~~IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME. Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I was working and fell out of touch with this. Had to deal with crippling anxiety and now found out my Grandma isn't doing too well. Fear not, I'm here and looking to update more often~~Reanna.
CHAPTER 34-MO MONEY, MO PROBLEMS
After not getting a response from Baz all day, Jessica was hell bent on finding him to confront him on the matters. She was ready to race over there was nighttime came but she didn't feel good which made her not up to a fight. That was bound to happen between the two of them, especially since she didn't know the money was Smurf's. Actually, the two of them butted heads often and it seemed like every time they were together, there was something to fight about.
Getting dressed first thing in the morning, she wasn't sure if he would be taking Lena to school because he rarely did it but apparently Baz was full of surprises. She slipped on a pair of shorts and an old, blue t-shirt which was slightly baggy. Even though she wasn't that far along, her stomach was already becoming round, and Jessica had no choice but to hide it. It wasn't her usual as she wore tight clothes, but she had some things that she could make work.
While looking for her car keys, there had been a knock at the door. Jessica had no idea who it was and paused as she was searching the couch. It could have been Smurf paying another visit and that was the last person she wanted to see. Walking over to the door, she looked out the peephole then opened the door. It seemed that Jessica had been repeating yesterday morning to a T.
"Did you know I was coming to hunt you down or something?" She asked, watching Baz move past her and inside the small apartment.
"You're always showing up at my place, so I thought I'd change the game up" He told her before moving over to the couch. She closed the door, placed her back against it and watched him. "I know you've been calling me, so you don't have to tell me that part"
"Oh, so you've noticed I've been calling and decided to ignore every one, plus texts saying that I needed to talk to you immediately" Jessica's tone was shifting but she had a good reason for it.
Baz rubbed the back of his neck before sitting down. He didn't answer her for a second then turned to see her. "Lena was having a hard time yesterday" Jessica had given him a skeptical look, expecting it to be a lie. Knowing him, it was either the truth or a bold face lie. "Crystal called me and said she was missing Cath so I went and picked her up"
Jessica's face had softened after hearing what he said. Anytime she heard about Lena, it practically broke her heart because she was a sweet girl. It wasn't fair for her to have her Mom missing or dead like the two of them thought. All of them had been doing their part, well mostly Pope and Jessica, in order to make her feel loved and wanted. Things were also going to change when the Baz and Jessica announce they are dating, which was only going to make that dynamic more complicated.
"And you're telling me the truth?" Leaning off of the door, she walked around to the other side of the couch. "It's not another famous lie for me to get off your back?"
"Jesus, if I were to lie to you, I wouldn't bring Lena into it"
Plopping down next to him. "You're you Baz, how many times am I going to tell you that? If you met you, you'd understand the doubt. Is she okay? Is there anything I can do for her or you?"
Shaking his head no, he responded to her. "I did all I could for her last night, I know this might come as a shock, but I spent time with her since you've been getting on me for that. I didn't know that things were affecting her that bad.
"If you were around more often, then you'd know" She hesitated to say it even though it was the truth. Jessica didn't want to bother him with the idea at the moment, but it was another chance to say it. "You know I'm trying to pick on you for it but you need to realize this. Lena has been having a hard couple of months and you just don't want to pay any attention to it…Where is she now?"
It was a Sunday which meant no school and if Baz didn't have her, who did? "Believe it or not, she wanted to spend time with Smurf"
Holding her eyes in place, she wanted to roll them all the way back in her head. If she were Jessica's child, she would have wanted her to stay away from Smurf. That was one of the reasons of giving her child up for adoption and she wouldn't hesitate to do so again. Jessica also didn't blame Catherine for having a hard time dealing with her nor wanting to be around the family.
"Well now that you've brought her up, that's why I was trying to get a hold of you. Remember a couple of months ago when someone broke in here and I called you?" Jessica asked him and he replied with the shake of his head. "It was Smurf, that's how she found out about Dylan. She went through my things then made it look like someone broke in. My crazy ass Mother decided to break in her just so she could get dirt on me"
"Should that surprise me?" Baz asked her back, and for a moment it did. Then he remembered the times where she showed up to his house unannounced which bothered Catherine to death. She had finally said something to and Smurf magically disappeared, hence the reason Lena was always over there.
