For Love and Vengeance (16 page)

This had not been
her intention when she decided to give her man a kiss. Her intent had been to
show him that she appreciated the fact that he had come so far as to be willing
to apologize to this father for hurting his feelings. Chancing a look around
the room, Aviva saw that Josh was grinning in their direction while amusement
was also burned across Jake's face. She didn't dare look at Jackson, she was
too embarrassed.

Attempting to
pull herself from Jason's lap, Aviva felt his arm, ever mindful of her injuries
sneak around her waist to keep her in place.

Jackson decided
to change the subject, knowing when not to force an issue. “As I've already
informed your brothers, Jason, we will be leaving for home tonight. The jet is
due for takeoff at nine. All of you should be ready to leave for the airport by
seven sharp. I find I have a need to be home, and I refuse to be caught up in
the awful London traffic,” Jackson spoke as he pushed back his chair and rose
to his feet to begin clearing the utensils used during their meal.

Wriggling in
Jason's arms, Aviva tried to extricate herself in order to help clear the
table, but he held her firmly in place. “Let me go, Jason. I want to help your
father clear the table”

“No, you're
allowed to do nothing. I'll help clear the table.” True to his words, Jason
rose and gently deposited Aviva in the chair he vacated.

Winking at her,
Josh and Jake also moved from their seats to help. In no time, the dishes were
cleared away, uneaten food disposed of, not that there was much left over, and
the dishwasher loaded.

Looking at his
watch, Jackson told his family, “It’s six twenty. All of you be back down here
and ready to leave by seven. Jason and Aviva, I mean not a minute later. Do I
make myself clear?”

Aviva blinked at
his tone. What did he think they were going upstairs to do, for goodness sake?
“Of course, we'll be down on time. We don't have that much to pack.”

Jason knew
exactly what his father thought they would be getting up to and he laughed at
Aviva's expression.

Jackson, remained
silent.

Two cars left the
house in Hampstead five minutes past seven. Jake drove one, his passengers,
Aviva and Jason. Josh manned the other, accompanied by Jackson. As they headed
for the airport, it began to rain and Aviva was glad for the warmth that
surrounded them in the car. Remembering how cold and alone she had been when
held captive, she reached out her hand and rested it against Jason’s thigh,
needing the comfort that could be found in loving human contact.

Curling his
fingers around her hand, Jason lifted it and kissed her fingers, offering what
comfort he could when restrained by the seatbelt. As he lowered her hand, his
cell rang. Reaching inside his coat pocket, he withdrew it and looked at the
screen before answering.

“Hey, man, what's
going on?”

“Jason, where are
you?”

“We're on our way
to the airport. What's going on, Steve?”

“I'm in London. I
knew you were heading this way so I thought we could hook up.”

Jason was
immediately suspicious as to why Steve was in London. He had called him and
told him he was going to London on a personal matter. Steve had probed him for
more details but Jason had refused to explain, unwilling to jeopardize Aviva's
well-being. He knew Steve was smart enough to figure out the purpose of his
trip, but he had still refrained from an explanation. That had been three days
ago and here he was, in London.

“What are you
doing here, Steve?”

“Um...I'm here on
a personal matter I had to attend to.”

“I hope you're
not here doing what I think you're doing!”

“What shouldn't I
be doing, oh Lord and master, Jason King?”

“Whatever, man.
I'm not doing this right now. All I'm going to say is, I hope you know what the
hell you're getting into.”

“Oh, I know,
Jason. Believe me, I know.”

“When are you
back state side?”

“I'll give you a
call when I get back. Is everything okay with you?”

“Aviva’s here
with me, we’re heading home…everything’s perfect.”

Jason was aware
that Steve hadn’t answered his question but he didn’t push the issue.

“Good, I’m glad
for you both. Give her a kiss for me and I’ll see you all soon. Peace out.”

Looking down at
his phone, Jason thought about what Steve was up to in London. He had been
acting strangely for a number of weeks. He knew they were having some problems
with a number of their business projects but Steve had insisted he had the
situation under control. Steve was his closest friend, and although they grew
up together, they handled situations very differently.

Jason wanted to
handle the whole fiasco at the company one way and Steve wanted to sort it out
on his own. While he didn't agree with Steve's approach to certain business
matters, he respected him enough as a brother and friend to acknowledge his
professionalism.

