Chapter 31.

"Hello love" he said, smiling at me. Cowardly, I hid behind Jesse's massive figure. "What the hell do you want?" Jesse sneered. "You need my help…. Brother" Shane smirked. "Why?" Jesse scowled. "What could you possibly offer me?". "I know something you don't know" Shane laughed, maliciously. "Say what you have to say, or you be splattered against the wall" Andi threatened. "Lincoln has an army" Shane said. "How do you know?" Andi said. "Because I've seen it" he said. "How can we trust you" I said, stepping forward. "You can't" he laughed. "But if you want to live, you'll trust me". "Prove it" Jesse said. "Your buddy… oh what was his name… Mitch? He brought me hours of footage from all over the states. Lincolns killed thousands, along with those bratty twins of his. I want them dead as much as you do" Shane explained. "The older twin, the brother, he… he killed Mya". I let out a soft gasp. "I am asking you… brother, I want to help you take them out" he said.

"Jesse, a word?" I asked, tugging at his arm. Reluctantly, he followed behind me. I could hear Andi and Shane bickering behind me. Jesse crossed his arms and turned to me. "Jesse—" I started. "Don't" he interrupted. "I think we should trust him" I said. "Why?" he asked. "Mya was his kid" I said. "I don't think he'd lie about something like that". "He's a sick bastard Jenny" he scolded. "I have no reason to trust him". "What if we gave him an ultimatum?" I asked. "If he's telling the truth there's no reason for him to refuse". "What do you propose?" Jesse asked. "He offers us his people. If Lincoln doesn't have an army, we will destroy Shane's. It will destroy him" I advised. "I like it when you talk business" Jesse laughed. He bent down and kissed me. "You're brilliant".

As we walked back to the doorway, Andi huffed "took you long enough". "Shane, I'd like to make a deal with you" Jesse said. "Let's go to my office". Shane and Jesse walked through the house, leaving Andi and I in the doorway. Andi shut the door and turned to me. "What did you say to him?". "I just told him to make a deal with Shane. There's no way he can refuse if he's telling the truth. We make Shane and his people fight alongside us. If Lincoln does not have an army, then we will kill every one of them" I said. Andi stood beside me, mouth agape. She punched me in the shoulder playfully and said, "impressive J".

Elena and Lacy were sitting on the couch watching TV. As Jesse and Shane walked past them, in unison they stood up and yelled. "Jesse what is he doing here?" shouted Elena. "Business" he said angerly, not turning around. "Temper!" I shouted across the room. He turned his head around and smirked at me. "J… explanation… now" Lacy said. "He want's to join us on the mission" I said. "Hell no" Elena shouted. "He said that Lincoln has an army of people… but he wants to join us because one of the twins killed his daughter" I explained. "How do we know if he's telling the truth?" Lacy asked. "We don't" I said. "Conner—I want you to find anything you can on Mya Russo" Andi ordered. "Already on it" he smiled. "I'm going to go pay them a visit" Andi sneered. "You're going to stay right here" I barked. "Feisty Jenny… I like it" Andi said, sizing me up. "Fine". Lacy and Elena had finally calmed down since Shane was out of sight. "He gives me the creeps" Elena hissed. "I've shot him twice and I've stabbed him… I'm not scared of him" I laughed. "I don't know, the way you hid behind Jesse says otherwise" Andi winked.

"Andi—" Conner started. Andi perked her head up from the couch. She leaned her head backward to listen to what Conner was saying. "He's telling the truth… I have footage of her and Kane… it's not pretty". "I'll be damned" she whispered. "I'll let Jesse know. J?". Andi motioned for me to follow behind her. I stood up quickly and followed her to Jesse's office. As we arrived, Andi used her foot and kicked open the door. Shane and Jesse instantly turned their heads towards us. "Andi what the hell" Jesse scolded. "We've got info" she smiled, turning to me. All eyes were on me. "What?" I said, nervously. "Tell em' J" she winked. "Shane's right Jesse" I said, nearly gagging at my words. Andi laughed at me because of my gruesome reaction for agreeing with Shane. "Why don't you people believe me?" Shane laughed sarcastically. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "That's hot Jenny Avery" Shane said. Without warning, Jesse jumped over his desk like an animal and slammed his fist against Shane's face. "Jesse!!" shouted Andi. I ran over to him and grabbed his fist. "Enough!" I yelled.

"I guess I deserved that one" Shane laughed. "We've already discussed our deal; be back here in three days to fight otherwise you'll pay" Jesse hissed. Shane coyly smiled. "What did he say?" Andi asked. "He agreed that he'd help us kill all of the Santoros" Jesse said, walking us out of the office. "Well that's good… right?" I asked. "Something doesn't seem right" Jesse said. "How about I sweeten the deal" Shane interpreted. "If I go back on my word, I'll let you kill me". Jesse's eyes got wide. "You're bluffing" Andi said. "I have nothing left Andi—" Shane sighed. That was the first time I ever heard Shane call Andi by her real name. "So you're serious" Andi said, clearly shocked. "Of course I'm serious" he said. "I'm more serious than you and Giovanni" he smirked. "Be back here in three days. Get out of my face" Andi scowled.

