Happily Ever After? (dbspock and lilred18)

[dbspock]

It's...over. Aaron didn't even have to go into the house. The dead guard on the doorstep spoke wonders, as did the bullet holes riddling the walls. This had been their last chance, the rallying point for the start of their counteroffensive, but they hadn't even had a chance to talk about the concept of a plan. The William's family had hit them, hit them hard, and Tommy would have been lucky to scrounge up half a dozen guys at this point. And that wasn't even the worst of it.

Jane was missing. No...not missing, though it might have been better if she was. While Aaron didn't know where she was, he knew who had her, and the picture he'd been sent, with Jane shirtless and in her bra, well, the implication of that was clear.

There's no choice. All things considered, it was actually a merciful offer, and honestly Aaron wasn't sure why John had even suggested it, but he wasn't about to throw the only chance he probably had to live through the night away.

'We need to talk. Meet me at the club.' Aaron texted his sister Lana before he got back into his vehicle. The club had come through the war unscathed, as had most of their properties, and now Aaron understood why. John hadn't wanted to wipe out his family...he'd wanted to take it over. And it seemed he'd done just that. A lot of the men working for Aaron, and John for that matter, were old fashioned enough to think that family meant something, and a marriage between the two families would make all this official. Lana would hate it, of course, and he didn't blame her, but their lives literally depended on it.

It was a short drive to the club, so it wasn't a surprise he'd beat Lana there. Aaron picked up the box that contained Lana's wedding dress, and the wedding invitation (how long had John been planning this, anyway?) and headed inside, ignoring the questions he got from the doormen. He ignored the chaos on the dance floor...it looked like business as usual, which was surreal...and headed upstairs to Dad's old office, which was now Aaron's...and now it looked like it was going to be John's, and waited for his sister. This was NOT going to be a pleasant meeting, but it was the only course of action he had left. Otherwise Jane, at least, would be dead by morning.

 

[lilred18]

Lana Williams had been at her clinicals when she received her brother's text. She had been ignored by her younger sister Jane, who seemingly had no issue usually responding to her. She had had a long at the hospital, learning how to put in and remove stiches, how to bandage a deep wound, and even how to help splint an open bone fracture. "Dr. Ash, I've got to leave. My brother has some pressing matters that he is requesting my attention." She said, she bit down on her lip, doing her best to seem worried. She, of course, did not know what had happened at their home. She didn't know what was happening wit their sister.

Lana was five feet three inches. She had blonde hair, similar to her younger sister, and was rather fit for her her size. She made sure to take care of her diet, did yoga, and even had been a part of some self defense classes that were separate of what her brother had decided to show them. Considering the business that their family was in, it was protection to have. It wasn't always fool proof, but having the ability to protect yourself was smart. When she got to her car, 'On my way. Talk soon. Haven't heard from Jane' She sent, voicing her worries within the short text. She would mention it once again when she arrived at the club.

After about 15 minutes, she arrived at the club. She had taken off her lab coat, but was still in her black scrubs. She went with darker colors, usually in case the worst of the worst happened while she was there practicing. She got out of her car, locked it and headed inside. She waved at a few of the workers, but headed up to the office. She had a bad feeling with the way that the workers had looked at her. She hadn't been home. She hadn't seen her sister Jane, and now her mind was starting wonder.

She knocked on the office door, entering. "Aaron, what is going on?" She asked him as she closed the door. She soon seen the box that was sitting on the desk, her body sitting in the chair. "What is going on Aaron?" She asked, her eyes opening to him, a glare that only a soon angry female would be able to give. She knew that this meeting wasn't going to be a good one. She would soon find out how her life was going to change.

 

[dbspock]

What is taking her so long? Aaron wondered as he frantically paced his office. He then looked at the clock and saw less than three minutes had passed since he texted Lana. Of course she wasn't here yet. His gaze drifted from the clock to the picture on the wall, a family portrait from last Christmas, but instead of memories of a happier time, the image of him and his two sisters made him wonder if they'd ever be happy again. After tonight...he doubted it. They'd be lucky if they all saw another sunrise. He'd been supposed to protect his sisters, and he'd failed. Miserably.

Where is she? He thought as he glanced at the clock again, images of Lana riddled with bullets from a drive by shooting occupying his imagination, until he realized less than five minutes had passed. He groaned, walked behind his desk and slumped in his seat, reading the message from Lana again. It hadn't changed, but he couldn't bring himself to respond and tell her what had happened to Jane. That would make it too real.

