Victoria
Jason stared at me and I motioned for him to walk forward into our parlor in the house. He looked uneasily at Rose, then at Harry. I sighed. "Would you two please quit looking like you're going to kill him? Mr. Wright can't help us if he's dead, and I think he can really help us get Jack out of jail and get this whole Cal mess behind us. Now, please, let him speak." I looked at Rose, who nodded slightly and then sat down in Harry's chair. I turned my attention to Harry, who was still standing by the door with his arms folded. "You can help Rose kill him if you don't like what he has to say. The fireplace poker is over there." I motioned over my shoulder to our fireplace. Jason's eyes followed my finger and I saw him get wide-eyed before I continued. "But let him speak first, Harry. I've already heard it, so please. Let him speak, all right?" Harry relaxed his arms and motioned for Jason to sit down. Jason looked at me, but then took a seat on the sofa against the wall that faced Jack and Rose's house. Harry sat with me. Rose stayed where she was, sitting in Harry's chair in front of the fireplace.
Jason exhaled sharply. "Okay. My name is Jason Wright. Yes, I work for Mr. Caledon Hockley and his father, Nathan, but I also know a bad deal when I see one."
"Just start talking. When did you meet my mother and what the hell does she want now?"
Jason looked at Rose. "About three months ago, she came to my house here in New York and hired me to kidnap you. That's what she wants. She wants you back in her life and in Mr. Hockley's life and she doesn't care how I make it happen, as long as I make it happen."
Rose gasped at Jason's revelation and Harry stood up quickly with the intention of attacking Jason. That set me off again. "Christ almighty, Harry!" I got up to stand between Harry and Jason. With my hand on Harry's chest, stopping him from moving any farther towards Jason, I pointed to the sofa. "Sit. Now!" He looked at me, unmoving. "If he wanted to kidnap Rose, he would have done it already. Would you please sit and let him speak?" He still didn't back down. "Harry, please?" Still unmoving, I started to shove him backwards to get him to sit down. "Don't make me use the fireplace poker on you."
Harry looked at me, then shook his head. His voice was cool, but even. "And you believe him?" He put an arm around my waist and pulled me in closer to him, protecting me in the event Jason tried to fight.
"Yes, I do. If you will both quit trying to kill him long enough for him to tell his side of the story, he'll explain himself. He already told me the story at the docks, and I believe him. He's been following us for about two months now. He's had ample opportunities to kidnap Rose and James and hasn't yet, so please. Let him speak before you try to kill him. Dead men don't talk, remember?"
Harry sat back down on the sofa next to me. "Continue, please."
Jason shook his head and said something under his breath that I didn't catch, but continued with his story. "I better get this out fast before you do try to kill me." Jason's eyes fell to the fireplace poker again. "I doubt your wife would be able to hold you back." He eyed Harry once more and, satisfied that he didn't need to bolt towards the door to avoid being beaten, Jason started telling us his story again. "Mrs. DeWitt Bukater came to me about three months ago and hired me to kidnap Mrs. Dawson and the baby. I did some surveillance work of the Dawson house and just stayed in the shadows and kept an eye on things. I was there at the docks the day Mr. Dawson and Mr. Lowe left. I had planned on making a move then, but another couple came up and walked the girls home, so I didn't try anything."
"Lights and his wife?"
Jason looked at Harry. "I guess. I didn't ask his name. I don't get paid for details, Mr. Lowe. I get paid for results." Jason stopped to look at Harry and, convinced Harry wasn't going to kill him just yet, told us the rest of the story. After he told the same story he told me at the docks, he added in some new details I didn't know. "So when I broke the news to Mrs. DeWitt Bukater that I wasn't about to break up a happy marriage, I suggested she reach out to Mrs. Dawson and try to make amends and be a part of her daughter's life and to get to know her grandson. He's a handsome child, too." He looked over at Rose, who just stared at Jason with hatred in her eyes. "I see. Anyway, I knew she was going to try something, but I didn't know what. It was only earlier in the week that I realized what she was planning on doing. So, I sneaked off long enough to send a wire and make some phone calls before Mr. Dawson got arrested. I told you I can help you and I plan on it."
"How? How do you plan on getting my husband out of jail?" Rose dabbed a tear out of the corner of her eye.
"Mr. Hockley lied and said Mr. Dawson stole the diamond. He clearly gave it to you as a gift, and as long as we can prove that, we can have the charges against Mr. Dawson dropped."
Harry stood up. "Mr. Wright, I …" Harry started to shift to where he looked like he was going to be in a position to hurt Jason, who stood up and backed away. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm sorry about earlier. I just remember you from the café that day and…well…I didn't know what you were doing with my wife, or what bloody reason she had for bringing you here. I didn't know if you had threatened her or what." He held his hand out towards Jason. "I'm sorry."
