Here we are at day 2 of the bonspiel and things are moving in all different directions. How will Aubrey and Jessica handle the situation? Read on to find out.

Some suggestions of M rated material, but nothing very graphic in this chapter.

At 7:30, Maxco's curling team traveled over to the arena. Due to an accident, there was a delay in getting to the arena, giving everyone more time to let their irritations from earlier that morning fester. Three times in twenty minutes, Jessica saw Craig try talking to Alma, who remained polite but cold. Finally, he ignored her as he became engrossed in a texting conversation. Jessica couldn't help but notice that Craig grew more agitated with each text, finally tossing his phone on the seat with a grunt and brooding quietly.

Across the aisle, she caught Lori whispering to Sandra with one or the other giving her dirty looks. Deciding they weren't worth worrying about, Jessica sent a text to Aubrey, along with the family members were following in the party bus later in the morning.

Alma giving cold shoulder 2 Craig. He's also texting a lot & looks super pissed. Something must b up.

Aubrey's message was quick. Notice anything else?

Jessica held back a snicker as she caught Lori pointing at her. Seems that L & S are starting Hate Jessica Club. Apparently I'm persona non grata w them, esp w/ Lori. She's been nasty w/ me all AM. Wonder if she's mad bc u r not interested in her tits & charming personality.

Jessica had to bite her lip at Aubrey's reply. Lg breasts r waste. Like yr handfuls better…& hot ass. Seriously, do Booth & I need to do something?

The intern nodded and smiled. No it'll blow over. I won't have 2 deal w/ them after this case is closed. They r going 2 get rude awakening when all this shit hits the fan.

Okay. Be careful today Jess. Please.

I will. I promise. She finished her text with several red hearts and an ILY.

The reply was immediate. ILY 2

Jessica sat back and contemplated her situation as her bad vibe crept back again. She was always an optimist, and she had faith that Aubrey and Booth would protect her if she got into trouble, but she couldn't escape the feeling that something bad was on the horizon today...very bad.

Would Aubrey find out how deep his father was immersed in this clusterfuck? Or would something happen to one of them...like Stephenson and cronies luring her boyfriend and Booth into another gunfight?

Not wanting to let her imagination take over, she shook off her thoughts. 'Jessica, put all that out of your mind. You have a job to do and people are counting on you.'

Jessica didn't realize Alma was talking to her until she heard her name a third time. Startled, she turned to her skip. "What? I'm sorry...did you say something?"

"What has your wheels spinning so hard?" Alma bent her head down low and whispered. "Is it a certain very cute HVAC tech?"

Blushing, Jessica made sure everyone else was out of earshot, with Lori reading her phone and Sandra since moved next to Craig. "Yeah...that...and focusing on our game plan for today. I really want to win that bonus for everyone."

"I do, too, but don't give yourself anxiety over it. It's my job to worry." The two shared a small chuckle. "Jessica, your shots are a big part of why were able to pull ourselves out of the cellar after my crappy skipping yesterday."

"You had a bad morning, Alma. That's all."

"No excuses, Honey. I let a stupid phone call about my house throw me off and that is a no no." Alma patted Jessica's hand. "Now, you are not going to worry about the bonspiel…"

Jessica followed Alma's glance and felt sick as they watched a newly flirtatious Craig whisper in a giggling Sandra's ear with his hand moving slowly between her legs. Alma's eyes grew sad before she looked back at the intern. "...because we'll be fine."

The van moved into the arena parking lot, making everyone feel relieved. When the team got out, Craig faced the women.

"Now, I need your best efforts because Histavark can't beat us this year. Failure is not an option, ladies." Craig turned to his skip. "Alma, I need to go over some things with you…"

"We have a strategy planned, Craig." Alma began to walk away when Craig grabbed the older woman's wrist forcefully.

"I want a word with you, Alma...now.", Craig said sternly before turning to the others. "Go on inside, girls. We'll meet you in there."

Sandra walked right in but Jessica and Lori hesitated, obviously concerned about their skip, but Craig was adamant. "I said now!"

Forgetting their issues, the two women raced inside but remained in the vestibule, staying out of sight as they watched Craig and Alma arguing and gesturing wildly. Suddenly, Alma slapped Craig's face before he forcefully grabbed her left wrist and yanked her arm down.

"Holy crap, what's going on?", Lori muttered.