Aaron wasn't sure how long he'd stared at the door, torn between hoping Lana arrived and they could get this over with, hoping he wouldn't have to, and the knowledge that if they didn't...they were dead. he didn't hear the knock before Lana entered, and when he looked at his sister, at first his brain refused to acknowledge the waiting was over, and he just stared at her with a vacant expression on his face. It wasn't until she repeated her question that he processed it. The look on her face didn't intimidate him. What was his sisters anger compared to what he had endured already?

"We lost." He finally croaked out. He wasn't sure how closely his sister had been following the war, but he couldn't bring himself to elaborate. "Henry's dead." He told her, knowing she'd realize what the death of the man assigned to guard their home meant. "They got Jane." He didn't show her the picture he'd received as proof of life. Lana didn't need to see that. Not yet, at least. "And they want...you." Aaron couldn't say anything more. He just shoved the box he'd found across the desk so Lana could open it. When she did, she'd find a white dress, that wouldn't mean much, until she saw the wedding invitation. With her name listed as the bride.

 

[lilred18]

Lana looked at the frazzled male in front of her. This gave that feeling of dread she felt a realism that she wasn't expecting. He was looking through her. The expression on his face made her aware that she hadn't been heard. Aaron hadn't mentally ben with her at that moment. That wasn't good. That was bad. Very bad.

"We lost." Echoed in her mind, her eyebrow raising as she stood across from him. She refused to sit down. She refused to even acknowledge that he hadn't scolded her for her lack of respect in both her tone and her facial expression. "What--" She stopped softly as he continued to speak, finally filling her in on what had transpired while she was at clinicals. While he was supposed to be insuring that Jane was taken care of. She took in a breath, if Henry was dead, no one would be guarding Jane and if Jane didn't have anything planned today, she'd have been home alone, especially if Aaron hadn't checked in on her. "Who took Jane? Why would we have someone trying to kill the family Aaron?" She asked, her voice no more than a whisper.

She looked at the box as he shoved it towards her. She opened it, seeing a dress that was the whitest she'd ever seen. There were no flaws, the dress was simple-- not overly simple -- with a design that was delicate. "Aaron why is my name on this? Why is John's name on this?" Lana shouldn't have said the man's name so casually it wasn't a casual thing. She cut her eyes back at her brother. "What are you going to do about this? Why is it on me? What does this mean for Jane if I don't marry him?" She questioned him. Unfortunately she already could have gathered many of the answers.

 

[dbspock]

The lack of respect from Lana was the least of Aaron's problems. She probably could have spat in his face and he wouldn't have noticed. He certainly didn't register that she had failed to sit in her customary seat. He barely heard the questions she asked, and it was just as well they were questions he had already ran over in his mind, otherwise it was unlikely he would have been able to formulate a reply.

How had everything gone so bad so quickly? Well, that wasn't exactly true, the war hadn't been going well for a while. But Aaron had never considered the possibility of an assault on the family home, much less a successful one.

"You already know the answer to that one." He said sharply when she asked who took their sister. There was only really one suspect, and the fact John had all but signed his work with the package he left behind was just icing on the cake. "And you know why too. Money...power. Trying to expand the family business. We just...got in his way." A good answer? No, but it was the only one he had. John hadn't exactly given them a declaration of war before he'd made his move, but the motive seemed rather obvious. Aaron didn't know that the war had been mostly a smoke screen, and the real goal had been Lana all along.

He looked annoyed once again at the first of her questions after she opened the box...or ransom demand, really. "Your name is on the invitation because you are getting married." he snapped at her, the prospect of her refusing...well, that wasn't really an option. "To him." John wasn't here, and neither were his men, so Aaron wasn't concerned that a report of the venom he said the hated man's name getting back to him, with consequences for Jane. Nor did Aaron reprimand John for her casual use of the name. They had bigger concerns. Much bigger.

Her next question brought him to his feet. "What would you have me do??!!!" He shouted at her. "Our soldiers are dead. DEAD!" Or those that weren't had run, which under the circumstances amounted to the same thing. No help was coming. But the anger was short lived and he soon plopped back down in his seat. "Your the eldest daughter." he explained dully. "Back in the old days, the eldest daughter was often married off to unite two families. It was usually more of a mutual agreement, but..." Aaron shrugged. Truthfully he wasn't sure why John just hadn't killed them all and moved in on their territory. The wedding was a lifeline, and Lana needed to take it. For Jane's sake especially.

