Girl Jacked by Christopher Greyson Page A

running in a field.
    He could barely remember stumbling over to her side. He pointed to the picture as he proclaimed to the entire bar, ‘This is art!’, then he staggered for the front door.
    She chased after him and caught up to him on the sidewalk. “Why did you say that?” She grabbed him by both shoulders and gave him a quick shake to sober him up. “About my picture, why did you say that?”
    “What?” That is when he looked down and noticed her truly for the first time. She was beautiful. Her eyes were a deep brown that matched her long auburn hair. Her dress accentuated her hourglass figure. Jack swallowed and his mouth open slightly then he looked back up at her eyes.
    One of her eyebrows raised, but the cutest smile was on her lips as she stated, “You noticed my art before my body.
    “Your artwork… You are a true artist! The way you hold that pencil.” He pinched his fingers together miming out her sketching. “It was …” Jack struggled to find the words, but he didn’t have to.
    Marisa grabbed him and kissed him deeply. It was the kind of kiss a guy didn’t forget, ever. Just thinking about it still turned him on.
    He realized later that by noticing her art instead of her body, he had done something no other man had done for her. The reward he had received that night still brought a smile to his face.
     
    He blinked trying to drive those memories from his head as Marisa waited for him at the end of the hallway. He inhaled before he squared his shoulders and marched through the door into her office.
    “What’s the favor now?” Her words were cold, but the question was colder.
    She’ll help, but she wants nothing to do with me. There was no “how have you been?” or “what have you been doing?” question. She was all business, and it was all my fault.
    “I need help with a tattoo.” He pulled the computer-generated sketch from an envelope.
    She took it without looking at him.
    She had helped him while they were together a couple of times by identifying tattoos: once for a mugging and once for the John Doe.
     
    He remembered the last time he saw Marisa. She had comforted him with a long weekend locked away in a little bed and breakfast. It was just the two of them, and they never came out of the room. He remembered what she said when they were getting ready to go back to town.
    “You have to decide what you want.” She was staring out the window.
    “Decide? About what?” It was different from what other girls would have said. He was used to the ‘am I the only one?’ or ‘what are your plans for the future?’ but this didn’t feel like it was heading there and Marisa wasn’t a typical girl.
    “Me. I can’t be an accessory. I know ME. Tu sei la mia bella.”
    He didn’t speak Italian, but he knew the phrase. You are my beautiful one. She loved him.
    Jack stared at her. He knew he couldn’t give her what she needed. He reached deep down, and he wanted to, but he couldn’t.
    She stood at the window with a sheet wrapped around herself. He tried to convince himself to lie. He didn’t want to give her up, but he could not bring himself to betray her honesty. She was special to him. He looked away.
    “I will get a ride back to town.” She continued as she held her head up and stared out the window. “We can’t do this anymore.” There was no malice in her voice; it was still rich and kind.
    “Marisa …”
    “Jack, if we keep going then you will hurt me and… I will kill you.” Her voice was so smooth that he smiled at first, but he knew how true those words were.
     
    Jack shook his head and tried to remember the here and now.
    I need her help.
    He noticed Marisa wasn’t looking at the picture. Her back had tensed, so he did something that was exceedingly hard for him but came so easily when he was with her. He told the complete truth, laying bare his soul.
    “I’m looking for a girl named Michelle. She is my foster sister. She’s missing. I have little to go