A/N – Thanks for the reviews especially to those who take a minute every day to respond. It really means a lot to me! Well, it's not going to get any easier on their own. You'll see why.
Chapter 9 – Underground
Liz looked at Jason warily but finally walked down the steps. He followed making sure the hatch door was secure.
Liz waited at the bottom and Jason opened another box and put his thumb on the screen.
A door slid open and lights flickered on in a huge room. Liz followed Jason inside. "What is this place?"
Jason looked over at her. "If I tell you, then I'll have to kill you."
Liz shook her head and smiled. She looked around. There was a small kitchen with a door that she guessed was a pantry. There was a desk with a computer and a couch and television.
"Follow me." Jason said walking towards a door. He opened it and stepped inside a room. He flicked on a light and it was a bedroom. "I'll either sleep on the couch, or we'll share the bed."
Ripping off the shirt he borrowed, he tossed it into a trashcan and then opened a drawer and pulled out a black t-shirt. "The bathroom is in there and I believe there are some clothes in the closet and the other dresser. I have no idea how fashionable they are but have at it."
Liz nodded. She would never get tired of looking at his body. She followed him back into the living area and sat down on the couch. "How long do we stay here?"
Jason shrugged. "I'm not sure. It could be anywhere from a few days to a month."
Liz sighed. Her life had taken a strange turn; one that she couldn't have predicted.
"I'm sorry that you were dragged into all of this. I know you probably miss your routine." Jason said leaning against the wall.
"I'll live." She said rubbing her hand.
The truth was that she didn't even want to think of a routine without him. She was used to his company.
Jason noticed that she was favoring her hand and moved over to her. "Let me see."
"It's nothing." She said feeling a little bit embarrassed.
Jason held out his hand.
"You're really stubborn aren't you?" She asked smiling.
Jason nodded. "You need some ice." He said letting her hand go and walking to the kitchen. He grabbed some paper towels and placed them into a dishtowel and then got some ice from the freezer before walking back towards her. "Here, keep that on there for a while."
Liz nodded. She didn't realize that she had hit Ava so hard. Her knuckles were swollen and sore.
Jason sat next to her and laid his head back against the cushions. Closing his eyes, he let out a big breath and put his feet up on the coffee table.
Liz smiled and grabbed the remote. She turned on the television and started watching a talk show. But all she could think of was if she was brave enough to sleep next to Jason.
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Maxie and John walked into Sonny's house. "What's going on?" John asked.
Sonny filled them in and when he finished John frowned. "Aren't you going to need Jason to help fight them?"
Sonny shrugged. "I don't have a choice. Right now, we have the leverage."
Johnny walked inside. "Hey." He said to John. "Cody was just on the docks talking to Milo. They noticed someone was listening to their conversation, so they said they didn't know where Jason was and that we think that Ava moved him."
Sonny smiled. "Good. Let's hope they believe it."
"Jason didn't look like he was 100%. I'm not sure what is going on, but I told him that I'd call him tonight."
Sonny nodded. "Make sure he stays put. We can't afford to screw this up."
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Ava called her brother. "I just got word that Jason is missing. Two of his guys were talking and said they think that we moved them before they could get to them."
"Interesting." Julian said. "I'm just not sure that I buy it."
"Well, there's one way to find out."
Julian nodded. "Tomorrow morning is going to be very interesting. Did you poison Jason like I asked you too?"
"A little. He only had one meal. I don't think it was enough to kill him but he's going to be in an awful lot of pain for the next 24 hours."
Julian grinned. "Good, maybe she'll panic and try to get help."
"I like how you think. If we can find them, we'll get the upper hand back. I've got a lot of people out there looking."
"Get back to me when you get something."
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The satellite phone rang and Jason sat up and grabbed. "Hello." He said rubbing his eyes.
"It's Johnny. You okay man?"
Jason stood up. "I don't know. I'm just really achy."
Johnny frowned. "I hope they didn't do something bad to you so you weren't a threat."
"I know. Fill me in on what's been going on." Jason said changing the subject.
Johnny let him know what Ava wants and they discussed some strategy. It was hard for Jason to be on the sidelines.
"Get some rest. I'll call you in the morning." Johnny said ending the call. He was worried. Jason didn't sound like himself at all.
Liz watched Jason carefully. Something was wrong. She put her hand over his head. "Jason, tell me what you are feeling."
"I don't know. I'm achy and everything hurts. I just feel like I'm cramping everywhere." Jason said sucking in a breath as a sharp pain went up his leg.
Liz led him into the bedroom. "Lay down." She said softly.
Jason did and Liz took off his shoes and sat next to him. He fell into a troubled sleep. Liz watched his muscles jerk and he had started to sweat. She grabbed a washcloth and tried to cool him down.
Jason started thrashing and Liz backed away from him. He suddenly jerked into a sitting position; panting loudly.
Liz moved towards him. "This needs to come off." She said starting to lift up his shirt. Jason lifted his arms up as she pulled it off. She wiped him down again. "Jason, whatever they did to you, you need to fight it. I have a feeling this is going to get worse before it gets better."
He could barely make out her face and her words were barely discernible. He fell back onto the bed as his body tensed up and all his muscles contracted. He yelled and thrashed until it finally subsided.
Liz was in tears. She didn't know what to do.
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Ava sat across from Julian. "The neurotoxin should be coursing its way through Jason's body as we speak.
Julian took a bite of his steak and grinned. "Someone is going to have a really shitty night."
"I wish he would have ingested more. He might have blown apart our entire plan." Ava said taking a sip of wine.
"And whose fault is that?" Julian said staring at her.
Ava rolled her eyes. She touched her face which was still swollen. Her neck hurt and she still had a headache. If she got her hands on Emily again, she would kill the bitch.
"Such a nasty face you're making." Julian said smirking. His sister didn't take getting her ass kicked very lightly.
"I always get the last laugh. You should know that by now." She said smiling. "Emily well get hers in the end."
Julian drank some wine and studied her. In a way, he hated it when she was in revenge mode. She always seemed to end up doing something stupid and he had to pick up the pieces. "Just be careful, we can't afford any more mistakes."
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Liz was exhausted. Jason seemed to go into convulsions every half hour. They would last for up to 10 minutes and then he'd pass back out. She had never seen anything like it. The only good thing is that he was sweating a lot and Liz hoped that would help expel the drug faster.
He opened his eyes half way and looked up at her. "Can't do this." He said weakly.
Liz's eyes filled with tears. She knew it must be bad if Jason said something like that. "Jason, you have to hold on. Please don't give up."
"Tired." He said closing his eyes.
She wiped him down. "I know. I'm so sorry. Please fight."
She watched him go through another convulsion and her heart ached for him. There was nothing that she could do to help him. All night she watched him go in and out of consciousness and finally around 7:00 a.m., he settled and she finally got some sleep.
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Julian stared at Sonny as he walked through the warehouse doors with Alan. "Welcome." He said smiling.
Sonny and Alan sat down at the table and said nothing. Alan was scared to death that at any minute, bullets would be flying around his head.
"So, I take it that both of you decided to pay up and shut up?" Julian said grinning.
"Where's your bitch of a sister?" Sonny asked.
Ava strolled into the room. "I'm right here." She said smirking.
Sonny looked at her in disgust.
Ava ran her hand across Sonny's back before walking around the table and sitting next to Julian. She smiled smugly at the two men.
"Where are my contracts?" Julian asked.
Sonny grinned. "I have something to show you first."