Jessica face had shown irritation for a second after his response. It shouldn't have surprised her either, but she wanted a different reaction. The folder was sitting on the coffee table, so she leaned forward and picked it up. Opening it, a couple pages scattered out, but she handed him the birth certificate. Jessica thought he'd want to see it before she tore into him.
Baz took the paper, not knowing what it was and read it over. He still couldn't believe that she was able to keep this a secret for so many years. Even though it seemed like he glossed over it, he still had a hard time wrapping his head around it. It wasn't anything he could change or take back and the only thing Baz could do was focus on current events. At the same time, he couldn't blame Jessica for the decision as it was the right one. After seeing how Lena was the day before, it showed how poisonous the family was.
"Anyway…" Jessica said not wanting to comment what he was looking at and wanted to solely focus on Smurf. "I learned such an important piece of info yesterday morning that I'm sure you'll want to hear" It took Baz a second to look up to see her. "That all that money you showed me, it's Smurf money"
"I was going to tell you Jess but I didn't think…"
She quickly cut him off. "You didn't think what? You said, oh here's money that we are going to have but by the way, it belongs to our Mother. P.S, I stole it from her and now you have a target on your back because I included you. Baz, do you realize what this means? I get that you wanted to go against her but I never said I was up for it"
"Yes, you did and don't try to change this around on me. Weren't you the one who said you were on my side? You hate Smurf as much as I do" Baz honestly couldn't believe he said that out loud considering all of the things she's ever done for him.
Standing up from the couch, Jessica put her hands on her hips. "I did say that, but I didn't say I had death wish, did I? You and I, being together is one thing but taking money from her? Millions I might add so that she can just plan our murder and wash her hands"
"You're talking crazy, Smurf isn't going to kill either one of us" Baz now stood up in order to face her. "No one else was going to do this so I had to be the one. Not Pope, Craig or Deran, J wouldn't even have the balls to do it either. Smurf has wronged all of us and someone had to do something about it. You know as well as I that she deserved it"
Even though Baz was right, Jessica couldn't help but feel uneasy about the whole situation. It wasn't that they could only think about themselves, they also had to think of who their actions affected. Not only was it their Mother, but their brothers were also a huge part of the equation. On top of it, Lena was another name that they didn't add in or their unborn child. Jessica was already growing protective of the child, especially due to their lifestyle. She had already protected Dylan the best way she could, and she was ready to do the same for this one.
Using her famous nervous habit, Jessica fluffed her blonde hair for a moment. "Just promise me that nothing is going to happen"
Sighing for a second, Baz turned to see her. "I promise you that nothing will happen. Stop worrying, okay?"
Faintly nodding at him, Jessica moved into her bedroom in search for her phone. Baz watched her quietly while she returned, her painted white nails typing away. "What's going on?"
"Nothing, just sending Deran a message" She told him, while plopping into the car that was opposite of the couch. He wondered why the distance all of a sudden, but Baz didn't push it. She looked up at him, noticing he was staring at her. "What? I left my jacket there the other day, so I was letting him know that I was coming to grab it. Don't worry, I didn't tell him about the money. I'm not that stupid"
"I sure hope not, or they would be knocking at the door asking for it by now"
"Why? You already included J in our situation so why not tell the others?" That was another thing that bothered her, that he trusted J. She didn't have anything against the kid, she just didn't know if he could be trusted or not. Jessica watched him run around for Smurf while would create a problem if one arose.
"I couldn't do it myself and I needed someone's help" He told her while she raised her eyebrows.
"Um hello? Why didn't you just call me? You already told me about everything so why didn't you just ask me to do it"
Baz should have known that was coming but he didn't. He didn't know exactly break the news to her of what he really thought when he decided to steal from Smurf. In all honesty, he debated on saying what he thought but knowing his luck, someone else would find out and tell Jessica first.
