Chapter 95 - One Shot To Make A Move

Everyone is startled by the ring of Jon's cell phone, alerting him that he has a text.  Quickly taking it out of his pocket, he flips open his case and swipes the screen to read a text from a number that he's not familiar with.  

You know that we're all in town.  There really isn't any place that you can hide.  We need to talk to work all of this out, making all of us happy.  Including those little babies of yours.  ~Melisssa

To not alert anyone, he locks the screen and sets his phone next to him.  Beth seen the look on his face and knows that it wasn't a happy text, and she has learned over all the years that his body language says to not ask questions now.  Jon looks at his dad, "What do you guys have planned?  Do you have anything going on with the sauce, or can you take the kids out of town?"

Stephanie bolts up from her laying position, wine glass on her belly, "Dad, what are you doing?"

Jon, still looking at his father, his hands getting sweaty, "Can you take them out east or up north?"

"What's going on?" his dad shoots back, quickly.  "What was that text all about."

Beth guzzles her wine, knowing that the words that were to follow were not going to be good.  The next to speak, to break the tension in the air was mom, she reads his face too, "Jonny, what's going on?"

"Pete, can you take the boys to the playroom, please."  Jon looks to his friend seeing her shake her head yes, "Jake, Romy please go with Pete for a few minutes."

"Where?"  Jake bounces up, "To get ice cream?"  The boy that looks just like his daddy, stands up quickly, giving the face of a panting dog, "Ice cream."

Those two little words said were enough to put the twins into action.  They bound off their mother and father and start the wobbly run toward grandma's kitchen.  Pete was right behind them, with Jake and Romeo on her heels.  Everyone watched them run away and smiled, but that was short lived.

"Dad, what's going on?  Who was that text from?"  Jesse asks, "Why do we have to go away?  We have school."

Those words hurt Jon.  In such a way that he paused and gave it thought.  "The text that I got was from Melissa."

"What does that bitch want?" he snaps, "why is she bothering us again?"

Jon sits back on the couch, letting his head fall back.  With a heavy sigh, "Well, we knew this day would come in one way or another.  I just never thought that they all would be connected."

"What did she say?"  Beth finally speaks, not really wanting to know what she had to say.  She had hoped that they all would go away and that she and Jon could have the life that they long for and truly deserve.  "What's the threat this time?"

"She wants us all to get together, to work something out, so we all can be happy - even the twins."

"She mentioned our babies?"

He nods and leans forward, burying his face in his hands.  

"Son, Tony can handle what ever is going on with the sauce, where do you want us to take the kids?  We'll help in anyway that we can." his dad adds, seeing his family in a struggle.

Jon remains silent,  running all of his options through his head.  Upon landing home from their honeymoon that started rocky, he can't believe that they are once again dealing with Melissa and her crew.   "Dad, our house is secure.  We don't have to leave." Stephanie chimes in, "This is bullshit."

Jon looks at his daughter, his oldest, his baby girl and as if he were dead inside, he reminds her, "Do you remember when we trusted her.  Look what she did then.  Imagine how fucking crazy she is now."

"Jon, what do you think she means, that we need to work things out?"  Beth asks

Mom jumps in, "Yeah, what could she possibly need to talk to you guys about.  She shouldn't be able to contact any of us."  

"Court orders mean nothing to them, ma."  Jon responds, "I can only imagine what she and Dalton have cooked up and how Brian plays into it all."

"And my mom."  Jesse states, the tone in his voice leads them to believe that he is less than impressed with his mother.
"I don't think that your mom is voluntarily involved, Jess.  I really don't think that she knew what she was getting dragged into."

"Bullshit." Stephanie snaps, "If Brian has met Romeo than she knows dad.  He's obviously been around a while."

"Maybe Steph, but your mom is the least of my worries.  She's a puppet on a string for them."

"Where are we going?"  Beth asks, standing up, throwing Brianna's blankie over her shoulder.  "We can't sit here and wait for them to act.  We need to get on with our lives, Jon."


"We aren't going anywhere.  I'm done running and hiding from them."

"What are we going to do?"

Jon stands up too, "We aren't going anywhere.  I'm going to hire private security."

"Seriously?" his dad gasps, "You're going to do this with private security?"

Jon shakes his head, "We can't live in fear and the kids need to go to school.  It's time that we provide them with a normal life.  They deserve at least that."