"I don't know." He answered honestly when asked about Jane's fate. "There was nothing else in the box...he left what would happen if we...you...refused to our imagination. But I'd imagine death...would be a welcome release for her. Eventually."

 

[lilred18]

Lana didn't understand what had happened at all. She knew there was tension in the area, mainly because of the riffling between her brother and the other male who seemed to have a target on her back, but it hadn't ever expected to come to war. Or Aaron hadn't filled her in about the war. It wasn't uncommon for families such as their own to have issues. It was a back and forth at times especially when money, drugs, or even guns were involved. If a shipment was stolen or intercepted by another crime boss, it didn't go over well for them.

Her mind was on Jane, why would they have taken the girl, she was more locked down than Fort Knox, limited to the outside world. She didn't know anything about what went on, other than the family had legitimate clubs that were run for money. It laundered money, but received it all the same. She knew that her brother had been younger when he had taken the place of their father, but it was as if he hadn't learned from the man before taking over.

Lana opened her mouth and then shut it, of course she knew who took her now, the same man who was demanding a marriage between them. What did he gain? There wasn't any as far as she had been concerned. She'd met him once, it was a sparce meeting and the man had placed a fear that she'd never felt before inside of her. It wasn't anything that he had said either, his was his facial expression and actions. She could only imagine what Jane was going through right now. Empathize anyway. She wouldn't let her young life be taken; she'd been traumatized enough.

"You got in his way you mean, other than Jane knowing what the family is, she doesn't know anything, and you've kept me completely in the dark this time around. You don't fill me in on anything. You've let us go about with much of anything. Hell, if he wanted me as badly as he's making it seem, he could have just grabbed me after a clinical rotation." She bit out softly. It wasn't uncommon for someone to use a front for what they truly wanted, and if he worried about denial or objection, what better way to get someone other than to corner them with their own sibling. Ransom them. Threaten their life. She'd never be able to live with herself if something happened to the young girl. She raised an eyebrow as he snapped at her, it didn't take a genius long to realize what was to transpire, but her disbelief was still within her mind.

Lana bit down on her lip as he shouted at her. She didn't have an answer for him. It appeared that she would be getting married. "I'm aware that I'm the eldest daughter. Do not shout at me again. We could have avoided this had you filled in either of us about what was truly happening. We could have prepared better! Fine. I'll marry him. Nothing had better befall Jane at all. I'll wear the stupid dress, I'll stand there like an obedient wife, and marry the tyrant." She said softly. She finally took a seat, a soft frown on her face. She looked over the invitation again. It wasn't a trick; the only thing was there was no date. No time. Did he expect a phone call from them?

 

[dbspock]

"I didn't do anything." Aaron snapped at her when she all but accused him of starting the war. And he hadn't, really. He'd just been going about his business as usual, then John had started hitting their shipments, one right after another. There hadn't been a plan to it that Aaron could detect...but now he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that this had been the plan all along. Lana was attractive, though of course he tried not to think of his sister that way, and Aaron thought it possible John had started the war just to get control over his sister. Of course, there was no need to suggest that possibility to Lana. At this point, it didn't really matter. Nothing did, except trying to keep his family alive. "And it doesn't matter what Jane knows or doesn't know. He took her to get to you. Nothing more." Aaron was certain of that, at least.

"You skipped the last family meeting, remember?" Aaron snapped at her, though of course calling it a family meeting when it was really just the two of them was a bit much. And besides, what would he really have told her? He himself hadn't realized how bad it was until an hour ago. "And grabbing you wouldn't have accomplished the goal." He scoffed a bit as she agreed she was the oldest daughter...as if there'd been any argument about that. He then shook his head at her protest. "Seriously? That's what your worried about? Getting yelled at?" Did she truly not understand what was at stake here? "You really think you could have done better?" He challenged her. Even now, he couldn't think of what he might have done differently. He'd thought they were prepared. He honestly hadn't expected John to go to these extremes. John must have called in every favor his family was owed to come up with an army as large as he had.

Aaron let out a small sigh of relief when Lana agreed to the deal...or the ultimatum, really. He didn't want to think about what might happen to Jane if Lana had refused, which was of course the entire point. "I wouldn't call it or him that during the wedding." Aaron warned her, though eh doubted his hard headed sister would listen to his advice. Why would she start now?

