14 Months 13: April

Stella knew from talking to Sophie that Layla was smart and observant, but she hadn't realised just how intelligent and observant she was until she saw it in action for herself. She appeared small and timid, and the men of Justin's home dismissed her presence as if she wasn't there, often talking freely around her. Whereas Stella used her looks to flirt and tempt the men into giving her extra privileges, Layla freely roamed the large house that had been their prison mostly unseen. Almost all of the information they had gleaned about where they had been kept was due to Layla's quick thinking and unobtrusive ways. Stella had begun taking on the role of protector and was often punished, taking the blame for things Layla had done to raise suspicion of their movements.

When they had been taken to the clinic upon their return, neither Stella nor Layla had said much about their captivity. They mentioned that they were kept in a large house and couldn't see any landmarks to know what city they were in. They had been blindfolded whenever leaving the house even before and after leaving the church including the beginning of the voyage on the yacht until they had reached deeper waters where land was just a smudge on the horizon. They could make guestimates about time travelling, but they were only guessing as they had no way to gauge time as it passed. Neither spoke beyond that, knowing not to trust the council and concerned that even if they talked to Connor or David within the clinic that they would be somehow overheard.

They had information they just weren't sure how to get it to the right people. They had phones and the necessities of life in the clinic. Still, Layla reasoned that they would be monitored when Stella went to call David and tell him what they knew, not that Stella knew as much as Layla, but she could at least give them a few snippets of information to get them looking in the right place. If they were still looking for Sophie at all, it had been a month since they were taken and hidden away from the world so for all Stella knew, the men of the Blackjacks could have moved on from all of them, aside of that first night they hadn't seen David or Connor.

When they were moved from the clinic to the safe house, David and Connor had materialised with large duffel bags slung over their shoulders having decided to go into the safe house with the girls they had bonded with. Layla had been surprised but relieved to see Connor again understanding that their absence from the clinic had not been their choice and Stella followed her friends lead even though she was upset that David hadn't come to see her after that first night that they had brought them in.

The house they were taken to was just that, a house—a modest home in an average suburb on a non-descript street. Connor and David had walked in without a word to anyone and when challenged did little more than raise an eyebrow at the men who were primarily stationed there to guard Chloe and Victoria and continued to Stella and Layla's assigned bedrooms. It was barely minutes later when Daniel and Michael arrived, and an argument broke out about overstepping boundaries.

"If we managed to find out where you were taking them, how hard would it be for others to find them," Connor growled. "We aren't taking any more chances where they are concerned. This was never their fight, and they were caught up in it anyway." He would not be moved from his decision to stay with Layla if she had to be sequestered here.

"I need to know Stella is safe and cared for properly before I consider leaving," David said as he wavered in his decision to stay once or twice during the argument.

"You work security while you're here then," Daniel growled. Then the older men left taking two of the security men with them, so the house wasn't as crowded with people.

"Do you think they have a back yard to this place?" Layla asked quietly, shooting a sideways look at Stella and nodding.

"I guess it would have," Connor said his frown returning noting the surreptitious look she gave Stella. "Let's go have a look," he took her hand and led her towards the back of the house.

"Let them go," Stella put a hand on David's arm. She felt the gap between them. They had never had the close relationship Sophie seemed to enjoy with Darius and Zander, but she had thought he had genuinely cared about her. Now she wasn't sure, and once again she felt her temper rise. "Layla has missed him a lot," she gave a half-smile and turned to walk away, but David grabbed her arm, halting her.

"That guy who brought you to meet us. Was what he said true?" He asked with quiet menace.

"I guess, but I don't remember everything he said exactly," she pulled her arm from his.

"Did you ask to stay with them rather than return to me?" he demanded his eyes as hard as his voice and Stella finally understood why he was acting so standoffish.

