Prisoners of the Past (CC, A/U, Adult) Part 64 - 2/21/16

[Natalie36]

Amazing part. I missed my RF and for it to come back with a chapter like this. AWESOME

[keepsmiling7]

Great part.......finally it's over and Knight is dead. That's all Max needs to know now.
Loved that Jim had saved Kyle's handmade crib......what a special treat for Ava's baby.
LOL.......Minnie mouse for Kyle when he was a baby!
So glad to have this nice long part and especially to have RF back in operation.
Thanks,
Carolyn

[Roswelllostcause]

Great part. Hurry back!

[Eva]

It was a surprise and then again, it wasn't: Shakes & Max are brothers. It explains a lot about Shakes desire to get Max out alive. The loyalty of his staff was heartwarming & I can only hope he will find some peace, if that's even possible. But he's in good hands: Dimitri loves him to the moon & back. I'll cross my fingers that Shakes can open himself up a bit.

The others are finding some rest, each at their homes and Max&Liz in hospital. Everything can start to heal now, literally and metaphorical.

[begonia9508]

Hey, thanks for the new part!

Finally, life is getting good for all of them and it was time... But as always in life, everything has a prize and Max made the experience of it!

Thanks and waiting for more! EVE

[Alien_Friend]

Thank you for updating! It made my day when I saw it.

I am glad that the captain and the DA decided not to open an investigation against who killed Knight.

I love how Shakes people wanted to stick with him. Dimitri really is quite the catch. I just love how he handled the situation and made sure keep everyone calm and content as possible.

I can’t believe Max gets the house. I wonder what he will think of that or if he will take it. I like the idea that Max could have a chance to explore that library.

What is the secret Shakes doesn’t want getting out? That was very interesting.

That was a bit of a nervous moment with Michael and Little Ricky. I knew it had to be okay but I wasn’t sure what it would be. I love Michael’s instincts. They are the best you can have. This code thing is interesting. It’s stronger than the law or anything.

Yay, Kyle finally took his ladies home. That was a really sweet scene.

I am glad Sean was trying to talk Courtney into giving DJ a chance.

I am happy Max is out of the woods and will heal in time. It’s great that Liz and Max have each other for support.

Serena is a nice nurse.

Terrific stuff as always. Eagerly awaiting more.

[xilaj]

I'm really looking forward to that meeting where everyone can share their part in the story but I'm very greedy, because I want more too! How about a 'where are we now'-10-years-on update...mainly because it's so hard to see Shakes disappearing, making one last sacrifice to give Max his best chance for a fresh start. I hate that Knight's cheated Shakes out of something that's meant so much to him, the chance to have any kind of ongoing relationship with Max. He can't even tell Max that he's his brother. I'd love to think that there could be hope for some future contact. I'd like to know how things work out for Dmitri and Shakes too. Does Shakes ever manage to let his guard down enough to allow Dmitri closer? I hope for that too.
Something tells me that Shakes will still be keeping an eye on things even if it's from far away. I suspect it's him who's put the word out that Michael and his family are off limits. I can't believe he won't want to know what Max does with his life
For now, it's good to know that Max and Ava will still have their deals and that things are going to fall into place for Max - the house from Shakes, and most likely financial support under Philip Evans' will. I wonder if Dmitri's right and he will feel lost for a while? These changes are good ones, but they're huge and are going to take some adjusting to. Still, he's coped with so much already and despite everything that's been thrown at him, he's held onto his sense of who he is and who he wants to be. The material things are going to be important for his future, but it's Liz and Ava, his new family and friends that are going to give him the support and strength that will help him to find his balance again. I'm glad that Shakes has a group too that aren't going to let him be by himself even if he thinks that they should. They may give him the space he needs but they won't let him pull away completely. I think there's a lot of hope in that for him, even without the possibility of something more with Dmitri.
One of the things that I've loved about this story is the community that you've created from the separate characters. Most of them were already linked together in some way, but through the story their relationships have changed and strengthened until by now there's a network of people who you can believe are going to be important to each other and support each other through whatever comes next. it's very satisfying to see Max securely at the centre of that network when he was so alone at the beginning of the story.
Another thing I love is that you're still surprising me! Just when I thought I could relax and that I knew everything - well, you turn me on my head again! Knight had Philip Evans killed? I didn't see that coming!
And hang on! Knight was Max's father and so he actually is Shakes' brother? What?! I thought that Shakes just felt as if Max was his brother, which was special enough, but the fact that it's a real connection - well, that made me look at the whole story and Knight in a completely new way.
It takes Knight's actions to a whole new horrifying level. At home we're heavily into Percy Jackson/Lightning Thief/Greek myths at the moment (my son's in love with the series), so Knight made me think about the god who eats his children. He destroys them because he thinks that one day they'll overthrow him. He turns everything that being a father means on its head and so does Knight. Whenever I reread this story, knowing this is going to colour every interaction Max has with Knight and with Shakes. How did Knight became so twisted that he could only connect with his children by doing his best to destroy them? By the way, did Knight know that Max was his son? He obviously knew that Shakes was, but I'm not so sure that he knew about Max. Did he always know and deliberately bring Max under his control because of that or did he see Max as someone that he could control and break just for his general sadistic pleasure? I have to go back and reread!
Ava's life has completely changed too. It's good to see her and Kyle beginning a life together with the unquestioning support of his family,
I love that Shakes knows exactly what to engrave on the watch he gives to Max, and that Liz understands what the watch means, just as Max will. The last scene in the hospital is a reminder that there's a way to go before Max recovers, but it's good to see Liz looking after him and to feel the relief they both feel that they're safe and that Knight's gone. It's good to end on a peaceful moment.
Thank you for a great update and of course, I'm really looking forward to the next one and seeing where everyone goes from here, Alix

[L-J-L 76]

Angel Please please please please please please come back and post more really really really really soon? I can't wait to read what will happen next for Max and Liz. So please come back and post more really soon?

