Chapter 1
“You’re kidding me, right?” Amy crosses her arms as the door swings open.
The man standing before them in the doorway isn’t small, but he seems wispy compared to Frank. He’s got on a tight pair of black boxer briefs with a white tee that definitely was fresh out of the drawer and hadn’t been slept in. Why the guy felt the need to throw on a shirt, but not pants, for late night company, is mildly intriguing and she looks him up in down with a cocked brow. But what catches the girl’s attention the most, are the glasses.
“A blind guy,” Amy huffs, eyeing Curtis and then chuckling. “Really.”
“Uh,” the man cocks his head, seeming unoffended but confused, “can I help you?”
“Look man,” Curtis shakes his head, “I’m sorry to bother you so late, but this is sort of an emergency.”
“What can I do to help?” The stranger seems genuinely concerned, but tenses.
She’s seen that sort of tension in Frank. It’s like both of them are built with springs for bones, gnarled metal wiring always compressed and ready to release.
“There’s really no easy way to come out and say this, and please, don’t go all ninja when I do,” yupp - he definitely tenses more, she can practically hear the spring skeleton grind, “but,” Curtis sighs, “Frank Castle sent me.”
“Frank Castle?” The man furrows his brow, not missing a beat, but there’s a clenching of his fists and he seems to perk up, ears prickling, as if Frank is about to sneak up behind him. “The Punisher? I’m sorry, but isn’t he dead?”
Amy squints. The guy is a good liar.
“You can cut the shit,” Curtis puts one hand on the door frame. “Frank’s alive. I know it. You know it. Well, your girl Karen knows it, so either she’d tell you, or other you would’ve put the pieces together a while ago. I’m not here to threaten you or out you or whatever, I promise. But I don’t have time to play along right now. This is life or death stuff.”
The guy seems to consider it for a moment, frowning, and then steps to one side, ushering them in.
“Let’s take this inside,” he grunts, flipping the lightswitch. “I’d appreciate you not announcing certain things to my entire building.”
“Did I use your name?” Curtis counters as he steps through the threshold. “Did I use your other name? This isn’t my first rodeo, man. Like I said, I’m not here to out you.”
“Then what are you here for, mister - ?”
“Call me Curtis.”
She flashes a glare at Curtis.
“Matt,” the man nods. “Let me put some clothes on and we can talk.”
Matt heads to the bedroom, Amy glaring at his back.
“That’s it?” Amy lifts an eyebrow in Curtis’ direction. “We take two steps into this guy’s apartment and you’re trusting him?”
“Frank trusts him,” Curtis takes the seat that their host had gestured him toward before leaving. “Enough for me.”
There’s a snort and a tumble of low laughter coming from the other room and the two turn to look at the man, who is now walking back out in a pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt.
“Didn’t think Frank trusted anyone,” he sighs, easing down in the other chair as Amy flops down onto the couch, spreading out. “especially not me.”
“Well,” Curtis rubs his thighs, “you’re not wrong. But he trusts you with this.” He pauses, lifting his gaze toward Amy. “And with her.”
“Well I don’t,” she shrugs.
“What do you - what does Frank need from me?” The man - Matt - avoids her statement.
“Protection,” Curtis leans back, “for her.”
“And who is she?” Matt turns toward the girl.
“Rachel,” she rolls her neck, “and I’m nobody.”
The guy tilts his head and his mouth curves in a way that she can tell he knows she is lying. Curtis fixes her with a look and her whole body caves in on a sigh.
“Amy,” the kid huffs. “Me ‘n Frank go way back. He saves me at a bar out in the middle of nowhere, we go on the run, uncover a whole sketchy murderous, and homophobic, plot to cover up a politician’s man-on-man lifestyle choices, get hunted by an assassin preacher guy, we take out the bad guys. The end. And who are you?”
“She’s being targeted,” Curtis interjects, lifting a hand as if that would be enough to stop her.
“By who? The same people? Usually when Frank ‘takes out the bad guys’, it’s,” he frowns, “permanent.”
“We’re not sure,” Curtis says slowly. “Whoever they are, they mean business. Amy was all the way off the coast of Singapore and they came after her.”
“Singapore?” Matt’s head cocks again.