"I didn't like leaving Sophie there alone. Without anyone to run interference, I worried that Justin would..." she wasn't sure how to finish that sentence. She sighed. "When she did something, he didn't like, he hurt us to hurt her, do you understand? He knew she would try to protect us and stop fighting him. Without me there to take the consequences for her and Layla..." she let her voice trail off. "I guess I could take the beatings easier than they could, not that Justin ever laid a hand on Sophie in anger, but without me there I don't know." She tried to explain why she had asked to stay. She stepped closer to David and placed her mouth close to his ear. "Layla was far more observant than me because the punishments mostly fell on me. She had to get out of the house to tell Connor what she knew. She couldn't tell him in front of the council or where they might hear her." She leaned back, and this time turned and walked away from him as he turned to stare into the back yard.

David watched her go feeling like an arsehole. He knew from Andrew and Reed that Stella had been beaten regularly during her disappearance, he hadn't understood why or that she was protecting the other two girls by being a scapegoat. The fact that she had been reluctant to leave Sophie on her own with those brutal men was a surprise to him. The selfish woman he knew seemed to have grown a heart during her captivity, but it still bothered him that she would choose to stay rather than return to him. He glanced toward the back yard wishing he could hear what Layla was telling Connor but knew he would find out soon enough.

*****

"I've got you again," Jack said as the white noise of the house cleared and Connor's voice could be heard murmuring with Layla.

"Tell me again?" Connor said quietly.

"It's a renovated school or something. The outside is white plaster, but it's big like it used to house a lot of people at one time. It's old, so like a school or an old barracks or something. The church was Saint Patricks, I didn't see the outside, but the inside looked as old as the house we stayed in. There was an old wedding program wedged between a half column holding flowers and the step up to the altar area. That's how I know the name of the church, and it was close to the house. It didn't take long to drive there, but I can't say for sure because we were blindfolded," she said. "He told Sophie that the house would be their home once they were married."

"You told Andrew it looked like being in the country?" he asked. "Justin Marquis is based around Calypso Cove, on the north end of Sin City could you have been in a city that big?"

"Maybe but if we were, it was disguised well. The only thing that told me otherwise was the number of planes that flew over like a big airport was nearby," she said, still speaking quietly.

"Why didn't she tell Andrew?" Jack prompted Connor through the earpiece.

"Why didn't you tell Andrew about that?" Connor asked.

"He knows," Layla whispered, looking around as if she expected someone to jump out at her. "The council knew everything Justin did, including the attacks. Remember what Lachlan called Michael?" she asked, making him frown deeply as he jogged his mind. He'd been so relieved to see her he hadn't taken as much notice of the words as he might have otherwise.

"No," he whispered back.

"Lachlan called Michael, D.O.D," Layla explained. "Then he apologised to him for handing us back to you and David. He said he knew Michael had other plans for us."

"Fuck!" Jack exclaimed as he strained to listen in making Connor wince. "Ask her to explain to be sure," he prompted.

"I don't understand," Connor was genuinely perplexed.

"I think D.O.D stands for Dear Old Dad," she whispered, "but I have no proof. I overheard a few conversations that make me think that Justin and at least two of his men have fathers or uncles in the Alliance. They don't seem concerned by the Alliance becoming their enemies at all as if they know exactly what you are doing at any given moment. He also told Stella he would see her soon, which makes me think they aren't done with us yet. Do you think your brothers were serious about helping us with new identities and lives?"

"For you, as serious as a heart attack," Connor said.

"Stella was trying to protect Sophie by asking to stay. She took a lot of beatings for both of us while we were there," Layla explained. "She was pretty upset that David didn't seem pleased to see her, but she won't show it."

"What do you mean took beatings for you?" Connor stared at her, shocked by the information.

"Initially, if Sophie fought Justin or stood up to him, he would give us the consequences of her actions because that hurt her more than if he had punished her. Stella always took the punishments for me until Sophie stopped fighting him to protect us. Then when we were caught in the wrong areas of the house or doing something we shouldn't, Stella always took the blame to spare me," Layla said. "I owe her a lot, it wasn't pretty," Layla said not telling him how badly she had been beaten when she had first been taken and fought her captivity because of the scowl he now wore and the grinding of his teeth within his hardened jaw.