From:
L-J-L 76

[ArchAngel1973]

L-J-L 76 Thanks! It’s been a difficult journey, but everyone’s managed to come out fairly well. Knight used whatever means he needed to in order to protect his organization and that included having cops and other law enforcement personnel on his payroll. Shakes does need a new start and that means getting away from everything that’s happened.

Max is getting better and he and Liz will be moving forward. We’ll get some of your questions answered in this next part as far as where he’ll be staying and if he and Liz will be together. The district attorney upheld the deal and he won’t be seeking to prosecute Max, so he’s free. Liz’s parents were at the hospital and Max doesn’t know who his father is and he’s had no contact with his mother since she abandoned him when he was six years old.

Natalie36: Thanks for reading!

keepsmiling7: Thanks! Knowing that Knight is no longer a threat is a great relief for everyone involved.

It looks like Cadence is getting a very special welcome by the Valenti family.

Roswelllostcause: Thanks for reading!

Eva: Shakes has been driven by the need to protect Max and now we know why it was so important to him and why he went to such lengths to ensure Max survived. Finding peace is going to be difficult for Shakes, but he has some very loyal people who plan to stick with him and Dimitri will be at his side.

Yes, now that the threat Knight posed has been extinguished they can all begin to slip back into their normal lives.

begonia9508: Max had quite a road to travel to reach this point, but his experiences will make him appreciate his life and his freedom even more.

Alien_Friend: Thanks!

That was one investigation that didn’t need to be opened.

Shakes has surrounded himself with a wonderful group of people, and even though he never intended for them to be a part of his life once his personal mission was over, it looks like he’s stuck with the lot of them.

Lol, I had intended for that to be answered in this next part, but… the characters took hold and I ended up with way too much to post for one part, so, you’ll have his reaction in the next part.

The code guys like Michael and Ricky live by is very interesting.

Kyle’s completely embraced his little family and we’ll see more of that.

We’ll be catching up with all of the characters very soon. And there’s still that big get-together coming up.

xilaj Lol, you want more than the meeting, huh? Well… the story will end with an epilogue set in the future to kind of let us know where everyone is and how they’re doing. Shakes has worked so hard to make sure Max has his chance at a good life and he really can’t see himself able to maintain a close relationship of any kind. It’s been his plan since the beginning to leave the city once his mission was accomplished. However, there is always hope that time and the people Shakes has at his side will perhaps make a difference in his life and maybe someday he’ll be able to step out of the shadows. Will he ever tell Max how they’re connected? No. But, as far as future contact is concerned, maybe down the road he’ll allow that.

You are absolutely correct about Shakes. He will be watching from a distance and he is the one who put the word on the streets. He’s very invested in knowing that Max is safe and doing well.

Shakes will make sure Max is taken care of and Dimitri was likely right in his assessment. A lot has happened and there will be adjustments that have to be made, but Max has a solid support system and he’ll get through it.

This group of characters has come together in the most amazing way. They’ve grown and branched out, connecting with each other (and in some cases reconnecting with themselves), and they’ve forged a bond that will carry them through the rough times that are bound to arise from time to time. Max was very alone at the beginning of this story, but he’s definitely not alone anymore!

Knight must have viewed Philip Evans’ investigation as a threat and so he eliminated him. Did he know that Max was his son? We’ll never know for certain. He knew Shakes was his son and we know what he did to him. It’s possible that he did know about Max and he was just sick and twisted enough to do what he did to him as well. It can definitely be considered from both angles when reading the story.

The Valenti family is a very loving and supportive bunch. Ava’s likely to find it a bit intimidating for a while since she’s not used to that, but determined to work past that for her daughter and for herself.

That pocket watch will be treasured exactly as Shakes knew it would be. They’re words he knows Max strives to live by and he doesn’t want Max to forget that those words apply to him. It will take some time to heal, but given the support he has and the threat he’s been living under is gone, he’ll get there soon.

This update is a bit shorter than I had originally intended, but… by the time I finished putting all of the pieces together for the update I had an update that was too long to be posted, lol. So, that just means you won’t have to wait as long for the next one because I had to break it up into two parts!


Part 59

Alex unfolded his morning paper and gave it a good snap to straighten it so he could begin his search for interesting articles. He made it no farther than the three-inch headline screaming across the front page: KNIGHT’S END. He couldn’t imagine anyone living in the city not knowing who the head of the criminal organization was. His name was always in the papers for one thing or another and he always managed to find his way out of trouble. His eyebrows lifted as he scanned the lengthy article that pieced together Knight’s last hours.

Parts of it were speculation because there were always grey areas in such a story. Bits and pieces put together with enough of the truth thrown in to make it a worthy read. Another heavy hitter had wound up dead, some man who was allegedly one of the largest drug suppliers on the East Coast. There was a small bit about the other man, some suburban soccer dad that was so average no one would’ve thought to look twice at him.

And there was the danger, he thought as he turned the page. Criminals weren’t always obvious. Sometimes it was someone so mundane, so normal, that connecting them to something so nefarious was laughable. There was nothing funny about the amount of drugs the man had put on the streets if the story was accurate though. He wondered how anyone could push that poison, especially someone who had children of their own. It was unconscionable.

“What has you so enthralled this morning?” Isabel asked as she stepped out on the back deck with two cups of coffee.

“Big story,” he muttered, turning his head slightly when she leaned over his chair for a kiss.

“Must be if you can’t take your eyes off of it.”

Her words and tone were completely lost on him as he leaned forward and continued reading. “I know why your brother pushed you away when we went to visit him that day.”

Isabel placed the cups on the table and rested her hands on his shoulders as she scanned the article, her eyes locking on her brother’s name. “He was involved?”

“It sounds like he was working to help take Knight down.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe they released his name. This reporter just painted a target on his back.”

