The Ripple Effect
Chapter 11
~Kelly's~
"Here," Jason held out a glass of water.
"Thanks." Emily took the glass gratefully. The cool water helped to soothe her throat that was on fire, thanks to the crying jag that she thought would never leave. She really shouldn't bottle her emotions up.
"Do you feel better now?" Jason asked as he settled in the chair across from her. He hadn't seen her cry like that since the awful morning he had woken her up to tell her that Lucky had died.
"Yes," she nodded. "I guess I needed a good cry," she tried to make light of the last few minutes.
"Do you want to tell me what happened to set you off?" He asked after a minute. He didn't want too, and wouldn't press for details. But he wanted her to know that he would listen if she wanted to talk.
Emily debated with herself for a minute, then decided to tell the truth. "Juan and I have been having problems lately. In fact we broke up several weeks ago. Ever since then Juan has wanted to get back together, he wants to try again and I," she sighed. "I never said it wasn't going to happen, at least not until today."
"Are you sure that's what you want?"
The simple question almost made her tear up again. She knew he didn't like Juan. That the only reason he even tolerated him was because of her. And yet he still wanted to make sure that it was what she really wanted.
"Juan and I were right for awhile. We helped, no," she corrected herself. "He helped me at a time when I needed help. But that time has passed, and our relationship has changed. This new relationship isn't one that I want or need. So I'm sure that ending it for good was the right thing to do." She stopped and sighed heavily. "It's just…"
"It hurts," Jason finished for her when she fell silent again.
"Yes," she nodded. "What also hurts is how we left things. He didn't take the news very well and said some ugly things to me. I don't want to look back on this relationship one day and only remember the pain and anger we caused each other." Emily trailed her finger along the condensation forming on her glass. The water beads were cool to the touch, and somehow soothing. "But I think I might."
"I'm sorry you're hurting."
Grateful, because he hadn't offered the It will get better in time speech, that she knew she would be hearing a lot, the smile she gave him was genuine. "It would have hurt worse, if I kept the relationship going. It wasn't healthy."
Jason's eyes darkened in concern. "Does this have anything to do with the secret you and Elizabeth are keeping from me?"
Emily's finger stopped mid motion and her eyes darted from her glass to him. He met her gaze steadily enough and she could see the determination in his eyes. He wouldn't be put off for much longer.
"Emily?" Jason prompted. "You know that I just want to help you. Don't you?"
Emily nodded mutely her eyes moving back to her glass.
"Then talk to me. I can't help until I know what is going on."
"Juan did have a part in what went wrong." She admitted and couldn't quite keep the bitterness from her voice, as she remembered that night. "You might say what he did helped to start the whole problem."
"What did he do?" He kept his question soft, trying to ease the answer out of her. Judging from her expression she was more in memory at the moment, then there talking to him.
"We hadn't been getting along. It seemed we were fighting more then we were talking. At first the fights were minor, the way my parents treated him, Taggert's rules, his music, his jealousy over my friendships with Lucky and Nikolas." She looked up at him in surprise, comprehension in her eyes. "I think it was the jealousy he was feeling that made everything change between us. Because all of a sudden the fights got more and more personal."
She paused to take a long sip of water. It seemed to be her day for self-realizations. She took her time, knowing that he wouldn't push her. Also because she hadn't decided yet on how much to tell him.
"With the attention that he was getting from other girls because of his singing, I guess I got a little jealous too. But soon it got to the point that I felt like I had to prove that I loved him."
Jason's expression never changed, but inside he was seething. He had little doubt as to what proof Juan had wanted from her. The urge to find Juan and beat on him was very strong in him at the moment. But he said nothing.
"I thought I was ready." Oblivious to Jason's mood Emily continued on. "But I kept putting on the brakes at the last moment, so that caused even more fights. Finally though I decided I was ready," she groaned at the memory. "The only problem was that Juan was tired of the games he said I was playing. He didn't want to be alone with me. Instead he wanted to go to a rave."
She tugged a hand through the snarls in her hair and met her brother's eyes. "So we went to the rave. And that's where this whole nightmare started."
~Jax's Penthouse~
"What the hell do you mean by that Venus?"
V hid a wince when she heard her whole name. That coupled with his tone, cut through the worst of her anger. "I just meant that you seem to have no problem, trusting Chloe's decisions, yet you question mine."
"Of course I trust Chloe. I'm backing her business now, if I didn't trust her I wouldn't do that," Jax dismissed Chloe with a wave of his hand. "I don't see what she has to do with you taking on the mob."