Andi was fuming. Clearly, Giovanni must have been Andi's ex-fiancé that Jesse had mentioned. Andi stormed out of the living room and charged for the barn. "Is she going to be okay?" I asked Jesse. "She'll be fine" Elena chimed in. "She just needs some time". "C'mon J, let's put on a movie" Lacy said, trying to ease the tension. The rain was pounding on the house, which made it feel as though we were trapped inside. "Pick a movie J," Lacy said, while making bowls of popcorn. I chose a horror flick for once, simply because I knew if Andi were to come in she would enjoy it and maybe relax a bit. Lacy joined me on the couch with two bowls of popcorn. Shortly afterwards, Jesse, Luka, Elena, and Conner joined us. But still no sign of Andi. I leaned against Jesse as we watched the screen. I could feel him gently twirling a strand of my hair. Honestly, I was bored. I was never a fan of horror movies… they never scared me, but I knew if Andi were to join us she would enjoy watching it. I could feel myself falling asleep on Jesse's chest.

I felt a strange sensation on my arm, just enough to wake me up. I looked up at Jesse without picking my head up. I could see he had fallen asleep as well. I glanced around and noticed everyone must have gone to bed. Not knowing what was touching my arm, I looked down. A silvery liquid was trailing down my arm. It was cold, but I couldn't figure out where it had come from. I looked back up at Jesse, and saw the liquid forming at the edge of his mouth. "Jesse" I whispered. "Wake up". I gently nudged on his shoulder. "Is someone dead?" he whispered. "No" I giggled. "Then let me sleep" he said. "Let's go to bed baby" I said, rubbing his arm. "Yes Ma'am" he said, standing slowly.

Jesse put his arms underneath me and carried me bridal style to his room. Gently he placed me on the right side of the bed. As he walked back around to the left side of the bed, he dove onto the bed. Jesse wrapped his arms around me and pulled my body close to his. "Goodnight" he said, kissing my forehead. "Goodnight Jesse" I said. As I drifted of to sleep, I suddenly heard a clicking noise.

…

My subconscious was working a mile a minute. I could smell a familiar smell of perfume. There was a large wooden door in the middle of a hallway. I knew I was dreaming. The clicking was getting louder as I approached the door. The smell of perfume became more powerful. Although I couldn't remember where I had smelled it before. My heart began to beat faster as I put my hand on the door handle. I slowly pulled the door open. As I glanced through, my heart jumped out of my chest. A woman with short brown hair was sitting on a chair with her back to me. She was decorated in jewelry, wearing a maroon shirt with pink dots with a pair of black leggings. As I approached the woman, I began to realize what was going on.

"Momma?" I said, eyes welling with tears. "Jennifer Marie" she said, hoarsely. "Is that you dear?". "Yes Momma it's me" I said, crouching in front of her. Her eyes were closed. "Where are you?" she asked. "I'm right here!" I said. "Open your eyes Momma". "Jennifer where are you?" she cried. "I'm right here Momma! Please! Open your eyes!" I said, crying. She slowly opened her eyes. Her once beautiful ice blue eyes were a lifeless pitch-black color. "Jesse Marinos huh?" she said, coldly. "I should have known your father would have sent you away". "What are you talking about Momma?" I said. "Stay away from your father Jennifer. He doesn't deserve your love" she said. "I don't understand" I cried. "Listen to me Jennifer, you are to stay with Jesse Marinos. He is the only one who can protect you from your father!" she said, grabbing my face. Her once soft hands were cracked and rigid. "Momma I don't understand" I cried. "Your father did it Jennifer" she said. "I love you".

…

"Jenny wake up!" Jesse shouted. Jesse was shaking my arm. I looked at him and bursted into tears. "It's okay. I'm here" he said, wrapping his arms around me. My eyes were blurry, and I could barely make out what time it was. "It was just a bad dream" he said. "No Jesse… this one was different" I said. "My Mom was there". "Don't worry J, it wasn't real" Jesse said, rubbing my back. "She was really there" I cried. "Let's get a drink" he said, helping me out of bed. Jesse put his arm around me, and we walked to the kitchen. "What are you two doing up?" Andi said, sitting at the kitchen table. "Oh wait—I don't want to know" she laughed. I saw Jesse make a slashing motion across his throat. Andi must have seen my crying because she immediately stood up. "Hey.. hey.. hey.. are you okay?" slowing her words. "I just had a bad dream" I said, wiping off a tear. "Do you want to talk about it? Maybe you'll feel better afterwards?" Andi said, sitting me down. Jesse handed me a glass of water. I thanked him and turned to Andi. "I haven't had a dream about my Mom in ages. She was there, and she told me I had to stay here. She said only Jesse can protect me from my father" I said. "She said that my father did it, but I have no idea what she was talking about". I turned to look at the clock, it was six thirty in the morning.