“But if Knight’s no longer alive, and if the story’s account is to be believed and everyone who held positions of power or authority in the organization are dead or have been arrested, he should be safe.”

“Yeah, but something like this? There’s always someone else out there. Isabel, everyone around him will be a potential target now.”

“Then I want to sue the paper and that reporter. If they’ve put him in that much danger he won’t be safe here. He’ll have to leave the city.” She sat down beside him and considered the ramifications of the journalists’ poor judgment. Alex was right. Max would never be safe now. He could never lead a normal life knowing that at any moment someone from his past could try to kill him or someone close to him. He wouldn’t be safe and neither would anyone involved with him.

She reached for the plastic bag the paper had been in so that the delivery person could hang it on the doorknob. It was an arrangement she had made with the circulation department when Alex had gained freedom from the wheelchair and it was one of the few concessions he’d allowed. She rolled her eyes at the sheet of paper tucked inside, annoyed that the advertisements were once again finding their way in with the newspaper. She had spoken with the circulation department about that too! She reached inside to pull the paper out so she could separate it from the plastic for recycling.

“I don’t know what they don’t understand about…”

Alex glanced up from the paper when she fell silent. “Isabel?”

“These circulars don’t usually have the residents’ name on them.” She stared at it, hesitant to open it in light of their recent conversation. What if someone had discovered her relationship to Max? What if it was some sort of threat?

He frowned and held his hand out, accepting the paper when she relinquished it. His gaze traveled over the printed words and his mind went in the same direction hers had gone. “Jenny still sleeping?”

“Yeah, she was when I checked on her a few minutes ago.”

“Alright.” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before sliding his finger beneath the edge of the folded paper and opening it up. His frown deepened as he read what was written inside and after a few moments he lowered it to look at the newspaper he had been reading. “We need another newspaper.”

“What?”

“The Nelsons aren’t home, we can borrow theirs.”

Isabel was confused by his sudden interest in the neighbors’ paper. “You want me to go down to the Nelsons and take their paper?”

“Yeah, do you mind?”

“No, I guess not.” She got to her feet and headed around the side of the house. “I’ll be right back.”

He went back over the article, starting from the beginning and pouring over every word, taking it in from a completely different perspective. When his fiancé returned he accepted the newspaper and hurriedly opened it up, laying it on the table next to the one that had been left on their door that morning. “Our copy isn’t the same as the one that was released to the public.”

“What?” Isabel leaned over his shoulder, scanning between the two papers and identifying the differences right away. Her brother wasn’t mentioned at all in the newspaper she’d liberated from their neighbors’ front yard. “I don’t understand.”

Alex reached for what they had assumed was a circular. “Your brother has a guardian angel, and by extension, so do you,” he said as he held up the sheet of paper that had been tucked in with the newspaper so she could read it.

She read the words printed inside and after a moment she reached for the paper, her brow furrowed as she read it again. There was nothing personal that might give the author’s identity away but the assurance of protection contained a deep vow of sincerity. “This person doesn’t even know us.”

“No, but he obviously knows Max and that the two of you are related.” He shrugged one shoulder and reached for his coffee, taking a drink and making a face when the lack of heat registered. “Whoever he is, he’s making sure your brother has the option of getting to know you.”

She gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment before placing the paper on the table and getting up to refresh his coffee. “What if it’s some sort of trap?” she asked as she stepped inside the house.

He raised his voice so it would carry. “Well, I suppose that’s possible, but not necessarily probable. Even someone looking for a connection between you and Max would have a difficult time finding it. We have a wealth of resources and look how long it took for us to find anything. And whoever this person is, he’s gone out of his way to make sure you know the truth.”

“How do we know it’s the truth though?”

“Why would anyone go to these lengths to share this kind of information with us if it wasn’t? I think he wants you to understand why Max pushed you away and that he cares enough about him that he wants him to have the opportunity to have you in his life.” He shook his head and reached for his coffee when she held it out to him, taking a drink and savoring the warm bitter liquid. “He’s gone to a lot of trouble to let you know part of your brother’s story.”

“It’s all so cloak-and-dagger,” she said as she sat down and reached for the note to scan it once more. “Hang the paper back on the doorknob if we accept?”

Alex chuckled at that. “I’ll admit that does sound like something out of a bad spy novel, but I would imagine they’ll dispose of the newspaper.”

“Which means we’re being watched.” She shuddered. “That’s just creepy.”

He reached over and flicked the corner of the note with his forefinger. “The company he’s enlisted to provide protection is small, but it also has an excellent reputation. The fact that he gave us the name of the company suggests this’s legitimate.”

“What do you think?”

“I think you want to get to know your brother, and I think, considering his background, having protection is a good thing. He’s obviously working very hard to lead a better life, but there’s always the chance that with his past something could come back on him and it could pose a potential threat to those he’s close to. I also think that regardless of how things turn out between you, having protection is the smart way to go.” He took her hand. “I don’t ever want anything to happen to you or Jenny.”

*****

Michael padded into the bedroom, his footsteps muffled by the carpeting, as he carefully carried two mugs of coffee and the newspaper that had woke him up. The kid who delivered the paper normally tossed it in the bushes, which irritated him to no end, but this morning the little snot had managed to hit the front door… and left it protruding through the mesh at the bottom of the screen door.

His gaze traveled over Maria and Hunter as they slept and for a moment he just stood there, listening to their quiet breathing. His little boy sounded a bit congested but he knew it was from waking from nightmares several times and the bouts of crying that had followed. They’d put him in bed with them after the second time and he’d seemed to settle a bit but it still hadn’t stopped the nightmares. Moving him hadn’t been an option because he’d wakened the moment they’d started to pick him up so they’d finally given in and accepted that he would be sleeping with them for the rest of the night.

He placed the mugs on the nightstand and carefully climbed back into bed, rearranging his pillows so he could read the sports section. Before he could get that far his attention was captured by the front page story and he felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him when he saw the headline proclaiming Knight’s demise. He read through the article, mentally filling in the blanks as he went. They would never know the whole story, but they rarely did.