"I don't know, Lori...but it's nothing good."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

The party bus with the players' families had cleared the detour when a message came on Aubrey's phone.

Something going down w Alma & Craig. Couldn't hear what was said but she slapped him and he hurt her wrist.

Tapping Booth's shoulder, he showed his friend and Brennan the message. Booth nodded his head as the bus arrived at the arena. Getting out, he waited until the three were alone.

"My gut says whatever usefulness Alma had to Craig is now gone and he'll want to be rid of her ASAP. Bones, you're still gonna observe everything, like always, but keep a close eye on her as much as you can while you're keeping tabs on Jessica. Anything looks off, let us know. Aubrey, you and I take turns watching Craig. If he gets up to leave somewhere, one of us gets up, too."

"Sounds like a plan." Aubrey put his hat on his head. "Let's do this, Buck and Wanda."

Falling back into his role, Booth took Brennan's hand as the three entered the arena. "Come on Baby, I need me some beer!"

Separating from the other two, Booth kept up his persona as he waited in line at the beer stand. "Yuengling...Fat Tire...is Bud Light not good enough for these fancy folks!"

As the customer at the counter left, he caught a glimpse of a man changing the tap in a keg and the hair on the back of his neck stood straight up. "No way…"

Keeping his cool, he waited patiently and ordered three Yuenglings while watching the man finish his work on the keg. As he got closer, he saw something else and it confirmed his suspicion. Keeping his discovery to himself, he took the drinks and headed back to the arena.

"Those guys have balls…"

Arriving to his partners, they were glad that their section was still empty as he began to discuss what he saw. "I'm almost positive that the guy at the beer booth is someone I remember from when I was in prison."

"What? You mean when you were locked up?", Aubrey questioned. "How is that possible? Could it be someone that looks like him?"

Booth typed into his phone. "I saw a Mara Muerte tattoo on his arm along with a distinctive set of lines on his arm when he put our orders on the shelf to be collected. When we were in prison, he bragged to everyone that each line on his arm represented his kills. I'm sending the info now to Genny."

"Wait a minute. Booth, if that guy is from when you were at Lee, how the hell is he here?", Aubrey asked. "Any chance he recognizes you?"

"I don't know, Aubrey. Hopefully we'll find out soon."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

During Maxco's match against Rascal Chevrolet out of Clarksburg an hour later, Booth was shocked when he saw Lawrence Brinton take a seat in the VIP stands the next row over.

"Shit, Aubrey. Keep that hat on. Brinton's over there with Craigie."

Aubrey finished his chili dog as the warden chatted with their target before the two got up and left. "They're leaving in the middle of Maxco's game? That's weird."

"Should I go and follow them this time?", Brennan asked. "It might be less suspicious and I could use a bottled water."

"I'll go, Dr. B. I need another chili dog." Aubrey's vision lingered on Jessica's rear end for a minute as she got in the hack to toss the stone. 'Jess has the most amazing ass...those curling pants definitely do her justice…'

Getting up, he followed the men as they headed to the concession area. Arriving there, he was surprised to see Brinton and Craig take one of the workers from the chili dog booth aside to a corner. Keeping hidden from view, Aubrey stood back and listened.

Unaware he was being eavesdropped on, Brinton shook his finger in the man's face. "What did I tell you? Keep your mouth shut and head down. No monkey business and no questions. You're here to work, Esteban. That's it."

The burly man glared at Brinton defiantly. "When do I get paid, Warden? I ain't gonna do this for free, you know."

"You get money added to your account when you complete the job you've been assigned. Now, you clean the tables and leave the bags where you're told by Mr. Drakulic. That's all you have to do." Craig crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't make us come find you again."

Brinton stood straight and got into the man's face. "This is your one warning. If Mr. Stephenson or Mr. Drakulic see one more mistake, not only you will no longer be allowed to work here, but you're going to Ad Seg for a month and all your visitor privileges will be revoked until further notice! Got it?"

Aubrey was amazed to see the large man back down before going back to the chili dog stand. He watched as Craig and the warden talked for a minute.

"Sorry you had to called away from the match, Craig."

"Me, too. Now, keep your guys in line, Larry." Craig pointed his finger at his friend. "It doesn't look right that I'm leaving in the middle of my team's match to handle this shit with you."

"Won't happen again." Brinton shook his head. "Very disappointed in Esteban. Phil said he was a model student when he taught him to read and that he understood the rules of our project."