"No offense Jess but you've never done a job in your life and don't bring up how you flashed that guard because that doesn't count. I also didn't…I wasn't sure if I could trust you to begin with"
"Oh, so you can trust a seventeen year old kid but not me?" Feeling her cheeks turn red out of anger, Jessica tried staying in her seat. "That's what this is all about isn't it? You having some kind of trust issues with everyone around here. You trust a kid who runs errands for J but can't even trust your own girlfriend"
After saying the last sentence, Jessica became quiet and looked away from him. The two of them had yet to put a title on their relationship even though it was obvious that they were dating. Baz listened to her and she was right. Why did he trust J over her? In his mind however, it was better to get him on their side for future use. Baz and J had a rocky bonding experience and it looked like he had been warming up to his brothers than him.
"Okay, so I trusted him over you. I didn't know if you'd want to be a part of this or not and things started changing so I decided to bring you into the fold. Look at it this way, getting J into this is a plus for us. This way I can keep an eye on him, and I know for a fact that he won't say anything to Smurf. She already asked about it and he didn't say a word"
"You know for a fact? Baz, are you forgetting that he's Julia's kid? She could never be trusted" Jessica reminded him still having reservations about J. This was something she thought they were going to deal with but Baz had already started telling the others. Her issue wasn't J, it was that he was still new to the family.
Rubbing her forehead for a moment, Jessica checked her phone to see if she had a reply. There had been silence between them until she stood up from the chair. "I'm heading out"
"Where are you going?" He asked simply.
"I'm going down to the bar to get my jacket. I'm not waiting for a text back and I don't want to lose it. It's my favorite one. You know, the one that's white with the surfboards painted on the back?" She headed over to the kitchen in order to grab her keys.
"You mean the one I got you for your birthday?" Baz asked her, amused that she didn't remember that. Looking back at him, Jessica seemed confused. "I got it for you on your eighteenth birthday. Deran said you wanted a surfboard but Smurf didn't give us any money from the job, so I settled for the jacket"
After taking a few seconds to remember, Jessica faintly smiled. "He told you I wanted a surfboard? Liar, I wanted a pair of earrings that I found at the mall, but I guess a surfboard would have worked. I like the jacket though, thanks for the thought"
For a moment, it seemed like the two of them were back on track. "I'll take you, that way we can talk about things more because I know how you like to argue"
"I'm sorry?" Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she paused. "I don't need you to be my chauffeur because I swear this happens anytime, I go anywhere. For the record, you like to argue with me"
"Oh, now I like to argue?" Baz asked, getting up from the couch while she stood at the door waiting for him.
"Yeah, because you always say stupid shit"
As the couple bickered on their way out of the apartment, they piled into Baz's silver car. It wasn't a long drive over to The Drop, so they didn't talk too much about anything much to Jessica's pleasure. She really didn't want to have a screaming match in the car, so she opted to just stay quiet or make little conversation. As they arrived, Baz parked right out front and they noticed Pope's truck off to the side. It was interesting that he was there considering it was early afternoon and Deran hadn't opened yet. Jessica had hardly saw Pope there, so she wondered what was going on.
After getting out, Jessica went ahead of Baz and stepped inside. She froze when she saw not only Pope and Deran, but Craig, Marco and J sitting at one of the tables. Baz practically ran into her and she moved her aside so he could close the door. On the top had been piles of money and both parties seemed surprised to see one another.
"Hey…" Craig said loudly before shifting his wide eyes over to Deran.
Taking a couple steps closer, Jessica slowly crossed her arms. "Is that from the job?"
"Yeah, it's a good amount" Deran said quietly.
After the yacht job, no one had really talked to one another about the amount or how it went. They knew the basics of it since they were at Smurf's, but they had yet to tell Baz and Jessica that neither of them were getting a cut of the money. It was going to go one of two ways and Deran was nervous about the latter. He didn't want her to get mad at him, but it was bound to happen.