Jason looked at me and then shrugged his shoulders. "It’s okay. I probably would have done the same thing." He shook Harry's hand and took his seat again. "So, now. Mrs. Lowe says that she can verify that the necklace was given as a gift. She also stated that her sister and father know about it?"
Rose nodded. "Shannon, Torie's sister, saw it shortly after Jack and I got married. As for Mr. Metcalfe, I'd have to ask him what he remembers."
A car engine outside our window caused Jason to get up. He pulled his pocket watch out of his vest and turned to face Rose. "Right on time." Without saying another word, and still being clueless as to what was going on myself, Jason opened the front door to our home and walked out. I stood up and followed him and was floored when I saw my father's Renault in the driveway. My sister got out first. She skipped up the cobblestones to my front porch. "Torie! Torie!"
"Shannie!" She hugged me tightly. "How are you?"
She didn't release her grip around my neck. "I'm here to help Jack." Harry hugged her. Then she moved on to Rose, who started crying again. Shannon looked around for a minute. "Anything I can do to help, just name it. Oh, and of course, to see my niece and nephew. Where are they?"
I started to say something, but Shannon motioned to the car, still smiling. I looked over and saw Father, who got out of the other side of the car. Holding Shannon's hand, I ran to him. "Father!" I hugged him tightly. "Father, why are you here?"
He set me down gently on the ground. "Mr. Wright here sent word earlier saying you need some help. So, Shannon and I came right away. It'll be my pleasure to finally tell that pompous ass what I really think of him."
I nodded. "Jack's been…"
"I know." He looked over my shoulder as Harry approached. "Mr. Lowe." He shook Harry's hand. "I see my daughter's looking fine." He hugged Rose. "It'll be all right. I promise." She nodded slowly and dabbed another tear from her eye. "Now, where are my grandbabies?"
"They're both inside. They're in Anna's room." Rose wiped away another tear. "James is probably up by now. He's not much on afternoon naps anymore." She walked back inside to get both Anna and James.
I hadn't taken my eyes off of my father and sister long enough to notice that someone else was in the back seat of my father's car. It was only after I caught movement as the driver opened the door again that I stopped to watch. "Jack?" I shielded my eyes with my hand because of the bright sunlight, trying to see who it was.
He stepped out into the sunlight. "Your dad's pretty amazing." I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck. "Wow. I didn't think I'd get this kind of reception."
"Torie, what is…" I turned around to see Rose standing on my porch, holding both babies. "Jack?" She slowly made her way down the steps to the cobblestone path. Looking directly at Jack, she was acting as if she was seeing a mirage of water in the hot desert sun. I watched as she blinked a few times to make sure Jack was really in front of her. As she started to walk forward towards the fence where Jack was, she handed James to Shannon, and I took Anna. "Jack?" She broke out in a run and in one motion, leaped into Jack's arms and began crying. "Oh, God! Jack!" She buried her head in his neck and I watched as sobs overtook her body once again. She pulled back to look at him once more. "How? When? I thought you were in jail!"
"That'd be me." I turned around to look at Jason, who had his hand raised in the air like he was still in school. "I do have some connections, and I told you I could help you out if you didn't kill me. That was what my phone calls and wires were for earlier. I made arrangements with Mrs. Lowe's father to help get Jack out of jail, and he was happy to send word that he'd post Jack's bail so he could come home to his wife and baby. After hearing that Mr. Metcalfe was going to post bail, the jail had no choice but to let him go. I knew I could probably do something to get Jack's charges dropped, and then I sent word to your family, Mrs. Lowe, that we'd need their help." He stopped to watch what he'd done, proud of himself for doing something right, for once in his life. I could tell that just by looking at him that his former life was most likely behind him now. "I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of in my past. You all know the type of person Mr. Hockley is. Well, his father is about ten times worse than Mr. Hockley. They're definitely cut from the same cloth. I figure this was a good place to start to make amends for what I've done." He watched Rose, still hugging Jack. "And I couldn't think of a better couple to reunite than the Dawsons."
Rose let go of Jack and slowly made her way to Jason. She stopped in front of him and started to say something, but instead threw her arms around his neck and cried into his shirt. She pulled back. "Thank you." She hugged him again. Wiping the tears on her cheek with a handkerchief she got from my father, she spoke what we all felt. "Thank you. Thank you." She dabbed another tear, then laughed. "Sorry about the whole trying to kill you thing. I didn't know what Torie was thinking, bringing you here." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Thank you."