For Love and Vengeance (14 page)

Jason turned to
his brothers and looked them up and down, his eyes taking on a look they had
never seen before. It looked like...affection, but it was gone in a flash. His
words, when spoken, belied what they knew they had just witnessed.

“I appreciate
what you've both done tonight, but I don't need your help anymore. I've got
this. Wait for me in the car.”

“That's not what
we planned, Jason,” Josh remarked in a low voice, attempting to withhold his
frustration at Jason's attempt to withdraw from them after his brief show of
emotion.

“We stay.” Jake's
response was short.

Jason watched
them for a few moments, his face expressionless. “Okay, you both know what to
do. Let’s get this over with.”

Turning abruptly,
Jason's strides ate up the ground as he returned to the room where Alexander
sat bound to the chair. Pushing open the door, he stood looking at the older
man, his eyes round and staring at Jason, glazed over with pain.

“Did anyone ever
tell you that you're a lucky man?” Jason asked.

“What are you
going to do with me?”

“Answer my
question!”

“No...yes, I
can't remember,” Alexander answered, his confusion obvious from the sweat on
his forehead running in rivulets down his face.

Jason remained
quiet, allowing the tension to build, wanting Alexander to churn up as many
horrifying scenarios as his perverted mind was capable of.

“Well, you are
indeed a lucky man. I'm really surprised no one ever said that to you.” Jason's
words were dripping with sarcasm as he approached the obviously terrified man.
Lifting his hand, he showed Alexander the knife he held. Moving it from
side-to-side, Jason watched as Alexander’s eyes fixated on it, spellbound to
its every movement.

“What do you
intend to do with that thing?”

“It's not a
thing
,
it's a knife, and I'm going to set you free. You want to be set free don't
you?”

Alexander knew
Jason was playing with him. Suddenly the sound of those words repeated twice
resonated with him. He himself had taunted a young Jason with exactly those
words, and his body began to quake so violently his teeth rattled.

“Ah, I see you
recall the use of those exact words...good, very good.” Jason spoke softly, a
smile pinned to his face, enjoying how much he was unnerving the older man.

“Now this is
going to be fun...you like a bit of fun, don't you, Master? Yes...I remember.”
Jason’s words floated around the room as he approached ever closer to where his
and Aviva's tormentor was sitting...waiting. When he arrived before him, Jason
flipped the knife over in a sudden movement that made Alexander cry out with
fright. Jason watched as a stain spread out along the seated man’s crotch. The
perverted coward had pissed himself. Jason threw back his head and hooted with laughter.
How the mighty have fallen,
he thought to himself.

“Don't worry, I'm
not about to kill you. Tonight, these hands, no matter how much I would like
them to, will not take a life.”

Jason folded
himself down at the waist and used the knife to cut through the binds that tied
Alexander in place. Rising back to his full height, he took three large steps
back then stopped, never removing his cold black eyes from his trembling
captive.

Jason could see
just how terrified Alexander was as he remained in his seat unmoving, unsure if
Jason's words were just a ruse. Jason said no more, he just watched him,
unblinking, and waited with his arms folded across his chest.

Slowly, Alexander
rose from his seat. Pinning his thighs against the edge of the desk, he took small
sidelong steps around it until he was facing the door which tantalized him with
freedom. Yet he was still unsure. What was Jason's game? Was he just waiting
for him to exit the room before he plunged the knife into his exposed back?
Alexander was confused, his mind a jumble of possible outcomes to the
situation. His mind flashed from place to place until he recalled Jason's word,
he had said he wouldn't take a life this night. He had his doubts of the
validity of this statement, but if by some twist of faith this were true, he
would take the chance on turning his back to the icy giant.

“What are you
waiting for?” Jason snarled. “Run!”

No sooner had the
words left his mouth, Alexander ran from the room, his eyes searching for an
exit. The outer room stood empty, the door to the warehouse gaping open,
enticing him forward. He didn't hesitate as he ran towards escape. The sound of
Jason's voice stopped him in his tracks. He knew this sudden benevolence had
been a foolish grasp at hope.

“Run hard and
fast, you son-of-a-bitch!”

As the cold
breeze of the night air flowed against his overheated skin, Alexander came to a
halt and looked around. It was then he realized he had no mode of
transportation by which to escape. Looking wildly around, he was confronted by
a huge shadow with a bellowing cape moving towards him. The specter, to his
confused mind, seemed to be floating off the ground as it came ever closer. His
terrified brain unable to comprehend what it was seeing so he turned and ran in
the opposite direction.

