The Prince's Bodyguard
Disclaimer: I own nothing
A/N: Oh don't worry people, this vacation was a vacation from the drama too but allow me, in a couple of chapters, to remind you just how devastating things can and will be. Enjoy this chapter, for this and the next will be the last of Sviederbach for a while. Don't worry, they come under the target of deadly assassins in about eighteen years, but that's another story entirely...
Chapter 36 (Sviederbach Chronicles: The Final Night)
"I can almost guarantee you that Gunther is on the phone right now with Freddie..." Jason let out a despairing sigh and ran his hand over his neck. With all eyes on them, regarding those that were their friends, Trina wouldn't be surprised if the first thing Gunther and Cece did was let Freddie and Sam know what transpired at their ball.
"We're going to be the talk of your friends for a while, aren't we?" She looked up at the moonlit sky above them and slid her arm around his. "I don't mind." If anything, she was grateful to them. The dance helped her to break out of her shell, which she may never have done without the nudge. Now they just had to make this relationship work.
Her eyes traversed the rooftops and she let out a brief sigh. She glanced down at the ball gown she was still wearing and shook her head. "Not gonna lie, I can't wait to get back to the hotel room and change out of this dress. It's too frilly."
"I think it's decent."
"No..." She spotted a couple walking towards them; the man had a black jacket on with long black slacks. His neat brown hair was slicked back and his sharp eyes focused on them. Beside him was a woman with long, soft brown hair that grazed her waist. She wore a plain purple dress with a sleeveless leather jacket. "That's decent." The outfits were impressive, to say the least.
"Hi," the man said with a bright smile. They stopped before the couple and the man extended his hand. "I'm Deuce Martinez and this is my wife, Dina." Her heart stopped and she opened her mouth in surprise. "I don't believe we've met yet. You're Gunther's friends, aren't you? We hear you're looking for some help with a certain problem?" Trina nodded slowly and shook Deuce's hand.
"Yeah we were told you're a part of a very powerful mafia family?"
"Yes." Deuce flashed a grin and swept his hand to his chest. "Actually, I'm very close to the head of the family. I guess if they told you about that, then you do need something."
"Help with a family of assassins." Deuce tilted his head and raised a hand to his chin. "We're trying to find these people, but we're not having much luck. Have you heard of the Black Star Mercenaries?" The man shook his head and lowered his hands behind his back.
"Unfortunately I haven't, but I can certainly investigate. No one is truly one hundred percent invisible."
"Actually they are familiar to me," Dina remarked, "I knew a guy that knew a girl that knows one." Trina blinked twice as the words seemed to circle about her without actually getting through to her. Deuce laughed and Dina sighed. "My second cousin dated a chick that was best friends with this girl. June Westfield. College friends, if I remember correct."
"Are you saying that one of the assassins divulged to someone that they were an assassin?"
"Yes, June was close to these two. My cousin, being a part of my family..." Dina put her hand to her chest and flashed a proud grin. "Offered her protection as she did not wish to be a part of her own clan. She is hidden under cover of mi familia nowadays. I'd all but forgotten about her since it's been so long."
Trina just about wanted to scream out in joy. If this June could be found, then she would be a gold mine of information. Sure, Henry was a great asset to have, but he could only help so much. This girl could bring down even the current generation if she so wished to assist.
"Do you think you can find her? I mean, sure she's probably hiding under a different name." Dina hooked a fingernail over her lip, biting the tip with her front teeth.
"The last I heard, June was being flown in to the small town of Sandino, in Cuba. I can call my uncle and see if she's still there or if they've moved her. The Black Star may have given up looking for her by now, or they think she's either run or dead."
"I suspect they'll think she defected and want to have her killed. After all, one is helping us, Henrique, but the Black Star are trying to kill him because he's defected."
"Yep." Jason nodded. "They frown on anyone leaving the family."
Deuce scratched his head and hummed. "We could use her as an informant or maybe even as a lure." He grinned and moved an enclosed fist into the palm of his hand. "Let the Black Star think she's been captive all this time. When they come for her, take them out."
It was a good plan, but Trina figured they would have to get June on board first before doing anything rash. She was going to go ahead and let Deuce and Dina deal with her, however, she had other fish to fry.
"We appreciate any help we can get. I can give you the names of people I want protected, do you think you can protect them?" Deuce ran his fingers along his chin and started to nod. "I have some help over there already, but there are some extended relatives of mine that are in different areas. The assassins are going after my family, they might go for my relatives that are open and unguarded."
"Give me their names, their locations and I can have people out to their areas tonight."
"Thank you, thank you so much."
Once the couple had the names of those Trina needed to make sure were safe, they took off and left Trina and Jason to continue their night together. They walked towards a small pond and sat at the edge of the water, slipping the tips of their feet into the cool liquid. "You haven't told me much about your other relatives. I assumed you didn't speak with your extended family."
"Oh no, I love all of them." She leaned against his shoulder, humming softly as pleasant memories filled her head. "My great-grandmother on my mom's side, Rachel Smith is 92 years old and still strong as ever. She lives with my grandparents, Abraham and Maria. I always talk about how much I look up to my dad, but no one inspires me more than my great-granny."
