"One more thing," Jonny planted his feet and stopped letting Race pull him towards the door of Jessie's room. Toward the two special agents that were there to arrest him. Jonny wanted to leave. Get it over with and get back to her. But he was also afraid to leave her. To let her out of his sight for even a moment. "Whatever you guys do, DON'T let her leave this hospital," he begged. "Please. If she's fully alert before I get back, don't take your eyes off her. Make her understand that the only way she can help me is by staying put where I know she's safe. She'll hate it, but don't let her wear you down."
They all nodded.
"You ready?" Race asked. Hand on the door.
"Yes…no wait," Jonny rushed.
"You'll be fine," Race soothed.
"I know," Jonny nodded confidently. "But I need to speak with Hadj. Can you buy me two more minutes?" he asked hopefully.
"Go," Race smiled, walking back out into the hallway alone and checking his phone nonchalantly. He was hoping to hear from Phil before handing Jonny over. Both agents looked at him expectantly. Race shut the door behind him and crossed his arms. Guarding it. "He'll be right out."
"What's the hold up?" the bigger agent demanded. He was six feet tall with a military shave. Face and head. He was fair-skinned, but well-built. Race tried to hold back his annoyance because he knew they were only following orders and trying to do their jobs.
"He's splashing water on his face. One minute," Race shrugged, noticing that they looked at each other nervously. Undoubtedly worried about reporting a screw up back to their bosses. "There's no window for him to crawl out of in there, gentlemen. Calm the fuck down. He's a good kid who's had a shitty few days."
XXX
Jonny walked toward Hadji and then guided him to the corner of the room so they could speak in private. "I need you to do me a favor," Jonny started, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a folded sheet of paper. His hands were shaking a little as he handed it over. "I almost forgot about this."
"What do you need?" Hadji asked. He took the paper from Jonny, but did not unfold it.
"Give that to her for me," Jonny instructed and then smiled knowingly. "It won't stop her from giving you a hard time if she wakes up before I'm back, but it might help some."
"You got it," Hadji promised.
"Don't thank me yet," Jonny grinned. "Gonna need one more thing from you."
"Name it," Hadji said hesitantly.
"Call Olivia," Jonny ordered. "Ask her out. Life's too fucking short. If I can go deal with this…you can do that while I'm gone. I'm giving you a full-on guilt trip, but I don't feel bad." Jonny paused and stared at his brother until he got a nod of agreement. Then he took a deep breath and looked at Jessie longingly. "I know this will sound crazy, but I swear I can feel my heart skip a beat sometimes when I look at her. Literally…not just an expression."
"Anxiety can cause heart palpitations," Hadji explained clinically.
Jonny huffed. "Alright, I need to go get this over with. Tell her…just tell her that I love her?"
Hadji smirked. "I think she knows, Jonny."
Jonny smiled back and then pivoted toward the door. He avoided looking at Jessie again. His father helped by placing an arm around his shoulders and guiding him. "I'll walk you out, son."
Jonny held his head high as he entered the hallway. He stood between his father and Race and waited to hear why they had come for him. One of the agents was six feet tall and the other was almost a foot shorter. The big one and the small one Jonny decided. He did not want to know their names.
"Jonathan Benton Quest?" the small one asked.
"Yes," Jonny acknowledged tiredly.
"Turn around," the big one ordered, pulling out handcuffs.
"That's not necessary," Race argued. "He'll go willingly."
"It's fine," Jonny muttered quietly, turning around and putting his hands behind his back. He closed his eyes for a moment when he felt the metal click into place. Then he opened them quickly and stared at her closed hospital door, wishing for one more glance. But he knew that would only make it harder to leave.
Benton and Race watched helplessly as Jonny was read his rights. Then they followed close behind as the agents led Jonny away from Jessie's room.
"What are the charges?" Benton pushed once they were all piled on the elevator. "You haven't told us yet."
"That will be divulged when we arrive," the small one said quickly.
"You can't arrest someone and withhold the reason," Benton yelled. "Show me an arrest warrant or you're not taking him anywhere."
The same agent put a hand up to stop Benton from talking. Race wanted to break that hand, but instead placed his on Benton's arm and squeezed. Benton got the message and held his tongue.
"Your son will be informed before he's questioned," the big one explained. "I'm quite familiar with the law and we're not breaking any. The same can't be said for everyone in this elevator."
"Where are you taking him?" Race cut in, wanting to hear them confirm it. Wanting to make sure Jonny's lawyer was not delayed. "We need to tell the lawyer where to go because he won't be saying a word without one."
"Jacksonville field office," the small one supplied.
When the elevator doors opened, Race got out first and stepped in front of the group. "Which one?" he said through his teeth and caught the surprise in their eyes. "I know there's more than one. Give me the address and let me see your credentials while we're at it," he ordered, holding his hand out.
"Excuse me?" the smaller agent scoffed. Offended.
"Let me see your credentials," Race repeated slowly. "He's my charge. You're not taking him anywhere unless you show me proper credentials and tell me where you're going."
"If that were true, you would've asked for them straight off. Why are you trying to buy time?" the bigger agent challenged.
Race was not impressed. He stared them down and did not move. "Give me your credentials," he ordered again. "I want to know exactly who I'm dealing with. And don't fuck with me, gentlemen. I don't call in favors often, but I have plenty left and I'd lose zero sleep over making your careers disappear if you're dumb enough to piss me off."
Both agents sighed, pulling out their identification and flipping the cases open. Race grabbed them without apology and studied them quickly before handing them back. "Address?" he demanded.
"1227 Charleston. Get what you need?" the big one asked.
Race smirked and stepped aside to let them continue walking.
Race and Benton followed again. A few steps behind until they were outside and watching Jonny be put into the back of an unremarkable black sedan.
"Take a picture of the car. Get the plates. Then call the lawyer and make sure he has the correct address," Race told Benton quietly before stepping in front of him and getting closer to the vehicle. "Agent Morris?" Race called out.
