I know, I know. I'm sorry. I kind of dropped off the face of the Earth there for a while. I have a good reason though. I promise. I am the caretaker for my elderly grandfather (he's 86) and he had surgery and has had a hard time recovering. That has taken up almost all of my free time. He is getting better now though and that is why I finally have another chapter here. And it's a super long one too. I hope you enjoy!
"What the hell are you thinking, Clary?" Sebastian says almost angrily. "Let's get you out of here before he finds out who you are. By the lack of shock on yours when he said his name, you already knew who he was."
Clary looks up to him and starts to say his name when he starts talking again. "I don't give a shit what your father has gotten you into. He always talked about infiltrating the Herondales but I never thought he would use you to do it. It's too dangerous, Clary. Come on."
Sebastian reaches down and grabs her upper arm and tries to pull her out of the alcove. She stays put and uses her other hand to pull his hand from around her arm. "Stop Sebastian." she tells him firmly.
He looks down at her with a surprised look on his face and furrows his brows. "What?" he asks her.
She brings one hand up and briefly pinches the bridge of her nose when she sees movement from the corner of her eye. She looks up and sees Jace's bodyguard looking over at her with a question in his eyes. His hand is hovering over his waist where his gun is and she shakes her head at him and he puts his hand back by his side. His eyes stay tense and steady on them as she looks back up to Sebastian. "Who's that?" he asks her.
"That is one of Jace's body guards." she explains to him.
"What the hell is going on here?" he says in an accusatory tone as he glances back over at the bodyguard before turning back to Clary and training his eyes on her.
She feels the full intensity of his stare and then closes her eyes. This is not how she wanted him to find out who she is dating. He already knew that she was dating someone, partly because of the photo she accidentally sent him and partly from her mother telling him, but she didn't want to be the one to tell him exactly who she was dating. "Jace, Jonathan Herondale, is my boyfriend." she says as she opens her eyes back up and looks at him. "And my father has nothing to do with me being with him."
Sebastian starts to shake his head back and forth gently as he still looks confused. "I still don't understand. Your mother said you were already dating someone else. It couldn't possibly be him. Your father would never allow it if he didn't set it up so you could infiltrate them."
"My parents didn't know who I was dating. Hell, I didn't either." she says exasperatedly. "I had no clue who he was when we met and started dating."
"I don't believe that he doesn't know who you are for a second." Sebastian says almost angrily. "The Herondales are all fucking snakes and liars. He is probably just with you so he can get to your father." Sebastian straightens up a little then and huffs out a humorless laugh. "And what do you think is going to happen when your father finds out who you are with? What do you think Jonathan Herondale will do when he finds out who you are? Huh? He will kill you."
"Sebastian." Clary says sternly and with force. "Just stop." She waits for him to close his mouth and makes sure he is listening before she speaks. "He knows who I am." she says flatly. "And my parents and his know that we are together."
His face first goes from surprise to shock and then to either anger or fierce concern. She couldn't be sure.
He then reaches both of his hands out and places them on the tops of both of her arms and grabs hold of them. He dips his head down to directly in front of hers and looks straight into her eyes. "Are you insane, Clary? It will never work out. And when it doesn't, the relationship, if that's what you could call it, between your two families will get infinitely worse. This is the dumbest thing you have ever done." His grip tightens on her arms and she narrows her eyes at him and starts to squirm a little. "I love you, Clary. Why can't you see that? Why are you running around with Jonathan Herondale?"
"Let go of me, Sebastian." she says harshly to him through her now clenched teeth. "I don't need you telling me what you think about my life and the decisions I make along with everyone else."
He doesn't let go of her and says with finality, "Come on. I am taking you home."
"Let go of her." Clary hears a deeply dangerous voice say close by her. She turns her head and sees that Jace is coming up beside her and his face is a mask of rage. His eyes are trained on his hands that are gripping her upper arms tightly and there is a vein pulsing in his neck that shows just how angry he is. "Now." he says reiterating his statement and his left hand starts to drift towards the knife that he keeps in his pocket.
Clary looks back up to Sebastian and sees that his face is a similar sort of blistering angry that Jace's is. She sort of expected him to cower away a little but instead, he met Jace's eyes with the same intensity that Jace had in his eyes. Sebastian slowly lets go of Clary's arms and Jace slides his arm around her waist and pulls her to him and a little behind his side in a sort of protective stance. "It's okay, Jace." she says to him trying to diffuse the very tense situation. "Sebastian was just concerned for me."
"Well he should mind his own fucking business and keep his fucking hands to himself if he wants to keep them." Jace says while looking directly into his eyes.
