A/N – Thanks for the comments! Glad you like Jim and loathe Gabriel!

Chapter 9

Traffic was horrible, so they sat around playing cards while they waited it out. Jim's wife Doreen is looking forward to meeting them.

"You have a great poker face," Jim said looking at Jason, "But you, my dear, have to be the luckiest person I have ever met."

Liz grinned as she looked down at her stack of pretzels. "Don't be a hater."

"I'm not. I'm just wondering if I should drive this cab over to a casino to utilize your expertise."

"Hmm, that is tempting."

"So, are you guys really married?" They seem close, but also have an awkwardness that a husband and wife wouldn't have.

Liz and Jason looked at each other and he slightly nodded, giving her the okay. "No."

"But you like each other."

"Yeah."

"Good. You fit like two peas in a pod."

Jason frowned. "Aren't there more than two in there?"

Jim's eyes twinkled devilishly. "Now that's a little too kinky for my tastes."

Liz laughed. Jason's expressions cracked her up. "Me too."

"We have time for one more."

"You really like losing that much?"

Jim chuckled. "My wife is really going to love you. In fact, I think I'm scared to put you two together. She already runs circles around me."

"As it should be..."

"You're not going to cry when I beat you right?"

"Very funny, but don't quit your day job."

His laughter filled the cab.

"You crack yourself up don't you?" Liz asked. She likes him. He is handsome and has a great sense of humor. She wonders if he is the same age as her dad.

"You have no idea."

Liz beat them one more time and then Jim finally conceded. They got back on the road and headed to his house.

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Gabriel watched his broker hurry into the room.

"What's going on?"

"Suddenly, there's a massive sell off of your stock and there's still a few hours until the market closes."

Gabriel slammed his hand down on his desk, making the man jumped. "Dammit, Garrett. Find out what is causing this before I lose everything."

The man hurried from the room as Gabriel shook with anger. He picked up the phone. "Take down one of their warehouses. I don't care what it takes. I need to inflict some pain." Julian is going down. He is going to pour all his vengeance onto him and make him suffer. He needs to do damage control, but he doesn't even know where to start.

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Jim backed into the lot next to his house. Thank God there are a lot of acres between him and his neighbor. They live out of the way, which he likes because it is a little secluded. There were times they socialized, but he loved the privacy too. "Alright, we're home."

His wife opened the side door to the house and ran down the steps. She is around Elizabeth's height—forty with a blonde bob. Jim opened the door and slipped down to the ground and immediately his arms were filled and she kissed him passionately. After a minute, her lips slightly retreated.

"Now that's the kind of welcome I like." He felt her smile and then hugged her tightly. "I missed you, babe."

"Not as much as I missed you."

Their giant Newfoundland dog is barking up a storm. "Alright Chloe, it's your turn." He dropped to his knees and she almost knocked him over as he hugged her and showed her some love. Laughter filled the air at her exuberance. "Did you miss me girl?" she barked her response. He used the bib around her neck to wipe her mouth. "We have company slobber girl."

The movement in the truck elicited more barking.

"Down girl. They are my friends."

Doreen rushed around the other side of the truck with Chloe hot on her heels and opened the door. "Don't worry. She sounds scary, but she's a big ball of mush once she gets to know you."

Liz smiled and then her eyes grew big. "Emphasis on the big…"

"I'll warn you that she slobbers which is why she wears a bib."

The dog has a gorgeous coat. "I'll trust you that she won't eat me."

"Let me go first," Jason said. He got out and shook Doreen's hand. "Thanks for having us. I'm Jack."

"It's nice to meet you." He certainly is a handsome man. It's hard not to notice.

Jason rubbed Chloe's coat as she knocked into his legs, bumping him a little. "She's strong."

Doreen sighed. "You have no idea. It's like trying to walk a bear, but she's great at keeping me company and making me feel safe while Jim's away."

Jason reached up and helped Elizabeth down. Doreen gave her a hug as they greeted each other and then Chloe knocked her back, forcing Jason to steady her.

"Easy, Chloe. Sit!"

Chloe promptly sat and Elizabeth rewarded her by swiping her back a few times.

"She's beautiful."

"Yeah. You should have seen her as a puppy. I'll have to show you a picture."

Jim walked around with some stuff in his hands.

"Do you need help?" Jason asked.

"No, just grab your bags and follow us."

Jason took them off the front seat and they went into the house. Doreen showed them around and then took them upstairs to their bedroom.

"Thanks for having us."

"It's not a problem."

Jason went to use the bathroom.

"So, you're in trouble?" Doreen asked.

"Yes."

"Well, you're safe here and you don't have to wear that wig."

"You could tell?"

