Family Bonds: Book 2 of Sista

by Blackstar1979

Family Bonds the sequel to Sista. The the Superstars and Sistas have been through a lot that have carved out bonds where there were none. Will the past rip apart the bonds that have been forged or make them stronger? Reviews are welcomed as always.

32. Chapter32 The Show Must go On

Chapter32

The Show Must go On

Gloria lay in the warmth of John's embrace thinking about all that had transpired these last few days. From thinking she'd never see him again, to upsetting his girl on the day of his return, to sitting at the medical center waiting on him to wake up after collapsing in the den. Seeing what that woman did to him and hearing him talk of it, made Gloria mental. John groaned in his sleep. Gloria had heard this pained cry from him before, and each time she heard it, it struck her just as hard. Her mate had been through so much. She knew he was safe now, but sleep still would not come for her. She started thinking about her life before and since they had got together as more than business partners. She loved him more than she had even loved her first husband. John flinches in his sleep, and she rubs his hand that lay across her middle. Soon another day was dawning, and she hadn't got more than an hour of sleep in the past four days. Getting up, she could no longer just lay here. She would work, maybe that would tire her out. Easing out of the bed she moves around the room, and grabs her laptop off the charger, and enters their den. Leaving the door open so she could tell John where she was in the event he woke before she returned. Skipping over the news pop-ups that attacked her account daily, she opened her LEGNA remote site. One of her assistants sent her a link she read the article. Supposedly Personal Touch's lead and Frontwoman gave a very negative exclusive interview. Someone was giving interviews as Joshua and Angela. She sent the article to their lead legal team, someone was out to slander her talent, and she would not take this hit laying down. That news station was going to pay dearly for printing the trash she had just read without even securing that they were speaking to either Joshua or Angela. No one fucked with her talent and went on their merry ole way. She sent the copy to Joshua. His reply was instant.

Joshua D: I didn't say any of this shit why would I? No one from our band feels this way. If I felt that way I would have not signed the contract. Angel don't even speak like this on the daily so why would she start now with some reporter that she doesn't know?

Gloria: I know and I have sent it to our legal team I just wanted you to know what was brewing this close to the Grammys. Especially since the 3rd song on your album that is being nominated was mentioned.

Joshua D: Okay Gloria it's 8 in the morning this went to print yesterday. What gives?

Gloria: I just received the article a few moments ago. I will have a proper interview set up for you and the band here shortly. I will contact Cassandra and when she has it set up she will contact you. I will not let this package of lies run unchecked have no fear of that. Personal Touch is one of our hottest talents. The 3rd song on your album has remained high in the charts since the movie it was written for came out.

Joshua D: While waiting for Cass's call I'm heading to The Davenport unless you want us all to meet up at LEGNA.

Gloria: Cassandra will let you know. You have video equipment at The Davenport so either way should be fine.

Hours later the interview is completed at The Davenport, Joshua stays, Angel heads over to Candy's home with Andrew to pick up JC then she was heading home. Cassandra worked fast and efficiently getting the real interview processed and aired on the local channel owned by LEGNA. Gloria called to check on Jonathon who had opted to stay home today. She chatted with her mate, and updated him on the happenings. Gloria heard every twinge when he would move around. She had to keep telling herself at the very least nothing was broken from his abduction or his mugging. She suggested he take a hot bath and get some more rest he agreed and told her to be careful and that he loved her.

Joshua was in his office when Vash walked in and told him he had a visitor. Joshua hit the screen and anger flooded his system at the sight of Madam Springer. "Tell her get lost. On second thought no, just make her ass wait." Making miss super important wait, would drive her up the wall. Joshua watched Vash walk in to camera view and said there was someone in with him right now, and that she could wait or leave. She huffed and puffed but sat at the bar. Deon walked passed her and she asked him how much longer she would have to wait to see her grandson Joshua Davenport. Deon tells her he'd go check to see if his band lead was busy. Joshua turns off the screen and waits for Deon. As if on cue Joshua opened the door and Deon was on the other side.

Deon walks in to Joshua's office, Joshua closes the door behind him. "Okay did I miss something? She is clearly Angel's grandmother why are you making her wait, we finished the interview?" Joshua says because he knows it is driving her nuts. "Wow and I thought I had an asshole membership card there for a while. She's your wife's family man, don't you think Angel would kind of be pissed with you treating her family like this?" Joshua puts his thumbs in his belt loops in a closed off stance, then walked back to his desk telling Deon to just drop it. "Bro I think if I were you I wouldn't want to piss off any of my queen's family." Joshua gets defensive and asks Deon would he really care about pissing off Candy's dad if he was still breathing. "NO that's different, my queen sees you as a brother and I respect that. She also sees Angela as a sister and I think I should tell Angel what you are doing, man this is wrong." Joshua says that woman treated his wife like shit. And points at Deon as he continues to tell him not to speak to Angel saying she had enough on her plate. "I treated you all like adversaries for a time and you all managed to straighten me out. I see you're pissed but no one is perfect, some people need a second chance. Forgive her man it's not worth the energy you're putting into being pissed. If you guys had not of given me another chance, I'd probably be replaced by now in more than a few ways." Joshua says don't make this personal because one has nothing to do with the other. "Fine it's your choice but I still think you should at the very…."

"Look Deon this conversation is over. Now can we please just set a start date for Nicole?" Deon soon leaves the office after they speak about getting Nikki's shift together. He spoke to Angel, Vash, and Candy about it since Bradley and Logan's men had completed the expansion. Nikki would start Sound training in about a week. They made a lot of upgrades, and she'd never worked with this level of equipment, but the band had faith that she would do just fine. Looking at his watch, he calls his afternoon bartender and asks him to send the older woman back to his office.

Madam Springer enters the office of her grandson through marriage. None of the hot sheet photos did this young man justice, he was handsome but had a sharp edge to his look. She didn't know if it was the crystalline blue glare he was shooting her, or the fact that though he sat in an office that read owner he looked like he would be more comfortable behind the bar. The sleeves to his button up were rolled half way, and his jeans had metal chains on them.

"You finished giving me the New York once over or are you going to continue staring at me? Time is money, and you're wasting mine." The look of shock that she tried to cover up was funny as hell. Joshua moves the pic of Angel, JC, and he that Cassandra had taken, closer to his side of his desk when she tried to reach out and pick it up. "What do you want?"

"I want to see my great grandchild. I will admit I have been less than fair to my Angel, but I now see the error of my ways and wish to reconnect with my grandchild and be a part of my great grandchild's life. He deserves to know all of his family don't you agree?"

Joshua smirks with no humor behind it. "Oh I have an easy answer for you, no. Are we done here?" Joshua unclenched his fist before he broke the handle to his desk drawer. When she first entered his office, he'd stood to greet her, then sat back down, now he was on the edge of his seat. Her presence pissed him off more than he cared to think about.

Madam keeps a smile on her face as she speaks. "Joshua you and Angel are going back on the road soon and you'll need someone that can be there to help you watch out for my Great grandchild. Angel is so angry at me and all I want is to let her have what she has wanted all this time. I'm not perfect but I am trying to secure this one last chance to prove to her that I can be a help to you both. You have witnessed my other side and after my child was taken from this earth, I felt lost and angry." Joshua starts to speak she cuts him off. "Yes Sophia pulled the trigger but Jonathon made her do it you have to believe me. I was never mad at Angel really, I was angry with her father but when he ran back across the sea and left my child to fend for herself, my anger latched on to my little Angel who didn't deserve it. All she ever wanted was acceptance. I'm trying to make this better, I don't want her to hate me. She is so angry at me. I need you to speak with her. Maybe you can talk her into giving me another chance. I can tell by the look in your eyes she has probably told you horrid things about me."

Joshua gets up. "She didn't have to tell me I was there for most of the shit you put her through. My wife wants nothing to do with you, frankly neither do I. I see what you're doing, you got Angel upset because you keep trying to take her down memory lane. I saw how you treated Angel, there isn't a chance in hell that I would let you anywhere near my son. The shit you did to my wife is unforgiveable, I'm telling you this for your own safety, leave us alone this trying to get her to forgive you isn't going to happen. Whatever your real plans are it's not going to happen. Because if you did half the shit you did to Angel to my son, I'd cut off the hand you hit him, or pulled his hair with. The shit you said to Angel, my son will never hear from someone that's supposed to love him. Now get the fuck out of my office."

Madam stands with a huff. "Well Mr. Davenport that's unfortunate. You think you can demand that I stay away from my own family. Angela is my granddaughter and since you want to threaten me I will have to put you in your place." The little snarky devil rose an eyebrow at her words. "I know you aren't from this country. I've done my homework you didn't get a social security number until you were 13. So if you try to block me I'll get you shipped back to your homeland, then Angela will really need me to help her with my great grandson, so don't you threaten me you little demon." The little demon started laughing at her. "Laugh all you want, Sophie is busy and you will be banished back to wherever you are from, and Angela will have no choice but to lean on me. I don't want to break up your marriage but you are going to force my hand." The laugher died and his pointed glare returned as he stepped towards her.

Joshua walks around his desk and gets in her face. "You got me all figured out. Lady" She demands he address her as Madam. A flashback of him witnessing her slapping Angel for slipping up and calling her grandma surged into his mind's eye. "You're no Madam, you're an evil broke bitch, with a chip on your shoulder, because some part of your life tanked. You call me a demon but you're the fucking demonic one. Newsflash this isn't France." She tries to slap him, he grabs her wrist mere inches from his face and smiles at her. "If you don't want this broken you will refrain from trying to treat me as you did my wife. Go ahead waste your money on an investigation please and all you will get is the fact that I was born in Glenview, Texas 30 years ago."

Madam pulls to be let free of his harsh grasp. "We will see about that Davenport. You have messed with the wrong Madam." when Joshua releases her she turns and storms out of his office slamming the door almost knocking over Deon who was coming down the hall with a cart of drinking glasses. "Oh dear child I'm so sorry. I'm not used to being man handled." Deon tells her don't sweat it, and asked what she meant by manhandled. "I tried to speak to my newest grandson and all I got instead of help, was threats on my life, and him physically assaulting me. Can you please try to speak to my granddaughter for me? That's all I want is a chance before I leave this earth to see my only great-grandson. Your Band lead tried to physically do me harm in his office." The young man looks upset and tells her he'd handle it. "I have to leave before he comes out here." He walks her to her car and she gets in playing up being shaken and asked him to please speak to her granddaughter and warn her of her husband's temper. He nods as she drives off with him standing with his phone to his ear maybe he was calling Angela. Madam goes to the twin's home. She hadn't come this far to fail.

Deon tries calling Joshua, his band lead doesn't answer. He walks to Joshua's door and beats on it, when he finds it locked. Joshua jerked the door open. Deon walks forward to go in, Joshua doesn't move out of the way. Deon stops before walking into Joshua they stand an inch away from each other. "We are to talk; we can do it out in public or in the remote privacy of your office your choice." Joshua says there's nothing to talk about. "Oh I beg to differ you can't be going around threatening and assaulting little old ladies man. Especially not your grandmother." Joshua turns to walk back in his office Deon grabs him and turns him back around letting go before Joshua could grab his hand. "Joshua we got enough people out there thinking we are trashing our own image we, don't need you out beating on females. She wants me to warn Angel about you."