Even though the look Jace is giving Sebastian is enough to make Clary cringe away in fear, Sebastian surprisingly stands his ground and doesn't budge while keeping his eyes on him. "I swear to God, you piece of shit..." Sebastian starts to say when Jordan shows up behind him.
"It's time for you to let this go." Jordan says to Sebastian and places his hand on his shoulder in a sort of hard yet calming way. "Your boss is watching."
Clary then steals a glance over her shoulder at his boss and sure enough, he is watching the exchange with a worried look on his face. She looks back to Sebastian and steps out from behind Jace and reaches up on the tips of her toes. She gently places a kiss on Sebastian's cheek and he seems to snap out of the death glare that he was still giving Jace and look down to her as she lowers herself back onto the floor. His face quickly warps from anger to concern as his eyes meet hers. Before he can say anything, she turns and grabs Jace's hand and starts to walk away. She has to grip his hand as tight as she can and almost doesn't get him to move until she tugs on him a little.
By the time they reach their table in the back corner of the restaurant, she can feel in his grip that he has barely relaxed. She lets go of his hand to pull out her chair to sit down but Jace seems to snap out of it and hurries over to pull it out for her. He then takes his seat and looks back over to where Sebastian's table is. She follows his eyes and sees that Sebastian has barely regained his composure as he glares over at them and sits down at his table.
Just then, their waiter shows up and smiles warmly at them. "I'd like to have a partition put up." Jace says to him before he can ask them if they would like anything to drink. "I want to be away from prying eyes."
"Yes, sir." the waiter says quickly. "I'll have them set that up for you right away." He turns around and disappears quickly. When she looks back at Jace, he is looking at her. "I really want to kill him right now." Jace says seriously and Clary reaches across the small table and grabs his fist that is clenched while resting on top of the table. "Babe." she says gaining his attention. "He was only concerned about me. He asked me to marry him a little over a week ago, remember? He would never really hurt me."
"That's not what it looked like when he was grabbing your arms...which are red from his hands." His eyes look pointedly to the tops of her arms and she looks down to see that he is right. There are red hand marks around the tops of her arms from where Sebastian had gripped her.
"This is nothing, Jace." she tells him and rubs her arms. "I'm fair skinned. All you have to do is brush against me and my skin gets all red."
"That doesn't make me feel any better. Every time I look at you, all I see are those marks." he says through his tightly clenched teeth.
"Jace. You should know now that I am very capable of handling people like him myself." she tells him in a reassuring manor. "Sometimes I think you forget who I am. My father had me take mixed martial arts classes all throughout my childhood and into my late teens. Why do you think my father's men are scared of me?" she asks him with a coy smile. He seems to be relaxing a little so she continues. "I used to practice on all of them. My father only let me stop taking classes when I consistently took his best men down over and over again. It's not just my name they are afraid of." Clary gives him a knowing smile and he can't help but smile back at her a little. "I promise, babe. I am perfectly fine." she reassures him.
"Okay. But if he ever touches you again..." Jace says but Clary cuts him off.
"Then I will take care of it and then my father will want to get in on the action."
"I don't want to be third in line to kick his ass." Jace says with a small pout. "It takes all the fun out of it if he is already been beaten down repeatedly."
Clary lets out a small laugh and then laces her fingers in his where his hand has relaxed out of the tight fist it was making. "Maybe you could get him like a couple of weeks after the first two beatings. You know, when he isn't expecting it."
Jace gives her a coy smile that reaches all of the way to his eyes and says, "I like the way you think." and then leans across the small table. His free hand snakes into the hair at the nape of her neck and his fingers pull her toward him. Their lips connect and he feels that tingly sensation all over him that he feels when they kiss. Her lips are soft and gentle yet commanding as they slide against his. She pulls back a little and he opens his eyes to find hers looking right into his with that look of pure love that he has come to recognize.
His kiss has it's desired effect as Clary's eyes cut over to where Sebastian is. He follows her eyes and sees Sebastian glaring daggers at him and he can't help himself. He smiles slyly to Sebastian whose face immediately turns red with anger and then leans forward to kiss her on the cheek and runs his fingers down her neck like he knows she loves. Her body reacts and she shivers a little with desire before looking back to him. "You shouldn't do that to me in public." she says with warning to him.
"And why is that?" he asks with a devious smile, already knowing the answer.
"You know why." she says lowly.
"No. I'm not sure I do." he replies playfully.
She rolls her eyes but there is a smile on her lips. "Because that turns me on so much."
"Well I knew that." Jace says knowingly. "I just fail to see why me turning you on would be a problem."
