14 Months 15: May

"As a matter of fact, you were the leak D. Well, more specifically, your housekeeper, Margret, was their main source of information. But from what I understand all of our households were compromised by the people who we treated like furniture and never guarded our words in front of," David corrected him. "None of us would turn on the other, and you should know better than to accuse me," David ground out the words.

"Enough," Maeve said abruptly. Then looked around the table. "Mimi has made her own choice and will, therefore, be confined to her room for the time being. I will post guards to ensure the safety of our men. As for Michael, we have no reason to trust him and his choice of companions is suspect at best, which places you in a precarious position also, David."

"You have my phone. You would have read the text that I sent to my brothers shortly after being removed from the safehouse by Michael. I have nothing to hide," David sighed. "Michael couldn't remove one of the girls from the safehouse without raising suspicions. Justin had Sophie and Mimi was the only vulnerable piece in the council's plans, alone and forgotten in her secure location. He essentially took one piece from each layer of their plan out of play and had the Serbs not moved when they did, he would have had the council scrambling for answers. Now everything is in disarray, and his actions could be seen as barely being a scratch in comparison, but he was prepared to do something to try and mess with their plans."

"There is no need to defend me. Were I in Maeve's position, I would doubt my actions as well. I will accept whatever restrictions she places on me until we can come to an agreement," Michael said. "For what it's worth, Byron and Henry will seek revenge for the loss of their sons. We all had groomed Justin, and his sentinels, since birth for taking over the underground and their loss will mean their focus will then fall to their adoptive sons, to carry out their plans," he looked meaningfully at Darius. "David is my son as much as Lachlan is and my attempts to save them both could have gone awry because of your involvement and moving before Justin could carry out his plans. I have no regrets but trust me the other council members will want retribution."

"Well that explains why Zander took your place with Sophie in the game," Asher whistled. He rather than Zander had been the obvious choice to everyone but the council. He had been hurt by the closeness Zander and Darius had built through their love of the girl. Now that he understood how the council had manipulated the situation to their own benefit, he could accept that it wasn't a slight on him specifically.

"Zander and I just became major players in this game then," Darius mused. "We could use that to our advantage. "Maybe Zander should come here and bring Stella to see David. I think I have a plan, but it won't work with us hundreds of kilometres apart."

"A conversation for another time," Maeve indicated the men who were under suspicion that had been found approaching the fortress and picked up by Maeve's men. "Let's make our guests comfortable in their quarters and then we can request that the Duke transfer Zander and Stella to our care."

*****

"If anyone in the Turtle Club has seen him, they aren't talking," Nick sighed. It had been a week since anyone had contact with Jack and the badly beaten, catatonic Sophie. The Antiheroes had gone to ground, and the Serbs weren't talking to anyone as they rebuilt their hold on the city, so any information they might have given about the events on ANZAC day was out of their reach.

"You checked all the places I gave you?" Kai asked, even though he knew the answer. Nick had become their conduit to the outside world and Kai was able to make two calls each day on a secure line, but he remained at the Duke's compound with the others who had been brought in.

The council now knew they had been involved in the raid that ended in Justin's death. They were all missing from the Alliance now, and their only link to the outside world were the three brothers who searched for Jack and Sophie and got what little information they could about the council and Alliance from the Antiheroes before they had disappeared too.

Three of the Antiheroes had attended the first of the month Alliance gathering for a small amount of time. Their depleted number and the total absence of the Blackjacks had sparked rumour and speculation. Rob had approached Bart and the pirates letting them know that Victoria was no longer in the safe house after a raid by armed men that had taken the girls and Connor Blackwell who had been there with them. This raid was the reason they couldn't produce her for this Alliance meeting regarding the game. The most significant piece of information that the Antiheroes gleaned was that Michael Mace was also absent from the meeting and hadn't been since the day before the raids. If David knew of his whereabouts, he wasn't talking yet, which worried all of the brothers stuck in the Duke's camp.