The big one paused. He was half sitting in the passenger seat, but stood upon hearing his name. Holding on to the car door and waiting for Race to talk first. His partner was already behind the wheel. Jonny was leaning back in his seat. A blank expression on his face. Race took it all in before talking. "When this is all cleared up, I WILL get a full report from the kid on how he was treated."
"I'm not afraid of you," Morris announced.
"You don't need to be afraid with me. You need to be smart," Race informed him. "Contrary to the ridiculous rumors out there, I actually am only human. And I'll react like any man forced into a corner. I just have a higher probability of getting out unscathed. Don't get caught in the crossfire, agent. I promise it's not worth it."
"He'll be treated no different than any other person I've ever arrested," Morris assured. "He's not getting special treatment because of you. Good or bad."
Race nodded and took three steps away from the car, crossing his arms and giving Jonny one last look.
Benton joined him after finishing his call. He was getting more worried by the second, but waited until the car was driving away before talking. "Why did I need to take a photo?"
"I'm overly cautious when it comes to all of you," Race announced and then smiled lightly. "You do know how much you pay me, right?"
Benton laughed at the unexpected joke, but his fear quickly snapped back. "Why were they being so evasive?"
Race ran a hand over his face. "I'm waiting on a call back from Phil. There's no use in speculating…"
"Speculate," Benton interrupted. "We agreed in the chapel. Don't handle me. I need to know what we're up against and I trust your instants. You're trying to run through every possible eventuality in your head. Let me help."
"I can think of several reasons to justify what just happened," Race started slowly. "It could be as simple as the personal style of those agents. Letting their suspect's mind go a thousand miles per hour on the drive to keep the upper hand before they start asking questions."
"Do you think that will work?" Benton asked nervously.
"No," Race said with confidence.
"How can you be so sure?" Benton challenged. "I'm not. He's…"
"I'd feel much better if he'd gotten some sleep first," Race cut in. "But as long as he does what I told him to do he'll be fine. And I think he'll do exactly what I told him because he's motivated by more than self-preservation."
Benton considered that for a moment and then pushed back. "But you don't think it's as simple as their personal styles. So why do you think they were acting that way?"
"National security or me," Race admitted. "Worst case…it's both. If they're worried about national security or even just using that as an excuse…it'd explain the run around. And since I know there's something to that, I have to assume they know too." Race looked around to make sure they were alone before continuing. "He was…"
"I know," Benton interrupted. "Estella told us everything when she came back to the hotel. Once I knew what he was doing, I did the same. That's how I found out about Bartlett and I gave that information to Phil to use as he saw fit."
"Those actions didn't lead us directly to her, but they did get us inside that fucker's head," Race continued. "Kept us focused. Made us move faster."
"I saw the whole file," Benton shook his head in disgust. "Did Jonny look at the whole thing?" Benton already knew the answer. Knew as soon as he laid eyes on his son, but still hoped he was wrong.
"Yes," Race confirmed.
"Christ," Benton exclaimed. "The things he saw and what he did as a result…I'm trying to wrap my brain around it."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize," Benton rushed. "I said I don't blame you and I meant it. I'm just…I saw the file," he then repeated. "The thought of Jessie being involved makes me want to do things against my nature too," he finished angrily.
Race stared hard at the pavement. "I can't think about that now," he deflected. "If they took him in on suspicion of hacking into a federal database, what do you think the chances are that they have actual proof? Jonny seemed very confident it was not an issue," Race continued. "Very. Out of everything, that seemed to concern him the least. But I still had a friend do some damage control to be safe."
"What kind of damage control?" Benton asked.
"I don't know specifics," Race shrugged. He had given Mark the iPad instead of Hadji and had also asked him to do what he could to mask or confuse anything Jonny had done inside the FBI network. "I explained the situation and that I needed it to go away."
"How well do you trust this…friend?"
"Enough," Race said. "Whatever he did made it better. Not worse. My only concern is that it wasn't enough. What do you think?"
"I think it's highly likely they know someone was in their system," Benton started. "And Jonny obviously wasn't the only one. So was I…I wouldn't be surprised if Hadji was too even though I expressly asked him not to. I think a judge would sign off on probable cause knowing a hack was confirmed and knowing our family is linked to the case. But I think it unlikely they have enough evidence to confirm it was him. Very unlikely. They would need him to confess."
"Which he won't," Race responded. "What is it?" he then asked, noticing the look of confusion on Benton's face.
"If my assumptions are true, the more logical conclusion would've been to arrest myself or Hadji. Our resumes are public knowledge by choice. Jonny…I honestly didn't realize how much he had learned until I couldn't find him when he didn't want to be found. He was in the system I built from scratch and I couldn't find him, Race. I underestimated my own son."
"Only because he wanted you to," Race defended. "Not because you missed it. He thrives on people underestimating him. He always has."
"If I didn't see it, than others certainly didn't," Benton continued. "So why was he the one arrested?"
"We don't know that's why they arrested him," Race pointed out. "And even if that is the technical reason, we still don't know that it's their end goal. Only that it'd be enough to bring him in and start applying pressure."
"Shit," Benton cursed uncharacteristically. Feeling even more helpless. "Why did you say you thought you could be the reason?" he finally asked.
"It's possible that I'm their end goal," Race shrugged. "They're not dumb. If they're coming for me, they'll use my weaknesses against me."
"But you didn't do anything," Benton stated simply.
"That's debatable," Race scoffed. "I don't even remember everything I've done that would land most people in jail, but I'm sure someone does. And I'm sure I'll pay for it in some fashion. I accepted that a long time ago."
"You didn't do anything that wasn't approved and ultimately for the greater good," Benton said confidently.
Race did not respond.
"Even if you did…I think you atoned long ago," Benton added.
"I just hope…" Race started and then trailed off.
"What?" Benton asked nervously.
"I thought I understood every kind of punishment a man could face. Thought I could handle each one. Thought I had already experienced most. But if this is how I pay…having to watch the people I love…well that would be a fresh hell," he finished.
"That's unfair and untrue," Benton assured.