"It's a problem because it makes me want to jump your bones in the middle of a crowded restaurant."
"Once again, I fail to see how that is a problem." he says deviously and she smiles and gives him a small laugh just when the two waiters show up with a folding partition. They quickly stretch it out and it closes them into their own little world in the far corner of the restaurant. He waves the waiters away when they are done and then leans back into her. He can never seem to get enough of her. They kiss for a while and when she finally pulls back, her cheeks are flushed. The color makes her eyes stand out even more than they usually do and it somehow makes her even more beautiful. "You are so incredibly beautiful." he murmurs without even thinking.
Her blush deepens and she looks down at her hands for a moment while tucking some hair behind her ear before looking back up at him. "Thanks." she tells him just as the waiter peeks around the partition. "Are you ready to order?" he nervously asks them.
Clary looks like she is about to say no as she reaches for her menu but Jace quickly says "Yes." When Clary looks up at him in question, he says, "You trust me, right?" She gives him a nod and he looks back up to the waiter and orders two Alaskan caught halibut with crumbled goat cheese on top. She furrows her brows at him and he chuckles a little just as the waiter turns and leaves.
"Seriously?" she asks him once he is gone. "That sounds...not so good."
"Trust me." he says a little seriously. "I promise that although it sounds like an odd combination that couldn't possibly be anything but gross, it is actually insanely good."
She narrows her eyes at him for a moment before conceding. "Okay. I trust you. But if it's gross, I get to order the duck."
Jace's eyes go wide and he leans away from her as far as his chair will let him. "That's not fair. You know how I feel about ducks." he says seriously.
Clary smiles widely and lets out a loud laugh. "I think you made your feelings towards ducks very clear during our walk through the park three days ago." she says teasing him. "I mean, who the hell is afraid of ducks?!" She starts to laugh again and he narrows his eyes at her.
"I had a very traumatic experience with a rabid duck when I was five. He chased me until he caught me and then bit my butt so hard he drew blood."
"He probably wouldn't have if you hadn't been going through your 'naked phase'. I wondered why you were naked in that story. Now after talking to you mom, it all makes sense after she told me about your tendency to streak." she says through her laughs as a few tears spring free of her eyes. "I would give you everything out of my bank account to see that again."
"I'm glad you find that so funny." Jace says dryly and Clary detects the undertone of bitterness. She slows her laughter and then stands up and takes a small step around the table and opens Jace's arms. She wraps them around her waist and then places herself in his lap. "I'm sorry, babe." she tells him. "I didn't mean to laugh so much."
He looks sourly up at her with a small pout and she smiles at his upset face. Her hand comes up and she trails her finger across his cheek and then leans her head down and presses her lips against his. His lips are hesitant at first but he quickly melts into her. His arms tighten where she put them on her waist and their kiss becomes heated quickly. His tongue pushes into her mouth and she pushes hers into his and angles her body more into his. Her fingers dig into his hair and then someone clears their throat.
They break away from each other but Clary doesn't move from her spot on Jace's lap. "What is it?" she asks with a little annoyance clear in her voice. She looks up and sees that it is Jordan.
"Sebastian wants to speak with you." he tells her.
"No fucking way." Jace says as his hands that were grabbing her waist turn into fists.
"Now is not the best time." Clary says.
"I just want to apologize for grabbing you." she hears Sebastian's voice say from the other side of the partition.
She sighs heavily and then looks back to Jace. "Just let him say his peace and then we can get back to our night." she says quietly to him. He really looks like he wants to tell her 'no' but thinks better of it after a few seconds. He needs to let her handle her own business and he seems to understand this. He lets go of her waist and she bends down and kisses him one more time before standing and nodding her head to Jordan and Sebastian steps around the partition.
His eyes lock with hers and he seems to refuse to look at Jace. He steps closer to her and his eyes soften as he looks at her. "I'm sorry, Clary." he says quietly where only she can hear. "I shouldn't have grabbed you like that." His eyes involuntarily travel down to her arms and he sees the red marks that his hands left on her arms. His eyes turn remorseful and he seems to curse inwardly at himself by the look that crosses his face. "Shit, Clary. I really am sorry." he says again and he reaches his hand out to the red mark on her left arm unconsciously.
Before his fingers reach her, Clary steps back and Jordan steps forward and grabs his shoulder and pulls him back a little. "Would you stop, Jordan?" Sebastian says indignantly. "You know I'm not going to hurt her."
