A/N: Welcome back! So, I've had this chapter handwritten for a week, but because of school and work, I haven't gotten around to typing it out. Here it is! Finally chapter 3! As always, please read and review… Love always to my editor and Spanish guide, my amazing husband. All of the Spanish that will appear from this point on is true Dominican Spanish and is direct from my Dominican's mouth. If you'd like a translation, please let me know… Love, Nicole!
Jay was pacing around Intelligence. The others watched him, unsure of what to say or do. "What the fuck takes so long for Antonio to get Jes to safety?"
"Jay…" Erin tried to calm him, but he batted her hand away.
"Halstead, Antonio will take as long as necessary to ensure your sister's safety. You know that." Voight stood in the doorway of his office. "You need to stop wearing a hole in my floor."
"I can't." Jay threw his arms in the air. "It's one thing for me to wear a target on my back, but it's a whole other thing for my friends and family to have to take a bullet for me."
Voight looked at Olinsky. Olinsky nodded, grabbed his coat and left the bullpen. They had to end this.
"Jay, sit." Erin pointed to his chair. "Antonio will call as soon as Jes is safe."
"I just need to hear her voice." He fought back the tears that threatened to overtake him. He'd seen a lot of violent and death, but this situation trumped it all. Now, he understood what the families of victims felt like when they were delivering this news.
Antonio took the somewhat scenic route to get home. This was to throw anyone that could possibly have been following him. He pulled into the garage and shut the door. "We're here. You'll be safe here."
Jes was trembling. He didn't know if it was from a chill in the night or the overwhelming fear she was feeling. He got out and went around to open the door for her.
She looked up at him. "Thank you." She took his pre-offered hand and got out of the car. She looked around. Then she saw them, two children's bicycles. The panic was coming back. "Is my being here putting your family in danger?"
Antonio took both her hands in his. "No. Uh, my wife, she uh left, and took the kids about 2 months back. I live alone here now."
"Oh." She could see sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine. My job is the reason Laura left. I don't think she's coming back. I'll just have to accept that…" Antonio sighed. "I just miss my kids."
Jes wanted to comfort him, but she wasn't sure how. She settled on what Jay had always done for her. She hugged him. It took Antonio by surprise, but he hugged her back. It felt good to have human contact again.
He finally broke the hug. "Hey, your brother is probably going crazy waiting to hear from you. Let's get you settled so you can give him a call." He grabbed her bag. "Follow me."
Antonio showed her to the guestroom. "Once you've talked to Jay, I'll give you the grand tour. You have access to anything you need here. If you need something, I'll get it for you. Gaby said she'd come stay with you while I go to the District to get an update. If you need to go anywhere, call me and we'll figure something out. Until this is all over, you won't be going anywhere alone."
"Okay." She tried to smile. "Can I talk to Jay now?"
Antonio nodded. He dialled Jay at the District.
"Antonio? What the fuck took so long?! Is she okay?!" Jay rambled on.
"Jay. Jay! Calm down!" Antonio took a breath. "She's fine. I explained what's going on and well, she got upset." He signalled to Jeslyn to come to the phone. "Here she is." He handed her the phone.
"Jes?"
"Jay!" The release she felt from hearing his voice was exhilarating. "Why's this all happening?"
"Because I did my job and the big bad guy didn't like it."
"So how long am I stuck here?"
"Being stuck with Antonio's not the worst thing that could happen. He's my best friend here."
Antonio left Jes to talk to her brother in private. He went to make sure the house was secure. He knew that for the immediate future, Jay and Jes would have extremely limited contact. He could only imagine how hard it would be. Then he realized, in reality he was already living it. He missed Eva and Diego. He walked by their rooms and silently wished they could be home with him. In the last few weeks, he had become less determined to save his marriage. It was obvious that Laura was done and he was just wasting energy trying to win her back. He went to change into something more comfortable and waited for Jeslyn to be done talking to Jay.
"Look, Jes, I didn't want this. Ever." Jay pleaded for her to calm down. "You're not cursed."
