Secretary of Defense James Heller glared unhappily at the scowling man sitting across from him. Jack Bauer was a good agent, probably the best, and he’d been through his own personal hell numerous times, risking his life to help keep the world safe. Professionally, Heller respected Jack tremendously. Personally, he hated the son of a bitch.
Heller flipped open the dossier before him and exchanged a wordless look with the half dozen other high ranking CTU and government security officials alongside him at the round table.
“Nakia Kelly.”
Jack blinked and let out a breath. He wouldn’t hide what he’d done. He was semi-retired and quite frankly, could afford to walk away. He had enough aces in his back pocket to secure his freedom from any charges a dozen times over. Everyone at the table knew this.
“Nakia was my sister-in-law. She was married to my younger half-brother Thane Bauer.”
Blunt. To the point.
Heller nodded in agreement. “Why did you wait so long to break into the files regarding her murder?”
“My brother is missing. Her murder is crippled him.” He paused as he zeroed his gaze on Heller. “I know what it is to want justice for a loved one. He loved Nakia and her murder went unsolved. Deliberately so.”
Heller arched his brow. “Deliberately? Explain.”
“Nakia Kelly was a high ranking member of the Chinese Triad, 14K. Her murder was professional and well planned. Clearly it was the work of a rival, but my intelligence contacts at the time refuted the notion that it was the actions of another Triad.”
Heller had a pen in his hand but had not used it. The other scrawled notes here and there but Heller kept his cool gaze on Jack.
Jack leaned forward in his seat. “I learned recently the true killer was Jason Morgan.”
“The enforcer for Sonny Corinthos,” Heller supplied as one man to his left looked up with a quizzical expression.
Cousin to Faith Ward Cassadine, Jack added silently to himself. Faith and Jason shared a bond that seemed almost undetectable at times, but with the revelation about him being responsible for Nakia’s death, Jack knew there would be lines in the sand within the family. It would be inevitable.
“He’d been to Hong Kong on business,” Heller read from his file, nestling the half moon reading glasses over his nose. He looked up, “coffee beans?” There was a chuckle from the others, but Jack frowned, irritated with the light tone. This was his family; there was no humor to be found in his mind.
“Jason was instructed to execute a rival in exchange for racketeering and extortion contracts for Corinthos. There’s corruption in the Hong Kong police, so a few pay offs and the murder was dismissed and put on the backburner,” Jack growled, the memory of Nakia’s lifeless body etched forever in his mind.
“So now Thane is gunning for Jason and has come to Port Charles to kill the man who murdered his gangster wife, do I have that right?” Heller said calmly. Jack nodded once, but Heller’s demeanor was setting off alarm bells, something was not right.
“And you’re hoping to stop your brother from killing the gangster who killed his gangster wife, do I have that correct?” Jack didn’t move and Heller still hadn’t written anything down.
“So you broke security walls to find information, encrypted files to hide Thane and your activities, corrupted the chain of command, deliberately held back information, avoided superior enquiries and generally were a pain in the ass?”
Silence.
Heller pulled his glasses off and placed them on the desk. “Is that everything?”
A nerve of irritation flicked along Jack’s jaw. “Yes, sir.”
Heller leaned back. “I need the room, please.” Surprised looked registered, but dutifully, the others rose and silently filed out of the room, leaving only Jack and Heller remaining.
Heller rose and gathered his files together. “Jack, I know you love your brother and want to protect him. I know you want him to stop from adding to the chaos and heartache that’s already transpired.” He came over to Jack and handed a small, blue dossier, his eyes hard and unflinching.
“But you really need to work on your intelligence gathering, otherwise you’re not going to be able to tell the difference between your head or your ass,” he declared flatly.
Heller placed his glasses in his coat pocket and checked his watch before delivering the bomb Jack had been anticipating for several minutes.
“Nakia Kelly was deep undercover with the 14K. Jason Morgan knew this and executed an undercover agent. Before she died she got off two shots, which we believe wounded him, but clearly not fatally. In conjunction with Interpol, the CIB and CTU, all evidence of her undercover work was removed from the crime scene before Hong Kong police arrived on scene.”