Joshua walks further into his office and tells Deon "Come on in Deon since you insist on talking about this shit." Deon steps just inside the door Joshua closes it behind him. Joshua's band of control was crumbling when Deon grabbed him instinct almost took over. He had to straighten this out. This is what that bitch wanted, she wanted them fighting with each other. Taking a breath Joshua walks away from Deon to his desk. "First off, don't grab me anymore. Secondly, I didn't assault her and you're not going to say shit to my wife. Don't you get it? That's what she wants." Deon says he wasn't making sense. "She wants someone speaking to Angel on her behalf. She threatens to have my ass deported and then went on to say with me out of the country, Angel would need to depend on her solely to help raise JC." Deon says that's crazy and asks Joshua wasn't he from the US. "Yeah Glenview, Texas. This is the crazy bitch that you keep wanting to defend." Deon says that still didn't explain away her accusing Joshua of manhandling her and threatening her life. "My promise wasn't a threat, she ever touches my kid in violence and I will cut off her fucking hands." Deon asked if he didn't assault her why she would say it. The doubt in Deon's gaze stung and pissed Joshua off that much more. Joshua disables audio, hearing Madam's voice in person after all these years was enough to last him a lifetime. "Take a look for yourself what happened. Since my word isn't good enough for you." Joshua storms out of his office he was going home to his wife and holding his son.

Deon stared after his band lead. Then hit rewind on the video. Seeing her try to slap Joshua and him restrain her, ran more along the lines of Joshua's normal response of defend first. Deon felt like a dumb shit, the woman had played him like a fiddle and got him all amped up, believing his band lead had really tried to do her harm. He calls his queen and talks about the old lady. When he mentioned her name to his queen she got pissed at him and told him that's the woman that upset Angel the other day. He didn't know he was on speaker phone but quickly found out he was, when Nikki chimed in saying the woman tried to break in through the back but the alarm went off and scared her away. Deon knew the alarm wasn't the only thing that probably scared her away he'd seen the extra weaponry the guards were toting these days.

With their band about to go to the Grammys, Candy reactivated her Music Nation account and changed her user photo and password. Roman had been able to hack her account and put up the pictures that caused so much confusion, because she always picked her guy's name and the word girl. She writes down her newly chosen password. Joshua was on his way home to be with Angel and JC who had just left her house heading home. Candy meant what she said to Angel, her crazy ass grandmother wasn't going to get near her godson. When Deon had called it was her usual habit of putting him on speaker phone that revealed to Angel that the crazy bat had visited Joshua today and accused her bro of assaulting her. Deon said he'd saw the video and Joshua didn't assault the woman. Deon was kicking himself for not believing his band lead, saying that he'd been doing so well as far as his attitude around the band. Nikki left to meet up with her track team. Deon was on his way home. After the interview today, Candy felt it was time to get back on her social networking sites she'd do one at a time. No sooner than she released her account she got a message.

The-Candy-Fan: The heart wants what it wants.

Candy R: Who is this

The-Candy-Fan: Your biggest fan Want to meet? I can be what you need your super-hot.

After seeing the kid's profile Candy responds. She knew he must be under 18 because his picture had a Music note obscuring his face and since they weren't friends, his image would remain blocked until he got permission from his parents to be friends with someone over 21.

Candy R: I'm flattered really but I'm taken

The-Candy-Fan: Not yet dump the 0 and come to me a hero. I can save you

Candy R: Not a big Deon B fan I see, well I am just fine with my 1 and only. So have you heard our newest single?

The-Candy-Fan: It was also on your album but anyone that bought it and was at the release party would know that. I'll play along with the rest of the country like it's not a single just because it is a part of the detective movie that just came out. They should have given you a leading role you're so hot.

Candy R: I don't think the movie would have done as good as it is doing I'm not a detective and I am nowhere near an actress.

The-Candy-Fan: all you have to do is smile at the camera and lie.

Deon was pulling into the garage and she really wanted to get out of this chat.

Candy R: Well The-Candy-Fan I need to go now but I'll chat you another time ok

The-Candy-Fan: He must be home you don't have to hide me from him I'll behave. When can we meet

Candy R: We're always holding meet and greets after our shows we hit Dallas in a few months. Maybe I'll see you there.

The-Candy-Fan: Sure go live your life without me

The-Candy-Fan: Has signed out do you wish to send a private message?

Candy closed the chat that was a weird sign off if she ever saw one. Deon comes in the front door looking around as if he was expecting someone to jump him from behind the door. "Nikki is at track practice and Angel and JC aren't here, babe who are you looking for?" Candy says with a smirk.

Deon looks up at his queen and crosses the room in a flash hugging her to him. She says she can't breathe into his shirt, he releases her. She looks up into his eyes with confusion lacing her gaze. Deon takes a deep breath of his own. "As I was coming home I saw something horrific, a green car with its top missing via a crash. My world would mean nothing without you in it."

Candy steps back and holds out her arms saying she is fine. She continues to sooth her frazzled mate. Deon gently pulls her back to him. They stand there like that for a time until the trimmers stop rocking his tense body. She tells him of the fan chat she'd just ended. Deon says for her not to try to meet a fan on her own saying it could be dangerous. "Babe, I'm not going to some random place to meet some kid anywhere but at a secured meet and greet. The kid kind of creeps me out."

Joshua gets home and goes straight up to JC's room. He wasn't in his crib. Joshua heads to his bedroom. That's where he found Angel and JC sitting on the couch watching a show. Moving across the room he sits next to his wife she leans on him, and he holds his wife and son. Angel looks up at him and tells him that she heard about Madam's visit. "Deon has a big mouth. I handled it everything's okay." Angel tells him in Deon's defense Candy had her phone on speaker phone as she and JC were leaving. "That actually make me feel a lot better I told him to leave you alone about it, but if he didn't know you would be in earshot that's different." They talk about the visit and Joshua leaves out the part that unnerved him about how confident Madam was even after he told her that he was born here in the states. Changing the subject they both start cooing at JC. His son gives them a big grin and giggle. Seeing JC happy eased some of the white hot anger Joshua held like a shield about the day's events.

Over at Henriette's home, she is awakened by her maid who is telling her that someone is demanding to see her. "Send them away, what do I pay you for?" The maid stutters and stammers that the man has already killed the guards. Henriette sits up "Killed as in they no longer live?" The maid wipes away a tear and nods her head. "Who is it? None of my clients know of where I live?" the maid says the man says his name is Maxwell, and that he will continue taking out her help until he sees her face to face. A loud knock is heard and the maid freezes, her eyes glassy. Henriette grabs her dead father's gun. She is the don of this family now, she would not cower here in her bedroom. "Make yourself useful, go open the door. The maid shakes her head, Henriette narrows her eyes. "If you do not, he will be the least of your problems. How did he take out 8 trained men?" The maid says he is not alone. "How many men does he have that are willing to trespass on my private grounds?" She says many as the door flies open via a loud crack. Henriette fires her father's weapon at the intruder. The man hits the floor. She would not be fooled, no trained tough, left himself so open as to be shot that easily. She was right, when she moved back to her bureau for cover, 10 plus men moved into the room with M-16s pointed at her and her maid. Her maid fainted the moment they came in. These were no regular street toughs. Even the man she shot in the heart now stood with the band of men in a formation that looked like an arrow pointed straight at her. They all tell her in an Irish accented unison, to put down her weapon and she will survive. They were Irish and they knew where she lived. None of this made any sense. Johnny Lee didn't even know where she lived. She'd made sure he was unconscious or blind folded or both when coming and going. How could he tell them where to find her? Seeing one of the men take aim a little higher from her chest to her head made her slowly put down her weapon. A tall pale man with waist length auburn hair walked through the throng of armed men. He wore sunglasses and said nothing as he gestured them aside with his hands. When he is about 3 feet from her, he stops his cologne was not of carnage but smelled delicate and expensive. When he did speak his accent was not heavy as she would have imagined.

Maxwell Stalk Wolfe walks into the bedroom behind his fleet of men and says to the now un armed woman. "Be not afraid, I did not come here to kill you or I would have already. I came here to speak to you. Will you cooperate?" The woman nods her head and says yes. She asks why if he did not come to kill her did he murder her house staff. "Murder is such a ruthless term, I did you a favor. Those men were on my list they are all cleaned up, and have been taken to be disposed of." The woman says why were her men on his list. Wolfe walked closer moving one of his soldiers out of his path with a mere hand gesture. "That is what I have come to speak to you about. Listen to my words, because I will not repeat myself. This is a warning. If you ever touch, one of mine ever again the men or whores you send his way will be disposed of just like the ones here. Jonathon McBride Is one of mine. That whore will get hers and you will be the vehicle for her delivery alone to one of my estates. You are to remove her from the public eye immediately. Unfortunate for you, I am a supporter of Ivey's vision. Remove the female, for if I have to, I will come for you, and as you can see I know how to find you." Putting out a hand that was covered in a driving glove he looks the woman in the eye over his sunglasses and gestures for her to shake his hand. She raises her hand to his, he quickly turns hers over and sticks her palm with a ring needle of his own, her eyes widen in terror as she crumples to the floor. He then walks back through his men gets in his vehicle, as one of his men drives him away from the scene. Taking off the ringed glove Maxwell says to his driver. "She will wake in two hours if nothing is completed by tonight we will return." The driver asks what if she runs since she knows he can find her home. Maxwell smiles baring his teeth. "If she runs, this wolf gets to hunt."

Hours later Chase is confused as to why Carla is not coming to the car. His cellphone rings. Switching phones, he answers the unknown number. "Drive on she will not a be a problem for you any longer." Chase asks who this is. "A protector of your vision." Chase says he appreciated the gesture but he will handle his own affairs. "Maybe you should rethink such a plan. She is hurting your image." Chase gets irritated and tells the man there is more at stake than his image. "If you are worried that the little whore will try to end your life again worry not. You may want to tell your son to stop trying to trace my call. My civility doesn't run that deep." Chase asks and what of the child? First an indrawn breath then silence meets his ear. The call was disconnected. Chase looks in his mirror as he sees Bobby with his window rolled all the way down looking at him.

Chase drives away from Glenn and Carla's house and to his foundation. Bobby passes him on the road and parks a few buildings away. Most of Bobby's men were watching Logan, Angel, and Sophie. That left Bobby and Andrew to watch him. Chase walks to his door and no alarm disables when he pushes his entry code. Bobby puts up a finger and tells him to step back. His son pulls a little device from his pocket and puts it on the door handle. It turns green. "It's clear" Bobby says as he steps in before letting his dad into his own business. When inside Chase enables signal blocking. Bobby leans against the front door. "So you want to tell me why I couldn't hear your call, or make contact with you while parked less than 20 feet away from you? Dad I had to look out the window, just to make sure you were still in the Hummer, all my shit went offline at the same time for a good ten minutes."

Chase tells him of what was said to him minus the comment about Bobby's equipment and the man's level of civility. Chase saw that the disconnect disturbed his son as much, if not more so than it did he. What the hell went on from last night until tonight. Who was the man that called him? The Hummer Chase was driving was wired for sound and visual to the van Bobby was following him in. Seeing Bobby reveal himself by putting his damn head out the window pissed Chase off. How did the block happen, both the van and the Hummer were government vehicles? He had lots of questions and just as many answers as Bobby had, which was zilch.