Rachel was still active at her age, still highly mobile and attentive. Where others would be confined to chairs by the time they go to that point in their life, she'd rather do things herself and continue to move to keep in tip top shape.
"Then there's Aunt Cleo and Uncle Todd." Cleo was Holly's younger sister. She was witty, always had a joke ready to give. Holidays at her home usually wound up being filled with board games, card games, and a lot of food. "Honestly, I think every holiday we visit Aunt Cleo, we all gain like ten pounds or something." She started to laugh, and tears came to her eyes as she recalled several fond memories of her time with her family. "Then there's Taylor and Micah, my two older cousins."
"Oh?" Jason moved an arm around her shoulders and looked out across the lake, smiling as he listened to her speak. There was a deep fondness in her voice, and she hoped he could detect it.
"We would do everything together. Micah is closer to my age, just four months older. We'd explore the storm drainages near their house, we'd sing karaoke with grandma and grandpa." She started to laugh and wiped a tear from her face, grinning as she gazed up at the stars above her. "I remember when we were seven or eight, playing baseball in the back yard. We hit a ball over the fence and I went to climb over it while he played lookout. I got all muddy, and mom was furious."
"What about Taylor? Are you close to her?"
"Yeah, but she's got her own life now that she's married and all. She's married to Lucas Greyson." In the last couple of years, her mother's side of the family had gotten wrapped up in a lot of drama going on in their own lives; so they hadn't been able to get together or do much. "They fell through some hard times recently. Uncle Todd lost his job, the church they attended most of their life fell apart, so they've been trying so hard to get back on their feet."
"Ah, I see."
"Now Micah. He's always been really protective of me and of Tori." She looked down at the water and closed her eyes. "I remember when we were playing at his house and a couple kids from down the street started picking on us. Micah chased them off with our grandpa's walking stick and told them not to bother us again or he'd 'whip them senseless with the cane'."
Jason started laughing and Trina looked at him with a wide grin. Micah was all talk back then. Nowadays it was a bit different, he was more serious about 'beating the bullies' than when he was younger.
As the laughter died down, Jason questioned her on her father's side of the family. There wasn't much to say about them, she was close to them but not as close as her mother's side. "They all live in Spain still. Uncle Raul and Aunt Emily. They have two children as well, Jose and James. Both married and with children of their own. I didn't get to see them as much growing up because of the space between us."
"Ah. You're worried that the assassins might try and get them?"
"A little. I'm not sure if the assassins are even able to locate either my mom's family or my dad's." Then if Sinjin were right in his suspicion of Cat, all the girl had to do was ask Tori. That is, if her dad hadn't been keeping Tori away. At the same time, the assassins didn't have to ask Tori in order to locate people that weren't truly hidden.
"What about you and your cousin? Were the two of you close?"
"Cullen? Yeah, he and I did a lot together when we were young, before his father passed away. We used to explore the castle, chasing each other through the halls." Jason smiled briefly and a gleam shone in his eyes. "We'd talk about the things we wanted to do when we grew up, we would talk about leaving Vander to T
He took a moment of silence, becoming very still and breathing in. "Then Uncle Dara passed away and everything stopped. We didn't play together anymore because Aunt Una didn't think it was appropriate. A lot of things changed..."
She placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned his head towards her, smiling sadly as she gazed into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Jason."
"It's alright."
"No. Your aunt shouldn't keep you apart because she's angry. It's not right or fair to you or Cullen. You deserve to be happy, Jason. You deserve to have the people in your life that you want in your life." Jason smiled more and he leaned over, kissing her on the top of the head.
They reached their hotel room at the end of the night, thinking over the events of the walk. Standing before the bed, Trina contemplated what to do. In the previous nights, they were able to share the bed without anything happening, but now the stakes had changed.
She was comfortable with him and she trusted him, so she wasn't worried. "Jason, you can lay with me if you want." Jason smiled gently and nodded as Trina moved onto the bed, laying flat on her back.
"You don't want to take off your dress?" Jason removed his jacket and hung it on a coat rack nearby. Trina folded her hands on her abdomen and bent her left knee upwards. "Change into something more comfortable?"
She did want to change, but it wasn't the forefront of her mind. "Jason, you wouldn't take advantage of me." He furrowed his brow and affirmed without hesitation that he would never take advantage of her. She smiled back at him and closed her eyes. "I trust you. I want you to know that."
"I trust you."
She took a deep breath and pat the bed beside her. His eyebrows curled together and he sat beside her. "Unzip my dress. I'll show them to you..." She wanted him to be able to get a look at the scars, to see the physical and the emotional. Jason nodded and carefully unzipped her dress.
Her chest rose and she moved her hands over her shoulders, grabbing her hair and pulling it out of the way. Jason then slid the dress down and watched as it crumpled around her waist.
Trina held her breath as his fingers traced the crescent scar and slid across the topmost bullet scar. "Thank god for your father," he whispered, "and for your mother." Tears filled her eyes and she started to shiver as his fingertips caressed the second bullet scar. "They aren't as vivid as one might think."
