Love On the Run Pt. 02

"However, if your testimony does lead to this money, they've agreed to put you into witness protection."

She was quiet for a moment. "How do you know so much?"

He laughed, a rich, deep sound that was half an octave lower than the laugh of the boy she'd once known. "Did they tell you that years ago a lawyer brokered the first deal for immunity? That was my father. I followed the case closely and you're the reason I went into international law."

Shocked, Jessie could say nothing.

"I'm sure you saw what I sent was more than enough for a night. It's going to be a week before I can hammer out the exact details. In the morning I want you to move on to Malaga and find somewhere to stay there. In a larger city you'll be safe. Check in with me and by tomorrow I may have your itinerary."

"Henry, I don't know how to thank you."

"Just stay safe. Keeping yourself in one piece is thanks enough. And Jessie?"

"Hmm?"

"I've missed you."

"I'll call you tomorrow, Henry," she replied awkwardly. They said goodbye and she hung up, mind heavy.

This was exactly what she wanted, if she was reading between the lines correctly. Henry, her first love, was indeed waiting for her. He'd chosen a career just to help her. She'd dreamed of it for so long, but why was it now when she thought of seeing the man he'd become, feeling his arms around her once more, the vision that swam in her head was of Julian, not Henry?

She laid on the bed and cried herself to sleep.

Exhausted Jessie stepped off the elevator at her new hotel. She'd checked in before dinner and called Henry who told her she'd be leaving the day after tomorrow. A ticket would be waiting for her at the airport and she'd take a local flight to Lisbon and from there fly into Miami.

She'd taken some of her newfound money and bought the most delicious paella she'd ever had along with a good glass of wine. After she'd strolled the shops settling for buying a few light dresses and another pair of sandals.

Before life on the run she'd always been a skirt and blouse or dress kind of a girl, and she didn't miss the grubby jeans and sneakers she'd once disguised herself with. She'd also found a shop that sold just what she'd been looking for, and once she was in her room she'd charge the stun gun. Laden with bags she juggled them into one hand and fished her key card from her new purse.

The door swung open and she hefted the bags in, setting them next to the door.

"Jessie," a familiar deep voice said.

She jumped about ten feet and grabbed the box of the stun gun. It wasn't charged but her intruder didn't know that. Just as she grasped it she realized it was Julian, and froze, bent over. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard what happened in Buenos Aires. You ran before I came back. I was worried, and here I find you staying in a four star hotel...shopping. Where did the money come from?"

Anger suffused her at the veiled accusation. "Not Jimmy's five million, if that's what you're implying. I called a friend, the only friend I have in the world and he loaned me money. He's a lawyer and he's brokered the deal. I'm flying into Miami in forty-eight hours. I'm going to let the agency interview me."

"My boss told me. The local field agents aren't available, so I'm to accompany you."

"Lucky me," she said, alternating between anger and relief.

He looked dangerous, two days growth of beard lined his jaw and above his light eyes glittered. His body was set in hard lines, muscles tense as he sat in one of the chairs. "Close the door, Jessie."

She didn't want anybody walking in, but she was reluctant to lock herself in with him.

"Close it," he repeated and stood.

With shaking hands she did, and then raised her chin. "Your little friend Carlos sold us out. As soon as you left they came. It was him."

"Carlos was with me when I left. We went to a bar. It's my fault, as soon as he left his guards either followed or went on break. By the time gunfire came over the police band, you were gone."

She relaxed somewhat, but refused to apologize. She'd simply done what she did best: survive.

"How did you find me?"

"Your lawyer friend Henry shared your location with my boss. Thanks to him I was even given a key." From his pocket he pulled a key card identical to hers.

"You know about Henry?"

He smiled, but it didn't touch those glowing eyes. "Convenient a childhood friend grows up to be your white knight."

"Jealous?" She said without thinking as he drew near.

"I've never been a knight of any kind," he said, and grabbed her.

Jessie's mouth was crushed beneath his and she gave in to her lust, anger changing to a different passion. His hands smoothed down her sides to her hips, then he cupped her ass and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

He fumbled between them then and ripped her panties off, unzipping his jeans his cock sprang out. She was barely wet, barely ready, but angry enough she wanted him inside her, needed some kind of contest between them, and Julian obliged.