Seeing Chase drive away from her front door made Carla shudder. What was happening, her boss didn't say why but told her to leave Chase alone saying she had another job for her. Had she revealed something in public about her fake affair with Chase. She almost had herself believing it. She asked about her boy. A few photos were sent. She was to meet Officer Ben Valentin at an address that would be given to her later. She'd slept with that cop. He worked dirty. Fuck that he was dirty. He was one of the first men she'd been made to "meet" working for this woman. She tells Glenn who says that he wished he could help but she had burned all of his bridges to anyone that could get any info to Logan. She gets mad and slaps Glenn asking for Logan's number saying fuck a bridge her son's life was at stake. Glenn pushes her to the floor yelling that she never hit him again. As she sat at his feet like a dog, genuine tears stung her eyes, as she holds up her phone and shows him the three pictures of her son that Monroe's wife sent her. "She is close enough to touch him. I know how you feel about me, but please give me something, a phone number something." He says he no longer had Logan's number his phone got fried and most of his contacts were not reinstalled. "Fine, if you won't help me I'm going to help my fucking self." Carla storms out of the house and looks around.

Andrew calls Bobby and reports her movement. There were answers to be had and Andrew was going to get them. He pulls up to Glenn's wife and stops in front of her. "Need a ride?" She knew who he was by now and why he was here. Or at least she thought she did. She gets in, Andrew powered up the windows. "What's going on Carla? You work for Chase and Bobby now and they nor I like surprises. I knew you were still in that house. Why didn't you come out according to plan?" Carla tells him of her newest orders to leave Chase alone. Andrew calls Bobby and tells him about Vargo's new orders.

Later that night Carla is picked up by Ben and blindfolded. When they arrive at the location he then handcuffs her, she shivers. "Don't act like you've never worn these before, I was there when you went in remember." A voice tells him to stop speaking or die. Ben shuts up.

Carla is sat in a dark room. She knows it's a dark room only because when they were walking the light would move over her blindfold and she could see the light. The door was somewhere in front of her. Ben's chicken shit ass had left her here. This was supposed to be a job on a guy that was very particular on how he wanted his women. Her heart beat double time when the door opened again and she heard many sets of footsteps. Her pony tail is grabbed, she then hears a clipping sound and instantly the weight of her hair is no more. It is then slid across her upper lip. She flinches when she is struck across the chest with what she can only imagine is her own 42 inches of dyed blond braided hair. She feels her hair being wrapped around her wrists the cuffs are removed but she is now bound by her own hair. The door closes again. Was she alone? She squirms in the wooden chair. Her question is answered when she hears the voice of none other than Monroe himself calling her by her maiden name. After the temporary shock wears off she shudders again this was bad, she hadn't heard or seen Monroe since he had her abducted and killed her boss almost a year ago. Now that she knew for certain who got her out of prison. "Your wife caught us in your basement. Now she."

"Don't speak of the past it will not help us." Monroe was bound to a similar chair by rope, the only difference was that he was not blindfolded. He thought that the assisted escape from prison had been a gift from the heavens. He came back to this area and his drugs and his connections were as he'd left them. When The Wolf had come to him asking for the location of his home. He challenged The Wolf without knowing what he'd done. After a beating was rendered onto him for many hours that felt like a century, he told them what they wanted to know. The Wolf had told him to keep his head down and called him a dog. Monroe lifted his eyes out of pride and rebellion onto his captor, and for that he'd received four slashes near his eyes. He'd looked at The Wolf's face, and knew his time was short. It was an accident, but the razor marks The Wolf had left on his skin marked him as a dead man. His drugs were now in the possession of The Wolf. He'd hid from his wife for months now. Now he sat across the room from the little bitch that had birthed his child. Before Carla could start speaking a ding sounded. His chair was tipped backwards.

Carla was about to argue that he wasn't here to help them when she hears a bell of some kind and her chair reclines. A man that sounded like Johnny Lee but with more baritone in his voice says "Vargo if you speak out of turn again I'll punish you. Fairchild, if you speak while not being asked a question your demise will be much slower. Will you cooperate?" Carla could hear the smile in his voice. The man was waiting on her to answer him or at least that's what she hoped the silence was. She says yes. Where were the feds when you fucking needed them? She could use Bobby Hawk's big gun right about now. Something brushes across her face, it smelled of leather. The voice gets close to her ear. "You are now sitting in a chair much like the one you were filmed with Jonathon McBride in. Don't worry there are no cameras here, or at least not for what your boss used them for. She is obedient in sending you here. My chair has an added bonus tilt your head up for me." She complies, he puts a 2-inch-wide strip of leather across the front of her neck pulling it tightly between the loops provided on each side of her head she gasps. "That will do for now. You did not care that you were causing McBride discomfort." She opens her mouth to speak but thinks better of it, closing it abruptly. "Give one reason why I shouldn't end you right this moment?" She speaks of the child he'd researched after his brief conversation with Ivey, and the plan of Valentin /Vargo if Carla died before being given permission to do so. "What's it to you if he perishes? You were imprisoned for multiple counts of attempted homicide on a minor, child endangerment, neglect and abuse on this sad little seed. I have been sent the news articles leading up to your trial, and audio and video clips from your trial. You only cared for having sex on film, and it didn't seem to matter who got in the way." She says she is trying to give her son the life he deserved now. "Now that you don't have to raise him and can be the best whore you can be? Your trial made me physically ill at times, seeing the reports of that little seed's recovery made me ache to get my hands on you."

Monroe says "She is just using my son as her…" Monroe's chair instantly reclines his tied hands are now under him. He lifts his foot to kick the guy that is tying his other foot to the now flat surface, that once was a chair. The Wolf tells him if he makes contact his last taste will be a bullet. Monroe stops mid kick and lets his other foot be bound to the table. With his hands tied behind his back laying on them hurt like a son of a bitch. He knew saying anything else could make his stay here deadlier quicker.

Maxwell Stalk Wolfe reclaimed his seat after Monroe was secured properly to the table his chair turned into. He brushes his gloved hand over Carla's cheek she tenses. Folklore and some truth had carved stories about just how ruthless he could be. He didn't consider himself ruthless, he was a man that treasured his young. He never hurt children. They were the only ones he never hurt. To think that this female had abused such a young enraged him as if the little young in the photos and video's he'd seen today were of his own blood. Carla was fortunate that the young wasn't his seed, or she would not have limbs right now. Henriette Valentin was using a young's life as a bargaining tool. Wolfe's third wife tried to do some of the same to him, and he had no choice but to make her disappear. He wanted the truth and he would get it the way he liked. "Fairchild, I'm going to ask you a series of questions if I do not like your answers you will suffer." He asked her about the trial most of her answers were rewarded with him slicing her inner thigh with his blade. Her cries and screams at what he was doing just made him feel like he was getting that young's pound of flesh back for him. He moved over to Monroe. "Vargo, you sired the young, yet after finding out you were his father what was your first course of action?" Vargo's story did not match the death he was responsible for. Nor did it match the ransom note sent to one Mr. Glenn Jacobs. Maxwell showed Vargo his knife. "Lie to me again and I'll cut out your tongue." Carla spoke through her tears about being tricked into being held at Vargo's home. "So Vargo you got her to your dwelling and found out what you wanted to know. My question is what would you have done in your position. You are afraid of your wife to this day. What would have come of the young that does not bare your name, but holds your blood within him?"

Monroe thought about lying, he looked at Carla then back into the hard cold eyes of The Wolf. His arms were going numb from being pressed into the wood under his weight. "My wife would not have found out about him. If Fairchild had of had the… My son with her when my driver picked her up, none of this would be happening. I knew my new wife of two years was insanely jealous. If only Carla had of told me when he was born that I was the father, then I would have never married Henriette. I was going to take him out to the desert and bury him there. I figured he'd be better off dead by my hand than my wi…"

White hot fury leads Maxwell's hand as he jabbed his knife into Monroe's chest and watched the asshole slowly drown in his own spilling blood. Letting no emotion enter his tone Maxwell bends down and spoke to the gargling, dying, man. "He was your young, and you would cast him away like trash to save your own cowardly hide. I was going to shoot you for gazing upon me, but your life isn't worth the bullet I would use, so now you will just have to be buried in the desert in place of the young you wanted to kill." When one of Maxwell's men gives the sign that Monroe had passed on, he tells them. "Take him away I hear the Alamo property needs fertilizer."

Maxwell leaves Carla in the room he needed to reclaim his calm. He'd struck Vargo before his mind caught up with his action. A younger Wolfe would have made Monroe suffer longer. Hearing the man's intentions guided his hand too quickly. He would not let Carla go so fast. When he is in his office he looks at Carla's pictures of her young that were sent by Vargo's wife to her phone. After pulling the deleted texts from the cell phone he had a story that matched what Carla told him. He hands the cell phone to one of his men. "She is still of use make sure you keep her alive, I have some work to do. If I go back in right now, there will be pieces of the bitch to clean up before it's time." His number one says she is doing this for her child. If the man had not of gained The Wolf's respect long before this moment, he would have been cut down for his words. Instead Maxwell tells his number one "She is no mother, she is a whore that nearly killed her young multiple times, and got caught. The only reason she is free from prison was to be used as a tool to take down people in her employer's path. If Valentin / Vargo could get as close to the child as she wants Carla to think, she would have hurt the young herself. I freed Vargo because he kept the drug pipeline open with his local contacts, and as you can see I cleaned up my mistake. We will move the product using another in this area." Max hands his number one a flash drive. "Here, his name is Wendell Denton, he gets the prestige of new cliental and I can get rid of the stuff. If he tries to stiff me, I'll make sure his well runs dry along with his life's blood."

Sally and Michael have dinner with Joshua and Angel. Michael was extremely quite tonight he mostly kept his words to a minimum, after dinner all he wanted to do was hold JC. Sally asked if he was ok he looks up from his grandchild and nods. JC gets fussy. Angel comes in the den and says it was time to feed her hungry sleepy baby. Michael hands him over. Angel takes JC holding him to where he is facing Michael and says "Night Grandpa". Michael waves at his grandson. He then sits in the den staring out the window. Joshua comes in and closed the door behind him asking what was up, saying his dad was quiet even for him. Michael started speaking "Joshua your mother and I will not be going to the Grammys. I'll be lucky if I have a dime to my name by the time all of this over." Joshua says the band was paying for their travel to and from the Grammys, and he thought Attorney Spencer had given him a fair price. Michael gets up and paces the length of the room. "As far as the Grammys your image is taking enough hits with the false interview. My trial is coming, and I don't want us being seen together to ruin your success."

