A/N: Those of you that read my stories know that I dread writing the fight/action type stuff. I hope this comes across how I wanted it to (Manny a lunatic, lol). Anyway, thank you all AGAIN for reading and reviewing. I love reading everyones thoughts on what might happen or where the story is going. Deb (999shotgun999), you are the best!
We still have a ways to go, some Emily, Carly, Sonny coming up as well as some more Diane/Max/Johnny/Spinelli and of course BIG SAL!
Thank you all again! ~Michelle
Chapter 54
Jason thought about what Elizabeth said while he was driving to the safe house. He momentarily thought about calling the guards and ordering them to take care of Manny and dispose of him properly. Those thoughts instantly vanished the moment he pulled up outside the house. The primal, vengeful side of him took over and there was a need for him to handle Manny himself. He needed to show Manny and others that may follow that he will show no mercy when it came to protecting his family.
With his gun in his hand at his side, Jason entered the old house. Francis, Jimmy, Marco and Eddie all stood together waiting for Jason's arrival. Manny sat in a single wooden chair in the corner of the room, his wrists tied together resting on his lap and a grin on his face. "The guest of honor arrives." Manny mocked when he saw Jason enter through the door. Jason fought the urge to put a bullet in his head right then. He could feel the short hairs on the back of his neck standing up as every single part of him fought to keep his anger in control.
Jason shook his head. "I saw you go over the roof and here you are." He shrugged his shoulders not really caring how he survived the fall and escaped. "What were you doing down by the docks?" Jason spat.
Manny smiled again, "Walking."
"Where were you going asshole!" Francis asked.
Jason walked closer to Manny and nodded to Francis, silently telling him that he would handle the questions. "Don't fuck around Manny. Where were you going?" Jason calmly asked.
The room was dim even though dusk was at least an hour away. The house was surrounded by a thick layer of trees that not only darkened the house but also gave the property complete privacy. The room they were in had a chair where Manny sat on the far wall, a long couch in the middle of the room and a small table on the wall opposite to Manny. The four guards all stood around the table watching Jason, waiting for a cue if they were needed.
"Think you could loosen these ties?" Manny asked raising his wrists in the air. "It's cutting off circulation."
Jason curled his lips and shrugged, "We can just cut your hands off."
Manny laughed, "Fair enough." After a long silence Manny looked around the room. "Can you make this quick, I kind of have somewhere I need to be."
"Who are you meeting, I'll call and say you will be late… very late." Jason said keeping his stone-cold façade.
"What do you want from me?" Manny asked in his broken accent. "You are mad that I teased you earlier about your sweet nurse. I get it, big bad hit man has a soft spot. I hit a nerve and will stay clear of her." Manny explained with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Jason sat on the couch across the room from Manny and rested his hand on his thigh, keeping his hand gun pointed at Manny. "It's not that easy Manny. You obviously underestimated us because we know everything you have done. Now you are going to help us and… maybe we will let you live, but probably not."
"Well then why don't you tell me what I have done because other then the incident today with your little naughty nurse, I don't know what you are talking about."
Jason had heard enough, he stood and rushed across the room, turning the gun flat in his hand and slamming it across the side of Manny's head. He nearly knocked over Manny and the chair from the force of the hit. "Stop fucking around Manny!" Jason growled and grew even angrier when Manny started laughing.
Manny was doing this on purpose, he was trying to get under Jason's skin and it was working.
"See Jason, this is the difference between you and me. I don't get personally involved with anyone. I don't care if anybody lives or dies, myself included. Now you, on the other hand, I can see that little vein bulging in your forehead. You get so angry and you take things personally."
"Can I cut out his tongue?" Marco joked from across the room.
Jason sat back down on the couch and aimed his gun at Manny, ignoring Marco's comment. "I have twelve bullets in the clip. You can feel each one or I can make it quick and easy with just one."
Manny rolled his eyes, "That's original." The left side of his face that Jason had hit with the gun was swelling up and a purple mark was beginning to form below his eye.
At his words, Jason pulled the trigger and shot Manny's foot. Jason was then certain that Manny was sociopath because he barely flinched and, in fact smirked, so Jason fired again and shot his other foot.