“Marine salvage,” Amy kicks her legs up onto the table.
“Just her fancy way of saying treasure hunting,” Curtis laughs.
“It’s a real job,” Amy crosses her arms. “I’ve helped recover a lot of really boring stuff, okay? Can’t help it if a girl needs a little more excitement in her life once in awhile.”
Curtis cuts her a look.
“Why are we even telling this guy anything?” Amy stands.
“We talked about this when Frank -“
“When Frank dumped me on your doorstep and disappeared, yeah, and barely.”
“He’s -” Curtis searches, “- like Frank -”
“I’m nothing like Frank,” Matt grits.
“Without the killing,” Curtis finishes and then sighs. “Either you can tell him, or I can.”
She turns toward Matt. Two years ago, after she’d met Frank and gone on the run, she wouldn’t be saying a word to a stranger about her problems, but Curtis is staring her down now, with that lifted forehead that expects her to explain and she saw what good keeping it all to herself did last time, so she sighs and sits back down.
“Guy I did a couple jobs with got word of something big. For those kind of jobs, we usually use the same people. Just a few of us. It’s not illegal or shady or anything. Can just be dangerous. People get greedy, you know? Hard to know who to trust. Well, we got a couple newbies for this one. Boss said they were good. Fast forward to us being almost 100 yards underwater and one of the bastards cuts my oxygen line and grabs me. Turns out, they’ve got a second boat sitting out there waiting for us. Full of actual pirates.”
“But you got away,” Matt nods.
“Not my first time being tied up.” And when she says it, it’s not suggestive, just matter-of-fact and maybe a bit smug and that doesn’t seem to sit well with Matt, who shifts just minutely at the thought of a young girl being tied up, and possibly often. “Slipped out and swam for it. The sons-of-fishes wouldn’t give up though. Chased and followed me through villages and cities. I only finally called Curtis here when I got shot.” She pauses. “Frank’s not exactly what you’d call reachable.”
“Gee, thanks,” Curtis huffs.
“Do you know who was after you?” Matt leans forward.
“No clue,” Amy tosses her head over the back of the couch and stretches her arms.
“They’re good,” Curtis offers up. “Military precision. But we don’t know who they are or why they’re after Amy. Could be a group interested in whatever her and her team were after, but the way they targeted Amy,” he bows his head. “We think it might be about Frank.”
Matt sits back and frowns for a bit.
“Why her?” He shakes his head. “All the way out in Singapore?”
“Not to mention the fact that there are very few people who even know she’s connected to Frank at all,” Curtis nods.
“It was a lot of work, and a risk. Are you sure no one else would be after you?” He turns toward Amy.
“I’m not saying I don’t have enemies,” she shrugs, “but all the people I conned or worked, except for the preacher-boy-fluster-cluck, never knew I was even there, and that was all years ago.”
“Are you sure?”
She doesn’t know how, but she feels like he’s staring through her.
“Pretty positive,” she sighs. “We were good. And besides, nobody I ever did a job on back then would have these kind of resources. I mean, who hires pirates?”
“Underestimated before,” Curtis adds unhelpfully and Amy can’t help but fold her arms over her stomach and bring her knees in close, images of a bloody motel room flickering on an old projector in the back of her brain.
“Let’s say it is because of Frank,” Matt brings them back after a long silence. “Again, why Amy? Why go out of their way when there are other people Frank cares about right -” he stops and begins to stand. “Karen.”
“It’s cool,” Curtis puts up a hand. “Frank’s heading to her now.” Matt sits down, reluctantly, his hand twitching toward the cell phone in his pocket. “If this is all about Frank, we’re assuming they went after Amy because she was his most recent connection.”
“What about you?” Matt turns his head. “No offense, but you’re closer, and an assumed easier target, if the attacker doesn’t know you’re military or carrying - or spend hours in the gym every day.”
“How do you know that?” Curtis leans back in his chair, eyebrows high.
“Lucky guess,” Matt grins.
“Someone set off my home security alarm the other day,” he answers, still staring at the man suspiciously. “Don’t think it’s connected. These people don’t seem like the type to make rookie mistakes like that.”
“Anyone else attacked? Or a possible target?”
