As soon as Jake was out of site of the main hospital doors he took off running towards his car bumping into a young couple making their way into the hospital knocking them to the ground. Ignoring the curses from the couple he ran as fast as he could to his car. Hoping into the black car he quickly turned on the engine and moved to a position closer to the doors so he could clearly see people coming and going but hidden enough so that no one could see him unless they were looking really hard for him.
Turning off the engine and unconsciously slouching down in his seat a little Jake watched the front doors of the hospital intently waiting for the two boys inside to come out. A few minutes later he watched as the two singers exited the building with their bodyguards and followed by several of the young fans that had crowded around them inside.
Jake gritted his teeth in frustration as he watched the two young men smile and chat with their young fans as they prepared to enter the waiting car, fighting the urge not to take his gun out and shoot the two singers right then and there.
�No that wouldn�t be wise at all.� He thought to himself.
Jake couldn�t stop the perverse smile that spread across his face as he watched the brunette boy all the sudden stiffen, his head shooting up and eyes frantically searching the area as if he had felt the hit man�s glare. The smiled quickly faded a few moments later though and Jake subconsciously slouched even further down into his seat when the piercing blue eyes settle on the approximate vicinity of where Jake currently sat watching.
The older man took in a sharp breath and held very still hoping that he hadn�t just been spotted. For several tense seconds Jake looked on at the brown haired boy feeling more and more confident he had been seen as the blue eyes continued to stare in his direction. His mind vaguely registered that the kid almost looked like he was going to come stalking across the parking lot just to confirm his suspicions.
He nearly laughed out loud with relief when the blue eyes finally broke their gaze and turned towards the other kid, obviously responding to something was said. In that moment whatever was said between the two the brunette�s unease was obviously forgotten and he watched as the two young men waved one last time to the young fans and got into the car and started to drive off.
Pulling his own car out into traffic Jake took to following the car at a fair distance behind it but with rush hour traffic thickening around them he quickly lost sight of the car he was following. Pulling over in the next nearest parking lot he quickly put the car in park and sat for a few moments thinking, lashing out suddenly cursing loudly and hitting the steering wheel.
After several long minutes where he just sat trying to catch his breath and think of a new plain the hit man pulled back out into traffic with a new look of pure determination on his face as he headed back to his motel.
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Half an hour later JC and Justin were walking, albeit slowly because of Justin�s injuries, in the front door of the Wright compound only to be pounced on by several worried people.
�Geez you two scared the crap out of us! Don�t you think we have enough to worry about without you and Lonnie flying over a hill and attacking a poor tree?� Chris said hugging Justin with one arm.
�Trust me old man it wasn�t our idea of fun either.� Justin said with a weak smile as Joey replaced Chris.
�Are you guys ok?� Joey asked stepping back and letting Lynn step forward and fuss over her son.
�Yeah we�re a little worse for wear but we�ll ok.�
�Hey Baby.� Lynn said hugging her son tight.
�Ow. Mom that hurts!� Justin whined pouting.
�Well that�s what you get for nearly giving you mom a heart attack. I swear I nearly passed out right there and then in the store. If you weren�t already hurt I�d do it myself young man!� Lynn rambled.
�I�m fine Momma. Honest. A little worse for wear but the doctor said to lay low for a couple days and then I can go back to making the album.�
�Hmm� well all the same I don�t think you�ll be going anywhere without me for a while.� Lynn said finally calming down enough to notice the conspicuous looks the guys were sending to each other, it was obvious they wanted to talk� alone. Deciding to take the hint she sighed. �You probably haven�t eaten all day have you? Why don�t I pop into the kitchen and make something for dinner while you guys talk?�
�Thanks Momma.� Justin said kissing her cheek.
�Yeah, yeah yeah�� Lynn said smiling.
The guys shuffled towards one of the many sitting rooms as Lynn walked off to join Chris�s mom in the Kitchen muttering under her breath. Settling down on the couches an uncomfortable silence stretched out in the room.
�So�.� Justin ventured
�So�.� Joey countered. �So are you really ok?�
�Yup. Just a little sore but I�m fine.� Justin confirmed. �Have� um� the police called?�
�Yeah� They uh� they said that the car was just way to damaged the results of the search on the car were inconclusive and they can�t pin it on foul play so they have to rule it as an accident.� Chris said
�I see�.�
�So I guess we are just going to have to assume it wasn�t this guy cutting the breaks and move on. Kind of stupid for us to think anyway goes to show what a threat like that can do. As far as we still know this guy could be in Mexico right now.� Chris said shrugging it off, Justin and Joey half-heartedly nodding, agreeing.