He slammed in and she gritted her teeth, body releasing moisture when he was seated. He groaned and pressed her against the wall. As he began to move he held her hips so that he slid against her, the rough material of his jeans catching her clit.

He ate at her mouth, drawing her tongue inside his, grinding into her, stroking his chest against her hard nipples through her dress. It was a hot, furious ride between tow angry souls hopelessly in mutual lust.

He cursed with holding back, and when she at last found her peak and tumbled with her. They shouted their release into one another's mouths, shaking and sliding together. All too quickly he pulled back, set her on shaky legs and withdrew.

She cried out as her knees buckled and he caught her. Grimly he scooped her up and brought her to the bed, tossing her a little ungallantly.

"Hey! What the hell?"

"What?" he asked sullenly, zipping up.

"Last time you were...nice. Sure, you pulled a Houdini act when I was in the shower but you actually treated me with respect. What the hell was this?"

Crossing his arms he scowled. "The night we met you were clearly using me for a good time. And many times after that. Why should it bother you I'm determined to do the same?"

Pissed off beyond belief she climbed to her feet and stalked up to him. "I'm going to take a shower now. I suggest you pull another Houdini and be gone by the time I'm out."

She slammed the door after him and turned on the water, sighing at the strange redhead in the mirror. Henry was waiting for her, and Julian wanted nothing to do with her beyond sharing some great sex.

If this what she wanted, why did she feel like crying yet again?

He didn't go, of course, choosing to stay and ordering room service. She watched television, searching for international news as he ate. The room was small, or so she'd once thought. American hotel rooms were huge compared t most of the world and she'd grown used to small quarters long before, but now with Julian's large, silent presence it felt cramped and small.

He sat in the chair at the table and she was cross-legged on the bed. It was only a double, and she wondered about sleeping arrangements. Having him there made her feel safer against Diego, but greatly uncertain.

It was one thing to walk away from him, but not the other way around. He'd been so mad at her back in the forest, but when he'd found her he hadn't taken things too far, and Julian had been playful. Now he seemed dark, preoccupied, almost brooding.

She wanted the playful Julian back when she was more certain of where they stood. Now when her life was in flux she wanted something steady to hold onto. Once again, it seemed it had to be her own self.

"What's on?" he asked, pushing away his empty plate.

"Game show. Other than that some sitcoms and dramas I can't really follow. Nothing major on the news."

"We can order a movie, let's see what they have." He sat next to her and took the remote.

Jessie fixed her eyes on the TV as he pulled up the menu, selecting classics. She didn't recognize the one he selected Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down. When it began she climbed back to lean against the pillows as Antonio Banderas wandered a mental ward and entered the office of a psychiatrist.

Julian watched there for a moment then turned to look over his shoulder. "Have you ever seen this?"

"There hasn't been much time for movies in my life."

He pursed his lips and got up to walk back. Sitting next to her he set the remote on the nightstand then folded his hands behind his head. Jessie scooted away to the far edge of the bed. Julian sighed, but kept his gaze fixed on the movie.

They watched in silence as she picked up the plot. Antonio left the mental hospital and promptly went to stalking a woman. As the movie went on, the actress he was stalking gave in to desire and the sex was a little graphic.

She felt her face warm as did other parts. Young Anotnio Banderas was easy on the eyes, and despite the stalking plot the movie was funny, and damn sexy. Soon enough she was lost to the story, but with every passing moment her awareness of Julian grew.

He'd been callous with her, and she still wanted him. He was like a drug in her system and the comparison cooled her ardor. Drugs were the reason her life had fallen apart, though she'd never even touched the blasted things.

When the credits rolled she felt him nearly vibrating next to her and so Jessie jumped from the bed.

"What's going to happen in Miami?"

His eyes looked glazed, but at the mention of the case his focus sharpened and he stretched. She swallowed, her mouth dry as his body lengthened in the most enticing way.

"My boss is going to want to know everything that happened that night, and the days leading up to it. If your stepfather told you anything about a shipment, the money, anything special. Did he?"