"I'll let him know." Aaron said softly as he removed his phone, and typed out a quick message. It didn't take long to text the word 'agreed' to John's liaison. Aaron's phone beeped almost immediately in reply...clearly they'd been waiting for the message. "Tomorrow afternoon. Four o'clock. Regency Ballroom." Aaron read off, then tossed the phone on the desk so Lana could read it herself if she chose.

 

[lilred18]

"I didn't exactly skip the meeting, I was at clinicals, and you had previously cancelled the one before that. If you wanted me to attend the meeting you could have simply told me it was rescheduled. It isn't that hard." Lana said softly. She was tired of getting snapped at, her temper flaring. That was the siblings' issues, they fought no matter what it was. It was as if each had to one-up on the other. She knew that it had started as petty retaliation, the blocking of the business shipments. However, if her brother had taken that time to confront the male, he could have found out what he wanted. He hadn't. He hadn't bothered, which lead them to this moment. She felt bad for all the dead inside of their home. The guards that had families and Henry who had been guarding their sister with his life. Not that she wanted to admit it, but John wasn't the worst looking. He was rather attractive. He was also younger than the others who would have pursued her.

As her brother challenged her, her anger grew. "Yes, I would have contacted him the first time something seemed amiss to ask him what he wanted so it wouldn't have gotten to this point. There has been MONTHS of planning this against us. If you'd had just been mature about it in the first place and asked him what his deal was, this all could have been avoided." She said back to him, her tone holding her anger in it. She wasn't so sure that grabbing her wouldn't have accomplished the goal. He didn't need their territory. He had plenty. It wasn't even a good area. All of John's were found on the upper end of town. Not the middle or lower end. That's what made this such a unique problem. She would have prepared their guards better, put them more on the lookout for potential danger. Though, they didn't have the numbers that the rival male had. He had a way with words and threats that reached further than even her mind could comprehend.

She rolled her eyes as he warned her against calling her soon to be husband a tyrant. "If he's going to act like a tyrant, he shall be known as one. It would be stupid to kill me as soon as he got me in his clutches." She said her finger came up to touch her chin, as if she as deep in thought. She was hardheaded, she wondered if her new husband would have been aware of that. She doubted it, otherwise he'd have taken their younger sister to marry. The docile one. The smart one. "Good," she watched as Aaron text him, instead of calling. That was part of the issue two. There was no direct communication. A text was all that needed to be had. "I'll be ready. Since he didn't send shoes, I will have to get those and go to a hair dressing appointment. I hope that Jane is handed over tomorrow as soon as the wedding is over. She needs to be taken to one of the safe houses. Or sent to an Aunt across the country." Lana said before she stood up from her chair, glaring at the box that held the dress. "I'll call a cleaner to clean the house up. Remove the bodies. The death should stop for now." She hoped anyway.

 

[dbspock]

"If you weren't so damn concerned with trying to create a career instead of furthering the family business, I wouldn't have to try and keep up with your stupid schedule." Aaron snapped back. Even when they agreed, as they had with the necessity of Lana marrying, it seemed they argued. It was almost habit by now. "And I did bloody tell you." Truthfully he couldn't remember if he had or not, it had been a busy time, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"And if he'd told you what he wanted was to fuck you, would you have agreed to it if things hadn't gotten to this point?" Aaron pointed out, and he suspected he knew the answer. Women believed talking was the solution for everything, but some things required action. It was just in this case, the action had failed. "And if you think killing you is the worst thing that might happen to you, your living in a dream world. If you insist on pissing him off..." Aaron trailed off. As annoyed as he was with his sister right now, he didn't want to picture that happening to her.

"What?" Aaron blinked at her. How could she be thinking of shoes and a haircut at a time like this? It seemed so...normal. But at least Lana wouldn't have to worry about procuring underwear. Aaron suspected John had taken great pleasure at including a pair of black silk panties in the box. He sighed as she mentioned Hane being freed after the wedding. "My guess is Jane will be at the wedding. Probably as your maid of honor." He raised his eyebrow at her suggestion of what to do with Jane. The safe houses were out of the question, it was a misnomer by now. But sending Jane to Aunt Felicity? That might actually work. Not that John couldn't reach her there if he wanted to bad enough...hopefully Lana would be able to keep John fixated on more local issues. He hadn't thought about hiring a 'cleaning' service either, and he found himself nodding in agreement. "I think the death will stop now that we've reached an agreement." Aaron said softly. In any case, there weren't a lot of people left to kill. Not unless John decided to hit the night clubs and start killing the staff. But Aaron didn't think even John was that far gone.

