Chapter 14--the latest chapter of this story is up. Hope you enjoy reading it and thanks for the feedback!
C.J. watched Jason move towards the trees in search of the source of the shadowy figure. She hadn't been sure at all what she had seen. Unease filled her at the thought of Jason chasing after the unknown by himself but she remembered he was an experienced and well trained cop. Still, she found herself walking towards the trees, looking for him.
"Jason," she called.
She heard the trees rustling and Jason returned from between several of them, out of breath.
"What happened," she asked.
He bent over to regain his breath.
"I thought I was chasing someone," he said, "but I guess it was just my imagination."
She furrowed her brow.
"Are you sure?"
He looked back into the trees.
"I don't know," he said, "I figure if it had been a real person I would have caught up to him."
She shook her head at him.
"Maybe we're both seeing things," she said, "We'd better go back to the party."
"What about Ginger," he asked.
She grimaced.
"That's right," she said, "Technically I did hit her. I think she was going to call you guys."
"What happened?"
She hesitated.
"She told me that I tried to trap Houston into something by claiming I was pregnant," she said.
His brows rose.
"Wow," he said, "That's a pretty outrageous thing to say."
They walked back to the mansion.
"I'm not…in case you're wondering," she said, "I mean I thought…maybe."
"It's not my business," Jason said, "I just know that you don't go around hitting people."
"I shouldn't have done it," she said, "But I was so angry at her. And I think she told him about it."
He frowned.
"Matt would never believe that you'd do anything like that," he said, "He knows you too well."
"I know that," she said, "But I should have told him…I should have told him a lot of things I didn't."
Jason shrugged.
"You still can," he said.
She sat back down on the bench.
"It's been so crazy the past couple of days," she said, "And he's been busy with Elizabeth."
"He's probably trying to let her down easy," Jason said, "But he'd be down that aisle with her if it were the real thing."
She smiled.
"Maybe…"
He shook his heads.
"Guys go after what they want but because we do that, doesn't mean we want to hurt a woman in the process," Jason said, "Matt's more sensitive than most of us about taking care not to do that."
She nodded.
"I do know that about him."
"Then you have to trust that," Jason said, "and trust yourself to talk with him if there's anything coming between you."
She nodded again, then got up to leave.
"So do you think I'm going to get arrested," she asked.
Jason chuckled, as they walked back on the veranda.
"I think considering the circumstances, anyone would have done what you did," he said, "Just don't make a habit of it."
Matt ran his hand through his hair, looking around the room for her. But he couldn't see his best friend anywhere. Ginger had refilled her drink and sauntered off again. He didn't miss her. Elizabeth had gone back to speak with the senator's aide.
Gracie walked up to him.
"Where's C.J.," he asked.
"I don't know Matt," she said, "Probably getting some fresh air after smacking that troublemaker."
Matt sighed.
"Ginger was going to call the police on her."
Gracie smirked.
"She won't," she said, "It was her fault for baiting C.J. like that about tricking you. She's not going to admit that."
"C.J. would never do that," Matt said, "In fact she never told me anything was going on."
Gracie folded her arms.
"Matt, you were busy as I recall with Elizabeth," she said, "She didn't know if you were trying to get back with her."
"I'm not getting back together with her," Matt said, "After this party, Elizabeth is going back to San Diego."
"Hopefully, she'll take Ginger with her."
"It's been a rough couple of days," Matt said, "for everyone."
Gracie softened.
"I know that, you've been shot. C.J.'s been shot at and then there's that whole Molotov cocktail thing," she said, "It's enough to overwhelm anyone."
Roy walked over with Sophia. Both of them looked as if they were having a great time. Matt watched them together and was happy that his uncle had found someone special.
"How's the dancing," Gracie asked them.
"Pretty busy," Roy said, "They're doing a pretty good rumba right now."
Sophia asked the bartender for a mineral water.
"Your uncle's a great dancer," she said, "I wonder why he never said anything."
Matt smiled.
"He likes to keep a lot of things close to his vest," he said.
"The element of surprise was critical in my line of work," Roy said, winking at her, "Now Matlock on the other hand has been keeping off the dance floor."
"I was out there with Elizabeth a while ago," Matt said, "I'm just taking a break at the watering hole."
"Your uncle said that you were quite the rug cutter in your younger days," Sophia said.
Matt raised a brow at his uncle.
"Younger days," he asked, "I wasn't aware that I had gotten that old."
Roy shrugged.
"It's all relative," he said, "Nothing to be concerned about."
"Have you seen C.J.," Matt asked.
Roy shook his head.
"No I haven't," he said, "I did run into Ginger who seemed upset with her about something."
Matt sighed.
"There was an altercation between the two women."
Roy didn't seem too concerned.
"Ginger is what we used to call back in the day…an instigator. She would have made an excellent shall I say, agent provocateur."
"I'll take your word for it," Matt said, "But C.J. left after their…altercation and no one's seen her since."
Roy ordered a drink.
"Something tells me there's more to this story than you're sharing," he said, then raised his hands, "Not that I'm interested in the details but she cares a lot about you, she always has."
"Did you check the gardens out back," Sophia said, "Roy and I were heading that way anyway. I can't wait to see them."
Matt nodded.
"Why don't you two go and if you do see her, just tell her I was concerned about her."
Roy's brow furrowed.
"Is there any reason to be?"
Matt ran his hand through his hair.
"No…there's just something we need to discuss," he said.
Roy nodded but kept quiet, not wanting to push the issue. Sophia slipped her arm in his and they walked off.
"They look really good together," Gracie said.
"Yes they do," Matt said, "For years after my Aunt Flo died, he kept to himself."
Gracie smiled.
