Abandoned but Not Alone (39 page)

“
If you keep quiet for just a moment I
might get a chance.
”

Raising her
hand to again close the imaginary zipper across her mouth, Jason beat her to
the motion, causing them both to laugh.
“
We
’
re going
to, Palm Island, St Vincent and we leave on Sunday.
”

“
Are you crazy?!
”
  Aviva shrieked. The man had to be crazy if he thought she
could be ready to leave with less than two days
’
notice.

“
Baby, I love you for arranging this trip
for us
–
but there is no way
on earth I can be ready in two days!
”

“
Why not?
”

“
I
’
ll tell you why not: number one I
’
m black, in case you haven
’
t noticed and I need to get my hair braided, number two, I
’
m a woman and what woman do you know
could be ready to look like the bomb on vacation in, less than two days?
”

Jason had
never seen Aviva so panicked, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head. He
thought it hilarious and laughed so hard tears ran down his face.

“
Shut up Jason
…
you
…
you are
such a bloke!
”
Aviva
finished, knowing her name calling was childish and even worse, lame as hell.

Silently
thinking he needed a medal, he sucked in his laughter and told her they would
be leaving for New York first thing in the morning and would be staying with
his father and brothers until their departure on Sunday evening.

“
That gives you nearly all day Saturday
and Sunday to get your hair done and shop for whatever you need for the trip. I
’
ll even make you a deal; you can have my
credit card to buy whatever you think you
’
ll need. How
’
s that for
a bloke?
”

Looking at
him under her lashes, Aviva gave him her slyest smile as she held out her hand
to shake his in agreement. Look out New York, Aviva was coming and she would
have Jason
’
s credit
card for company.

“
I don
’
t like that look
–
am I going
to regret something?
”