 

[lilred18]

"The career of choice could be helpful for the family business. Nursing someone back to health. Stiches. Everything that a doctor would have to be called to the house to do. Do you see the benefit of that? That was what my thoughts and plans were. It had nothing more to do with the outside world other than my clinicals having to be completed there! That is why men die so much quicker. They don't think about the smart moves." Lana bit off back at him, "You did not! Otherwise I would have been there instantly. I was 15 minutes away! It takes a simple— meeting is this day — and I would have been there."

The two siblings did seem to argue more now than they had before. It was just a habit. Jan often stopped it, but she wasn't here. "If he had said that was what he wanted from me. Then guess who would have done it if it meant stopping a war? ME. I would have agreed to it. I would have had it on a memo and had both of our signatures in agreement. That is what you do to stop a war." Lana knew that it was still custom for a female to be sent to a husband of her status untouched, but if it meant stopping a war for her family. The one who got her after, would have had to deal with it. As would her brother.

"It makes sense Aaron, I'm being signed over to a man who wants me for his wife. He wants me to be at the wedding. He isn't going to want my hair in it's normal state. He's not going to want me to have my plain nails. That would be an insult to him." She explained, her eyebrow raising. Did he not learn anything from their circle, or was she the only one listening." She stood up. Glad that he had come to an agreement with her. "I'm sure that I'm going to be trailed by his men. I'll let you know if I run into any trouble. Should I have my future husband's number?" She questioned. She'd seen the panties inside of the box, to say the least the man had good tastes. That was what worried her. What else he had up his sleeve.

 

[dbspock]

Aaron slumped back in his seat. As much as he hated to admit it, what Lana was saying made sense. A medical professional in the family would come in handy...but right now that just made her a more attractive target for the enemy. But there was no point in telling her that, and he wasn't about to admit she was right, so he let the comment pass. Right now, he couldn't even work up the energy to respond to her insult of his intelligence. Right now, he felt she was right about that too. And when she insisted he hadn't told her about the last meeting...damn, she was probably right about that as well.

"I wasn't prepared to sell you out like that." Aaron was shocked Lana stated she would have agreed to be John's wife before all the bloodshed. Was it true? Well, Lana wasn't in the habit of lying to him, he had to admit, but truth be told, as much as his sister annoyed him, he still cared about her, and wasn't prepared to sell her off...not until they'd run out of alternatives at least. "And I seriously doubt he cares about your hair. or nails." Aaron was certain Lana's appearance, at least minor details like that, would go unnoticed by Lana's new husband, but there was little point in arguing about it. It wasn't like he had anything else for her to do in the meantime. If she wanted to spend her last day as a free woman like that, he wouldn't stop her. If he even could.

The prospect of a tail hadn't occurred to him either. If Lana decided to run, Jane's life would be forfeit, and Aaron figured that would be enough incentive to keep things on track. But again, that wasn't worth arguing about. In the end, it didn't really matter. And if she ran into trouble...there wasn't a hell of a lot he could do. But the last thing he wanted was to point that out. "Makes sense." he finally agreed when she asked for John's number. He wanted to argue with her, but eh couldn't come up with one that made a bit of sense. he reached for his phone again and quickly typed on it, and Lana's phone soon pinged. "I sent you the number I have. it isn't John's, or at least I don't think so, but its at least one of his lieutenants. If you send them a message, I'm sure John will see it right away."

 

[lilred18]

Lana wasn't used to having the front line of insults toward her brother. Generally, the two hushed before they yelled, not wanting Jane to hear their arguments. It had been like that as of late. But nothing was as it was at this moment. Whereas he may have blamed her for her stupidity, she blamed him for his inability to just let them in on things. To let Jane and herself know what was going on in the business.

"It wasn't up to you to sell me out or to decide what was best for me. If it's something to protect the family. You just do it. That's the way we have always been. Jane could have been safe from all of this if you'd offered it up as soon as it was on the table. You are the leader of a crime organization Aaron. You should know that more than anyone." Lana bit down on her lip, she was sure that her new husband wouldn't care, but she did. Plus, sending her all made up sent a message— that the family took care of one another. It would also take her mind off of the current situation and maybe she'd be able to make sure that Jane was alright. Maybe.