"I need to go," Race then announced, clearing his throat. "Try not to worry, Benton. I promise I'll take care of him."
"I promise I'll take care of her."
XXX
Getting into a FBI-issued car without making the choice to do so was a surreal experience. Jonny had never planned to be arrested, but part of him always assumed that he would be at some point. Just like part of him felt like he deserved it now. But not for killing Clay or for any other law he technically broke. For failing his girl. Because he felt like he had. Irrational, but true. None of this should have happened to them.
'Push it down,' he told himself. 'Deal with it later. You need to get back to her first.' He was so anxious to get back to her. Excited to see her face again. He hoped that feeling never went away.
"BABY?" he yelled, running through the front door of the Compound and then slamming the door carelessly. "BABE? JESS?"
"I'm in the living room," she called out. "Stop screaming."
Jonny rushed into the room with a big grin on his face and went right for her. He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her off the couch. "We only have a few minutes alone." He stopped pulling when she did not budge. "What's wrong?" She tugged his hand and he plopped down next to her with a disappointed look on this face. "Are you mad at me" he asked in confusion.
"I'm not mad," she smiled softly.
Jonny did not believe her and tried to replay the day in his head. "I'm lost here. What's happening?" Jessie grabbed his other hand and squeezed. "What's wrong?" he felt his face go white.
"Nothing," she said quickly. "I promise. I want to talk to you about something."
"Okay," he released a long breath. "Tell me."
"The last few weeks have been…" Jessie trailed off with a goofy smile.
"Incredible," he answered. "That word doesn't feel big enough."
"I agree, babe."
He hit her with a charming smile. "Then why are we wasting time just talking?"
Jessie sighed. "I feel the need to point out that we don't have to jump each other every single time we have a few minutes alone."
"Why not?" he scoffed. "That sounds awesome to me."
"Quest," she scolded, slipping her hands from his and folding her arms. "We've barely started and have already done it like twenty-two times," she rolled her eyes.
"Twenty," he corrected.
She shot him an incredulous look. "Are you seriously counting? That's really weird, Jonny."
"Well…it sounded like you were," he defended. "Inaccurately."
"I was throwing out a number to drive home my point," she shot back. "If we're averaging more than once a day, don't you think we should calm down?" she asked. "At least a little," she added quickly.
"Do you actually want me to answer that or is it rhetorical?" He gave her a skeptical look.
"Answer," she sighed.
Jonny took a breath and looked away before responding. He could tell she was serious and joking around would not get him out of the conversation. "Love, I'm sorry if that came out wrong. I'm just excited," he explained. "You have occupied more space in my brain than anything else for as long as I can remember. And the ways I've thought about you have obviously changed over the years…."
"How so?" she interrupted.
Jonny chuckled. "I mean…I used to spend HOURS dissecting the way you'd tease me. Trying to figure out if asking you out was something you wanted or if you'd laugh in my face. Which would've crushed me by the way. When I finally got there, I would spend DAYS planning those dates. I was so desperate to impress you, Jessie. I was so desperate to kiss you. But the only thing I remember about the night I kissed you for the first time is obsessing over picking the right moment and worrying that I'd smack my forehead into yours and ruin it. I was pretty worried about that."
Jessie laughed at that admission. "That's all you remember about our first kiss?"
Jonny nodded. "And…how soft I thought your lips were," he added quietly.
"Hmm," she grabbed his hands again. "Remind me to tell you my side of the story sometime. Because I remember everything, Hotshot."
"Tell me," he urged.
She shook her head no. "Don't sidetrack me. Finish what you were saying. We need to have this conversation."
Jonny paused and tried to remember his train of thought. "At some point…I don't know exactly when…I started to think about much more than just kissing you and…" he trailed off.
"What?" She waited.
"You were ALL I thought before we made love. Especially the few months before. How it would happen. When it would happen. How it would feel. It got really bad. I could blame the nature of being a teenager, but I think it's more than that. It was that plus being constantly surrounded by you. Even if you weren't in a room, I could still smell your perfume or maybe you left one of your books out. There was always something. And…oh by the way…I was desperately in love with you before I desperately needed to sleep with you. So add all that up and I was two seconds from imploding at all times. At least…that's how it felt. I found ways to move it from the front of my mind, but it was always on my mind, Jess. I had hoped…I thought maybe once I knew what I was missing out on that I'd be able to…I don't even know. But you are STILL all I think about. I've never felt so alive and I'm in no rush for that feeling to go away," he paused and closed his eyes. "You're right though. I shouldn't assume every time we're alone… I'm just…"
"Excited?" she laughed.
"Yeah," he laughed too and it suddenly hit him that most of their encounters had been quite hurried and not in the least bit romantic. He regretted that.
"I don't want the way we feel right now to end too quickly either," she admitted. "It's all I think about too. I was daydreaming about you today and almost failed a pop quiz in biology."
"I wanna circle back to this day dream, but first I need to know what 'almost failing' even looks like to you? B+"
"A-," she shrugged.
"Hooooly shit," he teased. "Kiss the Ivy League goodbye."
"Shut up," she punched him lightly, but he quickly captured that hand again. "Speaking of biology," she then segued. "It's not a good time anyway."
"No," he challenged. "We've got until the twenty-first. Besides…it doesn't bother me at all, baby. Have I not already proved that?" he raised an eyebrow and smiled. "And it won't be as bad now that…"
"Jonny!" she exclaimed.
"What?"
"So many things. So many," she covered his mouth with her hands. "Stop talking."
Jonny pushed her hands away and rolled his eyes hard. "Come here," he ordered, lying back on the couch and pulling at her arm again. She curled up next to him and he happily held on tight when she did. Enjoying the feel of her soft breathing against his neck. "Take it as a compliment, Jess. You make me feel so comfortable in my own skin. I never feel embarrassed with you anymore. I want you to feel the same with me. Because it feels pretty fucking terrific."
He felt her smile against his neck and then she kissed it. "Why do you know my cycle down to the day?" she then asked. "That's even weirder than keeping score of how many times we have sex."
