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Chapter 14

Liz fell asleep on the deck of the yacht and when he noticed Jason carried her downstairs. As she came back up and stepped out on the deck the guys had just pulled their rods up from the water. She had taken that to mean that nothing was biting. They spent the rest of the time out socializing before heading back to shore. Although she noticed that they guys did their best to give her and Jason some private time. When they docked back at the marina Johnny lifted the lid of the large built in cooler, that Liz didn't even realize was there, and that was when she saw that they had indeed caught fish. A lot of fish.

"Where are Johnny and Renaldo?" Liz wanted to know. They had just parked outside their bungalow. Max and Lee were in the car behind them on the ride back to the compound, but her other friends were nowhere in sight.

"They took the catch to a local fishmonger to be cleaned and sectioned. We can do it, but a professional will just be faster." Jason explained as they walked inside. The guy was going to get a nice payout for doing them this favor.

"What kind of fish did you catch?" Liz hadn't ever seen a fish that large outside of an aquarium before. She swore the one fish had to be about twenty pounds. Considering they were in deep water that was probably the norm. Still it was impressive. There were fish that were bigger, she knew from watching oceanography programs, but it was still a bit mindboggling to see.

"Wahoo, bonefish, and dolphin fish or dorado as they are commonly called down here. Not the porpoise, but the fish." Jason answered following her into the back. They hadn't gone swimming so they only needed quick showers to wash off the sunblock. Since someone would be knocking on the door in a little bit they would rinse off separately, otherwise they would miss the delivery. "I'll hit the shower first." That way he could answer the door. Even with their friends he didn't want her answering the door in her pajamas.

"Okay." Liz would get out of her suit, put on her robe, and grab some loungewear. She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss before he went into the bathroom.


"What type of fish is that?" Liz was sitting out on the patio watching her guy grill. There was something unexpectedly sexy about a guy who could cook. Kind of like he was saying to the world at large that he was a man who could take care of his family in anyway needed. She also got that Jason liked cooking for her. He hadn't let her near the stove at all during this trip. When they got back home they would take turns with meal preparation, but it was nice to be spoiled.

"It's all three." Jason said smiling. He pointed to one part of the grill. "I asked Johnny to get three smaller sections, one of each kind, for you to sample. I'm having wahoo because, of the three types of fish we caught it's my favorite." He was also grilling some vegetables as a side dish. "I figured you would like to try everything."

"I've never had any of them, so thank you." Liz sipped her ice tea. She made a big batch after her shower. "So do we have a freezer full of fish now? If so what will happen to it when we leave? Will Renaldo and Lee take it?" Or maybe the housekeeper could take it home with her. Liz just didn't want it to potentially go to waste.

Jason shook his head no as he flipped the fish. "Renaldo and Lee did each take some fish home. May as well since we had so much." They had bagged fifteen good sized fish between the four of them. Max caught six by himself. "Johnny and Max are having some for dinner tonight like us. The rest was split up. Half was taken to the local food bank to be handed out to any family that wants some." Meat and seafood was not something the food pantry got a lot of. "The other half was taken to the local soup kitchen for tomorrow night's dinner."

Liz felt such pride at knowing not only Jason, but the other guys as well. They were really good men and never asked to be recognized for that. A lot of folks would be surprised to realize just how many charitable acts they did. It started from the top. Sonny had a really rough childhood and he gave back to the community to try to keep that from happening to anyone else. He supported several shelters and the after school program at the Port Charles Boys and Girls Club.

Every year since she'd known him Jason had written a check to make sure every student in the school district who needed breakfast or lunch got it. He also funded, along with Lila, a weekend backpack program that made sure kids ate over the weekends. This year her boyfriend covered the cost to make sure the schools in the more depressed neighbors had computer labs.

Francis supported a local summer camp making it free for anyone who wanted to attend. Johnny had a motor club where they taught mechanics to anyone who showed up. Having a life skill kept kids from turning to crime. A couple of the kids now worked in the garage that Johnny recently purchased. Milo and Cody co-owned a gym where they taught kids to box and about staying healthy. Max had provided new equipment for the youth soccer league for the past five years.

The list could go on and on. She bet the guys down here, in South America, and on Sonny's island were the same way. They supported their community and never looked for praise for those efforts. In fact they would often try to change the subject if you brought it up. Elizabeth could tell by the way Jason spoke that he didn't want to make a big deal about it. So she wouldn't.