With just enough
presence of mind, he remembered the alleyway that ran behind the warehouse. He
changed the direction of his flight, hoping that way would lead to his freedom.
Running as best he could while taking fleeting looks over his shoulder, he approached
his avenue of freedom. He was almost there, one more look behind him showed
that the ghostly figure was no longer haunting him. Whipping his head forward,
he was met by another huge shape blocking his path. His brain was in turmoil.
Pivoting, Alexander ran in the only direction that was left to him. He went up
the incline.

His movements
became increasingly unsure, his breath released one wheeze after another, pain
overtaking his chest, but he ran on. His feet touched the gravel of the bank,
his expensive oxfords offered him no purchase in his quest for escape. His legs
gave way beneath him and his hands shot out to absorb his weight as he fell.
Tendrils of agony ripped through him as his injured hand came into contact with
the harsh points of the stones.

Almost defeated,
he considered staying where he fell. Rolling to his back, he moved his head
from side to side, peering into the dark night. Nothing, he saw nothing. Maybe
the ghostly figures had only been figments of his imagination and Jason meant
to keep his word. Maybe he was indeed free.

Stumbling to his
feet, ever mindful of his hand, Alexander used his elbows and knees to crawl to
the top of the mounds of gravel that kept shifting under his weight. Reaching
the top and still on his knees, he looked around, his breath harsh and the
pulse points all over his body thumping as though they would explode from
beneath his skin. He saw nothing, felt nothing, his awareness picking up on no another
presence.

“Get up!”

Alexander
screamed out in panic, looming before him stood Jason, his face a rictus of
hate. He was rooted to the spot. He couldn't move even though he knew his life
depended on it.

“I said get
up...now!” Jason repeated, his rage seeming to grow with each word he uttered.

Alexander obeyed,
too terrified to do otherwise. He’d been sure he was alone, that he’d gotten
away. Where had this man appeared from?

“You need to go
that way,” Jason said, pointing towards the black void.

“Don't be
frightened,
Master
. There's nothing in the darkness that will hurt you.
Go on, all you need to do is take one step at a time.”

Alexander kept
his eyes turned to Jason as he rose to his feet and took one step and then
another, and another.

“Hey, Alexander!”
Whipping his head around, he saw his specters had returned and he stopped in
his tracks.

“Don't look at
them, look at me!” Jason shouted. Alexander's head whipped back in Jason's
direction, confused as to where to look, who to heed.

Light, a bright
light, blinded him. That was his last living sight as the freight train bore
down on him, disintegrating his puny human body with its force.

Jason didn’t move
until the speeding train could no longer be seen or heard. Then he turned his
head towards his brothers, watching their eyes, waiting for their reaction,
their looks of disgust at what had just taken place. He saw nothing. No look of
horror, no expression of accusation…nothing.

“It's done,” Jake
said, his voice calm. “Let’s get the hell outta here.”

With a nod, Josh
turned and began to make his way down the slope. Jake gave Jason one last look
and followed his younger brother, their tall figures soon eaten up by the
darkness. Jason remained in place for a few more moments before he removed the
key from his pocket and threw it as far as he could across the train tracks.
Looking down at the spot Malcolm Alexander had stood when he drew his last
breath, Jason spat on the track before he too turned and walked away, leaving
behind no regrets.

The brothers sat
in silence as Josh maneuvered the car back to the house. Looking at the time,
Jason pondered how so much had taken place in such a short period of time. They
had left the safe house two hours ago and most of that time had been taken up
with the drive from one destination to the other.

Closing his eyes,
he laid his head back against the headrest of his seat. He was tired. The last
time he had gotten more than a couple of hours sleep without interruption was
the last night he and Aviva had spent at their home in California, a little
over a week ago.
Such a short time ago
, Jason thought, yet it had also
been the longest week of his life. His mind ran over what had taken place this
night and knew the events were potentially life changing.

Technically, he
had kept his word. He hadn't taken a life but he knew if Aviva ever learned of
how Alexander met his end...she might not forgive him for his actions. He
didn't want to think about the possible ramifications and what it could mean to
their relationship. Pushing the thought from his mind, he drew in a deep breath,
attempting to release some of the tension that still had hold of his body.

“Are you okay,
Jason?” Jake asked his twin, sensing how tightly he was drawn.

“Yes.”

“We did the right
thing tonight. Most people wouldn't understand what we did but it was the right
thing,” Jake continued. “People like Malcolm Alexander don't ever stop, Jason.
They keep coming and coming, taking what they want. If they can't take what
they want, they steal it, and if they can't steal it, they will kill anyone
standing in their way. We did the right thing.”

“If Aviva ever
finds out what I did tonight, she'll leave me. I looked her in the eyes and
made her a promise based on a play of words.”

“Aviva loves you,
if, and that's a big if, she ever finds out...you can say it was my idea. Say I
concocted the whole scheme. I don't think she's that fond of me. She'll
probably believe it to be true quicker than she would of you or Josh.”

