Man...

Eighteen

Tori didn't really remember falling asleep. One moment, she was looking at the little area guide book she'd found in the inn room, then next moment she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She rolled over and blinked up at Jade. "Oh. Jesus. Did I conk out?"

Jade sat down on the bed next to her. "Apparently." She smoothed Tori's hair back and felt her forehead. It was cool. "Might have been better if I'd stayed here and joined you."

"Uh oh." Tori gazed up at her, seeing the turmoil in Jade's expression. "Now what?

"DeSalliers."

"Again? What the hell is it with that guy?"

Jade collapsed next to Tori and spread her arms out across the covers. "He's a self absorbed, megalomaniacal moron."

"Well, yeah, but besides that."

"He and one of his goons chased me down on the way to the boat. He still thinks we're part of this stupid game he's playing."

"Chased you down?" Tori sat right up, wide awake, her eyes going big and round.

"Easy, slugger." Jade drawled, faintly amused at the always surprising ferociousness Tori displayed on her behalf. "Yeah, we yelled at each other, and he left." She sighed. "Problem is, he also hinted that he'd run into friends of ours, and they'd gotten hurt." She lifted her phone. "I left a message for Bud, but there's no answer on the line."

"Yikes." Tori became concerned. "Jade, this isn't funny. I think it's time we called in the cops."

Jade nodded. "Me, too." She said. "I stopped by the police station on the way up here."

"And?" Tori settled back down next to her.

"It's Christmas Day." Jade gave her a wry look. "There was only one man in the place, and he was cleaning it. I think the rest of them are out on patrol." She paused. "At least, I hope so."

"Crap." Tori frowned. "Is there anyone else we can call?"

"All the US offices are closed." Jade drummed her fingers on the covers. "I don't know if there is anything we can do before tomorrow. I wish Bud would call me though. "

"Stupid jerk."

Jade's eyebrows lifted. "He's not that bad."

"I meant DeSalliers." Tori scowled. "Should we go back to Bud and Charlie's island? What about Rufus?" She eased over onto her side. "Jade, this sucks."

"I know." Jade gazed at the ceiling, considering. "We could go back there, but what if they didn't? It's a big ocean, and there's dozens of islands around here."

Tori sighed. "No, it sucks because damn it, I wanted to celebrate your birthday with you tonight." She complained, plucking at the fabric underneath her . "God, that sound so selfish, doesn't it?" A faint laugh was forced out of her.

Jade reached over and scrubbed Tori's back with her fingertips. "Nah."

"Urmph." Tori arched her neck. "Yes, it does." She grumbled.

"Well." Jade snuggled closer, and nuzzled the side of Tori's face. "It's on my behalf, so you're excused."

Tori slid her arms around Jade's body and drew her closer, detecting a hint of wood smoke on her clothes. She tucked her head into Jade's shoulder and exhaled, simply wanting the comfort of her lover's presence.

Jade was more than glad to oblige. She gently rubbed Tori's lower back while she gazed at the ceiling, trying to figure out what to do next. It was almost dark outside, and with only the dim bed light on, the room settled into a peaceful twilight.

So quiet, that Jade's cell phone going off nearly caused both of them to jump right off the bed. "Shit." Jade scrabbled for the ringing cell. She flipped it open and held it to her ear. "Yes?"

Tori put her head back down on Jade's shoulder, willing her heart to stop trying to climb out her ears. She'd been half asleep, in that hazy place just before you went completely out, and her body was feeling a sense of shock at being jerked so rudely out of it.

"Yes." Jade's voice was serious. "All right. We'll be right over." She folded the phone up and set it on the bed, letting out a long breath.

"What is it?" Tori asked.

"Charlie." Jade murmured, after a moment. "He's in the hospital, here, on St. Thomas." She turned her head and looked at Tori. "It's not pretty."

Tori could easily have lived her entire life without seeing another hospital. She gave Jade's side a pat, and hitched herself up on an elbow. "Let's get going, then." She said. "Like it or not, we're buying into this, aren't we?"

Jade sat up. "Looks like it. Yeah." She got up off the bed and clipped the phone to her waist band. "You can stay here if you want, Tor. If you're not feeling well, no sense in both of… ah."

Tori had gotten up and was running her brush through her hair. "Sweetie, if I can't spend the night with you in that bed, then I'll take what I can get." She tossed the brush to Jade. "Besides, I like Charlie. I hope he's okay."