Joshua runs his hands through his hair. "Dad it's a big deal within my professional life, you guys are my parents. Please don't not come because of some fear that your presence is going to bring down our image. Angel and I want you both there. She got awards like this before and she's just as excited as I am. You know why?" Michael shrugs. "This time she says that her support will be there to see it. Years ago she got an award and I watched that broadcast she was happy I could tell something was missing. I asked her about it recently, and she confirmed it. That day Chase couldn't make it, her mother thought her career a waste of time, and embarrassment so she wasn't there. Sophie was out of the country on vacation, and Jonathon was still in Ireland. On stage Angel's huge sunglasses went on and that famous smirk of hers, was like painted on." Michael asked where was he. Joshua stopped speaking and his shoes became the center of his focus, at that time he was dating Kathy, and though Angel had sent him and his date tickets, Kathy didn't want to go. He stayed at home to make Kathy happy, the show wasn't aired the day it happened. Weeks after Kathy tried to stay the night at his place and wouldn't leave him alone about it. She'd even threw Candy's name in the mix, saying he couldn't feel that strongly about females staying with him at night. He never thought of Candy in a sexual way, a little sister, but not a lover that was just never the origin of their friendship. Hell in the few years Candy stayed at his place, he went to his college class or stayed at work and she had the house to herself most of the time. They worked at The Davenport at night and Candy finished her schooling online since she was afraid of going to school and being caught by Kyle. Joshua mostly crashed on his sofa. Kathy gave him an ultimatum, either he let her stay with him over night or lose her forever. Joshua broke it off with Kathy telling her what he really felt, he wasn't worth her time. He didn't see that messed up part of him changing. He watched the awards rebroadcast over and over in his music room a few months after it happened. Finding out that those weren't tears of joy escaping from under Angel's sunglasses shredded him. "My date didn't want to go so I like an idiot was yet another person that wasn't there for Angel." He laughs with no humor. "Humph, the really twisted part of it was, that by the time they aired the awards I was single. For a completely different reason." Michael asked did Angel blame Joshua for his decision. "No she was cool about it, she told me to do what was best for my relationship." Joshua had to change the subject. Or those should've, would've scenarios would drown his ass. "What's this about not having a dime. Spencer isn't raising his price is he?"

Michael sits back down and sighs. "No Attorney Spencer has done so much already. I wish it were that simple. Chadwick Denton's brother, Wendell is going to sue me civilly for wrongful death." Joshua gets pissed off and says the same things that were churning in Michael's head. "My criminal trial is fast approaching; the jury selection is in a few weeks. Denton is either going to sue me before the trial or right after, if I win I could get sued for two million dollars. If I lose I could get sent to prison for the rest of my natural life, and sued for 2 million dollars. I'll talk to your mother about the awards program this may be the last time I get to see anything but a set of bars."

"Dad, don't talk like that, Spencer is a really good heavy hitter from what Sophie told us. She says his success rate is like hers, only in the Criminal realm. I mean he's already had a judge recuse themselves. The bogus restraining order has been lifted. I'll be the first to say I'm no lawyer, but I think your case is moving in the right direction." They talk until Sally and Angel reenter the room. Joshua tells Angel about Mike and Sally wanting to not come to the Grammys with them because of risking image. Joshua knew it was a dirty move, but if anyone could convince his parents it would be his wife. By the end of the night his parents were excited as Angel and he to go see their possible success. Angel said they could lose, but then they would need their parents there for another reason. Michael told her if they lost he wasn't watching TV again, because it would prove the country had lost their minds not to give his kids an award they so rightfully deserved. Michael and Sally, leave with Michael a little higher in sprit. After coming back in from walking their parents to their car, Joshua turns to Angel and says. "Thanks babe the trial and other shit is really fucking with dad."

Angel hugs him and says "Joshua I meant it. This is such a year of firsts, and I want our loved ones right there with us. I kind of knew something was bothering him, and mom confirmed it even before we came in. Mom says dad is afraid to go back for his checkup, his sleep issues has been getting worse instead of better. Mom says she wants him to go and he keeps putting it off saying that he'd be fine." Joshua tells her what Michael said about being sued civilly. "That's insane, can Denton even do that?" Joshua nods and pulls away from their hug pacing the room.

Later that night they head to bed, but for the life of him Joshua couldn't sleep. Getting up he heads out on the balcony and texts his dad. His dad's response came quickly. They text for a time and Michael rips Joshua in two when he says that sometimes he wished he hadn't got the surgery then his family would have still been safe in CO. Without the surgery Joshua would have lost one of the only men that gave a shit about him, their family would have imploded on itself, if shit had of been left how it was. He tells his dad what he was thinking. Michael responds with he just didn't know what was going to come of all of this and that he was afraid of Dr. Sheldon telling him something didn't take. Then all of this would have been for nothing. Joshua offers to go with him saying sitting on it and scaring the shit out of himself wasn't going to help. Michael says he didn't want to be a bother to him that Joshua had his own life to live. Joshua tells his dad that he was sure 20 years ago, Michael had lots of shit to do and put it on hold without a second thought for him, and what kind of son would he be, not to do the same. After a time, Michael tells him that he'd go and Joshua could come. They both sign off and Joshua climbs into bed, in her sleep Angel curls around him and finally Joshua falls asleep.

Days go by and speculation about Chase's missing girlfriend starts to rise. The media is parked outside his home. Bobby's men couldn't find her. Chase's PI couldn't either. This was not how he saw this when he told her he'd help her. Where the hell was Carla? Hearing a car door slam he looks out his living room window and is surprised to see Jonathon walking towards his home. Opening the door and ignoring the questions that were shouted at him, he let McBride in. "I can honestly say this is a surprise, so what brings you to the center of town? Would you care for a drink?" Jonathon shakes his head and looks around.

Jonathon was doing this for two reasons, one he was asked to do so by The Wolf, the second reason had more to do with the fact that he respected both men. The news stations were still having a blast with the Chase was out to get him angle. This was the first time he'd ever stepped foot in Chase's new home. "I have something very sensitive to speak to you about." Chase invites him into the den he then asks should he turn off the voice system saying his cameras would remain on because if he shut off the camera Bobby would have a cow. "No audio. Your system, and your son already knows I have come here." Chase sits behind his desk and hits a few buttons and a buzz is heard. "I've come to give you information about Fairchild." The woman's name is growled. Jonathon then tells Chase what he was told by The Wolf. Chase asks why this man has got involved and what was Jonathon's part in all of this. Jonathon tells Chase about his first meeting with The Wolf. He tells him why he was sent here to speak to him instead of sending a random person.

After finding out what was going on, Chase gave one exclusive interview to Cassandra to be pushed on Jonathon's LEGNA channel as he was instructed to do by Jonathon via Mr. Wolfe. When asked about the female he had been photographed with here recently. He tells Cassandra "She had some family business to take care of she will be out of town for a while." Cassandra went off script and asked him did he have anything to do with McBride's abduction. Chase knew if he didn't answer it, that pile of crap would be back to haunt his every interview. He raises an eyebrow at Cassandra then says. "I have no reason what so ever to take McBride anywhere by force. He helps bring jobs to Grandville and that helps my organization and my platform to reverse the harmful ways Grandville has been ripped apart." They close out the interview. When the cameras go offline Chase asks to speak to Cassandra. She gives him her uninterested stare that soon dissolves into a smile after he tells her he was hoping she asked that question because he wanted it known that he was not out to get the other grandfather of his grandchild.

February 7th has finally arrived it was the day before the Grammys. They'd flew in to L.A. last night on one of Chase's toys as he was now calling his fleet. Sophie accused him of hanging with Luke too much saying now her fiancé and her dad were calling major modes of transit toys. They were staying at a 5-star hotel in West Hollywood. The rooms were fine but ever since Houston, 5-star even in Hollywood made Angel uneasy. The only reason she was leaving the room today was because Sally, Cassandra and Candy wanted to go shopping. Angel really didn't think hotels of any kind would ever hold that moment of awe for her as they once did. Joshua went for a hike in the Hollywood Hills with their 3 dads, Bradley, Rapture, and Luke. She face-chats Paula every chance she gets since Mark, Paula and the girls are watching JC while they were out of state. Nikki was asked if she wanted to still come to L.A. since Janet wasn't coming. Nikki asked to go to see Janet instead. The girls really hadn't got a lot of time to just chill with each other, with Janet at Ivey Enterprises during the school week, and Nikki getting into track practice and sound training at the club. The girls didn't have the weekends as they usually did. Mark took some vacation time and was staying true to his word of staying home in Pittsburg, Texas with Paula, Janet, and the twins.

After the twins and JC are asleep Nikki and Janet are in Janet's room. They'd talked about school and the like, and Nikki had called her mom. Janet asked her girl was everything ok. "Sure why do you ask?" Janet heard the defensive tone and treaded lightly. She goes on to say she was glad she got this chance to hang with her girl but wondered why Nikki would pass up a trip to Hollywood to stay in Texas. Her girl was super excited about going when Angel first said that the band had been nominated. Janet was too, and would have went, but her dad was home and wanted the family to stay home for a while. Janet knew her dad would have to go back on the road soon. Mania was coming, so she really didn't mind spending time at home. Her daddy helped with the twins and helped her momma at the bar that they were trying to open here in Pittsburg. Her dad had even started trying to teach her how to drive. Janet was happy her dad was home he seemed happy too. This was the longest he'd stayed at home in a long time.

Nikki was glad her mom was feeling better she'd saw the interview with Chase and still wasn't ready to be anywhere near him. The Carla girl wasn't named as going with him on the plane to L.A. but Nikki didn't want to get on the plane and the girl be there. Janet was still waiting on a response from her. "I didn't feel like it. I wanted to come and hang with you. I needed girl time ok." Janet says ok? "That's cool that your dad is teaching you to drive. Hey I do have kind of news. I like someone he works near my school." Janet was all ears and at least for now Nikki could stop thinking about her mom and Chase. "He's major hot but a little older I think he is a sophomore." Janet says that she should find out because she'd hate to think he was a year older then find out he's like 18 or something. "Jan he doesn't go to my school but there are other schools in town." Janet says if the guy goes to her Academy then he is surly too old. "Jan he works at Taco Hatch I'm sure he doesn't attend The Nana Barnett Academy. Janet says he may and asked what's his name, and what he looks like besides super-hot. Nikki pulls her phone and shows her girl a pic of her and the guy they took being goofy. Janet froze then said she knew him. "Well, is he too old?"

After their hike in Runyon Canyon in the Hollywood Hills Joshua takes the classic picture where he is standing with his hands up making it appear that he was holding up the Hollywood sign. They were told by the guide that they couldn't climb any closer than they were to the sign, it was fenced off and had been for years. Bradley asked what if he slipped the guy a few bucks the guy held fast that it was illegal for them to climb the fence. Bradley shrugged and says he didn't need to dance with the law here. Michael seconded that and so did Joshua. The guys take turns taking pictures of each other with the Hollywood sign off in the distance. Luke took off his shirt and posed as if he were holding the sign and sent it to Sophie. He gets a text back calling him Dr. Goofball. He smirks and sends her a text back saying well she would soon be Mrs. Dr. Goofball.

Later that night Angel and the girls meet up with the guys for dinner at THE DEN ON SUNSET. The high ceilings and carpentry décor awed Bradley. The seats were high backed and plush Rapture leans over and whispers something in Cass's ear, she giggles and blushes. Angel face-chats Paula, Joshua leans over and says hello to Paula and his son. Mark had texted him while he was climbing about how Angel had been on and off Face-chat all day. Joshua just said he trusted them or he would have never agreed to letting them keep JC. Mark agreed with him saying he felt the same way when they went riding so he understood, and asked his cousin how the awards went. Joshua texted back saying it hadn't happened yet, that it was tomorrow evening not tonight. Mark wished the band good luck. Joshua thanked him and signed off turning off his phone. He was with his family, and his son was safe so he didn't need the extra random text messages from his social media accounts, interrupting his time with his band, and his family.