She sat in one of the chairs and poured herself a glass of wine from the bottle that had come with his meal. She swirled the warm red in the glass as she tried to remember. "I'll have to start at the beginning."

"Which is?"

"Jimmy came to California to meet with one of Diego's men. His supplier had fallen through. My mother was a widow, worked two jobs to keep us going. Los Angeles isn't cheap. One of her jobs was waiting tables at a steakhouse, and jimmy was a customer.

"He had money, dressed in flashy clothes. That wasn't really him, but she didn't know that. He took us out to amusement parks, museums, family things. He was nice to me, this little brat, and nothing charms a mother more.

"He stayed on for a while and it began with grass. It's not really a gateway drug, but it was for my mother. What he was really doing was making sure she couldn't pass her drug test at work, and shortly she lost both jobs.

"Jimmy had to get back to work in Miami, it had only been a month, and he invited us with. Mom accepted.

"At first it was okay. He had a nice little house, I went off to school, and mom just stayed home with him watching TV, getting high. Then the parties started. I slept over at friends' houses and when I came home I'd find them passed out. Sometimes they were in bed with other people.

"By the time I was twelve mom was smoking crack and the parties were every night. Sometimes Jimmy would bring home men who looked beaten up and put them in the basement. I was never allowed down there but sometimes I heard screams.

"Once I got curious and went down there. He had scales and stacks of money, machines I know now to count money. Jimmy caught me and slapped me. After that he got pretty rough whenever he thought I acted up." at the anger in Julian's eyes Jessie had to look away before continuing.

"Jimmy was using...a lot. He grew paranoid. He accused me and my mother of stealing, but truthfully she was stealing his product. She was using, hard core. She oven o.d.'d a couple of times, but I called nine-one-one and she was okay. Jimmy started keeping overflows of cash in bus lockers, he saw it in a movie and thought it was a neat idea.

"I think in a week the most he ever saw was three hundred thousand, almost all of earmarked for Diego. He used a law firm to launder it."

"Morales, Santa Anna, and Gomez," Julian nodded. "we've been after them for years but they're too good at what they do."

She nodded, still looking out the window at the city lights. "When I was fifteen I was away at cheerleader camp. I was a sophomore and had made the squad, it was a big deal and mom was proud, real proud. She'd been a cheerleader in high school and UCLA. Anyway, I got the call the morning we were coming back. Mom had overdosed again and Jimmy dropped her off hours too late. One of his friends slowed the car down and dumped her at the E.R." Her voice hitched so she took a steadying breath, trying to control herself at the dark memories.

"There was no other family. My father's people are back in Sweden and my mother was an only child, her parents died when she was young. So it was Jimmy or foster care, and from what I knew pretty little blond girls didn't have easy time of it. So when he petitioned to be my guardian I didn't fight it. I started dating Henry and spent most of my free time with him anyway.

"Jimmy got...grabby. Sometimes he was so far gone he called me by my mother's name, Theresa. I fought him off, it was never difficult just...tiresome. I threw myself into my school work and spending time with Henry and our friends. At home Jimmy still slapped me around, but he figured out where to hit me so the bruises wouldn't show.

"In the weeks leading up to...the night I left, Jimmy was acting strange. He was...full of himself, that's the only way to put it. Acting like he was very important, mentioning something big was in the works. He started needling me about Henry, how we were pending too much time together. He was bringing people home and expected me to act a hostess. It was horrible.

"That night it started as a fight. I'd broken curfew, gotten home fifteen minutes late...clothe askew. I was seventeen for god's sake, and he turned what had been a beautiful experience into something dark. Jimmy called me name, slapped me, then threatened to do something...very dark." She couldn't bring herself to say the words, fear still icing her veins these many years later.

"He knocked me down and the place was a mess. I found a gun. He came following me and I just reacted. I emptied the gun, shaking so bad I didn't think I'd hit him. I grabbed my backpack and gym bag, stuffed in a bunch of clothes." She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. "I can still see jimmy laying there in the blood staring up at me. I was so scared...Jimmy had friends, I didn't know any of them back them by their street names but I knew who they were.