Jade brushed her hair, hoping the very same thing.

The hospital was busy. It was a relatively small set of buildings, not far from the town they'd been staying in. Jade lead the way inside and they went to the front desk. Giving Charlie's name, they were directed upstairs.

Exiting onto the third floor, Jade spotted Bud near the end of the hall. She called out in a low voice, and he turned, closing the cell phone he'd been talking into and walking towards them.

Tori drew in a breath. Bud's face was half covered with an ugly bruise, though he appeared oblivious of it. His shirt was ripped, exposing his shoulder, and the back of one hand was scraped raw.

"What happened?" Jade asked quietly.

Bud looked up and down the corridor, then motioned them over to a bank of chairs. He sat down in one, and let his elbows rest on his knees. He studied the floor as Jade took a seat next to him. "You ever hear of something being too stupid for the Navy?"

Jade stifled a wry chuckle. "Heard that around my house growing up a time or two, yeah."

"Well." Bud's voice was very soft. "I done something too stupid for the Navy." He glanced at the back of his hand. "I stuck my mug someplace it didn't belong, and got Charlie hurt for it."

His pain was very evident. Tori settled in the chair on the other side of him, and put a hand on his back, rubbing it sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

"Not half as I am." Bud said. "And you know, it kicks my ass to admit being this stupid." He turned his head and regarded Jade. "Shoulda taken you up on your offer. Worst that'd caused is givin me a week's heartburn."

Jade managed a relatively sympathetic look. "What'd you get into?"

Bud appeared to struggle with himself for a moment longer, then he shook his head. "That damn kid offered us a chunk of change to go on and dive that site. We did."

"The wreck?" Tori asked. "The kid.. you mean, Bob?"

Bud nodded. "It was a dark dive, get in, get out… didn't seem too dangerous to me. No big deal." He said. "They caught us out there, but we got on the boat and headed out."

"They followed you?" Jade hazarded.

"Chased our asses all the way back here." Bud nodded. "We didn't want to go back home." He exhaled. "They caught us." His eyes lifted towards a set of doors. "They had pipes and bats. Charlie's got a busted kidney. He couldn't get away from them, cause of his leg and I…"

"Stayed with him." Tori said.

"Something like that, yeah." Bud admitted. "That pissant kid ran. Left us there, and took the boat."

Tori's eyes narrowed. "That skunk."

Jade rubbed her temple. "How much did he offer you?" She asked quietly.

"Doesn't really matter." Bud muttered.

"HOW MUCH." It was amazing how much force Jade could project in her voice, without raising its volume.

Bud blinked. "Ten grand. Why?"

"That what the nut is on your place?"

Bud nodded.

Jade checked her watch, then dialed a number on her phone. She waited for it to connect, then she started punching in numbers, leaning back and concentrating on what she was doing.

"So, how is Charlie?" Tori asked.

Bud turned his eyes from Jade's simmering form. "He got hit all over. They ripped his prosthesis off. Belted him in the kidney. That's the bitch. He's had problems with that one."

Jade tapped him on the knee. "This place taken care of?" She indicated the hospital.

Bud straightened. "I ain't looking for no handout." He snapped at her. "We're fine."

Jade leaned closer to him and narrowed her eyes. "If I have to, I can dial into this place and find out if you've got insurance or not. So just answer the damn question and don't give me a hard time."

Bud's eyes dropped.

"That's what I thought." Jade stood up. "Okay. I've had it. That stupid mother bastard DeSalliers is so damned convinced I'm a part of this, he's gonna get what he asked for." She put her hands on her hips. "Can we see Charlie?"

Bud looked like the subject changes were giving him whiplash. He put his hand on his jaw. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good." Jade said. "You got a place to stay out here?"

Bud shook his head.

"Rufus taken care of?"

"Yeah. He's staying with a buddy."

Tori pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket and got up, heading for a nearby pay phone. "I'll call the hotel." She told Jade. "You want me to start calling around to find our friend Bob?"

"Wait till we get back to the room." Jade told her. "I need my laptop."

Bud looked between the two of them, a little taken aback. "What are you doing?"

"We." Tori told him, covering the mouthpiece of the phone. "Are doing what we do." She glanced at Jade's fierce expression, then went back to the phone. "Yes? Yes. We have a room, I know. I'd like a second one."

Jade waited for Tori to finish. They entered the room where Charlie was, walking quietly into the softly blinking machinery that surrounded him.

