Chapter 19

She hadn't been watching where she was going. She was late for work, and she didn't really want to be. Carly was giving her a job. She didn't need the money; she just wanted something to do. She knelt next to the crying blonde child and looked at her. She was a cute kid, and she felt bad for running into her. She swept her long flowing brown, almost black, hair over her shoulder as her eyes looked at the little girls.

"Are you okay," She asked.

"I want my Mommy," Cali spoke as the tears continued to fall.

"Mommies right here," Courtney said as she knelt down next to the girl and her daughter.

Cali pushed herself off the ground, stood on her feet and unsteadily walked to hug her mother. The little girl cried into her mother's shoulder as Courtney rubbed her back. She looked around at the concerned faces of Neen and Jason before her eyes settled on a girl, a teenager, no older than seventeen. The young woman looked worried. Courtney stood with her daughter in her arms as the young woman stood as well. The five of them stood in a circle, four very concerned with the child in Courtney's arm.

"You okay munchkin," Courtney asked her daughter.

Cali was in the process of drying her tears with her small little hands and looking at all the faces. She saw Mr. Jason, he owed her a horsy ride, then there was Auntie Neen, who would so get her ice cream in like 2 seconds if she asked. There was her Mommy who looked concerned. Then there was the pretty girl. She didn't now who she was, but she had eyes like…

"Petty eyes," Cali said as she pointed to the woman causing Jason and Neen to look at her.

"It's pretty sweetie," Courtney replied.

"That's what I said, pwetty," Cali said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Neen looked at the woman, hazel eyes, like a certain man she wanted to beat. There was more to them though, a certain darkness. Like this peaceful act was just on the surface, that underneath the girls head was spinning as she was dealing with her own demons. She shook her head once more, she didn't have his eyes, his eyes weren't that dark.

Courtney looked at her eyes; she stared at them, actually. She wasn't sure what she saw, but Cali had been right, the young girl had lovely eyes, like someone she knew when she was younger, but there was more, a sadness maybe. Something that told Courtney that this girl needed help.

"Sage, What are you doing on the docks alone. Doesn't your Uncle send a guard out with you," Jason said as he looked at the young girl.

"It's the middle of the day Mr. Morgan. My uncle was busy, so I left a note. Carly talked to her Mom, she's giving me a job at Kelly's. Is she okay," The girl asked.

"Oh," Courtney said with a shake of the head as she looked to her daughter, "She'll be fine. She bounces back in a heart beat, isn't that right?"

"Mmhhm," was all Cali said as her eyes wandered around the docks taking in the water and everything around her.

"She's fine," Sage said as she breathed out and looked to Jason. It wasn't that she was scared of the man, he was Dillon's cousin after all, but he wasn't one you wanted to mess with, even being Lorenzo Alcazars niece it wasn't a good thing to mess with the man.

"Why so worried. I no bite," Cali said as she watched the girl.

"Huh," Sage uncomfortably replied to the child knowing that her uncle wanted her to stay away from Jason, and Sonny, "Well I need to get to work. Nice seeing you."

"Well it was nice to meet you. Perhaps next time we meet we can exchange names," Neen yelled as Sage ran off towards Kelly's, "What a strange girl."

"She's Alcazars niece," Jason spoke.

"Ah, well that answers it," Neen said as she gave a light laugh and stuck her hand out towards Jason, "Hi, I'm Neen."

Jason just stood looking at the hand. He didn't know who this woman was, and he would be damned if he shook her hand before he knew more about her.

"Someone's cwanky," Cali said as she looked at the stern face Jason wore, "Can I have ice cweam?"

"Well that depends, were you good with your Aunt Carly today," Courtney asked.

Cali looked down and began to play with her hands. She had suddenly gone completely silent, and moved off into her own world. Courtney took her eyes away from her daughter and turned them to her friend. She knew the look that held Neen's eyes captive. The two women needed to talk, about what Neen was unsure, but the needed to talk.

"You know what. I bet if you asked Mr. Jason, he would take you to Kelly's for your ice cream," Courtney said as she eyed Jason, begging him with her eyes to oblige.

"Weally," Cali excitedly remarked as she turned in her mother's arms, "Would you weally take me to get ice cweam Mr. Jason?"

"Of course, How could I resist that sweet face," Jason spoke as he lifted the child from Courtney's arms and walked off the docks.

"We'll meet you in Kelly's" Courtney called after the two, Cali already jabbering away.

"So what happened," Courtney asked as she turned to face her friend and co-worker, "I mean I thought Cali was with Carly."

"She was," Neen stated as she just stared at her friend.

'Well why isn't she anymore. I mean did something happen?"

"Courtney," Neen said as she let out an exasperated breath, "Something is always happening. Whether either of us likes it something is always happening. Someone is getting shot at, or we're paying someone off, hiding a…"

"Don't say it Neen. I realize that you're upset, but take it out on him later. You have no clue who is listening, and we can't risk anything," Courtney said a bit agitated.

"You're risking too much," Neen said as she looked at her friend with pleading eyes.

"I'm not risking anything," Courtney replied with in a heated voice.

"Cali was scared shitless today. You can't do this to her, and you can't do this to you. You both deserve better. You don't need to keep living you life like this. Things will get messy Court. To many people know you, too many people are aware of what you can do and I'm sure that they will all be watching you. Court, you're good, but with all those eyes on you can you really stay out of the fire?"

"Neen, please. I have to do this. I need to do this. I have to find her. I have to understand their motives. I need to know why Johnson was so adamant about me doing this last job. I just need to know what he knows, and I can't do that if I run. He's had a reason for doing everything he's done. So I'm going to stay and do this. He needs my help," Courtney said in frustration as she walked off towards Kelly's.

Neen watched as an angry Courtney walked off into the distance. She was worried, too much had happened. Too many people knew Courtney, her signature. Sure few people actually knew what the woman looked like, but there was still the risk of someone finding out. The risk that someone would recognize the fiery woman that was her boss in a sense, and want what she had. Johnson may be the name, a name that struck fear into hearts, but Courtney was the face behind the man. She was the one who made sure that they all had what they needed, but when would she worry about herself.

Neen shoved her hands in her pockets as she walked off after her friend they still had a lot to talk about, business, and well, life. She let the wind blow her hair behind her as she inhaled the sweet breeze. She was finally getting settled. After years of having to deal with her parents and all their shit she was finally free of them. Free to live her life. A life she thought was going pretty well. She had a family that she could love. People who cared, no matter how dense certain men were. She had a home, a home she wanted to protect. She wanted to get to the bottom of this mess just as much as Courtney did, she just didn't want to risk it all.