"Seems like a loose end that will have to be taken care of by Drago after the bonspiel is over...later this week."

"Sounds good."

Just then, John Higgins and Josip came out of the nearby hallway and greeted the two. To his surprise, they all spoke fluent Croatian. After a few minutes, the four walked behind the beer booth to tap their own beers and headed to the stands.

Aubrey felt sick as he saw the four men laughing together. 'Ad Seg...account...visitor privileges...Booth was right...but what about my dad?'

Getting himself together, Aubrey decided to investigate further. When he was in the clear, he bought another chili dog, observing both cashiers with distinctive tattoos. Moving over to the beer stand, he ordered a bottled water and two drafts, noting the Mara Muerte tattoo on the bartender.

"So, I hear a guy can get some stuff around here."

The man looked up and shrugged. "Got some of the best chili dogs around over there and we've got four different beers."

"Actually, I heard a man can score something more...hardcore."

The bartender grew quiet before clearing his throat. "Don't know what you're looking for, dude but I only do beer."

Noting they were being watched from the kitchen, Aubrey didn't push the issue for now. "Maybe another time."

Walking back with his brew, he didn't miss Craig flirting with a girl selling peanuts in the aisle, who merely rolled her eyes before walking away.

After Aubrey left, the man from the kitchen found one of the lobby crew and pointed out the agent. "Watch that man."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

In the VIP section, Craig gave the peanut girl his phone number and admired her as she walked away. 'Glad I decided to stay another night. Sandra and I can have a lot of fun with her.'

"Hey there, Craig. How are you?"

Dreading who he would see, Stephenson turned toward the masculine voice and saw the curler he and Sandra had spent time with last night. "What do you want, Tom?"

"Nothing much...just wanted to see if you wanted to get together. I'm not usually into older men, but you were hot to trot last night-"

"I told you it was a one time thing!", Craig whispered harshly.

"I know what you said, but the way you moved when I sucked your-"

Disgusted, Craig gave the curler a withering glance. "Enough. Not again."

"The office down that large hallway is vacant right now and I have an hour free." Tom then put a plastic card on the seat next to them. "I'm staying until Tuesday. Sandra was fun, but I'll be alone tonight. If you bring more of your party favors I'll give you something extra as well…"

Craig hated the fact that he was tempted, but held off. "Get back to your team. I'm not into that shit, you hear me?"

"Suit yourself." The fact that Craig didn't give the key back immediately didn't go unnoticed by Tom, nor did the bulge in the crotch of the older man's pants. Bending down, Tom did his other duty, speaking with a Croatian accent. "Josip says no fuck ups today. He has final instructions for you. Come with me."

Shocked, Craig got up and followed the man into the abandoned office. After a quick discussion, Josip and his partners left the room, leaving Tom and Craig alone. To the older man's disgust, he didn't stop Tom from unzipping his pants.

"This is the last time, you hear me?"

Outside the office, Josip heard the loud moans and was satisfied that his cousin was doing his job. The camera would record all the action in the room and along with what they had already locked away somewhere safe, he would always have what Americans called their 'Trump Card'. Josip sensed the Maxco CFO was planning an eventual power grab but it wouldn't happen. Stephenson was always concerned about his image, so if he ever tried anything or sold their partnership out, he would regret it.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Thirty minutes later, Craig briskly walked out of the office, angry that he'd let himself become weak. Grabbing another beer from the stand, he sat down heavily, hoping to watch some more curling. Unfortunately, he got a phone call and seeing who was on the line, he answered quickly.

"Yeah...how bad...you're supposed to be a computer genius, Phil. Fix it. That payment can not be held up by anything or else Josip and his friends will be pissed...who?...yeah, I'll let Larry know."

Hanging up, he typed a text message. Send that geek working the beer booth to Philip. He's having an issue with the money transfer. Nothing can get fucked up today. Can't have another snag like last year.

Hanging up, Craig drank his beer before receiving another text, this time from Ivan.

Things are in place. 1st target will be accident at home. 2nd target with both men set up with specifications given.

Smiling, Craig drank more of his Yuengling. By this time next month, Alma and those two hick assholes Buck and Jimmy would be out of his hair. Then not only would Jessica and Wanda be ripe for the picking, but he'd be closer to getting Leonard out of the way and then he'd have complete control of Maxco Enterprises. Not only that, but he'd be part of Josip's inner circle as well as taking over the DC end of the group. With that, he would have access to all the young girls he wanted...no more appeasing his IT head and do gooder employees.