"Why does this surprise you?" he asked in return. "I'm a keen observer of you. Do you think your seemingly random mood shifts over the last six years have gone unnoticed?"
"That is so misogynistic," she accused, but he knew she was not really upset because she stayed cuddled up to him.
"It's not stereotypical or misogynistic," he argued. "I'm not making a general comment about women. I'm making a specific and accurate statement about MY girl whose feelings I care enough about to pay close attention to. And after paying attention for a while, the trend became obvious. I'm not as dumb as I look so I put it all together," he finished proudly.
Jessie was quiet for a while before responding. "Since we're putting it all out there," she started. "I wasn't referring to my period when I said it's not a good time. I'll be ovulating in a few days, genius."
"Oh…that's…good to track…good to know," he said slowly.
Jess propped herself up on his chest to look at him. "Ya know, when I man and a woman really love each other…sometimes they express that love in a physical way and…"
"Shut up," he laughed.
She stopped teasing and laid back down. "Your heart is going crazy," she commented. "Don't freak out on me. I'm not pregnant."
"I thought you started the pill?" he asked nervously and then cleared his throat. "And…to be clear…I wouldn't freak out on you."
"I did," she told him. "But…I didn't prioritize taking it on a steady schedule until we started having sex and that's a pretty critical step with this. It takes time for my body to adjust to it so it can be effective. Even then…you know it's not full-proof, right?"
"Why didn't you tell me you were worried about this from the jump? You didn't have to talk around it or worry about it alone," he told her. "That's an important detail."
"I wasn't talking around it. I meant it about slowing down. Regardless of it being the responsible thing to do," she sighed.
"Babe," he started and then stopped. Afraid of saying it wrong. "We made a plan and I know things didn't go exactly to plan, but part of it was you told me you were going on the pill. So why didn't you tell me that…"
He stopped talking when she sat up quickly, pushing his arms away angrily and staring down at him with fire in her eyes. "I told you the MOMENT it became relevant," she growled. "Don't you dare…never mind," she cut herself off and made a move to get off the couch. He grabbed her arm to stop her and then she really gave him a look that could kill. Jonny ignored the instinct to get mad. Especially after her last comment. Because she knew how much it bothered him. Her instinct to withhold information from him until the moment she deemed it beneficial to use.
"You're not being fair," he stated calmly and held onto her tighter when she tried to wrench away. "I wasn't accusing you of anything. I'd never even think that, Jess. Come on. And I don't think you're solely responsible for making sure we're being safe either. But we made a plan. Actually, you made a plan and you're one of the most conscientious people I've ever met so I assumed you followed your own plan. Why didn't you tell me the first night before we even…I would've stopped." She was quiet for a long time and Jonny could tell she was embarrassed. He knew that look. "Tell me, Jess. There's no reason to be embarrassed. I love you."
"I didn't want you to stop," she answered softly. "I honestly didn't even give it a second thought that night. Did you?"
"Hell no," he laughed.
"I thought if I waited…that it'd force me to be more responsible. Because I'd have to be," she shook her head. "It made sense to me at the time. Saying it out loud now…I don't know what I was thinking."
"I can kinda follow that logic," he grinned, sitting up and wrapping his arms around her. She laughed when he pulled her back down with him. He had her trapped in a tight bear hug. Mostly because he wanted to hold her. Partially because he was afraid she would try to run away again. "But why didn't you tell me after?" he pushed.
"Because I didn't want to worry you unneeded," she said. "I generally get all A's in biology, ya know. So I knew we weren't even in the potential danger zone until now….I should've said something yesterday though. Just to be extra safe. I'm really sorry, Jonny."
Jonny rubbed her back in response. "Okay…we haven't been AS careful as we could be," he said.
"Nope," she agreed. "You make me stupid sometimes. I may get straight A's in biology, but I also know the statistics for teen pregnancies in this country and that unexplainable things happen every day that stump scientists and I don't know yet how exactly this pill is going to affect me longer term and I still…."
"Ace. Stop!" He cut her off mid-rant and felt her take a deep breath. "It's in the past. We've lived it, learned from it and it's easy to fix," he told her softly. "Besides, I AM capable of controlling myself," he huffed, putting a hand under her chin and tipping her head up until he could kiss her. Then he spoke against her lips. "Pretty sure I'm also capable of making you feel amazing even when my dick's on the bench," he teased.
"Jonny!" she admonished and buried her head in his neck while his body shook with laughter. "The things that come out of your mouth sometimes…"
"I love you," he interrupted.
"You're impossible."
"But you love me," he challenged. It was not a question.
"Too much," she whispered, kissing the skin at the collar of his shirt. "I could fall asleep right now."
"Go for it. I'll be your pillow any time." Then Jonny scooted down a few inches until he was looking in her eyes.
"Hey," she whined. "You're supposed to be my pillow."
He kissed her softly. "I missed your face."
Jessie placed two fingers over his lips and he kissed them too. "The things that come out of your mouth sometimes," she smiled.
"I want to take you out on an old school date this Saturday," he continued. "Movie and then ice cream at Cold Stone. What do you say?" he asked.
"Sounds amazing. I thought I was gonna have to beat you off with a stick Saturday since our dads won't be home," she teased.
"Nah. I want to take you out. I kinda miss wooing my girl," he admitted. "Make me work for it, baby."
She laughed. "You think I don't already?" she raised her brow.
"Maybe it doesn't feel like work since I love it so much," he grinned.
"When you smile at me like that," she sighed and her cheeks got a little red. "I love you." She kissed him firmly.
"I love you too, beautiful. Just try to remember that we're in this thing together?" he asked.
"What thing?"
"Life."
It was almost forty minutes of driving in silence before they reached their destination. Jonny had looked out the back window multiple times during the drive, hoping to see Race's car. No luck. He tried to convince himself that did not matter. Race could not be in the room with him anyway. He had to do this on his own, but it would make him feel safer and less anxious to know that Race was close. It had been a while since he felt that way. He remembered feeling that way a lot when he was younger.
