For Love and Vengeance

by Theresa L. Henry

  “Agreed. She's being escorted to her car even as we speak.” Jason inclined his head towards Josh who was already escorting Hapë out of the room, and therefore keeping his end of the bargain. “I’ll await your text, and thanks for your help. It’s very much appreciated,” Jason said before disconnecting.

  Looking over at Jake, he asked the question foremost on his mind. “Any luck?”

  “Not yet. I've calculated the distance and the time needed to get from one location to another, taking into account the possible variables of New York traffic. But still no luck.”

  “We're close, I can feel it. We just need one more break.”

  “We'll get it, it may take us longer than we'd like, but we'll get our break,” Jake told him, not taking his eyes from the screen.

  Jake's words gave Jason pause. This brother, from their first meeting, had been the one to withhold his feelings, never giving away his thoughts. But his declaration of certainty resonated with Jason. He knew his family was on his side, but he hadn't realized how much he needed to hear the words. He was not the only one with single-minded determination in bringing Aviva back. Back to where she belonged.

  Jake's finger continued to rush over the keyboard in resolve, refusing to contemplate that he wouldn’t find what he was looking for. He’d just found his brother, his twin, and he intended to keep him close. He refused to allow an unknown quantity to remove what Jason held most dear. It didn't matter how long he had to sit before the screen, sifting through frame after frame, he would find her.

  He actually kind of missed her. Knowing that she wouldn’t be walking through the door at any moment, bossing them around as though they weren't grown men, watching Jason in his attempts at giving her direction as to what he would and wouldn’t accept. As his search continued, Jake realized how he felt about Aviva. She was very much needed, a necessary component to bind them together as a family.

  “I know we'll get her back, but it's hard, Jake. She's out there, alone and hurting, because of me...the things I've done, the people that have shaped my life, who I am.”

  Jake's fingers stopped moving, recognizing intuitively how his brother was feeling. He no doubt felt guilt for his past actions and the part they were now playing in Aviva’s abduction.

  Josh returned to the office after sending Hapë on her way. He brought with him the news that he had just contacted a friend who had information that might be just what they were looking for.

  “Apparently, some guy has been bragging about a big pay day. A woman was to be abducted, held and relocated to places unknown. What my friend does know however, is the place where this woman is to be taken,” Josh finished, his excitement obvious.

  “Where is this place?” Jason asked, curious at how his brother had come by this information, and the possibility that he had friends in low places.

  While Josh filled Jason in on the details, Jake went back to looking through CCTV images. His luck was in, there she was, but something was wrong, it was apparent in the way she moved.

  “Jason, I've got her. Come and take a look at this.”

  Rushing over, Jason and Josh watched as Jake replayed the footage. They too immediately noticed how disorientated Aviva appeared.

  “Do you have anything before this?” Jason asked his twin.

  “Not really, she's just walking along the street, the usual Saturday shoppers all around her.”

  “Stop! Go back,” Jason demanded.

  “There, did you see that? That guy just bumped into her.”

  “So?”

  “Why did he do that? There was no need for him to bump into her like that. That part of the sidewalk isn't crowded. It looked deliberate to me.”

  As the brothers watched more closely, they understood what Jason had seen straight away.

  “Speed up the tape. I think we're on to something.” Jason could feel adrenaline rush through his body. As they watched the recording, they recognized the action for what is was. The man had somehow managed to inject her with something. He then broke away, stopped and looked into a department store window. Minutes later, he was behind her again. But this time, he took her by the arm and she followed without resistance.

  “Find them, Jake!” Jason spoke with an urgency that could not be ignored.

  “There's no need. I know that guy. His name is Swan. That's the dude who's been running his mouth about the big pay day he has coming up.”

  Jason spun around at Josh's words. His earlier thoughts confirmed. Josh’s recognition of this man, Swan, meant he had some explaining to do. But that would have to wait. “Where?”

  “Come on, I know the place,” Josh said over his shoulder as he headed for the door.

  With his brothers right behind him, they rushed into the hallway to be confronted by Jackson who appeared to be heading towards the office.

  “What's happened? Where are you all going?”

  “We've got a lead. We're heading out there. If we're lucky, we should have Aviva back in a little while,” Jason said as he and Josh disappeared out the door.

  Jackson could sense their urgency and wasted no more time asking questions. But he did take hold of Jake’s arm as he was about to leave. “Be careful, and be on your guard. Remember what I taught you both and look out for each other. We don't know his capabilities.”

  “Don't worry, Dad. We've got this,” Jake told their father as he followed his brothers out of the house.

  Chapter 23

  Impatience gnawed at Jason's gut as they sped along the highway. If he was drawn any tighter, he would snap. His imagination was running on overdrive at what they would encounter once they reached their destination. The calm his sensei had taught him and Steve somehow eluded his present state of mind.

  Those sick bastards were still messing with him, and they had gone one step too far. He was certain of one thing, he was going to fuck them up. He was going to send a message that nobody could ignore. That message was going to clearly say, if you come into my house and mess with what's mine, you accept the consequences!

