Chapter Four

Brenda and Lois pulled into a Houston motel on the outskirts of town
around 2:00 that afternoon. Brenda was still driving, and she was exhausted.
She parked and leaned back, closing her eyes.
“Lois, would you please go and check us in? I am so tired, I just want to
go to sleep.”
“I’ll be happy to check us in, Brenda, but you’re going to have to catch
those 40 winks some other time. We have work to do.”
“Oh, what are you talking about now?” Brenda asked, mentally rolling
her eyes.
“I’ll fill you in when I get back, but I have reason to believe that
Mathers may be following us.” Brenda’s eyes shot open and she sat straight
up. She got out of the car and called after Lois.
“How is that even possible, Lois?!”
“It’s not,” Lois said, “but I knew it’d be the one thing to get your butt
out of that seat. Come on, girlfriend, we need to get movin’!”
“That was SO not funny, Lois.”
“Of course it was! It got you up, didn’t it?” Lois then turned and
sashayed into the office of the motel, red wig blazing. Brenda just smiled and
waited for her to come back. She did, moments later, with two keys. She
tossed Brenda hers, and then started to help her get their bags from the back
of the car.
“So how long are we going to be here?” Brenda asked, when they had
gotten into their room.
“How long do you think it’s going to take for him to find us?” Lois
asked, pulling the corner of the curtains back and peering out with her
binoculars.
“I don’t know, Lois I think--would you stop playing junior detective and
listen to me?” Lois turned around and stuck her tongue out at Brenda.
“All right, I’m listening. How good is this guy, anyway?”
“Well if you’re talking about being a cop--”
“Oh, I wasn’t,” Lois said with a smirk. Brenda tossed a pillow at her and
then went on.
“When we knew each other back in college, he wasn’t headed for law
enforcement, believe me. I don’t know, I kind of always pegged Jax for the
type that would be running away from the law. I don’t know what happened
to him that would make him want to be a cop, but oh well. He must be pretty
good, neither one of us suspected him in the club last night. As far as how
good is he at tracing us, he must be pretty good to have found us in Dallas, in
the first place.”
“So you think he’ll find us soon?”
“Well he won’t be finding us tonight, that’s for sure,” Brenda said. “As
far as he knows, he’s still looking for a Lexus, he probably doesn’t know that
the car was a rental, he’d have no reason to think that.”
“Do you think he’s involved the whole department by now, or do you
think he’s still handling this one by himself?”
“We wouldn’t have gotten away as easily as we did if he was working
with someone else on this. And I get the feeling this is just a little bit personal
for him.”
“Like it’s not personal for you?” Lois asked, digging in her suitcase for
something to eat.
“I liked you better when you weren’t pregnant and hungry all the
time,” Brenda said, as she got up and slammed the bathroom door. Lois just
shrugged her shoulders and sat back to wait.

“Okay,” Cordelia said, “I’m going to pull over in this parking lot on the
left, Jax.”
“I hear you,” Jax said, from his truck behind Cordelia’s jeep. They
communicated by the CB radios they both had in the cabins of their trucks.
Once they’d stopped, Cordelia got out and went to sit in Jax’s truck with him.
“Where are we?” she asked, pulling down her shades and looking at Jax
wearily. “LA is looking all kinds of good right now. It’s too hot out here.”
“We’re about 20 miles from Houston.”
“And you’re sure they’re there?”
“Positive. The tracer on Brenda has been quiet for about an hour now.
They’ve stopped somewhere, I just don’t know where.”
“Oh okay, so they’re somewhere in HOUSTON, one of the biggest cities
in Texas, and what are we supposed to do, look in every inn, hotel, and motel
in the city?”
“If that’s what it takes,” Jax said. “Listen, this is going to take a while and
if you want to--”
“Don’t even think it, amigo, you know I’m in for the long haul. It’s you
I’m worried about.”
“What are you worried about me, for?”
“Are you sure you can do this?” Cordelia asked, getting serious for a
moment.
