Chapter 16: Too Many Reasons to Count

Jeff and Steven Webber sat quietly inside the rundown bar. The stench of weeks old grease mixed with cigar smoke burning on their refined nostrils. They wore black sunglasses trying to look inconspicuous around the old fellows playing dominoes and the two women sitting at the bar wearing bright pink lipstick and leopard print skirts. As soon as the young man walked inside the bar, everyone noticed his arrival. The song that was coming out of the small radio sitting on a stool at a corner was in the middle of a Spanish guitar interlude and the men playing dominoes at the back became silent all of the sudden.

He walked to where the two men sat uncomfortably and waited for them to stand up to greet him. When they didn't he smiled and bowed his head. Two guards dressed in black walked inside the door and stood opposite their boss.

"Buenos Dias. To what do I owe this honor?"

"Don't even try to be funny. We are not here to socialize with you."

"Then what are you doing here Mr. Webber?"

"WE are here, because you botched our plan and we want an explanation." Steven said in between clenched teeth.

"Webber Jr... I didn't noticed you sitting there." A sarcastic smile appeared on Tony Morales face.

"You two bit..." Jeff lifted his hand and stopped Steven's words.

"Enough. We need to talk, Morales. You weren't supposed to walk into my house last night. That wasn't the plan."

The younger man sat back on the aluminum chair. With a race of his eyebrows he asked for a drink and a minute later one of his guards walked up to him and brought him a cold Medalla (beer). After taking a drink he spoke.

"I was suppose to go to her last night and I did."

"You were supposed to scare her later that night, when she was alone."

"I had other things to do. Besides the little brat was scared either way."

"Yes, she was. But our plan was compromised. Everyone saw you, they know you tried to attack her and they called the cops last night."

"I'm not scared of the cops."

"Maybe you should be."

"Or maybe you should be scared of Jason Morgan."

"What about Morgan?" After hearing the name the smug smile on the Puerto Rican's face faltered.

A triumphant smile appeared on Steven's face. "My dear sister seems to be really close with Jason Morgan. We still don't know when they met, but he is very possessive about her. He didn't like the fact that you dropped by to see her last night."

"Morgan doesn't intimidate me."

"We'll he should. She called early this morning saying she wasn't coming home in a few days. That will make our plan a bit more difficult."

"We have a contract and I honor my word."

"The will is due to arrive in a few days. We don't have much time so you'll have to move fast and careful around Morgan. We can't get mixed up in this."

"You won't. I know how to do my job."

"You didn't last time. Don't try to get creative this time around. We want her scared and helpless not raped of killed."

"I get it."

"We'll get in touch soon to detail the next move."

With that both, father and son, stood from the table and walked out of he bar.

"Oh I'll do whatever you want but first Lizzie still has a debt to pay. She owes me and I'm going to collect."

It was late in the afternoon and the sun was stating to set. Francis and Eva had gone back to the house on the pretext of wanting something to eat, but Elizabeth knew better. They just wanted to be alone for a while. She and Jason stayed behind because she wanted to see the sunset.

The beach that was filled with people a mere hour ago had started to empty little by little and know only a few people here and there were left. Elizabeth was sitting on a towel. Her hair picked up with a clip, her hands wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her drawn up knees. She was marveling on the spectacle of light and color that was painting the sky. The ocean was a light blue color up to the horizon where the sky and the water met in a thin dark blue line. The orange light of the setting sun illuminated the water and bounced back creating shades of pinks, blues and purples that filled the sky.

She was deep inside the dance of light and color, submerged in a world of her own, so much so that she didn't noticed the man standing a few feet away. He admired her concentration as much as it bothered him. She had the ability to redraw into her own world which was good for her aspirations as an artist, but that ability could be deadly. If she wasn't aware or careful she could get hurt. He knew it was his place to protect her as long as she would let him.

As long as she would let him, he would protect her. That was his promise to her and she had nothing to fear. He made his way closer to where she was sitting. Silently he grabbed an ice cube from a plastic cup that she had forgotten a while ago. A mischievous sideways smile appeared on his lips as he walked closer to her.

The drop of cold water hit the back of her neck and she jumped at the contact of cold over hot skin. The intake of breath only made him laugh out loud. Soon the almost melted ice cube was sliding down her bare back. She straighten quickly and turned around in time to see him laughing.