"Hey Baz, Lucy's been trying to get a hold of you for the last couple of days" Marco chimed in before looking between the two. "I'm Marco, Lucy's brother. We met once before at a party, I'm not sure if you remember"
Jessica had stared at him for a second before shifting her attention towards Baz. Lucy was a name she hadn't heard for a while and wondered what she wanted to do with him. Last she knew, Baz hadn't talked to her since they started to become an item. Then again, the night Javi showed him up, Jessica found out that he was with her.
Baz's eyes lingered towards Marco who had a faint smirk on his face, and he didn't dare to look Jessica's way. It wasn't that he was guilty of anything because he hadn't talked to Lucy for some time. He just knew that Jessica was going to blow it out of proportion, and nothing could happen in front of everyone.
"Yeah, I remember you. The party at Smurf's a couple years ago" Jessica spoke then shifted back to the boys. The look on her face meant she was angry and Deran knew this was going to be bad. "So…How much did you guys make?"
"A little over four hundred thousand…Look Jess" Deran started to say but then stopped. Marco's comment irritated her which was not working in his favor. "We decided to split the money different this time"
Raising her eyebrows in surprise, she didn't say a word and instead focused her attention on her brother. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked to the others for help. No one said a word and kept quiet, but Craig took it upon himself to tell her.
"We're all getting a cut of the money, but you and Baz aren't" He said while sitting back in his chair.
"What do you mean we're not getting a cut?"
"It means that you guys didn't do the job, so you get nothing" Marco told her and all the Cody's looked towards him. "Baz didn't do anything, and I stepped up. You're cut is going to Smurf"
No one had any idea as to why Marco was telling Jessica the plan, but it was better him than anyone else. They filled him in on who was going to get the money but Marco didn't even know her, so it was strange for him to be the one telling her the story.
"Smurf? Are you fucking kidding me? Smurf is getting my cut?" She practically screamed, feeling herself fill with rage.
"It's nothing personal Jess but she needs to get part of it" Deran told her.
"She doesn't need a damn thing. Didn't she come in here and ruin your big night? All of you guys have been fighting with her left and right now all of a sudden she gets a cut from a job that she had no hand in?"
"No offence but you didn't do it either"
Jessica snapped her head back at Marco, she wasn't even understanding why he was saying anything. "And you're talking why? I've seen you literally one time and now you are in my family's business telling me everything"
"It was my call…" Deran interrupted wanting to get it over and done with. "You and Baz backed out after I asked you guys if you wanted to do it. You guys said no, and it was my decision. If we don't give Smurf any money, it's only going to get worse. Skipping this isn't changing anything, you've got money left over from the last job we're just leaving you out of this one"
It made no sense to her as why she wasn't getting a cut. All the other times she and Smurf got money without an issue, but this time was magically different. The conclusion Jessica came to was that since she started to hook up with Baz, the Boys had been having trouble with it. It seemed that they all judged them on their choice and were excluding her because of him. It made sense however because lines were already being made.
"You know, out of all of you…I would expect you to…" Jessica had motioned towards Deran but stopped talking. "It's not worth it, I'm not going to say it. I'm outta here"
"Come on, it's not even that big of a deal" Craig spoke again.
"Says the guy who's going to blow it on strippers and coke. Next time any of you need help with anything, don't even bother. Actually, I'm sure Smurf would love to help so ask her"
Deran had rubbed his face slowly wishing that he would have been able to tell her personally rather than everyone being there. He hadn't even seen the text she sent so he had no idea she was coming or he would have kept it under wraps.
"Hey Baz, it looks like your girlfriends' mad" Marco said aloud which got everyone's attention. He always had a knack for being a smartass. "What? I was just trying to make a joke" Jessica's blue eyes narrowed him towards before having a faint laugh.
"Fuck all of you" Jessica told them with venom while making her way towards the front door. Baz stood there quietly before sighing heavily. He had no choice but to go after her as he knew the others wouldn't and he wanted the situation to be back in control. The Cody boys and Marco watched him stand there for a second before trailing out behind her.