"I do hair, so yes. It's not that bad, but we'll work on it a bit before you leave. I have another one you can wear to switch it up."

Liz didn't know what to say. "I can't believe how nice you and your husband are being to complete strangers."

"I like to pay it forward it. For Jim to let you ride with him, he must have sensed that it was urgent. You don't have to tell us everything. I know it's dangerous, but while you are here, I intend on spoiling you both."

Liz smiled. "Thank you."

Jason came out and Liz slipped inside.

"I know you can't tell me everything, but I really hope that you can protect her."

"I'll do my best."

She grabbed his arm, surprising him, and forced him to sit on the bed. "You dyed this yourself, didn't you?"

He nodded as she clucked her tongue.

"I'm doing your hair in the morning and that's that."

Jason slightly smiled. She is a little fiery and he knows to leave it alone. "Okay."

"Why don't you two freshen up and then come downstairs. I'm cooking dinner, so it should be ready by then."

"Thank you."

Doreen's features softened. "You're welcome."

She left and Elizabeth came out sans the wig.

"She knows."

"Of course she does... I guess I have a salon appointment tomorrow."

Liz chuckled. "That, I have to see. I'm going to take a quick shower."

"Okay."

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Doreen threw her arms around her husband. "What did they tell you?"

"At first, they said they were married, but they aren't."

"Should I ask if they want separate beds?"

A devilish look flashed on his face. "No. They kissed, so I know they like each other. I think they are perfect together."

Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Okay, we'll play it your way. I'm going to fix his hair tomorrow and give her another wig. You think we could talk them into staying an extra day?"

"I don't know. He's a little skittish. The guy that is after them is very dangerous. He almost didn't take me up on my offer. I think he was scared something would happen to us."

"It's not like they would know to look here."

"They'd have to stay hidden just in case someone drove by and you know some of our friends will stop by and want to hang out when they get wind that I'm back."

Doreen sighed. "I feel bad for them."

"Yeah. They are good people."

"You have a big heart which is partly why I seduced you."

Jim laughed. She had seduced him, the little vixen. She stole his heart the second they had met. Not only is she strong and compassionate, but she can bring him to his knees with her cooking. "I love you, babe."

"I love you too."

She got back to cooking while Jim took a shower.

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Julian slammed his phone down. "They took out our main warehouse."

"Shit. Were there any fatalities?" his guard asked.

"No."

Carlos had left to check on things, but it would be quite a while before he could safely come back.

Julian called Sonny.

"I heard about the warehouse. You want to move ahead with the plan?"

"Yes. Plant some more seeds. He has already lost a boatload of money. I need him distracted so he's not focused on coming after me."

"Alright, I'll work with your techs and get it done."

"Any word from them?"

"Not since the last time."

Julian is scared for his daughter. Gabriel is more dangerous than they realized. "Let me know when it's handled." There wasn't much on him. It looked like he had a normal upbringing. His school record was exemplary all the way through. They had tried to dig a little deeper, but people that lived around him just said he was quiet and a little strange, mostly keeping to himself. There weren't many girlfriends and they hadn't been able to find them. Gabriel was a complete enigma.

"You got it."

Julian watched the stock ticker on his screen. Gabriel's stock is hemorrhaging and the man had gotten lucky when the market closed. After a day or two of the other man running for his life, they will leak the insider trading information which will send the rest of his stock into a tailspin. Gabriel thinks he is untouchable, which means his arrogance is his main weakness and Julian plans to utilize it to take him down. He needs his daughter to be safe and nothing is going to stop him from achieving that.

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Doreen watched Elizabeth approach her. "Now that is much better."

"Thanks. It's a relief to take that thing off."

"I'm sure. You two can sit on that side," she said pointing.

She observed as Jason pulled out Elizabeth's chair and sat next to her. For the next five or six minutes, she noticed that Jason always found a way to touch Liz, making sure she was taken care of and it reminded her of her husband. "So, Brenda, what do you do for a living?"

Liz put her beer down. "I'm an artist and run some galleries."

"Wow. That is wonderful."

"I absolutely love it."

"And Jack?"

"I run a coffee warehouse."

Doreen was quite sure there was more to it. There was just a way about Jack that made you wonder what he was thinking and why he scanned the room so much. It was like his senses are on high alert and she guesses he is highly trained and wonders if he has a military background. "You had me at coffee."

Jason smiled.

Jim walked up and put his hand on Jason's shoulder. "You like the beer?"

"I do."

"It's my favorite."

"Liz, why don't you help me for a minute?" Doreen asked.

Liz got up and Jim and Jason began to talk about different breweries.

"He likes you."

Liz blushed a little. "You think?"

"I know. He pays attention to you and dotes. That's a sign of a good man, not to mention, he is quite handsome."

