CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

August 30, 1978

Jessica felt blank. It had been a very long time since she'd heard a gun fire, and it had never come directly at her. Shaken by the memories she'd left a decade and a few thousand miles behind her, she wasn't paying attention to where they were going. Instead, she hunched over her knees, carefully picking the glass out of her hair, and tried like hell to pull herself together.

As if it wasn't enough to be experiencing shellshock in the backseat of a car where the rear window had been shot out, she couldn't quite ignore the fact that her loser ex-husband and the newly-informed father of her children were sitting side by side in front of her. Face was calm, as though running for his life hadn't even fazed him. Paulie was drunk - or high, or both - and rambling incoherently. Thankfully, Face didn't seem to be listening. Jessica wished she was as good at blocking out the noise.

"Gotta go get Cheryl," the man muttered. "Owes me money, yes she does. Got the good stuff. He didn't want any but we talked it out. I'm a good talker, me. Good at working things out, making it good."

As they pulled into the parking lot of the familiar little bar, Jessica looked around uneasily, noting the distinct absence of a big black van. "Where... uh...?" she stammered, watching Face to gauge just how worried he might be.

Face gave her no feedback whatsoever. There was a pickup truck parked relatively near the pay phone. He pulled in alongside it. As the car stopped and the engine cut out, Paulie took a good look around. Suddenly, his eyes went wide with fear and he tried to throw himself out the passenger side door. It might have worked if the door hadn't still been locked. As it was, he couldn't figure out how to unlock it and merely thrashed against it a few times before spinning around and backing up, away from Face.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice trembling. "What do you want?" With panicked, darting glances, he looked back and forth from Jessica to Face. "What's this about?"

Perfectly impassive, Face leaned back and stared out the window, leaving the keys in the ignition. "You've got a lot of people really unhappy with you, Paulie," he observed dryly.

Anticipating the threat Face hadn't actually made, Paulie looked as though he might burst into tears. "Oh, come on man," he pleaded with a weak sob. "Don't do this, man... I... I can pay you!"

That was all it took. Jessica was jerked out of her shellshock so fast, she nearly got whiplash. "Pay him?" she demanded as the anger welled up inside of her. Face said nothing as she sat forward, demanding the doped-up man's attention. "What are you gonna pay him with, Paulie? Your good looks?"

Face glanced back at him, brow raised, but said nothing. Paulie's eyes were shifting in every direction, wide with panic. "I uh..."

Suddenly, she wanted to throttle him. This man - this stupid, blubbering mistake she'd idiotically fallen in love with once upon a time - had cost her house, her children's security and everything they owned, and had nearly cost her life! She'd spent the better part of the past year beating herself up over making the bed she was now forced to lie in, but at least she had the sense to realize when enough was enough. She'd gotten out - run screaming, in fact, and paid dearly for the freedom to walk away from the leech. Divorce settlement had left her with only debts, in spite of her long hours at work. She'd started brand new, from scratch, and resolved that at least he was out of her life. But enough was never enough for him; his mouth ran with new promises he couldn't fulfill and excuses that would shift the blame to everyone else as he replayed the same damn mistakes over and over again. This time, she hadn't fallen for it and she still was the one to pay!

She suddenly realized she would put a bullet in his head herself if she thought it would solve anything. For her sake, for her children's, and maybe for his own, he needed to just curl up and die.

"They blew up my house!" she yelled as the fury spilled over. "They could've killed us all!"

Paulie's expression changed slowly from fear to shock and finally, sympathy. "Aw, Jessie, I'm sorry..."

Her blood boiled at the sound of that childlike tone - the one that had made her want to believe, so many times, that he really was sorry. But she'd played that game to death, and she wasn't doing it again. "You're real sorry until I fix it," she shot back. "Then you'll go right back out and do it again!"

"Aw, that's not true, baby," he moaned.

Jessica growled audibly. If she'd had a better angle, she would've slapped him. "Don't you fucking dare 'baby' me!" she warned. "As far as they were concerned, they owned my house. It was theirs to do with as they wanted. You bet it at the tables, remember?"

He shifted uncomfortably, glazed eyes wandering as if in search for a suitable excuse. "I just... I needed something to play with." He laughed tensely. "That deed wasn't even any good."

This time, Jessica couldn't hold back. She vaulted into the front seat, flailing at him, and he ducked behind his arms as he struggled to avoid the awkward blows. "You bastard!" she yelled, only vaguely aware that Face was trying to push her back again. "You bastard, I hope they kill you!"

"Enough!" Face finally interrupted, grabbing her shoulder and shoving her into the backseat.

She fell back, breathing hard, fists still shaking as she trembled with unspent energy. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Face watching her as if she'd just grown a second head, waiting for her to pounce again. When she didn't, he finally turned to the moron in the passenger seat.

"The fact is, Paulie," Face accused with far more control to his anger than Jessica could manage at the moment, "somebody feels you owe them money. And they'll take it out of anyone who means anything to you."

"And even some of us who don't," Jessica snapped.

Peering out from behind his arms, Paulie stared at her, struck. "That's... That's a horrible thing to say, Jessie! Are you implying that I would... that I don't care about you?"

She lunged again, but Face cut her off with an arm to block the space between the seats. "Sit!" he ordered with an authoritative glare.

