AN: Apologies, I've not had the chance to thank all my reviewers individually for their comments on the previous chapter or replied to PMs/emails as yet. Been a very busy week and even though it is 2AM here, I had to get this chapter out (long weekend so no work today).

This one's dedicated to "EKWTSM9", "Brircoch" and "Shergar" - Happy Birthday!

Tanith


Our love is the price we've paid
And just like a fading dream...
It's slippin' away

"More than we Bargained for" by John Bongiovi (aka Jon Bon Jovi)


Chapter 5

Two men stepped out of the shadows as a black Pontiac pulled up at the pier. One of the men lit a cigarette as they waited for the driver of the car to step out.

Whitney Holden exited his vehicle then slipped his hand into the inside pocket of his leather jacket and drew out a thick envelope as he approached the two thugs.

"You made it, rich boy," said the taller of the two men. He held his hand out for the envelope.

Whitney slapped the package into the thug's outstretched hand. "That's all I owe you."

"Is that what you think?" the man leered at Whitney then laughed mirthlessly. "Hey Sid, that's not how we work, now, is it?" He tossed the envelope to his accomplice.

"Nope. Maybe you oughta teach him another lesson, Johnnie" Sid suggested, opening the envelope and quickly checking to see that the cash looked to be the agreed amount.

"Look, when I first came to you with the job, we agreed on a price…" Whitney protested but was cut short by Johnnie who raised his voice and stepped forward threateningly.

"That's right! You came to us. Now, we ain't dumb. We did ourselves a little research and came up with a new price. The way we figure it is, you and daddy dearest are going to earn yourselves a nice fortune out of our neighbourhood and what you were giving us was just pocket money."

"What do you want from me?" Whitney demanded heatedly.

"For our services?" Johnnie rubbed his chin. "Oh, I think we're squared up. As for the matter of keeping our mouths shut? Well, that's something else altogether."

"If you tell the cops, your gang's finished!" Whitney countered.

"We'll start over in a new city. Don't you worry 'bout that. You on the other hand? You and your rich daddy have a lot more to lose."

"Who're the police gonna believe? You?" Whitney scoffed.

"Sid, show him the photos."

Sid produced a number of photographs from the pocket of his trench coat and threw them on the ground at Whitney's feet.

A look of fear passed over Whitney's eyes as he picked up the incriminating photos. They showed him meeting up with Johnnie and Sid at various occasions. "You're bluffing. Those pictures don't mean anything."

"Then why are you so worried? The cops will put two and two together. I can already see the headlines: Holdens consorting with well-known crime figures as their fortune goes up in flames over suspected racketeering. Wait, I have another: Corporate tycoons arrested for illegally coercing residents to sell out."

"You send those to the cops and you'll go to prison when they find out what you did," Whitney threatened.

"So will you. Difference is, I got guys on the inside so it don't worry me. Sid and I'll do two to five, minimum security at most, and be out on the streets again. You on the other hand, well, you'll be the Belle of the ball with that face, pretty boy." Johnnie laughed. "And your father? How long you think he'll last? He's already an old man and I doubt prison life will agree with him. Oh and I hear you got yourself engaged. Wonder what your sweetheart think? You know, maybe Sid and I have been thinking about giving her a test drive." Johnnie laughed out loud.

"You son of a bitch! You Leave her out of this!" Whitney growled. He swung his fist into Johnnie's face.

Johnnie dropped his cigarette and was spun on his heel from the force of the blow.

Sid moved forward ready to pummel Holden Junior but Johnnie's hand held him at bay. "It's alright. I probably owed him that. But the next one's gonna cost him." Johnnie wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'll be in touch, rich boy. Let's go, Sid. It's getting' a little rank here."

Johnnie grabbed Sid by the sleeve of his leather jacket and pulled him away.

Whitney looked down at the photographs in his hand then headed back to his car and rummaged in the glove compartment for his lighter. He needed to destroy the pictures. Of course, Johnnie probably made more copies, he thought angrily. He flicked the lighter and watched the flames catch the corners of the photos.