As she heard the ding of her phone, she felt a weight appear on her chest. She know could at least get some answers, if he would. It would be between her and John.. well maybe on one of his goons as well. The first thing she was going to ask was about Jane. She was sure that he was going to have eyes on her, especially now that the plans were up in the air. "I'll be careful. I'll take this with me. If any problems come up, I'll let you know or you can call me." She said as she exited the door. She left the business, saying her goodbyes to staff.

Soon she was at the car, turning it on to leave. She brought out her phone, sending the text that weighed on her heavily. "Will you tell me that Jane is okay? Please do not harm her.. she doesn't know anything. It is Lana.." with the text sending, she left the business heading toward her usual hairdresser. She did wonder how Jane was faring, if they were treating her properly.

 

[dbspock]

"You think he sent a list of demands before this whole thing started?" Aaron looked at his sister and shook his head. They really were out of touch, but then things had happened so fast once the shooting started. Survival had been on his mind, not family meetings. "I didn't know this was the end game until..." Aaron looked at his phone, then shook his head. Had it really been that recent? "An hour ago. Then I told you right away." At least this time, the facts were on his side. After all the times he'd had to admit silently that Lana was right, it was a welcome change. He nodded as she said she'd call if there was a problem, but truth be told, if John decided not to honor the deal and just took Lana, there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Nothing he could do. That was a mantra he'd have to get used to, he expected. He wasn't even sure why he was still alive. Jane was all the leverage John needed to control Lana, obviously, and right now he wasn't sure Lana would even protest if John wanted to kill him. True, he could run, but he had limited resources left and wouldn't make it far. No, better to wait and see what kind of fate John had in store for him. If it was death, Aaron hoped it was a quick one. Maybe Lana could get him to show that mercy, at least.

The reply to Lana's text came through almost immediately. Clearly this was the most important thing whoever was on the other end had to do that evening. 'Jane is unharmed, and will remain that way unless you try and run.' The message said. 'This is David. I'll be your bodyguard once the marriage happens, and your liaison until then. So if you need anything, let me know and I'll s.ee what I can do' David anticipated the first request Lana might have, and decided to go ahead and fill it. 'I'm going to talk to your sister, and I'll send you a photo as prof of life. Is there a message you'd like to give her?'

***************************************************

Once he'd pressed send, David got up from the recliner and placed the phone back in the case on his belt. He didn't think it would take long for Lana to respond, but then, it wasn't far to where Jane was being held either. In fact, he was sitting right outside the door, so it didn't take him long to walk across the room and open said door.

Jane's presence was all they required, so David had tried to treat her well once the team had brought her to John's manor. True, she'd been blindfolded, stripped of her shirt, and tied to a chair, but she had been a prisoner after all. Once she'd been secured, John had removed the blindfold, and even turned the TV on so she'd have something to watch. "Good news." David told the captive as he knelt down and began to undo the straps holding her wrists to the arm of the chair. "Your sister agreed, so you get to be maid of honor at her wedding tomorrow." Once her wrists were free, he moved to the bed and picked up her shirt, tossing it at her. he didn't expect an attack, but he'd learned never to take chances, so he kept an eye on her. "Get dressed, and I'll send her a photo proving your all right. After that, you need to start getting ready for the wedding. Did you want to eat first, or shower? We already have a dress for you." This was a guest room at the manor, so practically speaking it wouldn't be a problem for her to clean up a bit, there was a bathroom adjoining. The only issue was...he couldn't leave her alone, and he wasn't sure how she'd feel about stripping in front of him.

 

[lilred18]

Lana had put her phone to the side when she took off for the hairdresser that she saw. She wouldn't be filling her in on any details. That wasn't her style anyway. That could get people hurt and she had her sister to worry about. Jane wasn't fragile but she was young. She wasn't giving much of a chance to explore this side of the world. It was wrong of her to keep it from her for her protection. She would have been better equipped to deal with these situations. She hoped that John didn't decide to change his mind after the fact. She didn't like the idea of being blinded by lies.

She hoped that he also wasn't going to harm her brother. Aaron was family. He had gone about it the way that he saw fit. Maybe that was the wrong way. Maybe it was the right way. She wasn't sure. She knew the family wouldn't be put back together, the crime business that her father started and carried down to her brother was no more. The family businesses that were left untouched may be left for Aaron. If they weren't maybe she could talk to John about it. It would only be fair.