Jade closed her eyes. The beating her friend had taken was hideous. DeSalliers, you bastard. You don't know what you just stirred up. She laid her hands on the iron rails, and gazed at Charlie's battered form. "Hey."

His eyes were mere slits. But they opened a little on seeing Jade.

Bud gently clasped his hands around Charlie's, chafing them. "Called in the Marines, Punky."

A faint hint of a smile pulled at Charlie's lips. "So I See."

"Take it easy." Jade leaned on the rails. "I'm in charge now, and I make the rules." She said. "They giving you good drugs?"

Charlie nodded slightly.

"Good." Jade wrote her cell phone number on a pad sitting on the small bedside table. "You need anything, call." She put the pen down. "I'm going to see the desk when I go out. You'll get taken care of."

"B.." Bud straightened.

Jade just looked at him. Bud subsided, with a tired sigh. "I've got a wire transfer coming in tomorrow." Jade went on. "We'll get your Uncle Guido taken care of, then I'm gonna go after DeSalliers."

"What are you gonna do?" Bud asked.

"Find out the truth first. Then I'm gonna give him exactly what he asked for." Jade said. "You staying here for a while" She asked Bud.

Bud nodded.

"Inn at Blackbeard's Castle. We've got a room for you." Jade told him.

Charlie made a muffled sound that was suspiciously like laughter.

"You hush." Bud growled at him. "I can stay right here."

Tori leaned over and gave Charlie's arm a squeeze. "Chase him out, okay?"

Charlie nodded, still chuckling. "Runnin some tests or suchlike on me. Checking my guts out." He explained. "Hell, if they get their asses done, I'll drag him over there m'self." His bruised eyes went to Jade's face. "Damned if you don't' sound just like your daddy."

Jade straightened. "Thanks." She gave him a gracious nod. "C'mon, Tor. Let's go light some fires."

Tori's eyebrows went up. So did Bud and apparently Charlie's, but it was hard to tell.

Jade cocked her head. "What?"

Tori circled the bed and took Jade's arm. "You can light my fires anytime, honey." She assured Jade. "But you don't' need to brag about it."

Jade opened her mouth to answer, and saw the smirks. She closed her jaw, and gathered her dignity, sweeping it around her like a cloak as she followed Tori's lead out of the room.

Bud glared at the door for a minute, then he released a sigh. "Son of bitch, I hated doing that."

"Buddy, Buddy, Buddy…" Charlie squeezed his hand. "She's a friend, yeah?"

Bud stared at the bleached linen.

"We got any other friends who'd do what she's doing?"

"It twists my shorts." Bud ground out. "I ain't a charity case!"

"Bud." Charlie's voice gentled, and he stroked Bud's cheek. "For her, it ain't charity." He said. "She's Navy. She's family. That runs deep, you know it. If anyone from back then asked, and we could – wouldn't we do it?"

"Almost anyone." Bud muttered. "But…" He slumped a little. "Yeah."

Charlie ruffled his hair affectionately. "Well, then they gotta let me outta here, cause damned if I ain't gonna stay with you in Blackbeard's Inn."

Tori put the phone down into its cradle, and closed the room service menu. Jade was seated across from her with her laptop open on her lap, its cellular antennae poking up along the side. "Hey, sweetie?"

"Uh?" Jade looked up, blinking at her.

"Could I bribe you to do that from here?" Tori patted the bed next to her.

"Sure." Jade got up and carried the laptop with her, dropping down onto the bed and waiting, as Tori fluffed the pillow up behind her. She leaned back and was rewarded with not only a backrest, but body pillow that propped up her arm and twined between her legs. "What'd ya order?"

"It's a surprise." Tori put her head down on Jade's shoulder and examined the screen. "What's that?"

"Police reports." Jade scanned them. "Not that I really know what I'm looking at. I need a lawyer."

"Sorry." Tori stifled a yawn. "Though, that was actually one of the acceptable alternative careers my family would have allowed me." She reviewed the cryptic comments on the screen. "They were hedging their bets. I think they knew Shelby wasn't going to cut it."

Jade rubbed the side of her thumb against the laptop, trying to imagine Tori as a lawyer. "What kind of lawyer would you have been?" She asked curiously.

"No kind." Tori informed her. "I never even considered it." She scrolled with the thumb pad and clicked. "First thing I wanted to be was a fireman."

Jade held back a chuckle. "That shoulda told them something."