Candy got a few more texts from her no. # 1 fan. He wished the band good luck. Candy thanked him. He asked if she would meet him and his parents at HAMBURGER MARY'S at Noon for Lunch. Candy held fast to her no meeting besides meet and greets. She then asked how he knew she was in town already. He says her location changed on Music Nation's site. Oh that was something she would have to check into. Since she was now a "new member" she had to manually change her privacy settings. The kid begged her to meet him and his parents saying he'd already told his parents. Candy told him no, and if he continued asking she would block him. He eased off on the meeting and went silent for a time. Candy set her check-in to be delayed like Joshua's then signed out of Music nation. She didn't want the site making check-ins for her. Angel's profile read what it always read that she was in Dallas. She'd set it that way for safety reasons. Joshua as the lead had 5-day delayed Check-in selected so by the time his page revealed that he was here, they would be back in Grandville. Deon never set up the location in his profile, and Vashon's location was his home town of Glenview. It never changed unless he went in and changed it, but he'd been on the site for more than ten years before joining the band.

February 8th the Day of the Grammys is finally here. The band and their guest all head to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Personal Touch is seated 18 rows from the front with their guests seated in the 19th row. Angel turns around and smiles at her friends and family. This year she was at an awards show with not only her mate and a band that actually functioned well on and off stage that wanted her. Her sister and soon to be brother in law and all three of her fathers and her mother in law was here. What difference years made. Joshua squeezed her hand reclaiming her attention. She spoke to Paula this morning via Face-Chat and got a chance to see, and sing to her baby boy. She missed him terribly, but took comfort that he was safe. When they'd returned to the hotel last night she made doubly sure she'd locked the door. Joshua must have picked up on her tension because he offered to give her a massage. She'd cashed in her ticket from her birthday party and he'd left no part of her untouched. That soon lead to them making love with the view of L.A. in the background. On the 87th floor they didn't have to worry about closing the curtains. Joshua asked her as they sat waiting for the show to start had she given any thought to the other part of her birthday gift. Angel had and said she picked the Chicago get away package, saying she wanted to revisit the city, and that Vegas would be there, and so would Chris Angel. Joshua asked did her decision have anything to do with Deon's comment. Angel says no it was more the fact that she wanted to spend time with him in a city she really loved from their childhood, only this time she wouldn't have to worry about him catching her checking him out, because he was hers. Joshua says with a smirk that is true because it went both ways, he wouldn't have to be really creative in checking her out because she was his. The show starts and rapper LL Cool J started the festivities. Jonathon won Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. Gloria saved him with a speech she'd prepared just in case he won. He delivered it to the letter with only small glances at the card she slid him as he rose to walk onto the stage. Best Song Written for Visual Media was awarded to Personal Touch's Joshua Davenport, for their song "OUT of Time" for the hit Detective movie "Working Dirty". Personal Touch also won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "OUT of Time" Unlike years ago at the Music Awards this time when Angel went up with her band, there was no false smile, and the tears that sprung to her eyes while standing with Joshua as he was giving their acceptance speech, were tears of joy. Angel was awarded Best Album Notes for her Song "Soon" Jessie J and Tom Jones even denounced in a playful way that the title was not originally "Joshua's Song." The place erupted in applause and laughter, especially from the artists that had met Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Davenport in person. The rest of the show was amazing. The band minus Vashon, along with Jonathon, Gloria, Sophie, Luke, Cass and Rapture went to the GQ and Giorgio Armani Grammys After Party at Hollywood Athletic Club in Hollywood, California. Bobby and Andrew spilt their teams up to take Chase and the others back to the hotel. Candy got hit on by a few movie stars, Deon just pulled her half-drunk ass back to his side. Sophie threatened to throat punch Weird Al for trying an ass grab. Luke was two seconds from making photo bomb history, cussing out the artist threatening to break Al's hand in 32 places and shove it up the artist's ass. Andrew's team managed to get Luke out of Weird Al's face before a brawl ensued. Sophie had never seen Luke cuss out someone so thoroughly. One of Rick Ross's entourage hands Angel a drink to which she placed on a nearby table. Ross tried flirting with Angel, she smiled and said thanks but no thanks to his offer of getting her up in his room to watch videos and chill. Joshua along with Andrew kept parts of Ross's crew away from her. Angel was surly ready to go when one of the reality Television personalities Courtney Stodden tried to grope Joshua saying how much of a fan she was of his work. A slightly buzzed Joshua pushes the woman's hands away from his person with a growl, pulls Angel to his side and says "Really, my wife is right here and you think that shit's going to fly?" The female actress invited Angel into the mix for a threesome. Angel visibly gags, and speaks before the disgusted blue fiery expression on Joshua's face erupted into him cussing the woman out. Angel says. "Look Piper Potts, or whatever your name is; I don't share, stay away from my husband." The woman stepped up like she was going to swing then turns around and tells her bodyguard to teach the red head a lesson. Andrew walks in between the actress's bodyguard and Angel who was being pulled back by Joshua. The bodyguard tries a nose to nose with Andrew who flips open his badge and tells the guy to back off. A few females tried to catch Rapture's attention to no avail. After pictures the entire group was ready to leave.

On the ride back to the hotel Joshua was his drunk and over playful self. He keeps trying to put his face in Angel's cleavage saying he was looking for her birthmark, she pokes him and he slurs no damaging the merchandise. Jonathon and Gloria are just glad no one was harmed at the party. Jonathon had reservations about going to another after party so soon after his ordeal at his own gala. Sophie lays on Luke and falls asleep. When they arrive at the hotel all says their goodnights and go to their rooms.

Upon entering their room, Candy's buzz is killed when she sees that not only had someone been in their room, but they had left her a gift. A pair of handcuffs with a note laying on their bed. Deon checks the rest of the suite out, and says nothing else was disturbed. He takes a picture of the handcuffs and the note attached that read "A gift for my sweet kinky pixie." The letter was typed not written. Deon asks her could it have been her #1 fan, since the kid seemed to know where she was.

Candy says "I don't know. Someone came in here, what if we had of come right back after the awards, we could have been here when he…" Deon cuts her off while taking her hands in his. Telling her that the person was gone now, and would be a fool to return. Candy calls security, they bring local police to report the break in. The police soon leave; Candy sits in the chair by the door. The cops really didn't seem too interested in finding out who snagged access to this room. The night manager apologizes for the negative experience they had. "I want another room." the Manager apologizes and says that is not possible due to the fact that this hotel was fully booked for the Grammys months ago. Candy walks away from the manager who apologizes again and leaves. Candy goes to her phone and texts Angel what happened saying she didn't feel safe but there was nothing she seemed to be able to do about it. Right when Deon was saying Angel was maybe asleep or "busy" her girl responded. She knew texting Angel would be better than trying to text Joshua who was half out of it by the time they pulled up. When drunk Joshua had two speeds super playful and sleep.

Angel: No you're fine, I was up pumping, Joshua is asleep already. I texted Bradley and he says you and Deon can switch rooms with him if you like.

Candy: If he really doesn't mind sure we can do that. My first thought was to check out altogether until Deon reminded me that we all came on Chase's plane and that his private pilots won't even be there until like 10 a.m. So I figured I'd text you since sitting at the hanger for 6 hours would totally creep me out even more than I already am.

Bradley soon comes up and Candy and Deon goes down a floor to Bradley's room. It had two queen sized beds even though he was alone it was just how the hotel spaced their package.

Hours later down the hall on Bradley's floor Michael looks out across the early morning skyline of L.A. sitting in the sitting room of their suite. Sally was in the bedroom sleeping. Luke had given him his test results before they came, and all his levels were climbing. Luke told him to please report any time he had another sleep spell. It was a comfort having Joshua there with him. He'd came back to the hotel right after the awards show and went to sleep. Now he was wide awake. Taking into consideration the time difference he thinks that he would be up about this time anyway. It was 7:45 a.m. in Pyramid right now though in this area his cellphone read 5:45 a.m. his cell phone rings and he quickly answers it. "Hello"

"I have a deal for you, complete it and I may just have to forget about suing you." the old man asks what he wanted and how could he trust that Wendell wouldn't sue him anyway. "You know you ask a lot of questions for someone with no real leg to stand on. So, what is your choice? I don't have all day pops." The old man asked to give him some time to think about it. "I'll give you a minute this deal goes away in 60 seconds." As he thought the old man went for it. "Great, tomorrow night go to the car that will be parked outside of your door get in, and your next task will be given to you then." The old man asked him not to park near his home. "Nah, I think I will, I shouldn't have to say this but if I see anyone but you. There will be another murder and it won't be done by you." the old man says for Wendell not to threaten him. "You, no I wouldn't kill you. I'd make you watch me open season on your family and then sue you for the wrongful death of my brother. I have some pull with a few cops maybe I'll just set you up then you can go down for the murder of you own family." The old man sounded nervous when he asked that his family not be harmed. Good Wendell's plan was working. "Well that will depend on you now, won't it? Bye pops, see you tomorrow night." Wendell was loving his new boost of drugs. Vargo, the kingpin of this area, had disappeared and someone was providing Wendell with an endless supply of drugs in markets he'd never even got to deal in before. Even with a 70 /30 split with his supplier, he was making money hand over fist. No more having to steal his drugs from work, he'd finally reached the big time.

Monday, February 9th everyone gets back on the plane to head back to Texas. Candy gets a message from another account on her Music Nation page. This was a male that was not a minor. The male's profile picture was of her. She reads the message again. The guy's location was Dallas, TX.

Pixie Pantyhose: Congrats hope you liked my gift.

Candy R: If you're talking about breaking in to my hotel room no I didn't.

Pixie Pantyhose: I didn't break into anything.

Candy R: Look PP I don't think we can be friends your profile is at risk of being shut down. I didn't give permission for my Image to be used.

Pixie Pantyhose: Ok whatever I've already been shut down once for a picture, don't get those panties of yours in a bunch unless you want me to sniff them. Just Kidding of course, look I can be obedient I already changed the profile picture.

Candy looked at the new picture and it was of her midsection in a shot from her at the health club with Casandra. Candy reported / blocked the guy, she wasn't going to keep this account if these nuts kept fucking with her. She calls and tells Deon about PP she wouldn't keep this to herself she had no idea what was up with the creep factor and her account she didn't want to be caught off guard.

