Jackie's Week Read Free Page A

or go
back to my apartment?"
    "Whatever you like," Black replied. "You can
even go home if you want. Bobby will keep an eye on things."
     
    Chapter 3
     
    Jackie, arm-in-arm with Donna, left the
building, attracting more than a few stares along the way, what
with Jackie being tall, hollow-eyed and disheveled, in stark
contrast to the starlet good looks and perky demeanor of her
ash-blonde younger sibling who was terminally radiant, as though
the sun itself was a mere fashion accessory for the goddess. They
arrived at Donna's classic ride, a tiny red MGB, which looked great
on Donna but made Jackie feel like a clown
    "Well?" Donna said, easing herself in and
smoothly gliding out into the heavy Ventura Boulevard traffic.
    "Not now," Jackie said.
    "Yes, now," Donna urged. "I want the
details."
    "You mean like show and tell? Like, my first
visit to the shrink?"
    "Yes."
    "I cried," Jackie said. "And the minute Dr.
Black found out I was being stalked, she brought her brother in,
the most dangerous looking man I have ever met. Apparently, as we
speak, he is watching over us."
    Donna eyed the rear view mirror as she
approached the onramp to the Ventura Freeway.
    "You won't see him," Jackie said. "He's a
Navajo Indian. He's invisible."
    "So what do you want to do this afternoon
when we get back to my place?" Donna asked.
    "Oh. Cancel that. Take me back to my
place."
    "Jackie, you can't be alone. You have a
stalker."
    Jackie smiled grimly. "Ah," she said. "But I
also have a bodyguard."
    "And you are sure you're safe?"
    "Donna, you should have seen this guy, Bobby.
It was in his eyes. Believe me, I feel safer than Fort Knox right
now. And I feel a bit stronger after talking to Dr. Black."
    The apartment was a safe place once again.
Jackie left Donna at the curb and headed through the heavy doors,
past the security guard kiosk, and down the landscaped pathway to
her second-floor Encino apartment.
    Upon entering and after carefully locking the
front door, she went to the kitchen and poured herself a quick shot
of vodka. Settling in on the couch, and not long after the first
sip, a powerful wave washed over her, carrying with it a vast
darkness, without form, and void of all feeling, thought or
emotion. Within seconds she was in the grip of a deep and potent
sleep.
    Then the dream hit. She could clearly make
out the T-shirt tuxedo, but for some reason she could not see his
face.
    "Vzjat’ na abordaž."
     
    Chapter 4
     
    Jackie had slept, to her astonishment, a good
16 hours straight on the couch. Unfortunately, because of the dream
at the tail end of the sleep splurge, the day was starting out
badly.
    She shook off the thought. Today was going to
be different. Better. She had a bodyguard, and she would be seeing
Dr. Black later. The thought of it gave her an almost giddy sense
of courage. She could tell Dr. Black about the dream. That would
get things rolling to wherever they needed to go.
    As was her habit, she decided to walk
downstairs to the lobby and get a copy of the Times. Perhaps she
would even see Bobby, her new bodyguard, and wave to him. She
checked the security monitor on the kitchen counter to make sure
the front door was clear. She retrieved the box cutter from her
pocket where she always kept it and held it firmly while she opened
the door a crack, first making sure it was still on its safety
chain. All clear outside.
    But something was wrong. At her feet was
another white envelope. Just like the one from yesterday. She felt
the sickening surge of adrenaline force her heart into
palpitations. She plucked the envelope inside and closed and locked
the door. There was something substantial in the envelope. She tore
it open and out it came. Her jade ring. The one she had been
wearing the night of the attack. The one he took from her on New
Year’s Eve. Another message from the stalker.
    Where the hell was Bobby?
    It was not a safe place.
    Well, this is it, then, she thought. She was
crushed. She had put all her trust in Dr.