“I am sure I can do this,” Jax said. “And would you quit asking me?”
“Look, I know you love her.” Jax’s head shot up in surprise. He started
to argue with Cordelia, but she stopped him. “Come on, Jax. It’s all over your
face. You know I’ve been there. Angel was--well, Angel was Angel, but let’s
just put it this way--I know what it’s like to be with someone you can’t be
with, no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you love them.”
“Don’t even get me started on Angel, Cordelia. That guy was no good
for you.”
“Maybe by your standards,” Cordelia said softly. “But don’t tell me I
didn’t love him. And don’t try and tell me you don’t love Brenda. You’ve
been carrying a torch for her for three years. It hasn’t been that long, I can
see that you still care for her.”
“So what do you want me to do?” Jax asked.
“I want you to tell me if this gets to be too much for you, and if you
need to take a step back, I want you to know that I understand, and I’m here
for you.”
“I don’t need to take a step back, and I’m not going to need one later
on. Just trust me, I can handle Brenda.”
“Like you handled her last night?” Jax didn’t respond, so Cordelia
continued. “Come on, you’re going to sit here and tell me you didn’t sleep
with her? That wasn’t part of the plan, my friend.”
“Don’t give me a lecture, Cordy,” Jax said.
“Hey, no lectures here. We got enough of that in the academy. Just
promise me you won’t let yourself get hurt. There’s no one else I can work
with, you know that, right?”
“Don’t you mean there’s no one else that can work with you?”
“Hey,” Cordelia said, punching him lightly in the shoulder, “you know
you love me.”
“Yeah, I do,” Jax said, touching her face lightly. “Which is why I don’t
want you to be on the warpath to bring Lois and Brenda in.”
“You already know that I am,” Cordelia said, looking out the window.
“Well you know as well as I do that they’re just as determined to get
away from us as we are to bring them in.”
“One of us has got to win, Jasper.”
“I know that. But it also means that one of us has got to lose. And I
don’t want it to be you.”
“Look, I can handle myself if you can.”
“I can.”
“All right then, let’s get the show on the road. Now I know you’ve got
some kind of high tech gadgets around here someplace that can pinpoint
Brenda.”
“So what if I do?”
“So let’s use it already, Jax!”
“Okay, okay.” Jax pulled his lap top from underneath his seat, and
hooked it up to the back of his tracer. Cordelia’s mouth dropped.
“I didn’t even know you could do that!” Jax just chuckled in response.
“What other secrets are you keeping from me?” she asked, looking around the
cab of the truck in wonder. When she pulled down the mirror, there were
several buttons along the side of it. She reached up a tentative hand.
“Don’t touch that,” Jax said, not looking at her. She dropped her hands
into her lap and sighed.
“Well hurry up, then.”
“I’ve already got a location on them,” Jax said, smiling triumphantly.
“You got them that fast? You are too smart for your own good.”
“That’s why I’m the best. They’re in some hotel just inside Houston. I
don’t know the name, but I’ve got the street.”
“How soon can we be there?”
“Twenty minutes, tops.”
“Okay, well, I think I should park in the hotel’s parking lot, you need to
park across the street or something, they won’t be looking for my jeep.”
“Does this mean I get to drive the all sacred, all powerful Grand
Cherokee?!”
“That means you get to RIDE in my all powerful, all sacred Jeep, and if
you’re very, very good, I’ll let you ride in the front.”
“Yes ma’am!” Jax said, cranking up the truck. “Let’s go then!”
“All right, I’ll follow you, two seconds.” Cordelia hopped out and
sprinted over to her jeep, and was following Jax in moments. Twenty
minutes later, Jax and Cordelia pulled into a supermarket parking lot. Jax
turned on the alarm and covered his truck with a cover he had custom made.
Cordelia just shook her head as she waited for him to get inside. She was
back on the road in moments. “You know you treat that truck like a baby,
don’t you?”
“Oh, not this coming from my dear friend who washes her truck twice
a week and has a name for it.”
