Chapter Thirty-Five

MacKenzie was trained to move faster than a fox, she could shoot a weapon that had kickback as strong as a mild electric shock. She knew the best way to talk herself out of a bad situation, and she could make snap decisions when her life depended on it. But none of this had prepared her for the decision that stood in front of her now. Her chest felt heavy as she stared into eyes that promised her more pleasure than she'd ever felt before.

She closed her eyes, her fingers curling over his shoulders reflexively. She wanted him for so long. He dragged her off the counter-top, the kiss hungry as they slammed into the pantry. She dug into the notches of his hips, denim and leather cutting into her fingers. She wanted skin, wanted to feel him hot and hard in her hands.

His eyes flashed with surprise, but the smirk was quick and wicked as he backed her out of the kitchen. She stumbled a little, saving herself with a hand to his chest, reassured that his heartbeat was just as unsteady as hers. A live volcano had nothing on the weeks of wanting that had been building between them. She just wasn't sure if it was the lava or the aftermath of the ash that would kill her. She'd never felt this hot, this out of control about a man--not even Brian. Her hands smoothed down firm pecs and over his belly, hovering above the buckle. There would be no going back after this. He tipped her chin up and his eyes searched hers. "Kenz--"

She shushed him, her finger on his lips. He pulled her hand away, but instead of dropping it to her side, he scraped his teeth over her thumb. Blood rushed in her veins leaving her body thrumming. How was she supposed to think when his stare could melt the skin right off her bones? All she could think about was ripping his clothes off him, getting him inside her until the ache went away--until she could breathe again. It felt like she'd been suffocated by this lust for so long. She palmed his cheek. His eyes were so dark, so focused on her. He wanted her, there was no denying that. Hell, there was no way for either of them to deny it at this point. "Take me to your room."She lost her footing as he swept her up in his arms. Gripping his shoulder with one hand and fisting his hair with the other, she dragged his mouth down to hers. She wasn't the fairytale type of girl, but right now anything that got them naked faster...She was all for it.

Night blanketed the skyline leaving lights to twinkle above the bands of red that slowly blended into inky blue. The back of her shoulders hit the mattress and he crawled up over her, his chin bumping along the top of her breasts. She arched into him, his hair sifting through her fingers as he grazed his lips down the line of her neck.

She didn't want the slow seduction. Her body quivered as his mouth sent her senses into a panic. She needed more skin, wanted to feel the crisp hairs of his chest against her nipples. She yanked the shoulder of his shirt. "Off," she growled. His teeth nipped over her chin, the rasp of his tongue driving her up and off the bed. "Off," she demanded, as the shirt ripped away to show a freckled shoulder.

He knelt above her, his chest silhouetted against the city lights. His nipples were tight, were they always on the ready? What would they feel like under her tongue? His knees pinned her hips and he pushed her tee-shirt up, and flipped the cups of her bra up. She clawed his shoulder as he drew her nipple into his mouth--Sweet baby Jesus. Teeth scraped across flesh as madness consumed them. He sucked deeper, heels dug into the mattress.

His nose bumped against her ribs as his mouth scraped down, biting, sucking every bit of flesh he could find. His fingers dug into her waist and she groaned as his tongue swirled around her belly. Lust had never felt so good. She grabbed his mouth and dragged it to hers, she was two seconds away from losing all control. She never lost it under a man and it was unnerving, but exciting all the same.

She arched back as his mouth chased skin, slick with his kisses back up to hers. She needed friction, something to ease the ache that burned through her body. Her breath hitched as he hovered over her, millimetres from her lips. She sighed as he lowered his mouth to her earlobe. He bit down and cupped her breast, letting his thumb scrape over the tip.

She lifted her knee around his waist and his erection pressed against her centre. Desperate for something more than friction, she rocked against him and he groaned against his mouth. Teeth clicked as she rolled him, and dipped down to the centre of his throat. The tip of her tongue traced around to tanned shoulders and her teeth branded him.

MacKenzie gasped as her nipples grazed over the soft hairs of his chest, she took one of his swiftly against the flat of her tongue. His chest rumbled against her mouth as she curled her tongue around the tip. His fingers tangled into her hair and he came up off the bed. She plunged backward, not realizing he'd flipped her back in a quick motion. He fumbled with the buttons on her jeans and yanked them open and jammed his fingers inside her. She jerked and pleasure registered as she wound her arms around his neck.