  Josh cut the engine of the car on a darkened, deserted lane. He didn't look at either of his brothers, there was no need. They all realized what this meant. If this was the correct place, there was bound to be trouble, and he was spoiling for a fight.

  As they stealthily drew closer to the house that was hidden deep in the wooded area, tree branches overhanging its roof; they were met by a quiet that Jason immediately found suspicious. Something was very wrong. Instinctively, he knew that this was the right place, but they were too late. He was unable to fend off the feeling that death awaited them.

  Coming to a stop, his brothers behind him, he peered deep into the darkness as a stillness came over him. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his surroundings, using every sense other than sight to detect the sounds of the living. There was nothing, only an unnatural stillness. It was as though even the night creatures had deserted that place.

  “There's nobody here,” Jason said. He spoke the words aloud not because his brothers weren't just as aware of the conclusion he had reached, but rather to hold his frustration at bay.

  Moving with caution, the brothers began to make their way towards the shadowy dwelling. Jason could still sense nothing around them but he was cautious, prepared for any eventuality.

  What materialized was not what he had been expecting. Lying to one side of the path were three misshapen forms, one obviously smaller than the rest. Jason's heart plummeted, his feet rooted to the ground. Oh God, he thought, please no...please no.

  Jason was unable to move forward. Jake stepped up and approached the still figures on the ground. “It's not her,” he told his twin, who still looked as though he had prepared himself for a nightmarish conclusion to their search.

  “It's an older woman and man. The man looks like the one who works for you…the one with the scar,” Jake finished, surprise evident in his voice.

  Jason walked closer to the bodies, squatting down to take a closer look. Ja
ke was right. It was Drake and beside him lay his wife, the look of shock at her last moments of life still on her face. Jason felt nothing for them. He didn't even wonder how they had come to be in this backwoods place. As far as he was concerned, the place where they had fallen was the place they would remain.

  Cutting his eyes over to the other still form, he saw a heavy set black man with a bullet hole gaping open in his forehead. He didn't recognize him. But Josh did. It was Swan, the same man that had been running his mouth and the same man who was with Aviva in the video footage.

  Jason turned away from the bodies and started towards the house, knowing even as he approached that it would be empty. But he needed to check, just in case there was something inside that would give them an inkling as to where Aviva had been taken.

  The house was in total darkness and the rundown shack was comprised of three rooms, including a kitchen. He drew back the dusty curtains and from the scant moonlight shining through the dirty window, he could see that someone had made an attempt at cleaning the place up. It hadn't worked. There was still the musty smell one associated with a building that had been uninhabited for a long period of time. The furnishings were comprised of an old table, four chairs and a sideboard pushed up against a wall.

  Moving further inside the building, he walked from one room to the next, conscious of when his brothers joined him but paying them no attention. His mind was set on finding something, anything that would give him a lead to Aviva’s whereabouts. He found no clues. The only object of any interest to him was Aviva's purse. Inside was her wallet, which contained the credit card he had given to her earlier in the day, and her cell phone.

  Holding tightly to the handbag, Jason retraced his steps. He needed to get out into the open air. It seemed to him that this broken down place emitted echoes of his guilt. But for him, none of this would have taken place. But for him, she would be safe. But for him...it was always came back to him. He always seemed to be the common denominator when harm came to those he loved.

  Rubbing his hand over his head, Jason's feet dragged as he walked back toward the spot where they left their vehicle. The pulling feeling he had experienced before once again lodged in his chest as sweat broke out on his body. He knew he had to pull himself together but he didn't know how. All he really wanted to do was to lift his head and howl with pain and frustration.

  Standing beside the car, his brain unable to function, he felt a hand on both his shoulders. “You don't get to lose faith now, my brother, we still have options,” Josh spoke from just behind him.

  “What options do we have Josh? Come on, tell me. We don't know where she is and we don’t know for sure who has her!” Jason said, impatiently shaking off the hand on his shoulder as he spun around to face his brother. “You're the smart guy, you tell me what our options are?!”

  “The first thing you need to do is to take it easy,” Jake told his twin. He could see that Jason was on the edge. In fact, he was surprised he had held it together so long. “This is not the time to lose focus. We still have work to do if you really want to get Aviva back alive!” Jake said, hitting hard and low.

  “What did you say?”

  “You heard me. Now pull yourself together!”

  “If...did you just say, if?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Ahh, shit!” Josh mumbled under his breath, taking a step backwards.

  In one motion, Jason dropped Aviva's purse and threw a right hook with such force it landed Jake on his backside.

  “Don't you talk to me about, if...you glass chinned fucker!”

  “Next time, it's your turn,” Jake told Josh as he gave him a hand up off the ground, a look of sympathy on his face, “and believe me, there will be a next time. This is Jason we're talking about.”

  “Thank you, Jacob. I needed that,” Jason said as he opened the car door and climbed in, slamming it shut behind him.

  “You're more than welcome, Jason,” Jake replied, even though his twin couldn't hear him.

  Laughing, Josh slapped his brother on the back as they both headed for the car. They had plans to make and a woman to find.

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  Jason's voice trailed away and all that could be heard was the incessant drone from the engine of the aircraft they traveled on. By now, his head was supported by the headrest behind him and his eyes were closed as though reliving the experience all over again.