"My kids," she growled at Paulie, ignoring Face, "who mean everything in the world to me, are homeless. They've lost all their toys, all their things, their rooms - everything I've worked and slaved to give them - so you could play a fucking card game!"

To his credit, Face didn't try to shut her up. He gave her a few well-earned minutes to deliver the long-overdue verbal lashing her monster of an ex-husband deserved. Things she hadn't even realized she remembered - or cared about - tumbled out of her mouth in a flurry of anger. As he absorbed the darts, managing to get a weak protest in every few sentences, Face eventually turned away, staring out the window as she filled the air with vitriol.

Finally, she was spent. Somewhere along the line, furious tears had begun to leak from her eyes and she wiped them away roughly as she took a few breaths and composed herself. Paulie was still looking at her like a kicked puppy, but that was nothing new. He'd wear that look right up until he went back to the tables for his next fix.

"So what happens now?" she finally asked, casting a long look at Face. "We wait?"

He glanced at her in the rearview mirror, but seemed deep in thought. "We wait," he agreed. "Unless either of you know where they might have taken Hannibal and BA."

"I haven't a clue," she replied, impressed by her level of calm control.

At least, until Paulie opened his mouth again. "What are we doing here?" he asked nervously. "This ain't a good place to stop. There's bad people here."

"No shit?" Jessica snapped, feeling the anger rise up in her again. Paulie opened his mouth to respond, but she didn't give him the chance. "It's just a bar, Paulie. The people there are just as friendly as the ones in the next bar unless you've done something to piss them off!"

Finally gaining the slightest bit of self-dignity, and probably coming down off of his high, Paulie frowned at her. "You know, Jessie, I've had about enough of your subtle accusations," he challenged weakly.

"Subtle?" she repeated in horror. God, he deserved another slap! "Face, was I being subtle?"

Face put his hands up in surrender, then turned his attention once again to staring out the window at the payphone. Clearly, he wanted to stay out of this. That was probably for the best.

"Let me be a little less subtle, Paulie!" Jessica yelled, re-energized by the moment of rest and feeling the adrenaline surge all over again. "I want to make sure you get this!"

The faintest hint of defiance Paulie had managed melted immediately back into his "I'm so sorry, don't be mad" look as she flew into another furious assault on his character.

Dec 7, 1968

Face's blood was racing, thoughts a blur as adrenaline, exhaustion, and pleasure all mixed and mingled, sweeping over and through him. Catalina screamed in ecstasy as she arched up once more, then collapsed, gasping, back on the bed. Face dropped his head to her shoulder. His heart was racing, and he was dizzy. It took him several full minutes to find coherent thought again.

"{Are you alright?}" he asked with a smile.

She laughed softly. "{Perfectly.}"

Shifting carefully, he lay down beside her, kissing her shoulder once more as he breathed deep. The air conditioned hotel room was a pleasant reprieve from the heat and humidity outside. And as the tension slowly drained from his body, relaxing every muscle, a quiet, satisfied smile crept across his lips.

"{So what did you really come to talk to my father about?}"

Face raised a brow, and tipped his head up until he caught her gaze. "{What do you mean?}"

She laughed softly. "{You heard me.}" She traced his jaw with one manicured fingertip. "{What diabolical scheme are you planning in that twisted mind of yours?}"

He couldn't help but laugh. "{I somehow feel that I should be very insulted by that.}"

"{Only if it's not true,}" she smirked back at him.

He paused for a long moment, then reached a hand up to brush her dark hair back from her forehead. "{Who owns that Cadillac that was parked out front? Is that your father's?}"

She laughed loudly. "{You want my father's car?}"

"{No, I don't want to keep it.}" He smiled, tracing her lips with the tip of his finger. "{Just... borrow it. For a few hours.}"

"{He is very protective of that car, Templeton. He only got it three weeks ago. It's pretty, no?}"

"{Gorgeous.}" Face hesitated, running a finger down her throat, and further, between her breasts.

She eyed him carefully. "{What do you want it for?}"

Face paused, considering his words carefully. "{I have a new client that I'm meeting tonight,}" he finally whispered. "{One whom I'd like to impress.}" He watched his hand with lazy interest as he trailed up to the peak of her breast, circling her nipple teasingly. "{I can't think of anything more impressive than showing up in a beautiful car with Mr. Tao's beautiful daughter at my side.}"

She smiled knowingly. "{Yes, it would make a statement.}"

"{I'll make it worth your while,}" he promised, meeting her eyes again. A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "{You know I'm good for it.}"

"{Indeed,}" she whispered back as she reached up to touch the side of his face. "{You are good for a lot of things.}"

"{Does that mean you'll help me?}"

She sighed. "{Sadly, Templeton, I have a prior engagement tonight.}"

Even better. He hesitated as she stroked his cheek lightly, long enough for an adequate feign of disappointment.

"{It is too bad, too. I would have enjoyed very much to spend the evening with you.}"

"{Perhaps another night,}" he suggested.

"{I would love that. How long do you expect to be in the area?}"

"{I don't know,}" Face admitted. It was probably the first honest thing he'd said all day. "{But I'm sure we can work something out.}"

He paused for a long moment, and glanced at her, locking gazes again. "{I don't suppose you would consider putting in a good word for me with your father anyways? For the car? Tonight?}"

Catalina considered it for a moment, then shrugged. "{I don't know how successful I will be. But my father does speak very highly of you. Perhaps if you come with me...}"

Face smiled. "{Of course.}"