Yeah, life was good.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

From the curling lane, Jessica saw Craig smiling down from his seat behind them and it gave her the chills, making her vibe even more pronounced. A shrieking voice pulled her out of her spell.

"Hey! Quit staring at Jimmy! He's mine now!"

"Yeah, quit staring at Craig, too. Find your own man!"

Shaking her head, she turned to Lori and Sandra, who were smirking at what they saw as their trumping of her. They were getting on her nerves, but she kept her cool as she picked out her stone.

"Lori, Jimmy isn't interested in what you're doing, probably because he's not a child molester and isn't interested in anyone whose breast size equals her IQ."

Stunned, the brunette crossed her arms. "I'm not a child-"

Her stone chosen, she picked it up and smiled at the blonde. "Oh, and Sandra, I don't want Craig, either. He's not only old enough to be our grandfather, but men who break into a woman's hotel rooms to assault her because he can't accept the word NO are a big turn off. You may want to start keeping him more interested in what you're offering so he doesn't bother me anymore. It's getting annoying. Now, it's your turn, Lori."

Both women fumed before the brunette got lined up. Sandra walked up to Jessica. "Bitch, once this bonspiel is over, you're going to learn that you're no match for me."

"I'm sure you'll put me in my place, Sandra, but for now, let's concentrate on the game, shall we? Craig has his panties in a bunch because of yesterday and I don't want to deal with his anger anymore."

Standing and waiting for her turn, Jessica closed her eyes to focus. 'Please say we solve this case today. I can't take anymore of these two empty headed twits.'

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

At the 7th turn during Histavark's match vs Southern X-Posure Gentlemen's Club out of Huntington, Booth got a text from Angela, asking him to call her. "Going to get a beer, Babe."

Aubrey and Brennan recognized the signal and continued to watch the match as Booth headed towards the outside door. "Okay, Angela, what's up?"

"Well, it took a bit, but I tracked down that info about the warden you two were looking for...you know, like that fancy bedroom set he had at his house? I found the receipt for the order. That bedroom set Aubrey described was purchased from the Ethan Allen store in Pittsburgh in 2014 under the name of Andrea Clark."

"You're sure it was her that bought it?"

"It was an Andrea Clark who signed off on the credit card receipt and it was delivered to the warden's house."

Booth thought for a minute. "Andrea Clark is his wife's cousin, so they could say it was a family thing, like maybe a gift. Anything else?"

"I've also done some digging on his children's college stuff. It seems both his son and daughter received full rides to Washington and Lee and West Virginia University."

"Probably got one of the government scholarships because their dad works for the government."

"Actually, neither has applied for financial aid, and their scholarships were all funded by something called the Mercantile Foundation. Doing some Dark Web digging, I found out that these funds came from a private donor and have only been donated to Joshua and Miranda Brinton. No other student has ever received funds from this organization."

Booth nodded. "So they didn't buy him off directly...they paid for the kids' college and fancy furniture for the daughter."

"Got something else, too." It was silent for a moment before Angela continued. "The Brinton family always vacations three times a year at Oak Island, North Carolina, in a house that he always tells people that he has as part of a time share deal, but the home actually belongs to John Higgins, part owner of Histavark."

"How fancy is it?"

"Four bedrooms with all modern appliances and right on the beach.", Angela said. "Hodgins and I were looking at renting a house in that area on the beach this summer and the average rent for those houses is $300 a day before taxes and fees and it's always just him, his wife, and either of the children that come with them. No way the warden affords to rent something like that on his salary."

"No, Brinton couldn't. He's up to his eyeballs in this crap. Now, we just have to figure out how Aubrey's dad is connected. Thanks, Angela. Do me a favor and send that stuff to Bones and Aubrey, too. We'll grab Jessica between games and the four of us will come up with a plan."

Booth hung up the phone before noticing Craig Stephenson coming out of a back hallway with Josip and another man. Between him and Aubrey, Stephenson has made six trips to that area today. Making a note of the location, he went to the concessions area and bought three Yuenglings before sitting back down.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Thirty minutes later, to everyone's surprise, Southern X-Posure pulled off an upset against Histavark with a score of 3-2. Jessica had barely held her chuckle in as Histavark's team sulked away while the strippers jumped up and down in celebration. With Maxco's defeat of Rascal Chevrolet earlier that morning, it was their team and Southern X-Posure in the final game at 1:30 today.