"You are so going to regret that!" She stood up and started to walk toward him, but for every step she took forward he moved backwards.

"What exactly are you going to do about it, kid?" He asked amused.

"Oh you don't want to know Morgan."

"You'll have to catch me first."

"Are you implying I can't?"

"No."

"Good."

"I'm not implying, I'm telling you."

"We'll see about that." Her slow walk turned into a full run and as quickly he turned around and took off.

It was close to five minutes and more than a hundred feet of distance between Elizabeth and him that he looked back and saw her still running even as the distance kept growing. He slowed down his pace until he came to a complete stop. She was still running toward him. He admire her enthusiasm and determination too. He knew she wouldn't give up. Still breathing hard, he bent down to take a breather. Huge mistake.

Elizabeth saw him stop and she smiled inwardly. She wasn't going to give up. She pulled strength from somewhere deep inside and ran faster. Soon she was close, but her momentum was too much to stop.

He stood up to find her coming straight at him and a moment later the impact was enough to push him back. They fell together and rolled down to the sand a couple of times before Jason could stop them.

Elizabeth was trapped beneath him. She could feel his strong muscles pinning her to the warm sand and she tried to breath in and out. His body was lying over hers connecting them from knees to shoulders, bare and warm skin over bare warm skin. It was getting difficult to breath as she got even more aware of their compromising position.

Jason had his head to her right shoulder. His arms around her protectively. When he finally moved his head to look at her he found her big blue eyes open.

"Are you OK?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? That was a pretty bad fall."

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

He was talking to her from a mere inch away, what did he wanted from her? She hadn't been this close to a man before, at least not one that she wanted to kiss as badly. What was that? Since when do I want to kiss him? Oh God! What is going on with me? He was a friend, just a friend. A drop dead gorgeous, blue eyes friend built like a Greek god...She had to be affected by the closeness, she was only human.

He watched as she struggled with herself. She had her eyes close and was biting her bottom lip. From his point of view that bottom lip did seem kind of inviting. What was that? That thought didn't just cross his mind... he looked down at her again and sighed. Maybe it did. Having her this close was doing things to him he shouldn't be feeling. She was a kid, a friend and nothing more so get your mind out of the gutter Morgan. But what a beautiful kid she was, her big expressive eyes, soft wavy hair and that mouth...

A huge alarm went off in both their heads. DANGER!

Jason was the first one to step back. He sat back on his knees and pulled her up on a sitting position.

"Are you sure you're okay? I didn't hurt you did I?"

"I'm okay, was a little out of breath there but I'm good now."

"Good. I guess is time to go back to the house then."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Jason stood up and offered her a hand. Elizabeth smiled and stood. She started to clean the sand off of herself. When she missed a spot near her eyebrow Jason thoughtfully wiped the area slowly.

"There you go."

"Thanks."

They were standing face to face and when they heard the clearing of a troat, they both looked to the side.

Eva was dressed in a white linen pareo and matching bikini top and was smiling a wicked grin as she made her way toward them.

"Hey, I was on my way to look for you. Marcos called. He asked if you were coming to his house tonight."

"Why?"

"He was right."

"Right about what?" Elizabeth was as clueless as Jason.

"There's a party at his place tonight. He said he told you about it like a month ago. It's their anniversary."

"Oh, that. I guess I forgot about it."

"You did? Oh my! You never forget things like that? I can't believe you did such a thing?" Eva's aggravated expression and sarcastic words made Jason scowl and Elizabeth laugh.

"Something funny?" He asked her seriously.

"No. Not at all." She tried to keep from laughing but it was impossible. She loved the way Eva unnerved Jason with her antics.

"Come on. We have to get ready." She grabbed Elizabeth by the hand and pulled her with her.

"We? That sounded like an awful lot of people."

"Yes, we. Francis is already in the shower. I found the perfect dress for you, Elizabeth."

"Oh, no wait I wasn't invited."

"Yes you were. I talked to Barbara. She was thrilled that you were coming. Oh and Jason, she said that everyone had to wear white. Good luck finding something besides bleached out jeans." With that Eva and Elizabeth took off from his view.

They waited impatiently until finally, the doors to the house opened.

"So, what did he say?"

"Are we in trouble?"