"He looks really happy now," she said, "They danced to every song on the floor."
"He used to do that with my aunt," Matt said, "Until she got sick. She never got over losing her only child."
"That was your cousin, right?"
"Yes, Will but he never was dead," Matt said, "We found him in a prison camp where he had been all these years."
"He must have been overjoyed to learn his son was alive."
Matt nodded.
"He was and they've been busy making up for all those lost years."
Roy and Sophia ran into C.J. and Jason.
"I didn't know you were here," Roy said, "I thought the LAPD paid its officers well."
Jason shrugged.
"I'm paying off the mortgage," he said, "Actually, we've got members of a special unit all over. We got some intel that there might be some action here tonight."
"Meaning because the senator and mayor are attending this gala," Roy guessed.
Jason nodded.
"Just to be on the safe side," he said, "The man who C.J. and Matt have been chasing around the past couple days is a hired hit man."
"Has there been any sightings?"
Jason looked at C.J.
"We thought we saw something out in the garden," he said, "But I think I chased after some shadow."
"We're heading out there right now," Roy said, "To check out the gardens."
"They're pretty impressive," C.J. said, "As far as the eye can see."
"Matlock's been looking for you," Roy said, "He seemed concerned."
"Oh that," C.J. said, "Roy, everything's fine. I'm sure I'll run into him."
Roy narrowed his eyes.
"Did he do anything to upset you?"
She shook her head and smiled.
"No, no," she said, "I just had a run in with Ginger and…"
"Matt told me," Roy said, "I know you wouldn't have done something like that unless she said something…"
"Yes she did," C.J. said, "She accused me of something I would never do to your nephew. I guess it made me angry."
"I know you would never do anything to hurt him," Roy said, "Not a woman who took a bullet and said nothing about it to help save him."
C.J. thought back to that night. The raw emotions that had filled her had shocked her more than the pain from being shot in the shoulder and feeling her own blood on her fingers.
"There wasn't a choice to be made then," she said firmly, "and I didn't want to hurt him but I think I did."
Roy smiled.
"Whatever it is you think you did," he said, "I'm sure the two of you can work it out.
She looked away.
"I hope so," she said, "I don't want to lose him."
"You won't," Roy said, "You've been friends for much too long."
"Yeah," she said, "We have."
And then she thought of what they had shared in Tahiti and her face flushed. Jason looked at them.
"I'd better be heading back to keep an eye out for any trouble," he said.
"Be careful," C.J. said.
He grinned.
"Lisa will kill me if I have to get stitched up again."
C.J. watched him go, knowing that he would be cautious. Still, his profession was by nature, a dangerous one. Roy smiled at Sophia.
"Well let's go and check out the garden and see if it lives up to the press."
They walked off, leaving C.J. who debated whether she would head back to the main room or take another side trip. She decided on the latter, still preferring to spend some more time on her own before heading back to the party. She thought back to what she thought she had seen by the trees outside. Had it been some prowler, or was it truly just her eyes and the light of the moon playing tricks on her?
She walked down a corridor and noticed some nice paintings on the wall that she knew had to be worth a fortune. Suddenly, she turned a corner and collided with a man, with a mustache dressed like a security guard. He placed his hands on her to steady her and then scrutinized her.
"What are you doing here, miss?"
C.J. felt taken aback at the tone in his voice.
"I…just needed to get some fresh air," she said, "It's a bit stuffy in that room with all those people."
He glowered.
"Not that it's not a great party," she said, "I just needed…"
He nodded.
"I guess it's okay if it's only a few minutes…"
She frowned, realizing that something about him appeared familiar.
"Who…"
Then along came another pair of footsteps and C.J. looked up and saw Matt approaching. His eyes widened when he saw her.
"C.J…."
The security guard looked at them both, and then shaking his head, walked off.
"Houston…there's something…"
"I've been looking all over for you," he said, "Is everything okay?"
She folded her arms looking at him.
"Sure, everything's just fine," she said, "About Ginger…"
"You don't have to explain what you did," he said, "I know she provoked you."
She sighed.
"That's still no excuse and I'm sorry," she said, "At least I'll be sorry tomorrow."
"C.J., we need to talk."
She looked at him a long moment.
"I know," she said simply, "I just don't know where to start."
"How about where we left off," Matt said.
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"What do you mean," C.J. said, "where we left off?"
He paused.
"When we had that discussion awhile back about keeping what happened between us in Tahiti there."
She sighed.
"I don't want to lose what we have," she said, "Our friendship has always been the most important thing."
"I can't argue with that," he said, "but I think we could be giving up something more important."
Her eyes flashed at him.
"When did this come about," she said, "I thought you were fine with the way things were between us."
"C.J…"
But the expression on her face had changed.
"Wait a minute," she said, holding up her hand.
"I've got something I want to say," he said.
She nodded.
"I know that," she said, "but there's something about that guy who just passed by…the security guard."
Matt frowned.
"I didn't get a good look at him."
"He said some words to me but I wasn't really paying attention to him," she said, "There's something familiar about him."
"What do you mean?"
C.J. thought for a moment, her mind working.
"Jason's here undercover Houston," she said, "He thinks that the hired hit man who we've been bumping into the past few days might be targeting someone here."
Matt's brows rose.
"That makes sense," he said, "given the dignitaries here tonight."
"We've got to find out who this guy is," she said, as she started walking down the hallway.
He followed to keep up with her.
"Wait C.J., this man might be dangerous," he said.
She looked at him directly.
"That's why we need to find him," she said, "Unless you'd rather stand here and argue about it first."
Matt looked at her and decided that she was right so both of them continued down the hallway looking for the mysterious security guard.