V moved until she was standing on the other side of the couch facing him. She needed to keep a distance between them if she wanted to keep a clear head while the fought. "I brought her up because of the way you reacted to my news. You don't have a problem with Chloe doing what she is trained to do."
"She's a fashion designer for crying out loud," Jax interrupted. "The only dangerous aspect in her line of work is if she gets caught between the models and the bathroom, before a fitting."
V ignored that and went on. "Yet when I try to do what I am trained to do you throw a hissy fit."
"Maybe I'm throwing a fit because I'm in love with you. Did you think of that? Maybe it's because I don't want you to do this because it is dangerous." He moved closer and she shifted countering his movements, keeping the distance between them. "Is it wrong for me to be concerned about you?"
"No." She ran a hand through her hair. "But it isn't right for you to try to tell me what to do with my life or my career."
"I'm not doing that. At least I hope I'm not." He moved quickly and was on her side of the couch before she had a chance to back away. "If I did do that I'm sorry. It's just I'm worried about what could happen to you if you take this case."
"I told you Jax, this is what I'm trained for, and even more then that it's what I love to do." Her eyes searched his for understanding. "I would never ask you to give up raiding companies, because that is what you love to do. Law enforcement, security, whatever you want to call it, is what I love, it's a part of me."
"I'm not blind," he took her hand and brought it to his lips. "I know a part of you has been unhappy ever since you quit the force." He saw her eyes brighten at that admission. "But this case. It's too much V."
Hurt V dropped his hand and withdrew from him. "You don't think I can do it? You think I'm just some dumb Sheriff's Deputy who can't handle an investigation like this?"
"No." Jax caught her arm before she could storm away. She yanked hard trying to free it but he held on. "Look at me," he waited until she stopped struggling before going on. Finally he addressed her head when she refused to look at him. "What I think is just the opposite V. I know how good you are, and that's what scares me."
She raised her eyes then.
"You're good enough that you will probably find Ted Wilson and whoever killed him," his voice dropped to a whisper. "But you have to see that whoever does have him, has killed once and they won't hesitate to kill again. If they were willing to kill a cop, they won't think twice about killing a private detective."
"I'll be careful. You know how I am."
"Careful doesn't always mean safe. I can't lose you V. I can't handle losing another person I love." His last words were spoken in her hair as he pulled her into an embrace.
Her arms tightened around his waist. She knew the memories of his earlier loves were haunting him. He had thought his first wife Miranda, had been killed and had to live with that fact for years. Then he had lost Brenda as well. And now he was worried about her. "I'm right here Jax. I have been for awhile now. You just never saw me."
"I see you now," he pulled back to look in her eyes. "Please V, for me, let this case go."
~Kelly's~
"What happened at the rave?"
"Everything sort of fell apart. The music there was so loud, you can barely think. And there are all these people around you, they press so close that it's hard to move. The heat is incredible, both from the people and the temperature, it's overwhelming." Her eyes darkened in memory. Sometimes she thought she could still smell the stench of the sweat and tobacco from that night.
"It's like all your senses get so jacked up that you can't concentrate on anything, your whole mind and your body is on overload. It's the closest I've ever felt to the madness that drugs offer you, without actually taking them." Emily shifted in her chair and began to drum her fingers on the table. "And if you add two people who aren't getting along to that pressure cooker and something's got to give. Someone is going to blow."
"Who blew? You or Juan?"
"Me, then him, and then it got really bad," she admitted. The ugly words that she'd said, that he'd said were still in her memory, so too was the misery that had filled her. "It was our worst fight yet and no one was spared. Lucky, Elizabeth, Nikolas, they all got caught in the crossfire."
He didn't really like what he was hearing, but more then that he didn't like the way she sounded. Her voice was hollow, rather then reflective. To him that meant she was still dealing with it, that it wasn't in the past yet.
"Juan stormed off one way and I went the other. I felt so hot and so alone, even though Elizabeth was there. Everything was so loud in the room and in my head, that I just wanted to forget for awhile." She flicked some nail polish off her fingers and smiled slightly. "I broke the rules. I knew I wasn't supposed to drink anything there. That there was a good chance that it would be spiked or drugged, but I didn't care. At that point I just didn't want to feel anymore."
Emily studied his face for disappointment or anger, but the eyes that met hers were filled with nothing but patience and understanding. When she saw that she went on.
"It was laced and soon I didn't feel anything. At least not until I saw Juan kissing another girl. He looked right at me, made sure I saw him, and then kissed Allison 'chipmunk slut' Barrington."