“Some people,” Curtis nods, “a family. But this guy, the father, he knows how to disappear. Like, really disappear. Frank gave him the word and they’ve gone underground. And a Fed, well, she’s CIA now. Don’t think they’d be stupid enough to try that.”
“Frank’s pissed a lot of people off,” Matt took a breath. “Enough to do pretty stupid things, if they’re angry enough.”
“We let her know. But she’s too stubborn to lay low or anything like that.”
“So, what do you need from me?”
“Protection,” Curtis nods in Amy’s direction, “for her.”
Amy makes a disapproving noise in her throat but neither man acknowledges it.
“Why can’t Frank keep her safe? Or you?”
“You said I’d seem like the assumed easier target,” Curtis hedges, pausing.
“And what’s an easier target than a blind man?” Matt picks up, shaking his head. “Frank wants me for bait.”
“Technically, I’m the bait,” Amy chimes in, “which I have no say in, by the way. Super cool. This is just like back at the motel with with, minus the zip-ties. Awesome.”
“Frank and I’ll be on perimeter. You’ll have me with a scope just in the building across the street. If she stayed with me, and if they know my connection to Frank, it’d be too suspicious.”
“You’re forgetting I’m connected to Frank too,” Matt sighs. “The trial.”
“I’m not saying it’s a good plan. It’s Frank’s, so it’s pretty much half-cocked and crazy to begin with.” He pauses. “You got anything to drink?”
Matt senses the shift.
“Some beers in the fridge.”
Curtis looks pointedly over at Amy for a long moment before she grunts and gets off the couch with a theatrical groan, shuffling over to the kitchen.
Watching her, Curtis leans toward the other man.
“Listen, Frank’ll never admit it, but that girl means a hell of a lot to him. Probably more than anyone else right now in his life. She’s,” he swallows, “she’s like a daughter to him, man. And we both know what happened to Frank’s kids.” He glances at her and then back at Matt. “There’s some things Frank hasn’t told her, too. Doesn’t wanna scare her. But a couple days before she was attacked, Frank’s kids’ headstones were vandalized. More like busted to hell.”
“A message,” Matt nods, frowning. “They are targeting her.”
“Like I said, she’s like a daughter to him.” Curtis bows his head. “There’s more. Something worse.” He checks to make sure Amy isn’t listening. “Awhile back, Frank saved a couple of kids, teenagers. They were being held at the same place his family, where they were killed. Being used as bait. Frank got to them. But, but, the same day those headstones were smashed up, those two kids, man, those two kids turned up dead. Bodies left right where he’d saved them. Boy and a girl, just -“
“Just like his kids,” Matt nods, swearing.
“You got any food around here?” Amy cuts in from the kitchen. “I don’t want to come back over too soon and interrupt your little secret heart-to-heart, and I’ve been on a plane for over 20 hours, I’m starving.”
“There’s leftover Thai food in the fridge and some chips in the cupboard next to it.”
Amy busies herself, still trying to listen but pretending not to.
“We’re being safe, just in case they’re gunning for anyone else in his life too, but the intent seems pretty clear. He can’t let anything happen to her. She already got shot by these guys. She was in a hospital in Cambodia for two weeks, in a coma. Woke up just a day before these people found her and tried to hit her again. Kid got away. Snuck on some cargo ship and made it to India where I met her at an airport.” He shakes his head. “It got close, last time. Real damn close. Now this happens and it looks like it’s because of Frank somehow? He can barely look at her, he’s carrying so much damn guilt over it.”
Amy is poking at the leftovers, checking if they’re still any good, seeing as there is quite literally nothing else in the fridge for food. She pops them in the microwave and starts busying herself nosing around the kitchen, checking for clues on this guy.
“It might seem like he’s overreacting cause Frank thinks a little gang warfare is a fun Saturday night, so this should be nothing,” Curtis continues, “but it’s a whole lot of something. And just like there aren’t many people he cares about, there are fewer he trusts.”
Matt can’t help but laugh a little at that again.
“He trusts you, man. Trusts that you’re a good person, and a hell of a good fighter. He trusts not only that you’ll be able to keep her safe, but that you will.” Curtis leans back. “Also mentioned something about super-hearing or something, so you’d be able to know if anyone was coming.”