"I highly doubt that." Jeslyn pouted. "You trust him?"
"He'd take a bullet for you. Not that he'll have to." He added quickly. "I'm sorry Jes."
She sighed. "You've apologized at least half a dozen times since Antonio called you. It's fine. I'm just a little pissed off." She paused. "Is the girl who got shot gonna be okay?"
It was Jay's turn to sigh. "She's in the ICU. As soon as they know something, they'll update us."
"Okay. I'll say a prayer for her."
Jay smiled. Jes' faith system was strong and was why she'd done so well in life despite all the roadblocks that had been thrown her way.
"Hey Jay?"
"Yeah, sis?"
"We need to discuss dating when this is all over."
Jay's cheeks burned on the other end of the line. "I'm pretty sure you already had that talk." He looked around; hoping no one else was in hearing range.
"Not the sex talk!" She gasped. "Like what's going to happen when I start dating."
Antonio was walking back towards the guest room just in time to hear that part of the conversation. He stopped dead in his tracks. What on Earth were they talking about? He stood close to the door. He felt like he was in high school again, spying on Gaby. While that nostalgia felt good, there was also some pain. He had been with Laura since their Junior year. He pushed away that pain. Once this was all said and done, he'd fight for his children and move on. 'Maybe someone like Jeslyn would be good for me.' He thought. Then he stopped himself. 'Where the fuck did that come from?' He shook his head and went to get a glass of water.
"Well Jes, as long as he's a good guy and treats you right, there where won't be any issues." Jay laughed. "Also, I don't want you dating any cops, well actually I don't want you dating first responders."
Jes was shocked. "And why the hell not?!"
"Because Jes. You need someone who's going to be guaranteed to come home to you every night."
"There's a risk of someone not coming home the instant they leave the house in the morning." Jes countered. "There's no guarantee for anyone. Unless you want me to date some loser who's unemployed and still lives in his mom's basement?"
"Now you're being ridiculous."
"No, I'm being realistic. I'm almost 26, Jay. Remember, my birthday is next month. I'm pretty sure I can date who I want."
"When this is all over, we'll talk about it, but for now I want you to relax and do whatever Antonio tells you to."
"Fine. But this discussion is so not over. Far from it."
Jay couldn't help himself. He had to laugh. "Oh, I know. You won't let this go until you've argued yourself blue in the face."
"Don't forget, it's that stubbornness that helped keep you out of trouble your senior year."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Hey, Jay. One last thing, Gaby Dawson, is she the same Gaby you had that thing with a couple years back?"
"Uh huh."
"Does Antonio know?"
"No. And don't you dare tell him!"
"Scared?"
"Jes, he's a boxer. He'd be able to beat me to a pulp. He already wants to spar with me at the gym, what do you think he'll do if he finds out I slept with his sister?"
Now everything made sense. "Alright big brother. My lips are sealed."
"I gotta go Jes. I love you."
"I love you too Jay."
"Pass me back to Antonio, and you'd better listen to him."
"Yes sir." She looked around. "Antonio?"
"Coming." His distant voice replied. He poked his head in. "You need something?"
"Jay wants to talk to you." She held out his cell phone. "Where's the bathroom?"
"Down the hall. Second door on the right." He pointed in the general direction.
"Thank you." She left to let them talk so she could splash some cold water on her face.
"Antonio?"
"Yeah, Jay. I'm here." He was unsure of what more needed to be said.
"She'll be safe tomorrow?"
"Matt and Gaby are coming while I'm at work. They know she's never to be left alone."
"Good. Thanks again, man."
"You took a bullet for Gaby and saved Molly's from being burned to the ground. I owe."
"Alright, well make sure she gets some sleep and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Don't worry Jay, she's safe here." He ended the call. He'd never reveal to either of them that he had overheard the majority of their conversation. He walked out into the hallway, only to crash into Jes, who was coming back from the bathroom. "Oh my God. I'm sorry Jes."