Jason sighed and reminded himself to look Juan up later on. He had warned him about deliberately hurting Emily, and that was about as deliberate as it got.
Emily reached for her glass and she noticed the dark bruises on her wrist. She quickly dropped her hand to her lap and pulled the sleeve down, hoping he hadn't seen them. Seeing them herself made her realize that she was soon either going to have to shut up, or tell him everything. She wasn't surprised to realize that she wanted to tell him even though the others, especially Lucky, didn't want her too.
"What did you do then?"
"I ran," she admitted. "I told you once that I was a reactor. I don't force the issue or have confrontations if I can avoid them. I'm one of the avoidance is better Quartermaines," her smile turned mocking. "Oh I can fight with the family or stick up for my friends, but when it's just about me, and the pain or hurt gets to be too heavy, I retreat. My retreat was drugs, kind of like A.J.'s is alcohol. This time even though I was stoned by that point, I still felt enough that I had to run away, this time physically, from the pain."
Jason rested his elbows on the table, his movements forced her to look at him. "You did what you needed to do in order to cope with what you were seeing. Running isn't always a bad thing Emily, not when staying would be so much worse."
She looked away from his eyes. But what if you ran into worse trouble? Trouble bad enough that it made seeing your boyfriend kiss another seem like a walk in the park.
"Finish the story Emily." He could tell from her eyes and from her sudden shiftiness in the seat, that the worst part was still coming.
"I ran away from Elizabeth who was trying to get me to leave. I wanted to leave, but the rave was so crowded it was hard to move. My head was spinning and it was hard to find the door." She kept her eyes on the table not wanting to see his face when she told him what happened next. "I ran right into a guy. He seemed nice, and I just wanted to be gone. I could hear Lucky calling my name and I didn't want to face him. I didn't want to deal with any of my friends. I didn't want to see the I told you so look in their eyes, even if they didn't say the words. I just wanted to forget. I didn't want to feel," her voice dropped to a whisper. "So I left with him."
Jason ran a hand over his cheek and held back a sigh. He didn't look back. He never saw the point because you couldn't change anything. He knew that Emily was okay at least physically, but at he same time he knew something bad had happened. And that made him worried and angry. Most of the anger was directed at Juan and the unnamed guy she left the rave with, but some was directed at himself. After what had happened with Tom Baker, he had promised her that he would always be there for her. That if she found herself in trouble again, he would help her no questions asked, but he hadn't been.
"I thought we were going to another rave, but…"
"Well look who we have here." Taggert's voice boomed out in the small courtyard causing Emily to jolt in surprise. "Jason Morgan is back in town. Today is such a good day. I should've checked my horoscope."
Jason watched Emily withdraw and shut down, and realized it was yet another reason to dislike Taggert. He kept his face impassive as he turned to look at him.
"Emily." Taggert nodded at her before letting his eyes rest on Jason. "One of my boys said you were back in town. I almost busted him down to meter duty when I couldn't find you. I'll have to remember that."
"Is there something you want?" Jason's tone was full of disinterest. He knew that if he didn't react to Taggert, the man would go away sooner.
"Oh I want lots of things Anger Boy." Taggert grinned and began to rock in place. "In fact I'm about to get one of my biggest wishes. Your boss will soon be a guest of the state for over 25 years. Drug trafficking was such a bad thing for him, but it's great for me."
Jason just tilted his head, projecting a look of confusion as he looked up at Taggert.
The half-amused/half-confused expression on Morgan's face bothered him. It always bothered him. He rarely got past the look, and that frustrated him. The once named Anger Boy had learned some things about control. But he still had a lot to learn.
"I figured you'd be back in town before too long. Sonny will need to explain to you how to run things before he goes to jail. That will take a long time for you to grasp." He kept the pressure on trying to goad Morgan into reacting. "Not that it will do you much good." He put his hands on the table and leaned closer to him. "Once he can't hold your hand and tell you what to do anymore, you will fall apart. We know that your brain damaged mind can't handle too many things at once."
"God how could you?" Emily hissed causing Taggert to look at her. "Your supposed to be a cop and all you are is a bully with a badge."
"Emily," Jason started.
"You accost Jason, get in his face every chance you get, you insult him, you call him names," she got to her feet. "Do you know what kind of person that makes you?"
"Morgan is a criminal." Taggert stated simply.
"Prove it." Emily crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at him. "That's right you can't. All you've ever been able to prove is that he is half-owner in a successful coffee business. Everything else you say about him is nothing but your opinions because you haven't made a thing stick."
