From Love and Pain

by H. A. Caine

After having finally dragged the table close enough to peer over the top, he had proceeded to climb to his knees. His body was exhausted after the tremulous task of silently bringing forth the table in the hopes of finding a weapon of some kind. What he had found was better.

  Though there were only a few papers strewn about the table, after pushing them aside he had found a letter opener. Though the hooked point was too dull to be used as a weapon it was just skinny enough to pick the lock on the cursed chain restraining him.

  Now that he was almost freed, his body practically trembled in excitement and he could feel the sweat beading on his forehead as he imagined the battle to come.

  Under his excitement and adrenaline there was a fine dose of caution mixed in with worry and the smallest amount of fear for the unexpected.

  He knew he was far weaker than any of the men he had seen thus far.

  He just prayed that he would be capable of using the element of surprise to his best advantage.

  Knowing the new position of the table would warn anyone entering the room that all was not as it seemed, Jaxon had tried pushing it back to the opposite corner but had only achieved in getting it half way there before his muscles gave out.

  Hopefully they would focus on him and not the surroundings.

  Jaxon reclined against the wall, facing the door. He badly wanted to close his eyes and rest, but feared his moment would pass and he'd never be able to escape.

  "Happy thoughts." he muttered to himself in an attempt at distraction.

  Closing his eyes, he let his mind wonder.

  "Come on! We're going to be late." Melissa scolded him as she dragged him down the hall to her bedroom.

  Huffing out a breath, he again tried to reason with her but the giddy six year was having none of it.

  "Jaxon, you promised. You have to come." she turned and gave him puppy dog eyes, but the sparkle in them told Jaxon she already knew she had won.

  Grabbing her hand he pulled her to him and gave her a hug. "Fine, but who’s the best big brother in the whole world?" he asked as she giggled in his arms.

  Laughing she threw her arms up and pulled his head down, planting a big wet kiss on his left cheek.

  "You are!" she screamed as she escaped his hold and raced into her room.

  Walking into her pink and purple, princess theme room Jaxon looked around for the special couple.

  In the center of the room Ken and Barbie were posed facing each other and holding hands. Melissa loved marrying her dolls.

  She also loved having Jaxon perform the marriages for her. Not that he minded. He loved his sister and there wasn't anything in the world that he wouldn't do for her.

  "I promise you Melissa, the day you get married not only will I give you away to the lucky guy, I'll marry you to him." he said stooping down to look her in the eye.

  Though he was only three years older than her he was way taller.

  Melissa nodded her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you Jaxon."

  The memory brought tears to Jaxon eyes and he wiped them away before they could fall.

  Times hadn't always been that easy for them, but they had survived. He made sure of it.

  Another memory popped up behind his closed eyelids and Jaxon sucked in a deep breath.

  He had managed to get out of work early and had thought he would surprise his baby with dinner at his favorite restaurant and maybe a movie afterwards.

  Things had been going great between them since they decided to be more than friends.

  He didn't know how Adrian felt, but he had fallen head first into love with the guy and he couldn't wait any longer to tell him. He didn't want to wait anymore.

  He wasn't expecting Adrian to say he loved him too; he just wanted the freedom to voice his love for Adrian.

  Walking into the apartment he was renting he tossed his gym bag on the couch and his jacket on the chair by the door before making his way to the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothing behind as he went.

  In only his striped boxers he pushed the door open and stopped in the doorway staring at the beautiful man in the center of his bed.

  Not for the first time he thanked God for gifting him with the man who made his heart stop every time he saw him.

  Not only was Adrian beautiful, but he was kind and compassionate. He cared for others and had a soft spot for children of all ages.

  But he wasn't a softy by a long shot. He could beat the hell out of men twice his size and was a great strategist. He also never hesitated even for a second when he thought the death of his opponent was necessary.

  Jaxon knew that in his line of work his survival instincts were the only thing that kept him alive and although he didn't know exactly what he did he knew that Adrian and a group of both men and women that worked for him was basically hired men.