Her good humor disappeared when Craig came by. "We're taking on the strippers! Alex and the others suck!" Craig's voice trailed off as he admired the women from the gentleman's club. "Damn, they look good even in curling outfits…"

Alma saw the man drooling over the attractive women and her annoyance boiled over. "Craig! Stop staring at those girls!"

Turning, the man gave her a withering look as he walked over and whispered harshly. "Why don't you pay attention to making sure we win the finals instead of worrying about what I'm doing? Maybe then we won't lose like we did yesterday, when your constant fuck ups put us in third place. For the last time, don't fuck with me, Alma."

"Yes, Craig." Holding back tears at the sharp dismissal as he stormed away, Alma grabbed her tablet and was annoyed to see three women giving her looks of sympathy. "Enough of that. Get your heads back in the game. I want to win that $1000.00. You hear me?"

"Yes, Alma.", Jessica said as Craig stormed off to talk to who Jessica recognized as Warden Brinton and Josip.

"Yes, Alma.", Lori repeated mockingly. "Is there anyone you don't try to kiss up to, Jessica? I mean, besides trying to steal men that don't belong to you?"

"Get a life, Lori." Jessica was getting more annoyed with the young lady's snide comments throughout the day. 'I need to talk to everyone now.'

"Lori, shut the hell up and pay attention." Alma indicated the lineup for the final game. "Now, we've got an hour for lunch so if you want to be with your families that's fine. Be back here by 12:45 so we can recap strategy before we play."

Separating from the group, Jessica was grateful for the break from Lori and Sandra, who had continued to make mean comments during the morning. 'Obviously they think they're hurting my feelings, but they just have their noses out of joint. I can't wait to be away from their inane chatter.'

Finding her family and Jimmy, Jessica played the part as she spotted Craig nearby, this time talking to another man. "Hey guys...want to grab some lunch?"

"Sure, Jessie. How about some chili dogs outside?", Aubrey replied with a smirk.

Jessica turned red as she snickered, but an unaware Brennan offered her opinion about that menu selection. "Chili dogs are not a nutritious lunch…"

"Bones…"

Snapping back into Wanda, she smacked Jimmy. "Those dogs are full of stuff that's not good for you or my Buck. Jessie needs good food…"

"I'll have a salad with my chili dog, Aunt Wanda.", Jessica said. "There's a place we can sit outside since it's nice out today."

"I can do that. Just don't eat junk, Jessie."

Recognizing the signal that they had more information, Jessica led the way to the hot dog booth and after all four got their food and drinks, they went outside where four sets of picnic tables were spread out.

"I overheard someone saying these are out for the employees, but I haven't seen anyone come out here this weekend." Jessica took a bite out of her chili dog.

"I've also noticed that all the employees are either foreign women or very polite men. Booth suspects they are federal prisoners Brinton is using for labor." Brennan stated as she began eating her vegan hot dog. "This is a very impressive vegan item. It's too bad it wasn't available yesterday. Here Booth, try some of it…"

"Get that thing away from me, Bones!" He pretended to glare at her before he continued to read his phone. "I was right, all. Genny said that guy in the picture is Angel Conseuelo. He's serving three life sentences for murder. He was at USP Lee while I was there until he was mysteriously transferred to Hazelton three months ago."

"Explains why Brinton was here." Jessica sipped from her water bottle. "So, Booth, what did you find out?" She listened as Booth filled her in on what Angela found out and whistled. "So Brinton is using federal prisoners as workers here?"

"Yeah, and somehow finagling the budget to cover it up." Booth bit into his chili dog. "With a possible drug ring going on, the prisoners will keep their mouths shut so they can get out of the prison."

"Booth, these men are dangerous." Brennan replied.

"Yeah, but Brinton, Craig, Histavark...no one cares." Aubrey sipped his beer. "They pocket the money and fix it so the IRS doesn't come after them. Plus, as Booth said, any illegal activity here isn't reported because Brinton has them over a barrel. Either work here as essential slave labor or stuck back in the prison."