“
But of course, darling; two days
’
notice my foot!
”

~~~~~~~~~

London,
England

“
Hello.
”

“
New York City is a go. All the components
are in place.
”

“
Good, very good
–
make sure nothing goes wrong. I
’
ve waited too long for this.
”

“
Nothing will go wrong; I can assure you
of that.
”

“
It had better not. If it does, I
’
ll be taking it out of your hide and that
’
s a promise from me to you, do we
understand each other?
”

“
I understand perfectly, I want this just
as much as you do.
”

“
No, you could never want this as much as
I.  Inform me when the deed is done and remember what I said, no fuck ups...for
your sake.
”

Knowing
better than to respond the caller waited until he heard the drone of the
disconnected phone line. 
“
Bastard,
who the hell do you think you are? I
’
m sick and
tired of you fuck ups thinking I
’
m your
minion. Don
’
t worry;
this is the last time you
’
re going to
speak to me like I
’
m a piece
of shit. I
’
m about to
get mine and you
’
re my
ticket.
”
Replacing the handset
the caller walked away to recheck what he already knew; all was in place.

At their arr
ival at New York
’
s JFK
Airport, Aviva was still a little stunned at traveling by private jet.  Jason
must be seriously loaded if he could afford to run his own aircraft. Aviva was
also still a little disgruntled at the way in which the stunning flight
attendant had been sticking her boobs in Jason's face, giving her death looks
when he wasn't looking and polite smiles when he was. As for Jason, the man had
been completely oblivious to the woman
’
s antics to capture his attention. Shaking her head at her
recollections, Aviva stared broodingly out the car window, not really seeing
the passing scenery.

“
Okay, what did I do wrong?
”

“
Nothing.
”

“
Well good, for a minute there I thought I
was in the dog house.
”

“
That
’
s just it Jason, you did
–
nothing.
”

Jason had
an inkling of what had gone on during their flight, well aware of Monica
’
s attempts at gaining his attention. But
he wasn
’
t dumb, if she didn
’
t broach the subject there was no way in
this lifetime he was going to. So being of a sane mind he kept quiet knowing
she would tell him all about his mistake in a matter of minutes. Bingo, here it
comes.

Turning
towards Jason, Aviva asked the question that had been burning a hole through
her mind throughout the whole trip.
“
Monica's
very beautiful, and...did you have relations with that woman?
”

“
No ma
’
am, I never did; and for the record I never mix business with
pleasure
–
ever.
”
Jason stated emphatically, holding her
gaze to show the seriousness of his response.

Feeling
slightly discomforted by his response, Aviva mumbled something unintelligible
under her breath. Seeing her embarrassment at jumping to conclusions, Jason
laughed as he was again presented with her back.  His Angel was jealous but he
knew she would never admit it. Shaking his head he left her to stew on his
words, returning his attention to the documents in his hands.

Jason
continued studying his papers and Aviva continued looking out the window for
the remainder of the drive.  The car soon came to a halt outside of a pair of
double gates. As the gates swept back; the car once again resumed its forward
motion, carrying them up a long winding driveway, leading towards a beautiful
older styled mansion surrounded by large sweeping manicured lawns.

Looking out
of the window, Aviva saw Josh standing at the foot of the stairs awaiting their
arrival.  When the car came to a stop, he opened the door and extended his hand
to assist her out. Pulling her close, Josh kissed Aviva on the lips by way of
welcome. Not appreciating his presumption, Jason hastened around the car and
thumped him on the back hard enough to make him stagger before saying a brief
hello. Stumbling into Aviva
’
s body,
Josh allowed his frame to rest against her, giving the impression Jason had hit
him hard enough for him to lose his balance. It worked, frightened Josh would
fall, Aviva tightened her arms around his body to ensure he remained upright.
His warning blow having backfired, Jason had no choice other than to personally
extricate Aviva from Josh
’
s arms.

The mock
expression of innocence on Josh
’
s face made
Jason admit to himself, he had missed his fun loving brother. Unwilling to show
any sign of amusement at his antics, Jason wiped any sign of emotion from his
face before growling at a highly amused Josh.

“
Don
’
t push your luck laughing boy.
”

Refusing to
completely release Aviva, Josh took her arm as he escorted them into the
house.  Shaking his head, Jason had no choice other than to follow behind.

Jason
hadn't seen his brothers or father for the past six weeks; he did however
receive a phone call from each of them, at least once a week At first Jason had
been reluctant to speak with them so often, keeping their conversations brief,
not caring if they thought him rude. As the weeks passed he realized his
curtness only fueled their determination to break through the barriers he had
erected to keep them at a distance. They continued to call until he found
himself looking forward to their weekly conversations. When the calls suddenly
stopped, he became concerned something serious had taken place that had caused
a break to their routine. He had contacted Jackson to assure himself of their
wellbeing. Jason quickly realized he had been well and truly suckered. He
hadn't been using his brain; rather he had been operating from a place of
emotion.  The abrupt cessation of calls had been plotted to perfection by Aviva
and Jackson
–
bombardment followed by abrupt withdrawal. A clever man, Jason was still
surprised at how completely he had been duped by their conspiracy.

Leading
them through a large hallway, Josh opened a door to reveal a bright family
room. Looking around the room he could see the room carried all the trappings
one would associate with people of their wealth. Expensive furnishings, works
of art, as well as high ceilings and big windows, the room also sported well
used seating that showed it was a place the family regularly gathered in. The
used look of the seating made Jason immediately feel at home. Somehow these
three men had crept up on him, their selfless understanding of his rude and
sometimes brooding persona showing him their intentions towards him. They were
also willing to get him the answers he sought
–
that time had come, which was his primary reason for making the
trip to New York. Looking at Jake, the only other occupant of the room, he gave
him a barely discernible nod, indicating their plans had come to fruition.
Satisfied, Jason allowed a genuine smile of satisfaction to settle on his face.
Extending his hand he strode towards an equally satisfied looking Jake who
grasped his hand in greeting.
“
It
’
s good to see you again, Jason. Aviva,
welcome to our home. We all hope this will be the first of many visits.
”

Walking
towards the man, who looked so much like Jason, yet was so different, Aviva
reached up and hugged him. She felt a slight hesitation before his strong arms
gathered her in and returned her embrace. Over her head, Jake met Jason
’
s eyes, reflected in Jason's expression
was acceptance that he was at ease with their embrace. Six weeks ago he had
deliberately kept his distance from Aviva, conscious realizinghow volatile and
protective Jason had been of her. He, as was his nature, in turn had not wanted
to cause Jason additional concern. One brother showing her so much attention was
enough for any man to have to deal with, especially attention from brothers who
were virtual strangers to him. Intercepting the look that passed between his
brothers, Josh smiled with satisfaction, they had all come a long way.

Belatedly,
Aviva noticed Jackson was missing from their gathering.
“
Is Jackson not joining us?
”

“
Unfortunately he has been unexpectedly
detained. He will of course be joining us for dinner.
”
Without giving her a chance for further comment, Josh proposed
he show her to hers and Jason
’
s room.
Suspicious by the abrupt change of subject, Aviva got the distinct impression
they were up to something and wanted her out of the way.  Giving them all a
dubious look meant to let them know she wasn
’
t fooled, she allowed Josh to lead her from the room.

Climbing
the stairs in silence, Aviva listened to Josh
’
s non-stop conversation. His commentary giving her facts about
the house, hoping they enjoyed their stay, did they have a good flight, blah,
blah, she tuned him out. They were definitely up to something, and she wanted
to know what was going on. Waiting while he opened a door that led to a
beautiful bedroom, Aviva stepped inside and turned to look at Josh who had
followed her inside.

Looking
around the room his glance landed on the bags sitting at the foot of the bed.
“
Good, I see your bags have been brought
up. I
’
ll leave you to get
settled in. Come on down when you
’
re ready.
”