  None of that bothered Jaxon though, because he knew Adrian would never do anything, no matter the pay, if he or anyone who worked for him didn't feel comfortable doing it.

  He made his way to the opposite side of the bed and smoothed his hand down Adrian's side. Sitting he feathered kisses over the man's face, waiting for him to wake up.

  "Mmmm." Adrian murmured wrapping his arm around Jaxon and pulling him down next to him. He scooted over and pulled the sheet over them both before resting his head on Jaxon's chest.

  "I made dinner reservations for six." he whispered, sifting his hand through the soft black hair.

  "Hmm." was the only response he got. Chuckling, he looked at his watch. Setting the alarm to ring at five he snuggled down and Adrian further wrapped himself around Jaxon.

  When Jaxon later had woke, it was only 4:39. He rolled over to look at his lover. Adrian was already watching him.

  Dipping his head, Adrian kissed him softly on the lips before pulling back. Jaxon smiled and ran his hand back and forth over his shoulder, content to just bask in the presence of the man he loved.

  "So what's for desert?" Adrian asked as he pulled Jaxon on top of him.

  After a moment Jaxon realized he was referring to the dinner reservations he had mentioned earlier.

  Smiling wickedly, he ran his tongue down the side of Adrian's jaw to his collarbone, where he lightly bit him before responding. Looking up, he said "I think you have a few ideas." he ducked down to suck a pebbled nipple into his mouth.

  Adrian moaned.

  "Whip cream." Adrian pushed out as Jaxon's hands began to explore.

  "Chocolate." he said as he turned to focus the same attention on the other nipple, one of his hands reaching up to toy with the wet one as cool air hit it.

  His hips bucking Adrian managed to say, "Strawberries."

  Holding in a very unmanly giggle Jaxon lifted his head. "Ice cream." his lips twitched as Adrian shook his head.

  Reaching between their bodies, Adrian wrapped his hand around Jaxon's hard shaft and stroked up once. "Caramel syrup."

  Jaxon moaned and whispered his mouth over the man's below him.

  Pushing back, he straddled Adrian's thighs and wrapped his hand around the tempting length jutting up at him. Licking his lips, he raised his gaze to Adrian's. "Bananas."

  Adrian's lips lifted into a wide grin a second before he reached behind Jaxon and rubbed one long finger over his puckered hole. Jaxon gasped as he pushed back, his body accepting the small invasion. "Split." Adrian said, pushing deeper.

  They looked at each other a moment before they both started laughing.

  When eventually they both calmed, they agreed to banana splits for dessert.

  Jaxon laughed softly as he remembered the fun night they had after dinner that day. When they had awakened the next day they were both covered in ingredients needed to make perfect banana splits and the hardwood floor was sticky with chocolate and caramel syrup. It had taken them hours to clean the whole mess, but neither one complained, remembering the night before.

  It still hurt Jaxon when he thought of Adrian's disappearance. That night Adrian had told Jaxon that he loved
him too, so he knew it wasn't that that had scared him off. But he knew Adrian well enough to know that he had a reason for what he had done.

  He only wished Adrian had taken the time out to tell him what that reason was. He would’ve done everything in his power to help the man he loved. There wasn't a day that went by that Jaxon didn't miss him. He knew that no matter what happened he would always love Adrian.

  And he knew that where ever Adrian was a part of him still loved Jaxon, too.

  Hearing the creak of steps coming down the hall outside, Jaxon pushed thoughts of Adrian from his mind and focused on the here and now.

  Breathing in deeply he slumped against the wall in pretend repose just as the door was pushed open.

  * * * *

  Adrian paced the sidewalk outside the building. He knew he had to get to Jaxon as quickly as possible before he drove himself insane. It was getting harder to wait for information to continue coming in when all he really wanted was to dive head first into the mess and pull Jaxon out before something irrevocable happened to him. He was enough of a realist to know that Jaxon was more than likely injured, the picture Daniel had sent them was more than enough proof of that, but he wanted to get there in time to save him from any more permanent damage.

