This is my J&C adaptation of Susan Sizemore’s novel, "His Last Best Hope"

At first, Chloe tried to stay on her side of the rear seat of the jeep. But the horrendous condition of Montserrat’s roads kept making the jeep lurch, throwing her against Jax despite her best intentions. Finally, when he raised an arm and curled it possessively around her shoulders, Chloe gave in to fate and rested her her head against the virile, warm contours of Jax’s muscular chest.

"So……" One blonde eyebrow rose slightly when he felt Chloe’s head against him. He had to keep pretending that this was a normal occurrence – that she would want to snuggle against him. In reality, the feel of her soft, rounded body bouncing against his had nearly prompted a response in Jax that Jason would have noticed in a heartbeat.

He took a shaky breath and directed his comment to Jason, who rode in the front seat of the jeep. "……you’ve been to Cassidine’s estate before?"

"La Estrella del Mar?" Jason cocked his head so that he could keep one eye on the road before them and yet avoid being rude. "I’ve been here once – with Sonny."

"The Star of the Ocean, huh?" Jax snorted sarcastically. "Does Cassidine think he’s got the monopoly down here on warm breezes and tropical sunsets?"

"He’s got it on just about everything else." Jason shrugged. "Stefan Cassidine’s a brilliant businessman. This place provides him with a legitimate front while he conducts the business that *really* brings in the money in the back room." Jason looked out the window of the jeep towards the lush green landscape. "Sonny’s people in New York tell me that this place is one of the hottest honeymoon resorts in the Caribbean."

"Honeymoons, huh?" Jax’s eyes narrowed as the driver slowed. "I guess it’s romantic enough – if you can ignore the guards with automatic weapons posted at the entrance to the hot tubs."

All conversation in the jeep ceased as the driver made a sharp right turn. The ride became much smoother, the result of finely ground white rock paving their way instead of Mother Earth. Chloe couldn’t resist the urge to snuggle against Jax. She was beginning to forget how it felt to sleep any other way than in his arms. Although it was ludicrous, she actually felt safer there than she did in Ned’s maximum security, high-priced Manhattan penthouse.

The jeep slowed when huge black wrought iron black gates appeared before them. Jax wondered if they would be allowed to pass, particularly since Cassidine hadn’t been expecting Jason, his driver, or a woman accompanying Pantera for this meeting. But the gates swung open as if by magic, and the driver down-shifted the jeep to a stop near a small sentry shack just inside the gates.

Chloe couldn’t understand a word of the rapid-fire Spanish that flew between the guard and Jason. But she didn’t really care. She was too busy admiring the magnificent foliage that flourished around them. Although they were in the middle of Montserrat’s jungle, it was obvious that professional gardeners had their jobs cut out for them in keeping the grounds well-manicured.

It only took a few minutes and a few terse commands from Jason before the jeep started forward again. The air was redolent with the heady perfume from hibiscus trees that grew on each side of the road. Vines twined above the road on either side with vivid pink and yellow blossoms. As they rounded a bend, Chloe distinctly heard the happy laughter of fellow human beings, and when they came to the top of the hill, she caught her breath.

{La Estrella Del Mar must have been built by one of those people who design thrill rides for amusement parks – a slow build to a peak, then you’re suspended at the magnificent crest, then you swoosh down and start back up again towards another peak.} As the jeep sat perched at the pinnacle of the hill, Chloe peered over the side on the right. A vast panorama of endless green paddock stretched as far as she could see. People on horseback dotted the landscape, and she could hear their happy laughter floating up on the gentle breezes to where they sat. Glancing towards the left, she saw an Olympic-size swimming pool, the aqua water shimmering in the afternoon sun. Brightly-colored beach balls hovered above the pool while broad-shouldered men and scantily-clad women frolicked in the water.

While Chloe was admiring the tourist delights, Jax silently was memorizing the tactical layout of Stefan’s stronghold. He knew without being told that the wrought-iron fence surrounding La Estrella was probably fortified by at least 30,000 volts. While the natives of Montserrat struggled to put food on the table, Jax noticed that Stefan’s guards at the security shack had the latest state-of-the-art monitoring devices, including closed-circuit televisions. As they passed the obligatory swimming pool and stables, Jax noted a network of small white bungalows that were obviously accommodations for visitors. Once they were inside the gates, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to follow the single winding road. After bottoming out from the previous rise, it started another steep incline and by the time the jeep reached the top, Jax’s ears were ready to pop.