She laughed. "It's okay." She flushed red. "I wasn't really watching where I was going." She couldn't help but notice how strong his arms were or how hard his body was. She had to remind herself that he was Jay's friend. He was off-limits.
"Well, Gaby and Matt will be by to stay with you while I go to the District and try to help end this."
"Oh, okay. Uh, do you mind if I cook?"
Antonio looked at her. "Kind of an odd question."
"I bake or cook when I'm stressed."
"Ah. Sure, you may need to go shopping, but Matt and Gaby will be able to help you with that."
"You don't have groceries?" Jes then realized how stupid that sounded.
"Since Laura took Eva and Diego, I've been eating out a lot, or Gaby will bring me some meals."
"Oh." She pondered that for a minute. "They didn't trust you to cook?"
"Something like that. I can cook, it's just with my hours, it's hard to be home on time to cook healthy meals. However, I did hear Ruzek and Atwater raving about the lunch you brought in the other day."
"You didn't get any?"
He shook his head. "I was out meeting with an informant."
"Oh. Well, if it's okay with you, I can make supper tomorrow night."
"I'd like that. You should maybe get some sleep. The grand tour can wait until tomorrow morning."
"Thank you again. I know you probably didn't have babysitting on your agenda."
He smiled. "It's really no trouble. Have a good night, well as good as possible. If you need anything, I'm at the end of the hall. Don't hesitate. Nothing is too small." He turned to leave.
Jes couldn't help herself. She saw how low his CPD sweats sat on his hips. He was a very good-looking man. She wasn't sure if he knew she was staring, but he left the room and padded down the hall. She shook her head. "Snap out of it Jes!" She scolded herself quietly so Antonio wouldn't hear her. "He's going through a lot and you've got a target on your back. Not to mention he's Jay's best friend." She went through her bag and grabbed her nightshirt. She shut the door and began to change. It was weird to be doing this in a stranger's house, but at the same time it felt as if she'd known Antonio for longer than two days. She crawled under the blankets and lay down. A thousand thoughts were passing through her head; most of them were about Antonio. He was stuck in her brain and while she knew it was wrong, it felt so goddamn right.
Antonio was going over everything that had happened. Even though every second thought was about the young woman down the hall. She was gorgeous and had a great personality. Then that thought led to 'She's your best friend's sister and she's also about 10 years younger than you. There's no way a girl…' No, wait. She wasn't a girl. 'Woman' he corrected himself. 'There's no way a woman like her would want to be with someone as old as me and that has kids half her age.' Suddenly, all the thoughts and feelings overwhelmed him. "Fuck!" He growled. He stripped and got into the shower, setting the water to ice cold. After standing under the frigid jets for about 10-15 minutes, he turned off the water and towelled off. He pulled on his sweats and hopped into his empty bed. Sleep came, but it certainly wasn't restful.
Antonio awoke to the sound of crashing coming from the kitchen. He grabbed his sidearm from his bedside table. He wasn't sure of what was going on, but he knew he was still supposed to be protecting Jes. He needed to check on her. He walked to the guest room. The door was closed and the light was off. 'She must still be asleep.' He thought. Who on Earth could be in his house? He was certainly on edge. He rounded the corner to hear muttering.
"Calice de tabernak! Qui range leur frigo comme ça? C'est un dégas!"
He didn't understand a word of what was being said but he knew damn well there was someone in his kitchen.
"Que peux-je faire avec ce dégas?"
"CPD FREEZE!" He shouted as he entered the kitchen, gun drawn.
"AH!" A dozen eggs went flying from the fridge as Antonio came face-to-face with a clearly terrified Jeslyn. "Jes?" He asked.
"OH MY GOD!" Jes shrieked as she saw the gun pointed at her.
Antonio looked at his hand. "I'm so sorry." He put the gun on the counter. "What are you doing in here?" It was then that he saw the clock on the wall. "It's 5:30."
"Jay gets up around this time. I get up with him and make him breakfast."
Antonio's heart ached for her. She'd just started a new routine with Jay and she didn't want it to stop. "I didn't know. I'm sorry. Do you need any help?"
