179 - Rolling in The Deep

Ari’s feet were cemented to where she stood, watching, as Josie Johnson spewed her litany of filth with images of all of them, both past and present, flashing across the screen. This woman had always been a royal pain in the ass over the years where Jon was concerned, but more so recently since they’d gotten married. And who was this source she claimed to have? Not from anyone in the inner circle, that’s for sure. Jon would have their asses. Even her photos, she had a few that were very personal. She’d have to have her minions hiding in every nook and cranny, which wouldn’t surprise Ari. She’d had one of Ari walking around Red Bank from a few months back. Now that she thought about it, she remembered that day feeling as if someone was watching as she shopped. 

 

“Ari. We should get back and let the guys know about this.” The comforting touch of Desiree’s hand on her shoulder brought her back to the now.  

 

“Huh. Oh yeah, right?” Seeing her family splattered across the big screen television was not what they needed right now, or ever. With the kids here, as well as Dorothea, Ariana shuddered at how crazy things were about to get. Jon was going to blow a gasket.

 

“Whatcha fall in or somet….” Jon’s joke fell short when he saw the look of horror in his wife’s eyes. “What happen?” He jolted up in his seat and took her hand. From his calm demeanor, it was obvious he did not know what she had just witnessed. 

 

“We have a really big problem. You need to call Ken, now.”  

 

“What’s going on?” Matt asked Desiree.

 

Hands still joined, Ari, and Jon sat back down. She was about to explain, but Jon’s phone buzzed on the table between them. Looking at the caller ID, she picked it up and handed it to. 
“You need to take this.”

 

Watching as Jon’s eyes went from concern to disgust, she just clung to his hand. It was evident that Ken had caught wind of what was going down. On the other side of the table, Desiree filled Matt in, who quickly called Cliff to alert him. Trying to stay focused on what Jon was saying, she could hear Matt telling Cliff he wanted him to get the kids and bring them to his parents’ room and discreetly tell them what was going on, then he wanted Hank put outside the suite door. They were to stay put until they got back. Once all that was done, he wanted Cliff to get over to Waxy’s ASAP to help assist him with getting Jon and Ari back to the hotel. Next, he called his sister-in-law. No doubt she would not be happy and he thought it best he talk to her right now instead of his brother.

 

“Fix it. NOW!” Jon shouted before disconnecting his call and tossing his phone across the table.

 

“What did he say?” Ari asked.

 

“Not a whole lot. Usually he has a heads up when things like this are about to happen, not this time. He’s trying to get a link as it hasn’t hit YouTube yet.” Abruptly pushing back his chair, Jon stood. “We need to get out of here.”  

 

“Sit.” Matt ordered. “We ain’t going anywhere till Cliff gets here with backup.”

 

“Don’t start. I’m not interested in being a sitting duck. Did you even go check outside?”

 

Standing, Matt towered over his brother. “I was just about to do that, Detective Dickhead. Now park your ass till I get back.” Matt waited till Jon settled back into his seat. “Try and behave while I’m gone. I let the manager know to close off this room,”  

 

Dismissing his brother’s talking, Jon turned back to Ari. “Tell me exactly what you saw.” Jon requested.

 

“She knows it all, or claims to. She knew about my father and who he worked for. Knows we met in 84’ when I worked my first job. Claims, that’s when we started our relationship. Said she has a reliable source.” Ari laid her hand on his twitching leg to try to calm him. “Jon, she also has photos of Dorothea with someone and some with the kids.”

 

“This is bullshit.” This time, when he pushed back his chair, it tumbled to Matt’s feet as he approached.

 

“Whoa, Dr. Jekyll, chill.” He righted the chair. “Cliff and Vince are outside. There are a couple of camera crews. No sign of blondie. Thank God. I took care of the check already. Do you think you can walk out of here like nothing’s happening?”

 

“Let’s go.” Jon barked.

 

Abruptly turning on his heels, Ari caught his wrist. “Jon, it will not help if you go out there like a loaded pistol. For all they know, we know nothing. Let’s walk out the way we came in, laughing.”

 

“She’s right.” Matt said. 

 

“Fine.” Jon grunted, hooking Ari’s arm through his.

 

♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱

 

They left the restaurant with nothing more than a few hacked questions from the waiting press. The hotel, well, that was another story. By the time they arrived, there were more than few news crews waiting outside the entrance. Matt had to be let out a block away to go talk to hotel security about using an employee entrance. 

 

Once they were safely inside their suite, Jon’s happy face disappeared and the slow fire that burned within him erupted. Orders were barked in every direction and demands flew to Jeanie and Paul, who were already there when they arrived. Those in the immediate circle that needed to be made aware of what was going on were, as well as those who needed to be reminded of the confidentiality agreement they signed. Ari was able to put together that the man in the photos with Dorothea was none other than her first boyfriend, Bobby. Very familiar with that history, Ari seemed more concerned with Jon’s reaction to that than their past being out in the open. His phone never leaving his hand, Jon yelled across the room as images of Jake and him talking with Bobby on the streets of New York were flashed across the screen.

 

“Where the fuck is Dorothea?”  

 

“She’s on her way.” Pulling her phone away from her ear, Jeanie answered.

 

Giving him that look she'd given him a hundred times over the years, Jon told whoever it was he was talking to this time that he needed to call them back and walked over to her. 

 

“What?”  

 

Not reacting to his demanding tone, she took his hand and led him to the master suite. Once in the privacy of their room, she closed the door behind them and cupped his face in her hands. 

 

“All this smoke coming from your ears is not good. You need to breathe.”  

 

Flailing his arms up, he inadvertently knocked away her hands and began his pacing again.  

 

“Breathe. You want me to fucking breathe, when I have to learn from this cunt that my bitch of an ex-wife is whoring around with no other than a blast from the past.” His voice grew louder as he dragged his fingers through his hair and locked them at the top of his head. “or that our history and past, one that you wanted so much to keep out of the press, is out there for all the world to see.” Stopping short of the foot of the bed, he turned, his blue eyes gleaming with anger and betrayal, met emerald one. 

 

“Tell me, how is it you’re so calm?” 

 

“Because, for the first time, I don’t care.”

 

“You. Don’t. Care.” Yelling, he stalked toward her, backing her flush against the wall, so close that she could hear his heart pounding in tandem with the straining vein that bulged from the side of his neck. “You don’t care?” With force, he slammed his fist into the wall at the side of her head. An action that would scare most, but not her. She knew he would never hurt her. His yelling and screaming were his way of processing and if there had been something close by to throw, he would have.

 

“It’s not about me or my feelings anymore. It’s about my family and I’m more concerned about the kids,” Ari stopped until she saw a glimmer of his anguish start to dissipate, “and what this is doing to you.” 

 

Inhaling a deep breath, his fingers skimmed along her cheek and threaded into her hair. “I don’t deserve you.” 

 

“Shh.” she whispered, forcing him to keep eye contact. “We will get through this. Together."