The agents parked the car in an underground garage. The big one helped Jonny out of the car and then gave him a slight nudge between the shoulder blades to move. "Let's go, kid. I hear you've had it rough the last few days, but I promise everything will be fine so long as we're honest with each other. I can help you get home soon."
Jonny ignored him and pushed forward. They approached a small guard booth. Both agents showed their identification and then they were all buzzed through and ushered into an elevator. They got off on the seventh floor and were buzzed through again. Jonny noticed that the office was almost empty as they led him through and around cubicles, but given the holiday and the fact that it was two in the morning explained that. His eyes darted around looking for a man in a suit. Race had told him to write down his statement immediately, but he also said not to say a word without a lawyer. Jonny decided that he would not even ask for pen and paper until his lawyer was there. No matter what.
Next, he was hit with the realization that he would not recognize his lawyer. His father had given him a name and said he was the best. It was a quick conversation while they had all been sitting vigil by Jessie's bed and waiting for Race to return. Jonny was suddenly afraid that the agents knew that and would try to trick him. He closed his eyes tight for a second.
'Don't be paranoid,' he told himself. 'Remember what you have to do to get home.'
He heard Race's voice.
"Don't say one word without a lawyer present. Not even small talk. Keep your guard up. Especially with anyone who is nice or sympathetic. It's always possible those emotions are genuine, but their number one priority is the acquisition of information. Never lose sight of that. Get them to let you write your statement down first. That's important. Any question they ask you is answerable by one of those twenty-some sentences."
Jonny took a deep breath, realizing that as long as he stuck to that advice nothing else the agents tried would matter.
'Remember who you get to go home to,' he then told himself.
He heard her voice.
"I'm ready to start making a life with you, Jonny Quest."
XXX
Race and Phil arrived at the entrance of the Jacksonville field office at the same time. They came from different directions, but were both speed walking toward the door.
"Wait," Phil called out the moment Race's hand touched the door. "Walk with me first."
Race hesitated, but eventually followed his friend across the street and down the block until the entrance they had both rushed toward was out of sight. "What have you found out?" Race pushed. "I've been waiting for your call. Why did you come down in person?"
Phil pursed his lips, knowing Race would not be happy. "Nothing."
Both of Race's eyebrows jumped in surprise. "What?"
"I've exhausted all of my contacts," Phil explained. "I've had a few of my agents reach out too. No one is talking, man. They've closed ranks. Their Director resigned without warning. I don't know how Bartlett spun his story, but I doubt he was completely truthful. They're trying to figure out what's going on and what the next step is."
"But they have time to prioritize bringing Jonny in on Christmas?" Race challenged.
"It certainly helps to show you can keep the train running when the conductor jumps out," Phil sighed. "If it makes you feel better, I'd do the same thing if I was the one handed the keys to the kingdom unexpectedly."
"That doesn't make me feel better. Fuck," Race kicked a rock in anger and then turned his anger on Phil. "You couldn't have told me this on the fucking phone? Why did you drag me over here? I need to get in there and make sure he keeps his goddamn head on straight. Why are you even here?" Race started to walk away before Phil could answer.
"To make sure YOU keep your goddamn head on straight," Phil called after him. "Where do you think the kid gets it? I just hope he has enough of Benton in him to use his brain when it really matters."
Race stopped in his tracks, turning around and facing off. "You think that's helpful?"
"Yes," Phil stood his ground. "What you need right now is a hard dose of the truth before you go in there and make everything worse."
"Illuminate me," Race shot back sarcastically. "Since I'm too stupid to figure it out."
Phil rolled his eyes. "You're far from stupid, Bannon. But you are a powder keg right now. I recognize that look in your eyes. You've been staying strong for everyone. Because someone had to until she was safe and it had to be you. I get that. You thought you'd get the satisfaction of killing him yourself. But you didn't. You haven't brushed those feelings aside. You've just pushed them down. Like you always do. And you'll eventually explode on someone. Like you always do. It's only a question of who and when…but it can't be in there," Phil pointed toward the building. "That helps nobody."
"You honestly think I don't know all that?" Race scoffed.
"Knowing it and keeping it top of mind are two very different things," Phil told him. "I came to help you. Let me help you."
"I don't need your help unless you have information," Race responded snidely.
Phil closed his eyes and asked for patience. Knowing that Race needed to put is anger somewhere fast. "How do you plan to get in there?" Phil challenged. "They don't HAVE to let you in. You're not his lawyer. You're not his father. You're not even related to him. You have no leverage."
"They all know I'm his bodyguard, Phil. Everyone knows. He's my…"
"Private bodyguard," Phil interrupted. "Important distinction. You're not sanctioned by any agency. The leeway you get is by the grace of friends who remember everything you've done for this country and Benton's influence. All it takes is one asshole with power to decide they don't give a shit about any of that. Maybe they wouldn't win the war. Hell…we know they wouldn't win. Between his money and his mind, Benton has the government by the balls. But that doesn't mean that some asshole couldn't cause a lot of damage along the way. I don't want YOU to be caught in that shit storm. Because when all of this settles down, and I promise you that it will, those kids need you to be there for them."
Race took a calming breath and eventually looked at Phil with clearer eyes. "I'm sorry for being a prick," he apologized.
"You've always been a prick," Phil laughed. "Doesn't bother me."
Race smirked and then asked curiously. "So what's your advice?"
"Let me go in alone," Phil shrugged. "Wait out here for him."
"Fuck you," Race shot back. "Anything based in reality?"
"Let me do the talking," Phil countered. "At least to get us in the door. We'll play the angle that we're here to give our statements. The best leverage we have is that they give a fuck about our statements. Otherwise, they have no incentive to let us in."
Race shook his head no, but agreed. "Fine. Let's go."
XXX
When she focused hard with her eyes closed all she could feel was the warmth of the sun seeping into her skin. She was relaxing by the edge of the pool, lying on an oversized towel with one foot dangling over the edge and touching the water. The sound of the water rhythmically slapping the wall was perfect to doze off to, but cold droplets of water splashing on her stomach prevented that.