He heard Chloe’s soft gasp at the sight before them. The road led to a large white villa that was completely overhung with flowering vines. It almost reminded her of a plantation of the old South – a porch completely circled the house on all sides on the first floor, and small balconies were visible at regular intervals on the second floor. The house itself sat precariously perched on the edge of the water. Only a thin strip of white sand beach separated it from the warm waters of the ocean. In fact, Chloe was afraid that if the jeep’s driver didn’t keep his foot on the brake as he approached the villa, gravity would pull them headlong into the water.

Apparently the driver had been to the resort before, because the jeep arrived at the front entry of the villa without incident. Jax looked around the empty circular driveway and arched an eyebrow at Jason. "No welcoming committee?" He stretched his arms in front of him and Chloe reluctantly sat up straight in the jeep. "Doesn’t somebody come out to get our luggage?"

"They would – if you had any," Jason answered dryly. He got out of the front seat of the jeep and surveyed the small cul-de-sac warily. "You can bet your last peso that five seconds after we left that sentry house, a detailed report on the three of us was spitting out of Cassidine’s printer somewhere in there." He cocked his head towards the villa. "*Including* the fact that none of us had luggage and that you two looked like drowned rats."

Jax felt Chloe bristle. He placed his hand high on her thigh, tightening it ever so slightly – a movement that would appear loverlike, yet a signal that she should keep her mouth shut if she knew what was good for her. "I told you that we should have gone back to Leanita’s to get cleaned up." Jax’s statement to Jason had just the slightest biting sarcastic edge. "*You* were the one who insisted that Stefan wouldn’t mind our……." He leaned down and nuzzled Chloe’s hair. "……aromas."

Jason collapsed the front passenger seat so that Chloe could climb out of the jeep. He took her hand as she did, a fact that she was grateful for since her legs were cramping after the long ride. She had barely set both feet on the ground when Jax jumped out behind her, spooning her protectively with his body.

"I imagine metal detectors would give the honeymooners a bad first impression." Jax narrowed one eye as he stared at the front door of the villa. "Will someone be frisking me for concealed weapons?"

"Would it make a difference?" Jason’s sideward glance was pointed.

"Of course it would." Jax rotated his shoulders and ran his hand through his hair. "The last thing I would want to do is cause some kind of disturbance here in paradise."

"Yeah – right. You’re such a quiet, laid-back kind of guy." Jason’s eyes flickered briefly to Jax’s shoulder holster and then down towards the knife that was once again securely strapped to his inner calf. He cleared his throat and extended his hand towards the villa. "Shall we? No point in standing in the hot sun when we can be inside where it’s cool."

The pressure of Jax’s hand on the small of her back propelled Chloe forward. It was all still like a dream – she kept expecting to wake up. But she had been dreaming this same nightmare now for over 48 hours, and the likelihood that she would blink her eyes and be back in New York seemed less and less.

They made their way into the cool front foyer of the villa and were greeted by a houseman clad in a white cotton jacket and trousers. "Mr. Cassidine has been expecting you, Pantera." He bowed at the waist and then turned to Jason. "Mr. Corinthos is not with you? You are here alone?"

"Mr. Corinthos was…….unavoidably detained," Jason informed him.

"And Faison?"

"Sonny hasn’t heard from Faison in days. Last I heard, he was scheduled to show up here for a meeting with Mr. Cassidine yesterday."

Jax prayed that the houseman hadn’t heard Chloe’s sharp intake of breath. He had been standing next to her, his arm looped loosely around her waist. When Jason mentioned Faison’s name, her entire body tensed.

"No matter." The houseman’s fluster vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He bowed again and extended his arm to the right. "If you will follow me to the library……."

