"All You Could See"

 Jay paces his office he picks up the email he'd received from Joe Jordan and half smiles
"Bastard!" He grumbles. What the hell was he going to have to do to this kid to get him the hell off his back? He was there at every turn no matter what he did he was one, two steps ahead of him! What the hell was going on? And where the hell was Jake? He should have been here an hour ago!
He looks at the email again. Van Dorn had submitted his revisions to the to the state and the report to the EPA! Joe Jordan was furious! He looked like a complete fool in front of the committee when he'd read his objection to issues that correction had already been submitted for! The entire thing passed with nary a ruffle! Van dorn was going to open and he was running out of options!
 How? How the hell did he do it? How did Chase Van Dorn know the exact objections Jordan was going to make? The only ones that knew anything about it was him. The only other person that even had an inkling  was Jake and he knew he could trust him. Hell, he hated Van Dorn more than he did. But, he could have inadvertently blabbed to his wife and then she to her brother. It was possible but not probable. He and Toni had been married a long time and they had worked on things a lot more sensitive than this and there was never a debacle like this one. From beginning to now he just seemed to have an inside track. Either this kid was a business genius which he doubted. He was smart he'd give him credit for that but not this smart. Besides he was too young to have this kind of knowledge or that many connection for that matter. Perhaps the life he and his family had lead had taught him well, great parenting? Ha! Not with those two! All you had to do was take a look at their other son to see that and that girl! A better answer would be he had some very powerful friends working behind the scenes, as powerful as his own. How else would he have been able to sneak the entire thing in right under his nose.
"What's up Dad?" Jake huffs practically coming to a running halt as he comes into his office. He lays his brief case on the edge of the desk.
"What the hell took you so long?" Jay snaps tossing the email down on the desk again.
"I was getting all the stuff you asked me for together!" He snaps back crossing his arms over his chest a surly smile playing on his lips.
"You know the very least you could do is let me know which thing you're yelling at me for at the beginning of the conversation." He glares back at his father. Jay snatches up the email from the desk and shoves it at him.
"I got that from Joe Jordan today! Go ahead and read!" He growls shaking the paper at him. Jake snatches it from his hand reading it quickly. His eyes opening wide he stares at Jay a moment mouth agape then snap shut his brow drawn into a scowl and hands it back to him the later shoves it in the shredder.
"Every day this son of a bitch gets a stronger foothold in my town!' He turns back towards Jake his voice exploding through the room.
"If you had just done what I had told you to from the beginning this wouldn't be happening! Now we're just running around like chickens with our heads cut off and that son is on you!" Jay finishes his tirade glaring at his son daring him to say one word to the contrary. Jake bellows back at him tired of playing Jay's whipping boy. Maybe it was about time he ripped a page out of Clay's playbook.
"I remember not so long ago you wanted to sell the mill property because you were tired of paying taxes on that rust pile. Your words not mine, is it coming back to you now? All you could see were dollar signs you didn't care who or how you unloaded it, as long as you unloaded it and made a profit! What was it you told me? "Selling that property would be the final nail in Hank Van Dorn's coffin." or did you conveniently forget that part again?" He finishes enjoying the look of shock on Jay's face and continues before he can speak pacing the room as he talks.
"You didn't give a rats as about who bought that place or what they did with it! Some lawyer gave you a big fat check and you couldn't have been happier. You strutted around here like you were king of the world till you got wind it Chase Van Dorn was opening a business! Then it was all. "Jake you didn't vet them! Jake you should have dug deeper! You should have seen it was Chase Van Dorn!" He stops his pacing coming to stand in front of him his back ramrod straight his eyes and tone mocking.
"I was with you every step of the way when you sold that property remember? We both read and saw the exact same things. All your high paid private investigators didn't see it and neither did you! Some how I'm supposed to see what you didn't?" Jay's face turns white with rage his nostrils flared he steps closer to his son his hands itching to knock that sarcastic grin right off his smug little face.
"You sure as hell are! That's exactly what I fucking pay you to do! You're supposed to have my back! You screwed up!" Jake steps closer their face just inches from each other his jaw taunt.
 " You want to blame somebody? Blame yourself! Stop blaming me because one of your machinations finally blew up in your face! I'm not going to shoulder it all anymore you understand me?" Jake finishes his tone defiant his stance firm. Jay glares at him his voice a low growl.