"I'm so sorry," Connor finally broke down and gathered Layla into his arms. "I promised to protect you and..." he shook his head. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her neck as he held her close. "We never believed we would be betrayed by the council the way we were."

"Did you get all of that?" he asked quietly, not hearing anything through his headpiece again.

"Yeah," Jack growled. "Keep us updated."

*****

Jack muted the link with Connor again and turned to look at where Ash and Nick were restraining Darius. He was ready to go and find Justin Marquis and kill him. Hearing of his method of punishing Sophie by hurting her friends had been the last straw. Darius had stood with a roar and headed for the door almost leaving before his brothers could hold him back rather than going off on his own to likely get killed before he got anywhere near the man or Sophie.

Jack turned his head to survey Zander who sat with his head in his hands. He had taken the news of Sophie's wedding badly but had managed to keep his emotions under control for the most part. He wore his darkness heavily and had little to say to any of his brothers except Darius and even then, it was in a series of grunts in answer to questions rather than an actual conversation.

"We've been watching all of Justin's businesses and the hotel he uses as his home. He hasn't been seen since the wedding. Where are you going to go, D?" Jack asked.

"He has to return sometime, and when he does, I plan to be there," Darius seethed.

"She married him willingly in the end. What if she is happy with him," Zander said softly making everyone look at him. "She's been with him for an entire month now. It took less than that for me to claim her as mine and have her accept me. Not that I will again, she married him D. The game has changed."

"That's different, and you know it! He kidnapped her, and blackmailed her by punishing her friends and forced her to marry him because of her family," Darius spat.

"And you took her, had the only people she cared about arrested and convinced her to stay by what some would say was coercion not that different to what Justin is doing. We aren't any better than him, why would you think she would want to come back to us when we lied to her every day by omitting what we knew about her past?" Zander argued back, guilt dripping from his words. "Why the hell would she choose to come back to the men who couldn't keep her safe from the past we didn't tell her about or the people who wanted to use her because of it?"

"Because we can give her the new identity and the new life she wants far away from Justin Marquis, the council and us," Jack said soberly. He agreed with both his brothers and after hearing Layla ask if they had been serious about getting her out of the middle of this brewing war, he knew that was all they could offer any of the girls now. If they still trusted them at all.

*****

Sophie opened her eyes and stretched languidly. Her body was sore, but it was not unbearable. She had been curled up under a smooth satin sheet, and as she rolled raising her arms above her head and stretching her legs out, she knew all the restraints from the previous evening's scene were gone. The stereo was silent for a change, and Justin was not lying beside her. She looked around the room and surprisingly couldn't see him anywhere. She sat up, and the sheet slipped down her body. It was unusual to be totally alone, and she peered towards the large windows wondering if Justin spoke to one of his men quietly just out of her sight and hearing. He guarded her jealously even from his own men who she had barely seen since coming to the island almost two weeks ago.

Just as she had the thought, Justin appeared in the wide doorway and glanced toward the bed. Seeing her awake and sitting up, he dismissed whoever he had been talking to with a wave of his hand and walked toward her with a smile. He was wearing an unbuttoned white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and the sides were hanging open to reveal a smattering of dark hair on his sculpted chest. His legs were clad in faded blue jeans; his feet bare.

"Good morning, Sir," Sophie greeted him with a small smile in answer to his much larger one.

"Good morning, Sophie." He said and asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, Sir," she nodded then tilted her head from side to side and rolled it on her neck, completing her earlier stretch.

"Are you feeling okay?" he frowned at her movements.

"Just a little tension in my muscles, it must have been the way I slept," she said, not wanting to point out that he had been particularly harsh with her the evening before. His mercurial personality meant that she could never be sure how he would react to any criticism of his use of her.