She was almost there as his clever thumb flicked her clit. She curled her toes so tight they could cut through glass. If the raw heat that was constantly between them resulted in tearing each other apart, she wanted it. His tongue along hers matched the strokes of his fingers, and her throat was hoarse. She yanked his buckle, his heavy erection pressing against her thigh. She needed her hands on him and all that hard hot male on top of her. Fingers twisted in denim and leather and she found him, hot and silky in her hands.

The thought of him inside her filling and stretching her had her head in a spin until she couldn't stand it. She needed the real thing. Her jeans were barely down to her knees when he entered her. She slapped her hand across the back of his shoulders as the blunt edge of his buckle dug into her belly. His chest was heavy against hers, her nipples pricking into the downy fur on his pecs. Her hands gripped arms made of steel, there was nothing like a strong man holding you to ransom.

She closed like a glove around him, and her nails dug into his shoulders as she needed something to keep her steady while the tension rolled through her. "Jesus Jon," she gasped biting her lip as the sound of skin slapping skin filled the room. Between her breasts, she was slick with sweat as he drove into her with a burst of short, swift pumps. Each one more deep than the first. Her body shuddered and her thighs tightened, she was seconds from falling apart. He slammed back and forward, grunting and groaning as his head tipped back.

She nipped up his neck, over his chin and flooded his mouth with hers. Her body was sizzling, one thrust after the other. He hovered over her, hooked her legs up over his shoulder, changing the angle. She tightened around the short rasps of his cock, winding her fingers in his hair. The pants and sobs simmered between them until she thought she was going to burst. Jon pressed his forehead against hers and cupped her face, his jaw clenched and he growled as she felt him let go, tipping her over the edge.

The orgasm railed her to the bed thumping the bed head against the wall. She cried out and her mouth was covered by his. His hot seed spilled deep inside her, flooding the sheets but she didn't care. She was wrecked beyond repair. She jolted as his hand shifted between her thighs, and his thumb hooked over her hood flicking her.Her toes dug into the mattress and her body flew off the bed.

His lips found hers and then her breasts, as he sucked each one hard. The popping sounds were deliciously dirty as she shivered from top to bottom. Her nails clawed his hips, trying to drag him closer, get him to move, but he stilled. The assault on her clit was undeniably going to kill her. He tunnelled into her, his eyes bright with lust and his voice raspy with sex. She needed to feel him cum again, needed to feel him throb inside her. It bolted through her, and then through him, collapsing them both in a pile of tangled limbs. Sweat poured down her cheeks, the room was humid and reeked of sex. She closed her eyes, feeling her heart pound in her ears as her body settled. Unfuckingbelievable.

She sighed and rolled into his shoulder, hooking her leg over his. The sweat started to cool, and her eyes grew heavy. She wanted to say more, and she wanted to tell him how amazing it was but words failed her and sleepy contentment won.

The night stilled around them, and the only thing she felt was the gentle pulse under her palm which soothed her into sleep.

Chapter Thirty-Four

*thanks Joelle for the picture! Perfect for this one.*

Jon’s knuckles were white by the time MacKenzie pulled into the underground parking in his apartment complex in Soho. He couldn’t sit still and the heat was burning up his neck. He jammed the packet of cigarettes’ in his jeans and closed the door waiting for her to lead the way. He wished more than anything that he was going into his apartment alone, he was used to being alone. Even when he was with Dorothea he was still alone more often than not. He shoved his hands in his pockets and followed her into the elevator, MacKenzie. This woman, had turned his life upside down and taken away his ability to deal with shit alone, and now it ached inside his bones, to be alone right now.

Why him? Why did this gang seem so fucking intent on destroying his life? Every time he thought about Romeo missing, his lungs constricted. And now, clamped inside four walls of steel, his chest grew tight. He rubbed his chest as the elevator chimed on the first floor. He glanced at Mackenzie, her arms folded across the snug dark turtleneck. He hadn’t even noticed her hair was loosely spilled around her shoulders until now--now that the blind panic had started to dissolve.

“I’m starving.” She smiled dangling the bags of Yan’s takeout from her hands.

His belly was in a thousand knots and his head was so foggy he sure as fuck couldn’t think about eating right now. He couldn’t even tease her about stealing most of the shrimp like she always did. He never minded, but loved teasing the holy hell out of her for doing it.

What was this? This thing between them? For a song-writer that could put everything into words and cut through emotion, he was lost when it came to her. Part of him wondered if it was the company of having her around, he’d got used to having no one around. He wasn’t used to something being easy and fitting into his life, the way she had. He didn’t trust something that he didn’t have to work for.