"Emily it's okay." Jason got to his feet trying to cut off her tirade and earned a glare in the process.
"No it's not Jason. He lectures Juan on how to treat people, and yet he treats you like something he scraped off his shoe," she focused on Taggert again. "You know I may not have always liked you Lieutenant but at least I respected you. But I don't now, not when you use your badge to call people names."
"Emily I know he's your brother, but that doesn't change the fact that he is a dangerous criminal." Taggert tried to reason with her.
"The word criminal implies that Mr. Morgan has been convicted of a crime." Alexis Davis entered the fray from behind Taggert, causing him grimace. "The only charge that my client has ever admitted too is train surfing. Since that was only a misdemeanor, it is not a crime worthy of the label criminal. But I have a word for you Lieutenant, in fact I have several words. Slander, harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress," she paused and her mouth curved into a feral smile. "There is also that new stalking law that recently went into effect. I've been intrigued about the public official aspect of that law."
Jason couldn't help but smile at the anger and frustration on Taggert's face.
"I was just…"
"Leaving Lieutenant." Alexis finished for him.
Taggert ignored her and stepped closer to Jason. "I'll be watching you Morgan. Watching and waiting. The instant you screw up you'll be in a cell next to your boss. Remember that."
"Taggert will you never learn?" Alexis asked. "How many complaints do I have to level against you before you realize that you can't treat my clients this way."
"Emily I'm sorry if I upset you. But you need to know the truth about your hero," he sneered the word, "here." With that he turned, and with a nod to Alexis, left.
"He can always brighten up a place," Alexis commented. "All he has to do is leave. Don't let him get to you Emily," she patted her arm and then looked at Jason. "I know he didn't bother you."
"Thanks anyway Alexis." Jason offered her a genuine smile. "I wasn't sure if I was still your client."
"I have the feeling you will always be in need of my services." Alexis opened the door to Kelly's. "And as long as you pay my bills you'll get them."
Jason just shook his head and waited until she disappeared before focusing on Emily again. "Let's finish our talk."
Emily's mind was racing. She had been going to tell Jason about Ted, but now she wasn't sure she should. Taggert was looking for any reason to arrest Jason. If Jason got caught with Ted's body, Taggert wouldn't even bother trying to find out what really happened. He would just throw Jason in jail. She couldn't let Jason put himself on the line like that. She wouldn't be able to handle the guilt if her brother was sent to prison for trying to help her. She would rather walk into the police station today and admit the truth then see that happen. Decision made she focused on her brother, now she just had to throw him off track.
"Emily?" Jason touched her hand.
"There's not much else to say," Emily stepped back breaking contact. "I left with him and I did some stuff that I'm not proud of. I didn't want anyone to know I did that, because I was and am ashamed that I left with him. I was ashamed that I had fallen off the wagon."
Jason studied his sister who was doing a very good job of not meeting his eyes. She was lying that much he could tell. Yet at the same time, he had a feeling she wasn't. "What's the secret?"
"Uh…" she huffed out a breath to buy time, while her mind raced ahead trying to think of what to say. She finally decided on a mixture of the truth and lies. "I woke up the next morning in a hotel and I didn't remember what happened. The secret is that. I've been trying to figure out what happened that night, Elizabeth and the others are helping me." She met his eyes as she told him the big lie. "We've been trying to find the guy I was with, so we can find out what happened."
Now his senses were screaming that she was lying, but he still couldn't figure out about which part. "Emily…"
"That's it. That's my secret. It's just I was too ashamed to tell you, or anybody else." She reached for her purse. "But I'm through with looking back. I'm going to borrow a page from your book and forget about the past. Instead I'm going to focus on the future. I would appreciate it if you don't tell anybody though. I'm still embarrassed."
"Emily I just want to help."
"You can't," she cried loudly before taking a breath and trying again. "I told you I'm letting it go." She gave him a hug. "I need to go."
"Emily when you're ready to tell me the truth I'll be here." Jason watched her hurry away then turned to head for the warehouse, before pausing and looking after her again. His senses were telling him that he shouldn't let this go. He had a feeling that the trouble she was in was growing, he took a step after her when his cell rang.
"What?" He growled into the phone and waited. "Now? … Are you sure? … Fine I'm on my way." He closed the phone and took a final look in the direction his sister had disappeared, before heading the other way. He'd talk to her soon and get the rest of the story out of her.