�YOU DON�T KNOW THAT FOR SURE!� JC shouted out from behind them.
The guys turned to look at him strangely and JC shrunk under the scrutiny.
�All I�m saying is that the police said the results were inconclusive, all that means is that they really don�t know.� JC said quietly.
�No we don�t but given the choices of a.) Believing some psycho we saw murder someone and then threaten to come after us and kill us too is following through with that threat or b.) It was just some weird coincidence�. I for one am going to choose the coincidence!� Chris said icily.
An uncomfortable silence stretched over them again. A minute became three, three became eight and finally about 15 minutes later Lynn came walking back into the silent room to see looks of the utmost concentration and thought on the boys faces. She could practically smell the tension in the room.
�Well� I must admit its just some pasta but my cooking usually gets a bigger response than that.� She joked.
�Sorry Momma Timberlake I think we just all got a little caught up in out thoughts there�� Joey said standing, grabbing a bowl and kissing her on the cheek.
�Well that�s just fine dear but I would appreciate it if you guys could take a bowl this isn�t exactly light as a feather.�
One by one the boys stood up and grabbed a bowl of pasta until Lynn looked down and saw one bowl still on the tray. Looking around the room she spotted the missing member sitting over in the picture window seemingly unaware of anything going on around him.
Sighing and walking over to the young man Lynn stood just beside him prepared to wait until he noticed her. After a few moments and no indication from the young man that he was even aware of her presence she spoke up.
�JC? Honey, are you hungry? I made you guys some dinner.�
Once again she got no response out of the brunette so she shifted the tray to one hand while keeping a careful balance of the bowl and touched the brunette�s shoulder, almost dropping the whole thing when JC jumped a mile at being touched, nearly taking a swing at her in the process.
Hand to her chest Lynn stood very still for several long moments, getting her heart out of her throat and back into her chest. Once she sufficiently calmed down again she looked at JC�s face to see his eyes wide and somewhat unfocused and this sort of shocked expression on his face.
Worried that he was clearly unaware of his surroundings at the moment Lynn carefully put down her burden and sat beside him facing towards him so she could clearly see his face, but before she could even get anything more out of her mouth his eyes seemed to focus and he snapped back into reality.
�Oh My God Lynn! I�m so sorry! I didn�t mean to� I�m sorry! Oh my god I almost hit you! With everything that�s been happening I just� I�m sorry!� He ranted.
�Sshh. Its ok sweetheart, you didn�t and I know you wouldn�t have meant it anyway. Just gave me quite a scare that all. You are way to gentle of a person to go around hitting people. But that does bring the question to mind as to why someone so non-violent as you nearly swung out like that. Is there something you want to talk to me about? You know I�m here for you any time right? Any of you. You are all like sons to me.� She added over her shoulder to the room in general knowing that the other guys were watching in concern.
�I�m sorry!� JC said again nearly beside himself over what he almost did.
�And I said it is ok sweetheart, come here.� Lynn said moving forward and pulling JC into a long hug.
When they finally broke apart again she gently cupped his face in her hands and made him look her in the eye.
�Is there something you want to tell me JC? Did something else happen earlier?� Lynn said her mother�s intuition telling her that something must have spooked him badly since she last saw him earlier that morning.
JC opened his mouth ready to tell her all about the guy he saw at the hospital. About how he looked sort of familiar and how he just got this really bad feeling about him and then again about the intense feeling like someone was watching them outside the hospital, but he paused looking over her shoulder at the other guys� they wanted so badly for everything to be finished� Could he really shatter that based simply on the face that he got a funny feeling off some guy in a hospital earlier in the afternoon? With all that was going on they were all a little overly agitated about everything.
Snapping his mouth shut. JC shook his head.
�No. Nothing. I�m just a little jumpy I guess. I really am sorry.�
�That�s ok sweetheart.� Lynn said patting him cheek lightly but sighing inwardly, she knew he was going to tell her but something in his head stopped him.
�Well just so you know I�m here� no matter how stupid it seems ok?� She said watching him nod. �Ok. In the meantime you better eat this before it gets cold.� She said picking up his dinner and passing it to him. Starting to stand again she paused feeling the need to ask one more time. �Are you sure there isn�t something you need to tell me?�
She watched as the same emotions played over the young man�s face before he shook his head once more.
�Nope. Nothing.