He unlocked the door and let her go first, disappearing into the kitchen. His more than spacious apartment was now suffocating. He dropped his keys and phone into the ceramic bowl and shrugged off his jacket. Christ, he didn’t even know where to put himself. He dug for his cigarettes and slipped out to the balcony. He needed some space to get his head in check, from this, from her—from god. He gripped the raining, thankful that his only company was the quiet him of the Soho streets below.

He’d dealt with situations that had high stakes before and he always found a way to deal with them, or he got someone to do something about it for him. That’s how he operated, but this? God, this rankled him to his bones. He trusted MacKenzie to do her job, but now there was only so much she could do if they wanted him. They’d find a way, he could lock himself in his apartment all day, but hell. That’s so not how he operated. He fixed things.

This he couldn’t fix.

He rubbed his chest absently as Dot’s words rang through his head. She had every given right to protect their kids, but this was killing him. What if something had happened to Romeo? God, he would never forgive himself. How would he even have justified that to Dot? He shakily lit a cigarette and took a deep suck of it, praying that the nicotine gods could calm him down. If not, he’d be moving on to Jack Daniels.

Everything he had worked for all his life could have shattered in an instant tonight. Not only did that scare him shitless, he didn’t like that he didn’t have the control to not let that happen. Fuck.

What had he done wrong? He’d said no to a kid that was tied up in the gangs. It wasn’t as if he’d robbed a convent for fuck’s sake. He had done what any man would do to protect his business and franchise. The ironic thing was he’d done it to avoid any trouble when in reality it had done the exact opposite.

He leaned against the railing and took a deep breath, his arms hadn’t stopped shaking and his nerves were fraying. “Pull yourself together.” He was good at compartmentalizing shit to make sense but this just kept bleeding all over him. He crouched down, his lungs were heavy and his head was pounding. No matter how hard he tried to get it out of his head, the panic of when he thought Romeo was missing kept pumping through him.

“I’m so sorry.” He blinked away a tear and shook his head. This is what they’d reduced him to, he didn’t live in fear—he thrived on it. But not when it had his family at stake. He didn’t hear the slider to the balcony open, so when he looked up, his heart raced.

“Want a hand up?” She held her hand out to him. He blinked away the emotion and nodded, she helped him up back onto footing. He couldn’t meet her eyes.

“I’m fine. Just a long day.”

She nodded and leaned against the guard railing and looked out to the city. “Jon, don’t be hard on yourself about what happened today. I know you will, because you love those kids like crazy.”

He scuffed his shoe and took another puff of his cigarette. “I’m their father. It’s my responsibility to make sure they‘re safe.

“That’s what you did Jon. You trusted me to do it and I did—nothing has happened to them and of course I can’t promise it won’t. But I can promise you this.” She turned and leaned back against the railing. “I’ll put my life on the line to prevent it. That’s what you hired me for.”

The thought still rankled with him that she would give her life for him. He wasn’t stupid, he knew what her job description was, but if it actually happened...He didn’t know if he could deal with that. Not now.

“When I thought he was missing-- “ He cut himself off as the band around his chest constricted again.

She walked forward and rested her hand on his arm. “I know. He’s not though. He’s safe—you can’t dwell on it. Or you’ll make yourself crazier than you already are.”
Vulnerability wasn’t something Jon showed lightly, let alone someone he had some sort of feelings for. “I’m scared Kenzie.” He looked up and met her eyes. She moved her hands and cupped his cheeks.

“Listen to me Jon. This is not your fault, ok?”

He closed his eyes and took comfort in the simple touch. “They didn’t deserve any of this.”

Her thumbs grazed his cheeks lightly. “Jon, look at me. This is not your fault.”
Her eyes were warm, earnest, and her hair fluttered around her shoulders as the night breeze settled in. He’d bared himself and it unsettled him, but she showed no awkwardness in it. He’d doubted in any of the years of marriage he’d bared himself to Dorothea like this, and right now he didn’t want to try to understand what that meant.

“Thank you.”

“Jon, you’re a good man. A fantastic father, but this is a tough situation. The toughest. So don’t beat yourself up about it —and we’ll be extra careful from now on,. I promise. No matter if they know who I am or not---I’ll stay with you and make sure nothing happens to you. Ok?”

