Against The Wall Read Free Page B

which told him she was being used.
    But why and by whom? Who did Jess know who would put all of them in this kind of danger? Only one name came to mind: Maurice Juneau, her boss. Jay had told Jess years ago, when she went to work for the man, that he was trouble. He didn’t have solid proof, but he’d worked for Juneau himself long before that and the experience had inspired Jay to shift his career.
    Instead of staying in private practice and making money hand over fist, Jay took a job in the public defender’s office for a fraction of the salary. Life changed. The household budget got tighter and raising five kids suddenly became a lot harder. Terry took a job as a teacher at the kids’ private school and the reduction in tuition was the only reason the kids stayed enrolled.
    Yes, life had changed and it was all because of Maurice Juneau.
    Though Jay had tried to convince Jess to find other employment, she’d stood firm, saying that this was a great entry level job if she wanted to be in the movie business and that he needed to let go and let her live her life. Despite his protesting heart, Jay had done it. He’d let his daughter go. Let her make her own decisions.
    Brendan stirred next to Eric and Jay gestured with his chin to his youngest son. “How’s he look to you? I can’t see him well enough from over here.”
    Glancing at his brother, Eric grimaced. “They beat the hell out of him, but I’ve seen him get the same one or two times before. He’s a tough son of a bitch.”
    “Hey, watch it,” Terry mumbled from Jay’s lap. “The bitch is listening.”
    “Sorry, Mom. Figure of speech,” Eric said.
    “Didn’t mean to wake you,” Jay murmured softly. “Go back to sleep.”
    Terry sat up, stretched her shoulders the same way Eric had done. “Not gonna happen,” she said around a yawn. “I’m too sore.” After craning a look at three of her sleeping and bruised sons, she snuggled as close to Jay as she could and leaned against his side. Beneath the layer of female perspiration, the smell of Terry’s jasmine perfume wafted under Jay’s nose and he closed his eyes and breathed in his wife. “Okay, anyone get an idea of how to get out and placed a pack sat of here yet?” Terry asked. “There has to be a way.”
    “Not with these damn cuffs on,” Eric said, rattling his for effect.
    “I think we have to wait this out for now,” Jay said. “There isn’t a whole lot we can do at this point, but we’ve got to be prepared for any possibility.”
    “Such as?” Eric asked.
    Jay had already spun a few ideas around. “Such as we need to be ready if Jess gets to speak to us. If I’m right and someone is using us to use her, then she’ll demand to talk to one of us or all of us. If that happens we need to come up with clues. A way—or ways—for her to figure out either where we are or who has us.”
    “We don’t know either of those things,” Terry pointed out.
    “Yet,” Jay said. “We don’t yet, but maybe we will in time, before we talk to her.”
    “ If we talk to her,” Danny added from his spot along the wall. He sat up and stretched as his brother and mother had. “And that’s a big if.”
    Jay nodded. “Yes, but like I said, we have to be prepared for anything.” He paused a moment as he looked around the room. “So what did we see coming into this place?” he asked.
    Danny shrugged. “Other houses, hills.”
    “I saw the pier,” Eric said. “You know, the top of the Ferris wheel.”
    “Yeah, I did too,” Jay said, nodding again. “If we can come up with something obscure…something that won’t give us away or get Jess in trouble, maybe we can give her enough clues to at least get the vicinity of where we are. If she has the vicinity and knows who’s behind this, even if we don’t, she’ll be able get reinforcements and get us out of here.”
    “Whoever did this is sure determined,” Terry chimed in. “They were ready with the man power and transportation