Andi let out a deep sigh. "J, I think we need to have a conversation". "You might need something stronger than water". Jesse sat down with a bottle of whiskey and took a deep breath. "Jenny…" he started. "I think I better do this Marinos… okay?" she said. He nodded and took a sip from the bottle. "Back when Jesse and I were younger, maybe fifteen or so, we were introduced to Henry and Charlotte Avery. Your parents. Charlotte was perhaps the most beautiful woman I had ever met. I found out that Charlotte and me and Jesse's mother Giana were best friends. Come to find out our father Pietro and Henry were best friends as well. Charlotte and Giana's dream was that one day both you and Jesse would get married and live happily ever after and all of that fairy tale bullshit. Giana and Pietro threw an annual ball to celebrate the friendship between them and the Avery's. At midnight when my Mother made a toast announcing that Jesse would be the heir of their livelihood, Shane went in the safe and stole my father's gun and shot her and my father".

Andi began to choke up. Jesse handed her the bottle of whiskey. She took a long drink of it then slammed the bottle on the table. After she drank it, her eyes dried instantly. "After the ball Henry and Charlotte got into a fight about what would happen to Jesse and I. You were much younger at the time, but I remember asking her if you were going to show up to hang out with me, but she said you were at home with a babysitter. Charlotte stayed with us until our Grandma showed up. We stayed with her until we were eighteen. After Charlotte left I never saw her again".

"That's a lot to process" I said, wiping my eyes. "I'm so sorry". "That's why I want Shane dead as much as Jesse" Andi said. "That's why I don't trust his sorry ass" Jesse interrupted. "In my dream she said my father did it… do you think my father killed her?" I said, not really wanting to know the answer. "That I don't know" Jesse said. "But if he's working with the Santoros, then there is reason for speculation" Andi chimed in. "Are you okay?". I sat there without showing any emotion. Quite frankly, I didn't know how to process any of it. My brain hurt. "I'm sorry… what?" I said, smiling at Andi. "I know this is a lot to process J," she said. "I'm fine" I laughed. It was as if I had no more tears left. I couldn't help but laugh. "Jenny—" Jesse started. "I'd like that" I said, reaching for his bottle of whiskey. I tore it from Jesse's hands and poured it into my mouth. I knew better… but I didn't care anymore. I had been lied to my entire life. How could I have been so stupid? My father was a murderer, and I was too blind to see it. "Jenny… let's put the bottle down" Andi said, trying to grab the bottle from me. "NO" I shouted. I didn't want to feel anymore. There was nothing left. I could feel my insides burning, not only from the alcohol, but from the rage building in me. "Jenny, please say something" Jesse said, putting his hands on my shoulder. "Let's get these assholes" I said, standing up. "Where are you going?" Andi said. "Out" I said, leaving the room…

"Jenny—wait" Jesse said, chasing after me. I couldn't believe what I had heard. My ached. Jesse grabbed my arms and spun me around. My eyes immediately met his and filled with tears. "It's okay to cry baby" he said, wrapping his arms around me. "No it's not!" I yelled. He squeezed my body against his. Anger filled my soul. "It's not okay!! None of it's okay!!" I yelled repeatedly as I punched Jesse in the chest several times. Jesse stood there and held me. He simply took it. Blow after blow I was able to get the anger out of my system. Once my arms became almost numb from the repeated blows, I crashed into Jesse's arms and sobbed. Jesse pulled my body closer to his and whispered, "it's going to be okay".

Andi stood against the side of the wall and watched. I knew she was upset too, simply because I saw her holding a new bottle of whiskey. "Two day's J… two day's then we'll get that son of a bitch" Andi smiled. I let go of Jesse and walked over to her. I wrapped my arms around her. I couldn't help but notice a single tear running down her face. Never in a million years would have thought the Andi Marinos would cry. "Okay" I said, smiling back at her. "Can we not talk about it today?" I asked. "I was hoping you would say that" Andi said, starting to laugh. I laughed through my tears. Jesse grabbed the bottle of whiskey from Andi and placed it in the cabinet above the refrigerator. "It's special whiskey" he laughed. Just then, Luka and Lacy walked in. "Good morning" Lacy said. "Why are you guys up this early?" Luka asked. "We had a come to Jesus meeting" Andi winked. "Funny… we did too" Lacy said, turning to Luka. "He had a moment". "Oh—" Jesse said. "Andi… you did tell us that you would let us know if Michael called you… correct?" Lacy said. "I sure did, and no I haven't heard anything" Andi replied. "I told you Luka… Andi wouldn't lie to you" Lacy said. "I know… but I just miss her" Luka said, getting teary eyed. "What the hell is everyone going to cry today?" Andi said sarcastically. "I guess so" I laughed. "It's not funny!" Luka said, trying to laugh. "We need to loosen up" Jesse said. "Let's go to the beach".