by Lisa B
I hope you all enjoy the chapter and have a Happy Weekend!
Lisa B
Chapter 97
Jax felt suffocated by the stifling heat and the weight of the robes. The Middle East wasn't his favorite vacation spot. He preferred spending his R&R on the beaches in the south of Spain or on Kronos. Actually, anywhere but in the sweltering deserts where the woman of his dreams would have to stay hidden in the veil. Of course, Jerry was just the opposite. Every chance he got he holed up in Kuwait, Syria or the ever popular Cairo. There was the summer he decided to become a Bedouin. For as long as Jax could remember, Jerry had spent has much time as he could traipsing through the Middle Eastern countries. Savoring the cultural differences like other men savored a glass of wine, becoming one with the life had been his obsession.
Jax only hoped his escapades were helping him now. The mid day sun shone through the dirty windows of the apartment. Jax was exhausted from the flight and frightened for his brother. He hadn't been able to come up with any concrete leads to Jerry's location. He'd combed the market. Threatening both his wrath and the authorities if someone didn't come forward with information on the Anglo. The merchants turned away their secrets locked within. Then there was Jerry's team. The men were worthless to him. Jerry had kept everything to himself, cutting even the team leaders out of the search for the ever-elusive Remi and Isabella Bodega.
Hoping to strike it rich following up on Jerry's transactions for the past couple of months especially focusing on the past couple of days had turned out to be a bust. The phone records were meaningless. Calls to the hospital, calls to Julia, all innocuous. That everything appeared so ordinary was out of the ordinary. More and more Jax suspected that the phone logs had been tampered with. Jerry's phone bills always looked like a who's who of the peculiar. Now Jerry's life was being portrayed as mundane. Jax snorted. Jerry was anything but mundane. It just didn't wash. The more Jax looked at the pieces of Jerry's life, the more they didn't add up. Unless Jerry had deliberately shied away from his regular accounts knowing they could be used as a trace on his search.
At least Brenda was safe. He had called the moment he landed. The sound of her voice soothing his nerves. He missed her, the essence of her. When all this intrigue was settled, all he wanted to do was take his wife to some hidden corner of the world and spend day after endless day loving her, touching her, talking with her. More importantly, he wanted to know if Brenda was really ready to settle down.
Jax thought of their discussion that day in Alaska. Brenda telling him she wanted a house, roots of their own. Finally, they were on the same page. Jax would live in a cardboard box if that would make Brenda happy. Finding a house in the Berkshires or one of the hill towns in Massachusetts was a cakewalk if ever there was one. A home, maybe a family, and always Brenda by his side. At least, she was remaining calm. Jax told her he didn't know when he'd be able to call again. She not only understood, she told him it would probably be best if he focused all his energy on finding Jerry. She didn't want something to go wrong because he was wasting energy worrying about her. And even Mum had started to come around. Yes, his life was starting to glide along riding the crest of the gentle hum that is peace. If only, he could find Jerry alive without too many broken bones he'd be able to get back home and work on bringing his daydreams to life. Jax was convinced that if he teamed up with his brother they could take Bodega down with relative ease and minimal bloodshed.
"Jerry, where the hell are you?" Jax shouted to no one but himself. "Just one little clue. That's all I need. A direction to point me in. Why did you have to cover your tracks so well?" Annoyed with his self-pity, Jax picked up the phone and charge card logs. He decided to give it one more try to find the needle in the haystack.
Jay Blackburn walked in with a brandy and a plate of food. "Try this. I always think better on a full stomach."
"Thanks but what's the brandy for?"
"Oh." Jay chuckled. "Jerry has driven all of us to drink. It's just a force of habit."
Jax couldn't help but laugh, understanding full well the madness Jerry instilled in those around him. He gladly accepted the brandy and went back to looking over the papers spread on the table in front of him. Once again he came up empty handed.
"Think Jax think." He ordered. Then the idea came to him. Jax often had secret accounts set up through holding companies and layers of aliases. These were monies that were used for hostile takeovers or maybe just surprises for the family. He'd set up the accounts years ago with profits from one of the oil ventures. He wondered if Jerry had done the same thing. Karen would have known but who would know now, Jax wondered. He decided the place the starting point was a Colonial on a tree lined street in Ohio. Emily Thompson seemed to know everything else about his brother maybe she could help him with this.
******************* London England ***************************
Brenda was relieved to find Brian waiting at the airport. During the flight, she had thought of a million things that could go wrong and she was positive they would. Her worries had been in vein. Jax was set up in Damascus, no closer to finding Jerry but he was still in one piece and most importantly she had convinced him it wasn't necessary to call. Hopefully, Julia would be found and brought home before Brenda ever had to tell Jax what happened.