"It explains why Brinton also had a cow when they split up Hazelton and brought that other guy in. It cut into his profits and risked him getting caught.", Booth said before turning to Aubrey. "I think your father was brought here with connections from someone at Histavark so he could continue to work with CEP and whatever illegal shit he had going on with the Drakulic crime family since three of them are at Hazelton. I wouldn't be surprised if Brinton is getting another kickback for helping Phil out here."

Jessica exhaled as everything Booth and Aubrey said sunk in. "All this stuff is starting to make sense. Vacchio probably got a tip from that trader Joe Fuller and uncovered something. They sent his brother-in-law, who was connected to the Corzone crime family and the Croatians to kill him, thinking that it would end things."

"But it only raise suspicions. The case also benefited from Booth and Aubrey doing a joint investigation for Homicide and Major Crimes. That trader who shot at Genny and Hunter must have been scared he would be found out as the tattletale…"

"Snitch, Bones, but that's alright.", Booth replied. "Then you and I got shot, Aubrey, because we were getting closer. I'm sure your dad heard about what happened to us and Brinton was nervous when we called to say we were coming."

"...and why my dad's story changed after we went for lunch. Brinton gave him enough info to possibly put us on the wrong path. The weather then gave him another opportunity to fish for info when we were stuck at his house overnight, which he didn't get.", Aubrey muttered.

"Plus Mr. I Love Curling is coming in and out of that hallway area.", Booth replied. "Okay, Aubrey, you and I need to continue taking turns casing out the arena. Something is definitely rotten here and we need to find it, quick. Bones, you continue to be our look out person. If you see Craig or any of the others leave their seats, send us a text. Jessica, you play like always, but listen carefully and note anything unusual, like with those curling rocks."

"Stones, Booth. They're called stones.", Brennan corrected.

"Sorry, Bones." Booth looked at his watch. "Well, it's 12:37. Let's get back in and bust these bastards."

"I'm all for that. I want to be a redhead again.", Jessica retorted to Aubrey's chuckle as the four went back into the arena.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

It was a close game, but the ladies of Southern X-Posure scored in the 10th turn to win the final game 2 - 1. Jessica and Alma went over to congratulate the others, while Sandra and Lori momentarily pouted until they got the stink eye from Alma. The skip of the opposing team surprised Jessica when she shook her hand.

"Our team has nominated you for MVP, Ms. Gordon.", the busty brunette skip said. "I know people laughed at us for playing the game, but you're an example of why we're glad we started a curling team. Nothing but gracious to everyone. If your team doesn't also vote for you, then they're stupid."

Surprised, Jessica smiled. "Thank you…"

"You're welcome." The skip slipped a card into her hand. "That's for a free lap dance if you ever come to Huntington. Ask for Jolene."

Not sure whether to be flattered or snicker, Jessica nodded. "Thank you."

Filling out her ballot with Alma as MVP, she walked to the table and gave the slip to the judges. Heading back to her team, she smiled at Alma. "I'm sorry we lost, but they were a great team."

"They sure were. I hate losing that bonus but they were good." Alma showed her a white slip. "I've nominated you for MVP."

"Thank you, but that's not-"

"Yes it is, Jessica. You've shown true sportsmanship and teamwork this entire weekend, even with what you had to deal with." Alma glanced back at Lori and Sandra, who were talking to Craig. "Craig is very impressed with you. I'm just sorry for what happened last night."

Not sure how much she could say to the other woman, Jessica played it cool. "It's okay. I'm sure it was a misunderstanding, Alma. I'm just sorry you and Craig fought today. Are you all right?"

Alma's face grew serious. "It wasn't a misunderstanding, Jessica. I'm also more than all right as I've made a decision that I should have made months ago and plan to put into action when we return home. I promise you that what Craig did won't happen ever again."

Before Jessica could respond, the emcee of the event came back to the microphone. "Hello everyone. In thirty minutes, we will be giving out the awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place as well the award for Most Valuable Player this weekend. It was almost unanimous but I'm proud to announce this year's MVP, Jessica Gordon of Maxco!"

As her mouth dropped, Jessica felt pride and when she looked up at the seats, she didn't see her family, to her surprise. Before she could look further, she saw three people running down to greet her ahead of her team's families.

"Jessie! That's my girl!", Buck yelled as he put his arms around her.

"We're so proud of you, Jessie!", Wanda exclaimed.

"We sure are, Jessie!", Aubrey said, pulling her into a kiss, resulting in several catcalls and hollers from the spectators and other players.