"I'm sure that they appreciate the donation." She wasn't going to ignore it either. She wanted him to know that she saw that he wasn't just his public image. "How did you season what we are having tonight?" When they got home she would have to find a supplier and get some wahoo since Jason liked it. Francis or Sonny would know who to contact.

"Lemon pepper." He gave her a grin. "It's what Sonny uses on the fish, plus I like it. It's good on pretty much everything. When your catch is this fresh you don't want anything heavy. You want to be able to taste it."

Yup, sexy. "Does Sonny fish?" Liz was having a hard time picturing that. In fact she had a hard time picturing him doing anything sports related. He did box to stay in shape, often with Milo. She just hadn't ever seen him do it.

"No. Sonny doesn't go out on the boat much." Jason laughed at his girl's face. "He gets really seasick. Every year he comes down and tries out a new supposed remedy, so far nothing has worked. Some of the stuff has been really weird, but he hasn't given up yet." Jason explained with a half-smile.

"Why does he keep the boat then?" Liz wanted to know. "Why not sell it to one of the guys?" Francis would probably buy it.

"A vessel that large is expensive to maintain." Jason had asked his partner why he kept it. "Sonny didn't want to ask anyone else to take that on. He hasn't sold it because so many of us like being out on the water when we come down. So now it's one of the perks of working for us." Jason had offered to purchase it, because the maintenance fees would not faze him, but Sonny said it was fine.

"So Renaldo can just call the marina to have them get the yacht ready, and then take it out?" Liz wanted to know.

"Yeah. He can also approve any of the guys who work for him taking it out. I know Renaldo takes his whole crew out once a year to thank them for doing such a good job. Usually at the end of the summer." Jason took the fish off to let it rest.

"How come he's not an enforcer?" Liz wanted to know. From what she could tell he did the same thing Johnny and Cody did. Just down here.

"Each organization can't have more than three enforcers, no matter how big the territory is. That's one of the rules. Since Shawn is also an enforcer we are maxed out. I had to officially become a boss so that we could promote him." He worked in South America. A territory that large needed an enforcer. "However Renaldo's duties are pretty much the same as Johnny's, Cody's, and Shawn's." Jason took the veggies off, fixed their plates, and brought them over to the outdoor table. He and Sonny were talking about promoting Johnny. If that happened then Renaldo would officially become an enforcer. "His salary is less than theirs, but it's more than Marco's who has the same amount of seniority back in Port Charles." Marco was probably going to get promoted soon as well. To the head of guards in Port Charles to take some work off of Cody.

"That's to keep the chain of command clear?" Liz was guessing. Jason nodded so she asked her next question. "So who is in charge if all the heads of guards are together without an enforcer there? I get that probably won't happen because they are in different locations, but I'm curious." She was guessing the position existed in South America too.

Jason just grinned. It was a good question. "Renaldo has the most seniority which is why he is here. So he would be in charge if Cody wasn't at the meeting you are imagining. Any other questions?"

"No." Liz picked up her fork. "I don't want to know much." Which was true. The less she knew the better. However some things just peaked her curiosity. Now that they were dating she felt in a better position to ask about them. Jason still would have answered these questions when they were just friends though. She didn't have a doubt about that.

"You can ask anything you like. I'll answer what I can." Jason told her. He had no intention of hiding from her. There were things they couldn't talk about, but most of the time she would know what was happening with the business. In fact he liked knowing that he could talk to her about his work. Sometimes he just needed a safe place to vent, and Elizabeth provided that for him.

"I know that I can, and that you will." Liz hadn't ever felt shut out from any part of his life. "So which piece of fish is which?" She asked putting away his job.

"Wahoo, dorado, bonefish." Jason pointed them out. Her quiet acceptance was one of the greatest gifts he'd ever gotten. It conveyed trust, and he wasn't ever going to take that for granted. "What do you think?" He asked after she took a bite of each.

"Delicious." She said smiling. "You did a great job cooking them. When we come back you will have to catch all three for me again." Liz told him as they continued their meal.

"I can do that." Jason responded as he started to eat.


"Max will be outside on the patio." Jason reminded Elizabeth who was sitting in the kitchen. He was heading over to Johnny's place. After a quick meeting they were going to go over to the gym and work out.

"Okay. I'm just going to set up my work space and cut the fabric panels for my dress." Liz wouldn't need to follow a pattern. She wasn't doing anything fancy, although she wanted the end result to be something nice. Simple elegance was the theme of her design. "I'll probably sew them together tomorrow. If we aren't out late." They were day tripping tomorrow.