"Baby," she groaned. "Stop."
"Why do you prefer lounging on the ground when there's a perfectly good lounge chair right behind you?" he laughed.
"I like the feel of the cotton towel over the hard cement when I'm soaking up the sun. Feels good," she responded lazily. She did not open her eyes, but she could sense that he was close enough to touch. Hovering in the water to be close to her. "Feels like summer." The next thing she felt was his lips on her cheek.
"I love learning new and specifically weird things about you, love of my life."
She smiled and turned her head in his direction, but by the time she opened her eyes he was at the other end of the pool. Arms spread wide across the ledge and grinning at her. She felt a twinge in her stomach. Looking at him and immediately wanting him. As quick as flipping a switch. "Really?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," he laughed and pointed to his head. "I'm putting it all in my file."
"To use against me later?" she teased, rubbing her legs together. She smiled softly when his attention flicked to her legs on cue.
"In some form," he laughed and licked his lips
"Interesting," she let the word roll around in her mouth. Then she purposely looked away and started to lazily run a hand across her stomach. Secretly wishing it was his hand instead.
"Yeah," he started. "I can think of several hard surfaces I could make you feel good on. Why should the sun get all the fun? Or my bed for that matter? That's not fair."
She laughed and could not help but look at him again. Smacked in the face with how attracted she was to everything about him. Mostly the things that no one would know just to look at him, but she had zero complaints about the way he looked. "Like where?" she pushed, turning over onto her stomach and propping her head up with a hand. "You have my full attention, baby?"
Jonny began walking back toward her, pushing the water away with his arms. He was walking from the deep end to the shallow end. So more of him was revealed with each step and Jessie's gaze was transfixed. She felt like it was happening in slow motion. Like she was watching a music video designed to make her squeal, but this was her actual life. He had a knowing grin on his face by the time her eyes actually reached his face. "You look like you want to eat me alive," he teased.
"I think you might be the best looking man I've ever seen," she said lightly and shrugged her shoulders.
"I think you might be biased," he deflected. "But it makes me happy you think so."
He was close enough to touch her now. Standing so close to her hip that she could feel the heat coming off his body and the water dripping off him too. But he held back from touching her and her body tensed. Waiting for it. She arched her head to watch him watching her. "There's that look," he teased again. "You're making me feel like a piece of meat, baby."
"You've been ogling me all day," she shot back with a laugh.
Jonny did not deny it. "You knew what you were doing when you put on this bikini."
She scoffed. "You don't factor into my every wardrobe choice, Quest." She was wearing a white bikini. The smallest one she owned. Quite intentionally.
"Just the ones when we have the house to ourselves," he pushed, pulling her off the edge and into the waist deep water.
"Jonny!" She scolded him playfully, but wrapped her body around his with no resistance. He pressed her into the wall. Lips hovering over hers. Arms on either side of her, gripping her towel laid across the cement. Trapping her. "You're imagining things again." She was lost in his eyes.
"You know how to get the exact reaction out of me that you want," he accused. "Isn't this what you want?"
Her breath hitched for a moment and then she recovered. "You can be SO fucking cocky sometimes."
"You make me feel confident, beautiful girl. Want me to stop? You know I'd do anything for you," he professed.
"Don't change a thing," she warned. "I love you as is."
He looked down and bit his lip to stop from smiling. Then he flicked his eyes back to hers. "The kitchen table," he whispered.
"We eat there," she said with surprise, but had a smile on her face.
"So what," he kissed her lightly.
"Where else?" she baited him.
XXX
"That was amazing," she collapsed in a relaxed heap on the table. Not even realizing that she had tensed and arched off it. A moment later, Jonny did the same. She was grateful that he was still semi-standing. Not feeling like she could handle all of his weight while trying to catch her breath. She wiped at her face quickly with both hands. A little embarrassed. Her mouth had watered, tears had formed in the corners of her eyes and she was sweating. "That was amazing," she repeated. "That was amazing." She looked down at the top of this head and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Are you asleep? That was amazing. That was amazing," she mumbled with a smile in her voice.
"Definitely not asleep," he responded. His voice was gruff. Then he pushed himself up on his arms slowly and hovered over her face. Before staring down between them. She wrapped her hands around his face and touched him gently. Waiting for his eyes to come back. He took his sweet time and it made her smile. "So how was it for you?" he grinned.
"Shut up," she shook her head. "You?"
Jonny lowered himself on top of her again and pressed his lips behind her ear. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck. "What do you think? Girl of my dreams. Girl of my fantasies. Girl in my heart. There are not enough words."
She kissed his shoulder and smiled. Absorbing his words. Then she saw his back and pushed hard on his shoulders. "Oh no."
"What?" He stood with a worried expression at her tone.
She sat up quickly and forced him to turn around so she could examine him. "I hurt you."
"What?" he said again. This time with a laugh.
"Put your trunks back on and wait here," she told him, wrapping the towel around herself and rushing out of the room. She ran to her bathroom, cleaning up quickly and then throwing on an oversized t-shirt. He was sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hand when she got back. He had a disappointed look on his face.
"Did you really have to put clothes back on so quickly?" he complained.
She put a hand on her hip. "You're hurt, idiot."
"Yeah," he scoffed. "I'm sitting here bleeding out."
She raised the first aid kit. "This isn't gonna make you happier," she told him. "Come here and turn around. Stop complaining." She jumped up on the kitchen island and opened the kit. He dutifully came and stood in front of her. Hands on her thighs.
"Jonny," she warned. "Turn around."
"Are you wearing anything under this?" he flirted.
"Do I not give you enough attention?" she chuckled.
"At least take your shirt off while you take care of me," he shrugged like it was the least she could do.
"Why would I do that?" she challenged.
"Bedside manner," he argued. "I'm injured. Actually, YOU injured me and this may help me heal faster. You know that I literally pray to the religious experience that is your tits, babe."