"Mm." Tori did chuckle softly. "Yeah, now that I think about it." She agreed. "Then I wanted to be a research scientist, but I realized in high school that I didn't have the aptitude for it." She clicked again. "Then I found computers, and went.. ah hah!"

"Ah hah." Jade examined the screen. It was a complaint filing, apparently by Bob's grandmother, at the time of his grandfather's death. In the stark, impersonal language used by the police, the complaint involved the woman feeling that Bob's uncle had somehow been involved in the sinking, and detailing why.

Threats, apparently, had been made. The police had not been impressed, and merely had noted the complaint along with the comment that the woman had been extremely 'emotional' when it had been taken.

"Hm." Jade drummed her fingertips on the laptop keyboard. "What do you think?"

"Well." Tori exhaled. "At least it wasn't just some bs story Bob made up on his own." She said. "Which does not excuse him from skunkhood for leaving Bud and Charlie behind."

"Mm. Think you can find him? Where do you figure – he went back to St. Richard?"

Tori rolled over and squiggled across the bed, reaching for the island directory. The squiggling intrigued Jade, who enjoyed it as she squiggled on back and opened the book. "I'm betting he's here in St. Thomas." She said. "It's bigger and busier here than St. Richard." Her finger traced a column of hotels. "Let's see if we can find the little stinker."

Jade watched in bemusement as Tori selected a number and dialed it on the room phone. "He's probably not registered under his real name." She commented.

"Last name, no." Tori agreed, waiting for an answer. "Hello.. hi, um… "Her voice shifted to a slightly different tone. "This is kind of crazy, but I met this guy today, yeah… I'm trying to find him again, and I only know his first name. Can anyone help me?" A pause. "Oh, thanks. You're wonderful."

Jade folded her arms over her chest.

"Hi, yeah. No, his name's Bob, and he's really cute…oh, right, um.. he's got blondish like hair, and he's really well built… yeah, about that age, yeah…okay, I'll hold." Tori hummed under her breath. "No? Oh, what? Oh, I see… you did? Wow.. thanks!" She hung up. "They're full. They sent their overflow to a different hotel, and she thinks Bob was one of them."

"A different hotel?" Jade laughed.

"This one." Tori found the name on her list, and proceeded to call it. "Want me to try southern belle, next?"

"Is that how you conned those circuits out of Southern Bell last month?" Jade was still laughing.

Tori grinned. "No, but… I'll have to remember that." She cleared her throat. "Howdy there… ahm lookin for a real cutie I met down on the beach t'day…kin you help me?"

Jade covered her mouth, and continued her scrolling, keeping one ear on Tori's best efforts at sounding like Dolly Parton. The information she'd recovered was straightforward enough, but the problem was, it was hard to tell if there was any truth to any of it.

What to do? She really felt in need of an expert to at least look at the case, and give an opinion on who was more likely to be telling the truth, if any of them were. The uncle had answered through a lawyer, in a tone almost insulting in it's dismissal of the insinuation, and she instinctively favored the grandmother, but….

Grandmothers can be sneaky, too, and maybe she was trying to hold onto her husband's money. Jade sighed. She checked her address book and looked up a number, then dialed it on her cell phone.

It rang twice, then was answered. "Hello?"

"Merry Christmas, Richard." Jade said. "It's Jade."

"Jade!" Her family lawyer sounded pleased, if a bit puzzled to be hearing from her. "Merry Christmas, and happy birthday, lady!"

"Thanks." Jade replied. "Listen, I need a favor." She paused. "More or less a professional one."

Richard Edgerton's gears switched. "Well, sure, Jade." He answered briskly. "You're not in any trouble are you? Hard to believe."

"No." Jade answered without thinking, then considered. "Well, not me personally, that is."

"Tori?" He hazarded a guess.

"No.. we're on vacation." Jade explained.

"Uh huh."

Jade could hear rustling, and she guessed Richard was getting a pad to write with. He was a very good lawyer, and he knew estate law like the back of his hand. "Don't ask me how I got involved in this.. but I am." She began.

"Uh oh." Richard chuckled. "Let me hold onto something… this should be a doozy."

Jade sighed. "You don't know the half of it."

"He's there." Tori's voice interrupted her. "He's staying in that hotel."

"Hang on, Richard." Jade looked at her. "Invite him over for a drink." She said. "Tell him we'd like to chat."

Tori nibbled her lip. "I wont' let him know we know about Charlie and Bud."

"Not yet, no." Jade smiled grimly. "Wait till he gets here."

