This is Gonna Require a Little Finesse

((RECAP))

"There's this do-gooder. He's on city council. His name's Douglas. He's the guy who shut down Jerry's warehouse project. He'll know who Jerry got mixed up with."

O shit Jerry. What have you done?

"I think this should be something we look into before we tell Bobby." Angel said, he'd been thinking hard about this. I nodded in agreement.

The two of us arrived late to find Bobby and Jack at the dinning room table, guns spread out on its entirety.

"Looks like Santa came early." I grinned. Hoping onto the table I leaned over Jacks shoulder to look at the camera in his hand, I could see him smile as I rested my chin on his shoulder. I pointed confusedly at the digital screen, "Hey, isn't that..."

"...that guy!?" I gasped, mouth open. Jerry, standing on the far side away from me, rolled his eyes with a snort of laughter.

"Really?" Bobby growled. "I had no idea it was a guy!" He smiled insanely at me, not even glancing at the picture. I reached around Jack and slapped his brother in the back of the head, sticking out my tongue and narrowing my eyes. "So where the hell have you two been? We've been tryin' to call you all day." Bobby asked while rubbing his arm and looking at me like a kicked puppy.

I looked to Angel who covered for the both of us, "Following up new leads." He cast a meaningful look at Jerry, who looked away.

While the four of us had been bickering, Jack was still puzzled about the old man in the picture that I had recognized. Suddenly it clicked and he thrust the camera into Bobby's hands, "That's that lawyer guy. That shithead said--" he placed his fingers to his lips in frantic thought, "he said he only met her once, Bobby."

We all leaned over and gawked at the photo of the lawyer and Evie, recognition washing over all of our faces. "Let's go." Bobby said turning, every one of us thinking the exact same thing. "Jerry, you coming with us? Don't you wanna find out who hired them?" Bobby teased.

"Yeah, don't you wanna find out who killed Evie?" I asked in a darker tone.

"Of course I do, K." He said trudging along behind me.

"Then let's go! Stop bullshitting man. Come on." Bobby hollered.

"Somebody gotta look after y'all clowns." Jerry mumbled.

"Oh, so now you callin' us clowns?" Angel argued casting a sidelong glance in his brother’s direction.

"Well, I call it like I see it." Jerry joked. I let a small, sad, smile sweep across my face. Jack saw it and furrowed his brow, asking the unspoken question: 'What's wrong?' I just shook my head and pushed him quickly out the door after Bobby.

((FF))

"Ladies first." Bobby grinned politely. I smiled back at him painfully and punched through the small glass window without breaking eye contact. He laughed while reaching through the now empty windowpane and jiggled the handle.

Once Bobby stepped inside, the other four of us close on his heels, a marshmallow of white fur was around his feet, sniffing the mud-caked intruders. "An attack dog. Come here, poochie." Bobby cooed and scooped up the fluff-ball. "You don't wanna bite me, do ya?" I laughed at his antics and looked around the magnificent house. "You gonna bite me, baby?"

My eyes fell upon a folded laptop on the mans' desk. I slunk across the dark room and slid into the chair. Thankfully, when I opened the computer there was no password needed; Jack stood next to me, "What'd you find?"

I sorted through a couple of folders, "I dunno, maybe nothing..." then I found a calendar, "or maybe something. Hey, Bobby! Check this out. I found Bradford's calendar."

The Mercer brothers gathered around me to see what information I'd discovered. Bobby still had he puppy in his arms, 'What cha got, Legs?"

Jack pointed at the screen over my shoulder then looked back up at his older brother, "You don't think 'E.M.' stands for Evelyn Mercer...do you?" he had a smart-ass smirk on his face that made me smile and shake my head.

Bobby was absentmindedly petting the small animal, glaring at the glowing computer screen in the dark room, "You're getting pretty good at this, you two." Jack and I grinned proudly, as I turned back to see what other information the calendar had to offer.

"November 21." Jerry whispered.

"He met up with her the night she died." Angel grumbled in stunned and confused amazement.

"Why would anybody meet up with their lawyer at 8:00 at night?" I whispered, more to myself than anything, it was VERY puzzling to say the least.

"ANGEL!" a distant voice ran through the air.

"O. My. God." I groaned, laying my head in my hands. Jacks jaw dropped in disgust and he glared at his brother.

"Nice. Your girlfriend's here." Bobby spat, setting the hairy puppy on the floor.

