Chapter Eighty-Eight

Jon cracked his eyes open and groaned. The back of his head felt like an anvil had been smashed against it. His eyes focused on the room to rest on a tall figure standing in front of him, Jason. What in the fuck?

He jolted but he didn't get far, his wrists burning against the rope that had his hands bound at the back of the chair he was seated in. Fuck, he was tied up? How the hell did this happen!

Jason knelt down at Jon's level so his face was just inches apart "Well look who's back in the land of the living, take a bit of a fall did we?" he asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

The urge to move forward again reminded him he was immobile.

"What the fuck do you want?" he spat. He wasn't showing this bastard any fear. Jason's features were much rougher than he remembered. Coarse stubble grew around his chin, and his face was a mixture of purple and blue from the beating he'd received from Big Tony's crew. His eyes were cut with big black rings shadowing them.

Holy shit, Jon gulped. Of course he wasn't stupid, he knew that Big Tony played hardball when it came to this sort of thing but seeing it up close and personal. Jon started to have a very bad feeling about his decision.

Jason laughed slapping Jon's cheek lightly "What do I want Jersey? What do I want?" he stood up and paced around him, his movements erratic and unpredictable.

Jon heaved when the sole of Jason's boot rammed hard into his stomach almost knocking his chair backwards. "Fuck" he muttered desperately recomposing himself, feeling like his guts were firmly lodged in his throat.

"I want you to leave my wife the fuck alone, and I want you to pay" he sneered. He grabbed Jon's chin roughly and made him look at him.

"Never" Jon managed "She doesn't want you, and fucked if I'm ever letting a crazy fucker like you near her again" he growled. His hands fisted tightly waiting for the next impact to come and it came with a concrete force kick that nailed the chair back to floor. Jon spluttered the force of the fall winding his lungs.

Jason's head came into view above him and his fists squashed into the concrete floor by the weight of his back on them. "Now listen to me Jersey boy. You have no idea who you are dealing with her. First of all, you get someone to do your own fucking dirty work for you? Does Jess know you hired goons to come and beat her husband up?" he asked popping his knuckles.

"Ex-husband. You died Jason, she left you behind man" he hissed desperate to grab a breath. Shit, how the fuck was he going to get out of this? He winced as sharp pain split through his middle.

Jason stomped his foot down beside his head "Do you want to die Jersey? Because don't even think I won't do it, I'm trained to kill. I could twist your neck in an instant and it'd be good night nurse" he yelled towering over him.

The steady drum of his heartbeat drummed in Jon’s ears. "Ok, Ok what do you want from me?" he asked. Fuck, he hated to play the game but he had no fucking choice here. For him, Jesse and his kids.

Jason pulled Jon by the collar of his shirt back up so the chair settled back on all four legs. Jon winced; the pain was starting to burn from his belly right to his fingertips. Jason pulled a chair opposite him slung it backwards and straddled it.

"I want you to leave my wife alone, so I have a chance to get back with her" he demanded.

Jon tried to laugh but managed to splutter as the tightness in his chest was closing around him like a fist. "Jason, I can't make Jesse choose you. It's not how it works, what makes you think if I was to walk away she'd actually consider getting back with you?" he asked seriously. This guy was nuts.

"She would, she loves me Jon. We were married for god's sake, she mourned my death and then what you happened to see her one night and recognise she was an easy target? Hmm rock star?" he asked.

He had no fucking idea. Where ever this guy had been, he'd been royally fucked up. His whole outlook on life was distorted. "Jason it wasn't like that" he gritted his teeth "If you know Jesse at all you know she’s no easy target. She was very reluctant to take that step away from the life she had with you". Damn him for telling him that.

Jason chuckled raking a hand through his messy chocolate hair "Oh I just bet and you laid all that rock star charm on her so she couldn't resist you right? What happened to your first wife Jon? Got bored with her?" he'd googled Jon and read about his previous marriage and all the tabloid rumours that had been splashed around.

"It's none of your business Jason. It was just over and now I'm in love with Jesse, and I'll do anything to make sure she's safe and happy. Anything" he warned.

Jason laughed "Well big words from the man in the chair tied up don't you think?"

Jon closed his eyes stamping down the urge to let him have it. But that was useless at this point if he wanted to leave with all his body parts intact. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Jason, don't you think you need to just let Jesse go and make her own decisions? She’s very capable of that don't you think? You really think a strong woman like her would let me walk all over her? No. I've let her make her own choices..." okay that wasn't entirely true when it came to this nutcase but that was a different story. God she should of arrested him when she had the chance.

"Of course I think she's strong. That's why I married her. Let me ask you this Jersey. Have you ever been in so much pain that the only thing that made you kept hope? Kept you alive at night was the woman you loved?"

"Well no, I haven't but Jason you've got to" he didn't get a chance to finish when Jason's elbow connected with his nose. The force flipped his head back and the crack in his neck wasn't by any means a good one.

"Well its time you learned" he said standing up and walking back over the other side of the room. Jon blinked the pain drilling up his head and the warm feeling of blood trickling down his face. Good fuck, he's really going to kill me.

The room was spinning but he fought the urge to close his eyes and give in, he couldn't. "Jason, this is not the fucking way" he said quietly. "What do you want? Money? I can help you get a new life? Anything?" Anything but Jesse.

Jason laughed "Oh you really are an asshole. Thinks the world can be bought just like that, and to think people like me, risk our lives for people like you to keep your America safe, YOUR America free, and your America yours. Well fuck you Jon. I'm not fighting for people like you, people that have no clue about what life is about. People like Jesse and me who have to spend our whole life working and fighting for what we believe in, what we know is TRUE. Not some fantasy fucking life where you can splash money around and by-pass every single freedom I've fought for. Its people like you Jon" he moved closer the darkness in his eyes slowly creeping in.

"Jason you've got it wrong, have you seen what I have been trying to do? I try and use my fame and money to help others. You’re jumping to conclusions here. Yes some celebrities are like that I can't disagree with you. But I am not like that. Do you honestly believe Jesse would agree to marry a guy like me? If you truly believe in her... that she'd marry what you just called me right there?" he asked. Jon jumped when the sound of plastic hurtling into the wall caught him off guard. The bucket that Jason had kicked across the room now spun around at the bottom of the wall. He blinked praying to god he was blinking away the pain that just didn’t want to move from his body.

Jason stood and rubbed his hands through his hair, his arms were trembling. Clearly the man wasn’t well and for the first time Jon really did worry about his safety.

“I told her to remarry, but I didn’t think she would six months after it god damn happened” he said starting to pace around the room.

“Jason. Listen to me. Just because she chose to love me, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you. She thought you died! Imagine what she had to do to get through that and then to find out you were actually alive?” Jon asked. The silence in the room was deafening, Jon shivered Jason’s eyes were frantically shifting from side to side erratically.

He spun around and back to Jon “Just fuck up asshole” boot once again connected with stomach hurtling Jon backwards, there was a thud as the chair hit the concrete along with the back of Jon’s skull. Jon’s last thought this time was of his fiancé and would he ever get to see her again.