Shoving the bar doors open, Jessica got hit in the face with the bright sunlight. Shielding her eyes from it, she made her way past a couple down the street. There was an alleyway right next to the bar and that was where she wanted to go to collect her thoughts. The last thing she wanted to do was sound greedy or act like a spoiled child, but she couldn't help it. She knew that Smurf had a hand in the decision.
Even though she could take care of herself and constantly did, Jessica still relied on having that extra money. Bills were always paid, she had food stocked up and enough to afford the things she had. Without the extra thousands however, she wouldn't have her famous sky-blue Jeep or Kawasaki bike. Part of her just wanted to be even with her brothers considering she hadn't been her whole life.
It wouldn't have been fair for her to make such simple money from having a job while her brothers would be making thousands and splurging on whatever they wanted. It also meant a lot to her that they fought with Smurf to give her cuts due to what happened with Julia. There were various times that Jessica could have been cut off or that they threatened to do so but she always got her act together once that happened.
Rubbing her forehead for a second, she heard the bar door open not wanting to see any of them because that wouldn't solve matters. Baz looked down the left of the street before turning down the right to see her standing there.
Staring back at him for a second, Jessica wanted to start walking back home rather than face him to have a discussion. "You okay?" He asked simply even though the answer was obvious.
"Does it look like I am?" She asked back. Jessica didn't move from where she was standing which led to him taking slow strides to her. A couple people were flooding the streets so everything they said had to be quiet. "I'm heading home so go back inside"
"I drove here, and you are not walking home. It's like what, twenty-five minutes to your place?"
"It's not going to kill me, the sun isn't that bad, if I get sun burn then oh well" Her attitude was clear, but Baz was used to it. She was in the process of slipping her sunglasses on when he grabbed her arm faintly.
Moving them around the building, they stood in an empty alley, away from all the people. They were now in shade, so Jessica gripped the glasses in her hand. He looked over his shoulder before speaking.
"I get why you're mad but storming out of there was a stupid decision"
"I'm sorry?" She questioned, confused. "If you understood why I was made, you'd understand why I walked out. I've always appreciated the help; you guys know that. I didn't do the job and it makes sense that you're not getting a cut but me? I've always gotten one"
"And you call me selfish" He told her, and she replied by raising her middle finger. "It was a joke Jessica, breathe for two seconds. The big issue is you not getting the money, right?"
Jessica nodded at his words, but it wasn't just the money, it was who they were giving it to. "Smurf is getting my cut. She didn't do a damn thing for the job and yet she is getting the money that I'm supposed to have. All of a sudden, they are going to trust her despite everything that she's been doing to everyone? I know she convinced them to do it, Smurf talked them into it. I just know it"
"Don't worry about it, it's nothing to freak out about"
He knew that Jessica wasn't thinking about the millions that they had in the back of their pockets. It was the fact that Jessica felt like she was being replaced by Smurf. Baz understood because he was currently battling the same thing with J. It came down to pride and ego and even though Jessica would say she held neither, it was shining now.
"Yes, it is because I was looking forward to that money…And don't get me started on Lucy" She didn't exactly know what she was going to spend it on, but Jessica wanted to save some for the baby.
Baz hesitated saying his next line because he was fearful someone was going to overhear him. He glanced around until their blue eyes met. "We've got Smurf's money; you don't need to worry about getting a cut from that job. We are sitting on millions" He ignored her last sentence knowing the money was more important.
For the moment, Jessica had forgotten all about the money. The whole cut situation had clouded her judgment of their own secrets they were holding. It was still a shock to her that Baz trusted her enough despite their shared history. It was a lot to keep quiet on so Jessica had pushed that from her mind. She had things to think about and frankly she was afraid to think about what they were doing.
"So, don't worry about it, everything is going to work out and be okay, okay?" Baz dipped his head in order to see her the second she looked away. He gave her a reassuring kiss on the lips, and he hoped it was going to calm her down.