He nodded. “Okay.” She dropped her hands and went to turn to go back inside but he held out his hand on her shoulder. “Wait.” He tugged her in and snaked his arms around her shoulders drawing on the spicy scent of ginger and Kenz. He buried his nose into her hair and sighed. She smoothed her hands down his back until he let go.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome Jon. Now I’ve got wine and Chinese in there...how about we zone out on the couch for a bit? Decompress.”

He chuckled and stubbed his butt out in the can on the ground. “Sounds like exactly what I need to do.” He took a deep breath and followed her back into the apartment. Wine is exactly what he needed, a couple of glasses to settle his nerves and he’d be golden.

~

MacKenzie needed a minute as she slipped into the kitchen and arranged the Chinese Boxes on the tray. She ached for him, seeing someone as strong as him starting to crumble under the pressure. He had no control over their situation and it had to be killing him. She didn’t blame Dorothea for her mama bear act, but she could have used a little more tact. Jon loved those kids as much as she did.

She carefully balanced everything and carried it back into the living room, where Jon had popped open a bottle of Pinot. She settled herself next to him and took the glass when he offered it to her. He made a lame attempt to dig into his noodles carton. “You’re gonna have to try better than that Jon.”

She reached for the shrimp and offered it to him. “Go on. You know you want to.” It was unnerving to see him with no oomph. Like any man she knew, he internalized his angst and he probably felt weird to have let his guard down in front of her like that.

“Hell, the shrimp? Really?” He speared a piece with his sticks and popped it in his mouth. “When Brian died, did you feel out of control?”

She picked up her wine and took a healthy sip. Jesus Christ. “Yes, of course I did. It was a little different since I was so young. I didn’t know what control really was until I went into the marines. But if you’re asking me did I feel like I’d done something wrong, when really I hadn’t? Yes. I raked myself over hot coals for months over it.”She blew out her breath, he’d been vulnerable with her and she trusted him enough to be with him.

“I can’t imagine losing someone I loved that young.”

“Yeah, it is the worst thing I’ve ever been through.” She smiled, “I often wonder what our life would’ve been like if he was still around.”

Jon leaned forward for the chicken. “He’d probably be on my team.”

She laughed. “And you’d be damn lucky to have him. God, when he threw long, it was just incredible. I miss the game too.”

“You don’t watch anymore?”

She shook her head. “I couldn’t.” She shrugged, and fished around the bottom of her rice box. Football was the central part of our relationship, so I avoided it.”

“I understand that, but it’s been years right? You’re missing out on so much.”

“This coming from the guy that owns the team. I know, Jon. I want to go back to the game, but there’s never been a right time.” Well until I came and worked for you.. She held up her hand. “Anyway, enough of the deep and meaningful tonight.” She knew he wanted to relate to something similar, but she wasn’t ready to dig deep into Brian-land. Not tonight.

“Damn, I forgot the napkins.” She got up and excused herself to the kitchen and took a moment to gather her thoughts. So much was at stake now--his family, him, and now even possibly her life. She’d dealt with this all before and succeeded, she’d just never been in love with the guy when she did.

She fussed around with the empties to give herself a few moments and she knew that she had to be strong for him. Her role as the protector was to keep strong and give him the confidence that she had this under control-now more than ever.

She found hair elastic on the shelf that was probably one of Steph’s and swept her hair back in a ponytail. She could do this. She grabbed a bunch of napkins and turned to go back into the living area, but he blocked the doorway. “Got them.” She held up the napkins.

“Yeah, I was just coming to get some chilli sauce.” He came forward and reached behind her where the sauce was sitting on the countertop. Their eyes met and her pulse quickened as he hovered in front of her. The air between them crackled as her eyes fell to his lips.

In a moment the napkins dropped, the bottle ricocheted to the floor, and his hands shot into her hair. The kiss was hot, furious and melted away tension leaving her breathless as he jammed her back into the countertop. He tipped her chin and angled the kiss deeper, letting his tongue slide against hers. China clattered as he lifted her up onto the edge of the counter and she moaned as he cupped her breast.

She lifted her head as his mouth scraped down her neck, and she wound her legs around his waist. Her heart raced and her hands were desperate to find skin, even if she had to rip the shirt right off his body. The axis had shifted, tipping them off the edge of sanity.

He traced the pad of his thumb over her lips, and for a moment the air fell still. His eyes fell to her lips and darted back up to hers. Her nipple ached under his palm, and she swallowed a groan as his other hand traced up her inner thigh.

“I’m going to bed. The question is,” he drew a lazy circle at the top of her thigh and looked back up at her. “Are you coming too?”