  Aviva still had questions. She wanted to know how they managed to be in England when she made the phone call. She had thought she would have to stay in that little bed and breakfast for a few days until he could come for her.

  Jason appeared to be so lost in thought that she didn't have the heart to prompt him further. Looking over at his watchful brothers, the questions in her eyes told them exactly what was on her mind.

  Josh decided to fill in any gaps, and so his voice floated around them. “When we got home, I put out some feelers while the others kept looking for anything we may have overlooked.

  “For me, there was nothing. But these two managed to locate Alexander and Farnsworth. By all accounts, Alexander was living in London and had been for years. From the information we found, it appeared that he hadn't left that country for months. Farnsworth was some kind of recluse and was rarely seen by anyone. From what we could gather, he was holed up in his mansion in Pennsylvania, again having gone nowhere.

  “Then, three days ago, we got a break. By then, the bodies had been found and Swan had been identified. It seemed the police were still attempting to figure out the Drakes’ identity. Anyway, Swan’s girlfriend started yapping about how pissed she was that he had gotten himself murdered when he had promised her a trip to London. Apparently, when he collected his pay-off he was supposed to send her a ticket.

  “We asked some guys we know in London to check on Alexander. Turns out he was M.I.A. In fact, he hadn't been seen for about two weeks. It was too much of a coincidence to ignore, hence our being in London.”

  Aviva knew it hadn't been as easy as he had portrayed, but whatever they had gone through, she was just grateful they were there when she needed them the most.

  “Thank you both,” Aviva mouthed quietly, a small smile on her face.

  “We'd do it all again in a heartbeat, so that's the last time I want to hear your words of gratitude about this,” Jake told her, a frown creasing his brow. “I'm serious, Aviva.”

  “Okay, Jakey darling,” Aviva said with a cheeky smile, sure the name would irritate him.

  “Don't call me Jakey. I don't like it!”

  Bingo.

  Jason looked at his twin silently, ensuring that Jake was left in no doubt that he didn’t like his tone.

  “Ahh, shit...I'm going to get some sleep!” Jake groaned, getting up from his seat, he stood looking down at Aviva and shook his head at the smile that still hovered on her lips. Bending his large frame, he kissed her on the forehead and walked away.

  “Lady, you got skills but I'm still the master. You need only ask should you need any further instructions on how to irritate the hell out of the uptight one,” Josh teased as he rose from his seat, kissed her nose and departed, moving to a seat somewhere near the front of the aircraft.

  Looking over at Jason, she wiggled her eyebrows and smiled. “Ahh, so that's the way to do it!”

  “Do what?”

  “Get rid of your brothers.”

  “Angel, the next time you want to have me all to yourself, just let me know. I have no problem telling them to get lost,” Jason told her, his face leaving her with no doubt he would do exactly as he said. “So now you have me all to yourself, what are you going to do about it?” Jason lowered his voice, his words meant only for her.

  Leaning over, Aviva pressed a kiss against his mouth. She had only meant to give him a gentle peck but it seemed her lips had a mind of their own. The feel of his firm mouth wasn't something she was willing to relinquish so soon. God, he tasted good, faint notes of the whiskey he drank earlier still lingered
on his lips, and he smelled good too. Manly musk and...Jason.

  Stroking her tongue against his mouth, Aviva licked him, slow and easy, holding eye contact, one stroke to the right and one stroke to the left. The move got his full attention. Holding onto each side of his face, she rubbed her nose against his and smiled. Without warning, Aviva dropped her head and nipped his bottom lip, moving her head back just as his mouth was about to capture hers. Moving forward again, she brushed a delicate kiss at the side of his mouth, deliberately avoiding his lips. As he turned his head to make full contact, she retreated. Jason’s eyes began to change color, darkening and Aviva smiled as she watched his reaction to her teasing.

  Jason’s hand rose slowly and stroked along the side of Aviva’s face. The look in his eyes arrested her attention, any playfulness that had been present moments before now gone. Moving quickly, and before she had time to react, she was sitting on his lap, a devilish smile lifting the corners of his mouth and showing off his dimples.

  “Now what?” he whispered, paying her back with a nip to her ear, before running his tongue down her neck.

  Aviva shivered at the feel of his mouth against her neck. The man was dangerous because he knew, with that one small move she was done moving away from him. Pressing her body against his, she turned her head, intent on claiming a kiss. Aviva closed her eyes and as her lips descended, she felt Jason pull out of her reach. Startled, her eyes popped open to see him grinning at her. Rubbing his cheek against hers, she heard him whisper, “Tell me what you want, Angel.”

  “Jason!”

  “Oh, no…I want to hear it,” he said, his lips pressed up against her ear, his hot breath emitting soft puffs against her skin.

  “I want a kiss. I want a deep…hot kiss. I want it so deep it feels like when you’re inside me, penetrating me, filling me up…”

  Jason didn’t give her time to complete what she was about to say. Changing the position of his head, he claimed her mouth with deadly accuracy. Thrusting his tongue forward, he demanded immediate entrance. She didn’t resist, needing him as much as he needed her.