  The door behind him was pushed open and Crow stepped out.

  "You're getting antsy, Ashe. You need to relax."

  "Relax? How do you suppose I do that?" Sarcasm colored Adrian's voice as he twisted towards his best friend.

  Crow wiped his face with his palm, looking like he wanted to strangle Adrian.

  "Melissa knows something up. Your passing on your worries to her without even realizing it and it's making her question us. You know as well as I do that the best thing for all involved is to keep her calm and happy with our progress. Last thing we need is her running off trying to find her brother on her own. Only thing that will get us is the both of them dead." Crow reasoned with him.

  Adrian sighed. "You're right, I know you're right. I just wished none of this had ever happened. I thought I was keeping him safe when I disappeared. Now, I find out that all I did was leave him unprotected when he needed protecting the most. Jaxon isn't weak and he's far from a wimp, but unfortunately, neither is Daniel or the thugs that he hires."

  Adrian ran his hand through his hair.

  "I guess I just feel useless."

  "I know."

  "Okay. So, John found a few helpful leads on Daniel. I'm going to send Roe to bar. See if he can find out anything useful from the local clientele. When he gets back, I want Roe, Kayse, Sindler and Raine, if he's back by then, to come with you and me to a house he was spotted at. My guess is this is where he's holding Jaxon." Adrian turned to look out at the street as he waited for Crow to reply.

  Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked up. “We’re going to have to be careful. If we found him this easily, it means he's expecting us. Maybe not this quickly, but he'll be on guard regardless."

  "That’s exactly why I want to get there before dark. Scout the place then get in after dark. Hopefully we can get Jaxon out before they spot us."

  "And after we get him out?"

  "I go back in." Adrian stated, tilting his chin up defiantly, knowing Crow would argue.

  "To what point, Ashe? You'll have your man back and everyone will be on guard."

  "But for how long, Crow? All it takes is one lax moment and the enemy is in before you know it. No, Crow. I've lived like that long enough and I won't force my friends to live like that. This all ends tonight."

  "Then let me go with you." Crow begged earnestly. Adrian knew his friend cared for him and was only looking out for him.

  "So long as you remember this is my fight."

  At five Roe and his men, Trace and Gabe returned from Mel’s. Roe's face wore the same expression as when he had returned from checking out Jaxon's house. Before Adrian could even think of opening his mouth, Roe was already shaking his head in the negative.

  "Sorry boss, but we didn't get anything useful. All anyone could tell us was that some ‘dude’ came in a few times with maybe four diesel males. They would sit at a table in the back, order two pitchers of beer, openly watch everyone and leave after finishing their drinks.

  They never stayed longer than an hour. Other than yesterday, they came in every day for the past two months. Maybe if we go back later we can get something more useful." Roe suggested.

  "No, that's okay. Did they say if they came in during a specific time?"

  "I would have said so. They came in at different times each time."

  "Okay, thanks." Raine too had come to a dead end at the precinct.

  Turning to Crow Adrian signaled him that it was time to start getting everything ready. Crow faced the group of people moving through-out the room and called them all in closer.

  "We need to get a move on things if we want to take Daniel by surprise. He's more than likely already expecting us. Our only advantage is to move under cover of night and move as quickly as possible. Hopefully he didn't expect us to pinpoint him as quickly as we did." Adrian nodded towards John, giving credit where credit was due.

  "Most of you will be staying here, feeding us any useful information you can as it comes in. Crow, Raine, Kayse, Sindler and Roe, I want you with me. We're going to scout the house. After sufficient darkness has fallen we'll move quickly and quietly inside, incapacitating anyone we come in contact with. Find Jaxon and get out quickly. Understood?" he asked looking at the men whose names he had called out.

  They all nodded, Sindler saying, "Got it, Boss."

  "Good. Star, I want you to stay on the phones. Call Crow to give updates."