He finished the article and went searching for the sports section, catching up on everything he’d missed the past few days. The football season was underway and the World Series was just around the corner. He was about halfway through the second page when a little hand latched onto the bottom of the paper and pulled.

“Daddy.”

One little word, but it turned loose a myriad of emotions in him. Hunter had howled it after waking from one of the nightmares and at the time the only thing he’d been able to focus on was making sure his little boy was alright. It wasn’t until afterwards that he’d realized his son had called him ‘Daddy’ for the first time. He’d thought the way Hunter carried the last syllable, dragging it out for a couple of seconds was a result of his howling cry, but apparently it wasn’t. When he said it the word came out sounding like ‘Dadeeeeeee’, but he didn’t care. To him it sounded like accomplishment. He smiled as he lowered the left side of the newspaper to look at his son, grinning at the sleepy smile on Hunter’s face as he crawled up to rest his little hands on his chest.

“I swear, it’s only been a few days but you’ve changed,” he said with a shake of his head.

Hunter grinned wider and pushed against Daddy’s chest. “Daddy, pee!”

Michael’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?” Yeah, they’d started working on the whole potty training thing as soon as Hunter had started to express a fascination for the flushing mechanism on the toilet, but it was still hit and miss. Every expert out there had a different method and swore by a different age so they’d bypassed that insanity and gone straight to Maria’s dad for advice. His gaze dropped to follow his son’s hands when he grabbed the sides of the loose-fitting training pants and started to wiggle out of them. “I guess you’re not kidding.” He pulled his boy close and tickled him as he kissed the top of his head.

“Michael, if he pees in this bed it’s not gonna be a good morning,” Maria mumbled.

“Good point.” Her warning sobered up his enthusiasm. “Okay, no peeing in the bed. That’s a definite no-no.” He picked Hunter up and set him on the floor, hurrying to follow him as he took off for the bathroom.

She had already dozed off by the time they came back. As soon as Hunter was placed on the bed he scrambled to stand up, balancing his weight by bracing his hands on her shoulder. Once his stance was fairly solid he started to bounce up and down and it didn’t take long before the movement accompanied by his laughter brought her awake.

Maria waited a few moments for Hunter to be distracted by his game and then she made her move, wrapping an arm around him and gently wrestling him to the mattress. She tickled him, making him squeal with laughter and squirm around in an effort to escape. She placed a loud smacking kiss on his cheek before releasing him and she settled back against the pillows when he dropped down to lean back against Michael, wiggling around until he was securely tucked under his arm.

Her gaze lifted to her boyfriend and she watched him take the comics section of the paper out and fold it over several times so it would fit in Hunter’s smaller hands. She folded her arms under her pillow and rested her head on it, content to just observe her guys. Hunter loved to imitate his daddy and it wasn’t long before his legs were crossed at the ankles and he had the newspaper propped up on his tummy while he looked at the colorful pictures.

“So…” Michael turned the page and beside him Hunter turned his own paper over.

“So…?”

“You still wanna get married?”

Well, he was probably never gonna take her breath away with his eloquence where verbal skills were concerned. He wasn’t the type of guy who spoke with flowery phrases or poetic verse. He was plain spoken and direct. Most of the time. She pushed herself up on her elbows to look at him. “Is that a random question or are you actually asking?”

He rolled his eyes. “That’s not a random question any guy ever asks, Maria. While I was gone I had some time to think. I had a lot of time to think actually and I realized that,” he shifted and reached for the ring that had stayed within reach at all times. He lowered the paper and turned his head to look at her. “I realized that before I left I asked you because I wanted to make sure you two were taken care of, but it’s more than just that. I want us to make this thing as official as it gets. I love you and I want you to be my wife. So yeah,” he held the ring out to her, “I’m askin’ you to marry me.”

Okay, maybe it wasn’t poetry, but it was straight from his heart and that was better than anything the best poet had ever come up with. Her eyes glistened in the early morning light and she nodded as she held her hand out to him.

He wasn’t sure whose hand was shaking worse, his or hers. “All these years and this’s all I had to do to leave you speechless?” He couldn’t resist teasing her as he finally slipped the ring on her finger. He carefully shuffled Hunter down a little bit so he could pull her into his arms for a long kiss.

Hunter watched them for a few moments, not understanding what was going on, but knowing that whatever it was Mama and Daddy were very happy. He braced his hands on Daddy’s hip and pushed himself up, squeezing his way between them and laughing happily when he was pulled into a hug by both of them.

*****

Serena Paxton was just putting the finishing touches on the report she had been writing when she was flanked by two men. She barely spared them a glance as she locked the file and put it away for later. She gestured to the chairs on either side of her and pulled up her email account, typing up a quick email to update her client and sending it off. Once that was complete she closed the laptop and took her time sliding it into its case and securing it before leaning back and sighing tiredly.

“It took you two long enough to get here.”

The men exchanged a look before shrugging at the same time. “Had the job from hell to finish,” the one on the right said.

“I hope you don’t expect sympathy from me because I warned you that a protection detail for that smart-mouthed model slash singer slash wannabe actress was not something you wanted to do. But did you listen to me? No. You took the job on because you thought she was hot.”

“It was a high profile job.”

“It was a well paying job.”

She looked at her brothers and shook her head at them. Jason and Steven were fraternal twins, two years older than her, and her business partners. “And it had absolutely nothing to do with her being hot?” she asked dryly.

Jason was the oldest by seven minutes and as usual he spoke up first. “No, she was definitely hot and it’s possible there was some influence due to that factor, but it’s also true that it was a high profile job and it paid damn well too.”