"Is that what you told yourself before you grabbed her and marked her up?" Jordan says in a snarky tone. Sebastian visibly flinches back and his eyes drop to the ground. Clary feels Jace's presence behind her before she feels his soft fingers rest over her shoulders and slide down her arms a little to smooth over the red areas there. "You said your peace, now leave." Jace says in a very serious tone. Sebastian finally looks at Jace and his eyes close off. He looks to Clary one last time with remorse and then turns and leaves.
"Fucking hell." Clary says as she turns around in Jace's arms when she can no longer see Sebastian. "That was unbelievably awkward."
"Now. Where were we?" Jace says in an effort to soothe Clary's mind. She smiles seductively at him while her hands start to slide up his chest and neck and her fingers dig into his hair on the back of his neck. "I think we were right about here..." she says and then pressed her lips against his.
The following morning...
Clary rolls out of bed and slides the black slacks and purple blouse on that she was wearing the day before and then turns around to see Jace watching her from his spot on the bed. "If I didn't have business to attend to today as well, then I don't think I could let you go." Jace says and then sticks out his bottom lip. She gives him a laugh before leaning over and kissing him passionately for a minute. When she starts to pull away, she has to reach around and unlock his hands from around her. He lets out a frustrated groan and she chuckles a little as she walks towards the door. "I'll be back after your dinner with Alec." she tells him as she grabs her bag from beside the bedroom door. "I hope that it goes well for you."
"Me too." he says seriously as he falls back onto the bed. "I don't want to have to cut him out of my personal life. It would be hard to keep our relationship professional after being so close all of these years."
"I know." Clary says as she turns to face him again. "I really have to go. I promise we can talk all about it later. Sorry."
"It's fine." he tells her. "Go before you get in trouble. I don't want to give your father another reason to hate me."
"I love you." she says with a soft smile as she backs out of the bed room.
"I love you more." he tells her with the same soft smile and hers gets bigger.
"Not possible." she murmurs before she disappears out of the room.
The moment he hears his front door shut, Jace jumps up and walks to his bathroom where he takes a long shower. When he is done, he makes his way to his closet where he quickly dresses in a suit and fixes his hair. On his way out of his door, he picks up his phone and hurriedly dials Aline. She is the person he calls when he wants to find out everything there is to know about someone. She picks up on the third ring with a "Well hello. I didn't think you would call me again for another 2 weeks like usual."
"This isn't about a potential hire." he tells her. Every month she investigates any potential hires and gives him updates on other people that he tells her to. "I want to know everything about a man named Sebastian Verlac. He is one of Valentine Morgenstern's men."
"Whoa." she says cautiously on the other end of the line. "You should go through your father when it comes to the Morgensterns. I don't want to get caught in the middle of anything."
"Don't worry Aline." he reassures her as he steps out of his penthouse. Max is back today and he gives him a tight smile as he leads the way to the elevator. "This is personal and has nothing to do with business."
"But if he is one of Morgenstern's guys, then isn't it a little of both?"
"No. This is purely personal." he tells her. "He is the ex-boyfriend of my girlfriend and I want to know everything. Down to when he lost his first tooth."
She sighs loudly into the phone and then says, "Alright. I'll do what I can. You know how tightly Valentine keeps his men under wraps, but I will find out everything I can."
"Thanks Aline." he says before he ends the call just as the elevator doors open up. Jace steps in followed by Max and when they reach the lobby, Max finally asks him, "What was that about?"
"Clary's ex." he admits as he makes his way to the awaiting SUV. "He grabbed her last night when we ran into him at dinner and now I want to know all of his vulnerable and weak spots so I can go after him if necessary."
Max shrugs and says, "Sounds reasonable." and opens the door for him.
"Let's go check that shipment that came into Hodge Starkweather's today." Jace tells his driver who nods and starts to move almost immediately. He isn't supposed to check but there is a special package on that truck that he wants to make sure is there. When they get to Hodge's store, Jace is surprised to find his delivery guy waiting out back with their shipment in the truck. "Why isn't this product being moved into the store?" he asks angrily of the delivery man.
"The door is locked and no one will come to it." he answers as his voice shakes a little.
Jace looks up to the back door and begins to grow angry. This isn't the first or second delivery he has taken and he should know better than to make the delivery wait out in the open like that. "Key." Jace says sternly and holds his hand out to Max who keeps them. Max fumbles around for a few seconds before producing the correct one and handing it to Jace. He quickly slips the key in the lock and turns it. When the door swings open, all of the lights in the store are off. Everything is still in it's place but something feels seriously off to Jace. He walks through the store, still finding no one, and then rushes out back to where his men are. "Put the goods in the store." he tells the delivery man who hurriedly nods his head in understanding. "Take me to Hodge's home."
