Chapter 5

It had been a few days since Jade's mother came by and Jade hadn't left her house scared of what was outside. She knew she was being irrational, but that didn't stop the fear and anxiety whenever she tried to leave the house.

She was running low on food and sleep because of her all loving neighbour staying up the wee hours of the morning either having a party or just playing loud music she was hardly sleeping. She would sit in the corner of her lounge room every night waiting and watching for something to come out of the shadows and attack her.

It wasn't until after the 5th day that a knocking came at her door causing her to jump a mile high and grab the closest thing she could find which happened to be a pan.

She crept towards the door in silence keeping light on her toes as she listened to see what threat was on the other side.

"Jade, open up. We know you are in there." Came the sound of Marco's voice and a grunt from who she assumed was the arrogant brother.

"Come on Jade, you haven't left the apartment in 5 days let us in," Marcus said through the door and Jade gripped her hold on the pan.

"Jade if you don't open this door, I am kicking it in," Marcus yelled out.

"Marcus no," Marco replied with and Marcus started to countdown. Jade really knew she wasn't in the right mindset when Marcus knocked down her door and the first thing she did was throw the pan and duck under the table thinking it was a bomb with the loud crashing sound it made.

Jade trembled as tears coursed down her face as adrenaline pumped its way through her body as it started to get her ready to fight.

"Jade," Marco called out and Jade scrambled away from his voice.

"Marcus look what you did." Jade watched as Marcus shrugged and made himself at home on her couch as Marco crouched down at a safe distance.

"Jade honey we will not hurt you," Marco whispered softly as Marcus snorted thinking what a mother hen his brother was being.

"I k-k-know." She didn't understand why her body was trembling when her mind was running a thousand miles a minute.

"Jade try to calm down ok." Marco took a step closer but not seconds after he did Jade was drowned in ice cold water waking her up from whatever daze she was in.

"What the fuck!" She stood up and water poured down from her hair and onto her floor.

"You smelt bad." She looked towards Marcus with venom in her eyes and lunged for him when she saw the bucket in his hand.

Jade tackled Marcus to the floor using the advantage of surprise and slamming her fist into his face. Marcus was so surprised by the attack he didn't have time to defend himself.

"You asshole." Jade went to punch him again, but the element of surprise was gone and Marcus flipped them over pinning Jade to the floor. Marco sighed and let them be knowing neither would really hurt each other despite his brothers bleeding nose which he deserved.

"Got you now, kitten." Marcus smiled smugly at Jade thinking he won before Jade bucked her hips before wrapping her one good leg around his waist and turning them around so she was on top again.

"Fuck you." Marcus struggled below her and he was impressed that she kept him pinned under her.

"Get off me, before you hurt yourself, you stupid woman," Marcus yelled and Jade did, but not before slamming her fist into his rock-hard stomach.

"Don't ever think about doing that again." Jade stood up and look towards Marco who was trying is hardest not to laugh at his brother getting his ass handed to him by their tiny one-legged neighbour.

Jade sat on her couch and saw Marco frown before looking at his brother who joined them clutching his stomach.

"Christ, woman you pack a mean punch," Marcus grunted out before plonking himself next to his brother. The three of them sat in silence watching each other while Jade made sure she focused on not only the men in front of her but her current surroundings.

"Jade we are both worried about you," Marco said knowing his brother would not say anything.

"There is nothing to be worried about," Jade responded while her leg shook in anticipation waiting for something to happen.

"Really Jade. You haven't left the house in 5 days and your whole body is shaking." Marcus stated gesturing towards her body.

"Look I am working through it." Jade stood up and went to shut her broken door as it was causing her anxiety to spike to unhealthy levels.

"Well, you are doing an amazing job, Jade." Marco hit his brother across the head knowing that both of them went through the same thing a few years ago and still so sometimes.

"Marcus. What we are trying to say is we are taking you out for the day." Jade's body went into a total meltdown at the thought of going outside. She began to sweat and her hands trembled profoundly.

"I I a-am f-fine." Both the brothers looked at each other knowing this would be harder than they thought.

"Jade when was the last time you ate?" Jade tried to think, but she was so overwhelmed with the idea of going outside she couldn't get her thoughts straight.

"I-I-I." Marcus shook his head and Jade followed his movements as he got up and walked into her kitchen.

"What a-are you d-doing?" Jade followed him in knowing he was the bigger threat of the two.

"I am getting you some food. You are too thin." He opened up her cupboard to find nothing in them.

"Don't go through that," Jade said trying to stop him from opening the fridge, she knew was empty.

"Why is there no food in this house? Marco, we are taking Jade to lunch." Jade screamed when Marcus picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Put me down." She tried to escape, but it was no use.

"Jade, get your butt in the shower before I throw you over my knee and spank you like a small child." Jade stood there gaping like a fish at what had just come out of his mouth.

"You wouldn't dare." She challenged, but the look Marcus gave her told her he would so she marched into the shower and shut the door, but not before hearing the brother arguing inside her bedroom. However, the sound of them yelling was drowned out by the warm water that calmed her down quicker than she thought.

When she stepped out of the shower she applied the burn cream to her arms, legs and back, but realised she forgot to bring spare clothes. Looking at her arms and legs she knew there was no way to cover up the damage from the last tour.

"Jade, you still in there," Marco called out and Jade took a deep breath knowing she wouldn't hide them forever.

"Yeah, I am coming out." Jade opened her bathroom door and noticed that both the brother's gaze went straight to her arms and legs.

"Yeah, ugly I know," Jade said as she went into her wardrobe to find something that could cover up her arms and legs.

