Ch 342 - Strained Relationships

"Oh," Cathy said, surprised. She did as Belinda had told her and walked over to Alex. She kept her eyes averted as she nodded at him. "Hello, Alex," she said.

Belinda watched her every move, suspicious of her behavior.

"Alex, thank you for your assistance today," Belinda said. "We're leaving now, but I'm sure we'll see you soon." Then she left Silver Lake with her disciples.

"Alex?" Debbie said, wanting to ask Alex how he felt about seeing Cathy again.

Alex smiled at her, knowing what she was about to ask. "It's over," he said. "Cathy has her own life, so let's just leave her to get on with it. Agreed?"

"Okay," Debbie said, nodding. She was happy with his answer. Her biggest worry had been that Alex would be tempted by Cathy.

Almost everyone had gone, and Jessop couldn't wait any longer. Accompanied by Rufus, he walked over to Alex and Debbie.

A month ago, when he had learned that Debbie had been poisoned, he had been worried sick. He hadn't expected Debbie's miraculous recovery, and he was thrilled that she was better.

"Debbie," he said, smiling as he looked at her healthy complexion.

"Grandpa," Debbie responded, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She was touched by his interest, as she didn't often see her relatives.

"Oh, don't cry," Jessop said. He stepped forward, wanting to hug Debbie, but Rufus pulled him back.

"Dad, we're in public," Rufus reminded him, keeping his voice low. "You need to be more careful."

Jessop knew Rufus was right. If Debbie's identity were to be exposed, then it would be a disaster for both Debbie and the Clifton family. So, no matter how emotional he felt, he had to restrain himself.

"Yes, well, I'm glad you're okay," he said awkwardly.

"Dad, let's go home," Rufus said. "We shouldn't hang about." Then they left Silver Lake together.

"We should get going too," Alex said, looking at Debbie.

"Yes, we should," Debbie agreed, hugging his arm.

"Debbie, you're holding me pretty tightly," Alex said, winking at her.

"Yes, I know!" she said, laughing. She was so proud to be with Alex and wanted the world to know.

As they walked out the gate, the police were packing up and getting ready to leave. Chelsea watched Debbie and Alex walking arm in arm, and she felt a little jealous.

"Officer Wood!" Alex said, spotting her. "I didn't know you were here."

"Hello," she said, happy that he had spoken to her. "You saved the whole martial arts community. I'm impressed."

"Thanks, Officer Wood," Alex said. "We're going now, so goodbye." With that, he hailed a taxi and took Debbie and Callisto back to Johns Hopkins University.

Chelsea sighed as she watched Alex leave, and she thought back to the time in the interrogation room when she had shared her first kiss with Alex.

She felt a little hurt that she had shared something so special with him, and now he acted as if nothing had happened. "Could he really have forgotten about it?" She remembered every detail and knew she would never forget.

Chelsea forced herself to stop thinking about Alex and went back to work.

A man standing next to Silver Lake switched off his camera and left.

Back at the university, everything was back to normal. Alex's boss Tony was too scared of the Clifton family to say anything to Alex about his long absence from work.

Debbie and Callisto went back to the dormitory, and Alex went to rest.

Chris returned home. As soon as he walked in, he looked around, shocked by the scene in front of him. The living room looked as if a bomb had hit it.

Art was sitting on the sofa in the middle of it all, smoking.

"Dad," Chris said, walking over to his father. He was worried when he saw how tired Art looked. "Don't be too upset. We still have a chance. When the Blood Brothers arrive in Baltimore, I'm sure they'll deal with Alex. He won't defeat them."

Art snorted and looked up at Chris. "Do you really think we can turn this around?" he asked. "No, son. We lost. We lost completely, and there is no hope. The Blood Brothers can't help us. They're worthless."

Lee's failure had shaken Art, and he was extremely disappointed with the Blood Brothers. They had failed him twice now, and he was furious.

"Dad, don't say that," Chris said. "We need Tyson's help to get back what we've lost. If you speak to him like that, then you'll make him angry." His father's thoughts were dangerous, and Chris knew he had to calm him down.

The telephone in the living room rang, and Chris knew it was the Blood Brothers.

Lee had always been in close contact with the Blood Brothers, so they knew about Lee's meeting with the martial arts community.

Art was the only one who could answer this call, but he was far too angry and was spoiling for a fight.

"Dad, answer it," Chris said. "We can't offend the Blood Brothers."

Art slowly walked over and picked up the phone.

"Mr. Steadman, what's happening?" a man asked. "How many martial artists have Lee killed? Have they been defeated yet?"

Tyson was busy, so he had asked someone else to contact Lee and find out what was going on. They were all confident that Lee would have won easily.

Art clenched his fist, really wanting to yell at the man.

Chris watched him, his heart pounding. He knew his father couldn't afford to shout at anyone from the Blood Brothers gang. If he did, then not only would they receive no further help, but the Blood Brothers would send someone to avenge the insult.

"No," Art said, forcing himself to remain civil. "Lee was killed. We had been misinformed regarding Alex's death, and he turned up just as Lee was about to kill all the martial arts leaders. Alex fought with Lee and killed him."

"What? How is that possible?" The gang member was shocked. Lee was one of their strongest fighters, so how could he be dead? "Okay, I'll let Tyson know what happened as soon as he gets back."

With that, he ended the call.

Art fought for control. The Blood Brothers had failed him twice, causing him to lose a great deal of power, and now he couldn't even vent his anger at them. It was infuriating.

He swept everything off the desk, sending it crashing to the floor.

"Stop it," Chris said. "What's wrong?"

"I'm a coward!" Art roared. "Alex has repeatedly ruined my plans, and the Blood Brothers have cost me the influence I acquired over many years, and I can't say anything to them! I'm nothing compared to them. It's pathetic." He shook his head and sighed.

"Dad, everything will be okay," Chris assured him. "We'll regain our territory and influence. Our family will recover."

The doorbell rang, and Chris went to answer the door. Standing on the doorstep was the man Chris had sent to follow Alex to the Appalachian Mountains.

"You said Alex was dead!" Chris said, snarling at him. He was so angry that he shoved the man, knocking him to the ground.

"Mr. Steadman, I'm sorry! I made a mistake," the man said, holding up his hands. "But we've discovered something that may be of interest to you. Please give me a chance to explain."