"Yes, sir." his driver replies as they hurry into the SUV. Only five minutes later they arrive at his humble apartment building. The SUV behind Jace's quickly empties and he watches as some of his men venture into the building. Jace can't risk being seen there if the police are for some reason watching. If Hodge has to 'disappear', he can't be seen with him. A couple of minutes pass when his phone buzzes. He brings the phone to his ear and hears on the other end one of his men say that his apartment is completely empty and there is no sign of Hodge or his family.
Across the city...
Clary hurriedly showered and braided her damp hair around her head and over one of her shoulders. It would be beautifully wavy by the end of the day. She dressed in a tight black dress that hugged her perfectly and grabbed her long dark red fitted trench coat and slipped it on before hurrying out the door of the mansion. Her father was already going to be mad at her because she was fifteen minutes behind schedule and he was a stickler for being on time. Speaking of..."Hey dad." she answers her ringing phone. "I know I am a little behind..."
"That man is making you slack on your duties." he says sternly, clearly referring to Jace.
"No, it's actually my fault." she tells him thinking back to this morning when she couldn't control herself. "I...uh...forgot to set my alarm. I am getting in the car now." she says as she climbs into the back of one of the blacked out SUVs.
"Good. I don't want to hear that you are going to be late to our lunch with your brother and the D.A." he warns her.
"Don't worry. I'll make up the time." she reassures him. "I love you, daddy."
She can hear him groan on the other end of the line, knowing she is trying to get him to not be so upset with her by telling him she loves him and calling him 'daddy'. It works, just like it always does. When he speaks again, his tone is less angry and considerably softer. "I love you too, sweetie." he says and then the line goes dead. "Who is first on the schedule?" she asks Jordan as she hops in the back seat.
"Sorrentino was first on the list followed by Williams, but Hodge Starkweather called and asked if he could be seen first thing this morning. Something about some problem with his Manhattan store he needs to attend to." Jordan says looking down at his blackberry.
"That's fine." she tells him. "I am already late and it's not like any of them are going anywhere knowing that I am coming. They'll wait all day if they have to."
"Yes, ma'am." the driver says as they take off.
When they arrive at Hodge's store, Clary walks in with a smile on her face. She always loved the way he responded to her. She can always read the undeniable fear mixed with appreciation in his eyes as he looks at her. "So..." she says as she pushes the door open to his store front and her eyes land on him. "I hear you wanted to move up our time. Why is that? You know that I am a busy woman. It is a good thing I was feeling generous this morning."
"Y...yes." Hodge stammers. "I did. I have a few problems at my store in Manhattan and..."
"Yes, yes." Clary says disinterestedly. "You need to take care of them. What I am asking is why is this my problem and why did you so desperately need to move up our time and throw off my schedule?" she asks him while her eyes grow tight. She loves to mess with him like this. It is so entertaining to watch his adam's apple bob with his hard swallows and the beads of sweat form on his brow from stress and fear. He brings his hands up and starts to nervously wring them together as his eyes fall away from hers. "I...I.." he starts to stammer again and she rolls her eyes. "I don't care." she says in an annoyed voice. "Let's just get this over with so I can move on with my life and get out of this smelly shop."
"Yes, ma'am." he says with a hint of relief in his voice. He turns and walks behind the counter when a young girl, maybe 8 years old runs out from the back followed by a girl who looks to be about 13 as she tries to catch her.
Clary looks over to them and smiles widely at the two young women. The younger girl was giggling and holding a cell phone as she ran to Hodge and grabbed onto his leg and stuck her tongue out at the older girl. "Give me my phone back you little brat." the older one growls.
"I didn't know your family was here." Clary says in a falsely happy tone. She smiles widely at the two girls as they finally look up to see her and two of her men there with her. The older one grabs the younger one and wraps her arms around her little sister and presses her back to her front in a protective manner. "Your oldest looks so much like you!" she says to Hodge as she walks over to them. She raises her hand to the teenager's hair and tucks it behind her ear. She shies away from Clary's touch as Hodge grows incredibly nervous at the scene in front of him. "She has your hair color and your blue eyes. She is very beautiful. What is your name?" she asks her.
The teenager's eyes cut over to her father who gives her a nervous nod and then she looks back to Clary and answers, "Rebecca."
"What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." Clary says and then crouches down close to the ground. "And what is your name?" she asks the younger one. "My name is Amelia." the little one answers.
"That is also a beautiful name. Very classic names. Do they have any meaning?"
"Momma says I was named after my great grandma." Amelia says with a small lisp.
"I was named after my grandmother too." Clary tells her and she gives Clary a small smile. She stands back up and sees the nervous and somewhat hateful look on the older Rebecca's face. "She looks fiesty." she remarks with a chuckle at her. "I like that."