Jack froze, thunderstruck by Heller’s almost casual relay of information that had never come to light in the six months he’d been following the case.
Nakia had been an agent.
Nakia had been a badge.
Nakia had been like Jack.
“The FBI would prefer that Thane not kill Morgan. They feel pretty confident about getting Morgan to flip on Corinthos.” Heller shrugged unconcerned. “Small fish in my estimation, but if you want to save your brother, I suggest you act. Now.”
*~*
Once. Twice. Three rings.
Then a soft, but clear voice came through the receiver.
“Alexis? Is everything alright?”
Alexis brushed away a stray tear as she took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry to call so late Dara, I hope I’m not interrupting.”
Dara smiled as she glanced at the two vending machines before her. “No, just deciding on snacks for the night. Nothing pressing.” She’s already purchased a small bag of jalapeno Doritos, a dark chocolate Hershey’s bar, and an Almond Joy. She couldn’t decide if she wanted the plain M&Ms or the peanut ones.
“Right, right, Sabrina said your new place isn’t ready yet,” Alexis replied in a nervous rush. The tension between her and Dara had gone on so long that conversation between them felt awkward and somewhat forced. Alexis paused, the sadness of such a realization hitting her hard on a night where she’d already felt black and blue from Helena machinations.
“Is everything alright?” Dara asked, dancing lightly around, her own nervous, jumbled energy finding an outlet. Grown women and longtime friends, now fumbling around for something to talk about. They shouldn’t have let it go this far.
Alexis looked out the windows of her home with Marcus. Kristina had been told, and much to Alexis’ surprise, handled the revelation about Athena Cassadine well. She’d elected to spend the night at Wyndemere, wanting to be close to Stefan. Despite wanting her eldest near her, Alexis relented, pleased that the special bond Stefan and Kristina shared had not diminished in these trying times. With Molly days away from returning from a class trip, she and Marcus had decided to retire and she watched as Marcus closed the garage door and locked the front gate, part of his ritual of securing his home for his family.
“Alexis?” Dara’s curious voice had turned to concern.
“There’s been a development in our family,” Alexis stated, ever the diplomat. “Might I take you to brunch tomorrow?”
Dara’s eyes widened as she heard Alexis expel a sad sigh. “Let me come to you,” she offered softly.
Alexis relented as she shrugged off her coat and kicked off her heels. “That would be nice, thank you.”
“11 then? I’ll bring donuts.” Dara paused, wondering how the joke would go over.
Alexis chuckled, and for a moment, her sadness lifted. “You better. I’m not cooking,” she cracked back.
Both women laughed, heartened by the slow, but sure, warming of their friendship.
Alexis turned off her phone just as Marcus punched in the familiar chime to arm their home for the night. Lights were turned down and they moved to their sanctuary.
“Dara is coming over at 11,” Alexis said as they methodically changed into their sleepwear. Marcus usually donned nothing but his PCPD grey sweats, knowing how Alexis loved the way they hung on his hips. Alexis in turn, wore an oversized Yale white t-shirt that did little to hide her long, slim legs.
Marcus pulled off his shirt and pants, tossing them into the hamper near the bed. “That’s good. Is she bringing donuts?”
Alexis smiled as she tossed the decorative pillows onto a nearby chaise. Marcus clicked off the lights, leaving only the bedside lamps to illuminate the large, but intimate room.
“Yep,” she said, trying to sound upbeat, trying to be her usual self. She and Dara on the road to recovery should make her happy and she was happy, but when she turned to face her husband, her lower lip trembled and another dastardly tear slid down her face. Marcus tilted his head, taking in the sight of his brokenhearted wife, his own heart constricting at her pain.
“C’mere baby,” he murmured and a moment later, she was in his arms and for a few long seconds, her body shook with the sobs she’d held back all evening. Marcus tightened his grip around her, as if his presence could repel the anguish she felt over what had happened. He pressed gentle kisses to her forehead and cheeks, whispering soothing words and her grief slowly subsided.