“Not as well as the gig you scored though,” Steven said as he shifted his lanky frame in the chair. “Being outta the city we didn’t get the opportunity to meet the client so fill us in. Those confidentiality forms you emailed for us to fill out were unlike anything I’d ever seen and all we really had to go on about the job was your recommendation.” He held his hands up when she shot a glare at him. “And we’re not questioning it. If you said the job was solid and we should take it on you know we’re onboard with it. But who is this guy?”

Serena’s thoughts momentarily went to the man who had contracted their services. The night Max had been admitted she had received a call requesting a meet and she hadn’t expected the offer Shakes had made. But she knew she would’ve had to be ten kinds of fool to turn it down. “Honestly, I don’t know who he really is. The name he gave me was a street name. He was very straightforward about what he wanted and he was very specific, which I’m sure you got based on what I was able to send you.”

“You’re sure the guy’s legit?” Jason sat forward, his left forearm braced on the arm of the chair as he met her gaze directly. “The demands this client has built into the contract don’t leave us with the option of taking on much else.” Their company was still small but they had a solid reputation in the business.

“Not true,” she denied. “Yes, no one works the protection details unless he clears them, but I don’t see that being a problem. The screening process we use is extensive so if it came to a point where we had no option but to assign more personnel to the details we wouldn’t have any issues gaining his approval.”

“I haven’t seen anyone else assigned to this particular detail since you came onboard, Sis,” Steven said, his tone expressing concern. “And after what went down in the girl’s house you should’ve had some downtime.”

“The client’s requirements were very specific and I’m not gonna blow a job this big. He’s cleared everyone we employ, including the two of you. You guys enjoy all the travel that goes into the job with some of our clients and you can have at it. Adams and McElroy will be my primary backups. I like this job and I intend to handle it personally.”

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s a five-year contract with the option to extend. We don’t have any other client that’s ever required those terms. Our services are normally contracted for weeks, occasionally a few months, but years?”

“You trusted my judgment enough to sign off on the contracts.” She sighed and leaned back to look at them. “Look, the immediate threat has been removed. The client’s just very cautious about potential danger that may crop up in the future.”

“Yeah, well, one of our protection subjects was directly involved in taking down Knight’s organization. Something like that could come back to bite him on the ass years down the road.”

“And it’s easy enough to find yourself too involved to be effective in a long-term situation,” Steven added. “Working day in and day out with them could compromise your ability to be objective in certain situations.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It could jeopardize their safety and yours, Sis.”

Serena smiled at her brothers and shook her head. “And as my partners I have no doubt that if you notice that line blurring you’ll let me know.”

“Steve’s gonna relieve you for the next twelve hours since he slept most of the way back home. I’m gonna head back to my place and grab some shuteye because I haven’t slept in the last two days.” He scrubbed his hands over his face and forced back a yawn. “You’re gonna go home and get some shuteye too, and when you decide to crawl outta bed you can gimme a call and I’ll take you to breakfast.”

“Um, first day back and you think you’re gonna escape dinner with the parents?” She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Not gonna happen. Oh, and you should know that Janie Marshall’s back and Mom’s just been waiting for you to come home to get the two of you back together.”

Her oldest brother made a face and growled under his breath. “I thought Dad was gonna set her straight about tryin’ to fix me up?”

“Well, Dad always thought you were more settled when you two were dating and just a word of warning: he’s the one who told Mom she was back.”

“That’s just perfect,” he grumbled. “I haven’t even seen her in five years and Dad just wants me to what, propose to her?”

Steven snickered at his brother’s predicament. “The old man’s ready for a grandkid to bounce on his knee and as the oldest you’re duty bound to give him one.”

“Hell, that should be Ser’s job.”

She turned and slugged his arm. “Really? Why, because I’m the girl? What in the world did Janie ever see in you?”

“Well, I don’t see you rushin’ out to have a kid either.” Jason eyed her warily when a slow smile settled on her features. “What’re you gonna do?”

“Me? I’m not gonna have to do anything. Did I forget to mention Janie’s gonna be bringing her two-year-old daughter with her when she comes for dinner?” She smirked at his expression. “Wow, after everything you saw as a Navy SEAL it’s the thought of a two-year-old that puts a look of fear on your face.” She stood and motioned to her laptop case. “Watch that for me. I’m gonna go see if Liz is awake so I can introduce her to the two of you.”

Jason glared at Steven when she took off. “It’s not funny, dumbass.”

“Hey,” he held his hands up, “you were really into Janie and you ended things because you didn’t want her waitin’ at home for you when you didn’t know if you were gonna make it back. If it weren’t for the SEALs you would’ve married her and you know it.” He shifted to pull his phone out of his pocket and opened up the texting screen.

“Yeah, well…” He slouched down in his chair and waved a hand dismissively. “Sounds like she got married to someone.”

“Doesn’t bother you, huh?”

“I’m the one who broke things off.” He shifted in his seat. “She had every right to move on.”

“Liar, it’s eatin’ your lunch.” Steven checked his phone when it vibrated, grinning at the message there and holding it up for his brother to see. “Mom says she’s not married and hasn’t been involved with anyone seriously since you dumped her.”

“You did not just text Mom to ask her about Janie.” He sighed when Steven shrugged and turned the screen to answer the last text. “I didn’t just dump her,” he growled. “It was for her own good. I saw what some of the guys went through; leaving their wives and girlfriends at home for weeks and months at a time, sometimes with no contact throughout deployment.” He shook his head. “It’s too much to ask.”

“Um-hmm, well, the point is, she’s a single mom with no man in the picture.” He held the phone up again. “Look at that. Mom says to tell you dinner’s Sunday night at five and she’ll talk to you then.” He answered the text and shoved the phone back in his pocket.

“Heads up, smartass. Ser’s bringin’ the Parker girl over.”

*****

Liz was standing next to the window by Max’s bed, stretching in an effort to pop the kinks out of her back as her eyes moved over the busy streets below. She turned her head at the quiet knock, smiling when she saw Serena motioning for her to join her out in the hallway. She checked on Max before slipping out of the room and pulling the door closed behind her. She had quickly become used to the woman being there and it hadn’t taken long to learn that she was an easy and knowledgeable conversationalist.