"Aubrey…", Jessica whispered.

"Sorry, but I'm tired of Lori fawning over me and her being mean to you."

"It's okay. I was, too." Not caring about what Lori thought anymore and realizing it didn't matter, Jessica enjoyed the embrace. When done, she whispered in Aubrey's ear. "Tonight, Superman after we get home, I may wear one of my naughty nighties…"

"Yeah, buddy!", he exclaimed.

Across the room, Lori saw the two of them together and turned red. It was bad enough that the bitch stole her man and was going to be MVP, but now she was rubbing her nose in it. Well, she was going to teach that bimbo a lesson.

Sandra walked up to her friend and shook her head. "I'm so sick of her. Craig keeps staring at her and her aunt. She says she's not interested but she's leading him on."

"She stole Jimmy from me and now she's MVP. That's bullshit.", Lori barked. "You would think sunshine comes out of her ass. Why can't she just look bad once this weekend?"

Smiling, Sandra chuckled. "I've got an idea…"

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Ten minutes later, Jessica walked back to her lane as her team was busy with their families. As she bent down to pick up her bag, she was greeted by an annoyed Craig. "So, it seems you and Jimmy are now an item. Must've been why we lost to those damn strippers."

Jessica crossed her arms and glared at him. "Mr. Stephenson, we played our hearts out but in the end those girls were better than us. I'm sure many underestimated them and I let them know how good they were, too."

"Because of them, we are only second place, Jessica!", Craig growled. "We lost to strippers!"

"Mr. Stephenson, curling is big on sportsmanship. I know you're my boss, but the way you're talking goes against what curling is all about." Jessica squared her shoulders. "I don't know if I want to work for someone who acts the way you are right now."

Realizing the young woman was serious, Stephenson did some damage control. "You're right...I don't know what's come over me. I would just hate to lose you as an employee, Jessica."

"Well, I…"

Craig suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. She didn't miss the hard on he had and it disgusted her. "There's a small office by the concession stand and we can be there in one minute...I want to fuck you so bad…come on, you're giving it to Jimmy...I want to taste that heaven between your thighs and get a piece of this amazing ass..."

"Ugh! Mr. Stephenson! Stop!" Jessica backed away, disbelieving the man had the cajones to grab at her in public. "You grab at me one more time and I'll not only quit the team, but I'll break your arm. That's before I'll tell my Uncle Buck!"

The thought of being hamburger thanks to Buck stopped the man cold. Letting her go, Craig smiled. "I apologize. I just...can't control myself around you…"

"Is that why you broke into my room last night?" Jessica stood with her hands on her hips. "I should have called the police on you…"

"No...no...that's not necessary, Jessica. Don't quit the team...you're the best player I've ever had...even more than Alma."

"No, that's not true."

"Yes, it is. Alma is getting complacent and I'm getting tired of keeping her happy by having sex with her all the time. She just lays there like a gunny sack. I want a real woman in my bed like you."

"Mr. Stephenson, I don't want to hear this." Jessica's phone buzzed in her pocket. Picking it up, she looked and was surprised to see a message from Lori.

I'm stuck in storage room by bathroom. Went in there instead of BR by mistake. Can you let me out? Can't reach Sandra and no one can hear me pound on the door.

"Excuse me, Mr. Stephenson. Someone needs my help."

Jessica made her way through the crowds, thanking people for all the congratulations on getting MVP. When the coast was clear, she mumbled to herself.

"While I'm glad for the escape, I'm tempted to leave her immature ass in there as payback for all the grief she's given me this weekend. No, that's not a nice thing to do."

Finding the restroom, she knocked on the door next to it. "Lori, it's Jessica…"

"Oh thank goodness. I wasn't paying attention and came in here by mistake. By the time I saw it wasn't the bathroom, the door shut locking me in."

Jessica wiggled the handle and it immediately enabled her to turn the knob. Seeing the room was dark, she took a few steps in. "Lori...the door is open…"

Suddenly she was shoved inside, falling on a bunch of hard objects rather painfully and landing on the floor. "What the-"

"That is for stealing my man, bitch. Now you get to miss out on being MVP. Oh well…" Lori laughed as she grabbed Jessica's phone off the floor before shutting the door. Shoving a door jam and a screwdriver in the door, the brunette smiled.

