Elizabeth paced frantically as Jason sat at the dining room table reading a newspaper. “Jason, why did we say we would let Isabella send her seamstress over here and fit me for a dress? I don’t think we should go. Maybe we should uh, decline. Say we forgot we had other engagements?” she suggested, wringing her hands.
Jason looked up
from his newspaper and smiled. “It’ll
be fine. It’s just a dress.” Then continued with his reading.
“Yeah, but it’s
from a woman who’s husband might know something about Jaime’s kidnapping. I mean, he probably does. I mean, she seemed really calm about
everything. I mean, why would she
invite complete strangers over for dinner?” Elizabeth rambled.
She hated feeling
this way. There was just something off
about Isabella. She couldn’t put her
finger on it. Elizabeth hoped Mr.
Perelli hadn’t figured out what they were really after. She hoped she could get through this
fitting without babbling everything to the seamstress.
Elizabeth peeked
out the window and continued her pacing.
“How can you stay so calm?” she asked exasperated.
“Because it’s just
dinner. These guys aren’t ‘dangerous’
as far as I know,” he stated, setting down the newspaper. “Elizabeth, they just have some information
we need to know.”
“Then why
don’t we just ask them if they aren’t in cahoots with this ‘Rosco’?” she
suggested.
“Because, they
might be under his thumb. Rosco is a
dangerous man, and they just might inform Rosco that we’ve been looking for
Jaime.”
“But then you
could offer them protection and we wouldn’t have a problem.”
Jason shook his
head. “Elizabeth we can’t. I’ve studied their behavior and they’re not
the types to take us up on that. They’ve
got other things planned with Rosco.”
Elizabeth ran her
fingers through her curly locks. “What
do you mean?”
Jason leaned back
on the chair. “They probably have a
deal of some sort with Rosco. Not just
protection. I mean they were friends
with Manisso, so I would think they are the entrepreneurial type.”
“Jason,” Elizabeth
pouted. “What do you think we’ll get
out of going to the dinner then?”
Jason got up and
walked over to Elizabeth. “My contacts
say that they’ve seen a couple of suspicious looking guys going in and out of
the house during their ‘parties’. So I
think that it’s a perfect opportunity to find out who these guys are and see if
we can follow them back to Rosco’s hideout.”
Elizabeth walked
over to the couch and sat down. “I don’t
know Jason. I mean, what if they’re
working for someone else...” Her voice
trailed off as the doorbell rang.
“That would be the
seamstress,” Jason queried as he walked to the door. Elizabeth felt his hand reassure her as he walked by the
couch. “You’ll be fine.”
~~~
Jason waited in
the living room as the woman, Anna, fitted Elizabeth with a dress that Isabella
had selected.
He’d phoned Sonny
during the wait, trying to see if Benny had any more information on Mr. Perelli
and his wife. “Yeah. Sonny.”
“Jason, I want you
to be careful around Rosco. Word is
he’s gone a little soft and he knows it.
So just watch your back,” Sonny warned.”
Jason rubbed his
neck. “Don’t worry about me. How’s everything over there? I heard you’ve got a little situation with
AJ again.”
“Nah,” Sonny
replied. “Nothing I can’t handle from
over here. Hey, how’s Elizabeth
doing? I heard about the explosion. Is she all right?”
“Mmm, she’s trying
to be tough, but I know she’s still kind of shaken up by it.” Jason closed his eyes and once more chided
himself for allowing them to fall into that trap. Even though it wasn’t meant for them, Jason hated the fear he saw
in Elizabeth’s eyes as she ran for cover.
“I’m sure you can comfort
her Jas,” Sonny laughed half-heartedly.
“Sonny, it’s not
like that.”
“Ah, Jas, don’t
worry about it. Lucky’s probably movin’
on by now.”
Jason rolled his
eyes. “It’s not about Lucky and if he’s
moved on. Elizabeth hasn’t moved
on. And I won’t make the same mistake
twice,” he whispered.