"We'll take a hot shower later, to loosen you up but first..." he stalked toward her like a beast ready to devour its prey. He picked her up in his arms and carried her to the doorway he had just come through. Placing her on her feet, he helped her put a silk robe on before letting her take a step out of the doorway. A beautiful breakfast was laid before her, including all of the things he had seen her choose from the usual breakfasts they were offered. He paid attention to everything she did and made sure she not only had what she needed but what she liked as well.

"This looks lovely is there a special occasion I don't know about?" Sophie asked.

"I'm afraid the honeymoon is over, Baby," he said with an apologetic tone. "I have business that needs my personal attention at home, and as much as I want nothing more than to stay on this secluded island with you, unfortunately, we must return to the real world later today."

"Oh," Sophie said, unsure what else to say. She knew that they would have to return to civilization and she was looking forward to it and starting her own plans, but as always, she was carefully guarded with her words and expression where Justin was concerned.

"You're disappointed?" he asked, guiding her to a seat at the table set for two.

"It's been so lovely here," she said sincerely. It was an island paradise, and Justin had allowed her time to explore and swim and relax between his frenetic use of her body and their talks about his family and the family she didn't know. "I'm just not so sure how I fit into that reality. Will I be limited to the house and gardens or may I go out and shop or get a job of my own while you work?" She bit her lip, not knowing how he would take the question.

"Work?" He asked with a frown. "What type of work would you want to do?" He knew her history and over his dead body would she go back to that.

"Well I could never get a legitimate job before because I had no birth certificate or tax file number or anything to prove who I was, so I guess I would have to sort all of that out first, now that I know who I am. Do you think my cousins would know where I was born so I could put in a request for my birth certificate? Maybe you could help me with all of that now that I am Mrs Marquis, I guess I would need our marriage certificate too. Maybe once I have that I could learn to drive as well?" She asked, hopefully.

"I have all of that documentation for you. I needed it to plan our wedding and make it official. I don't think driving lessons will be necessary. When we are home, if you need to go out, you will always be escorted by Lachlan or myself, and we have a driver for when one of us can't be there," he explained. If you were to get a job of some description, what would you do?" Justin repeated his earlier question with the overly patient tone he often used with her when he was feeling irritated or frustrated, and she bit her lip, knowing she had to tread carefully.

"Well, I'm not qualified to do much if I am honest. I thought maybe I could apply to a piano bar as a player and singer," she blushed and picked up a piece of melon that Justin had put on her plate while she had been talking. She bit into it and hummed in approval at the sweet juice that coated her tongue.

"A singer in a piano bar?" Justin was surprised. Nothing in what he knew about her told him that she did more than just tinker with the piano rather than take it seriously.

"I guess there wouldn't be many jobs like that around, but I thought maybe, if I at least looked, maybe I could audition or something. Build up my confidence a little," her voice trailed off as he continued to stare at her.

"Maybe," he agreed still a little stunned by the idea. He placed more food on her plate as he considered her proposition. Driving was definitely out, but he wanted her to be happy, as happy as he was in their marriage. He considered the clubs he owned or had partial ownership of and if he could create a piano bar in one of them, so she could work while remaining under his and his men's watchful eyes. More of a private club atmosphere perhaps, to stop the riff-raff and people who would start rumours about Sophie Marquis being Angelo Calabrese's granddaughter and where to find her.

"I'm sorry," Sophie said into the growing silence and lowered her eyes meekly. She knew her husband well and was always guardedly catering to his needs and wants while trying to get the information she needed about where they were just in case she ever got the opportunity to escape.

"I was just considering your request. I do not expect you to live like a prisoner, Sophie. There will be rules whenever you leave the safety of our home. I want you to be happy, but you must understand I am a man with enemies; enemies who do not play by the rules of society. The Alliance are the least of my concerns before you consider that your friends have become my enemies. Many families within the underground will not be happy to find out that you are not only alive but married to me. Your life will be in danger if you do not follow my rules, and if you disregard my wishes the freedoms I will trust you with, will be forfeit do you understand?" He paused and waited for her to nod.