Max had been hospitalized for four days now and Dr. Fielding had finally decided that he could be released. He had been moody and irritable, refusing visitors, and generally being a pain in the ass, but she couldn’t blame him. Much. She knew it was bothering him that he was forgetting things even though the instances were becoming more infrequent with every passing day, and not being able to hear out of one ear was annoying him too. Then there were the doctors and nurses who were in and out of his room on an hourly basis, and for someone who valued privacy as much as he did the constant intrusions were grating on his nerves.

She had hated calling Ava and telling her that Max didn’t want to see anyone but the other woman had assured her that she understood. She had explained that Max needed his space and even though she had hoped to see him sooner rather than later she would wait for Liz to let her know he was ready for company. As long as she knew he was alright she could be patient. Oddly enough, Ava’s easy acceptance had soothed her frayed nerves and she had promised that they would get together just as soon as he was feeling up to company.

“How’s he doing this morning?” Serena asked.

“He’s a little less cranky.” Liz smiled and shrugged one shoulder. “But he goes home today so that’ll help too.”

“Well, no one enjoys being cooped up in a hospital room. What time are you planning his escape?”

“Dr. Fielding should be here right around one to sign off on his release so I figure by the time we’re through the forms and everything that goes along with them it’ll probably be three o’clock at least.”

“That sounds good.”

“You must be exhausted from hanging around here. I don’t think you’ve left since the night Max was brought in. Will your assignment be finished once he’s released?”

“No, I’m your shadow from now on.” She motioned to the men standing up from their chairs, drawing Liz’s attention to them. “These guys are my brothers, Jason and Steven. Steve’s gonna be my relief and your shadow for the next twelve hours.”

The brunette glanced at them; Jason was tall, well-muscled, with dark hair and ice blue eyes, and Steven was tall and muscular with dark blonde hair and the same ice blue eyes. After the introductions Liz glanced between the three of them. “I’m not exactly sure why you think we still need protection. I mean, Knight’s dead and from my understanding his people were being arrested, so not to sound ungrateful or anything, but why are you still here?”

“The immediate threat’s been neutralized,” Jason spoke up, “but there is a possibility of backlash so it’s best to err on the side of caution.”

She studied him for a minute. “You were military, right?”

He tipped his head back slightly to look down his nose at her. “Yes.” He nodded at his brother and sister. “We all served.”

Liz smiled and nodded. “Then I can’t imagine we could be in better hands.”

*****

Diablo paced. His route took him from one end of the apartment to the other. Over and over, he retraced his steps, doing his best to wear a trench in the plush carpeting. The jingle of the tags hanging from his collar was the only thing keeping him sane. Lately his mistress had been absent, appearing only when it was time to go out, and he was confused by the new routine. He had no way of judging the passage of time, but when she had first begun to alter their daily routine he had sensed great distress coming from her.

Each time she would appear, grabbing his leash so they could go for a walk that distress would seem to alter, somehow becoming less. On occasion he had sensed it growing again, but before long it would ease and he knew the last couple of times they had gone for a walk she had been happy. She would talk to him and he recognized Max’s name when she spoke it, and he always listened carefully to her tone when she did. He didn’t understand most of what she said when she would converse with him, but he knew his humans’ names and their tone said everything when they spoke of or to each other.

He had picked up on the words ‘Max’ and ‘home’ when she had come by to take him for his morning walk and there had been excitement in her tone. So he had been confused when the key had turned in the door some time ago and neither of his humans had crossed the threshold. The man who came to take him for his afternoon walk was known to him, recognized by the faint scent of horses that clung to him, detectable beneath other light scents that made him sneeze when he got too close.

He lowered his head to sniff at Bunny when he passed the beloved toy but after a moment he moved on and it went ignored. He paused at his food bowl and sniffed the food there before sighing and turning away. He lapped up a bit of water and then walked over to his bed, turning in a circle several times before nosing the tee shirt he had commandeered from the bedroom floor and lying down with his muzzle buried in its folds. He snuffled quietly as his dark eyes peered over the rumpled material to dart around the room and he whined when the silence only seemed to grow louder.

He slept fitfully as the sun made its daily journey across the sky and as the shadows began to lengthen there was a quiet ‘ding’ that caused his head to snap up and had his ears straining to catch the slightest sound. There was a hushed shuffling sound that he didn’t recognize and he cocked his head to one side as he tried to determine if it was a threat. As he listened another sound emerged and his ears snapped forward as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

His head shifted to the opposite side and he leaned forward with his eyes locked on the front door. A familiar sound, the quiet grating as a key was inserted into the lock. He bolted from his pillow and raced across the apartment to press his nose to the bottom of the door. He inhaled deeply and tossed his head as he backed up to sit directly in front of the door, every muscle in his body trembling in anticipation.

When the door finally opened he barked joyfully and leapt up, his body twisting midair before he landed on his feet again. He was preparing to jump when his mistress called his name sharply and ordered him to remain where he was.

“He’s fine.”

“He’s excited and he could accidentally hurt you if he jumps up against your ribs.”

He watched as his humans crossed the room and he whined when Max reached out, his fingertips ghosting over his head for a brief moment before they slipped away.

Diablo lowered his head and his brow pulled down in a frown of concentration as he tried to understand what was wrong. They were normally relaxed at home, but something wasn’t right; there were undercurrents of pain, of stress, and worry. He stood and started to take a step towards them but his training held him rooted to the spot in spite of his desire to be with them.

“Max, maybe you should lie down,” Liz suggested.

“No, I’ve been in bed for days and I’m sick of it.” He was grumpy again but he couldn’t help it. He appreciated that she wanted to do things for him, that she wanted to take care of him, but he needed to be able to stand on his own two feet.

