from asking questions during my explanation, but now the floodgates seem to be opening.

"You have no idea what she looks like?" Jackie tilts her head in confusion.

"Nope, her name is Elaine, and I can tell she's that way," I shrug my shoulders as I point toward a blank spot on the wall, indicating the direction that would send us further into the city. "That's it."

"And Ali… She's your ex? Are you going to save her?" Her smile pierces my soul as if the question is testing me.

"She's also my friend. I plan on keeping her safe," I state firmly. This decision was made before I met Jackie and will not be changed.

"You chose to keep the Addictive Touch… Do you plan on sleeping with other women?" She chuckles as she asks as if she already knew the answer.

"Jackie! This interrogation is over. I have chosen to help you, and I will help you, but you do not get to judge my actions!" I quickly raise to a standing position and start heading toward the door. 'It's about time to meet the men, again.'

"Yes! Finally! Alex, you've saved me! You're special, and it is time you act like it. You need to take what you want, and don't let anyone stand in your way." She claps her hands and quickly jumps to her feet to chase after me, "I owe you my life. I will give you my everything to help you reach your goals."

"What the Hell? Were you just fucking with me?" My rage becomes visible on my face, and my hands ball into fists.

"No! I was helping you realize who you are." She pleads as she bows her head to show her remorse.

"Jackie, this isn't a god damn game! You need to take it seriously. If you die and I don't have the ability to revive you, you'll be gone forever! Those rapists out there won't even remember you existed!" I scream at the young lady while attempting to control my volume, making it sound rather ridiculous.

"That's what I'm talking about! You're special, and I'm yours." She places her hands on my cheeks before adding, "You can do whatever you want. You can take back this world!"

'She's insane… Her resurrection has broken her…' I sigh and accept that I may have bitten off more than I can chew, "Come on, you still have to introduce me to the guys."

I feel a sudden stillness in the air as she freezes for a moment.

Jackie's face turns stern as she remembers that we are not alone. "I completely forgot about them. When do you want to kill them?"

"Calm down! We have to take things carefully. They have guns, and you only have a single bullet, remember?" I attempt to restrain the fiery redhead, so she doesn't do anything rash. "Plus, they'll be asleep tonight, right?"

"Calm down?! That bastard Garret tried to rape me! I should just shoot him right now!" She tries barreling toward the door as I wrap my arm around her waist and hold her back.

"That was in a past life! You can't dwell on it. Do you think Mike and Bruce will let you just stroll out there and kill him?" I continue to restrain the young lady until she is finally able to calm down. After she regains her composure, I kiss her lightly, "Trust me."

I release Jackie and wave my arm to indicate she should guide me.

Stepping into the lobby, Bruce is once again the first person to greet me as he walks over, once again changed into casual clothing.

"Bruce Williamson, welcome to our little family!" He attempts to hug me as before, and this time I can't think of a reason to refuse, so I stand awkwardly as the tall man wraps his arms around me.

"Pretty rude to not hug me back, ain't it?" He squeezes tighter until I raise my arms and pat him on the back.

'What the hell?'

"Bruce, stop giving the new kid a hard time!" Mike quickly interrupted before things got too awkward and extended his hand to shake mine, "Mike Swanson."

His loose anime sweatpants didn't give him the impression of someone in charge. Still, I clearly remember his word being second only to Jackie's. He may have had ill intentions, but he was the nicest of the three men.

"You can call me Billy," I retort as I grip his hand in mine.

"Billy? I could have sworn I heard Jackie refer to you as Alex earlier…" The old man grinned as he tightened his grip.

"Alexander Billy Jackson is my full name. My parents had a pretty terrible naming style, so I prefer to just go by my middle name." The grip on my hand lessens as I explain the misinformation. It seems to be accepted.

'So they were listening… How much did they hear?' My mind stalls for a moment, looking for a clue, "At least I'm still alive. That means they didn't hear everything."

"Mike, did you get that apartment ready?' Jackie's sweet voice interrupts our conversation before he's able to question any further, forcing him to buy my excuse.

"Yes, ma'am, I did everything as you asked." Mike steps away, making room for the final man to reach us.

"Name's Garret." He kept his introduction short and didn't try to build camaraderie.

'He must have made his decision.'

"I'll take care of showing Ale-, Billy, his apartment tonight. Why don't you guys go ahead and take a break? Maybe we could try that wine you've been trying to convince me to have?"

The three men's eyes lit up as if they finally saw their opportunity. Mike was the first one to scamper away to prepare dinner, while Garret just shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the wall.

"Billy, are you joining?" Bruce's smile seems genuine, making me wonder if I had misjudged him.

"Sure, I don't see why not. Are we going to eat in here?" I scratch my head as if I don't know the answer, "I guess I'll be back after Jackie shows me where I'm staying."

Her soft hand interlaces with mine as she pulls me toward the stairs, "Let's go. I've got a ton to show you!"

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