The Bonnie and Clyde act were hitting them like a train as the secrets were staying safe but slowly creating problems. As Smurf already knew her money was gone, the trouble was brewing so it was time to play it safe and stick together. Baz didn't have anyone else on his side because he didn't trust J as he was still Smurf's lapdog. Craig and Deran would be at the bottom which left Pope, but he had been acting strangely for the last couple of months. He wasn't sure where his head was at most of the time and with this big of a secret, Baz only could trust one person.
It all fell into his lap perfectly, with Jessica following everything he was saying or doing. It was plus as she was the only one who had major issues with Smurf and confronted her about them. It was beneficial to have her at his side, but he didn't think of it just as a game. Everyone could look at their relationship differently and believe that they were just a fling but that wasn't the case. Baz and Jessica were not picture perfect, in fact they could borderline toxic with some of their attributes. This wasn't a fairytale romance, and it would always be far from it. For now, they were sticking together, not just because of a baby or money. This time they could be together without any interruptions, this time they wouldn't have to be afraid of others finding out. This time Baz and Jessica could take over the family that tried keeping them apart.
"Can we just go? I don't think I can go back in there; I might die of embarrassment" She spoke to break the silence.
Baz nodded and waited for her to step out first. "Why would you be embarrassed?"
"I stormed out like a chicken with its head cut off. Craig will be the first to say something and I really don't feel like punching him in the face. I painted my nails yesterday; you know when I was waiting for you to call me back. I had all that time to kill…"
She was still bothered about everything that happened earlier that morning. For now, she was going to drop it since they discussed it already but that was the last pass she was going to give for a while. Both had gotten into the car without taking a look back in order to head home.
Jessica had leaned forward in the car in order to play with the radio station. She did not like the silence as it bothered her despite listening to the waves crash near the beach. The two of them didn't have the same taste in music, as Jessica would listen to anything and Baz mostly stuck to rock. That was another thing she liked to, sit on the beach while listening to the radio.
Settling on a local station which played mostly songs from the 1970's, she leaned back in her seat to stare out the window. It was completely silent in the car despite the radio playing and Baz began to wonder what she was thinking. Grabbing her left hand, he clasped their hands together.
"You still mad or something?" He asked her.
"Hm?" Shifting her attention away from the sky and onto him, Jessica shook her head gently. "No, I'm just thinking about some things"
"What's it about?"
Jessica hadn't told him that Smurf gave her the whole report on Dylan. She wasn't sure if he'd even want to hear it or if it was something, she wanted to keep to herself. The only problem that if she didn't say anything, Smurf would run and tell him in order to cause more drama. The CodyMatriarch was hell bent on keeping them separated even though they kept going back to one another.
"It's mostly about Dylan..." She trailed off for a second to see his reaction. Jessica wasn't sure what he was going to think. "Smurf found him. I don't know how or why but she figured out everything"
Baz had been pulling up to a stop sign and that gave him enough time to turn and look at her. Her face was easily readable as she was troubled by the thought to begin with. It bothered her that Smurf knew anyway and would bother her for the rest of her life.
"Well...Where is he?"
"He lives in L.A, I guess grew up with a foster family, has some siblings but never got adopted. Remember months ago, when I called you because someone broke in? Well, that was Smurf...She found my box of stuff which had his birth certificate in it. I'm sorry, I really am. I should have told you sooner"
There were many times that Jessica wanted to tell him, but she couldn't figure out a way to put it in words. It wasn't that she wanted to keep it a secret because she had told other people before, her friends and Javi were exceptions. Keeping something like that ate at her soul but the reaction was something she feared the most. Jessica didn't want to be pushed out of the family again, and she also didn't want Baz to hate her. Having the person, she always loved hate her was something that Jessica couldn't handle either.
He stayed quiet for a moment not knowing what to say. It was still a major shock to Baz as he had no indication whatsoever back in the day or even know. He was hardly a parent to Baz; J had questioned him if he was his own son and now there is a secret child that he didn't know about. Once the light flickered back to green, Baz looked away from her and put his eyes back on the road.