~*~
Jason's words rang in her ears when she raced from the courtyard as if the hounds of hell were chasing her. He knew she was lying, so all she had managed to do was buy herself time. Hopefully it would be enough time. All she needed was another day. The rave was tomorrow night, they just had to find out where. Unfortunately she would have to rely on Juan to find out where, she wondered if he would still help them.
She was walking past an alley when a noise coming from inside of it, made her pause. Her eyes swept the alley looking for what had caused the noise. The early hints of sunset were upon them and the shadows were spreading across the alley, hiding more then it revealed. When she didn't see anything she began to move again.
Emily had only taken a step when she heard a groan. This time she pinpointed the origin of the noise, both by the sound and the scuffed white sneakers that were moving on the far side of a trash bin. "Are you okay?" She called out. The only response she got was another groan followed by a thud as something hit the side of the trash bin.
"Do you need some help?" Caution warred with her ingrained need to help and she took a step into the alley.
"I'm fine." A masculine voice called out weakly, then was followed by a muffled oath as a thud sounded again.
"Okay." Emily began to move again, but the soft curses and the pain in his voice stopped her. "You are such a sucker," she muttered before moving towards the sneakers.
The shadows were lengthening but there was still enough light that she could make out the bruised features of a dark-haired man on his knees. He was leaning against the trash bin, his eyes were closed, and his arm was wrapped around his waist in what looked like self-protection. She could see a dark bruise forming on his jaw, and a thin trickle of blood was peeking out from under the hair on his forehead. He was older than her by a few years and in obvious pain.
"Let me help you up."
At the soft voice Zander Smith's eyes flew open and he focused in surprise at the girl standing a few feet in front of him. He'd figured she had left. "No. I," he broke off when he shifted sending another shaft of pain through his ribs. Sorel's goons were nothing if not professional. He knew from bitter experience that at least one rib was broken. He only hoped the others were only bruised. He also knew that he couldn't get up without help. "Thanks." He offered a smile and only winced slightly when his bruised jaw didn't like that.
Emily blinked at the smile, it changed his looks, then moved closer and squatted by him. "Put your arm around my shoulder and I'll leverage you up."
Zander nodded and did as she ordered. He couldn't help but groan when her hand touched his side.
"Sorry," Emily moved her hand down until she grasped the belt loop of his jeans. "I'll pull from here. You might get a wedgie but I won't hurt you."
Zander choked. "Don't make me laugh."
"Right, sorry. Are you ready?" She tilted her head so she could look in his face.
"Yeah." Zander was struck by a sense of recognition when he saw her face, but before he could place her she was tugging him to his feet.
It felt like forever but at last he was standing. He leaned against the trash bin in relief, and for support. "Thanks."
Emily stepped back. "No problem," she hesitated. "Do you need an ambulance?"
"No, I'll be fine." He gestured to the mouth of the alley. "My car's across the street. I'll just go home."
Something told her that arguing would do no good. Instead she moved closer and took his arm again. "Then let's get you to your car."
Zander was too surprised at her actions, to do anything other then obey her. "You know you really shouldn't be doing this. Normally if a person is lying beaten in an alley it's best if you just mind your own business and look the other way."
"My your from a cynical world." Emily kept her pace slow so he didn't have to shift very much. "I'll stick to my own world. In it you help people who are in trouble."
Surprised he tried again. "I could be dangerous. You shouldn't help men you don't know, it's not smart."
"Maybe you are dangerous." She conceded as they reached the street pausing to look for traffic, and let him rest, before moving forward again. "But at he moment I could knock you on your ass and be 10 feet away before the first curse came out of your mouth."
Zander smiled and nodded. "You're right."
Emily was a little surprised at how easy it was for her to talk to him. Normally she didn't make a whole lot of sense when she first started to talk to guys she didn't know. She was also surprised at his admission that she could knock him over. Juan could be on crutches with a broken leg and he would still never admit that he was weak. She shook her head banishing the comparison of this man and her former boyfriend.
"It's this one." Zander motioned to a dark blue Monte Carlo. The exertion of walking 20 yards was getting to him and he leaned against the door in relief.
Emily stepped back and studied him in the sunlight. He was almost white under his tan, and the bruises were apparent on his face. But even the bruises couldn't disguise the fact that he was good looking, and in pain. "Are you sure you don't want a doctor?"
"I'll be fine," he straightened from the door and turned to look at his rescuer in the light. "Thanks to you…"
"Emily." She provided her name and held out her hand.
Recognition crashed into him as he placed the brown eyed girl who was helping him. Emily Quartermaine.
Oh shit.
The last time he had seen her, he had just placed her in a bed next to a dying cop, after begging Sorel to spare her life.
