When they came out of Patrick's office the t.v. was off and Jessie was not in the living room. Patrick called out to her but there was no answer.

"You don't think she heard us talking about Sal, do you?" Robert started to see the panic in Patrick's eyes.

Bailey took out his cell phone and called downstairs to one of the agents that were watching the front of Patrick's building. "It's Malone. Has Jessie O'Doyle left the building? Okay. Good. Keep an eye on her." He closed his phone. "Jessie's outside talking to one of your guys...Joey. She doesn't have shoes on, so I don't think she's planning on going anywhere."

Patrick nodded. His panic gone but it was replaced by anger. He was angry that she had left the penthouse without telling anyone...especially him. Anything could have happened. He was glad she was going to the safe-house today. He sat down on the couch and waited.

Jessie walked in fifteen minutes later smiling with a handful of DVDs in her hand.

"Hey, Joey brought us some-" She stopped, noticing the looks she was getting. "What? What happened?"

No one answered but the look on Patrick's face said it all.

"C'mon...it was just a few minutes...downstairs...with Joey. You know, the same Joey you send everywhere with me wherever I go? What's the big deal? You have agents crawling all over this place, right Bailey?"

"Yes, but that doesn't make you leaving without telling anyone okay."

Now Jessie was getting angry. "Leaving? I went outside the lobby to talk to someone! I wasn't bar-hopping and running the streets-"

"That's enough." Patrick stood up. "You have seen first hand what these people are capable of...do you really think they couldn't get to you if they really wanted to? You practically handed yourself over to them. Do you want to end up like Sal? Is that it?"

"No! I'm sorry, okay? It was Joey...he just brought movies... I didn't think-"

"Well, that's part of the problem, Jessie...sometimes you don't think." As he was sitting on the couch, waiting for her to come back, Patrick was thinking about how he was going to get Jessie to leave him behind and go to the safe-house without him. He knew she would try to talk him out of it and eventually he would have given in, it was just too hard not to. He knew the only way was to make her think he was really angry with her. That would break her down...the only way he could get her to listen. He saw the confused look on her face but he tried not to let it get to him. "You're going to the safe-house with John this afternoon. I'll be there Wednesday after Susan's funeral..."

"I wanted to go with you...to say goodbye to Susan. You'll need someone-"

"Bobby's coming with me...and Bailey and Nathan are coming to make sure nothing happens."

"Then why can't I come with you? Dad, I'm sorry...please, I wanna stay here and go with you."

"You're going today...with John."

"All this because I went down to the lobby and didn't tell you!? I'm sorry, okay!? How many times do I have to say it!? I'm not going with John, I'm going with you!"

Patrick could feel his resolve start to give way. He hated seeing her upset. He did the one thing that he knew would really get her attention and quiet her anger. He shouted. "Goddammit, you'll do what I tell you!" He snapped. Jessie visibly winced and he hated himself for it. "You will leave with John today and you will do so without a fuss, do you hear me?! And when you get there you will do whatever they tell you to do, understand? Do you understand me?!"

Jessie nodded keeping her eyes focused on the floor.

"Look at me when you answer me." He almost regretted saying it, because when she looked up at him she had such a confused, hurt look on her face that all he wanted to do was hug her. But he had to see her face. He had to make sure he had gotten through. He did.

"Yes, I understand." She said quietly.

"Good. Go pack your things...you'll leave when John's ready."

"Dad-"

"Go now, Jessie."

"I'm sorry." Her voice was barely a whisper as she walked past him and went upstairs to her room.

"You had to Pat, it was the only way. She'll be okay. Jessie will understand ... you did what you had to."

"I don't even understand it, Bobby. I'll be in my room if you need me before the wake."

"That was hard for him," Robert said when Patrick was out of sight.

"I know. They can work it out in a couple days though."


"Where is everybody?" John called out as he walked through the penthouse door and didn't see or hear anyone.

Bailey came from Patrick's office. "Hey, John. Find out anything?"

"Nothing...it's like these guys literally crawled out of the woodwork." He looked around. "Where's everyone else?"