"Now, you can just stay there while I keep Jimmy company. Craig's going to be pissed you ditched the ceremony and your ass will be fired." Lori laughed as she walked away. "Bye, slut."

Inside, Jessica felt around and realized Lori took her phone. "That little bitch."

Using her Garmin watch, she used the glow to look for a light, seeing what she had fallen on were several curling stones. "Ouch…", she exclaimed while rubbing her knee. "Damn that Lori…"

Finding a switch, she turned it on to see the swarm of curling stones around her. Walking over to the door, she felt it, and realized it was jammed shut. Looking on the wall, she saw a phone sitting on a shelf. "Of course, she probably used Sandra's phone to call, making me think she was in here. Dumb, dumb Jessica."

After a couple moments, she made a realization. "No, she can't be that dumb...can she?" Looking, she saw the display was still active and unlocked. "No, dumb, dumb Lori…you may not know Aubrey's number, but I do."

Calling Aubrey, she waited for him to answer. After four rings, he picked up. "Hello?"

"Aubrey, it's me."

"Jess, where the hell are you? Alma and Craig, as well as us are looking for you because the trophies and medals are going to be presented."

Jessica looked around. "That twat Lori locked me in that storage room next to the ladies bathroom, you know, by that hallway where Craig and his friends keep going to?"

"Why the hell did she do something like that?"

"I don't know, Superman, but just come get me out. I don't want Craig or his friends to find me around here."

"Be right there." Aubrey ended the call just as he got an unwelcome surprise.

"Hi Jimmy…". Lori purred. "I'm cool with you kissing Jessica, but now that she's ditched us to return to Virginia, I was thinking that we can get a room here tonight-"

"Not interested. Excuse me." Aubrey pushed the irritated woman out of the way and made his way to the storage closet.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

As everyone for Maxco's team sat together wondering where Jessica went, Craig felt a buzz on his phone and answered. "Hello...I'm on my way."

Hanging up the phone, he turned to the group. "I'm going to check with security about Jessica...where's Jimmy?"

"He went to go look for my niece.", Booth yelled. "Nothing better happen to her or else your ass is mine, Craigie."

Ignoring his lingering fear of the man, Craig grabbed Brinton, who was sitting and talking to Andrea Clark, her husband, Alex Stephens, and John Higgins. "Come with me."

"Josip just called us, Craig.", Andrea snarled. "Take care of it...now."

"Suck down some more wine, Andrea and keep your bitchiness to yourself, okay? I'll get my hands dirty...as usual.", Craig retorted before he and Brinton headed out of the VIP section.

"If your cousin messes this up, we're all screwed, Alex.", John whispered.

"He'll take care of it." Alex crossed his arms. "He's a smart man and every other snag in our venture has always been taken care of before it got far. He, Philip, and Lawrence will clean it up. We'll be fine, John. Just relax."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

As Jessica waited for Aubrey, she looked around, amazed at the number of curling stones in the room. Picking one up that she had knocked over, she noticed the weight. "This doesn't feel like those light ones but not as heavy as a normal one...wait, the handle is broken…"

Forcing it aside, her eyes grew large at what she saw. Pulling the bag out, she recognized what was in the baggie. "Oh shit…"

Darting her eyes across the small room, she found another stone with a twisted handle. Opening that one, she saw not drugs but something else. "A motherboard...oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…"

"Jess, I'll have you out in just a minute. Lori just wedged a screwdriver into the door along with a doorstop."

Jessica looked around, missing the small light from an outlet by her feet that glowed as she walked past it multiple times. "Good. Get in here now, Aubrey."

Making quick time of the objects, Aubrey kicked them aside and opened the door, only to see his girlfriend holding up two items. "Jess, what are...holy fuck."

"Is this what I think it is?" Jessica held up the bag with the icy colored stones.

Taking it, Aubrey opened it and looked inside. "It sure is. Well, we found the drugs…"

"That's not all, Aubrey." Jessica held up the motherboard. "I found both of these in different stones. I think that's why they were lighter. Someone was smuggling these in the US using the stones."

"Come on, let's go find Booth and Dr. B."

"Well...what do we have here?" Craig giggled softly "Looks like we've caught some rats in our trap."

The couple turned around to see Craig Stephenson, Warden Brinton, Josip and another man holding a gun.

"Hello again, Agent Aubrey.", Brinton said with a smile. "Fancy meeting you here."