“Alright, then you do what you need to do and I’ll put something together for dinner.”

He caught her hand before she could walk away. “Hey.” He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, letting his weight rest against her for a few moments. “I’m sorry I’m such a bear,” he mumbled against her hair.

“It’s okay, I do understand. Although you are being a bit of a bear,” she said and thumped his shoulder with hers.

“I’m still adjusting to this, letting someone get close when I’m…”

“When you’re hurt and vulnerable.” She nodded. “I know.” She stretched up to kiss him. “I’ve been advised about your moods and I’ve found the advice to be quite sound.”

He chuckled and eased down to sit on the couch when she released him. “You and Ava seem to have found some common ground.” He knew she called Ava daily to let her know how he was and to assure her that as soon as he was ready for visitors she’d let her know.

“Um-hmm, and she insists that she understands this distance you’ve held onto, but I know she’s just waiting for me to tell her you’re ready to see her.”

“I’m almost there.” He snapped his fingers and motioned for Diablo to come to him and he smiled when the dog bounded across the room and crowded him, his muscled body trembling with joy.

“Please take it easy.” Liz grabbed a DVD case off of the entertainment stand and pulled the disc out, inserting it into the player, and turning the television on. “Since you enjoy history I picked up some documentaries I thought you might like.” She set the remote down on the coffee table and went to get him a drink.

Max was slouched down on the couch when she came back, his eyes at half mast as he stared at the television. She had a feeling he wasn’t taking in much of what was being shown on the screen or said by the narrator, but she could see an easing in his body language. Diablo sat beside him, his head resting on Max’s thigh while the man ever so gently petted the dog’s head.

She wanted to tell him to lie down, to put his feet up and sleep while she made dinner, but she was trying hard not to hover and fuss over him. She didn’t want to smother him with her worry and concern so she left him under Diablo’s watchful eye and went to start dinner. He was fully mobile, he was just a little slower than normal, and while he hadn’t had any more seizures, Dr. Fielding had advised her to keep an eye on him just to err on the side of caution.

She was selecting a few potatoes when she heard movement behind her and she turned in time to see Max sit down at the dining room table. “What’re you doing?” she asked when she saw the leash in his hand.

“I’m gonna take a walk.” He held a hand up before she could protest. “Just fifteen or twenty minutes and I’ll take Diablo with me.”

She had to bite her tongue and focus on Ava’s advice. Trust him to know his boundaries. “Okay, that’s plenty of time before dinner.” And plenty of time to obsess about whether or not he was alright while he was out of her sight.

He nodded. “C’mon, Diablo, let’s go…” he frowned when a knock at the door interrupted him. “We’re not expecting company are we?”

“No, of course not. I let everyone know you were being released but asked them to give us some space. I promised to get the word out when we were ready for visitors.” She shooed him away. “Go in the bedroom and I’ll get rid of whoever it is.”

He shook his head. “I’m fine.” He wasn’t about to leave her to answer the door when he had no idea who was on the other side.

“Max, I’m sure it’s alright. Steve’s keeping an eye on things and if there was any danger he would’ve already warned us.”

He couldn’t just turn off the fear that someone from Knight’s organization had survived and would be coming after him for revenge. The people he had turned on didn’t just forgive that kind of betrayal. It didn’t matter that Knight was dead and his organization had been dismantled; there was always the possibility that there was someone out there looking to make an example of him to show others what happened if they ever turned traitor. And it wasn’t always the traitor that paid the price.

“Liz, answer the door! I know you’re home and I don’t have all day!”

“The only threat she poses is to my sanity,” Liz muttered dryly and crossed the room to open the door. “Hello, Sam.”

“My feet are killing me!” She gave Liz a brief hug as she passed her on her way inside and made a beeline for the couch. She glared at Max as she sat down. “And it’s your fault!”

He wasn’t interested in listening to one of her tirades. “I’m on my way out.”

“No way, mister!” she jumped up and grabbed his arm to guide him right back over to the couch, releasing him to point at it. “Sit. You got me into this mess and now you’re gonna hear all about it.”

“Sam,” Liz protested in an effort to rein in her inclination to berate her cousin for manhandling Max in his condition. He wouldn’t appreciate it if she pointed out a weakness in front of the other woman.

“Why do you think I’m at fault for anything you’ve done?” Max asked as he carefully crossed his arms over his chest.

“Because for the last week I’ve been in hell.”

“I still fail to see how I’m at fault.” He smirked when she took a step in his direction and Diablo released a quiet warning growl that had her retreating with a wary look at the dog.

“I decided to take you up on your challenge.”

Max frowned as he tried to make sense of her words. “I challenged you?” It was still taking time for him to remember certain things and as much as that grated on his nerves on a normal day, trying to recall something with this annoying woman was just that much worse.

“Yeah, one month at a minimum wage job? You couldn’t have forgotten that.” Sam narrowed her eyes at him as she sat down and immediately got up again and moved when the dog at his side issued another warning growl. “What is wrong with that mongrel of yours, Liz?”

“You’re getting in Max’s space and Diablo obviously doesn’t like it. Stay out of his face and try the chair.”

“This’s ridiculous,” the blonde muttered as she moved to sit in one of the overstuffed chairs. She looked at the dog and rolled her eyes when his lips lifted to reveal his teeth. “I moved so what’s his problem now?”

Max patted the dog’s head and took the few steps necessary to bring him to the couch. “That’s a smile.”

Sam shuddered. “It’s creepy.”

He sat back and Diablo relaxed beside him. “So you’ve found a job that pays minimum wage,” he mused when he finally located the memory of a conversation they’d had some time ago. “How’s that working out for you?”

“Not great. I talked Uncle Jeff into letting me work at the restaurant and it took some convincing because as I’m sure you know, he doesn’t pay anyone who works for him such a low wage.”

“The challenge was for you to survive for one month on a minimum wage job.”