"Are you okay?" Emily touched his arm in concern when he just stared at her.
"I'm fine," he managed. "Thank you Emily." He couldn't meet her eyes. He felt guilty because he knew what he had done to her. He lowered his eyes and focused on the livid bruises that were on her arms. "Are you okay?"
"What?" She saw where he was looking and quickly tugged her sleeves down. "Yeah. Well here's your car. Take it easy." She paused raising an eyebrow in question.
"Alexander." He gave her a name he hadn't used in years.
"Bye Alexander." Emily backed away.
"Thanks again Emily." Zander called after her.
Emily didn't look back until she reached the corner. He hadn't moved, he was still leaning against the door watching her. Unnerved she waved and turned the corner. He was good looking, older and in trouble, a combination that never worked for her. Still Alexander was a nice name.
~*~
Zander finally managed to leverage himself in the car and close the door. Things were just getting too close in Port Charles. He needed to get out of town before Sorel came after him again.
Memories of Emily's voice and images of Elizabeth's face came to him. If he left there was no telling what Sorel would do to them, and they wouldn't be expecting it.
"Not my problem." He told himself and started the engine.
He had learned a long time ago that he had to take care of himself first and foremost, because no one else had ever wanted the job. Sorel wouldn't be looking for him until late tomorrow night. By the time he failed to show up with Elizabeth Webber, he would be safe in Canada. Sorel might have a long reach but he knew places to hide in Canada.
"I'll stick to my world. In it we help people who are in trouble."
Zander groaned and put the car in drive. Emily Quartermaine and Elizabeth Webber were on their own. They were tight with Jason Morgan, he'd watch them, if he knew he had too.
"Don't even think about it." He muttered. If he went to Morgan with this kind of story, he'd get killed. The girls were on their own.
Still he couldn't help but feel guilty as he began to drive away.
~Jax's Penthouse~
Jax could see the pain form in her eyes the minute he asked the question and he hated it. But he couldn't take the request back anymore, then he could stem the fear he was feeling at the thought of her getting messed up in Corinthos' world.
He had found out just how ugly the underbelly of the mob could be. He had seen its reach first hand with his brother and his father. He had also seen it when Rivera had gone after Brenda to punish Corinthos. So the thought of someone else he loved getting involved in the mob scared the hell out of him.
He was especially worried because he knew better then most how tenacious V could be. She was good at her job, and she never, ever quit. It was because of her that he had been able to track down Brenda and Sonny and help them deal with Rivera. Because of her he had managed to get the money to help rebuild his empire. Because of her, the assassin that tried to kill him once was stopped. She was too good at what she did to be ignored by whoever killed Wilson.
"Please don't ask this of me Jax."
"I can't help how I feel."
V spun away from him, anger and hurt churning inside of her. "So is this an ultimatum? Either I drop the case or I lose you?"
"No." Jax caught her arm mid pace. "I wouldn't do that to you, to us. If you decide to do this, I'll have to live with it. But I won't lie to you, I won't be happy about it."
V let out a relieved sigh. "I really will be careful."
"You better be." He growled in defeat.
She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you." She murmured before kissing him.
Jax turned his head more fully into the kiss. The last vestiges of anger and fear coursed through him and into her. She met the passion with her own and began to pull him back to one of the couches, only to stop when the phone began to ring.
"Ignore it." Jax hissed as he began to nuzzle her ear.
"I…" damn that felt good. "I can't. I put out some feelers and had my calls," she moaned as he found the sensitive skin behind her ear, "forwarded here."
She broke free while she still could and managed to grab the phone on the fifth ring and tried to settle her breathing. She may not like fighting with Jax but she loved the kiss and make-up part. All of those thoughts flew out of her head as the voice on the other end of the phone caught her focus. "Yes that's right July 3rd." V began to scribble on a pad.
Jax studied her expression and sat on the couch. He knew that look, there was no stopping her, he grimaced and waited. He had a feeling he was going to be waiting a lot from now on.
Five minutes later V slammed the phone down with a cry. "I got to go. I have a lead." She began to shove some papers in her oversized bag. "A hotel owner out on Route 2 seems to remember something about Ted Wilson that he never told the police. He sounds legitimate and I need to meet with him in person." She turned and found herself looking at Jax's neck. He had moved behind her quietly while she was talking. "Sorry."
"There's no point in asking you to call Taggert is there?" He asked a little mournfully.
V cupped his chin and kissed him briefly, but passionately. "I'll be careful," she eased out of his hold and opened the door.