"How's Zander doing?" Nick asked, not bothering to answer Kai's question. They both knew that he had turned over every rock and stone trying to find where Jack had taken Sophie.

"Zander's fine he knows Jack has Sophie's best interests at heart, it's Darius and the Duchess who seem ready to mount a manhunt," Kai sighed. "I haven't quite worked out the Duchess's angle yet, but Maeve was always mysterious, one of the few who had ever managed to cut all her ties with the Alliance, according to the weapons. She's been putting pressure on the Duke to release Zander and Stella to her compound."

"Might be worth letting them mount the search. God knows we've tried and failed. I don't think Jack will be found until he wants to be, search or not," Nick suggested. "At least he might reach out to someone if he feels cornered. So, we would know he's okay, at least."

"You're wrong, cornered or not, we're the last people he will contact now," Kai said sadly. "You know the condition she was found in, right? He won't risk that happening again because we couldn't keep her safe. He'll bury her somewhere so deeply no one will ever find her before he will ever reach out to us again."

"Then sending Zander to settle Darius down might be the next best thing," Nick suggested. "Though the manhunt has some merit if only to keep them occupied rather than stewing on the fact that Jack stole their girl."

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it went down, but I get your point," Kai sighed.

"We know Jack sent someone to his studio to pick up several boxes and we can probably assume he got everything he needed if not from his house then one of the many safe houses he owns. If he's at full strength, no one will get close, not even you," Nick said. Of all of the brothers, it was the silent and watchful Kai that Jack leaned on when he needed assistance with anything. A rare occurrence to be sure, but Kai was reliable and kept everyone's secrets unless there was an excellent reason to divulge what he knew.

"I don't think sitting around here is doing anyone any good," Kai murmured. "We aren't being kept in the loop by the Duke and his minions. I think our best bet for info is going to be in Sutherland now that we messed up the plans for Sin City and the Serbs are ready for war. The Calabrese men weren't in the line of fire so much as Justin's men and they've gone home to rebuild. I believe that's where the Duchess and her men will head eventually. The question is, what's the connection there?"

"Interesting. Alright, let Jack look after Sophie, and we do what? Try and save the Alliance?" Nick asked.

"Not necessarily save the Alliance, its old and antiquated and needed an overhaul anyway. The thing we need to concentrate on is taking down and destroying the men who betrayed us and killed one of our own. Justin was just a lackey, the council are the ones pulling strings here, and I am all for going after them," Kai said with some determination in his voice. There were too many moving pieces in this clusterfuck of a grand plan their mentors had put in place, what he needed was to take the head off this monster and see where the different pieces of the body fell.

"I'll stay and watch what the remains of Justin's empire do. Someone will step up, and it will probably be the sentinel who escaped the Serbian death squad. Lachlan Hardesty. They're down, but they're not out by any means, and the council will use that to their favour. The war is still coming to Sin City that was just the first skirmish," Nick predicted.

"Without the Calabrese men to back them, it will take longer to get back on track. I agree though things there are tense and it won't take much for everything to go up in smoke," Kai nodded.

"Keep in touch then," Nick said gravely knowing Kai would leave the sanctuary of the Duke's protection sooner rather than later.

"Yeah, I'll let you know how to contact me as soon as I can," Kai said and hung up before the people walking his direction could arrive. Nick knew their calls were monitored and Kai hoped he had read between the lines as they spoke. He had seemed to, but there was no way to be sure he just had to hope as the Duke's men stood before him.

"Niall wants to see you," the officer said brusquely.

"I just bet he does," Kai smirked and walked back towards the central part of the compound.

*****

Jack looked down at the striped tent and breathed a sigh of relief. It had taken him over a week to find them on their tour. He knew if he could just find Sabin and Miriam, they would be able to relax and stop running for a little while. He made the drive down the hill slowly aware of Sophie's blank gaze staring at the road ahead. She responded now and recognised who he was and that he wouldn't hurt her, but she was still vacant, damaged by what she had endured, and reticent to speak unless asked a direct question. He just had to get her somewhere she could feel safe enough to come out of the protective cocoon she had woven around herself.