Brian waved signaling the way to the car. After what seemed forever, Julia cleared through customs and hooked up with Brian.
The worry lines etched across his forehead were indication enough of how the search was going. Brenda gave him a quick hug and asked the dreaded question.
"Have you heard from her?"
Shaking his head, it pained Brian to answer no. Grabbing Brenda by the elbow, he guided her through the busy terminal to the waiting car.
After settling into the back seat, he started to fill Brenda in on what he knew. "Her friend's name was Beyers…Samantha Beyers. Does that ring a bell? We found her family but apparently she doesn't keep in touch with them that much."
"Sure, I know her. She and Julia were real buddy, buddy at school. I didn't think Julia kept in touch with her."
"Well, I don't think she does. It seemed like a chance meeting. They practically ran into each other on the street. Julia as so pissed at me that she introduced us and flew off before I had a chance to follow her."
"That's my sister. The family can't track her down through accounts. She must be getting her money somehow. That's one thing I know about trust fund monies…those accountants can normally sniff out an heir across two continents."
Brian looked disgusted. "No kidding. But apparently, Ms. Beyers has her own little nest egg. She doesn't tap the family funds until the well runs dry. I've been in touch with every hotel in London. If she was here, she's gone now."
"Samantha Beyers, Samantha Beyers…I have to think about it. Maybe if we split up we'll do better."
"Are you out of your mind!" Brian yelled making Brenda jump in her seat. "I already lost one Barrett, you think I'm going to take the chance of losing two. Jax would kill me if I didn't hang myself first. Brenda you've got to stay with me. I'll handcuff us together if I have to."
Brenda patted him on the arm. "Brian, I'm sure she's alright. She sounded funny but there've been no ransom notes. Maybe we're just jumping to conclusions. After everything that has happened, who can blame us."
"I don't think so Brenda. I have a really bad feeling about all of this. This all has to tie together somehow I just don't know how."
Staring out the window, Brenda watched as familiar landmarks passed by. She always loved spending time in London. With Julia based here, it was the closest thing she had to a familial home. Her heart pounded in her chest beating in rhythm with her thoughts.
"We'll find her. Barretts don't give up, ever." They traveled the rest of the way to the apartment in silence.
Chapter 98
The blood dripped from the gash in Jerry's brow. His tongue darted over his lips trying to keep them from cracking. He had been tied to a chair almost continuously since Remi and his band of thugs snatched him. The couple of times a day, the guards released Jerry from his prison to use the bathroom and shove a little sustenance in his mouth, barely kept the circulation moving in his arms and legs. Straining to focus on his surroundings, Jerry found it impossible to make out where he was. The shades of darkness that cloaked his existence were becoming more real than the daylight of the netherworld. When sleep came to him, he was plagued by the haunting memory of Isabella. Every time it was the same. Isabella coming to him for help. Each time as she slipped her hand into his, her delicate fingers faded away replaced with the steel-like grip of Remi. Then he would wake up trembling. Beads of perspiration clinging to his hair and pooling at the crevice of his back. Luckily, the darkness camouflaged his reactions. Remi had enough power. He didn't need to know what was going on in Jerry's mind, but unfortunately he did.
The camera was set up on the other side of the two-way mirror, directly across from Jerry. It was equipped with special high tech features that made nighttime recording a snap. Remi studied the tapes thrilled with the results. Jerry's agony recorded for posterity served as Remi's after dinner entertainment. Today, he thought might be the time to allow Isabella into the inner sanctum.
His beautiful Isabella was quickly transforming into a wild beast. Her eyes held the crazed look of a woman on the edge. Her hair fell in tangled knots around her face. She had stopped the pretense of working with Remi the moment Jerry had been dragged past her room kicking and screaming. Remi smiled. Oh how he loved dramatic entrances. The blindfold across Jerry's eyes and the vice grip clamped on Isabella's mouth ensured that Jerry was still clueless if Isabella was alive or dead. And now Isabella moaned hugging her legs in the back room sure that Remi had already tortured Jerry Jacks. Torture was such a relative term. True, Remi had bound and gagged the man, packed up the entourage and trucked them into a private little villa in the middle of the desert but so far he had only played with Jerry's mind. Remi still had the physical torture to look forward to. The thought of mounting Isabella in clear view of the illustrious Mr. Jacks sent shivers down his spine. Of course, she would have to be cleaned up and groomed to perfection before he'd even consider it. Then the real fun would begin. How he would savor the anguish that would rip Jerry Jacks to his core with each thrust. Revenge was the ultimate aphrodisiac for Remi Bodega. The best thing was that it prolonged his erection, giving him even more time to take his wife before reaching his climax. Once Jerry had been forced to watch his invasion of Isabella, then the real torture would begin. How Remi looked forward to filling Jerry in on all the intimate details of his life with Isabella, his affair with Karen, and the plans that were in motion to bring down the Houses of Jacks and Barrett.