Nikki let's herself in from getting dropped off by Mark who was heading to his school. She finds Candy in the kitchen. "Hey so how was it?" Candy tells her they won and thanks her for the outfit she helped pick out saying it really looked cute with her new hair color. "Told you, Black tips and a red dress looks super cute on you." Candy asked her did she think it was too revealing. "Um Deon let you out of the hotel. So I'm going to go with no. Why do you ask?" Candy says she got some weird messages on her Music Nation chat. "Oh cool you're back on me let go add you. I have Angel, Joshua, Vashon and even Deon." Nikki pulls her phone and within seconds Candy gets an alert. Candy tells her to watch out about chatting people in the rooms. "You mean so I won't end up blocked like with the Angelic Impression page?" Candy says yeah something like that and changes the subject asking how Nikki's visit went. "Um Candy is Deon here?" Candy says no he went to the club to set up for Three Days Grace. "Oh ok they have a sound person already huh?" Candy smiles and says she's afraid so, and even if they didn't Nikki couldn't do tonight's show because it's a school night anyway. "True, my mom would deactivate my work permit really fast if I failed math. The teacher is boring and right after lunch." Nikki was rambling and she knew it. She thought talking to Candy about Fred would be easy, they'd chatted before about guys. Candy was an adult and her temporary guardian for now and Nikki was happy that Candy and Deon had let her stay. She didn't know what Candy would say about her Fred Issue. She hoped Candy and she could talk like before she moved in, when Candy was just a cool big sister. Sometimes Nikki just needed her big sis. "Hey Candy can I talk to you as a sister you know like before?" Candy turns to her and says sure. Nikki sits at the kitchen table on the ceramic bench that she helped Candy remake. "Um ok there is this guy, and I like him a lot he works near my school at the Taco Hatch. He's super-hot and goofy but, Janet knows him from when he lived in Houston. She says he's my age if not a month older. I think by the way Janet stared at the picture she likes him too but I found him first. Well sort of. I don't want to compete with my BFF over a guy. What should I do? I mean he knows I like him well sort of. I talk to him all the time. "Candy asks what Janet said and did she actually say she liked the guy as more than a person she once knew. "Well not exactly but she like zoned out staring at the pic, and just said she knew him and that he was my age."

Candy had heard about some of the trouble Janet had with guys in her old school Candy says. "Nikki you say that Janet zoned out on you staring at the picture. Since you really don't know what her thoughts were you should ask her about the guy. You know make sure he's as nice as you think. There had to be a reason for her reaction before you count it as she was in awe of him or something. Ask her, that's the only way I see it being handled. That way also Janet may be able to give you some stuff about him so you can gage whether you are just looking at a pretty face or does the guy really deserve your attention." Nikki says she's going to text Janet and see if her girl will tell her. "Okay I hoped that helped." Nikki says her too, and starts texting.

Angel and Joshua got off the plane and drove straight to Mark's place to pick up JC. On their way home just as they were leaving Pittsburg Joshua gets stopped by and unmarked state policeman. The officer took a nice long look at his I.D. Angel was just as confused as Joshua, he was actually doing the speed limit and they were in Joshua's truck, so the plates has always been Texas plates. Unlike her truck plate that were NY but changed recently to TX. The cop came out of nowhere honking his horn and screaming thorough the bull horn for him to pull over. You would have thought they were doing 90 in a 25. The cop took his I.D. back to his car and soon comes back asking Joshua out of the truck. Joshua asked was there something wrong. The cop was rude and said no and called him showbiz, and demanded he get out of the truck before he pulled him out. Joshua gets out of the truck and the cop handcuffed him and told him to stay at the front of the truck. Joshua asked was he being arrested. The cop opened the back door and Joshua tensed as he watched the cop look in at JC then slam the back door making JC cry even louder than when all the noise from the bull horn had woke him in the first place. Joshua asked was that really necessary. The cop ignored him, Angel reaches back to sooth JC and the cop draws his weapon and yells for her to put her fucking hands back where he could see them. Angel froze and slowly put her hands on the dashboard. This cop was a nut; they hadn't done anything wrong. The cop walks over to Joshua and starts reading him his rights. Joshua asked what was the charge. The cop puts his gun away grabs Joshua by his hair and the back of his jacket. Joshua doesn't put up any resistance as they walk alongside the truck. Suddenly the cop yells for him to stop resisting and shoves Joshua into the truck repeating he had the right to remain silent.

With the soundtrack of her son's cries from the back seat trepidation, anger and helplessness warred within Angel as she sat rigid with her hands on the dashboard, tears were streaming down her face as Joshua is smashed into the driver's side window. In her rearview mirror another cop car was there as if by magic, she hadn't heard it come up, no siren or nothing. Had Officer Valentin? That little silver shiny name tag would stick in her mind for as long as she lived. Had he called for backup? What the fuck was happening? Her husband didn't do anything was the mantra that ran track in her head but didn't dare leave her mouth, for fear that the cop would turn on her then what would happen to their baby.

Texas state Trooper Kevin Kinkaid pulls up behind an unmarked with its cherry mount swirling. Two other cars were close by. Something was up. He runs the plate of the large white Titan truck and nothing was popping up. Kevin was pissed the guy could have called for backup with how shit was out here nowadays. When the officer sent the guy into the truck face first Kevin called for backup and got out of the car. Hell the State cops were under enough fire from the shit that was happening in the news. As Kevin walked passed the unmarked, he noticed the state seal on the front license plate, great one of their own was about to make the fucking news again. He runs up and has to physically stop the State lieutenant from sending the near unconscious unsub into the driver's side window. He barked orders at the guy and demanded he get back in his car. Looking at the unsub suddenly he wasn't so unidentified, fuck it was his bike club leader Mark's relative, Kevin had met the guy at Megan's funeral. Hearing crying coming from the truck he looked through the front window the redhead that had did the invite to Mark's wedding wasn't making a sound as she stared in horror. Where was the sound coming from? Opening the back door, the female turned her head only, following his movement with fearful eyes not making a sound, with her hands in a white knuckled hold on the dashboard. He'd also found the crying. A redheaded infant in a car seat with fist clenched, eyes screwed shut, and screaming to the top of his little lungs. He tells the terrified redhead she was free to care of the child. Yep Kevin's day was turning from bad to worse. Not even ten full miles away from Mark's home this little family had been greeted by a dirty state cop. He had to find out if the guy needed medical. When Kevin grabbed L.t Valentin and made him release the unsub the kid slid down the side of the truck like putty. Other cars were stopped alongside the road. What the fuck was going on? A Hummer came barreling down the ramp and stopped in front of the Titan. The backup that he'd called arrives. He bends down to the guy on the ground and asks him did he need medical. When he thought his day couldn't get any worse federal for some reason stalked up to him yelling at him. The kid told him no. The big ass Federal was yelling and talking about the entire scene being filmed from the time he sent his charge into the truck. He latched on with hope and asked "Your Charge, so did he escape or something?" The fed once again floored him telling him no his team was close protection for Mr. and Mrs. Davenport. Great so not only was there going to be a lot of paperwork but this just got worse.

Moments after the cop pulled Davenport over, Andrew radioed Bobby about the stop he'd thought Davenport was getting stopped for speeding or some shit. Andrew told his team to remain in their cars. Heaven knew the kid had a lead foot sometimes, but this time he was three cars behind the couple and couldn't really say that the kid was speeding. Bobby told him they were there to protect their charges from criminals not cops. Having a protection agent trail you, didn't give you an instant get out of jail free card to do what the fuck you wanted. Seeing the cop send Davenport into the window Andrew radioed Bobby again. Within minutes there were several cars parked along this ramp and Bobby had just showed up. His field commander looked mad enough to bite through steel. Watching Bobby badge his way through the group of local and to the now downed Davenport with the one local standing over him made Andrew fear his boss would lose it. Andrew gets out of his vehicle and walks to the passenger side of the Davenports' truck. Angel was turned around trying to calm the screaming infant Davenport. Andrew opens the backdoor and tells Angel to come get in his car with Jonathon-Chase. She looked torn but nodded as he released the infant from the car seat and held him until she got out of the truck. Getting her to his vehicle he asked her what happened. He took down her statement, he was sure that Bobby wouldn't want any of this circus near his sister or his nephew for that matter.

Joshua came back to himself with a headache that felt like the semi that just went whipping past was roaring though his head. He was half siting, half laying, against the front wheel of his truck. Flashing lights. What the fuck was this all about? Memories invade and confused him. Why the hell had that cop sent him into the window why was he under arrest? His last image before his lights went out would haunt him for the rest of his days, Angel staring through the window at him in tears, as she held onto the dashboard for dear life because the cop must have thought she had a weapon or something. Sound was the next sense that kicked in, and the sound of J.C. crying pissed him off, men arguing wasn't helping his headache. Looking up he sees a guy that looks like Logan only older arguing with a pissed off Bobby. JC's crying sounded as if it was getting further away. The Logan looking guy asked him a question turning his gaze back on the guy he says no. Bobby and the Logan lookalike asked him what happened. He tells Bobby since focusing on Bobby was easier than looking into the sun to speak to the Logan looking guy. He sounded out of it and the guy asked was it do to drinking. Bobby went off and after the short yelling match he told the guy the truth. He then had a question of his own for the Logan double. "Without trying to crack my skull again, can you at least tell me why I'm under arrest? I wasn't speeding this the highway and I didn't run any lights to get here." The guy says he will find out and walks off. Bobby walked with the guy saying he wanted to know too. Moments go by and the Logan double comes back and helps Josh to his feet unlocking his cuffs. The guy tells him that something will be done and apologizes for the false detainment. Joshua kept his tongue hell, Bobby was over there giving officer asshole a hard time. Right now all Joshua wanted to do was get his child his wife and himself the fuck out of Pittsburg.

Ben Valentin had turned off his cam and everything, doing a job for Henriette. It was flawless, make the bands disappear one member at a time, and Johnny Lee wouldn't have any bands to take over her turf with, and would be forced to shut his doors on his own. Now all her new plan had done was put him front in center in hell. When Kincaid grabbed him he knew he was busted. When he pulled over Davenport from Personal Touch, he didn't expect the guy to be traveling with another band member. So his plans were fucked and it was Davenport's own fault. He'd thought he would rough the guy up and take him back to Henriette's place. With the presence of the female, he thought on the fly to still get Davenport, put him in his car and drive off. He tried to piss off Davenport when he opened the back door. He'd thought the Angel woman was going to Bonnie and Clyde his ass for fucking with her kid, but she hadn't been going for a gun. So he was just going to fuck up Davenport, put his ass in the cruiser, and leave the woman on the side of the road. She wouldn't know what happened until she went to bail out her hubby and he wouldn't be there. He'd just started sending Davenport in to his own window, when out of nowhere his captain pulled him off the kid. Ben wondered where fuck Kincaid came from. When his captain and a few Federals came back to ask what was the charge Ben said the quickest thing that came to mind, and that was speeding. When he said Davenport was doing 90 the fed asked for his cam. Ben tried the I was off duty thing but it didn't fly far. There were three stories that matched Davenport's and only his to back his story with no cam. Then as if by magic the federal told them that his camera was running on the front of his vehicle and picked up the video. When the taller fed informed him that Davenports truck's camera system was on Ben knew it was going to be almost impossible to prove the kid was speeding. This new Camera system that was coming with the Ivey Auto insurance was really fucking up his boys in blue. The minute the camera picked up flashing lights the sensors were switched to cameras.