Jason had to grin. "Just like that you'll have a dress."

"Yeah." Liz nodded. "If people knew how easy it was to make clothes I'd be out of business. It does take practice to be able to sew something and not have it look homemade but not as much as the average person thinks." She ended on a shrug.

His beautiful and talented girlfriend didn't give herself enough credit. He thought that was her parent's faults. The one dinner he had attended with them, a fundraiser for the hospital, as Elizabeth's plus one he had actually heard her father say it wasn't like she was saving lives. The urge to set the man straight had been hard to resist. Really hard.

"Should I call when I'm ready to come back?" Jason wanted to know. He didn't really want to leave in the first place. Since this was an important step for Elizabeth he was going to do it. When she suggested Max come over and hang out Jason didn't bother to hide his relief.

"How about we set a time limit? Two hours." Liz knew she could call if she needed him before then. When they got back home working on extending her time alone could start. "Thank you. I know you don't like this."

"I understand why it's necessary." Jason urged her close so that he could kiss her. "Two hours."

The door closed and Liz took a deep breath. "Max is outside, and Jason is five minutes away. Woman up Elizabeth." Telling herself that she was fine she went into the far bedroom. Jason had pushed the bed against one wall so that she had plenty of room. Her sewing machine had been set up before they left for the boat. Renaldo had managed to find a store that sold commercial grade sewing machines. She got a great machine, it wasn't her Juki back home but it would be great for down here.

The fabric was wrapped so she opened the bundle. When she worked with private clients for special events her number one piece of advice was to go with what you knew worked. Color, fabric, and style. A high profile evening was not the time to experiment. Looking at the fabric she had selected Liz acknowledged that she was breaking her own rule.

At the same time fashion was meant to be played with. The eyes of the world weren't going to be on her, and whatever she wore Jason would love. So this was a good time to step out of her comfort zone. To try something new.

With that decided she reached for her shears and started cutting.


"Plans for tomorrow?" Renaldo asked his boss. After this quick meeting he was going to take a walk on the beach for a bit and call his girlfriend. He was looking forward to her coming home.

"Elizabeth would like to visit Ponce." Jason told his guys. Johnny would fill in Max later in the evening.

"That's about one hour and forty-five minutes away. It's a nice drive. There are a couple of places along the way we can stop and get some good pictures if Liz wants." Renaldo told the group.

"Liz want to go to the art museum?" Johnny was guessing. Back home she often went to the Port Charles Art Museum.

"Yeah." Jason leaned back in his chair. He was tapping his fingers against the table. Trying not to think about Elizabeth was proving really difficult.

"There is a lot more to do in the city besides the one museum." Lee told his boss. "So she'll have fun."

Johnny snickered. "Dude, you have managed to not say Liz's first name since day one. Just say it and get it over with." This was pretty funny.

"I'm working on it." Lee mumbled to the guys around the table.

"He'll wave to the plane and say bye Liz." Johnny said laughing at his friend. "I thought Milo was bad when Emily told him to stop calling her Ms. Quartermaine." Jason's sister had resorted to squirting him with a water gun every time he didn't use her first name.

Lee just let his friends get it out. "What time are we leaving in the morning?"

"Eight." Jason told the group.

"I'd also like to point out that Johnny lost the bet." Lee said with a smug look. "Elizabeth has planned all the outings we've done so far."

"Shit." Johnny just scowled. "I'll transfer the papers to Liz when we get home." Because that was who Jason wanted the car for, even without his friend saying so Johnny knew that. Just like he knew Jason would have said something if he had planned the trips.

"When is your dinner date?" Renaldo wanted to know.

"I made a reservation for four nights from now. That should give Elizabeth time to finish her dress." Jason told the guys. "We are going to Pikayo."

"Great restaurant." Renaldo said smiling. Jason would have had to drop his name to get tables on such short notice. "Do you know where we are going to be located? Or should I call to find out?" Once they knew that they could start planning the security for inside the dining establishment.

"I booked the entire restaurant, so we can sit anywhere we want." Jason said grinning. It was a show off move, but he wanted privacy with his girlfriend. The manager named a price with a good number of zeros for canceling their reservations. Jason simply said fine.

"Never thought I'd see the day when you pulled a move from Sonny's book." Johnny was expecting Liz to be gob smacked. "I have to say I approve though." This would make security easy. "Limo?"

"Yeah." Jason was going to go all out. "Flowers too."

"You need a florist?" Renaldo didn't mind doing some of the legwork.