"Yeah, that's hard to miss. Jim told you we weren't married?"

"Yup. It's okay. He understands why you said it. So, have you kissed?"

Liz averted her eyes to where Jason now stood and then back to hers. "Yes."

"Good. He looks like he might be a little work, but I think it would be worth it."

Liz began to make the salad. "He's complicated and has been through a lot. I just feel like I want to make him happy—to show him that he can be."

Doreen turned as she smiled. "That's a good goal. I don't think he'd have a problem returning that sentiment if he let his guard down."

"I hope you're right."

She poured the pasta into a strainer. "I'm good at reading people. Maybe it's because you meet such a variety of them when you do hair. You learn how to sum people up right away and figure them out so you can engage them."

"Is that what you always wanted to do?"

"What? Be a hairdresser?" She thought for a moment. "Actually, I wanted to be a dancer. I took classes and was pretty good, but reality set in and once I graduated, I went to beauty school."

"Do you regret not taking the chance?"

"No. What happened was meant to be and honestly, I may never have met Jim otherwise."

"I like Jim and he has a pretty good voice."

Doreen chuckled. "Don't tell him that, it will go straight to his head. Believe it or not, we have a karaoke machine in the basement. I made him put on a wig and sing Bon Jovi."

Liz laughed. "That, I have to see."

"Shhhhhh, I have a video. I'll show you later."

Liz loves them. They are so down to earth. She quickly finished chopping some tomatoes and cucumber and the salad was complete. Doreen dished out the pasta and then put some vodka sauce over it and handed it to Liz to put on the table, and then she cut up some garlic bread and put it in a bowl. "Dinner's ready!" When she glanced towards the table and saw that Jason and Jim were already sitting down she laughed. "Are you hungry, baby?"

"Starved."

Liz grabbed two plates and put them down and Doreen did the same.

"Alright, does anyone need anything before I sit down?" she asked.

"We're good," Jason said.

They started to eat and Liz slightly moaned. "This is delicious."

"I've been cooking it since yesterday. I love making my own sauce," Doreen said.

"It's really good," Jason said before going in for another bite.

They ate until they were stuffed.

"Whew, I think someone will have to roll me out of here," Jim said dramatically.

Doreen smiled. "Well, you rest and I'll clean."

"No," Jason said. "Please, you cooked."

"Well aren't you a keeper? Fine, you don't have to ask me twice."

Jason grabbed the plates and Jim got up and helped him.

"Are you trying to score points?"

Jason chuckled. "No. I just thought it was right."

"You're making me look bad."

They quickly finished cleaning and putting things away and then rejoined the girls.

"You play pool?" Jim asked.

"Definitely."

"Let's go downstairs."

They grabbed another beer and decided who was on what team.

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Elizabeth is feeling buzzed and it is nice to just kick back and have some fun. They swapped partners and Jason is jealous watching Jim teach Elizabeth, something Doreen noted.

Liz made her first shot and celebrated by doing a little dance which Jim picked up too and Jason and Doreen were cracking up.

"Let's show them how it's done," Doreen said before lining up her shot and making it. She gave Jason a high five. They went back and forth. Jason is about to take a shot and felt a tug and turned and Liz, feeling very saucy, laid a kiss on him as Doreen and Jim laughed. The expression on Jason's face was priceless and he missed the shot, allowing Jim and Elizabeth to win.

"Normally, I would have kicked your ass for that, however I am a sucker for love, so I'll let it slide this time," Doreen said.

Jason gave her a hug. "Sorry."

"As long as you get her back, I'm good."

They played another raucous round as the smack talk got worse. When it was Elizabeth's turn, Doreen leaned over and whispered something to Jason making him grin. Just when she was about to hit the ball, he yanked his shirt up and she scratched.

Doreen almost fell over laughing at Elizabeth's expression. Jason hurried up and took his shot and won before she could react.

"Cheater," Jim said.

"That's how it's really done," Doreen said.

"What the hell Jack? Do you live in a gym?" Jim asked.

Jason shrugged. "It's something I like to do."

"I haven't seen my abs in a decade. I'm convinced they are on permanent vacation."

Liz laughed.

"You look fine baby. I think your love handles are cute."

The dog barked and got up.

"What is it girl?" Jim asked, suddenly sobering up.

There is a loud knock on the door.

"Stay here. Doreen, if necessary, take them to the shelter." They have a survival shelter build underground next to their house and there is a short walk between it and the basement.

Liz moved towards Jason and he met her half way.

Doreen quickly opened the door to the hallway just in case and Jason led Elizabeth to her.

Chloe stayed by her mom as Jim ran upstairs to see who is at the door.