Andrew drove his charges home. Angel was still understandably upset and Josh wasn't ready for a four-hour drive. Andrew knew this because when he offered for one of his team members to drive Davenport's vehicle Davenport agreed. Glancing in the rearview mirror the couple sat on either side of the Infant car seat holding hands over the foot rest of the backwards facing seat. Baby Davenport had quieted after a time and Andrew didn't doubt for a second that the infant had cried himself to sleep. Both Angel and Joshua quietly spoke about what had went down, and it pissed Andrew off that a cop, a state cop, the same blue line he'd come from before he was a federal marksman had done this shit. Finding out that the supposed charge was speeding, that didn't add up because where he couldn't tell how fast Davenport was going from three cars back, he knew that Davenport couldn't have been doing ninety because he was made to go 65 because of the cars in front of him. Davenport's cam system blew the bogus charge out of the water anyway.

Luke enters his last appointment in his clinical office for the day. When he walked into the little exam room he stopped in his tracks. He knew that name looked familiar on his iPad and had just thought it was a patient he'd hadn't seen in a while. It was true he hadn't seen this woman in a while, almost a year and a half now. She'd packed her stuff, and called him emotionally distant, and accused him of loving his little job more than her. He'd did as he always did, when a woman let herself out of his life. He'd worked her out of his system, pulling a 96-hour work week. The week after that, Chase was admitted into his hospital and those series of events brought him his Sophie. Gabriella Wagner medical journalist and his most recent ex-girlfriend, stood up and walked towards him. He had no ill feelings for her but when she tried to hug him he stepped to the side out of her direct path. "Are you here as a patient?" he asks as he walks across the room to grab his IPad to pull up the reason for this appointment.

Gabby watched Luke march across the room he was uncomfortable, and it was not a good look on the all too handsome face of her former lover. "Lucas, I have something to tell you and I hope you won't dislike me. I'm sorry I left I really am. I blamed you because you never wanted to go out you always had work." He crosses his arms in front of his chest. The defensive posture reminded her just how distant he could become. "It was like you were trying to hide me from the world, now you're in more than medical journals, and I just want to know why you treated me like a second class secret, but you shower this new female with attention publicly? I begged you to go to the Medical convention and you said it wasn't necessary to go. I saw you there so was it just me asking you, that turned you off about it." He says he wasn't going to go, and then his father and his PR firm recommended it, so he went. "So it had nothing to do with the female that you took pictures with, have been seen in Time Magazine with, have been on social media with?" Anger touched his tone as he asked her where she was going with all of this. She knew she was walking a thin line. "After seeing you at the Convention last year I did something I hope you can forgive me for. I was so mad at you and I know what we said at the beginning of our relationship but Lucas, I stopped taking my birth control two weeks after we got together. I thought you were going to be my husband. After I left your condo I went to the doctor. I was really bitchy to everyone not just you, and wanted to know why." He looks at her midsection. Probably calculating her body fat in his head or some shit. She'd worked extra hard to get back to her weight. "I was going to tell you before but when I saw you at the New Year's Eve party I still couldn't. Your female was with you yet again in public."

This had to be some kind of cruel joke. Anger at himself and her lead his words. "The female you keep referring to is my fiancé. You can't be serious. This has to be some mistake. I want a DNA test. There is no way you would have had a baby by me, and just walked away. You know how I felt about children, I made it no secret. Do you have even a picture or am I supposed to believe you with no proof." She produces a photograph and hands it to him. The child had none of his hard features. Yeah it was possible but the child looked nothing like him or any of the baby pictures he'd seen of people in the Sheldon family. The set of the eyes, the hair color and the fact that even if it took after her, she wasn't a natural blonde anywhere on her body but her head and he could still see her roots. She kept speaking but it was like white noise nothing she said did anything but piss him off. It was out before he could as Angel would say, make it sound better. "So, with this information what was your goal money, or what?"

"Lucas I want us to be a family with me you can have all you wanted in life, a happy marriage and a child. It's like you said, you were greedy you wanted a marriage and a baby born out of love." His intercom dings and a female voice tells him Sophie is on line 3. He left her standing in the exam room walked out and slammed the door behind him. Once again he'd left her alone but this time not just emotionally.

Luke walks to his office and grabs the phone. "No, I'm free, what's up?" Hearing Sophie talk about the day she'd had with the lawyers from her firm dropping like flies. He just sat on the edge of his desk listening. His mind was racing a mile minute. He didn't know how to breach such a subject, should he do this in person, this was not pillow talk, and it sure as hell wasn't something he wanted to say where she could just hang up on him. Thinking of the dreamily way Gabby spoke about them being together and that fact that he didn't know what her plans were, he figured he should say something now. Sophie asked him was he sure he wasn't busy. Fuck he'd space what she last said. "Sophie I have something to tell you and I don't know how to say it. So I'll go with direct." He tells her. She's so quiet at first that he checked the connection then she asked did he believe it. He tells the truth "No and I have asked her for a DNA test." Sophie went into lawyer mode and asked him what her reaction to being asked for proof was. "She deflected throwing my own words to her back in my face, and then you called, so I got the hell out of there." Sophie laughed at him. "Sophie no matter what the outcome is, and I doubt very much that the child is mine, I won't delude myself either. If the child is mine…" Sophie cuts him off and says she thinks he should get the results before he even considers any of this to be truth. "Fair enough. I love you sweetheart more than you will ever know. See you tonight?"

Did he really ask her for permission to see her tonight like they hadn't been on their own baby making mission? "I love you too, don't worry too much about this okay. I don't need you stressed it's not good for our mission." After getting off the line Sophie sits in her office at Ivey Enterprises with many lines of thought running through her head. Planning their romantic wedding getaway didn't come cheap if done right. No she wasn't going to buy a 10,000-dollar dress and announce their plans to the world, but there was decoration cost, and travel arrangements. The first date Angel and Luke's mother had thrown at them was great, all except her father's Boeing 777 was up for inspection around that time and with the list of family and close friends that were attending, the smaller jets wouldn't work. She asked about the slightly smaller Company jet the D-11 and Chase had explained that with the sleeping compartment and larger bathroom the seating would only comfortably seat 20 passengers. There would have to be 4 pilots because the length of the trip, and the back and forth for their honeymoon. Luke still wouldn't tell her where he was taking her for their honeymoon. Only her mate would worry that she didn't want him to come straight to her place after hearing this complete money grab attempt. No woman in her right mind would end a relationship like this bitch did, and just disappear then to almost a year and a half later pop back up claiming hey here's your kid. Luke spoke of not deluding himself. The fact that he said that the child didn't look like him, and that he tracked her cycle when they were together, was enough for Sophie. The bitch had left him a note and left his condo door standing wide open. Luke thought he'd been robbed before finding the note. She hated hearing his coping mechanism of working almost a hundred hours in one week and sleeping in his office. Sophie understood all too well after Julius, going back to Ivey Mansion alone really did a number on her. There wasn't a place in the house that she didn't check like a hundred times the feeling of pure isolation was a motherfucker. Adina invited her to Baltimore, and that took away some of the lonely, but seeing her girl so in love, and not wanting to burden her friends, she went back home after a few weeks and really thought about just calling Angel up, and suggesting they sale the massive house. To think Luke and she, were swimming in separate lonely ponds around the same time. Luke once said he wouldn't change anything, because for some reason he was meant to be still deciding on whether he was going home the day Chase was admitted. She needed to stop thinking about that. Yes, without those events she may have taken longer to come across Luke, but thinking of just how close she came to losing her father still made a chill run the length of her spine. Since it was clear that the woman had kept up with them via a stalker kind of following, Sophie searched for the woman and found the woman that was trying to claim Luke's first child. Looking at his previous choice in women Sophie sat back. Gabriella Wagner was no ugly duckling. Sophie pulled pic after pic of the woman and there was no way in hell a mixed woman and her thoroughly almost 100% Inky black haired, deep blue eyed Greek Lucas Sheldon created a pale blonde anything. A thought hit her, well two could play this game, Sophie pulled up the articles with the woman's pic. She saw where the woman got bigger then got smaller. What this cow didn't realize about her mate, was that he wasn't emotionally distant to the point he wouldn't notice, so the woman had to be lying about her cycle. Something was surly up. Sophie remembered seeing the woman at the convention. She pulls up the attendance listing for announcements. That night shocked her when they introduced her by her newest title, even before she announced that she was the new CEO. Yup the woman looked larger at the convention. She texts Luke and asked how long did he date Gabriella. He sends back she skipped out of his condo about 5 months after they quickly moved in together after a month so 6 months, if not a week shy of a full calendar six.

Luke had returned to his exam room to demand a DNA test. He wasn't about to give her shit without concrete proof he was the father. Gabby asked him why he was doing this. "Doing what, asking you for more proof than a grainy photo of a very blonde child." She starts crying that he was the only person she was fucking. So unless he believed in immaculate conception, he was the father. Where it was probably an innate reaction to seeing most females cry, the knee jerk reaction to help this woman that could turn his life upside-down just wasn't there. Her crass speech wasn't helping either. "So, yes or no? If yes, we can handle this right next door as early as tomorrow. If no, I'll take that as you're afraid of the truth that I'm not the father and you're wasting my time."

Tears were once his weakness, had she hardened his heart so much, that it didn't affect him anymore? He stood there glaring at her waiting on her response. "You always thought I was a waste of your time. You're so hung up on the fact that he is blonde. You talk about his facial features he's a baby for Christ sakes, unless you believe that people will always look like their baby pictures." She walks towards him he raised his head meeting her gaze lifting one of those dark eyebrows at her asking if she had nothing to hide why was she so upset? "I'll not get our baby tested in one of your fucking hospitals, so your little social climbing, eager to please, whore nurses can switch out the results. If you want proof that our baby is our baby, then here is where we are getting tested. Excuse me if I don't trust you or your staff. You have already proven that you lied to me when you said we ever had a chance." He angrily says she left him so don't play this like she was the victim here. He goes on to say he never lied to her about a damn thing. He blathers on and on about how his network was professional and discreet. Oh yes she'd almost forgotten about his god complex when it came to his network. She'd hit a nerve. He looks down at the card she'd handed him. he smirks, not the look she thought she'd see. He says he'd be there he then dismissed her as if this was one of his fucking board meetings. She wanted to knock the elitist smirk he wore off his damn face but plastered on a smirk of her own and walked out. His 1 to her 0 was the score for now. Gabriella wasn't going to quit on Luke not this time.

"Yeah well congrats man, I guess the better man won. Yeah well that is true." Rap gets off the phone and goes down stairs to his gym. That was three people now that had got their spots in The Undertaker's school of Professional Wrestling. Rap started up his routine he trained his body daily, hard and fast. He thought about the fact that his paperwork was turned in late, and held on to an ounce of hope that his misreading the deadline didn't automaticity get his app tossed.

