Ice and Fire novel Chapter 79

Jackson then opened the door, and saw that Cherry wasn't at home. He went straight to the living room and sat down on the couch. He took out his mobile phone and called Cherry.

Jackson's face turned dark, because he heard that Cherry's phone number had been cancelled.

Jackson felt confused as he listen to the electronic synthesized voice. 'Where's Cherry?' he thought.

He immediately stood up and went upstairs, and pushed the bedroom's door open and saw the perfectly clean bedroom. He was calmer when he saw Cherry's pajamas on the hanger, but still, where the hell was Cherry? He frowned, and then started to feel more and more anxious by each passing moment. Where had she gone?

Jackson slowly walked into the bedroom, sat on the bed, and thought of all of her possible whereabouts.

Jackson dialed the military's residential compound number and the butler answered.

The butler greeted him respectfully, "Hello, Mr. Jackson."

"Hello, is Cherry with my grandfather?" Without any justified reason, Jackson's voice trembled, and he had no idea of what he should say next; all that he thought about was Cherry, and where she was.

"No, " said the butler. He then thought for a moment, and added, "What happened? Has Cherry gone missing?"

Jackson tried hard to control his emotions, and answered, "No, but I arrived home, and she isn't here. I called to ask if she's with my grandfather. Don't worry, I'll look for her somewhere else."

He then hung up the phone, regardless of what the butler's response might have been.

Jackson couldn't figure out where Cherry might have gone to. "Cherry, where are you? Don't make me worry about you, " he thought.

An ominous feeling was slowly rising in his heart; he couldn't do anything and just wait for her at home, and thought that if he didn't look for her, something terrible might happen. He shook his head, and was determined to prevent the situation from becoming a catastrophe, because he and Cherry were supposed to have a happy ending together. Because they loved each other, he was convinced that she would never leave him, and even if she wanted to do such a thing, he would still find a way to keep her at his side. He was capable of doing anything to make her stay with him.

Jackson then called Derek, and ten minutes later, Derek drove his car, and arrived at Jackson's house. Jackson asked Derek to stay at his home and wait for Cherry while he went out to look for Cherry.

Derek agreed with Jackson's arrangement, however, he also felt anxious. Jackson's expression and anxiety indicated that something bad had happened, and he didn't know what it was either. Cherry hadn't just gone out for a stroll, or to have fun; no, it was something more than that.

Four hours passed, and Jackson had already driven his car to every place that he thought Cherry might have gone to, including Emily's graveyard, Stephen's pub, and even the Shen household. He had searched every possible whereabouts of Cherry but couldn't found trace of her anywhere.

Jackson had gone mad, and eventually drove back home at full speed.

Derek saw Jackson slouched on the couch, with his head buried between his legs, and when he saw Jackson's anxiety and helplessness, Derek sympathized with him. He had never seen Jackson look so sad and helpless, not even in the past, when he had experienced his first immense suffering.

Derek then came closer to Jackson and wanted to comfort him, but he didn't know how.

After a long silence, Derek finally opened his mouth, and said, "Jackson, I think that Cherry might have gone to one of her friends whom you don't know. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be back in a couple of days."

Jackson slowly straightened his back. He stared at him, and with a dull look in his eyes, he said, "No, I don't think she will. She would have told me beforehand."

Then, Jackson thought for a moment, and spoke his mind to his friend. "Derek, do you think that she's left me?"

Derek was shocked by his words, because Cherry leaving Jackson was impossible.

He tried to say something comforting to him, and while Derek shook his head, he answered, "No, she couldn't! You two love each other so much, so how could she ever leave you? Don't be so ridiculous, Jackson!"

Then it suddenly occurred to Derek that, some time ago, Jackson had also gone looking for Sally. If Derek himself didn't believe those words, then how could Jackson believe that?

Finally, Jackson broke out of this dull and miserable mood, and his face turned cold, and fierce. He grabbed his mobile phone and dialed the one single number which he had never dared to dial before.

The call was soon put through.

A man's voice was heard on the phone, and said, "Hello, Jackson."

Jackson ordered and emphasized Cherry's name. He said, "Call all your men available together and search for Cherry in the city."

Without any sort of hesitation, the man on the phone answered, "Yes, sir."

"I need to know where Cherry is in two hours, " said Jackson, with full authority in his voice.

"Consider it done, Mr. Jackson."

Then, the call ended.

Derek felt worried, and asked Jackson timidly, "Did you just call who I think you called?"

Derek couldn't believe that Jackson had actually resorted to call those people. Although all of them worked for Jackson, they were all gang affiliated members, and once Jackson called them, he implicitly agreed to be bound to them forever. After what had happened with Sally years ago, Jackson's grandfather had tried to keep those guys in the dark as much as he could, covering all of their traces, and forbidding anyone from ever contacting them, because as soon as they were mobilized, the whole city and its surrounding areas would be turned upside down completely. In the past few years, Jackson had always avoided connecting with them, even when he was in great trouble, but today, Jackson called them and asked them to find Cherry at all costs. Although Jackson's grandfather had once led the gangsters in the past, in their minds, Jackson was the one who was their true master, and Jackson's command was the only one that they would ever listen to. The order had been issued, and the Chu family's state of affairs and Jackson's future life would turn out to be different from now on.