She looked at the puddle of eggs. "Uh, you got a mop?"
He laughed. "I'll get it. There should be more eggs in the fridge." He went to go get the mop.
She found the other dozen eggs that Antonio had mentioned. As she closed the fridge, Antonio returned mop in hand. Antonio cleaned up the mess while Jes waited patiently.
"I'm really sorry for pulling the gun on you. I thought you were still sleeping."
She cracked a small smile. "No, I just… It's fine. I didn't mean to wake you."
His alarm began to sound from his bedroom. "I would've been getting up anyway. I'll be right back." He grabbed his side arm and went to turn off the alarm. Jes couldn't help but stare. His sweatpants hung precariously low on his hips and his shirtless body was tantalizing. He was hot. There was no way Jes could deny it. She hoped she wasn't drooling when he came back. She turned to continue looking for ingredients to make breakfast. Antonio hadn't been lying when he said he didn't have much in the pantry.
"Finding everything alright?"
Jes jumped again. "Jesus Christ!" Luckily, the eggs were safe on the counter. "What is it with you Intelligence guys? Are you all secretly mice?"
"Not that I know of." He cocked his head to the side and gave her a goofy grin. "Sorry. Part of being a Marine is moving with stealth, plus if we made a bunch of noise the bad guys would hear us coming a mile away."
"You served too?"
"Most guys in Intelligence have in some way."
"Huh. Interesting. So I was going to make apple cinnamon pancakes…"
"But, I don't have the right stuff?" Antonio finished.
She nodded. "I don't want to be that annoying house guest, but I'd really like to go shopping." She was starting to see a pattern here. "I'll pay, since I'm basically a pain in the ass."
Antonio laughed. "It's no problem. I'll ask Gaby and Matt to take you." He looked at the time. "I've gotta change and get ready for work. Be right back."
Jes turned away and got some of the necessary ingredients for French toast. At least, there was enough food in the Dawson house to make that basic dish. She was so focused on the French toast, that she didn't hear Antonio come back into the kitchen.
He took the time to fully observe Jes. She was about 5'5" with curves in all the right places. Her long ebony hair was pulled into a high, messy ponytail. Her long nightshirt lifted a little as she reached for plates. He saw the brief outline of her underwear. The purple lace popped against her tanned thighs. He had to look away as his mind wandered to places that were really inappropriate for him to be with his best friend's little sister. When he turned back, she was humming a catchy tune while wiggling her very round behind. He told himself to pull it together, that she was Jay's sister. He tried to remind himself that he was still technically married, even though it had been over two months since Laura had taken off with Eva and Diego. Part of him played into that, reminding him that he was still a man and had needs. While his conscience passed between the angel and the devil, Jes tried tapping him on the shoulder.
"Antonio?" She asked.
He snapped out of his internal conflict. "Yeah?"
Her glasses were on the tip of her nose. She pushed them up. They framed her face beautifully and made her hazel eyes pop. He hadn't noticed her glasses before. She must wear contacts during the day. "Everything okay?" She asked as she pushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen loose.
"Yeah. Sorry. Spaced out." He looked at the counter. "Smells heavenly."
"Do you have time to eat… before you know?" She offered him a fork.
Antonio looked at his watch. He did have time before shift, but it would mean that he'd miss his daily boxing workout. 'She's totally worth it.' His subconscious argued. "Sure thing. I'd love that."
"Here you go." She sat on the stool across from him. "I, uh, couldn't find anything other than chocolate ice cream topper to put with it."
Antonio couldn't restrain himself. He laughed hard. He knew that he needed to fill that pantry. "Chocolate French toast sounds good to me. I, uh, I guess I really do need more groceries, don't I?"
Jes' mouth was full so she nodded in agreement.
"Gaby said she'll take you once she and Matt get here."
"I'm really sorry about being such a pain."
"Hey." He took her hand. "None of this is your fault. It sucks, but I PROMISE to be a good host and take good care of you."
Jes blushed. "Thank you." She reached to wipe away a smudge of chocolate sauce from his cheek.