“Come on, Jake,
don't say that. You know that's not true.” Josh jumped to the defense if his
brother.

“Jake, I thank
you, but I would never ask or expect such a thing of you. If she ever finds
out, the full responsibility will be mine. It was my plan and mine alone.”

“Jason?”

“What?”

“Do you know that
you get on my nerves?!”

Jason's head
snapped forward at Jake's words. It wasn’t the words he’d expected.

“Yeah, that's
right, you heard me. I've had it up to here,” Jake said, slicing his hand
through the air above his head, “with you and your shit
I'm an island
freaking crap!”

“What, because I
don't want you to take the blame for me, you start slinging insults at me?”

“Did you hear
yourself?
I
this and
I
that, as if we didn't agree to everything
you proposed. Not to mention, we had more than a little input to pulling off
what went down tonight!”

Jason didn't see the
onslaught coming and was taken aback by just how angry Jake was. Remaining
quiet, he silently reflected on his words. His twin was right. They had never
once questioned anything he proposed in regards to the night’s events. They had
just given him their unconditional support, and again he had failed to
recognize it for what it was. Right then and there, he decided to say something
that he never expected to say to these men.

“I'm not an
island, Jake. I'm just a man who's trying to work through a lot of shit. Every
time I think I'm out of the mire, something or someone tries to pull me back
into it. I appreciate what you’ve both done for me tonight. Hell, what you've
done since the first time we met. Right from the start, even if I wouldn't
admit it, you've both treated me like a brother, and for that I...thank you
guys.”

“Whatever, Jason.
We love you too,” Josh said after a moment of silence. “Isn't that right,
Jake?”

“Yeah, what he
said,” Jake replied.

“Now come on,
Jason, it's your turn, say after me...”

“Just shut the
hell up and drive!” Came two clear voices, saying exactly the same words.

Josh laughed out
loud. His older brothers were priceless, so different and yet so much alike.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jason crept into
the bedroom he was sharing with Aviva and stood still, listening to her
breathe. She was definitely sound asleep. Good, he thought, not wanting to
explain his night’s activities right away. He needed time to process the
information and come up with a soundproof explanation.

Heading for the
bathroom, he peeled off his shirt as he went and removed the rest of his
clothing once he was inside the small space, and the bathroom was small in
comparison to what he was used to. Then he remembered that, in comparison, the
UK was only a fraction of the size of the United States. He recognized his
musing for what it was, an attempt to clear his mind of all that had taken
place that night.

Turning on the
shower, he stopped and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He looked
terrible. His eyes were bloodshot with bags underneath, and his beard had grown
in, giving him an unkempt appearance.

Jason could feel
his strength ebbing, existing on less than eighteen hours sleep in over a week
was too little, even for him. He needed to rest. Stepping into the shower, he quickly
washed his body and stood under the spray for a few more seconds, allowing the
water to beat down on his head.

Finished, he
dried off and made his way back to the bedroom. Aviva was again laying on her
side, a pillow supporting her lower back so that she wouldn't roll over in her
sleep and cause herself further pain. Once again, Jason felt the rage rising up
inside him as he looked down at his sleeping love. Pushing his feelings down,
he carefully pulled back the covers and slid into the bed beside her.

Settling in,
Jason faced Aviva as she slept. Careful not to disturb her, he pulled closer
and slipped a hand around her hip, anchoring her in place. Moving so close that
he could feel the puffs of her breath against his face, Jason allowed his eyes
to close.

When it happened,
he didn't even flinch. His angel was one of the daintiest women he had ever
known, but every now and then she would snore like a fog horn. Jason fell
asleep with a smile of contentment on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~

He awoke the next
morning to find Aviva propped up on an elbow, watching him. This was the way he
wanted to wake up each day for the rest of his life. Nothing could stop the
dimpled smile that overtook his face.

“Morning, Angel,
did you rest well?”

“Yes, thank you,
and it's three thirty in the afternoon. We slept the morning away.”

“That's because
we needed it,” Jason told her as he folded his hand behind his head and
stretched out his long body. The sheets fell away to reveal his deep, muscular
chest rippling with muscles. Oh Lord, Aviva thought, I love the way this man
looks all day long, but especially when he's just woken up and still has the
sleepy eyed look he’s wearing right now. Unable to help herself, her eyes ran
down his chest and came to a stop at the top of the sheets from which she could
make out his morning/afternoon glory that had risen and was most definitely
shining.

“Like what you
see?”

His words were
met with silence.

The rumble of
laughter pulled Aviva's eyes away from his erection, blinking as she realized
he had asked her a question.

“Did you say
something?”

“I said, do you
like what you see?” he said again, still laughing.