"You were right..." He paused for a moment. "I was too young and naïve to have a kid and so were you. If he had a better life where he is at then that's where it should stay. Then again, he could be pulling in money with us around" Baz said mostly as a joke and he knew Jessica would quickly look at him, she did.
"You are thinking differently about this baby though...Right?" She was still worried she was going to have to do this on her own.
He took another glance at her before speaking. "We're in this together, remember? I'm not going anywhere. You and I are going to make this work without Smurf getting a say in what happens"
Most of Jessica's life was designed around disappointment or disappearance. The biggest thing that bothered her was the fact that she didn't know anything about her Dad. All of her brothers seemed to accept it, but Jessica wanted to know more about her family life. It wasn't like Smurf was gunning for Mother of the year with her so the heartache she had was real. On top of it, she was afraid that one day everyone would turn their back on her due to her many screw ups. In the end, Jessica would have no one and she didn't want anyone to leave when she needed it the most.
Despite Baz's words, Jessica was still unsure on what was going to happen. They were taking a huge risk with Smurf's money and God only knew how it was going to end. It wasn't just the baby that either of them thought about, it was Smurf. She was the common denominator between them and getting her out of the way was going to be the biggest problem of all. Both of them make it clear to not tell her about the baby, so things didn't get worse.
"You know...I've always liked the name Brandon" She blurted out, pretty much as an after-thought. Her blue eyes trailed down to her loose shirt for a second then back out the window. "It goes with your last name"
"Brandon's alright, what about a girl though?" He asked back, knowing that her mood was slightly shifting. Baz could tell by the sound of her voice, how it held some excitement. Jessica hadn't told him if she was eager or not to have a child due to their circumstances, but he knew that this would point her in the right direction.
Not knowing an answer right away, Jessica thought it over for a moment. "I've always liked Chelsea, but I don't know a middle name for it. Of course, she'd probably be blonde like me...I wonder who Dylan looks more like. Maybe he's the perfect combination, your blue eyes and my hair color. Maybe he looks like Deran or Craig, hell he might even look like Pope"
"Jessica..." Baz said before she cracked a faint smile. As much as they loved their brother, Pope was the last person they'd want their child modeled after. "I wanted Lena's name to be Hannah, but Cath changed it last minute" He wasn't sure if he should comment on Dylan because he didn't want her mood to shift again. "Once all this is over, we can go see him. If you want to"
Ever since Smurf gave Jessica the location of her long, lost child, she wondered if it were safe to reach out. It was bad enough that she had his whereabouts because Jessica didn't want Smurf to go out of her way to grab him. It was best to stay but part of her wanted to just see what he looked like, what his life was like and see the things he accomplished without being around the family.
"I don't know...I'm not sure it would be a welcome home kinda thing" She responded.
"Why not?"
"Knowing him, even seeing him is dangerous. If Smurf finds out...I don't want her inviting him to a family dinner. It'd be nice to just know what he looked like but at the same time, he shouldn't know where he came from. I know, I sound like a hypocrite" Baz glanced at her, not knowing what she was referring to. "I get on you for being a bad parent and here I am"
"That's two different things Jess" He would never admit that he was a bad parent but deep down inside he knew that. Catherine was the one who handled everything, and he hardly had to lift a finger. He loved Lena; he really did but didn't know how to parent when he rarely did it before. It was tiresome that all of them had to keep reminding him, but he always had someone else to take care of her so Baz didn't change any effort.
"You did what you thought was best and it was. Neither of us had a normal childhood so that kid wouldn't have had one either. I sometimes think about that when Lena grows up what am I supposed to tell her?"