"Yeah. They're there, but they probably faded. Once in a while, I feel like I can feel them burning, even though they're not." She turned to face him, letting her hair fall back in place on her back. Jason's eyes dropped to her breasts and grew for a split second. He cleared his throat and looked into her eyes.
"May I?"
She folded her hands in her lap and nodded once, allowing him to reach and gently cup his hands around the inner sides of her breasts to push them apart so he could see the third scar. His eyebrows trembled and his brow wrinkled.
"This is my body, Jason." She pulled the dress up and motioned to her feet. "Remove my shoes, and the socks." Jason swallowed and carefully rolled her socks down, revealing faded burn scars on her legs and feet. "When I carried her out, I had to walk through fire, ignoring the flames burning my legs and my feet."
Jason ran his hand carefully along her right leg, causing an oddly pleasant sensation to shoot through her. She leaned her head back and dropped her hands to the bed behind her. He leaned down, gently kissing her knees, where the burns ended.
"Jason..." She opened her eyes and he raised his head up, gazing lovingly into her gaze. "I'm damaged, scarred, ruined...Could you still be with me, knowing this?"
He raised his hand, cupping her face and leaning towards her. His lips on hers were sweet like honey, and his caress drew her blood towards him. He pulled away, leaving her breathless. "You're beautiful." He opened his palm upwards and moved his hand along her body, hovering it inches above her. "Your body is amazing. Yes, you've been through a tragedy that you never should have gone through, but no you're not ruined. You're lovely, far more beautiful than anyone I've met in some time."
Her heart pounded heavily against her ribs, and she felt a tightness in her throat. "I..." She was speechless. "I've never had anyone say that to me. I've always considered myself ugly, hideous because of these marks."
"They are a part of you but they don't define you."
She smiled nervously and raised her hand, caressing his cheek. "I'm sure you thought...I'm sure you thought Abby was beautiful."
"She was, just as I'm sure you thought Jesse was the most handsome man you've met up to that point." He chuckled and she laughed once. "But there's no comparison. They are the past, we are right now, and I love you. I love everything about you. Thank you for letting me see your scars, seeing all of you.
Her tears rolled away from her eyes and she let out a small gasp. "Jason." She moved her arms around his neck and leaned her body into his, kissing his lips deeply. She felt his hands press firmly on her lower back and she let him guide her gently onto the bed. He raised his head up, peering down at her with a deep tenderness in his eyes. "...I love you..."
"I won't take advantage. I respect you, perhaps more now than ever before." Her hands moved down his shoulders and stopped on his upper arms. She inhaled and let out a rush of air.
"You aren't taking advantage. I'm letting you."
"Are you sure?"
"I am..." The months they'd been together, all their emotions and feelings led up to this moment. "Just be gentle."
"I promise." He lowered himself, kissing her lips and sliding his hand along her body and caressing her leg. She arched her back, leaning up and moaning as his fingers moved underneath her dress. He pushed her dress up and she sat upright, helping to remove it from her body.
Gripping the fabric in her hand, she tossed the dress onto a nearby chair. Jason moved behind her, gently massaging her neck and shoulders. She leaned her head back, then to the side, groaning as he kissed the nape of her neck and started to travel down, kissing her scars and her spine. She compressed her shoulders, whimpering at the tingling sensation shooting through her body as a result of his touch.
As he laid her back down, he lay on his side beside her, gazing into her eyes. His hand compressed around hers, squeezing it softly. His right hand served a perch for his cheek, and his lips were raised in a tender smile. She bit the corner of her lip and raised her hand towards his face. "You're not stopping now, are you?"
"I'll only continue if you want me to continue. I don't want to do anything you don't want, Trina..."
Her heart swelled and she leaned up, kissing his lips once more. She pulled back after a second and moved her head to his chest. Her body shivered as the cold air fell onto her from the vent.
Seeing her shivers, Jason carefully pulled the blanket over them and embraced her in his arms. Trina moved her hands along his waist, dipping her fingers under his shirt and pushing it up slowly.
As she lifted his shirt, she moved down, kissing his abdomen and chest, guiding herself up until she met his neck and chin. "I do want you to continue...I want to know how it feels..."
"Okay." Jason tossed his shirt onto the ground nearby and ran his hand carefully along her body, until his fingertips caressed the lace of her purple silk underwear. Her breathing hitched and she closed her eyes, biting her lower lip firmly.
"Jason..." Scared and nervous as she was, she was ready. She put her hand on his wrist and opened her eyes. He was still gazing into hers, never once tearing away.
"You okay?"
She swallowed the lump in her throat and whimpered once before nodding. "Yes."
"You have the most beautiful specks of blue in your eyes, you know that?" She sniffed and curled her lips into a wide smile. "I love you, Trina."
"I love you." He moved towards her, kissing her full on the lips, allowing her to focus on the kiss as they continued into their night.
So there's someone from the Black Star that the Martinez mafia families are protecting, perhaps she will be an asset. Perhaps the mafia itself will be a help.