The Eruption of Mountgomery

Chapter 17

The case seemed to be open and shut--the FBI--namely Jennifer Haben as well as her loose acquaintance, Caleb Jones had lost control--lost Nero to his own stubborn beliefs that she was still alive. The masked woman hadn't made a new threat and it would seem that she fell into the background. Both cases seemed to run like an icy river however when he showed up to work the following day, something just did not feel right. Swirling a steaming mug of strong black coffee, he leaned against the counter when she sauntered in. Eyes blazing with a distinctly familiar fire, she held a newspaper in her hand and plopped it beside him. Raising an eyebrow, he pushed off the counter and huffed, the coffee forming a hot clear mustache upon his upper lip. Licking the upper lip, Nero lowered his cup of coffee and glared at the report. 

Jade Montgomery Vows Justice for Xavier Copperfield

The headline glittered under the harsh florescent lighting and a cold chill skittered down his spine. He swallowed hard, his heart seeming to burst from his chest. The unspoken question clung to the air and he glared hard at his employer, wanting nothing more than to go home and stand under a stream of icy water from the shower. Not only did she know, but she dared to capitalize upon that fact. If this game was tallied, Nero was certain she'd have a massive lead. Even when he is one step ahead of her--or when he believes he can capture her, she diverts the attention away from her. She utilizes the art of manipulation, a skill that develops over years not several months. Was she always this cunning? Was she always this witty? 

The proverbial Queen of Volcanoes could not be doused by him and it left him infuriated. She hated Copperfield though--would she throw him under the bus? Is that part of her scheme? Or was there something more to it? Despite wanting the answer to be the fact that she wanted him thrown under the bus, train, and plane, he lowered the newspaper clipping with that headline and shook his head. He could have chuckled--even Haben believed it. Believed the complex web of lies she was so intelligently selling. She was playing everybody yet he seemed to be the only one realizing it. To further add insult to injury, the President had seemed to buy into that, supporting the cause--she had the absolute audacity to name an organization after him. After the prick who insulted her.  Oh, it stung. That knowledge burned and he knew it, but why would Jennifer wish to point it out to him. That came with the demand to see him in her office. He nursed the cup of coffee on the trek to her office. Unlocking the door, she motioned him to sit. 

At first, it was laughable. Haben was pacing the floor, a pink tinge to her cheeks that made her look as though she was stalking through frigid air, ranting and raving that whomever the killers were absolutely knew every trick in the book. She spoke bitterly how his concept and theories were getting them nowhere closer to catching the perpetrators and that fact has put her job on the line. Nero just let the verbal ripping continue as he leaned back in the chair, languidly sipping the coffee, a smirk threatening to spill. Then, Haben halted her movements, her footprints most likely burned into the carpeting of her office. The request was lighthearted, almost apologetic. He sighed when he was informed that he would receive his last paycheck by the end of the week. His office needed to be cleaned out by the end of the month. It was not like he had anything in his office anyway. He placed the badge and gun onto her desk with a disappointed shake of his head. 

Nero rose from the chair, shook hands with Haben one last time before leaving her office. Caleb noticed the melancholic look upon his former partner's face and raised an eyebrow. "You always said you wanted to open a private investigator office--you have the--" 

Nero shook his head. "No. No. I'm not exactly sure what I am going to do now. I have absolutely no roots--nobody to--" Nero's words fell dead on his lips. He grabbed his bag from his office, flicking off the lights and closing the door with a click. Pouring the coffee down the sink in the break room, he placed the mug in the sink and exited the building, sauntering toward his car. However, something caught his eye. A brief flicker of a fire-red eyes occurred in the eyes of the woman he sauntered past. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as the car chirped to life as the doors were unlocked. Once he was inside, he caught the eyes again, but this time, the woman stood in the sight of the rear view mirror. With an angered huff, Nero emerged from the car, slamming the door and glared where the woman stood. Slowly, she sauntered toward him, her hands untying the bandanna as she did so. Once in front of him, she smirked proudly. He scanned her, allowing the revving of distant car engines fill the void of silence. Her eyes were hardened, no other emotion other than amusement and disappointment glittered in those eyes. He would have dared to say that they were sympathetic, but he had known that she couldn't possess those feelings. Did he know that she had won? Did she know that he had lost? He absolutely knew that she knew that he had nothing left. No roots, nobody to turn to. What was he supposed to do? 

He folded his arms across his chest, tired of the games, tired of being the victim of her games. He snapped, the calm, resolute mask collapsed like a weakened bridge during a fierce wind storm. "What exactly do you want from me? I have done nothing--" 

Her smirk faltered into a hardened thin line. She pocketed the bandanna and shrugged. Her eyes quickly changed to the normal shade of green. She wanted everything to do with him--however she sighed softly. 

"Nothing?" She finally spoke after a few more moments of tantalizing silence between them. "Really? Look right in front of you." 

"I'm not playing this game! I'm not your pawn! I'm not somebody you can just--Jade I barely know you." 

The roll of her eyes and the sadistic chuckle told him everything. She knew. She absolutely knew and she was enjoying every damn second of it. Carefully, she raised a gloved hand, the glove was crimson just as her eyes had been. Placing it upon his cheek, she raised an eyebrow. "You know almost everything about me. The one thing you do not know is who tried to kill me. I keep telling you--do not trust them. That part is not a game." 

"So you're just toying with me?" 

Another chortle and that smirk, which he had to admit was rather growing fond of, returned to her lips. "Oh, Nero, toying with you has been a pleasure, but you must realize that the woman you want is not the woman presently standing before you." With that and another correctly placed kiss to his cheek, she vanished. He huffed, ready to explode. He screamed. 

"What else do you want from me?!" 

I want you to know the truth, Nero. The whole undeniable truth. I am not--

It would seem she sent the message before she could finish saying what needed to be said. Nero sighed and massaged his temples as he sauntered back to the front of his car. A news clipping was placed carefully under the windshield wipers. He raised an eyebrow and roughly folded the clipping shoving it into his pocket. 

Is my love just a game to you, Jade, Blaise whatever the fuck your name is?  Again the text went unanswered.