"Jonny! Shut up," she growled. "Do I need to smack you so you stop saying such inappropriate things?"
"I'm just being honest," he shrugged. "I thought you never wanted me to lie?"
"There's a big difference…you…," she sighed in exasperation. "Turn around, please."
He did with a roll of his eyes. "Is this really necessary, Ace? It's just a scratch."
"Yes," she said firmly. "You're bleeding. Just be quiet and let me take care of it."
"Yes, my love."
"Jonny," she warned.
"What?" he chuckled. "It's not a big deal. More than worth it. When I think back on this day, I won't remember a tiny scratch."
"Shut up," she said again.
"You tell me to shut up a lot," he commented. "Ow," he complained.
"Because you have a big mouth," she sighed. "Calm down. It's just a little iodine." She finished up fast and kissed his shoulder after applying a bandage. "All done," she announced. He spun around and was barely holding back a grin. "What?" she rolled her eyes. "Just say it."
"You didn't seem to have a problem with my big mouth earlier," he smirked.
She took a calming breath and glared at him. "You're pretty pleased with yourself, huh?"
"Yes," he nodded confidently, stepping between her legs. She let any minor annoyance she felt melt away and wrapped her arms around his neck without thinking. She wanted to enjoy his devotion. Even when it came in the form of the ridiculous things he would say without thinking.
She kissed him softly and then spoke quietly against his lips. "Sorry I hurt you, baby."
"You didn't," he kissed her back. "You made me feel amazing. And you've officially ruined me for all other women," he praised.
"Only just?" she scoffed.
"Yeah," he kissed her again. "Kitchen table and checkmate."
She laughed out loud. "I love you, Quest."
"I worship every fucking inch of you, Bannon."
"Never stop?"
"That's my plan," he smiled.
"Don't take your shirt off until that heals properly," she then warned. "I don't want my dad jumping to conclusions. If he sees that, I'm afraid he'll…"
"Kill me," Jonny finished. "Yes. I know."
"And don't you dare say it'd be worth it," she shot back.
"It wouldn't," he pushed away from the island and gave her a look as he started to walk out of the room backwards. "You've given me WAY too much to live for. So many surfaces to explore." He started counting off using his hand. "Your shower, my bedroom wall, hood of my car, pool table, my bench press…" he trailed off, licking his lips until she could not see him any longer. Then he popped his head back in the entryway for just a second. "And I'm sure I'll think of MUCH more."
"SHUT UP," she screamed after him. She was about to jump off the island when he came running back into the room and grabbed her around the waist. Pulling her close and kissing her firmly. She kept her eyes closed when he pulled back. "What was that for?"
"We have the house to ourselves for a few more hours," he grinned.
"Hmm," she sighed. "But I'm fully sated, baby."
He pulled her off the island and she wrapped herself around him lazily. "I could be convinced to hold you for a few hours while you watch the Notebook or some shit," he announced.
"Convinced how?"
"Because I'm in love with you and you feel good in my arms," he told her simply.
"Shut up," she whispered in his ear.
"Shut up," Jessie grumbled.
"Jessie?" Estella jumped from her chair and ran to Jessie's bedside. She had not slept since Race and Jonny left. "Did you say something? Sweetheart?" she urged, brushing some nonexistent hair back from her daughter's face. "Jessie?" She looked at Benton and Hadji for confirmation. They were now standing at the other side of Jessie's bed. "Did you hear her say something?"
"It sounded like she said shut up," Benton commented.
"That's what I heard too," Estella said, looking at Jessie anxiously.
"I think she's talking to Jonny," Hadji laughed and then continued when Estella and Benton gave him an odd look. "She does tell him to shut up quite often."
Benton laughed too. "Now that you mention it…"
Hadji smiled. "For a brief period, I was convinced that 'shut up' was just code for 'I love you.' So she could say it without saying it."
"What changed your mind?" Estella wanted to know.
"I asked her about it once." Hadji laughed out loud at the memory. "She told me I was wrong. She had just fallen in love with an honest idiot that has no filter. I'm confident it's a term of endearment though. Idiot too," Hadji assured, looking at his father.
"I have no doubt," Benton smiled and then looked at Jessie. "We're right here, sweetheart. Open your eyes when you're ready."
Then she did. As effortlessly as if she had just woken up from a nap. All the grogginess that was in her eyes the last time she woke was gone. She stared at them all in turn and they stared back in shock for a moment before all three started to ask if she was alright. Jessie heard them, but did not answer right away. She was too busy searching her brain to recall what had happened and how she had gotten here. She scrunched her eyes closed tight. The last thing she remembered was shutting her eyes in the cell she was being kept in. She had wanted to conserve her strength so she could fight back when the time came. After that, everything was foggy and she could not separate what was real from what she had dreamed.
Then she tried to recall back to before she was taken. She vividly remembered cuddling up to Jonny in her bed. Falling asleep in his arms. She remembered waking up and looking at her phone. She remembered looking at Jonny before deciding. He was still asleep and a warm invitation that almost made her ignore the texts from Mary. She remembered writing him a note and almost blowing off Mary again to stay with him. She wishes that she had followed that instinct. She remembered feeling a pinch in her neck. Then her mind raced back to that cold cell. How scared she was. The things she saw and heard, but could not stop. It all came flooding back.
She covered her face with both hands and started to cry. She wanted to know what happened. She wanted to know if the other girls were okay. She wanted to know if he was dead. But she did not ask any of those questions because she was afraid she would not like the answers.
Estella reacted by gently placing her hands on Jessie's forearms so she knew she was not alone. "You're safe now. You're okay. Does anything hurt?" Jessie did not answer, but continued to cry. "Can one of you push the call button?" Estella asked calmly. She did not want to let go of Jessie.
Hadji did and then he stepped back to the foot of her bed. He wanted to comfort his friend, but did not want to interrupt Estella. He thought it best just to stay within view so she knew he was there.