Chapter Thirty-Three

MacKenzie parked the car and pulled on her jacket as she stepped out of the car. She tied her hair back in a loose ponytail and slipped her Blackberry and keys into her jeans as Jon came up to meet her. She held out her hand for him but he looked at her hand and paused before he took it. God, dumb move Mac.

“You ok?”

He nodded and raked his free hand through his hair. “Yeah...helluva scare that’s all, and Dot’s pissed at me.”

“It’s ok—we’ll talk to her. Everyone is safe, let’s remember that here first and foremost.” She followed Jon up under the arching trees to the entrance to the house. Dot had a right to be angry, these were her children, but MacKenzie was confident she could show her why they'd kept it from them.

“I don’t know what’s safe anymore, MacKenzie.” He let her hand go as they walked into the foyer, and she felt her stomach bottom out. She smiled as he held the door open, but he didn’t smile back. Clearly he was feeling some strain in the situation, and she was the professional here, so she had to put it right for them.

“Dorothea, nice to see you again.” MacKenzie held out her hand, but Dot just stood there with her arms crossed. Yep, she’s pissed. She dropped her hand, and squared her shoulders, holding her head high.

“I think we need to sit down, and you can tell me what’s going on. All of it.”

“Dot—“ Jon tried to interrupt, but MacKenzie nodded.

“Sure, not a problem at all.” They all sat down in the parlor. Jon sat next to her on the couch and Dot in the chair opposite. The housekeeper brought in a tray of coffee leaving it just as noiselessly as her rubber soled shoes that squelched on the polished floors.

Dot leaned forward and poured the coffee. “Creamer? It’s Non-fat, as requested,” she said shortly.

MacKenzie raised a brow and nodded. “Sure, thanks.” She glanced at Jon, his head was down as he fiddled with his watch strap. She was worried about him. He’d seemed a little off balance since she arrived. The incident with Romeo going missing had to have scattered him, those kids meant everything to him.

“Now, tell me about what’s been happening.”

Well I want to sleep with your ex-husband. MacKenzie took a deep breath and took a sip of coffee, wishing it was something stronger all of a sudden. “Well, once Jon hired me I organized the necessary surveillance around him, his family and the children. I covered all bases.”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Dot snapped as she flicked her ponytail back over her shoulder. Oh lord.

“I wasn’t, I’m explaining to you that’s what I did---it’s what I do as part of my process. I create a circle of surveillance around my client’s lives.”

“So that involves not telling those closest to Jon that their lives could be in danger?” Dot’s eyes fixed on hers. Mac wasn’t afraid of her, she’d faced much worse interrogations but she wanted to be tactful, as a wrong move here could have consequences for Jon.

Jon cleared his throat, “Dot—I made the decision first. I didn’t want to involve you guys. This was my problem, not my kids.”

Dot chuckled, “stupid man, they are involved. Whether you like it or not. You just did what you always did Jon. Used your high-handed tactics without consulting with those around you. So why should I be shocked?”

“I did this thinking of you and the kids."

"Yes, your way Jon. Without consultation to the rest of us."

Oh boy, this was going to be an all out war in a minute if she didn’t take control.

“Ok, look—yes Jon didn’t want you involved and I agreed with it. His foremost concern was his family's safety. The disruption to your lives, would have been too obvious, always looking over your shoulder to see if they’re around. I didn’t agree with Jon, I would have veto’d. This is my operation, not his.”

Dot dropped her hands to her thighs. “So when did you let her become in charge of what is right for our children?”

Jon raked his hand through his hair, “Dottie, I couldn’t say no to her. Part of my commitment to her taking on the job was agreement to trust her.”

MacKenzie reached out and took his hand without even thinking. “Which he didn’t do easily, believe me.” Jon’s eyes widened so she quickly pulled it away, dammit. She hated the unease that had suddenly grown between them.

“So, I see.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jon snapped.

Dot leaned over and refilled her coffee. “It means I can see exactly what’s going on here.”

MacKenzie sipped her coffee again. Man, tough crowd. “Dot, I stand by this decision. If you knew you were being followed, we would have been compromised.”

“How can you possibly justify that, MacKenzie? Putting four children’s lives at risk? I’m not accepting that for a second, even if my dear ex-husband did.”

“Oh hang on a minute." Jon lurched up off the couch and paced behind it. "I never knowingly put them at risk--I knew what she was doing, Dot. I’m not stupid. I don’t just let people do things without being fully informed. You know this.”