"Why would we be in trouble?" Jeff asked his oldest daughter. "He's the one that commits the crimes."

"Then what? Is he going to keep cooperating or his he backing out?" Caroline asked from her place on the sofa as she drank from her martini glass.

"He said he'll do it. But I don't trust him. What's our guarantee that he won't turn on us?"

"He's scared shitless of Morgan. He'll do what he was paid to do and he'll be careful not to get caught."

"But what if he tries to hurt Lizzie again? You didn't ask him to do it did you?" Sarah asked.

"That was never the plan, but if it's the only way to get her out of the way..."

"You wouldn't be such a monster as to actually allow that goon to put his hands on your daughter would you?" Steven was outraged at the thought.

"I'll rather have her out of the way than lose all those millions. So if that's the only way, so be it."

"You can't be serious." Sarah said surprised at her father's words.

"Oh come on you two. Don't tell me got a conscience attack all of the sudden? The important thing is to get her committed and out of the way. And if that's the only way to do it, so be it."

"So now we just wait and see." Added Caroline before taking her last drink from the glass.

Marcos and Barbara's house was in a beautiful town on the mountains. It was close enough to the city to be on time to work on the weekdays and far enough to be secluded and quiet on the weekends. The gate was marked in beautiful archways and a cobblestone road lead to the main entrance of the house. A huge oak door with a beautiful design in yellow color glass opened as they stepped out of the black Durango.

Barbara was wearing a beautiful set of white capri pants in linen and a halter blouse with a knitted design of an open flower on the left side. Her hair was pinned back on a delicate twist and she was wearing a huge smile on her face. Marcos was stood beside her his arm wrapped around her waist. He was wearing a white guayabera and light creme color dress pants. They looked happy and in love.

Francis helped Eva out of the car trying to cover her long legs that were visible to everybody as she tried to stood up, because of the long slit of the pareo she was wearing. Her devious smile was contagious as both Barbara and Marcos laughed at Francis' frown. Soon they were both standing near the married couple extending their congratulations.

Elizabeth was somewhat apprehensive. She didn't know what she was doing there and least of all dresses like she was. She looked all wrong. White wasn't her color, but Eva had almost bribed her into wearing the dress and now here she was. Jason helped her out of the car, but she couldn't really look a him right now. She was still embarrassed at her thoughts earlier that afternoon and having him this close and looking so devastatingly good was not helping much. He was wearing a white button down shirt and a pair of khaki color pants.

He walked a couple of feet behind her. What was wrong with him? Why was his stomach all of the sudden a mass of knots around her? What had changed in her from two days ago? He wasn't sure what was happening. The only thing he knew for sure was that she looked beautiful tonight.

Her hair was straight again, her bangs over her forehead though she'll probably would sweep them to the side soon enough so they won't get on her eyes. A red tropical flower was pinned on the side of her head. Her face was now a soft pink because of her exposure to the sun all day and the soft make up accented her eyes and lips. The white halter dress she was wearing fell to mid calf and did nothing to conceal her curves. Her back was exposed both by the dress and the bathing suit she was wearing underneath. White open toe sandals finished her attire.

"Bienvenidos a la casa de los Díaz!" Marcos said once the greetings were done.

"Thank you for inviting us." Eva said delighted.

"Thank you for being here with us." Barbara said sincerely.

Elizabeth smiled and then she remembered something. She whirled around, ran to the car and took the gift she and Eva had picked out for Barbara and Marcos on their way over. Getting back to where everyone was now looking at her she blushed.

"I forgot your gift."

"Oh sweetheart. You shouldn't have."

"It's from all of us actually. Eva and I picked it up. We didn't know how many years you are celebrating so we decided on wood. I hope you like it."

She gave them the rectangular box she was caring. The married couple opened the box together and found a smaller rectangular box inside. They smiled as they realized their names were engraved on the lid. They opened it and it was a musical box, inside a note read:"To love forevermore..."

A tear escaped Barbara's eyes as she heard the notes to "Swan Lake" played from the box.

"This is beautiful."

"See what you two did. Now she's crying." Francis said feeling uncomfortable.

"It's okay Francis. I'm just a bit emotional. But come in. Let's go to the back yard."

The six of them made there way to the back yard and a sigh escaped Elizabeth's lips at the sight that greeted her. A huge yard was covered by round tables. The view was that of various mountains as a backdrop. Trees, flower beds and even a brick fountain adorned the place. People were dancing and a guitar trio was playing.