“Oh, yes, indeed
I do!” Aviva said with a laugh of her own and a wiggle of her eyebrows.

“Well, what ya
gonna do about it?”

“What do
you
want me to do about it?”

“Sit on it,”
Jason said, all traces of laughter leaving him in an instance. “I want to feel
you all around me, sucking me inside you, riding me. I want to be buried so
deeply in you, I can't go any further. I want to see your face when you come
for me. Then I want us to start all over again...and again…and again.”

“Jason King, I
love it when you say things like that to me, and you know what's even better?”

“What?”

“You can start
over again...and again and again.”

Before Aviva had
completed her sentence, Jason picked her up by the waist in a powerful move and
she cried out in pain.

“I'm sorry,
Angel, I'm sorry...I didn't mean...I forgot.” Aviva's eyes were closed tight as
she bit down on her bottom lip to hold back any further sound. Even through her
pain, she could hear how much her outburst had wounded him.

“It's okay, baby.
I just think we're going to have to wait for a while.”

“Tell me what you
need, Angel. Tell me what I need to do to make it better.”

Aviva could see
that the pain she was experiencing was not hers alone. She knew this giant of a
man would take it all away from her if it was within his power. The thought
came to her again that she was probably one of the luckiest women in the world.
She had the love of the best of men.

Laying her down
on her side, Jason cupped her cheek and ran his thumb across it in a soothing
motion. He leaned forward and kissed her brow then the corner of her eye, her
nose and her lips, each touch a gentle expression of his love and care.

“Please tell me
what to do. How do I make it better?”

Aviva reached up
and ran the back of her fingers across the stubble of his cheek. She continued
up into his hair, her eyes locked to his.

“Do you love me,
Jason?”

“You know I do.”

“That's all I
need to make it better.”

“Thank you for
that, but I know I hurt you. Tell me what I can do to take the hurt away.”

“Let’s just lay
here for a while. It's best when I stay perfectly still. On a positive note,
the burns feel as though they're knitting together. When I move, they feel
tight, do you know what I mean?”

“Let me look.”

“Later, for now,
let’s just stay exactly as we are. I don't know if I ever told you, but this is
my favorite time of day; waking up with you beside me.”

“No, you never
told me that. This is the way I imagined, and want it to be, for the rest of
our lives. Do you think you could spend the rest of your life with me, Aviva
Johnson?”

Aviva was
spellbound by the intensity in his eyes and the sincerity in his voice. Was he
asking her more than he had actually voiced? She was unsure. What she was sure
of however, was that this was the man she had been meant to love. Aviva
understood the moment for what it was. This was a perfect moment. At this point
in time they were both exactly where they wanted to be.

The brushing of
Jason's fingers against her cheek brought Aviva back to awareness.

“Where did you
go?” Jason asked.

Before she could
answer, there was a knock on the door accompanied by Jackson's cultured tone.

“Are you two
awake?”

Jason and Aviva looked
at each other and smiled as he placed a soft kiss against her lips.

Jackson knocked
on the door a little harder at the continued silence. The whole household,
except for him, had been asleep for at least twelve hours. It was enough time.
He needed – no, wanted to go home, and in order for that to happen, he needed
all his sons to get out of their beds. He had already successfully gotten Jake
and Josh up. Well, they were awake but he was uncertain if that actually meant
up
.
All that remained was for Jason to answer his call.

“You have twenty
minutes to get up and come downstairs.” The continued silence reminded Jackson
of his youth. On the one hand, he was conscious of the vagaries of young love,
yet on the other, for this trip, he had experienced enough upheaval. It was
time to go home.

Sequestered
behind the closed bedroom door, the lovers lay side-by-side, looking into each
other’s eyes. Jason saw an emotion buried deep in Aviva's eyes which troubled
him.

“What's wrong?”

“I had a weird
dream last night.”

“Go on,” he
urged, curious as to what had caused this expression.

“I dreamt that I
couldn't find you,” Aviva replied, her eyes taking on a faraway look as she
once again became lost in the dream that had so disquieted her.

“What happened?”

“I dreamt that I
couldn't find you. I searched everywhere, but I just couldn't find you. Your
father and brothers were there and they couldn't find you either. It was as
though you had just disappeared. One moment you were with us, and the next you
were gone.” As she spoke, Aviva's words became quieter and quieter, realizing
too late that she didn't want to give voice to her thoughts, fearing they would
become reality.

Jason could see
how much the dream worried her and mulled her words around his mind as how to
best soothe her worries. “I'm not going anywhere – ever. You're stuck with me
for as long as you want me, and if some day you decide you don't want all the
studliness that is moi, well, that’ll be a sure sign that you've lost your
mind.” He finished with a show of dimples.