He trusted very few people in this world outside of his brothers, Sabin and Miriam were among those he would trust with his life and Sophie's. It wasn't that he hadn't believed Will would stand by him but at well over two meters tall with red hair and a beard any ZZ Top fan would be proud of he had been hard to disguise. Still, he had been grateful for his calm presence in the first few days of their gauntlet run out of Sin City and across several states.

The Knights, being from the Calabrese home town were the best targets for information on all sectors of this war they had reasoned. After five days Will and Andrea had left Jack and a much-recovered Sophie to head to Sutherland and make contact with the Knights leaving Jack to his plans to get Sophie to a safe haven and make sure she was secure before reappearing himself on the Alliance's radar.

"Sophie, these are good people. You can trust them, but not everyone in their company is as trustworthy as the owners so you can only use the name Stevie from this point on," Jack said seriously.

"Stevie," Sophie said unemotionally. "I'm Steve Winters." She looked at the approaching striped tent and considered this new prison she would be forced into and sighed. Rather than red and yellow or red and white stripes that Sophie would typically associate with circus or big top these tents were a luxurious royal purple and blue.

"They're between events, so this property is a staging area for them. It's why it took me so long to find them. They'll be rehearsing and unwinding from their last season of events," Jack explained. "They have an in-house band that should have a keyboard you could use occasionally," he said with a smile knowing this would appeal to her if nothing else about this place did.

Sophie said nothing but gave him a small smile. She knew he wouldn't treat her like the other men in her life. He had proven it during their time together. He was her friend, and he felt that he owed it to her mother to keep her safe. That was his motive, and if she hadn't believed his words, the fact that he had turned his back on his brothers, at least for the time being, spoke volumes. He had sacrificed to get her away from Justin and the Alliance, and she knew she owed him more than the responses she gave for his kindness. This place could be a new start for her, this place if she could believe Jack was safe, safe from Justin, sheltered from the Alliance, safe from his brothers. She drew a deep breath as they circled what looked like a camping ground.

They eventually parked at the end of a semicircle of motorhomes that seemed protectively surrounded by three semi-trailers which obviously hauled all of the tents and equipment. The massive tent sat on the other side of the semicircle, and Sophie watched as men and women milled around in casual dress and workout wear. She waited and watched as Jack got out of the motorhome and walked around to her side, opening the door for her.

"Come take a look around with me and meet my friends," he encouraged in a light voice taking her hand.

Sophie looked down at their joined hands. True to his words of so many weeks ago, Jack had been her friend, expecting nothing more from her than that. He hugged her when she needed it and held her hand when she was anxious but not once had he tried to take their friendship any further than that. There was never a time she could think of that even seemed awkward between them. He had kept her safe and made her feel secure. She could do this. She could meet these people and try to fit in with his friends.

"Jack!" A big booming voice called out, and before she could brace herself, she was pulled alongside Jack into a bear hug that left her breathless as her feet left the ground momentarily.

"Put us down, Lascar," Jack groaned as the giant chuckled and finally released them.

"Sabin will be happy to see you but not as happy as Miriam will be to see you have finally settled down with a woman instead of pining away for the unreachable," Lascar said. Then he put them down and walked between them to guide them to the big tent where music and singing blared.

"Stevie is a wonderful woman," Jack laughed. "But, don't go spreading any rumours about a gypsy wedding, you old matchmaker," he accused the giant.

"Pfft, I can tell already you are the perfect match," Lascar chortled. "You can't fool an old fool like me."

They walked inside the tent and Sophie looked around in wonder. It was truly amazing. The structure that held up the tent was created to look almost cathedral-like under the material festooned roof. The lights gave off an eerie blue and purple tinge except for the bold spotlights that radiated on the performers at centre stage. Even though dressed in yoga pants and sports bras, it was easy to imagine how spectacular the dance number would be once costumed and in front of a crowd. Raunchy was the word for it, and Sophie couldn't drag her eyes away from the girls who strutted and bent provocatively around the rough checkered floor of the tent.