"That we rob banks and churches in order to live" Jessica joked with him before getting serious. "I honestly don't know. If things could have been different, I'd probably be a doctor by now or a chef like I wanted to be. Deran would be a pro surfer, Craig would still end up a drug dealer and Pope would have got the help he needed. I could see you building houses or something, Lena would be an honor student. You know, Smurf would actually care for her kids rather than pretending"
"Trying to write a novel or something?" He joked even though she had a serious look on her face. "Okay, sorry I said that. Just trying to make light of the situation"
Before Jessica could respond, she noticed him look behind him and through the back window of the Challenger. She followed his gaze only to see a black car. As Baz turned around, he scanned the streets before making a hard right. It took them through a neighborhood that Jessica hardly remembered.
"Hey Fast and Furious, I thought we were going back to your house?" She asked him, her blue eyes looking between a couple houses and Baz.
"That car has been following us for the last ten minutes" He said simply while taking his time navigating through the streets. Baz slowed down while driving to see if the car would do the same or pass them.
"So?...Wait, you really think we are being followed, don't you?" He didn't say anything as he looked into the rearview before thinking of the next move. Making a left, Jessica took another look out the back before facing completely forward. "It's not Smurf's car…"
Approaching a stop sign, Baz slowed the car down before putting it in park. There wasn't any cars around which worked to his advantage. Jessica watched him not understanding what he was doing or why he was paranoid. Sure, they took all of Smurf's hidden money, but she didn't think that they were being followed. Their Mother hardly trusted anyone outside of the family, so it was hard to believe she was trusting someone now. It was a naïve thought, but Jessica also didn't want to believe the truth.
The mysterious black truck behind them stopped as well but didn't make any kind of move forward. No going around them, no honking, just sat there watching them.
"Stay in the car, this will take two seconds" Baz told her while reaching for the car door. She hadn't even noticed that he had taken his seat belt off.
"What?" She asked back, watching him step halfway out. "Wait a minute, Baz, what the hell are you doing? Baz! Dammit Baz…" Unbuckling her seatbelt, Jessica turned completely around to watch what he was doing.
Slamming the silver door closed, Baz took a couple glances around to double check that no one was around. He started marching towards the black car in order to see who they were and what they were doing.
"What is your problem? Why are you following us?" He yelled out, not knowing if they could hear him or not considering their windows were rolled up as well. The windows were even tinted so he couldn't make out anything.
The car only sat still which angered him more. He knew that Smurf had gotten someone to watch their movements because it was only time that she was going to grow suspicious. As J told him before, Smurf knew Baz was the thief, but he was leaving the boy and Jessica out of the equation. It would only be a matter of time before her suspicions grew to Jessica as they were attached at the hip. There was not confronting Smurf, at least not yet. Baz had to do it at some point, but he still was trying to wait it out.
Opening the car door, Jessica slid out and put her elbow on the top of the car. "Get it the car, what are you doing?" As her heartbeat started to pick up, it honestly frightened her that he was standing in the middle of the road with a mysterious car. She had no idea if he'd try running him over or not because there were plenty of times that she wanted to do that herself.
"I told you to stay in the car" He replied back, peering over his should for a moment.
"People have done this in horror films and it never ends well. Let's just go and drop it" Her blue eyes went towards the truck, which almost looked like Pope's, but she knew it wasn't his due to the license plate. Jessica waited a moment to see if he was going to budge but as stubborn as Baz was, he didn't move.
Walking around the front of the car, she noticed someone turning down the street. "Come on, lets get out of here" Jessica tugged at his arm in order to pull him towards the Challenger.
What felt like five minutes, Baz eventually backed away and made her get back to the car first. As they both slipped back inside, the truck peeled away and around them which left a small, silver Toyota now behind them. Baz quickly put the car in drive while Jessica was still buckling herself in.
"Baz, don't you dare go follow them. I swear I will throw myself out, let it go" She told him sharply as now it was their turn to be behind the truck.
As the questionable driver made a left, Jessica pleaded with him once more until Baz began going straight. That made her have a sigh of relief as this short nightmare was over. Neither of them said another word as Jessica wasn't interested in picking a fight at this point. She was already on edge and he was driving like a mad man back to his house.
As she looked over at him, she heard him mumble under his breath, "Fucking Smurf…"