When she arrived at the salon she read the message. It had come almost instantly. Aaron had been right, it wasn't John directly, but it was one of his closest individuals, which is why he'd be guarding her. He trusted him. She continued reading, realizing that he had already known what she was going to want. "Thank you for responding. I don't plan on running. Thank you for doing that. I can only hope that tomorrow goes smoothly. If you will tell her I love her and that I'm sorry? She didn't deserve to see what she had to today." She then went into the salon, asking the woman to fix up her hair and then she would be getting her nails done.

***************************************************

Jane was terrified to say the least. She was still tied to the chair, her shirt had been taken from her leaving her only in the bra that she was wearing, but she could see. The quiet in the room allowed for the scary things she saw that day to crawl into her mind. The death of friends, staff, and even some distant family. Henry was the worst one. He gave his life for hers. Jane still had the spots of tears down her face. She had long since stopped crying, it did no good for her. She was silent as she heard the door open. She didn't want to make any sudden movements. They had not hurt her, but she wasn't sure exactly what the men that kidnapped her wanted. None of it made sense to her. She stared at the tv, but it made no sense to her. She was staring through it. Almost in a state of blur. She jumped slightly when she heard the man's voice. She turned her eyes to look at him. "I… She's getting married? To whom? The man today…" She answered her own question.

Jane caught her shirt, sliding it on to her body. She hugged herself as he untied her, the ropes hadn't been cutting into her skin but it was such a weird feeling. "But if the wedding isn't until tomorrow why would I need to get ready today? I would like to eat, but if a shower is easier for you to deal with first I can do that. I won't attack you I promise." She said softly. As much as her mind was yelling at her to run, she knew that it would be futile and just cause more issues. She waited for him to take a picture of her. She looked at him, waiting for him to explain what would

 

[dbspock]

What the hell? Roy thought as he sipped his drink. The war between the William's and the Wayne's was hardly a secret. Every crime family in town knew about it, and the Siones had sent Roy to keep an eye on Aaron's office at the night club when the rumors had started about something going down tonight. The rumors had been true, sure enough. John hitting the William's house had been a bold move...but the response made no sense at all. Okay...Aaron had retreated to his office and called his sister, that much made sense. But Lana hadn't been in the room long enough to form any kind of counter strategy, and there had been no sign of reinforcements arriving. The only other move that made sense would be for the William's to run, but Lana didn't seem in any particular hurry when she left the office, and Aaron seemed to be staying in the office.

Roy made a quick decision, and figured his boss's would want him to follow Lana, so he quickly threw some bills on the table to cover his tab and followed her out the door. But her destination didn't make sense either. A hairdresser? Why the hell would she be going to a hairdresser? It wasn't a cover for either of the two warring families as far as Roy knew, but he also couldn't exactly follow her inside without drawing attention to himself. So he decided to sit in the car and watch the entrance just in case something else interesting happened.

The next reply to Lana took a bit longer, but as it had a picture of her sister included that was understandable. 'You are welcome.' The text began politely. 'The arrangements are all made for tomorrow. As long as you show up, all will go smoothly and you'll see your sister then. I will relay your message.'

*******************************************

Dave glanced up at Jane as he finished untying her. "Yes, your sister is marrying my boss. A sort of family merger, I suppose." He confirmed as he rose to his feet and watched her put her shirt back on. Part of him wanted to be a gentleman and turn his back while she got dressed, but that part was overridden by his paranoia that she might attack him and try to escape. Not a situation he wanted to try to explain to John, so he kept an eye on her movements. He frowned a bit at her question, then shrugged. "Good point." he conceded. He wasn't sure how long it might take her to get ready, but he doubted it would be the 23 hours until the wedding. He was used to being a guard, and taking care of guests, but Jane was some sort of weird combination he wasn't quite sure how to deal with. Once she was dressed, Dave quickly snapped a phot of her and sent it to her sister.

"I can get you something to eat." Dave declared as she made another reasonable request. "There's some pizza in the kitchen, or I can get you a sandwich. Unless you'd like to order something instead." He listed out the options for food that occurred to him as his phone beeped. He lifted it up to check the message, then glanced over at Jane while he typed his reply. "Lana says she's sorry and that she loves you." he relayed the message as requested. He nodded at her promise not to attack him. He wasn't terribly worried about her beating him up and escaping, there were other guards around the perimeter and in any case he thought he could take her, but he didn't want her to get hurt. She was the only leverage they had to make this marriage happen.