He was pulled
from his musing by the sound of Aviva's voice. “Is everything okay with Steve?”

“Yeah, he's in
London and wanted to hook up.”

“What's he doing
here?”

“Don't know, he
wouldn't say. When he's so elusive, it normally means he knows I'll call him
out for whatever BS he's up to.”

Throughout
Jason's conversation with Steve and Aviva, Jake listened keenly. He didn't know
much about Steve, apart from the fact that he and Jason had known each other
for a long time and that his parents took Jason in when he was a child.

With all that had
happened over the last week, it struck him as suspicious that Steve should now
be in London at the same time as them. Jason seemed to trust him, but Jake
would reserve judgment until he got a better handle on this Steve character.
For now, he would keep his own council on the matter. Coincidences were rarely
just that. Steve was hiding something, and Jake had every intention of finding
out exactly what that was.

~~~~~~~~~~

Now that they were
in the air, it seemed as though everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They were
finally leaving the unknown. Jason didn't try to fool himself into thinking
that because they had Aviva back safe and relatively sound, this whole episode
was at an end. He knew deep down, as he had known for many years, that the
events he set into motion with the distribution of his letters were coming to a
head.

Never again would
he be caught unaware as he had in New York. He now had too much to lose and too
much to look forward to. He wanted it all and he intended to have it, and that
meant eliminating his opponents.

In the past, he
had foolishly thought the threat of exposure would be enough to keep these
ruthless men at bay. He’d been wrong. Then he’d thought that by working behind
the scenes to reduce their wealth would be enough to stop them. He’d been wrong
again. He knew what would stop them, and if he were honest with himself, he had
known all along. Men like these could only be stopped in one way. They had to
be put into a position where there was no way back. That was the only way to
end the game that had been playing out for so many years. For decades, Jason
shied away from the decision he now embraced. These men, coupled with their power
and old money, had made sure of that.

Looking over at
Aviva, Jason saw she was looking out the window as the last images of England
disappeared as the jet climbed higher.

“The last time I
left England, I was seventeen years old. My mother had just died and I was so
scared of what to expect once I landed in America. I was scared of heading into
the unknown, leaving everything I’d ever known behind. I remember thinking that
maybe I was making the biggest mistake of my life. England was my home and
that's where I should stay. Now I'm glad I'm leaving.” The last sight of land
faded away with Aviva's words. Turning, she saw that she had Jason’s full
attention.

“Your home is
with me now.”

“Yes...yes it
is,” Aviva said in all sincerity. “But I still haven't given up on this
country. Maybe one day you and I can come back and I can introduce you to my
friends. Show you the place where I grew up.”

“I'd like that,”
Jason said with a small smile.

“How did you know
I was in London?” Aviva changed the subject so suddenly, Jason was caught by
surprise.

“Why don't we
talk about this later? Do you want something to eat or drink?”

“Because I want
to talk about it now. I had my fill of food not that long ago, thank you, and
yes, I would love something to drink, preferable something alcoholic.” She
smiled to take the sting out of her words but she was getting a little tired of
people keeping her in the dark about what they knew and what was going on.

At the start of
her answer to his question, Jason raised an eyebrow at her tone of voice, and
by the end, so had Aviva, her look left no doubt that she had no intention of
backing down.

Pressing the call
button on the seat beside him, Jason signaled for a flight attendant. “What
alcoholic beverage would you like, dear one?”

Cutting her eyes
at him, Aviva told him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, making it clear
that she didn't appreciate his sarcasm.

Jason didn't
particularly care for her tone of voice but he supposed he could understand the
way she was feeling. He knew once Aviva began to feel better, she would want to
take back control of her life. But his instinct was to protect her and he would
continue to do so whether she liked it or not.

The attendant
arrived and Jason ordered a whiskey for himself and a glass of champagne for
her. But Aviva interrupted him before the attendant could leave.

“Bring me the
bottle, please.”

“Aviva!” Jason
warned.

“Yeah,
yeah...whatever. Josh is gonna have some, aren’t you, Joshua?”

Josh, who was
sitting across from them, opened his eyes, turned his head and looked at her
from under his brows. “I don't know if I like the way you want to pull me into