"I sure as hell didn't hear any protest from you about accepting it or see you turning your nose up at the money. Infact if I remember correctly you and that wife of yours spent a month in Italy! So you listen and you listen good! You'll take whatever I give you, and do whatever it is I tell!" He snarls taking a step forward forcing Jake to take a step backwards his back pressed against the desk his fist flexing his jaw tight as he fights the almost overwhelming urge to knock his father on his condescending ass. Jay leans in his eyes glittering with rage his words succinct.
 "You still don't get it! We are in a fight for our lives! We can't afford any more slip ups! You understand? I want you to dig and dig deep until you you find something we can use to stop him! I want to know everything about Chase VanDorn and Wellington Swift from the moment they left this town. I want to know where they went who they talked to who they worked for who their friends are. I want to know who his enemies are. I want every moment from the day he left this town and came back chronicalized. You understand? This time around I want you to be thorough take your time go through everything with a fine tooth comb." Jay steps back then turns and walks behind his desk and sits. Jake swallows hard takes a deep breath fighting the urge to punch him squarely in his pompous face then turns to face him keeping the same stoic resolve he leans his fists on the desk and leans forward. His voice clear his words sharp and mocking.
"Then you find them! If you want to keep on with this witch hunt you go right ahead. Not me, not this time old man I'm done with this. You want to keep chasing VanDorn you chase him! I'm not playing lackey to your paranoid delusions! I have actual work to do for our company! You know the one we own? Our business! Or have you forgotten the Japanese?" Jay eyes open wide and then narrow. He hadn't forgotten but he had to admit to his self it was the furthest thing from his mind. Jake glares down at him knowing exactly what had gone through his mind.
"Yeah, what I thought! I'm going to concentrate on Stockton Lumber! You worry about your ridiculous revenge." He' turns opening his briefcase and pulling out a thick file.
"Here you can start with this!" He says plopping it down on the desk in front of him.
"I have actual work to do!" He says snapping his briefcase closed and storming from the office missing the flash of his mother as she darts behind the pillar as he passes.
Alex waits for Jake to go up the stairs before letting out the breath she'd been holding. He had no clue she'd stolen his email and there was no way for him to find out it was her. Perhaps just to be on the safe side she should plan a little dinner just the two of them sort of a reconciliation after the brawl they'd had. She walks to his office stopping at the door just as his phone rings.
"Hellooo" He drawls out relaxing back in his chair loosening the tie around his neck his voice lowering taking on a seductive quality she hadn't heard in sometime.
"I was just thinking about you...Yeah I was going to call you later right now I'm a little busy...Sure! Sure! I promise...no really I will...Looking forward to it too...Bye!" Alex pauses a moment watching him sitting there with that whimsical smile on his face she pushes down her anger as she comes into the room.
"Hey" She calls smiling pleasantly as she walks to his desk as if she hadn't heard what she'd heard.
"Hi honey what's up?" He says erasing the call before snapping the phone shut and slipping it in his pocket.
"Who was that? I hope it's not more business?" She smiles knowing by the low husky tone in his voice during the call and the look of guilt on his face it wasn't. Jay shrugs relieved she hadn't heard much maybe suspected possibly.
"Yeah Joe Jordan we need to get together go over some business why what did have in mind?" Smiling as he walks around the desk to meet her. Alex wraps her arm around his waist leading him toward the hall.
"I was thinking maybe there was some way we could talk. We haven't said much to each other since.." Her voice trails off. Jay's mouth curves into a little half smile. He reaches over and holds her hand in his.
"Yeah I umm don't..." His voice trails off Alex looks up at him and gives his hand a gentle squeeze.
"I thought maybe you and I could get out of this stuffy house have dinner at the Inn see where it goes from there." She says seductively. She was going to get to the bottom of what was going on if it was what she thought there would be hell to pay and he knew it. Who ever it was as going have to wait. Tonight he was hers who ever she was would have to find another playmate tonight. She holds tighter to his arm laying her head on his shoulder.
"How does that sound?" She looks up at him smiling sweetly waiting for his response. Jay smiles down at her satisfied that she hadn't heard his conversation or not enough to piece anything together other than what he'd already told her or she wouldn't be offering this olive branch.
"I think it would be a wonderful idea. Give me a chance to shower and change I'll be right down." He leans in kissing her cheek then turns and jogs up the steps.
 Alex smiles watching him go up the steps. God! He was so transparent! Why else would he be willing to spend the evening with her? Right now she couldn't prove it but it felt all too familiar and time didn't heal those instincts or wounds. If anything it had only helped to hone them. If he was cheating this would be the last time! He'd humiliated her once she wasn't about to let it happen again.




"Harbinger Falls" Copyright 2014