That bitch Julia Barrett would finally get hers. All of this could have been averted if Julia had followed the course Harlan had set. Then Remi would be at the helm of Barrett Industries. But instead those two spoiled brat Barrett girls were living a life of luxury with his money. He relished the thought of Julia out on the street having to start over with no capital. He pictured her as a bank teller, a cashier or any paltry job where she would have to scrimp and save to keep a room over her head and a little nourishment in her belly.
Then there was the Jacks family. John and Jane Jacks would be left penniless and sonless. Ripping the money from their greedy capitalistic hands was just the desert. Taking out the Jacks boys was the main course. Remi wondered if Jerry would scream out when he heard about Jax' untimely death. Would he realize in that moment, all was lost? Jasper "Jax" Jacks, the cleaning crew of the Jacks family, was no longer around to get Jerry out of his latest scrape. Jax and his two-timing bride Brenda Barrett eliminated before they could even enter the game. Remi really hoped Jerry wouldn't give up at that point. It would take the fun out of humiliating him. He wanted Jerry to put up a fight. He wanted him to think about exacting revenge. He might even give Jerry the chance to come after him but of course, Remi would squash him time after time after time. Until finally tired of exacting his revenge, Remi would put Jerry out of his misery.
With the competition out of the way, Remi would take his rightful place and ascend the throne of corporate magnate. He pictured Eduardo Romero groveling at his feet begging Remi to save the family business. It was inevitable that without Isabella and Remi steering the course for Romero International it would fall in ruins around Eduardo. The Romeros were another foolish family that had chosen to bar Remi from his rightful place as CEO.
So Remi sat in his favorite perch, watching as Jerry battled to keep his inner demons at bay. He marveled again at his cunning and prowess. Remi Bodega, boy from the streets, had set the game in motion to take down 2 of the most powerful families in the corporate world and they had never even suspected. He shook a cigarette loose from the pack. Putting it up to his mouth, he paused before lighting it, staring at the flame of his gold lighter. Moving slightly so that the tip brushed against the flame, he inhaled deeply and thought it really was like taking candy from a baby.
****************** London England *************************
Brenda and Brian set up a command post in Julia's apartment. Much to Brenda's relief, Jax had taken her suggestion and was concentrating on finding his brother. For the time being, anyway, Jax was content in thinking Brenda was safely tucked away in Boston hovering over Jock and McGillen clan. John assured her Jock's recovery was progressing but he hadn't been able to get near him yet to find out if he remembered any details of his attack.
The McGillens had closed ranks around the wayward son. His brothers served as sentinels outside Jock's door to keep any visitors at bay. Until, Jock had been declared officially out of the woods, there would be no questions about Alaska. John sat back on the fringes biding his time until he'd gain entry to the crown prince of the McGillen clan. Brenda promised to call him regularly and keep her cell phone forever charged and by her side.
So Brian and Brenda brainstormed about tracking down the elusive Samantha Beyers. She was the last link to Julia. They were both sure that Julia would never be found if they didn't talk to her.
"Did you try the boarding school?" Brenda questioned. "I know it's been ages since Julia graduated but maybe an alumni association knows how to contact Samantha. Private schools are always looking for some extra money to build a new swimming pool or an equestrian center."
"Tried that. Only the corporate address is listed. Samantha has a business manager that handles all money requests. All mail is forwarded to her. Apparently, Samantha has a private address for personal business. Heck, even her family doesn't know what it is. She lays low…apparently she can't stomach her family in large doses."
"Typical. How about jet-setting? Have you tried the society columnists?"
"I called the papers before you landed. Ms. Beyers does love a good party but no one ever knows where she's staying. She was last seen in London but that was at a party a week ago and no one has spotted her since. She's not rich enough to have the paparazzi following her all the time but plenty rich enough to make it into the society pages when she's out on the town. She tends to date construction worker type of guys. Loves to snub her nose at the gentry."
"Unfortunately, I know the type only too well. Heck I was the type before marrying Jax. It could take us months to track her down. Julia doesn't have months!"
Brian walked up to Brenda and put his arm around her. It's funny how these two women went from being just employers to friends. Brian wasn't sure when it happened but it had. He cared as deeply for them as he did for his own family. He would never forgive himself if he didn't find Julia. If only he had held his tongue and given her some space, this never would have happened. Brian couldn't get over the fact that all of this was his fault. He had failed miserably at keeping Julia safe. Finding her would be the last thing he did before leaving Barrett Industries for good.