Rebecca only glares harder at Clary and she has to let out a small laugh at her bravery and the intensity of her angry stare. "Take your sister back to your mother." Hodge orders Rebecca. She lets go of Clary's gaze and nods as she takes her little sister's hand and pulls her to the back of the store. Once they disappear around a corner, she turns back to face Hodge. "What beautiful young girls you have." she tells him conversationally and then drops her voice lowly like she is telling him something in secret. "Although I would watch out for your older girl. She reminds me of me when I was her age. Full of anger at the world and ready to take on everyone and everything that got in my way."
"Yes, she is very much acting like a teenager now a days." Hodge says as he bundles up a wad of cash that he took from the cash drawer. "Full of angst."
"I can see that." Clary says in an amused tone. "Though she would do well to control it a little better. She could get herself into some trouble with those expressive eyes of hers."
Hodge clearly understands the warning in her statement and gives her an understanding nod. He reaches out his hand to offer her the money and Jordan steps between them and takes the money before he can get too close to Clary. "I'm glad that you had the appropriate funds ready today. That makes everything so much more pleasant, don't you think?" she asks him.
"It does." he replies as he wipes the sweat off of his brow.
"I guess this is the point where I tell you that I will see you in two weeks." she says and he nods once again. Just as she turns to leave, her phone in her pocket rings loudly. She stops and fishes is out and a wide grin breaks across her face when she see's Jace's name pop up. "It's my boyfriend." she says excitedly to Hodge as she brings the phone up to her ear. "Hey babe." she says very sweetly. After a few seconds and hearing the tone in his voice, her smile fades slightly as she tries to keep her emotions masked. "Don't worry, babe. I'll take care of everything until you get here. Love you." and then she slides the phone back in her pocket.
"Hodge, I can't for the life of me remember what today's date is." she says thoughtfully.
"It's November 11th." he responds a little impatiently.
"Wow." she says with mock excitement. "I love the holiday season. Especially Christmas. When I was a little girl, I was always worried that I had been naughty and Santa wouldn't bring me any gifts. I would always go over and over every bad decision I made throughout the year and try to determine if they were enough to get me put on Santa's naughty list. One year, I actually got a lump of coal in my stocking. I had lots of presents but I had that one lump of coal in my stocking instead of the usual candy that I got. I tried so hard to figure out which bad decision it was that I had made that year that had earned me that lump of coal, but never did. It almost drove me crazy trying to figure it out."
She then looks pointedly at Hodge and takes two steps closer to him. "Do you think that you will be on Santa's naughty list this year?" she asks him curiously. "Have you made any bad decisions that would earn you a lump of coal?"
Jordan and her other guy seem to know that something is wrong and start to close in on Hodge. One moving slightly to block the front door and Jordan angling his body to catch him if he tries to run towards the back of the store. Hodge's eyes dart nervously between the two men before landing back on Clary. "I don't think so." he says very nervously.
"You mean you can't think of one little thing at all that you might have done to be put on the naughty list?" Clary asks him curiously but with an edge to her sweet voice. He swallows roughly as he seems to figure out that she knows something and he shakes his head 'no' quickly. "I'm glad to hear that Hodge." she tells him. "That makes my job a little easier knowing that you trying to run out on us and disappear is something that you don't think is wrong. My father, on the other hand, would very much disagree with you though."
"I don't know what you are talking about." Hodge says quickly and with as much innocence as he can muster.
"Sure you do." Clary says as she walks closer to him. Jordan is suddenly standing there on one side with the other guy, Mark, coming up on his other side and closing him in. Clary raises her hand and trails her fingers up the front of his shirt. She lifts it to pat him three times on the cheek a little roughly and then her demeanor changes drastically. Her eyes narrow at him as she steps even closer to him and puts her face right in his. "I fucking hate liars, Hodge. And you are lying to me."
"I'm...I'm not." he says pleadingly. "I swear. I have no clue what you are talking about."
"So your apartment just up and emptied itself on it's own? Is that what you want me to believe?" she asks him as her voice rises with anger. "Do I look as stupid as you think I am?"
"No ma'am." he says hurriedly. "Not at all."
"Then I suggest you stop treating me like you think I am because it is really pissing me off." Her lips become tight and her words clipped. There is a small shuffling of feet and a few small screams of fright and anger and then some more of her men drag Hodge's wife and his two daughters into the front with them. "They were trying to go out the back." Raphael, one of her father's oldest hired hands tells her. "Their car is packed with suitcases."