The instant her finger touched his skin they both felt a shock. They both jumped. "Wow!" Antonio exclaimed. They broke into a fit of laughter. "Who knew French toast could be so electrifying?"
Jes nodded sheepishly.
Antonio finished his plate and asked if Jes was done. She nodded again, licking a little of the chocolate sauce off her fingers. He collected the dishes and put them in the sink. "Don't worry about doing the dishes. I'll do them when I come back."
"But… But…"
He put his hand up to stop her. "No 'buts'. In my house, the cook never cleans."
"Nice rule."
"That's always translated to 'I'm the dishwasher'." He grinned.
She looked around the kitchen. "Why don't you actually use the dishwasher?"
"I do. If I actually have a full load to do, but…" He let the sentence trail off.
Jes knew what he meant. He didn't really have full loads to do since his family was gone. "Do you cook?" She changed the subject, since he had mentioned it last night.
"Some. I was never really 'allowed' in the kitchen but I can grill like nobody's business."
She smiled. "See I cook and bake but can't grill a steak to save my life."
"Jay never taught you?" When she shook her head, he added. "I'll teach you some time."
"I'll hold you to that Detective."
Antonio loved the way she said 'Detective'. He looked at the clock. "I gotta run. Gaby and Matt will be here soon. See ya after shift." He leaned in and kissed her cheek.
Jeslyn's face burned.
"Sorry. Uh, old habit." Antonio grabbed his bag and headed out. He met Gaby and Matt at the door. "She's just getting ready."
"What's with the smile bro?" Gaby lightly punched his arm.
"Nothing."
"Even I can tell you're lying." Matt jumped in. "And I didn't grow up with you."
Antonio looked at the ground. "She made breakfast, and well, it's just nice to have someone in the house." He jogged to his car. "I'll see you guys after shift. Thanks."
Matt turned to Gaby as Antonio pulled out of the driveway. "That was weird right?"
She shrugged and headed into the house. "Jes? It's Gaby."
"I'm just getting changed. I'll be about 5 minutes."
"Don't rush. We'll wait. There really isn't any rush."
Matt and Gaby sat in the kitchen and began discussing Antonio's odd behaviour. Jes walked in and overheard them saying that it was possible that Antonio was moving on and how it was a good thing. She wiped the surprised look from her face and made her presence known.
"Hey! You ready to go?" Gaby was unsure of how much Jes had heard of their conversation.
Jes nodded. "I made a list, but um, I was wondering, if maybe, you know. Maybe you could help me make a traditional Dominican dish, you know, like paella? For supper tonight?" She added hastily. "To thank Antonio, for all of this."
Matt shot Gaby a look she knew all to well and he headed to his truck.
"Sure, but Antonio's allergic to shellfish, so I wouldn't make paella."
"Oh." Jes realized it was something they had in common. "What would you recommend then?"
Gaby smiled. She had a plan now. "I'll teach you my mom's recipe for arroz con pollo picante."
"Spicy chicken and rice?"
"You speak Spanish?" Gaby was surprised.
"Not really. I speak French and some of the words in Spanish sound the same."
"Cool. Yeah. That dish is one of his all-time favourites."
"Thanks. I really want to thank him for everything that he's done for Jay and what he's doing for me. Now."
'I think they're interested in each other.' Gaby thought. 'I can work with that.' She knew Antonio deserved to be happy again. While she completely understood why Laura left, she thought it was a low blow to up and leave without any warning. The fact that she took Eva and Diego made it that much harder on him. His children were his life. He would lay his life down to keep them safe. "It's who Antonio is. Jay is like family to him, so that makes you family too."
The two left arm in arm to join Matt in the truck. Soon they were off on a shopping adventure that would eventually lead to big changes in everyone's life.
Some time later…
Laughter rang out from the kitchen as Gaby showed Jeslyn the simple, yet complicated family recipe for arroz con pollo picante. Matt was going over his reno plans for Jes' new house. There weren't any major issues with it; most of the work was for aesthetic reasons. He jumped when Gaby wrapped her arms around him. "I thought you were in the kitchen playing Master Chef?"