“Like I said, it took some convincing, and I’m not sure it was worth it. He works me like a dog and his customers are so needy!” She sighed dramatically. “It’s just ridiculous! And I know his clientele is normally of a higher class, but some of these people! I mean, there’s this ancient woman who came in yesterday and I swear she must’ve bathed in a tub of cheap perfume before she came in. God, she was saturated in it! No one around her could breathe!”

Max chuckled and nodded. “Mrs. Simmons, and she’s ninety-two years old so give her a break. She broke her nose skiing last year and ever since then she’s had trouble with her sense of smell.” He could only hope to still be that active when he got to be her age.

“Well, someone should tell her to cool it.”

He leveled a look at her. “You didn’t say anything to her did you?”

“No, I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t catch my breath long enough to get a word out.” She waved her right hand dismissively. “Then there’s the couple that came in, probably after their nooner. The guy’s a sharp dresser but the woman could use some tips on how to apply makeup properly.” Her eyes rolled again. “And the dress she was wearing! I mean, right off the rack. No class whatsoever.”

“Lemme guess: some kinda blue flowers on it?”

Her eyes widened. “God, does she wear it every time?”

“Mr. Lawrence is a lawyer and Mrs. Scott is in the middle of an ugly custody battle. He brings her to the restaurant for lunch to get her away for an hour or two. If you’d paid any attention to what was going on you would’ve realized they’re not holding hands or makin’ eyes at each other. They were discussing her case. She’s usually right on the edge of an emotional breakdown because her ass of an ex is loaded and pushing for full custody.”

“Oh. Well, what about the crazy guy who won’t sit anywhere but at table fifteen? And he goes through about a dozen glasses and we won’t even discuss the way he has to have a separate dish for everything.” She made a face. “I swear, I spent more than an hour running back and forth to the kitchen because he wasn’t satisfied with this dish or that fork or the coffee was too hot or too cold and the tea didn’t have enough lemon. He shouldn’t even be allowed to come into a place like Uncle Jeff’s restaurant.”

“That’s Mr. Thomas. He’s a college professor and if you just get him to talking about history you’ll find out that he forgets all about those little idiosyncrasies and gets lost in his subject. The food still can’t touch, but all of the sending stuff back to the kitchen,” he shook his head, “he won’t be focused on that. A lot of it’s just nerves because he’s not comfortable outside of what he knows.”

“Well, what about that bum that comes begging for food? That is just NOT a reputation that the restaurant needs to have!” She shook her head. “Uncle Jeff actually tried to get him to come inside! Can you believe that? It’s absolutely scandalous!”

“First off, his name’s Mr. Jacobs, and second, he doesn’t come begging for food. That man would sooner stay outside in a blizzard than do anything that might compromise the reputation of your uncle’s restaurant. He comes by after spending the day trying to find a job that he already knows he can’t hold down and your uncle makes sure he has a hot meal. He won’t just take the food and he can’t pay for it so he’ll sweep the walk or scrub down the dock in exchange for it.”

“Anyone can get a job if they really want it.”

“You really think you know it all, don’t you?” He rested his head against the back of the couch and watched her for a minute. “Mr. Jacobs lost his family in a car accident several months back and it’s taking everything he has just to hold on. You can’t imagine what it takes for that man to get up every morning and just put one foot in front of the other.”

Liz smiled as he relaxed into the conversation and after a few minutes she slipped back into the kitchen to work on dinner. She was checking on the stuffed pork chops and turning to finish the homemade gravy some time later when her cousin came over to lean on the counter between the kitchen and dining room.

“I think he knows all of your dad’s customers by name and I swear, I think most of them asked about him because he hasn’t been around in a few days.” She shook her head. “He’s just part of the wait staff, how is that even possible?”

“Because he cares enough to see beyond the walls. You and me, Sam, we look at people and take them at face value. We have a very narrow view of the world and the people in it. But that’s not who Max is. He sees something so much deeper in everyone around him and I think it makes him a better person.”

“You mean better than us?”

“In some ways, yeah. He doesn’t just make blind judgments about people and he doesn’t just discount them out of hand. I still can’t comprehend how he could grow up the way he did and be the way he is, but I don’t question it. I just hope I can learn from it.” And it didn’t make sense. After all he had seen and been through he should be hardened, jaded and cynical, but he wasn’t. She knew he credited Ava with his ability to still see the good in people, in life, but she knew it was more than that. A person couldn’t be changed unless they wanted to be.

She moved the pan of gravy off of the burner and checked the time before stepping out of the kitchen. She paused in the doorway when she caught sight of Max stretched out on the couch with Diablo next to him, his body pressed against Max’s uninjured side while he slept. The dog’s dark eyes opened to scan the room and a moment later closed again as he shifted to rest his muzzle on Max’s chest.

“You’re gonna have dog hair all over that couch.”

“I don’t care. It’ll come off.”

“Your cleaning service will love that.”

Liz shook her head and moved back into the kitchen. She didn’t have a cleaning service. As much as she’d always enjoyed that growing up, she preferred to do certain things herself. And after the incident with Dennis Rhoads she hadn’t wanted anyone else in her space. She groomed Diablo regularly anyway so it wasn’t like there would be that much hair.

“So, are you gonna last a month?”

Sam snorted indelicately. “You think I’m gonna quit and give him the satisfaction of being right? I can survive the full thirty days.”

Yeah, Liz thought with a smirk, but could everyone else?

[L-J-L 76]

Angel
great chapter!!!! Please please please please come back and post more soon? I can't wait to read what will happen next between Max and Liz. So please please please please come back and post more really really really really soon? I can understand why Isabel and Alex are worried and want to use the reporter and the news paper. I agree with Liz that make needs sometime to get better. Hopefully he will be better soon. I can't believe the way Michael asked Maria to marry him. come back soon I can't wait to find out about Max and Liz.

From:
L-J-L 76