She turns her angry gaze back to Hodge and tisks him before she says, "You see, Hodge. I am not as stupid as you apparently thought I was. You, on the other hand, are pretty fucking stupid to think that you could get away with it. And now, because of you, I have to rearrange my whole day and I hate when I have to do that."
"But...but how?" he asks, clearly confused as to how she found this out. Her face relaxes then and a smile pulls up the corners of her lips. "My boyfriend. You have actually met him before." she tells him. "He's absolutely wonderful." She then turns to where Hodge's daughters and wife are and walks over to the oldest girl with a lovesick smile on her face and throws her arm over the girl's shoulders. She pulls her out of the grasp of Raphael and pulls her into her side like she is talking to her best friend. "He is absolutely gorgeous, Rebecca. He has blonde hair and the most beautiful smile. Every girl that has ever laid eyes on him has wanted him...and he is all mine now."
She pulls Rebecca to a stop in the middle of the shop and turns to face her while excitedly grabbing her hands. Rebecca is very clearly uncomfortable as her eyes keep darting nervously to her mother and father who are watching with extreme worry in their eyes. Just the way Clary likes it. "And oh my gosh, Rebecca..." Clary continues excitedly, "...he is like, the BEST kisser in the entire world. He does this thing with his tongue where he flicks it slightly and it sends shivers down my spine. Have you ever kissed a boy before?"
"Y...y..yes." she answers nervously.
"Wasn't it amazing?!" Clary asks her.
"It was okay." she tells her.
"That's because most boys your age don't know how to kiss yet. I promise they will get better as you get older." she says like a loving older sister. "Just like their hands do. They don't shake as much when they go to cop a feel under your shirt or..."
Hodge's wife interrupts. "That's enough." she says sternly to Clary. She looks up and raises her eyebrows at the oldest woman in surprise and appreciation. "What's the problem, Mrs. Hodge?" she asks her. "I am just trying to tell her that it gets better. You know...giving her older sisterly advice since she doesn't have one. Jeez." she exclaims as she looks back to Rebecca. "Is your mom always this up tight?"
Rebecca, clearly not knowing what to do, afraid of angering either her mother or Clary, just shrugs her shoulders non-commitally. "Good answer." Clary praises her. "I wouldn't have dared say anything bad about my mom to her face when I was your age. She would have killed me!" Clary lets out a slightly off kilter laugh and then her phone pings with a notification. She pulls her phone out of her pocket and looks down and sees that it is her men down the block asking her if she said it was okay for Jace to come down there. She sends them a 'yes' and tucks her phone back in her pocket.
"Guess what?" she says to Rebecca. "You get to meet my boyfriend! He is right down the road. You are in for one hell of a treat. I really meant it when I said that every woman that ever saw him thought he was gorgeous." She releases Rebecca and tells her to go stand with her mother. She walks over to the reflective surface of a television in the corner of the store and smooths down the hairs that escaped her braid. She pulls out her tinted lip balm and smooths some over her lips and rubs them together. She then spins around with a whirl and makes her way back over to Hodge. "How do I look?" she asks him with a bright smile.
Hodge, who now looks like he is about to throw up, says, "You look beautiful." in a small voice.
She smiles with mock shyness at him and looks down like she is trying to hide her blushing face. "Awww. Thanks Hodge."
This kind of behavior is what her father taught her. People on the outside watching would think she was some sort of bipolar sociopath when in reality, she was just very skilled at what she does. The wild mood swings and the mock friendliness contrasted with the appearance of uncontrolled anger puts them on edge and was one of her first lessons when she started learning the business. You take something they love, like Rebecca, and pull it away from them and put it under your control, like she did a moment ago, and give them the implication that you wouldn't think twice about killing what they love. Her father would never kill an innocent child but they certainly don't need to know that. Although, she is pretty sure that Hodge's days were now numbered. He's created too many problems now. You never directly threaten them and instead, threaten what they love. You slap them around and leave them with a reminder that they are not to be messed with in the form of a thinly veiled threat against their family.
She hears a few loud rumbles and looks up and out of the store to see two SUVs pull up out front. "There he is now!" Clary says excitedly. "Oh Hodge, you are in for such a surprise!" He furrows his brows in confusion at her when the first door opens up to the SUV and the Herondale's men start to pour out. Hodge apparently recognizes them as his face turns confused and scared at the same time. "But...but those are Herondale's men. Aren't you angry? They aren't supposed to be on your side of the city." he says with pure worry in his voice.
"That's what makes this so great!" she tells him. "Now that Jonathan Herondale is my boyfriend, the boundaries have become a little more blurred."
"Wait...what?" he asks angrily. "You're dating Jona..."
