“By the sounds of it, Jake can deal with those people in relation to their treatment of MacKenzie. My interest is in whether the Ernestos’ involvement in this mess runs only as far as their ill-advised association with Diana. If I find out they had a part in Aviva’s accident, I’m going to bury them, along with Diana so deep, they will never again have the opportunity to hurt my wife.”
Jason was a man of few words; when he elected to string so many together, it was commonly accompanied with a deadly intent.
“Jason,” Jackson began, a look of concern on his face. “What do you have in mind?”
“Something that fits the crime of attempted murder,” Jason answered without hesitation. “I’ve got this covered. If I need your help, I’ll ask.” Jason replied, holding his father’s gaze.
“You worry me, son.”
Jake broke into their conversation. To a significant degree, Jason also worried him. As a precautionary measure, Jake addressed his brother in the hope of setting his father’s mind at ease.
“Don’t worry, Dad. Jason knows better than to defecate on his and our doorstep. Don’t you, Jason?”
“Whatever you say,” Jason replied, casting his twin a blank look.
They all knew the non-committal response was as much as they could hope to receive. For Jake it was enough, he trusted his twin. Diana was a problem for all of them, but for now, he had more pressing matters.
Rising to his feet, Jason looked around the room and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Jackson asked his worry still apparent.
“I’m going to check on my wife. It’s after midnight, where did you think I was going at this hour?”
“With you, who can tell!” Jackson all but snapped back.
Jason’s laugh sounded like honest amusement, and Jake shook his head. His twin was deliberately trying to get a rise out of their father, and he wanted no part of it.
Jason turned to his younger brother. “Josh, I have a favor to ask.”
“Shoot.”
“Find her.” The words were simple, but everyone knew whom he meant.
“I’ll get on it first thing in the morning,” Josh assured.
“Thank you. The sooner we find her, the quicker, I can sort this out, so the old man can stop sprouting anymore grey hairs.” Jason teased with a wry smile.
“Don’t worry, Jason. This white hair is what you have to look forward to. Every man in this family is completely grey by the time they reach forty-five.”
“That’s okay,” Jason threw over his shoulder as he again began making his way towards the door. “You look good so I can deal with it.”
“Did he just pay me a compliment?” Jackson asked, still staring after Jason.
“Sounded like it to me,” Jake answered.
“Well, I’ll be damned!” Jackson said in surprise.
**********
The next morning MacKenzie carried Noelle in for breakfast and was surprised to see Delphine sitting at the table.
With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she took a deep breath in preparation for what was to come. The idea of giving an interview to all the reporters still camped outside the Kingdom’s home was bad enough. Having to deal with the caustic Delphine on top of that was giving her an anxiety spike.
As Aviva was about to take the baby so MacKenzie could eat breakfast, Jake beat her to it. The dirty look Aviva shot him spoke volumes, but Jake ignored her.
“You can’t hog the baby, Jake!” Aviva voiced her annoyance.
“You’re married, so what are you waiting on; have your own baby,” Jake replied.
The sounds of Aviva’s mumbles pulled laughter from the rest of diners.
“Well, if you kids have finished playing, now that MacKenzie has finally joined us, we can get down to business,” Delphine said as she broke into their byplay.
Her comment caused the bile to rise and churn in MacKenzie’s stomach. Every time she thought about what Jake had suggested she wanted to find Carlos and hurt him. After he was incapacitated, only then would she ask him why he was doing this to her.
Taking a sip of coffee, MacKenzie looked over at Jake. Without saying a word, he smiled. That expression of reassurance was enough to fortify her. Just when she had begun to rely on Jake in this way, MacKenzie was uncertain. Knowing he wasn’t worried about meeting the reporters had a calming effect on her. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Delphine and smiled.
“Good, for a minute there, I thought you were going to lose it,” Delphine said, eyeing MacKenzie up and down. “There’s nothing I dislike more than a weak woman.”
“Do you have something to say to me, Delphine?” MacKenzie asked, not in the mood to deal with the difficult older woman.
“Oh, I have a lot to say to you, MacKenzie, but that can wait. Right now we need to deal with the matter at hand,” with her cryptic statement delivered, Delphine moved on. “Everything is in place. All you need to do is change. I understand that you ordered supplies for both you and the baby from the hotel. What you are wearing will not do.”
Looking down at her clothes, MacKenzie raised an eyebrow in enquiry.
“You need to discard the jeans and t-shirt. We are going for sophistication. After all, if we are to believe you are engaged to a Kingdom, you need to look and act the part.”