Benton felt much the same, but he stayed by Jessie's bedside. Needing to help because he loved her and because he had made promises to his son and her father. This is why he had stayed behind. "Can you tell me if anything hurts?" Benton asked softly. "Sweetheart? Let me help you. Please?" he asked.
Jessie slowly pulled her hands from her face, wiping away her tears in the process. She pushed her mother away and crossed her arms over her chest. Then she looked at Benton with confusion and opened her mouth to tell him that her side hurt, but her eyes shot wildly to her door instead. Startled by it opening and people entering the room that she did not recognize. She panicked and tensed.
"It's alright," Benton and Estella tried to soothe her. "Let them help."
Jessie stared wide-eyed as a nurse and a doctor approached. She wanted to ask them what they had found while examining her, but she was afraid of that answer too.
"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked, reaching for Jessie's arm.
Jessie flinched away. "Don't touch me. Don't touch me," she demanded.
"You're in the hospital," the doctor explained.
"I know where I am," Jessie snapped.
"Can you tell me if anything hurts?" the doctor asked patiently, dismissing the nurse with a look.
"I'm fine," Jessie mumbled. "Leave me alone."
"Jessie," Benton pushed. "You need to be truthful so they know how to treat you and what to give you for the pain."
"No drugs," Jessie tensed more and then started to cry again. "Please. I'm fine. Don't let them give me any more drugs, Dr. Quest. Please," she begged. "Please."
Benton held out his hand and Jessie tentatively gave him hers. Benton closed his other hand around her wrist. "Pulse is strong and steady. Be honest with me," Benton told her. "And I won't let anyone do anything you don't want. I promise you."
Jessie swallowed and wiped at her face again. "My side hurts a little," she admitted quietly, looking down and refusing to meet anyone's gaze.
"You have a large bruise along your right hip," the doctor informed her. "Do you know how you sustained that injury?"
"No," Jessie sighed, pulling her hand from Benton and pressing it into her side. Her face scrunched up in pain. She hoped that would help her remember and was disappointed when it did not work. She felt tears forming again, but this time she fought them off with effort. She was starting to feel overwhelmed by the fact that she had more questions than answers. The biggest one being why her father and Jonny were not there. "Please go away," she said to no one in particular.
"Her vitals seem good," the doctor noted, looking at Benton. "Call me if there's any change?"
"Of course," Benton nodded and did not speak again until the doctor left. "Jessie, please tell me if the pain becomes too much. There's no reason…"
"Where are they?" Jessie asked. Benton was taken aback by the way she looked at him. The unshed tears in her eyes and the tone of her voice. It had sounded like an accusation. Then she closed her eyes and silent tears streamed down her face. "Why aren't they here? What's wrong?" Her voice broke on the last word.
"Jessie," Estella breathed, wiping at her daughter's tears. Wanting to take them away. "Talk to me."
"Where's Jonny?" Jessie asked bluntly. "And dad? Something's wrong. I know they'd be here. What's happened?"
"You don't need to worry about that now," Estella tried to deflect.
"I AM worried about it," Jessie said in frustration. "Where are they? Never mind…someone give me a phone. NOW."
"Jessie," Hadji jumped in and caught her eye. "Nothing is wrong. The police insisted on taking their statements today. Despite the holiday, unfortunately. They'll be back soon. They didn't leave your side until the second they had to. Jonny begged you to wake up before he left and you did. You weren't very lucid, but you made him pretty happy." Hadji watched as Jessie downloaded that information. He decided not to share more. To wait and see what she asked.
"Why did they have to go in person?" she challenged. "They couldn't do it here?"
"They had to give written statements," Benton answered. "And this is a high-profile case. It couldn't wait. I sent the best lawyer in the state with them. They'll be back soon."
"Why did they have to give written statements?" she sighed. Annoyed that she was having to push for each detail.
"Because they were involved in bringing you home," Benton told her vaguely. "Of course they were," he smiled. "Do you think they allowed for the authorities to do their jobs? That would be crazy, right?"
Jessie smiled, but it quickly went back to a frown.
"My dad let Jonny…?" she asked in confusion.
"Let is not the right word," Estella cut in. "That boyfriend of yours was on a mission like his life depended on it. He was incredible."
Jessie closed her eyes and saw his face.
"Tell me you know that I'd die without you," he whispered.
'I love you,' she thought. 'I'd feel better if you were here.'
"Why didn't you go with him, Dr. Quest?"
"Because there's nothing to worry about," he said lightly, hoping it calmed her. Hoping she believed him. "Besides, he practically demanded that I stay and take care of you. He didn't trust the doctors to do their jobs either."
That made Jessie laugh. "He's annoyingly stubborn like that."
"I believe he would say the same of you," Benton offered.
"Probably," she stared at her lap for a long moment, trying to remember waking up when they were here. She did not have any luck. "How long have they been gone?"
"Less than an hour," Benton lied. They were at three and counting.
"Did they say how long it would take?"
"No," Benton shrugged. "I'd imagine at least a few hours though."
"Alright," Jessie sighed and then looked at her mother after another long moment. "Am I still high or did I hear you say something really nice about Jonny?"
Estella smiled indulgently and nodded. Happy that her daughter was right back to giving her a hard time. "He was determined and smart and resourceful and strong and level-headed… somewhat level-headed," she corrected with a smile. "And he wasn't coming home without you."
Jessie wiped and her face again and huffed a little. "That sounds like a Tuesday."
"It does," Hadji smiled.
Estella rolled her eyes. "How about I was completely wrong about him and you were completely right."
Without warning, Jessie covered her face again and started to sob. Alarming everyone.
"Oh…I didn't mean to upset you, sweetheart." Estella gently stroked Jessie's forearms again until she had let it all out.
Jessie did not remove her hands from her face until her breathing was almost back to normal. She knew they were all staring at her and it made her feel uncomfortable. "Now that I wasn't expecting to hear," Jessie admitted and cleared her throat. "Thank you for saying that, mom."
AN: Extended chapter under the outtake version. About 5 pages longer. Got carried away again…