Tori nodded, and went back to the phone. Jade did the same. "Okay, Richard.. here's the deal. We're out on St. Thomas…"

"Nice place to spend Christmas." Richard replied amiably.

"Right. We ran into a guy who told us a horse's tale about trying to prove his uncle murdered his grandfather to inherit the family fortune."

Long silence. "Jade, have you been at the rum?"

Jade sighed. "Yes, but not today." She said. "Listen, if I shoot something over to you in email, will you just look at it, and tell me what you think? It's a pile of legal crap I don't have time to figure out."

Richard chuckled. "Sure, Jade. Send it over – I was stuck watching my second cousin's vacation video out in Mexico.. it's a great rescue."

Jade packed the files into an archive, and sent it. "Thanks… you can call me on the cell once you see what you think."

"What's your percentage in this, Jade?"

Hm. Good question. "Like I said, I got dragged into it." Jade replied. "Now some friends of mine got dragged in too, and they got hurt. I need to know what side the angels are on so I can figure out what to do."

"Ah! I see." Richard murmured. "It's your crusader side coming out, eh?"

"Why does everyone keep calling it that?" Jade whined. "It's not crusading.. this stupid asshole just won't leave me alone!"

"Uh huh." Her lawyer replied. "Lemme take a look, Jade. It sounds like some typical sordid family interfighting over money, but I'll give you my best opinion on it."

"Thanks Richard." Jade smiled. "I owe you one."

"How about letting me handle your investments?" Richard shot back, with cheerful mercenary humor. "You know, I hate to admit this but you made me a bundle investing in WesTrek last quarter."

Jade chuckled. "We'll talk." She said.

"How's mom and dad doing?" Richard asked. "I heard some scandal they were living out on a boat?"

"A sixty foot Bertram, yes." Jade replied dryly. "Having the time of their lives."

Richard laughed heartily. "Good for them! I love it!" He chortled. "I'll have to come down and see it sometime… listen, let me get to this, and I'll be back to you, okay?"

"Thanks, Rich." Jade hung up the phone, and turned to Tori. "Are we set?"

"Hook, line, sinker, and a tin can off the bottom." Tori nodded. "He'll be on his way over in a little while. He's just finishing dinner." She scratched her nose. "He sounded really happy to hear my voice for some reason."

Jade gave her a very wry look. "With the Southern Comfort, or without?"

Tori stuck her tongue out. Jade obligingly leaned over and caught it between her teeth. She slowly released it, then fastened her attention on Tori's lips instead. "Mm." She drawled softly as they parted. "Much as I want to get this nailed, I'd be lying if I said I wanted it to be tonight." She tilted her head and kissed Tori again, then moved her nibbles down Tori's throat to feel her pulse thrumming against her lips as she suckled the soft skin.

"Guess you see my point then." Tori murmured, her hand slowly gliding beneath Jade's shirt to explore the warm surface underneath. "About feeling selfish."

Jade set her laptop on the floor, and then she rolled over, shoving the island guide and phone aside and wrapping her arms and legs around Tori's body. "Oh, yeah." Jade growled, continuing her assault. "Call me selfish. I want you all to myself."

"Oo." Tori felt her heart rate speed up and a flush of warmth tingle her skin. There was a faint pressure at her waistband, then Jade's touch slid beneath her shirt and traced up her ribcage. She laced her fingers through Jade's hair and nuzzled her ear, nibbling lightly on her earlobe.

She could feel Jade's breath against her neck, then the soft, insistent tug as Jade's teeth undid the top button to her shirt. Tori cupped her hand along Jade's cheek, stroking it as her thumb traced Jade's lip.

Jade unbuttoned her shirt slowly, and Tori felt the cool air on the room brush against her, raising goose bumps along her belly. Jade's lips intensified the sensation, and Tori rapidly lost any thought of their problems.

All that mattered now was the teasing touches on her breasts, and the warm, sun filled scent of Jade's skin and the need for Jade's body that made her hands push aside the soft cotton separating them with bold impatience.

"Grrrrrmmlll…" The low rumble tickled her skin. Tori felt Jade's teeth close gently, teasingly on the skin around her belly button. "Mine."

Definitely. Tori's back arched, and she wrapped her arms around Jade, feeling the powerful muscles along her spine bunch and move. They pressed together briefly, a jolt of heat before Jade shifted lower and her hand dropped to stroke Tori's thigh.

Oh, definitely.