Chapter 15 - Conflicted

Short chapter – sorry! And thanks for all the reviews – I feed off them.

"That waitress just blew her tip," Hyde growled as Jackie came back down to earth with a crash.

"What the hell am I doing," she cried, scrambling out of Hyde's lap. "My boyfriend just broke up with me and 20 minutes later I'm frenching another guy."

"Don't worry – I won't think any less of you," Hyde assured her, reaching for her.

"Don't touch me!" she ordered. "You and your… touch hypnosis."

"And what is touch hypnosis?" Hyde asked in amusement.

"Oh sure, play the innocent. You know my body so well you know exactly which of my buttons to press."

"Well, that's only natural, honey. After all, I installed most of them."

Jackie sighed. "Look, Steven, this is moving way too fast for me. I don't want this diabolical chemistry we share forcing me into decisions that go against my common sense."

"Hell, Jackie, what does a guy have to do? I just told you every damn sappy feeling I've had in the past two years – full disclosure, nothing held back. You think that's easy for me? I'd prefer root canal or listening to Captain & Tenille to talking about feelings. When is it going to be enough for you?"

"Steven, there's just been too much hurt between us. Even if I do still love you, I don't know if I could ever trust you not to break my heart again."

"Jackie, I swear I'll never hurt you again," Steven pleaded. "You've got to believe me."

Jackie looked into his face and sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, Steven, but I think it's going to take more than words to make me believe that." With a shake of her head, Jackie changed her tack from personal to business. "This is getting me nowhere – I should be focusing on a way to bring Dex Tanner down."

"Whoa, whoa, I thought you were just fired from that gig," Hyde said, not thrilled about the idea of Jackie putting herself in harm's way again.

"Don't you get it? Sharon is my friend. In 2 days time she is going to be shot to death unless I can get some kind of dirt on Dex. I don't care if Nick wants my help or not, I'm doing this for her."

"What exactly can you do, Jackie," Hyde asked in exasperation. "Face it, the game is over. You can't be Dex's girlfriend anymore, not after what he tried to pull last night. Maybe that statement from Tiffany will stop the execution."

"I doubt that statement on its own will be strong enough evidence to warrant an appeal," Jackie disagreed.

"There's nothing you can do, Jackie," Hyde repeated. "I'm sorry. Don't beat yourself up about it – you did all you could."

"Not all," said Jackie, her eyes lighting up as an idea came to her. She picked up the tape recorder. "I have to go."

"What? Where?" Hyde was alarmed by the determined look on his lover's face. "Jackie, I'm warning you I'm not letting you put yourself in any more danger."

"I'll explain everything as we drive – now you go pay the bill and I'll wait in the car."

"Fine," Hyde grumped, walking over to the register. It wasn't until Jackie walked out the door that it occurred to him that they hadn't actually ordered any food. Just then he heard her voice yell "Taxi!" He ran out of the diner just in time to see her peel off in a cab. "Shit!" he cursed, foreboding curdling his innards. By the time he jumped in the Camino, they were out of sight. Hyde pounded the steering wheel in frustration. Alright, think, man. She's probably going to see Tanner. I just have to find him to find her. And since shady rich guys don't usually put their address in the phonebook, I'll have to find Braddon to find him to find her. Damn, no wonder I never get up before 10.30 – mornings are killer.