"V," she turned to look at him and he could see the excitement dancing in her eyes. "Call me if you're going to be late."
"I will." V closed the door and hit the call button on the elevator. Only four hours on the job and she had a promising lead. She was going to find Ted Wilson, she only hoped she would find him alive.
~Warehouse~
Jason stuck his head and shoulders under the outside spigot with a sigh. After a minute he pulled back and rubbed at the grease on his hands and arms before dipping back under the cooling stream of water again. The job had been messy, hot, and hard, but after two hours it was finally done. He stood up when something hit his back. He looked from the towel on the ground to the man who threw it. "Problem?"
"If you're through with your shower," Johnny commented. "Sonny needs to talk to you."
Jason made no move to pick up the towel and instead rubbed at the grease on his arms. "Is there a problem?"
"No," Johnny smirked. "Jesus man did you have to bathe in the oil?"
"Loaders tend to be messy." Jason said shortly, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck trying to work out the kinks there, and sending water rivulets down his bare chest.
"Why did you fix it? You're an owner. Don't you know you hire people to do that?"
"We couldn't get a mechanic here until tomorrow." Jason explained after he shut off the water and picked up the towel. "The load needed to go out tonight."
"Well if your done with your pose-a-thon you want to talk to Sonny?"
Jason shot him a look as he pulled on his shirt. "What do you mean by that?"
"Oh nothing it's just that we've never had Susan the receptionist, Michele the file clerk, and Dana Sonny's secretary all work three hours late before. Especially when the reason they worked late seemed to be so they could stare out the window and the door, at you."
Jason just shook his head and headed past the bodyguard. "You're exaggerating."
"No I'm not. I already had to tell the cleaning crew to clean the drool off the window, where Michele was." Johnny kept up the teasing as he trailed Jason down the hall.
"You still have a problem getting dates don't you Johnny?"
"Hey compared to a monk like you I'm Don Juan," Johnny defended himself. "Besides which what little love life you do have is about to jump up and bite you on the ass." With that warning he knocked once and opened the door. "Jason's here."
"Thanks Johnny." Sonny nodded.
"Good luck," Johnny whispered as Jason moved past him.
Jason raised an eyebrow then closed the door. "What's going on?"
"I found out some things that you need to know. Take a seat." Sonny gestured to a chair and waited, using the time to figure out exactly what to say to his best friend. He was still a little unsure about the status of his friendship with Jason. It was true that Jason had forgiven him, but a few days ago was the first time they had talked about anything personal in months. The confidence that usually sustained him was a little shaky.
"Sonny is there a problem?"
"I don't know for sure. All I know is you need to know some things," he focused on Jason. "Things about Elizabeth."
Jason came to alert. "What about her?"
"I think she's in trouble."
"What do you know?" Jason got to his feet in concern.
"I ran into her earlier on the docks and I asked her about a guy that Johnny saw her with. A guy named Zander. Did she tell you about him?"
"No." Jason moved to the window feeling uncomfortable for some reason. He had thought she was trying with Lucky. So who the hell was Zander?
Sonny could read the tension in Jason by how stiff he was standing at the window. "I don't think she's dating him, in fact I don't think she even likes him."
"Then why are you mentioning him?" Jason demanded shortly.
"Because when I asked her about him she let it slip that he had drugged her."
"What?" He turned on Sonny his expression cold.
"She tried to cover it up but that's what she said. Before I could press her on it she left." Sonny leaned against the desk and waited.
"I knew something was going on with her and…" Jason stopped talking and thought back to his earlier conversation with Emily. She had said that Elizabeth and the others had been trying to find the man from the rave. Maybe this Zander guy had something to do with that.
"Jason?"
"Did she say anything else?"
"Not about this guy."
Sonny's hesitation was brief but Jason caught it. "What else happened?"
Sonny bought himself some time by moving back around his desk. This was the part he didn't know if he should mention to Jason. He could tell from Elizabeth's questions, during the time Jason was gone, that she really cared about him. From the brief conversation earlier today he had the feeling that now she was thinking about him as more than a friend. Or at least she had been until he had opened his big mouth and hurt her.
But he wasn't sure how to mention that to Jason or if he should. Jason didn't open up about his feelings very often. And with the awkwardness that was still between them, Sonny wasn't sure Jason would want him to mention anything. But he couldn't help but remember that one afternoon before Jason had left. It was the first personal discussion that they'd had after his betrayal with Carly and that conversation had been about Elizabeth.