“How do you know about my jeep’s name?” Cordelia asked, feigning
shock and surprise.
“It’s all around the department back in LA.” Cordelia didn’t respond,
but smiled softly. “So come on,” Jax needled her, “aren’t you going to tell me
what it is?”
“NEVER,” Cordelia said, laughing. “You will go to your grave
wondering, my friend.”
“If I show you my latest little gadget, will you tell me?”
“You don’t really want to know that bad,” Cordelia said, shaking her
head, “plus whatever it is you’d show me isn’t half as cool as the stuff you’re
never going to tell anyone about.”
“What I have to show you will definitely curl your toes,” Jax said
suggestively.
“Get your mind out of the gutter Romeo,” Cordelia said. “We’re here.”
Cordelia parked in the furthest corner of the parking lot. “I don’t see a Lexus,
do you?”
“No, they must have switched,” Jax said.
“Any idea which one belongs to them?”
“No clue whatsoever. It probably wouldn’t be a truck, though. Brenda
doesn’t like to drive them.”
“How would you know that?”
“It came up in conversation back in college.”
“Really? Well what else do you remember that she told you, way back
when?”
“I remember everything,” Jax said, starting to get out. Cordelia was
quiet as she reached into the glove compartment and pulled out her .38. She
checked to make sure it was loaded and then pulled her badge out as well.
“Hey,” Jax said, putting a hand on her wrist. “There’s no need for that.”
“Says who?” Cordelia asked, putting the gun in its holster and
shrugging into her jacket. “Listen, if you think I’m going up there without a
weapon, you’re crazy, and you shouldn’t either. You may know Brenda, but
you don’t know anything about her friend.”
“I know that I don’t need a gun, Cordy. Come on, don’t--”
“Do YOU have your gun?” she asked. He shook his head. “Well here,”
she said, reaching underneath the seat and pulling out another gun, handing
it to Jax. “Take it, and I mean it.” Jax knew he couldn’t refuse. He checked it,
and then concealed it in the waist of his jeans. “Tell me you have your badge,”
she said, as they got out and made their way to the manager’s office.
“I’ve got it, love,” Jax said, knocking on the door.
“Just checking,” Cordelia said softly. Jax gave her a tiresome look, to
which she blew him a kiss, and then turned her back, watching the parking
lot. The manager opened the door, looking at them both suspiciously. Jax
flashed his badge and spoke quickly. Almost too quickly. The manager just
looked at them both. It was obvious he didn’t plan to tell them anything.
Cordelia, growing impatient, moved Jax to the side. “Look, Mr. Stuart,” she
said, squinting to see his faded name tag, “or whatever your name is, you’re
interfering with police business. Now, did two women come in here to rent
a room?”
“One woman did.”
“What did she look like?”
“Well, my memory’s fading, you know, I can’t exactly recall.” It became
apparent to both Jax and Cordelia what this man was doing. Jax went for his
wallet, but Cordelia stopped him. She wasn’t about to concede to bribery.
She pulled her gun, instead.
“You know what? I’m not from around here, so I’m not really familiar
with how you folks do things around these parts. But I’ll tell you something--I
am a LONG way from home, I’m tired, and I haven’t seen General Hospital all
WEEK long, and I hear Carly’s story line is really exciting right now. I am
NOT taking to kindly to ANYONE who is keeping me from finding out what
happened with Luke and Laura, either! So why don’t you just hand me the
guest book, and I’ll look for myself, and you can tell my friend here,” Cordelia
said, cocking her head towards Jax, “should your memory suddenly improve,
‘kay?” Cordelia smiled and cocked her head to the side, before cocking her
gun. The click made the man jump into action, handing over the book.
Cordelia scanned it quickly. “Sandra Birdlove?” she asked, sarcastically.
“It’s one of their aliases,” Jax said. Cordelia nodded, slamming the book
shut.