"Jes had got it. She's a quick study. How's it going out here?"
Matt shrugged. "It's pretty straight forward. Once this craziness dies down, it'll take about 2 days to adjust these details. It'll be perfect for her."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Matt turned to face her. She had a mischievous look on her face. "I think I do. Do you think it would work?"
"Why not? It's so obvious she's good for him! I haven't seen him smile like that in months."
"What about her?"
"She's into him. It's so obvious. You saw her while we were shopping. I don't think this is just is about a thank you. She's clearly trying to impress him."
"Hmm." Matt put the reno plans away. "Think they'll clue into all this on their own, or will they need help?"
"Help. Definitely." Gaby grinned. "I'll come up with a plan."
"What if Laura comes back?"
"Highly unlikely. Eva texted me. She told me that Laura's been 'going out' since last weekend."
"Tread carefully Gaby. I don't want this blowing up in our faces if this doesn't work."
"Why wouldn't it? They both deserve to be happy."
"What about Jay?"
Gaby cocked her head to the side. "What about him?"
"Do you honestly think he'd want his little sister dating a cop?" He added. "A cop who's also a close friend and a partner?"
She hadn't thought about it. "It shouldn't matter. They're both adults. Jay can't control who she dates."
"He thinks he can." Jes' voice surprised Matt and Gaby.
"How much did you overhear?" Matt questioned.
"Just that last bit." Jes' face was a deep crimson. "Jay does think he can tell me who I can and can't date."
"That's ridiculous!" Gaby exclaimed. "You're not a teenager."
"Even then." Matt pointed out.
"Well, according to him, I can date cops, or firefighters, or paramedics because the job is too dangerous."
"Bullshit!" Gaby was pissed. "He's basically dating his partner."
"I know." Jes pushed her hair behind her ear. "I also explained that unless a guy never leaves his house, no job is ever 100% safe."
"Good for you!" Gaby high-fived her. "How's everything in the kitchen?"
"Good. How long before it's ready?"
"It'll be ready for when Antonio gets back."
"Will you guys be staying for supper?"
Matt shook his head. "We have plans already, but thanks. By the way, that dish is addicting."
Half an hour later…
Antonio pulled into the driveway. He was physically and emotionally drained. This Bembenek think was all too much. Jay was at his wits end and Antonio didn't blame him. He still remembered what it was like when Diego had been kidnapped. He got out of the car and stretched. He took a deep breath and caught a whiff of something familiar coming from the house. He walked to the door, not wanting to scare anyone, rang the bell before walking in. "Hey. I'm home."
"Just in time for supper." Gaby hugged her big brother.
"You guys not staying?" Antonio looked to Matt.
"Nah. We made plans for tonight." Matt shook his future brother-in-law's hand.
"Just enjoy dinner and have fun." Gaby kissed his cheek and bolted out the door.
Antonio was stumped. He scratched his head and made a mental note to talk to Gaby later. "Jeslyn?"
"I'm in the kitchen!" She called back.
Antonio quickly put his coat away and followed his nose to the kitchen. "Smells divine. What's cooking?" It smelled really familiar.
"Gaby taught me your family's recipe for arroz con pollo picante."
He was surprised at how flawlessly she pronounced it. "Uh huh." He lifted the lid. "Looks ready. You ready to eat?"
"Just finishing this salad and we're good to go."
Antonio took to setting the table and they sat to eat their meal.