He had been surprised when Jason had opened up to him. And he had been thrilled at the expression on Jason's face and his eyes when he did. Sonny remembered thinking at the time how much Jason's description about Elizabeth had changed. A few weeks earlier he had described her as Lucky's girlfriend, but that day he could tell that she had moved past that to Jason. Jason had shut down before he said too much, but in that moment, he knew how much she meant to him.
"Sonny I asked you what else she said." Impatience shimmered around Jason. He wanted to find her, but he wouldn't until he knew what Sonny was holding back.
"I don't want to overstep, but I need to as you something Jason." Sonny said finally. "How do you feel about Elizabeth?"
Jason withdrew. Sonny could see it in his eyes. First he pulled back emotionally then physically.
"Why do you want to know?"
Sonny nearly groaned when he heard the ice in Jason's voice. "I'm asking because I think she likes you."
"I know that." Jason snapped.
"No Jason she really likes you." Sonny rested his elbows on the desk. "But she doesn't know how you feel."
Jason gripped the back of the chair and waited. He wasn't quite sure where Sonny was heading with this. But he knew he wasn't ready to talk to anyone, including Sonny, about his feelings for Elizabeth. He was still trying to figure them out himself.
"Maybe I'm wrong. But I think you should talk to her. And when you do you might explain why you never asked about her while you were gone."
Jason blinked in surprise. "I knew you would watch out for her."
Sonny was glad for that show of support. "I did. I also know why you didn't ask. We only had two personal conversations the entire time you were gone. The first was when I told you about the pregnancy and the second was when you gave me the information about A.J. I know that but all she knows is while she asked about you all the time, you never asked about her."
Jason nodded. "I need to go."
Sonny nodded knowing he couldn't press Jason any further or he would completely shut down. "I have the guys checking on this Zander guy."
"Good let me know what you turn up." Jason opened the door. "I'll find out more from her," he hesitated and kept his back to Sonny. "Thanks."
"Jason." Johnny caught him before he could leave. "There's something you should know that I didn't tell Sonny. Two things actually."
"What's that?" He paused by the door and turned to look at the other man.
"When she was with Zander she seemed afraid of him. But at the same time she wanted him to like her. It was like she needed something from him."
"Afraid? Was he touching her?"
"Not really. They were on the docks and she was desperate for him not to find out where she lived. She used me to get away from him. She lied pretty good but I think he might have caught on."
Jason's hand tightened on the doorknob in anger. "What's the other thing?"
"Uh," Johnny scratched his chin and shifted on the balls of his feet. "I told you that you messed up. I mean what were you thinking? You kept in touch with me but not her. Are you nuts?"
"How does she know that?"
Johnny shifted again. "How the hell was I supposed to know that you hadn't sent her anything? Next to Emily I thought she would be the first person you would keep in touch with." He studied his friend with a shake of the head. "For a smart guy Jason. That was stupid."
~Suds of Fun~
"Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth whipped around at the mention of her name and smiled. "Hi Nikolas. Thanks for coming. I'll be just a minute." She turned back and threw the fabric softener ball in the machine before shoving the coins in the slot and starting it.
"No problem." Nikolas looked around at the almost empty Laundromat. It was the first time he had ever been inside of one. The artificial glare the harsh fluorescent lighting gave off made the white machines bright enough to hurt his eyes. The damp musty smell mixed with the heat in the room and the pungent odor tickled his nose. He realized he hadn't been missing anything.
Elizabeth moved her sketchpad and patted a chair beside the one she was now sitting in.
"So what do you need?" Nikolas asked.
"I need you to listen to me."
"I always do."
"No," she shook her head. "No you don't. But this time I really need you too. I need you to battle back your knee-jerk reaction and listen to me."
Nikolas tried to shift the chair and frowned when he realized he couldn't because it was bolted to the floor. "I'm not going to like this am I?"
"Probably not," Elizabeth conceded. "But you need to hear it." What she had overheard at Jax's penthouse had stayed with her the rest of the day. She realized that they couldn't go on hiding Ted Wilson. Now all she had to do was convince Nikolas. "It's about this plan of Lucky's. It isn't going to work. You know it and I know it."
Nikolas sighed, he agreed with her, but he didn't like the alternative he knew she was going to suggest. But she had a point he needed to get past his knee-jerk reaction and do what was best for them all. And what was best was getting help from someone who knew what they were doing. So he made the suggestion instead, hoping to surprise her. "I think we should tell Jason."
"No." Elizabeth shook her head. "Jason is the last person who can ever know."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Let me hear from you if you want more, that is if anyone is still reading.