"What do you want from me then? You brought me here to what? To torture me? Or did you bring me here for information?"
"You killed Alcazar." Jason said and Manny shrugged. "It's not a question, I know you did. Why?"
"Why not?"
"Why did you frame me?" Jason asked.
Manny shrugged, "Entertainment."
"You killed Alcazar because you were working with him. With him and Sonny and who else? Anthony Zacharra? That's a contradiction though Manny. You aren't greedy and probably could care less if you found this mythical place worth billions of dollars. If you don't get personal then why would you kill Alcazar?" Jason calmly asked.
"I told you, I didn't really have a reason. Killing Lorenzo caused tension between Sonny and Anthony, not to mention it drew you into the situation."
"I already was in the situation. I already knew what was going on."
Manny tilted his head, "Did you?" he asked, not believing what Jason was saying.
"Who approached you about it?"
"Lorenzo." Manny answered.
"Why did he want to involve you?"
"I don't know, I'd suggest you ask him but he is unavailable." Manny shrugged. "Why should I tell you all of this? Obviously Sonny made it a point to keep you out of this deal. Why should I help you when it seems obvious that you are going to kill me anyway?" Manny said matter-of-factly. "You've killed me before, what's one more time." Manny said with a grin appearing on his face.
Jason walked over to Manny and stepped on his foot where he had shot him. He reached down and grabbed Manny by his neck, lifting him up along with the chair he was tied down to and pressed him against the wall. Until that point Jason had not noticed the thin wire the guards had tied Manny to the chair with. It was tied around his waist, his shirt hiding the thin wire. Manny had a small frame and was fairly light. Jason tightly squeezed his neck then dropped him, causing the chair to break when it came crashing into the hard wood floor.
He hit the ground with a loud thump and Jason knew he hurt him because for the first time Manny let out a low, painful moan. Manny coughed then again, laughed. "Lorenzo brought me into the deal. That doesn't matter though does it? Sonny still betrayed his partner… his friend. Sonny wanted the pot of gold all for himself." Manny taunted, rolling onto his side.
Jason kicked Manny in the gut. "And all that and nobody has found anything!" Jason growled, his voice raising.
"That's because it doesn't exist, it's a myth. They are no better then greedy treasure hunters. It's entertaining." Manny managed a painful chuckle.
"You know Manny if you didn't go after Elizabeth I probably would have let you live… but you did so you wont."
Manny's eyes widened, "Just do it!"
Standing over Manny with his gun pointing down at him it was Jason's turn to smile. "You're wrong Manny."
The smile returned to Manny's face, "I'm not but please tell me how you think I'm wrong." Manny tilted his head to look around Jason's legs, "I hate for you to be proven wrong in front of your men but continue." Manny choked out.
"Well first, you did get emotionally involved because to get back at me for pushing you over the roof, you framed me for Alcazar's murder."
Manny shook his head, "I'm really not that calculated." He coughed, "But if you want to believe I did all this for your attention then so be it."
"Then when I was acquitted you went after Elizabeth. The elevator incident was not the first time you followed her."
"Oh, she told you about the moment we had at the hospital a few days ago. Tell me Jason, are you nervous about becoming a father, bringing a child into this world and presenting it to your enemies?"
"How I protect my child and its mother is for me to worry about." Jason's foot came down on Manny's chest, holding him in place on the ground. "All threats will be handled before he or she is born."
"This is getting boring." Manny choked out.
Jason eyes narrowed and he leaned down, his voice just over a whisper, "Just so you know, there is no myth, the place does exist, it is an island and I own it. The island, the money… it's all mine."
Manny's face turned up into a full grin just as Jason turned the gun and sent a bullet in the middle of his forehead.
Stepping back, Jason turned on his heels, "Do you guys have a handle on him?"
"We have it, go home." Marco said.
Jason handed Marco his gun. "Get rid of this, carefully."
"Don't worry. Nobody will find him or the gun." Francis assured Jason. "You went easy on him."
Jason shrugged, "I don't think he really knew that much."
"He was just a fucking whack job." Jimmy added.
Nodding his head, Jason turned on his heals and left the house.