“Isn’t that what you and Frank working perimeter are for?” Matt asks wryly.
“Like I said, he’s taking this seriously. These guys put a bullet in her. A bullet that wasn’t meant to kill. They’re trying to take her.”
“To what end?” Matt asks as the microwave dings for the Thai food. “Leverage over The Punisher?”
“Who knows. Frank intends to find out.”
“I’m assuming Frank told you that I don’t agree with his way of handling things?” Matt stiffens. “I won’t act as accomplice to murder.”
“He said you’d say something like that,” Curtis smiles. “Believe me, I don’t support a lot of Frank’s dumbass decisions or life choices. But I got his back, and he’s got mine. You just need to keep her safe, that’s it.”
“I won’t hide in my apartment while Frank is shooting up my neighborhood looking for answers.”
“These people after her? They targeted her, yeah. But they killed everyone else on her salvage team that day. Cut their oxygen and slit their throats. Left them to sink into the bottom of the water. If that didn’t stir up enough traumatic memories, when they caught up to her in Malaysia, they killed a bunch of people at the little motel she was hiding out in. She didn’t call Frank cause she got shot. She’s way too proud for that. She called him because they killed a kid to get to her. A kid. Not even ten years old.”
Matt’s rigid and deflated all at the same time. The teenagers, the people on her team. The death of a child. The death of a child that Frank will blame himself for. That Amy probably blames herself for. The senselessness of it all.
“She’s a mess.” Curtis continues. “She’s real good at hiding it, but she is. Frank isn’t good with that sort of thing, and he can’t afford to be right now. Hell, he’s barely holding it together himself. He needs to focus on keeping her alive. She talks to me. But I can’t -” he cuts himself off and stares at the floor for a moment. “I can’t protect her. Not like you can. From a distance, with a rifle, sure.” He grunts. “Last time shit went down with him and her, I was left to watch her. Guy gunning for her shows up, kicks the absolute crap out of me, and things go sideways. Frank won’t say it. But he knows. Hell, I know. I was a medic. I’m a hell of a shot and can patch him up when he does something stupid, but -” he trails off, shaking his head.
“Curtis over here feeling sorry for himself again?” Amy hands him a bottle of beer, and then offers one to Matt, who declines.
Amy shrugs, shoving Matt’s beer at Curtis and sitting down on the couch to a warmed up carton of noodles and her own bottle. Matt leans over and snatches it away as she’s about to take her first sip.
“Hey!” She makes to grab it back but Matt is quicker and Amy resigns with a dramatic harumph. “If I’m old enough to be bait for psychopaths, I’m old enough to drink.”
“Not here you’re not,” Matt counters and then leans back. “I’ll help. I’ll keep her safe. But no killing.”
“You know Frank won’t go for that.”
“That’s the deal,” Matt shrugs.
They hash out the details and at some point, Amy’s head lolls back so far it would be almost comical if it weren’t for their situation. Matt is up and grabbing a blanket before Curtis even realizes the girl is out. He saves the half-eaten Thai food from tumbling onto the floor and then sits back down. He thinks just maybe Curtis is smiling.
Amy wakes up about an hour later once they’ve covered a lot of the details. She grunts a sleepy and annoyed goodbye at Curtis before rolling onto her other side.
“Why you?” Matt cranes his neck to nod at Curtis as the man heads toward the door. “Why didn’t Frank bring her here?”
“He figured him showing up on your doorstep in the middle of the night would end up in fists and bullets.”
Matt smirks and closes the door. He’s not entirely wrong.
She’s alone with him for a total of five minutes before she throws it. The small green tennis ball that nearly got her killed by Frank what feels like forever ago. It wasn’t exactly a highlight of their relationship, but still, she kept it. Liked to toss it around when she needed to think; helped her focus. This time, it was just part of an experiment.
Not only did the blind stranger catch it, but Matt had also managed to turn around and face her entirely before the projectile had even reached his hand.
“Whoa,” the word is a puff of breath.
Matt tosses it back and when Amy catches the ball, she just stares at it for a long while.
“So how does it work? You are blind, right?”
Matt sighs. It is going to be a long night.