His words are cut off by Jace swinging the door to the shop open and stepping in as he takes off his sunglasses. His eyes immediately land on Clary and a warm smile turns his perfectly full lips up. "Babe!" Clary says loudly and walks over to him and throws her arms around his neck.
"God, I've missed you." he says as his hands wrap around her small frame and he presses her body to his. He brings his mouth down on hers and they share a quick yet passionate kiss before pulling back and looking at her again. "I am almost glad that he decided to try and run because I get to see you again so soon."
"Awww, babe. That's so sweet." she says softly to him and kisses him once again before letting him go and turning to face Hodge. When she sees the look on his face, she can't help but laugh a couple of times. He is in complete shock and is almost shaking with horror as he realizes that there is no where to hide now. He obviously thought he could play them against each other. He should have known better than to try and do that.
Jace looks over to Hodge and a look settles on his face that Clary has never seen before. It is pure anger and scary and...a huge turn on. He looks like a deadly lion as it gets ready to pounce and kill it's prey. 'He is fucking glorious' she thinks to herself.
Clary smiles wickedly and turns around and hurries over to where Rebecca is. She is looking at him with the same appreciation that every woman does except her face is tinged with worry which is clearly for her father's safety. "I told you he was super hot." Clary says in a loud whisper to the teenager and then turns back to face Jace.
"I know this is an unusual situation, boys," Jace starts out saying to the Mogenstern and Herondale men who are as pulled tight as a string on a bow, "..but lets just all pretend to be on the same side for now."
"You heard the man." she adds on with pure authority as she looks at her men who were eyeing the Herondales' men. "I know that this is new but I am sure that it will be happening a lot now that Jace and I are together. I am sure we will all become great friends in no time."
"You're right, baby." Jace adds on as he looks over to her and smiles. "We could even go get some beers after all is said and done."
"Great idea, babe." she tells him back as she runs her fingers over her collar bone and drawing his eyes to the bare skin exposed there. She can see lust pass over his eyes for a moment before he regains his control and looks back to Hodge. "Now, where was I?" Jace asks Hodge who is now squirming in the grip of Jordan and Mark. "Oh yeah. That's right." he says like he just remembered something vitally important. "You were trying to run away with your tail tucked between your legs like the spineless coward you are."
"Please, don't make my family watch." Hodge pleads with Jace.
"But then they won't see what happens when you act like a coward." Jace replies. "But I am an understanding man; or so I have been told."
"You are very understanding, babe." Clary adds on with a twisted smile and deadly excitement in her voice. Jace catches on quickly to what she is doing and smiles twistedly back at her. It's the Bonnie and Clyde routine. The two lovesick bandits who murdered without restraint to get what they wanted. They were so consumed with each other that nothing else mattered to them. All they wanted was to make the other happy and that included satisfying their mutual blood lust.
"I am, aren't I?" Jace states with a superior tone. "That is why I will let your daughters go downstairs with those lovely men over there. What are your names?" he asks Clary's men.
"This is Raphael and this is Jacob." Clary says brightly, introducing them like they are at a party.
"They can go in the back with Raphael and Jacob and maybe play some card games. Wouldn't that be nice?" Jace says to Hodge.
"No!" Hodge's wife says worriedly as they pull the two girls away from her. "Joseph. Help them with Mrs. Starkweather." Jace says and one of his men steps forward and grabs hold of her as she struggles to hold onto her daughters.
"Don't hurt them! Leave them alone!" she shouts as they pull the girls out of her sight.
"Calm down, Mrs. Hodge." Clary says soothingly to the slightly hysterical woman. She steps closer and runs her hand down her hair in a comforting manor that completely freaks the older woman out. "They are going to be just fine. I promise."
"Fuck you and your promises!" she spits out angrily at Clary and she raises her brows in shock before laughing. "Whoo!" Clary says with a hoot. "Your wife has bigger balls than you, Hodge! Maybe she took yours when you two got married."
"It sure looks that way." Jace says with a smile. "That's too bad too. You are really going to need them." His voice has dropped with a deadly promise as he steps closer to the man. Jace towers over him at 6'2 to Hodge's 5'9 frame. Without taking his eyes off of Hodge, Jace says "Clary, baby. Can you call your dad? I would like to take Mr. Starkweather to a place a little more secluded. Somewhere his screams won't draw any attention."
"No problem, babe. I know just the place." she says with a wicked smile and pulls out her phone.
Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!
Btw, I squealed with excitement when I saw that this story reached over a hundred followers. Y'all are seriously THE BEST EVER! Thank y'all so much for taking time out to read my story. It seriously means the world to me!