Bedtime (about 11pm)
Antonio had let Jes go to soak in the tub in the ensuite, so he set to doing the dishes. He had to admit that Jes was one hell of a cook. He was also impressed at how driven and mature she was. Despite only being 25, she wanted to start a youth centre in the 21st District to get the at-risk youth off the street. She only needed enough money to get it off the ground. He'd talk to Platt about seeing what the District could do to help and Voight to see if he could help. He'd also ask Gaby to check with Firehouse 51. As first responders, they knew how many people could be saved by a place for teens to go to just to hang out or learn life skills that would better their lives. He was drying the dishes when he began to think as to why Gaby had been in such a hurry to leave. She'd taught Jes his favourite dish and how to make it like their mom did. Was she trying to set him up with Jes? He shook his head. While Jes was beautiful and spirited, she was off limits. He also couldn't forget that he'd been married once before, was still legally married. He had two children. That was a lot of baggage to bring into a new relationship. Jay would kill anyone who'd hurt Jes, even if that person were one of Jay's closest friends. He remembered the conversation Jay had had with Jes earlier. He hadn't meant to overhear it but Jay had made it clear. He'd also made it clear in the bullpen earlier today when Ruzek cracked a joke about setting Jes up with Roman. Jes wasn't going to date a cop. Antonio knew however that Jes wasn't about to let her big brother dictate whom she could and couldn't date. He sighed. He wasn't sure of what all to make of this, so he finished putting the dishes away and left a note on the counter for Jes. "Gone to basement." He wrote. He needed to work out some of his frustrations, so his punching bag would have to suffice.
Jes was enjoying the warmth of the Jacuzzi and pondered the day's events. Shopping with Gaby and Matt had been fun. She'd learned a lot about how things worked in Chicago now compared to when she came over a decade ago. She then thought about dinner with Antonio. That meal had been different than those she'd had with Jay or any other of her friends back in Canada. It felt almost like a date. Almost. Not that she'd been on a date in years. She sighed. She couldn't deny that Antonio was attractive. He was hot, sexy. It was that simple. Just thinking about him made her body react in way that it hadn't reacted in a long time. She tried to clear her mind of him, but the image of him with his sweats hanging off his hips wouldn't leave her mind. She got out of the Jacuzzi and towelled off. She threw on her nightshirt and went in search of her Dominican bodyguard. He wasn't in the living room or in the kitchen, but there was a note for her on the counter. She headed to the basement. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she could hear punches landing hard on a punching bag. She could also hear him muttering in what she could only assume was Spanish.
"Tanto…" Another punch landed. The chain holding the bag rattled. "Que me gusta…" His punches landed harder between each part of what he was saying. "Esa tipa… Pero… Es… La Hermana… de Jay… y no… puedo… marcharie… Qué vaina… Carajo!" The last punch landed with a loud grunt of frustration.
She wasn't sure what he was saying but she was sure it had something to do with Jay. She cleared her throat.
Antonio swung around. His body was dripping with sweat; his boxing shorts were slung low on his trim hips. Jes bit her lip. "Hey, everything okay?" He took off his gloves.
"Oh. Yeah. Thanks for letting me use your Jacuzzi. It helped relieve a lot of stress."
"Anytime."
"Did Jay do something to piss you off?"
"No, why?" Antonio was taken aback. He wiped his face with the towel that had been on the bench next to him.
"You were saying his name when you were beating the shit out of that bag."
Antonio had been unaware that Jes had overheard him. He didn't want her to know that he was taking his anger of him having feelings for her out on the punching bag, so he lied. "It was about this whole situation. Your brother is one of my closest friends. I don't like what's going on right now."
"Uh huh." Jes didn't buy it. She knew that 'hermana' meant sister in Spanish, but she didn't say anything. "I'm getting ready to hit the hay. Did you need anything?"
Antonio shook his head as he took a drink from his water bottle.
"Okay, well, I'll see you in the morning." She turned to leave.
"Good night Jes. Thanks again for supper."
She turned back. "It really wasn't a problem. It was nice… to… uh yeah." She could feel her cheeks burn. A blind man could she how she felt, but she still prayed that Antonio was oblivious.
He smiled. "Go, get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning. Hopefully we can get your life back to normal soon."
With that Jes headed back to her room. She was asleep instantly. Antonio took a quick shower and went to lie down. He was just dozing off as a blood-curdling scream came from down the hall.
Well, there you have it! I'm working on Chapter 4. It may take time to get it up. Please be patient. It'll all be worth it! Love you all! Please r & r!