"Jade." She felt a warm solid body behind her and she closed her eyes and warm hands touch her bare collar bone.

She felt the fingers trail down her arms touching each mark that still to this day hurts as if it only happened yesterday.

"What happened to you, kitten?" Jade said nothing as Marcus touched a bullet wound causing her to flinch and snap out the daze that Marcus was putting her in.

"I am going to change." Jade moved out of his grip and pulled her clothes close to her body as she quickly made her way back to her bathroom where she felt safe from the prying eyes of the Blackwood Brothers.

Once Jade was dressed she stepped out to find the brothers no longer lingering in her room.

Instead, she found them in her lounge room with the company of 3 other men. Jade immediately saw them as a threat and pulled her knife out of her pants.

"Whoa, lady put the knife away." One of the darker men replied as Jade lunged at him only to have arms wrap around her.

"Drop the knife Jade wouldn't want to hurt your comrades." Jade dropped the knife to the floor and struggled to get out of Marcus hold.

"Let me go, you prick." Marcus let her go and she shook herself off before picking up her knife.

"Damn girl." James whistled as he stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Jade's much smaller frame.

"The brothers were right. You need to leave the house." Jade froze up when she heard she had to go outside.

"I am fine here." The other two men she didn't know laughed to the point that their large bodies were shaking.

"Princess, you need to get out. Major Dylan Lang at your service. This is my Lieutenant Roger and the rest of these bastards, are my sergeants." Jade looked at the men in the room and realised that they were a team. The same team she lost.

"We are taking you to the shooting range. You will show us what you got corporal." Roger said crossing his arms over his chest.

"We all know who will win," James said smugly to himself causing Jade to become confused.

"James is a snipper," Dylan said when he saw the confusion on Jade's pretty face.

"Look I would love too, but I have things to do around the house." They all gave her a look, and she knew she would be stepping outside despite her bodies' warnings which were never wrong.

"O-o-ok." Jade stuttered out as the surrounding men grinned.

"Don't worry kitten we will keep you safe from the big bad men in the world." The other men slapped their foreheads wishing Marcus would shut up for once in his life.

"What you think I can't take care of myself." Jade matched him height for height even though she was much shorter than the giant standing in front of her. The men look to Marco who sighed, the two of them were like children.

"Well, clearly you can't kitten." Jade glared at Marcus before socking him in the family jewels causing the men to ooh and ahh.

"Does that look like I can't look after myself?" Jade said looking down as Marcus cupped his nuts in pain.

"Ok, ok." Jade look at the men in the room who burst out laughing.

"You will fit right in angel."

They took all almost an hour before Jade even stepped foot out the apartment, but they were patient with her, all understanding what it is like to go through the paranoia stage.

When Jade finally got out of the house she was shaking so badly that she was in such a state of panic she almost threw up on the sidewalk once she got outside.

"Jade you are doing great," Marco stated despite her pale complexion and the fact she looked like she would chuck her guts.

"Mmm." They all got into a large car as Roger couldn't stand small cars as they made him claustrophobic. Jade was in a nervous fit as being in a car so big reminded her of the tanks which bought back not very pleasant memories.

"We need to pull over," Jade yelled as the ringing in her ears began.

"Jade we are in the middle of the highway," Marcus mumbled noticing the stages of Jade's flashback.

"Stop the fucking car." She screamed and Dylan pulled across three lanes and Jade jumped out before the car even came to a holt.

"Jade," Marcus yelled and jumped out after Jade as she threw up what little food she had in her stomach on the side of the road. Jade couldn't help it, but being in a car so big bought back shocking memories of death she has been trying so hard to burry.

"Just let it out, Jade," Marcus whispered behind her rubbing her back and holding back her hair. Once Jade finished her body was shaking to the point where she couldn't even move her own limbs.

"I think we should head home and try this tomorrow," James yelled from inside the truck and Jade shook her head.

"No, I am good." She stood up straight and dug into her back pocket for gum she always kept there. She walked back into the car with shaky steps and sat the closest to the door as possible.

"Jade are you sure?" Marcus said, and for a moment it sounded like he cared.

"I am fine." She grunted out wanting to get this car ride over with. Jade closed her eyes trying to block everything out and focus on her breathing to make it through the car trip. It didn't take as long as Jade thought before they pulled up to the shooting range and the men were jumping out the car like they had never seen land a day in their life.

Jade took her time as she grabbed her crutches that the guys made her grab. When she got out of the car, she went inside the range where the guys were already setting up.

"Jade here." James waved her over where a snipper was already sitting. Jade walked over and set her crutches to the side and saw everyone already set up waiting for her. She slowly got down on her stomach which took so much longer with the stupid brace on keeping her leg dead straight. Lucky for her she didn't need to bend it lying down on her stomach.

"Ok ready." Jade nodded as she focused on her breathing and the target in front of her. Everyone around her starting firing and she blocked out all the noise and breathed in and out slowly before pulling the trigger as she exhaled. The guys had all stopped and watched Jade the moment she fired and watched memorised as she slowed down her breathing the same way James did right before he fired.

"Well, I'll be damned," Roger said as they watched Jade empty the round before dropping her head. When she looked up she saw them all watching her with shocked expressions.

"Sorry, where did you say you worked again," James asked knowing there was no way anyone could shoot that perfect and good. Only a few knew how to shoot like Jade, him being one of them and he knew there was no way she was in the same department as them.

"I didn't say." Jade got back down on her stomach and put in another round before she started firing again letting go of all her stress and worries.