There was silence
on the other end of the phone. Finally
he heard Sonny sigh. “Yeah, I get it
Jason. But let me tell you, if you
don’t take a risk, you might end up hurting all over again.”
Jason shook his
head. “Like you? Have you given Carly a second chance?”
Again there was
silence on the other end of the phone.
“Jason, you know that’s different.
She betrayed me.”
“Yeah, and I
wasn’t ‘chosen’. What’s the
difference? At least you know Carly
loves you.”
“Jason, you know
she does.”
Jason
swallowed. He didn’t need a lecture
from Sonny right now. “I gotta go
Sonny. Elizabeth should be done soon.”
“Okay. Hey Jas?” Sonny called.
“Yeah?”
“Just keep your
mind open. You don’t always pick up on
everything a girl’s thinking, if you know what I mean.”
Jason sighed. “I gotta go Sonny. Bye.” Jason hit the end
button on his cell.
What am I a
glutton for punishment?
Jason pressed the cell
phone against his lips as he stared out the living room window.
“We’re done
Jason,” Elizabeth chirped as she bounded down the hallway.
“I’ve got a
feeling you’ve gotten over being worried about the seamstress and the dress?”
Jason laughed as he watched Elizabeth’s eyes twinkle.
“Yeah, don’t
remind me,” she groaned. “It wasn’t as
bad as I thought. She was a really fast
worker.” Elizabeth pointed to the
seamstress who ambled down the hallway with her basket and a long garment bag.
“Thank you again
signora,” Elizabeth smiled.
The 40-ish woman
smiled a tired smile. “Just a my job,”
she said with an accent. “It will be
waiting for you at the house. Signora
Perelli said you will change there.”
Elizabeth nodded
and showed her out of the apartment.
“Did you like the
dress?” Jason asked, watching the seamstress hop into a chauffeured car.
“Oh, Jason, you
wouldn’t believe it. It’s so
beautiful,” she gushed, twirling around the apartment.
“I still don’t see
why you couldn’t have done it in the living room. There’s more room out here than in your room.”
She shook her
head. “Apparently Isabella insisted
that you not see the dress until the dinner.”
Jason rolled his
eyes. “What difference is it going to
make? I’m going to see it anyway.”
Elizabeth seemed
to laugh at his logic. “I think she
wants me to make an entrance for you and her guests. Apparently this is a big dinner.
Anna said that there were some other Americans coming. Apparently royalty.”
Jason took a deep
breath. “Great,” he said, slipping his
cell phone into his leather jacket. “I
didn’t know American’s had royalty?”
“Did you phone
someone? I didn’t hear the phone ring,”
Elizabeth asked.
“Yeah, I phoned
Sonny. Still no news on Jaime. It’s making me nervous. Lee hasn’t heard from Rosco either, which
makes it all the more important we find her soon.”
He glanced over at
Elizabeth whose face seemed to darken at the mention of Jaime’s name. “I’m sorry.
I didn’t want to make you worry.”
She shook her
head. “No,” she argued. “You didn’t make me worry. I do fine making myself worry.”
“Sonny says hi,”
he offered.
Her face lit up at
the mention of her unusual friend. “How
is he?”
“He’s doing
good. AJ’s up to his old tricks again,
though.”
Elizabeth rolled
her eyes and smirked. “What’s new?”
“Do you want to
get something to eat at the market? I
don’t think we really have anything in the fridge.”
Elizabeth
nodded. “Sure. Hey, Jason, do you have a tux?”
Jason looked at
her oddly. “Why?”
She laughed casually. “Because you’re gonna need one for the
party.”
He hadn’t thought
of that. He’d been more worried about
how he would sneak away at the party.
Elizabeth grabbed
his hand. “Come on. I got my dress. Now we’re going to get you you’re tux.”
Jason felt himself
being dragged to the door.