"I ran to Henry's. He was always a pretty boy, jock, people thought he was a meathead but he's sharp, damn smart. His father helped me. They gave me some money and when Henry's father found out I was wanted as a 'person of interest' he told me to get the hell out of there. I dumped any identifying clothes and my big pink backpack, we drove to Walmart to buy jeans and big shirts, and he drove me to Texas to a friend's house.

"Hank Sr. stayed with me and helped me get papers, sent me to another friend in Mexico. Then Diego's men came and I learned to stay on the road." Finally she glanced back at him, chin raised. "So you can see if there was any money I didn't know where it was."

"God, Jessie, I'm so sorry. I wasn't with the agency when all that happened, but I know what happened on our end from the file. We'd been watching Jimmy, and when he was killed at first we thought it was another dealer. It was clearly not a pro, he had a full clip in him, and it was clearly rage. In those first days with you missing we were worried about you having been kidnapped.

"It took nearly two weeks but from your neighbors we figured out what happened. By the time we realized you were scared and in hiding, you were far away. The first field agents they sent were bungling morons. The agency sent the ones experienced with kids, but from what you've told me you'd stopped being a kid years before."

"What did you find at the house?"

"Drugs, the normal take. We got everything. No bus locker keys, no safety deposit keys, no giant sums of cash. We got enough that if Jimmy were alive he'd be rotting in jail for the rest of his life, but nothing to tie us to Diego."

"Damn it. So what you're telling me is for ten years I've been on the run because of a mistake that was cleared up after two weeks? And Diego's still trying to kill me for some phantom money so low-level junkie probably got his hands on last decade. Great."

Having relived the story the emotions came back violently, and Jessie couldn't fight the tears. She rose, trying to fight the sobs, make it to the bathroom where she could cry alone but Julian stopped her and pulled her into his arms.

At the feeling of comfort, something so long-denied her, Jessie let it all go. He sat on the bed, pulled her into his lap, and smoothed her hair as she soaked his shoulder. He made gentle murmurs of encouragement as she clung to him, too far past shame to care any longer about anything beyond what she felt.

After a long while she felt drained, her eyes drying. His shirt was gone, soaked, and she pulled back sniffling, blushing deeply. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Sometimes you're so strong, smile so much, it's easy to forget what a raw deal you've been given. Life hasn't been fair to you, Jessie."

She laughed without mirth. "It's not supposed to be fair." With that she disengaged and walked to the bathroom.

Julian watched her go then took off his shirt. It was late enough it would be a waste to change so close to bed, but he debated. If he seduced her now, he'd be the lowest form of creep. She was emotionally vulnerable, and though she didn't want to admit it, she was desperate for comfort.

If he was any kind of a man, he'd give it to her, and nothing more. The thought was a difficult one. She'd been raised in his esteem with that story. Knowing what happened from a piece of paper and from her own two lips was two very different things.

She was strong, stronger than any other person he knew. She was smart, resourceful, and had never given up, never compromised. And unless he missed his guess, he was the first reckless chance she'd ever taken, and look how it had changed her life.

Suddenly his need to leave her felt petty and small. Confused, and feeling lower than dirt, Julian climbed into bed and turned the light down, shutting off the TV. He laid in the dark and began to think about what the right thing to do was.

Flying with a federal agent was an interesting experience. They flew first class, he was allowed to carry his firearm on board, and they boarded first. Julian spent his time as the rest of the passengers came on board joking and chatting with the federal air marshal.

The rest of the flight had passed in silence as they napped, ate, watched the movies. Flying back in time five hours was going to be jarring, but they'd barely adjusted to nearly the same difference going to Spain.

Jessie was scared as hell, uncertain of what she would find back home. It didn't help that Julian seemed...distant. Since her crying jag he'd barely said three words to her. He'd been polite, efficient, but with him she felt more alone than ever. Perhaps her tears had scared him off, he seemed to be watching her, evaluating, thinking. Odd for a man who made it clear now that the wham-bam had happened, it was thank you ma'am time.

When they landed they were first off, rushed through, and as soon as they cleared the safety gate at the terminal Jessie stopped.