some kind of alcoholic binge.”

“Do you want a
drink or not? I'm not forcing you, you know. If you don't want a drink, just
say so!”

“So, what's the
matter with her?” Josh asked, looking at Jason, completely ignoring her.

“Damned if I
know. One minute she was fine and the next...this.”

“Don't you dare
speak about me as though I'm not here!”

“I see...probably
that ‘femalepropensitytowardfickleness,’” he told Jason, still ignoring her.

Aviva, having no
idea what he'd said, remained quiet, blinking at him in bafflement. Then it hit
her and her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

Jason turned away
and she knew, she just knew, he was all dimpled up laughing at her.

“You lot think
you're so funny, don't you. Well, you can both get lost!” Aviva finished in a
huff. The sound of Josh's laughter triggered Jason's which was followed by the
sounds of laughter from seats towards the front of the aircraft.

When her drink
arrived, Aviva downed the whole glass. Jason and Josh were watching her every
move, so she poured another and eyeballed them, daring either to comment as she
took another sip.

“Okay, I'm ready.
Please answer the question I asked before you two turned into Bim and Bam.”

“Bim and Bam?”
Jason questioned, confused, never having heard the saying.

“Yes, you’re Bim
and he’s Bam. They happen to be a very unsuccessful comedy duo,” Aviva informed
them with a smirk.

Aviva knew she was being snappish but she couldn't help herself. She
needed to fill in all the pieces of what had happened to her, and part of that
was knowing how they had figured out where she had been taken. Everything that
had happened to her was still very raw, but if she wanted to heal, and she was
determined to do so, she needed to know everything. Bits and pieces being
brought up at future dates was not an option. She also knew that if she left it
up to Jason, he would want to keep information from her, thinking that it would
lessen her hurt. He was so kind and loving to her that she now felt ashamed of
how she had just treated him. No matter how maddeningly protective he was, he
always had her best interest at heart. Releasing her seat belt, Aviva leaned
towards Jason and placed a soft kiss against his lips.

“What was that for?”

“That was to let
you know that I love you even when you're a sarcastic bastard, and when you
laugh at me and say nothing when
your
people hold me in derision.”

“Oh, I see. Derision
is it? Well, I refuse to let such a thing continue for another moment without
retribution.”

Releasing his own
seat belt, Jason rose to his feet, folded his arms, looked around the aircraft
and boomed, “I demand an apology from each and every one of you gathered here.
If it is not forthcoming forthwith, I will be forced to defend my lady's honor
with pistols at dawn.” Looking down at Aviva, he mouthed, “
don't worry, I
got this
.”

Aviva recognized
each voice that floated around her.

Josh said, “
Forthcoming
forthwith
?”

Jake repeated, “
Pistols
at dawn!
”

Jackson said, “
Heaven
forefend
!”

Three shouts of
“Sorry!” filled the air.

“There ‘tis done,
my Lady. Thy honor is restored!” Jason said, retaking his seat with a big goofy
grin on his face.

Cutting her eyes
at him, Aviva raised her voice so they could all hear her. “You lot get on my
nerves, you know that, right...” The sounds of their laughter filled the air
and she couldn't help but join in at their foolish play on Jason's words. “But
I love you guys, and thank you all for coming for me.”

Her heartfelt
words silenced the levity which hadn’t been her intention. Josh, followed
closely by Jake and Jackson, approached them. Moving into the seat opposite her,
Josh braced himself by placing his hands on the table that separated them and placed
a soft kiss on her lips.

“How could we do
anything other than come for you?”

Jake also did the
same. “You're our sister now and we love you. If you ever need us, for
anything, we'll be there.”

This was the
first time he had ever demonstrated any sign of open affection towards her and
although she hadn’t really been aware of it, subconsciously, she had been
waiting for something exactly like this. It had always seemed to her that Jake
was reserving judgment of whether he thought her good enough for his brother.
The other two Kingdom men had, from the beginning, been so much more open and
affectionate with her, not so with Jake. But it now seemed his reservations had
been laid to rest.

Jackson was next
and extended his hand towards Aviva. She placed her hand in his and he bent his
head and kissed the back of her fingers. “I claimed you both that first night
we met in our hotel room and what belongs to us, we always protect. That, my
dear, goes without saying.”

Aviva blinked away
tears as they all watched her with identical looks of sincerity. Jason had
remained quiet and unmoving, yet something inside him swelled and he knew his
standoff was at an end.