“They’re in 14A, it’s upstairs, let’s go. Thanks so much for your help,
sir.” The man nodded and slammed the door once Cordelia and Jax made it
out to the parking lot.
Cordelia started her usual half walk, half sprint towards the stairs that
lead to the rooms upstairs. Jax put a hand on her shoulder.
“You want to let me handle this?” he asked, matching her stride.
“Not especially,” she said, taking the stairs two at a time.
“This is no time for your Charles Bronson impersonation, Cordy,” Jax
said, walking beside her. She just laughed to herself, and knocked on the
door.
“Open up!” she said loudly. “Police!” Brenda jumped up from the bed,
frozen. She hadn’t counted on Jax finding her so soon. And who was that
woman with him? Brenda asked, noting the distinctly female voice. Lois was
in the bathroom. She opened the door immediately upon hearing Cordelia’s
shouting. Lois nodded to Brenda. Brenda gave Lois a look that meant
business and she mouthed the words to her, ‘Don’t shoot.’ Lois just shrugged
and closed the bathroom door back, silently. Brenda went to the door and
opened it.
“Jax,” she started to say, “please, let me explain.”
“You have the right to remain SILENT,” Cordelia emphasized, going for
her handcuffs. Jax came in and stood between Brenda and Cordelia. Brenda
was closest to the door now.
“There’s no need for that just yet,” Jax said, putting a hand up. Cordelia
nodded and was quiet, giving him a chance to do or say whatever he had to.
“Brenda, I know what you’re doing, and I know why you’re doing it, but you
can’t just go around breaking the law! We have a system, and it works--”
“You have NO idea what you’re talking about,” Brenda said, looking at
the floor, her breathing becoming increasingly rapid. She hoped she had the
courage to do what she was about to do, and she hoped that Lois wasn’t
trigger happy. She tried to formulate a plan in her head. This woman,
probably Jax’s partner--she certainly hadn’t counted on having to deal with
her.
“Well why don’t you tell me?” Jax asked. “You know I have to take you
in, there’s no choice about that, but why don’t you explain--”
“Why don’t I just leave?” Brenda asked, going for the door. In a split
second, Jax had his gun out and was aiming it at Brenda.
“I don’t think so,” Jax said, shaking his head. “Stop right there, love.”
Cordelia stepped back when she heard the knob clicking from behind her.
Lois came rushing out of nowhere, her gun cocked.
“Let her go!” she screamed, her gun pressed directly into Jax’s temple.
Jax didn’t move, but he did cock his gun and continued his aim at Brenda.
Brenda looked back at him, shocked.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Cordelia said, pointing her gun directly at Lois and
cocking it as well, “put it down! I would just LOVE for you to give me a
reason!” Jax’s gun remained trained on Brenda, Lois’ gun trained on him, and
Cordelia’s gun trained on her. Brenda seemed to be holding all the cards, and
the next move was hers. Cordelia was only a few feet away from her, and she
seemed to be focused on Lois. Maybe if she jumped her, she could wrestle
the gun away from her. She was nearly a foot taller than Brenda, but Brenda
was counting on the element of surprise. There was no way Jax would shoot
into the pile she and Cordelia would make in the middle of the floor. She
took a tentative step. “I don’t think so, darling,” Cordelia said, looking at
Brenda out of the corner of her eye. “He may have a soft spot for you, but I
sure as h#ll don’t. If you think I won’t blow your little behind right out of
here, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“Cordelia,” Jax said. “Put yours away. Then you will, right, Lois?”
“If you take the heat off of Brenda.”
“The HEAT?” Cordelia asked, laughing. “You’ve been watching too
much Cagney and Lacey.” Cordelia kept her aim steady on Lois, speaking in a
deadly tone. “Put it down, my friend,” she said to Lois.
“Cordelia, you first!” Jax said. Cordelia shook her head, her long dark
hair moving in lustrous waves.
“No f^$#ing way.” Jax rolled his eyes.
“Well,” he said. “Looks like we have ourselves a bit of a situation.”