The dancers stuttered to a stop as the musicians broke into the dun, dun, dun music sting used in so many old TV shows making both Jack and Lascar chuckle. Everyone looked over at them and Sophie feeling self-conscious of the still-healing bruises stepped back only to be halted by the giant who hovered behind her and Jack now. Realising she was trapped, she fought down the panic that assailed her and without realising it crushed Jack's hand that she was still holding.

"Stevie?" Jack queried and looked carefully at her as she pressed back against the giant. "Lascar move you're crowding her," Jack said jovially and moved closer to whisper to Sophie. "The door is right behind you and its wide open. Lascar doesn't understand the concept of personal space," he murmured in her ear. Embracing her, he turned her to see the door they had come through, open with sunlight streaming through the pinned back canvas.

Sophie took a deep breath; she could do this. This was a safe place, and Jack had been nothing but a complete gentleman with her as he had promised to be. She felt safe with him, and she owed it to him to try and fit in here with these people he trusted to keep them safe. She had danced in front of a room full of drunk and handsy men in her underwear at Michelle's club, she had sung and performed in front of the Alliance the first night she met any of them, she had always risen to the challenge, and she could do this now. She closed her eyes and channelled her Gilda persona, hoping Rita Hayworth wouldn't let her down with this crowd. Taking one more steadying breath, she opened her eyes and stepped away from Jack.

"I'm okay. It was just a moment. I'll be fine now," Sophie smiled and let it fill her face, including her eyes. She was smart, she was sassy, she was brave, and these people would love her, she told herself. "Thank you, Jack. I'm good now, honestly."

"If you say so," Jack blinked at her. This was the most she had said to him at one time since he had taken her from Justin and the Serbians and it startled him to see her so animated after almost two weeks of automated responses to everyone and everything in her world. Admittedly they had mainly kept to themselves, and she hadn't had to interact with anyone other than himself. He wondered if her hesitation to join the world again had been his fault. He had thought he was protecting her and allowing her time to recover and get used to the freedom he was offering her, but maybe he had been wrong to keep her away from other people for so long.

"I thought you were dead," Miriam announced walking over to where Jack stood and put her hands on her hips in an aggressive pose. "I thought there would be no other reason you would stay away for so long."

"Stevie, this bossy old woman is Miriam. She likes to mother everyone, including me," he rolled his eyes. "Miriam, this is my friend, Stevie Winters."

"I know who she is Jack. You should know better than to try and tell me what I already know. You've had a rough time haven't you, Angel," Miriam smiled stepping forward and taking Sophie in her warm, soft embrace. "Don't you worry about a thing; Miriam is here now, and I can help you heal."

"So, you're alive after all," a heavily accented voice said behind Sophie, and she guessed this must be Sabin. She looked up in time to see Jack taken in a firm embrace that included several forceful slaps to his back that made him wince.

"It hasn't been that long," Jack complained petulantly.

"The state of the troupe's wardrobe says otherwise. "It is good you are here; we are rehearsing a new show. Now let me look at your girl." He took Sophie from his wife's arms and held her in front of him, keeping her at arm's length by holding her shoulders as he scrutinised her. "She is a singer and musician, good. We have need of her talents," he pronounced, making Sophie gasp wide-eyed and wondering how he could have known that unless Jack told him.

"I, I'm not a very good musician," Sophie demurred.

"Well, then you had better start practising then. I will introduce you to the band," Sabin said and tucking her under his shoulder with an arm around her waist, began walking her away from the safety of Jack. She craned her neck to look over her shoulder at him. "Don't worry about Jack. He has plenty of work to keep him busy. Everyone in our troupe earns their way forward. The pay is poor, but the food is good, the company is great and the show, well, the show is spectacular."

"Jack didn't tell me I would have to work while we were here," Sophie said with a laugh.

"That's because he plays like a child with Halloween costumes. He doesn't consider it work," Sabin chuckled. "It is good his search is over, and he will finally settle down," he added conversationally.