"I called the one at the resort." Jason told his friend. "Come on Johnny, I need to go burn off some energy. Renaldo, Lee enjoy the rest of your night."

"Will do." After his walk Renaldo was returning to the cabin. He wanted his friend's opinion on how Jason was holding up.


"You want to talk about it?" Johnny waited until they finished with the weights and moved over to the treadmills to start this conversation.

"Talk about what?" Jason looked over at his friend before turning back to the game they put on the television. He wasn't really keeping track of the sporting event. It was more just to have something on in the background.

"The feeling of terror that comes along with realizing you are head over heels in love with someone." Johnny replied clarifying his statement. While he was single now, he had been in a relationship a few years ago. A serious relationship that ended badly when his girlfriend decided that she wanted different things out of life than he did. Johnny had been crushed and after giving himself time to heal he was now dating again.

"Being in love isn't scary. Don't you ever read the greeting cards in the store?" Jason asked with a smirk.

Johnny shook his head but didn't respond right away because his treadmill was on an incline. When he was running downhill again he picked up the conversation. "You know what I mean. Yes love can be hearts, roses, and puppy dogs. It can also be loss and heartbreak." Two very real possibilities for them. "You could have lost her Jason. I'm not saying dwell on that, but you need to talk about it."

Jason didn't say anything right away. His friend was right, just holding all the emotions inside wasn't a good thing. He would talk to Elizabeth about this at some point, although she already knew what he was feeling. It was the same combination of emotions she was feeling, but in different ratios.

Right now he was leading with a combination of anger at the fact that this happened, fear that it might happen again, and helplessness that he couldn't take away the fear that Elizabeth was feeling. What he didn't feel was that she didn't trust him to keep her safe. Because he knew that she did.

"I can't lose her." Jason told his friend. "I know my lifestyle increases the odds that I will. This can be a hard life to deal with. But the danger didn't come from my life, it came from her having an immature and stupid ex. Logan said this was his idea." The asshole had made all kinds of confessions before he died. "Still Zander could have stopped it and he didn't." Jason could feel his anger spiking. "I never saw Zander as a serious threat. Just a pain in the ass."

"None of us saw him as a threat. An annoyance yes, but not a threat." Johnny and Francis had talked about this very thing. All the ladies in their lives had exes. Zander was far from the first to try to win his ex-girlfriend back. Emily's ex had also mounted a campaign to get her to forgive him for cheating on her. It had actually lasted longer than what Zander did, but Emily's former boyfriend had eventually seen the writing on the wall and stopped. At no point did any of the guys think they needed to step in, or that he was going to pop up again. So when Zander seemed to get the message they didn't give him another thought. From this point forward if any of the ladies had an ex who popped up again they would be getting a long hard look.

"Getting my hands on him will go a long way to making me feel better. Elizabeth now has a guard which helps as well." Jason said going down the list. "This is just something we have to work through and when we come out on the other side we'll be stronger." He ran for a bit before speaking again. "But yeah, it's terrifying when you realize that someone has so much power over your life. However I'm not in this alone." Neither one of them had said the words I love you, but he knew it was coming. For him it would probably be the night he gave her his ring.

Johnny just nodded. Jason was handling this well, and they would continue to support their friends. "Since we are down here without Francis, Cody, and Sonny I'd like to point out that I would make an excellent best man. I throw a killer party, which you know." It was time to move to something lighter.

"I'll keep that in mind." Jason answered laughing.

"Now would also be a great time to tell me which ring you decided on. I can keep a secret, which you also know." Johnny said giving his winningest smile. The guys on this detail had a bet going.

"No one gets to know that before Elizabeth." Jason knew about the bet and wasn't surprised. The guys would bet on just about anything. Generally the winner gave the funds to a local charity. "So you have to wait."

"I would tell you." Johnny said with a mock pout. "If I had a girl to give a ring to. Maybe Liz can introduce me to one of the models she hires for her website. They are stunning." Actually only one had caught his attention.

"You spending a lot of time on my girlfriend's website?" Jason couldn't stop the grin that came to his face.

"Did I not just mention the stunning models?" Johnny told his friend. "Plus all three of my sisters and my mother likes Liz's stuff so it's a go to for birthdays." The guys did their best to support their friend's work.

"I'll ask her about the introductions. Mainly because you need all the help you can get." Jason said laughing as they continued their workout.

"Very funny Morgan." Johnny was happy that his friend's mood had lifted. With his mission for the night completed he turned his attention to the game on the big screen.


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