"You know they are going to act out, you know they are going to do something." John states, "You can never be too careful when it comes to them, Jon."

"I know dad, but we can't keep doing this.  We can't give them control of our life again."

"But what if they do something." his mother asks, with growing concern.  She can see that Jon is finally at his breaking point, "We can't undo what they do, Jonny."

"Honey...."  Jon holds up his hand to stop Beth from talking.  

"For years, other people have controlled my life.  And for years, I have hated that.  From going to the supermarket to people stopping at my houses, the actions of other people always dictated what I did and how I lived.  I'm done.  This is it."  he walks over to Beth and slides his hand around her back, "We are taking control back and we are living the life that we deserve, if I have to hire an army, I will.  But the kids will go to school and they will live like children are supposed to.  Stephanie and Jesse will have body guards when they go back to school and I'll get one for Pete."

"Jon, we can't  have security 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."  Beth quietly mumbles, knowing damn good and well that it fell on deaf ears.  She can see it in his eyes, he's been pushed to far, and she's not sure where it will all go.

"Dad, I don't want a creeper stalking me at school."  Stephanie whines in protest, "That will freak all of my friends out."

Jon snaps at Stephanie, "Then don't go back."  

"Dad!"

"Stephanie, if you want to go back to school upstate, you're taking security with you.  I'm not taking a chance with you.  Same for Jesse.  When he goes back to Indiana, he's taking security as well."

Jesse jumps up, "Dad, I have the whole football team."

Jon sits in an accessory chair, not one of comfort, more of one for look and tells them all, "It's not open for discussion.  When you are away from the house, you will have security.  And it will be armed security.  You will not go anywhere without them and you won't be going back to you mothers for God only knows."

"Dad, they don't want to hurt us.  They want to hurt you." Stephanie tries to change his mind.

Beth takes a step toward Stephanie, "I know this is tough, and I am sorry - but your dad is right.  They have put us through things that I know are worse than any hell could ever be.  And if we need to do this Rose, we need to do it."

"But, Beth...."

"Stephanie, there isn't anyone here that hates the idea of 24 hour security more than I do, but know this - we have tried for years to keep all of you protected from the craziness that has followed me and affected all of you."

"That's just it Beth, they want to hurt you and dad.  Not us."  The young woman is feeling defeated and a little ganged up on.  "why would they bother me and Jesse off at school?"

Grandpa doesn't give anyone a chance to answer her, "Stephanie, they killed your baby sister.  They have done unspeakable acts to Beth Ann and you think they won't bother you and Jesse?  To hurt your dad and Beth, you two are exactly what they would go after."

"I doubt it." she snaps and plops down on the couch.  "So we have to have someone with us at all times?"

"ALL TIMES!" Jon tells her.

Beth takes a seat next to Stephanie and puts her hand on her shoulder, "It shouldn't be for too long.  They will mess up and we will somehow get them to go away again."

"Why do they want to hurt you still?"  Jesse jumps in, "Don't they think that they have done enough?"

"Your dad is a celebrity, I assume that Dalton and Brian feel jilted and Melissa wanted to be me.  They all have some serious mental issues and need help, that we all know that they won't get.  So all we can do is prepare for what they're scheming and deal with what comes, when it comes."

Jon, still sitting in the chair, reaches own and taps Jesse with his foot, "You better not ditch your body guard and go off and do stupid shit when you get back.  I'll kick your ass if I find out that you pull anything like that."

"Dad, I don't want them messing with me.  But how can they protect me at practice and at games?"

"I'll work all of that out, don't worry."

Getting up to get more wine, Ma stops and asks Jon, "Do you have a company or some qualified guys in mind?"

Jon nods, "Yeah, I'' go see them in the morning."

"How are you going to do that dad, you don't have a guard."  Stephanie mocks, "We all need a guard, including you."

The evening made a turn for the better once Jon had decided the best course of action that they needed to take.  They needed to beat them at their own game this time, and the first thing in the morning, he will have Peter file all the necessary paperwork to keep Dorothea, Brian, Dalton and Melissa away from all of them, right down to the gardener.

Once he had calmed down, the family ordered dinner and ate with grandpa and grandma. They finally went back home when the twins were tired and ready for bed.  Jon was able to use a little bit of his influence and borrow a couple of Rumson Police Officers to walk the perimeter of the property and protect them over night, until Jon was able to get a team in place.