Pawned Virtue - #wattys2015 BK4 TPBS - Completed 1st draft

-32-

Not edited. Thank you for your votes and comments on the last chapter!!!! MWAH! xx

"There you are Jones. Have a seat.Care to explain why you've been following Keiran?"

Jones knew something was up when he was called into a private meeting with the boss. A rare occurence for any of his employees that meant one of two things. You were either fired or you were dead. He didn't want either one.

Jones started to laugh while Lucas sat back and looked at him without smiling, his face hard and his mouth thin.

"That's what this is about? Shit boss you had me worried."

"Oh you should be worried Jones. I'm pissed off. You witheld information about my wife's best friend knowing that he was the link to finding her."

Jones sat back in his chair and threw his right ankle on top op his left knee.

"You love her."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Lucas said with an almost air of exasperated stupidity "Yes I love her. OK now? Answer the damn question!"

"Someone had to watch out for Tara."

"What do you mean 'watch out for'?

"Oh come on boss, you know what that means." Jones couldn't help but grin.

"Where is she?" Lucas demanded.

"Now that I can't tell you..."

"Why the fuck not?"

"You've talked with Keiran?" Jones asked.

"Yeh, he's...." he waved a hand in the air.

"Exactly!"

"So what's the deal?" Lucas resigned himself to the knowledge that as much he hated it he was literally at the mercy of a seventeen year old kids mercy.

"We've been watching over Tara..."

"We?"

"Adam and me. Maggie knows as well. We've made sure she didn't need anything and well, with your enemies I was able to convince Keiran to let us protect her. She has no idea that we're about but Keiran keeps us up to date with what she's doing."

"Since when?"

"Two days after she left."

Lucas looked at him with an expression that could only be described as one of astonishment.

"Why the fuck didn't you say something? Fuck Jones! You know I've been going crazy..."

"Look boss I'm sorry but I wasn't about to risk Tara running off again... none of us were. We had to follow Keirans lead. It felt like shit but it was worth it and I'd do it again."

Lucas sat quietly as he looked at the man sitting in front of him. He knew only too well that Keiran was the one pulling the strings and he was left with doing everything he wanted.

"Thankyou."

"What?" Jones wasn't expecting that!

"I don't like not knowing what was going on but I get it." He laughed. "At least you werent being disloyal!"

"Fuck no boss! Just taking care of our girl."

Lucas nodded with a soft smile on his face. Our girl. For someone none of them had ever planned to get close to Tara had certainly left her mark on them all.

"Do you see her?" He needed to know if there was the slightest chance he could see her as well.

"Every day boss."

"Every day?"

"Yeh boss. She's closer than you think."

Lucas suddenly dropped forward with his elbows on the desk and rubbing his temples with shaky fingers.

"I want to see her. I need to see her Jones."

"Boss..."

"Look I understand the deal you have with Keiran and I won't jepordise that but I need to see her." He looked at Jones and for the first time Jones saw that look of desperation that only someone in love would show. "Three months Jones. Three damn long months of not knowing where she was. If she was safe... Did she have somewhere to stay... Jones I imagined all sorts of things and fucking hated myself for driving her away. She wants a divorce Jones... A divorce!"

Jones battled between his loyalties. Lucas may have been his boss but Tara... well she was something special.

"Boss... you need to know she saw a solicitor yesterday."

"Fuck" he hoarsely whispered "I don't want a divorce Jones. I want Tara."

"Boss after everything do you think she'll change her mind? You didn't see her boss... that night" Jones swallowed back the lump in his throat at the memory. "Boss she looked like she'd given up on everything. She... fuck... boss I wanted to kill you that night. What you did to her... she looked... broken."

"You care about her don't you Jones?"

"Like a little sister boss. That's all. I never had a little sister but I'd imagine she'd be just like Tara, well at least I'd hope she would be."

"She's pretty amazing isn't she?" he smiled widely.

"Yeh boss she is... but I'm still not telling you where she is."

"Damn it Jones! Why not?" Lucas' smile was lost to a dark frown.

"Boss, I wont risk it... but I will tell you that you've been close, real close,a number of times."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"Think about it."

Jones sat back as Lucas watched him with narrowed eyes. He almost laughed at the thought of the turning cogs in Lucas' mind.

"She's in disguise." The light dawned.

"Well done boss." Jones couldn't help but sound almost patronising as Lucas started to get excited.

"She goes to school with Keiran doesn't she?"

"Maybe she does, maye she doesn't." Again Jones grinned.

"She's the boy! The one that Dane said was with Keiran and Jace... that was Tara!"

"And we have a winner! You know boss, I'm just going to have a look out the window. You don't mind if I leave my phone here on the desk do you? I mean there's not all that much in it. Just a few numbers... and photos."

Lucas reached for Jones' phone and immediately went to the photo gallery. That was Tara? He'd seen her walk off from Keiran a couple of times while he was waiting for him to leave the school grounds. If only he knew! He quickly sent the pictires to his own phone and replaced the phone back on the desk.

"Jones, I'm busy. Get out."

Jones turned from the window and picked up his phone.

"See ya boss." He left.

Lucas sat back and with a huge grin he knew he'd see Tara the next day. He wouldn't approach her just yet but at least he had a place to start.

Yes, operation 'Woo Tara' was about to begin and the word 'divorce' will be a thing of the past. Finally after all this time he felt like the weight had lifted from his shoulders. He felt himself coming alive.

God he missed her eyes. Those orbs that were windows to her soul had him captivated like a chained up prisoner. She was far more beautiful than she realised and he made a promise to make sure he told her every day for the rest of their lives.

Come hell or high water he, Lucas Porter, was going to do whatever was humanly possible to get back his wife Tara.

*************