"Robert's lying down in one of the guest rooms. Jessie's upstairs and Patrick is in his room."

"Is everyone okay? Did something happen?"

"Patrick told Jessie she was going to the safe-house with you this afternoon and to get her to do it he was a little rough."

A flash of anger passed through John's eyes. "He didn't hit her or anything-"

"No, no...nothing like that. He had to get angry with her...there was just a lot of yelling." He motioned for John to sit down on the couch as he sat in the chair across from it. "There's something you should know...Patrick had Sal kill your Grandfather and make it look like natural causes."

"I know...well I figured out as much anyway. Jessie told me about Grandfather hitting her and that Sal found out about it. When she told me Grandfather died the same night Sal found out about the abuse...well I knew he went right to Patrick and they took care of him."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I understand why they did it, Bailey, I might've done the same thing...I know what it was like to be around him."

"Patrick didn't keep him from beating you."

"He wasn't the same man...they're my family, Bailey, I have to protect them now."

"Well if you can pretend you didn't hear that particular story...I guess I can too."

"Thanks, Bail. I'm gonna go check on Jessie.."

"We'll be leaving in an hour for the wake, so you and Jessie can leave soon after. I'm gonna call George and see how things are going over there."


"Hey why the sour face?" John asked poking his head in Jessie's room. "You look like this..." He scrunched his eyebrows together and stuck his bottom lip out.

Jessie couldn't help but smile. "I don't look like that."

"Okay, not quite like that, but it's close. What's up?" He sat on the side of the bed next to her.

"Nothing...just waiting for you. We're going to a safe-house right?"

"Jess, what's wrong?"

"Dad...he's mad at me. I went down to the lobby to see Joey...they were in his office talking...I just went for a few minutes...I didn't think it was a big deal...he was so mad...I didn't mean it...to make him mad like that."

"It's just the circumstances, Jess. He's under a lot of stress and he's scared that something may happen to you."

"He asked me if I wanted to end up like Sal..."

"Stop thinking about it, okay. He's not really mad at you, I promise. He feels just as bad as you do." He hated that Patrick brought Sal into it. Sal's death was still an open wound for her. "Hey, we have some time before we have to go, let's watch a movie or something, okay? You need to get out of your head."

"Okay, but we'll watch it up here...in the den."

"Fair enough. What're we watching?"

"Have you seen 16 Blocks?"

"No. Who's in it?"

"Bruce Willis-"

"Enough said. Let's go."

An hour into the movie Patrick, Robert, and Bailey came upstairs to tell John and Jessie they were leaving for the wake.

"George has new cell phones for everyone, so after you get there that will be the only way we communicate. You know the drill...you're in charge until I get there Wednesday afternoon. We'll check in with each other regularly...every two hours."

"Every two hours, got it. We'll leave after the movie. I'll take care of everything, Bailey, don't worry."

"I wasn't." Bailey smiled.

"I'll call you tonight, okay?" Patrick said, hoping Jessie would look at him.

"Yeah, okay." She was concentrating hard on her socks. Noticing they were dirty from walking outside earlier, she made a mental note to change them before she and John left.

"I'll see you Wednesday, right after the funeral. Hey, can your old man get a hug?...since I won't see you for a couple days."

Jessie looked up at him and nodded. A small smile escaping her lips. She stood up an walked into Patrick's embrace.

"I'll call as soon as I get home. I love you, Jess."

"I'm sorry. I-"

"It's alright, don't worry about it." He tightened the hug and then let her go as he kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too, Dad."

As the three men were leaving Jessie called out to Bailey.

"Bailey, take care of my Dad and Robert."

"I will. We'll see you in two days." Bailey told her and the three men left.

Jessie sat back down next to John. She could feel him looking at her.

"You have the remote...hit play."

John elbowed her, grinning from ear to ear. "Told ya, he really wasn't mad."

"Bite me." She tried to hide her own smile.

"Nice," John said laughing, then seriously. "Told ya." He elbowed her again.

"Yeah, yeah." Jessie grinned happily, she couldn't help it. "C'mon let's finish the movie." She took the remote from him and pushed play.


TBC...