MacKenzie closed her eyes. Holy Jesus. “Ok, look Dot—I’ve had a lot of experience with these people. We had to be discrete, especially with Jon’s public profile.” She leaned forward and placed her mug on the table carefully. Some of her hardcore training seemed easier than this moment.

“It’s not just about Jon. What if someone had grabbed one of them when I wasn’t around and your super security couldn’t get to them fast enough? What would you have said to me then?”

MacKenzie smoothed her hands down her legs. “Dot, this was never going to be an easy situation. Hell, it hasn’t been for Jon from the very beginning. His whole life has had to change. We’ve seen no evidence that they are interested in his family. I’ve had daily check ins and I’ve got the best people I know working on this.”

“I’m really angry, Jon." Jon dug his hands into his pockets and stood still.

The silence in the room hung thick like a fog, MacKenzie wondered what had made this marriage end. She had no idea about his past life here, just who he was now. God, what really did she know about him? Jon was a thinker, he was never one to have long talks about life and what he was feeling. MacKenzie suspected that he lived his whole life like this, from the early days in the band---making all the decisions and living with the mistakes. Agonizing the stress of it all on himself, and not let anyone else deal with what he was dealing with.

Which is why this all made sense. Surely Dot knew this after living with him for so long. Maybe she did, and that’s what she could never accept about him. That’s just who Jon is and he would never change.

“Dot. I’m sorry but I only ever had your interests at heart, you must know that.”
She pursed her lips and nodded, “so if this is all under-cover once it all over, I assume MacKenzie will disappear out of your life?”

MacKenzie felt like the air in her lungs was being sucked out, Jon was staring out the window of the parlor to the expansive yard they had and he said nothing. MacKenzie rolled her lip over her teeth, god she hated when she didn’t have an answer. She should have said yes, that’s right—but she didn’t want Jon to think she wanted to leave him. And this was so not a conversation to be had in front of his ex-wife.

“I’m asking because the kids will be confused, they like her,” Dot continued.

Jon turned around, “we don’t know what will be happening at the moment. MacKenzie is still investigating whether our cover is officially blown, right?” The flick of warmth in his eyes gave her small hope, as let’s face it. There wasn’t much to hold onto now. And his kids liked her? God, her heart was been thrown in all kinds of directions.

She nodded, “right. We’re still trying to track who attacked me.”

Dot’s gaze flicked down to her arm where the angry red mark was fading into purple. She straightened her collar and her cuffs. “Right, well. I appreciate MacKenzie you telling me the truth. But I want to make this clear, you are to tell me everything from now on what goes on with this.”

MacKenzie nodded, “of course. I don’t see that as a problem.”

Dot stood up and faced Jon, “secondly I think its best if you and MacKenzie stay away from the kids until this is all over. Once and for all.”

MacKenzie felt the stab in the guts, where Jon would have felt it. His kids meant the world to him, part of her knew that his uneasiness in this whole thing was because he was being denied having a normal relationship with them. But now, none? It was going to kill him.

“C’mon Dot---I.” He sighed and swallowed hard. “What will you tell them?”

“I’ll tell them what I always tell them Jon, you love them but you’re away travelling with Obama stomps commitments but you’ll be back soon. It’s not news to them their Father is away a lot.”

Jon rolled back on his heels. “Can I call them? Text them?”

Dot crossed her arms, “what if they are tracing all those calls?”

Pain creased his face, MacKenzie knew he had no option but to accept the deal.

“Ok. Fine. I’m going to see them now though.”

He was half way across the room before she nodded, leaving her alone with Dot.

“How serious is it?” MacKenzie was surprised to see the concern in her eyes.

“Pretty serious but we’re doing our best to keep a tight lid on the situation.”

“Which includes getting yourself beat up for him?”

“All part of the job Dorothea, I can handle it.” The job was the easy part, handling her feelings for Jon was not.

“Well just be careful. He’s still the father of my kids, not matter how stubborn and bone-headed he can be at times.” The small smile was one of approval, as much as Dot didn’t like the situation MacKenzie knew she at least had reached middle ground with her.

“I will Dot.” MacKenzie showed herself out and decided to wait for Jon in the car, she pulled out her Blackberry and sent a message to David to review and double check that all family security was tight. The door popped open on the passenger side and he climbed in. He dug his cigarettes out of his pocket.

“Mind?”

She buckled herself in and shook her head. “No, go right ahead.” He didn’t meet her gaze, instead he stared out the window the entire way back to the city. The tension between them was a whole new level. She was so confused, and he was hurting. But he was silent, and that’s what killed her.