Angel shook his head in disbelief, "She's crazy, man."

"Well, go shut her up then!" Jack ordered, as if it were the most obvious thing to do.

The five of us stalked outside to deal with Sofi. I don't have anything against her, deep down she was just worried about Angel, and I couldn't blame her. I flopped down on the front step and watched the show unfold before my eyes.

Bradford decided to come home just then, Perfect. I thought sarcastically. I watched as Bobby got the old man on the ground and hit him. Well, shit Bobby. If we're not goin' down for breakin' and entering, we might as well take assault, too. I managed to get a small portion of the conversation, apparently Mr. Bradford and Evie had been dating -Yeah, Evie!-and they had met that night on a date.

((FF))((JACK'S POV))

I sat up in a cold sweat. What the hell...? I'd just had the most disturbing dream--no--nightmare. But I couldn't clearly remember it, just bits-and-pieces; bits-and-pieces that I wanted to forget.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, and held my face in my hands. Squeezing my eyes shut I tried to sort out my thoughts. There was fighting and yelling, although I couldn't remember between who. And then there were resounding loud cracks... Gunfire...? I don't know...I thought desperately. There was pain, in my chest, and blood, I gagged at the image of just dark red. I was crying and so were the others who were there with me, Was that Bobby?

When I opened my eyes again I found myself outside of Kari's bedroom door. I sighed and pushed open the door softly, she apparently hadn't been asleep, and her head popped of the pillow at the first note of a disturbance. "Hey." she whispered through the darkness. I smiled as my heart did that stupid flutter, even when I tried to make it stop. "Hey, what are you doing up?" I asked sitting beside her.

She shrugged, "Just couldn't sleep. What about you?" Her hair was fanned about her head on the pillow and her eyes reflected a small bit of light from the street lamps outside her window. She's still beautiful.

I mimicked her and shrugged too, looking away. "You're a terrible liar, Jack Mercer." she giggled and pulled me down toward her. Her lips just tickled mine and I could feel her breath on my lips, "What's wrong?" she asked, I was very aware of her fingers at the base of my neck. Damn it! She knows she's driving me crazy! I realized how easily she excited me, and eventually I was going to have difficulty hiding that fact from her.

I wanted to kiss her so badly that my lips quivered. I bit my bottom lip in yearning and brought my eyes back to hers. "Bad dream, just couldn't go back to sleep."

She got what she wanted and inched away from me, "What about?"

Tease. But she's always been distant like that, Jack. That's why you lo... care about her. I reminded myself. "I can't really remember, except that it woke me up, and I didn't like it." I situated my arm around her waist, she smiled and sighed while placing a soft hand on my chest and holding onto my light T-shirt, as if I'd slip out of her grasp if she didn't. I inhaled gently, the new coconut shampoo she used filled my senses. Feeling calmer now my eyes became too heavy and I drifted off to sleep.

Only to have the nightmare return as if it had been waiting for me to feel safe again. "Jack! Jack, please wake up!" Kari...? What's wrong? My eyes snapped open, Kari had her hands on my shoulders and was extremely pale, looking terrified. She gave a thankful sigh and collapsed against my chest, sobbing into my shirt and holding me tightly.

I rubbed her back and curled my fingers in her silky hair. "Hey, shh. It's okay, Kari. I'm all right, shh." I cooed soothingly. "What happened?"

She sniffed and lifted her head out of my torso, I felt colder with out her against me and I mentally frowned. "I-I don't know. I fell asleep after y-you did-d and t-t-then I woke up 'cause you were s-s-shaking." I wiped away the tears that streaked down her face and kissed her forehead. She seemed to calm down a little, "You wouldn't wake up, and- it just scared me Jack."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. And I wish I knew what this dream was; it's new." She brushed a small bundle of hair away from my eyes, her touch sent small jolts of electricity through my veins. I wrapped my hand around hers and she blushed, I took the opportunity to caress her lips with my own longingly. She responded and urged her body closer to mine, closing all gaps between the two of us. I lost track of time kissing her, and we were both exhausted, I tugged her gently so that her torso was laying against my chest. She settle against me no doubt listening to my heart beat steadily, "I'll keep you from the bad, Jackie." she yawned.

I kissed the top of her head and closed my eyes, knowing the bloody vision wouldn't return this time. "I know you will, K."