“I’m the luckiest woman in the world,” she declared softly, the last of her tears brushed away by the gentle swipe of his fingers. Her brown orbs gazed up at him adoringly before she pressed a kiss to his well built chest. Marcus took in a breath as his body stirred, as it always did with her touch.
“Alexis,” he said, his voice light, unable to hide the slight purr at the edges. Undaunted, Alexis simply lifted the shirt over her head and let it drop to the ground, her face vulnerable and full of love. “I need you Marcus.”
She never needed to say the words, but an unmistakable jolt coursed through him at the huskiness of her request and without fanfare, he removed his sweats and lowered his body atop hers, loving every inch of her body with his mouth, his hands and finally, when she could not wait a second more, with himself. As they danced, fresh tears came to her eyes, but this time, they were tears of needed relief, tears of love and joy for their family, for the man who loved her completely and whom she loved with everything she had.
As his sweat slick frame burrowed deep within her, and her cries became louder, she had a fleeting thought, a wish that as she and Marcus were in their sanctuary, others in her family were able to find the same peace.
If just for one night.
*~*
Dara frowned and finally chose the plain M&Ms. Alexis loved them, might as well bring them along in the morning with the donuts. She took her last dollar bill and fed it into the machine, punching the letter and number that would drop the bag. The machine whirred and the corkscrew holding the bag turned but the bag did not fall.
“Come on!” Dara groaned, giving the machine a few bumps to jostle the treat loose. It would not budge. “Stupid machine,” she grumbled as she considered rocking the whole vending machine, but was it really worth it?
“Press the numbers again, you have to press them……” the voice that came from around the corner instructed as Dara turned.
“Harder,” Sonny finished, his voice dying out as he saw who he was attempting to help. He took a moment to take in the sight of Dara Jensen in regular, non-court, clothes. Blue jeans that fit her like a second skin, a v-neck white t-shirt that accentuated her curves and mouth watering chest. She looked good as a lawyer, but she looked better in casual clothes.
He flicked his gaze back up. “That’s what the front desk guy suggested to me. Push the numbers in again, but harder.” He almost winced. What a word to finish a sentence with.
“What are you doing here?” Dara demanded, grabbing her bevy of treats and holding them close, as if the Hershey bar would help her.
“I live here,” he replied simply. “You?” Dara narrowed her gaze. Was he flirting with her? His midnight pools seemed to simmer as his stare did not stray from her face.
She was not going to tell him she lived here too. What a nightmare. “None of your business.” She turned and punched the numbers harder and miraculously, the bag of M&Ms dropped. She grabbed it, awkwardly pulling it from the machine and moved to get past him. “Mr. Corinthos,” she muttered as she breezed by, trying not to run to the elevator.
She pressed her floor number, willing the doors to shut quickly. They almost had when a familiar hand shot through, opening the doors once more. Sonny stepped inside, and almost like magnets, they were inches from each other and without fail, she found herself wanting to be closer, the pull of him stimulating the wrong kind of senses.
“You dropped this,” Sonny said, handing her the Almond Joy.
“Oh,” Dara said, suddenly deflated. “Thank you.”
Sonny waited a moment, his heart beating a mile a minute. He should wait for the next one, but when the doors closed, he was still inside the small elevator with her.
“Excuse me,” Sonny’s voice was low and had she not been clutching a half dozen chocolate treats and Doritos, she might have shivered. Get a grip, girl, Dara thought crossly.
But she didn’t want to.
“Excuse me,” he repeated, indicating the circular buttons near Dara. His hand reached out, his body leaning towards hers and her eyes widened as his cologne wafted to her nostrils. Whatever he was wearing, it was wonderful and she took in a breath, her eyes fluttering slightly. He pressed the button indicating floor 8 and the elevator began to move.
Suddenly she wished for music, even the terrible kind that was fed into the elevator speakers at the D.A.’s office. Anything to take her mind off this man and put it squarely back on Dara needing to get a hold of herself.
This was Sonny freaking Corinthos.
Dangerous. Volatile. Unpredictable.
Dara closed her eyes, willing strength into her veins. The melancholy croons of Fiona Apple filled her mind and she clutched onto them like a lifeline.
Save me from these evil deeds before I get them done.
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