Brenda studied Brian's face. She understood the self-doubts that were obviously hounding him. Brenda had her own share of self-doubts. She wondered if she would ever be able to truly put her mistakes behind her. Jax kept telling her he didn't care…that the past was the past. But Brenda still felt that she was being punished for her sins. In a dark corner of her mind, she was convinced all of this was happening as payback for the cave, leaving Jax, betraying a family that had taken her to its bosom.
"Brian don't"
"Don't what?"
"Don't beat yourself up. I know what it's like replaying the scenes over and over in you mind. Kicking yourself for not saying and doing what you now know you should have. Julia was going to do what she wanted whether you let her or not. If she hadn't gotten away from you then, it would have happened another time. There's no time for self-recriminations. We've got to find her."
"I know you're right but I just can't get it out of my head." He looked at the clock on the wall. "I've got some people coming in. I have to pick them up at the station. Stay here, I'll be back in about an hour."
"Don't worry, I'll lock up." She gave him a peck on the cheek and pushed him towards the door. Brenda was looking forward to a few moments alone with her thoughts.
She made her way to the kitchen and was thankful to find the bag of coffee beans in the freezer. Locating the grinder on the counter, she went about the task of making a pot of coffee. It was one of the few things she was actually capable of doing in the kitchen. The smell of freshly brewed coffee reminded her she hadn't eaten since the day before.
With her head buried in the refrigerator, she barely heard the phone ringing in the living room. Pulling her head out, she strained to listen as the answering machine kicked on. Brenda trotted into the living room; maybe it was Brian checking up on her. Brenda's heart went cold as a woman's voice filled the room.
"Jules…it's Sami…I need the key back darling. I'm in Hertfordshire and I've met the most delicious man. I'm bringing him to London day after tomorrow. I tried calling at the apartment but no one answered so I took a chance by ringing you up at home. Hope the R&R did you some good! Well gotta…"
Stunned, Brenda fumbled for the phone before the elusive Samantha Beyers hung up the phone and her link to Julia broken.
"Sami…Samantha" Brenda practically screeched into the phone.
"Jules…is that you?" The woman on the other end of the line questioned.
"No…no…this is her sister Brenda. I've been looking all over London for her something urgent has come up and I need to talk to her. Samantha can you tell me where she is?"
"Oh, Brenda, I think we met once just before graduation. How are you darling?"
Frustrated, Brenda tried not to lose her temper when she answered. "Fine, Samantha can you please tell me where Julia is. It's really important."
"Sure, no problem. That security guy, oh I can't remember what she said his name was; well he was driving her out of her ever living mind. She asked to borrow my dad's weekend get-away place, if you know what I mean and I was more than happy to oblige. Do you have a pen, I'll give you directions."
Brenda scribbled the address and directions on the back of an envelope, thanked Samantha profusely and promised she could have the apartment. Brenda told her the best thing to do was to come by Julia's place when she got into London.
Hanging up the phone, Brenda couldn't believe her luck. What were the chances that Samantha would call Julia's apartment when Brian had men searching for her all over Europe. Without thinking, Brenda grabbed her coat and headed for the door. Her promises to Brian forgotten in her need to find Julia.
*****************************************************************
The cab dropped her off in front of an unassuming brownstone on a street of unassuming brownstones. Brenda had to admit it was the perfect place for a little relaxation. Checking the address for the hundredth time, Brenda found the building. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. She ran up the stairs.
Taking a deep breath, she poised her finger above the doorbell and pushed. Brenda could feel her heart beating in her chest. She subconsciously held her breath until she saw the familiar blonde head peak at her through the door curtain.
"Julia!"
The door opened and Brenda pushed way in.
"Julia!" She yelled again as she threw her arms around her sister. "I was so worried. Don't ever do that again! What the hell is the matter with you?" In her excitement, Brenda didn't notice that Julia's gaze was fixed on a point beyond Brenda's shoulder. Then she heard his voice. Brenda stopped talking and turned to find him blocking the path to the door.
"Bren, why did you come? How did you find me?" The tears streamed down Julia's face.
"Glad you could finally make it. I'm surprised you're not known for being the brightest light bulb in the box. I thought for sure, Julia here would have to call you again."
Brenda was rooted to the spot where she stood. After several moments, she
finally summed up the energy to say, "Jason…Jason Morgan…it can't
be!" Terror seized Brenda's heart as her past rushed up and suffocated her.