Mike and Steve helped Jeannie collect the empty cartons left from dinner and though Mike wished he could spend more time catching up with his daughter, his workload was creeping up on him. Jeannie spared her father from having to end their evening by suggesting she take Steve home so that he needn't have to pick up Mike late in the night.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Mike gave Jeannie a kiss on the cheek and bade the two of them a good night, adding that Steve had no excuse to not be up bright and early because he should have plenty of sleep.

Like a true gentleman, Steve opened the doors for Jeannie as they left the bureau together. He could barely keep his eyes off her the whole time and he was thankful that Jeannie was too busy talking to notice.

The drive to Steve's place was spent talking about Jeannie's car as she had some concerns over the way it was stalling on occasion.

"I know a guy who can take a look at this baby for you. I'll give him a call in the morning and ask him if he can swing by sometime this week," Steve offered.

"Thanks, Steve, that'll be great!" Jeannie said as she pulled up along the curb at the front of Steve's drive-way.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime."

Steve wasn't sure whether he should give her a hug or a kiss goodnight. Things just seemed to have gotten so awkward since Jeannie announced her engagement.

Jeannie broke the momentary silence with a laugh, "Steve, would you like me to walk you to your door?"

Steve blushed and let out a nervous chuckle. "No, I think I can manage. Good night, Jeannie."

"Goodnight, Steve," Jeannie beamed and locked eyes with Keller.

The moment between them passed when the rock on Jeannie's finger sparkled as the multi-faceted gem caught the light cast by the street lamp outside while she rested her hand on the steering wheel. Once again, Steve was reminded of what he had lost. He cleared his throat and broke eye contact. "Guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah, guess you will." A hint of regret entered Jeannie's voice but she tried to hide it with a smile as she brushed away a strand of loose hair and hooked it behind her ear.

Steve gave Jeannie one last wave after he shut the passenger door and walked up the drive-way to the stairs.

Jeannie waited until Steve had unlocked the front door then beeped the horn and turned the key in the ignition. Rather than roaring to life, the engine sounded rather choked and after several attempts getting the car started, Jeannie gave up. "Great." With a heavy sigh, Jeannie popped the hood and exited the car.

Steve, who had expected to hear Jeannie tearing down the street, looked out the window and noticed the car hadn't moved. The hood was up and Jeannie was leaning over looking rather lost. He opened the front door and jogged down the steps to give the college girl a hand.

"Need some help?" Steve called out.

Jeannie laughed in embarrassment. "Sure. I don't even know what to look for."

"Here, let me try," Steve offered.

Unable to identify what the trouble was, Steve suggested that she leave her car at his place and his mechanic friend can take a better look in the morning. "Okay, let's get you home."

"I'm so sorry, Steve. I feel like an idiot. I should've taken the car to the shop last week when I first noticed there was something wrong."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm glad it decided to give out here and not some highway."

Steve drove Jeannie home in his Porsche and even walked her up the steps to her front door despite her insisting he really didn't have to. She thanked him again and this time she leaned forward, put her arms around his neck, reached up and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Good night. Again." She giggled.

Caught up in the moment, Steve wrapped his arms around Jeannie and held her until he felt her arms slide down his shoulders and knew that sadly it was time he let her go. Just like a fading dream, he could feel her slipping away from him and he felt powerless to stop it.

Steve waited until Jeannie was safely locked inside the house before he returned to his car and made the journey back home, not realizing that he was being followed.


After his confrontation with Johnnie and Sid, Whitney had decided that the night was still young and he felt unsettled by Johnnie's last words to him. He needed to see that Jeannie was safe and sound. He had tried to call her but no one answered the phone at her father's place. Worried that something may have happened to her, he drove over to the Stone residence only to see a familiar looking Porsche pull up outside the property. He slowed to a stop and watched at a safe distance as two people exited the car. Even though it was dark, he could make out that the guy was Keller and his passenger had to be Jeannie. She was dressed up with her hair done and looked to be laughing and enjoying the company she was in. Whitney gripped the steering wheel tighter and ground his teeth together as he continued to spy on the couple. The green-eyed monster reared its ugly head when he saw them with their arms around each other and from his angle it looked like they had shared a kiss. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. How could she? And how dare Keller put his hands on his girl! Whitney waited until Steve got into his car and drove away. He decided to follow the Inspector and think of some ways in which he could teach him a lesson. No one steals from the Holdens and gets away with it. No one tries to steal my girl. No one.