  "Everyone get ready. We leave in five." Adrian started to walk away when a voice called out to him.

  "Ashe, I want to go."

  Before Adrian could reply, Crow was already jumping in.

  "That's not going to happen." his tone suggested that she was off her meds if she even thought that would be a possibility.

  "I'm going with you." Melissa said in a tone of voice that brooked no argument.

  Refusing to hear it, Crow stood his ground while the rest of the team watched. "No, you are not. We can't give rescuing your brother our all if we have to babysit you too. Is that what you want? For us to miss him by a second because we're watching to make sure you don't take a wrong step and get yourself killed? Damn it, Melissa!" Crow's voice rose to a high pitch and he took a deep, calming breath before continuing. "You need to stay here with Joy and John. If you won’t do it for yourself, then do it for the sake of your brother."

  Melissa continued to look at him calmly. After a moment, when she was sure he was done speaking she took a step closer to him, putting her hands behind her back and looking up at him.

  Though she lowered her voice, her words still rang loud in the muted warehouse.

  "You’re right. Jaxon is my brother. That's why I'm going with you."

  When Crow would have interrupted she held up a hand for silence and continued on. "Everybody in our lives left us when we needed them the most. Growing up, we only had each other. Amazingly, we stayed together throughout the foster system we were put in. We always had each other's backs and we always will. You can try to leave me here, but I'll just follow on my own." taking a step back she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and finished. "Besides it's not your decision, it’s his." she indicated Adrian with a tilt of her head.

  Crow looked smug, though, as if he was positive Adrian would agree with him. Turning he said “Well, Ashe, can she go or not?"

  "Yes."

  Crow's face registered shock before quickly morphing into anger that he tried to cover with annoyance.

  "Thank you, Ashe." Melissa said softly.

  He acknowledged her words with a nod of his head. "Jaxon is lucky to have you for a sister." he told her before turning to Crow. "He won't come with us on his own." he explained. "If we bring her he'll do what we want, if only to get her out of there."

  "He know
s you." Crow stated stubbornly. Melissa looked confused, along with everyone else, her gaze swinging back and forth between Crow and him. "How do you know my brother?" she asked.

  "Yeah, Crow he knows me. But after what I did, what do you think he is more likely to do? Whatever I ask of him or beat me over the head with the closest object?"

  Adrian ignored Melissa’s question.

  Crow's eyes flashed understanding even as his shoulders slumped with defeat. "Fine." Turning away from Adrian, he addressed Melissa.

  "But you’re going to stay in the car. We'll give you an ear piece so you'll know what's going on but we can't be distracted worrying about you, got it?" He stared at her until she nodded her head in ascent, then grabbed to emergency back packs from the supply closet in the corner and threw one at Adrian as he walked out the door.

  "How do you know Jaxon?" Melissa repeated her earlier question.

  Grabbing his pack, Adrian didn't bother responding as he followed Crow outside to wait for the others.

  Five minutes later, Adrian's men and Melissa were all packed into three cars, Melissa riding with Crow and John, Adrian and Roe in the car in front and Kayse, Sindler and Raine bringing up the rear.

  It took them almost an hour to get to the other side of the city, where they suspected Jaxon was being held. They parked the cars a few blocks away from the house and climbed out. Watching as his men gathered at the hood of his car, and looked to him for direction, he reminded himself that not only were these men his employees but his friends, and for a long time the only means of a family he ever really had.

  As Adrian looked into the faces of his men, who knew from firsthand experience that every day was not a guarantee, he knew he couldn't allow them to go in there not knowing what to expect. Sure their Intel was great, but nothing was greater than knowledge from a survivor. He knew details about Daniel that no amount of research would ever uncover and he was no longer willing to keep it to himself.

  His mind made up, he stood up straight. "Before you go in there, there's something you should all know." he saw the sharp look Crow threw him, and then the slight relaxing of his shoulders and knew his friends' mind was working the problem the same as he.