Cassandra heard the rhythmic thump, clanging of Rap down stairs working out. Usually he worked out to music. When she walks down stairs her man was in beast mode. Jumping over the weight set with weights in both hands, drop weights, running over punching the weight bag, and running back to repeat the jump. Then on his next rotation she saw something in his face. He was sweating profusely, his hair matted to his shoulders, and back but his eyes were angry. They came back to Rap's place after getting off of Chase's plane. LA was great for them, her boss and her siblings received recognition for hard work that paid off. She was super excited Adele and Damien Rice wanted to cover the song Joshua's band won for. Cass walks to the last step and almost gets run over, on one of her lover's lunges across the room to complete this crazy circuit of movement he'd came up with. He almost slams into her head-on and stops mere inches from taking her out. He still looked really pissed. "Babe what's wrong?" Rapture tears her in half when he tells her that because of his own stupid ass he probably put the nail in his own fucking coffin with the WWE school. "I'm sure they must have a grace period." This man that made her realize just how good she is, was now standing here beating his own ass verbally and from the exhaustion in his body language, this dizzying overexertion exercise routine was hurting more than helping his body. It was her job to be self-depreciating, not his. He was really giving himself the one two punch. A look of sadness enters his eyes. He looked like what she imagines he looked like as a little kid. When Rapture says that it probably wasn't even about the paperwork being late maybe he was just kidding himself. The vulnerable hopelessness in his eyes and tone just killed her. He'd pulled on a few red capes for her, now it was her time to pull one or at the very least try. They speak and for a time she just reassures him, something dark was inside her dark lover. She saw it in glimpses but not like a dangerous darkness. For as much as he outwardly proclaimed to just be a gentle simple giant, today he told her of a deep rooted fear that he would fail just like his mom did. "You're doing great things with turning the club around."

Rapture bristles pulling away from his woman. Would she still be his woman when his world came crumbling down around his fucking ears? How could he even want her to? He was going to save her by letting her go before he drug her down into his spiral of bad luck. "That's not even a sure thing anymore even though I never wanted to run the club. Kyle's family won't touch it with a ten-foot pole and I don't blame them. He really fucked up worse than even I knew before I found out all that happened and started seeing more than what the G north cops were saying, he had all of them in his pocket. I never met the little girl that he killed there was no reason. I was just muscle at his place of work, I met his first wife and I met his second wife. I recently though I will never bring it to her attention, met his oldest child." Candy thought he was going to be pissed at her for lying about her name, she'd cut the name Rabinenvitch from her name years ago and kept only the R it wasn't just a stage name. Cassy brings him out of his thoughts, when she asks what that had to do with why he thought what he was doing with the club wasn't a sure thing if only for income purposes until the next class of the Wrestling school was open and he could get a spot. Where usually her unwavering faith in his ability to move forward was refreshing, right now it didn't help. He was sinking and couldn't find a ledge to stand on at the moment. Looking down into her eyes. he couldn't blame her. He'd practically begged her to go to his club that night. He knew that the important guy he clobbered for touching his female had something to do with this, but he couldn't prove it. His female, who the fuck was he kidding? He honestly thought of Cassandra Davenport as his. Hell in a few weeks he would be lucky if he could still afford to live in his truck. He scoffs at himself Yeah great relationship goal, hey honey lamb, let's live in my truck because I'm a fucking failure. Rapture had been homeless before as a young child and would be damned if he repeated what his mother did to him, she couldn't just give his ass to the state, no she dragged him around with her. Cassandra didn't deserve that. Though this shit made him want to grab her ass and never let go, she was a middle class female that was doing good for herself finally. But he had to let her go. Images of strange men letting him sleep on their living room floors while he heard them fuck his mother just so she could get up enough dough to get a hotel room. He'd rather live alone in his truck. The truck was the only thing he paid off. Damn he'd been a big dumb ass with his money. He guessed he could stay until his condo's taxes were due then four wheels would be his bed. While he tried to make himself marketable. His resume was laughable, Bodyguard for a fucking murder, bouncer, manager to a club that was getting closed down. Cassy put her hands on his cheeks. He moves away from her touch, if he stayed this close to this little woman. He'd drag her ass with him. Until he destroyed them both. "I got a letter when we got back today that since Sheldon Center is moving into G North and with the new improving the area bullshit that just passed, I have less than 3 days to close the property." She makes the same connection. He'd told her about Mr. Important after he'd got in the truck and drove her here to his home and fucked the shit out of her. "It will then be knocked down and a new building will be built by the new Sheldon Medical expansion project. So because of the fact that Sheldon felt his network could have saved Kyle's daughter's life in G North his floorplans are wiping out all the local businesses along that street. Oh wait, my fucking club is the only business on that street how convenient. This has that councilmen written all over it but I have no proof." Okay he told her now she was going to leave the shock was leaving her gaze. Was she calculating on how to tell him she was leaving. That she wouldn't be here to watch his fall.

Cassandra had notice him pull away from her touch that he usually stepped closer into. She understood his turmoil and anger. Was he angry at her? If she hadn't of went to his club that guy wouldn't have grabbed her and Rapture wouldn't have lost his damn mind, and beat the fuck out of the guy. Suddenly giving himself a powerful vengeful enemy. "Well if you don't get picked and this is only if, but if you don't get picked they will return your application fee and tuition right? 35-grand should help us stay here until you do get picked right? I can help you. I live here um sort of." She tries for a smile but it fades at his darkening gaze. They both knew that she didn't really live her not in the sense that her mail and her most personal things were here, they were still at her parent's place. She ran away from her parent's home after getting told that her ex BFF was murdered by her ex-husband, this was her hide out with her hero. Rapture told her she could stay as long as she liked. She kept talking, so much was running track for purchase of her tongue. "Luke had nothing to do with it I interviewed him and he said that he was only changing the outside of Memorial to Sheldon Center G North. He wouldn't want that building." That was the wrong thing to say.

Was she fucking serious, Rapture got in her face and yelled. "Well Dr. Perfect got the land whether he told you he was going to grab it or not. The result is the same I'm still fucked. But hey if things get too bad maybe I can get admitted because I'm this close" Rapture pinches her nipple between his pointer finger and thumb. She yelps in pain and smacks the shit out him. He quickly lifts his hand to touch his face he needed control this was so fucked up. When he lifted his hand the angry indignation left her eyes in a flash and was replaced by fear. The only woman that he even cares whether she fears him, was glued to the spot she stood looking up at him through her hands. In a lower tone on a sigh he finishes what he'd been yelling "to totally losing my fucking mind. I'm half way there." She deserved so much better than an unstable ass bum in the making. Now was as good of time as any to finish saving her from himself "Please leave before..." Her flinch and next words were torture. To the point he snapped he hadn't cried in almost 20 years. Not when the Pimp shot his mother, not when he found himself alone on the street. Not when he went into the system, not even when his last foster mother raped him because he was big enough at 12 since he stood at a 6'2. He'd ran away and met up with Kyle. Kyle taught him how to fight, and let him live in what used to be his back room. Kyle's club turned the scared punk kid, into a man he'd thought. Until Cassy, sex didn't mean shit to him but power or getting back a lost amount of control. Kyle had once told him he couldn't love what he paid for, and was being paid for. He didn't pay for Cassy, and Cassy hadn't purchased his love. He gave it to her along with his reign on his mantle of power, the night he entered into a trust exercise with her, and let her dominate him. That night, he fell in love for the first time in his life.

Cassandra was seconds from crying, her hero was seconds from knocking her the hell out. She stood with her hands in front of her face, she'd slapped him when he pinched her damn nipple. Cute kink in sex, but not when he was yelling in her face. She finishes his sentence for him over the lump in her throat "before you hit me? Please don't I-I'll leave." He grabs her she just knew he was going to do something she never thought she would witness with him. He was one of the only men she trusted. She closed her eyes and tries to wrench herself away from him before he can hurt her until he starts screaming that she was the only woman in the world that he didn't think of as just a sex toy, or want to dominate for his power trip, she wasn't some nameless female she was his damnit, and he'd never hurt her. Then his damn broke, he started crying, saying though he knew it was right to let her go, he didn't think he could. Cassandra watched as her big, strong, cocky male, cried and spoke some crazy shit about him not treating her like his mother treated him, and dragging her around with his homeless, stupid ass. Because it wasn't fair then, and it wouldn't be fair to her now. Tears sprung to her eyes. As she clung to him crying for, and with him. A quote slammed into her head by Plato "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." Her hero, her beast, was afraid of not the dark, but his light. He'd called her his light, and he was afraid that if he kept the light he would send them both into darkness. Rapture Sloan, was one of the best things that had ever happened to her, and she would not give him up without a fight. Putting his face in her hands, she meets his watery gaze, and says thorough her own tears "I'm not leaving you. You say I'm your light, you're mine. Two lights can light the dark unknown better than one." He smirks at her and stands up stretching, she knew his back had to be killing him bent over like that after expelling so much energy. They talk he still tries to convince her that she would be better off leaving. "Rapture will you please stop trying to save me from you. Honey, I was a goner the minute you told me you loved me. You still love me right?"

Only his woman would speak to him after he'd lost his shit, he'd had a mock-10 mental breakdown in front of her, and she stood here with him a side from the fact that he couldn't seem to keep his hands off her. He caresses her breast where he pinched her to piss her off. He says "Cassy I've never loved anyone as much as I love you. Please stop thinking I'm going to hurt you." he spoke of his plan when he pinched her nipple, that was him trying to piss her off so when he broke it off with her to save her from himself she'd be mad more than anything. She asked about his mother, telling her the origin of his name was bad enough did he really want her looking down on him. If she stayed and he didn't catch a job. "Cassy it's not important, there will be plenty of time for you to look down on my homeless ass if I can't catch a job really quick." When she moved out of his space, he felt alone like an island.

Cassandra pulled away from him. She was angry, this wasn't fair. She walked across the room arms folded across her chest. She touches where his hand had been massaging her breast from his nipple assault. "You know for someone that you love so much, you are trying really hard still, to push me away. Why the fuck would you think I'm going to look down on you? Hell, when I moved up here and to this day I live with my parents, if you want to be technical. I'm starting over from being an angry unloved person to the woman I'm trying to be for everyone, including myself. I couldn't look down on anyone." He opens his mouth. "No, you spoke, my turn. When we first started talking, you said you weren't like the 50 Shades character, you said you weren't that fucked up." He says he doesn't need to bring her pain to get off. He doesn't have many demons just a few. He smirks at her. She knows the fake look on his face he is trying levity and usually she'd let him get away with it, but not today. "As for the homeless part, you think I would let that happen? I now make more money than I know what do with. I go on shopping sprees because I'm bored when I'm not around you. Do you need a NEON SIGN? Damnit Babe, I love you and I'm not going anywhere." His forced smirk falls from his face. He tells her he doesn't want her to think she has to save him. "Why not? That's exactly what you have been doing since we met. Why the fuck don't I get a turn?" He says he hasn't saved her from anything. She knew what he meant. "Okay since you want to act dense. No, you haven't offered to pay my rent, or pay for anything like that, I'm not saying that kind of save. You saved me from losing it at the club, you made me abandon most of my fears. Hell, I think if I had of met you long ago instead of Chadwick, I wouldn't be as fucked in the head as I am, and wouldn't have had to see a shrink to start over." She turns her back to him her own demons had a movie of all her endless fights with Chadwick, and anytime she lashed out at Joshua because of some sociopathic overlay of Josh's Image in her head of Chadwick. "You continue to save me, because you help quiet the voices that scream that I'm never going to be good enough." She suddenly felt him right behind her. He spins her around and crushes his mouth to hers, wipes his thumbs over her cheeks where her tears had started once again escaping. He begs her between kissing her whole face to please not cry anymore. They start ripping each other's clothes off and fuck on every surface of his massive weight room.

Author Note: So I hope everyone loved this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Now we see what lies under Rapture's mask. Thank you for reading. The next chapter will be up soon :End Note