After talking for a while with Mira, Mehra and Jack headed back to Granny's house. Well, Mehra was there to drop him off, before he hurried away to a meeting.
"Thanks for the ride," Jack said, stepping out of the car.
"It's nothing, sir. Besides, we're all neighbors. If we don't help each other, then who will?"
"Right… good night."
"Good night!"
Jack turned and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see Angela's patrol car.
However, he saw someone else standing outside the home.
It was one of the men who had come to his rescue in the police station.
What are they doing here?
Startled by their sudden appearance, Jack rushed inside. He thought the man would say something or stop him, as in his head, he was there to talk to him. But the man didn't even acknowledge Jack's presence.
"What are you—?"
Jack was about to ask him something when he heard laughter from inside. He walked in and saw the woman from before chatting with Granny while sipping tea like they had known each other for ages.
For a moment, he wondered if Granny asked the woman to help him, but quickly pushed that thought out of his head. Granny couldn't even afford six months of rent, so how would she know the president, or someone who worked for him.
"There he is," Granny said. "You rowdy brat, why didn't you tell me you had a fiance? Do you have any idea how worried she was about you?"
"Fiance…?"
He was a homeless man just days ago, so how the heck did he get a fiance? That too, a fiance like that woman? Even a blind man could point out the irony there, but Granny didn't know about his past and could have gotten fooled.
"Forgive him, Granny, we're still getting used to it since we didn't get engaged long ago," the woman said. "Isn't that right, baby?"
Baby? I ain't no one's baby.
Any normal person would take a hint and carry on with the cover story. After all, the woman was connected to the president of New Borealis, so no one in their right mind would dare offend her.
But Jack had his quirks and could be a dumbass, especially when he heard anything resembling long time commitment.
"Baby? What are you yapping about? I'm as single as Lonesome George¹—"
"Oh, come on! It was just a mistake, darling! I swear I won't ever drive your favorite car recklessly ever again."
"Car?"
"Yes, your Lambo? Did you forget about that too? And here I thought the men don't forget about their cars."
A homeless bum owning a lambo? Yeah, that wasn't happening, not even in a web novel. Jack didn't think the woman had good intentions and was about to when Granny walked up to him and smacked him.
"Granny, I don't know—"
"I don't want to hear a word out of your mouth," Granny rebuked him before handing him some pictures. "Are these photographs fake as well?"
Jack's mouth fell open in shock when he saw them. In the pictures, he and the woman were happily embracing one another. One photo showed him on one knee, proposing the woman. In yet another, she was showing off her ring.
He couldn't believe his eyes. While the pictures looked real, he had no recollection of them, besides; he looked much younger in those photos.
Fucking hell, why can't I have a body with no backstory?
[This was Goddess Justa's idea.]
Well, fuck her!
[That's what you're here for—error! Irrelevant information was accidentally revealed.]
Wait, what the hell was that supposed to mean!? Hello?
Jack was about to ask Jenna what was all that about when Granny took his hand, looking at him with her motherly eyes.
"Jack, disagreements are common in relationship," she said. "But that doesn't mean you'll leave your home. You're an adult. You should talk things out with Anna."
She continued, "She's here to take you home, so go with her. Anna even admitted to her mistakes. Forgive her and move on in life, alright."
"But Granny, I don't—"
Smack!
Jack opened his mouth to protest, only to get smacked by her again.
"Either you go with her, or I'll throw you out. Is that clear?"
Jack sighed before nodding. He didn't know why Granny was being so forceful about it, but it wasn't like he could force himself to stay there is she didn't want to.
Just then, he noticed something. The house was too quiet. It was already nighttime, so Juan should've been there causing chaos as usually. He looked at Anna and then at Granny, and knew something was off, especially when he saw the tears Granny was barely holding back.
"Alright, alright," he said. "I'll leave, but let me meet Juan first. I got something for him."
Granny's eyes widened at Juan's mention. That confirmed everything Jack had to know. Meanwhile, Aana frowned before glaring at Granny, who hastily came up with an excuse.
"Ah, Juan isn't here right now," she said, trying to maintain her composure. "Angela, right, Angela took him to watch a movie. Don't worry, I can give whatever you wanted to give him."
"Granny, is everything—"
Jack had only opened his mouth when a blinding pain erupted from the back of his head before everything blacked out. Anna stood there, holding her gun like a hammer.
"Take him."
The man who was standing guard outside got in, grabbed Jack's arm, and dragged him outside.
Granny lost all her strength and fell to her knees, clutching her chest.
"I did as you said… please let my Juan go…"
"You had one job," Anna mumbled, putting the gun back into the holster. "And you blew it, Granny. But it's alright. It's thanks to you I found my beloved. So, I'll let you live... for now."
She smiled and clapped twice. Granny's room door opened and two burly men walked out. Juan was dangling between them, his hands were tied and his mouth was covered with tape.
Anna nodded, and the men dropped Juan like a sack of potatoes before walking out. Granny rushed towards Juan and pulled him into her embrace, checking for injuries that didn't exist.
Ignoring them, Anna stepped out too. Outside, a sleek black limousine was parked along with two other vehicles. Jack laid unconscious inside the limo. All hostility disappeared from Anna's eyes as she climbed in next to him.
"Hello, my love," she whispered into his ear.
The guards got into the other vehicles and they departed to an unknown location. All the while, Anna traced Jack's face with her finger, before stopping at his lips.
"I won't let you escape… not this time."
****
A/N: Lonesome George was the last male Pinta Island tortoise who died without fathering any children despite rigorous mating attempts.