She was mesmerized by the fresh air and the camaraderie between the guests. It seemed as if they were all family. Children were running everywhere, couples were walking around or dancing close together. She's never seen anything like it before.

They sat on a table that was marked for them and Marco and Barbara went on to talk to other arrivals.

They enjoyed the music, the food and the company. Eva and Francis started to dance soon after they arrived. Francis was not a dancer, but it seemed he was willing to do anything for Eva. Elizabeth and Jason talked and learned more about each other. The conversation flowed easily between them and the silence was not overwhelming.

When a sad bolero started to play, Jason noticed that Elizabeth was swaying softly with the music. For some reason he couldn't explain he felt the urge to ask her to dance, even though no one was on the dance floor.

"Would you like to dance?"

The invitation took her by surprise. "Oh, no is okay. You don't have to ask me to dance. I know you are not fond of dancing. And there's a lot of people here. I'm okay."

He stood up and offer her his hand. "Please, dance with me Elizabeth."

If there was a doubt in her mind, now she was convinced. Jason Morgan was the sweetest most caring man in the world, and looking at him standing under the monlight offering his hand to her was the last on a very long list of reasons why... She was falling in love with him.

Reloj, no marques las horas,
porque voy a enloquecer,
ella se irá para siempre,
cuando amanesca otra vez.

(Clock don't tell time,

because I might go crazy,

She'll be gone forever,

when tomorrow comes.)

They walked hand in hand to the dance floor and he wrapped his arm around her delicate waist, bringing her closer to him. His other arm was bent up and found hers as they started to sway to the music.


No más, nos queda esta noche,
para vivir nuestro amor,
y tu tic-tac me recuerda,
mi irremediable dolor.

(We only have tonight,

to live our love,

and your tic-tac reminds me,

the painful pain I'll suffer.)

Elizabeth was concentrating really hard on the lyrics so her body wouldn't rect to Jason's touch.

"Something wrong?"

She looked at him then. "No. It's just that he is sad."

"Who is?" Jason asked with a raced eyebrow.

"The singer... he's losing her and he doesn't want her to leave."

"Oh... yeah. He's asking the clock to stop so the night goes on forever because his beloved is leaving the next morning."

Reloj, detén tu camino,
porque mi vida se acaba,
ella es la estrella que alumbra mi ser, yo sin su amor
no soy nada.

(Clock stop,

because my life is about to end,

she's the star that brightens my whole being, and without her love

I'm nothing.)

"He feels he's going to die without her..." Elizabeth said as her eyes watered.

"He won't." Was the only answer Jason provided.

Elizabeth's eyes were shining with unshed tears. "I think a part of you dies when love ends."

"It doesn't."

Detén el tiempo en tus manos, has esta noche perfecta,
para que nunca se vaya de mi,
para que nunca amanesca.

(Stop time in your hands,

make this night perfect,

so she never leaves me,

so the sun never raises.)

It was then that Elizabeth realized that Jason was not as relax as he was when they started dancing and then she remembered... he had broken up with Robin almost a year ago. She cursed herself for making him uncomfortable.

"Jason, I'm sorry. I didn't realized what I was saying. I know that you and Robin..."

His mind was lightyears from Robin, until the name had him crashing back to reality. God, what was happening to him?

"Let's not talk about that, now."

"But..."

He dropped her arm and motioned for her to be quiet. Then he wrapped both arms around her waist. She placed her arms on his shoulders and rested her head on his chest. They danced in silence the rest of the song.


Detén el tiempo en tus manos,
has esta noche perfecta.
para que nunca se vaya, para que nunca...amanesca!

Barbara, Marcos, Eva and Francis were standing to the side mesmerized by the comfort and intimacy of the couple on the dance floor. Eva was the only one smiling. She nudge Francis with her elbow and whispered on his ear.

"Told you."

"They are just dancing."

"Are you blind? Are you not seeing the sparks?"

"I'm worried." Barbara said to no one in particular.

"Don't be. She's just a child, he won't fall for her." Her husband tried to reassure her.

"Eva is right Marcos... there are sparks and as much as it pains me to admit it, they look right together."

Song Credit: Reloj by Luis Miguel