Jax kept a firm arm around Chloe’s waist as the threesome made their way through the quiet hallway. An occasional splash or happy shout from the pool area failed to lighten Jax’s mood. He caught Chloe furtively searching every corner and cranny for a glimpse of the man who murdered her aunt and uncle.

The houseman opened a set of highly-polished, wooden, double doors that led to a room paneled in oak. As soon as Chloe stepped inside, soft breezes from the several overhead fans caressed her skin. The walls were covered with shelf after shelf of books, some of them obviously first editions. Lush green spider plants hung from several macramé planters throughout the room. When the houseman crossed the room to open a set of French doors that led onto a private balcony, Chloe followed him as though drawn by a magnet.

Jax followed her, passing the bowing houseman, who discreetly excused himself with a promise that Mr. Cassidine would join them momentarily. He found Chloe leaning against the balcony railing, gazing out at the beautiful ocean view. When he came up behind her, pressing against her as he paralleled her stance and gripped the balcony, she tipped her head back and looked at him over her shoulder. "Is that your hidden weapon, Pantera," she whispered coyly, "or are you just really glad to see me?"

Jax arched one eyebrow at her. "You’re playing with fire, Chloe."

"Flirting with you?" Her eyes widened as she feigned innocence.

"Flirting with *danger*."

"Hmm…….danger? You? Isn’t that the same thing?" When Jax pressed more firmly against her, his thickening manhood nestling against her soft, rounded derriere, she caught her breath. "Yes – I think I’m right," she added in a husky voice.

Jax took her by the shoulders and turned her around so that she was forced to look him in the eye. "This *revenge* game that you’re playing, Chloe."

"Revenge? I have no idea what you’re talking about." Chloe continued to grip the balcony railing behind her – a posture which unfortunately only brought her flushed, aching breasts into fuller contact with the rippling muscular plane of Jax’s chest.

Jax chuckled softly and traced a finger down her jawline. "You’d be bloody awful at undercover ops, wapa," he murmured. "You’ve been looking around here for a sign of Faison ever since we left the lobby. Although God knows what you’d do if you ever found him," Jax added with a sarcastic sigh. "Probably *talk* the man to death."

"Well, somebody has to do something about him!" Chloe lowered her voice even further when Jax’s hand slid beneath her hair and gripped the back of her neck tightly. "The man killed my only living relatives and got away scot free!"

"I’ll handle Faison when the time is right, Chloe." Jax’s fingers dropped and he gently massaged the nape of her neck.

"And when is the time *right*, Jax? When your precious mission is….."

She never finished her sentence. Jax’s lips descended towards hers with lightning speed. Chloe hated the small moan of pleasure that came involuntarily from the back of her throat when Jax’s tongue made a searching sweep of her mouth. She silently cursed herself when her body melted against his as all her bones seemed to turn to liquid at his sweet invasion.

Jax broke the kiss and cupped her face in his hands. "Don’t EVER say my name again as long as we’re here, Chloe." He stared deeply into her passion-dazed eyes. "Do you understand?"

She licked her trembling lips. When she heard Jax take a quick, sharp breath, it pleased her immensely to think he had been as affected by the kiss as she had. "I’m sorry…….."

"Men in Cassidine’s league play for keeps, Chloe. One slip of the tongue – one false move – and we’re both dead." Jax felt the slight nod of her head in understanding. "Faison and Sonny are like Mr. Rogers and Captain Kangaroo compared to Stefan Cassidine." His thumb strayed from her jaw-line to rub across her lips. "Until we leave Estrella del Mar, you’re my woman. You don’t do anything – you don’t say anything – unless I tell you to. Our lives depend on it." Her feminist streak showed itself when her eyes flared at his words, but he kept a firm grip on her face. "Do you understand?"

"You’re a disgusting chauvinist pig…….." Chloe’s voice was low and throaty. Then she smiled and brought her hands around, running them across his chest – but not before lightly brushing his swollen desire for her enroute. "…….Pantera," she finished, threading her fingers into his blonde locks and pulling his face to her to reclaim his inviting lips.

"Good afternoon!" The sound of a rich baritone voice behind them broke Jax and Chloe apart like a shower of icy water. "I apologize for my unforgivable tardiness." A tall, broad-chested, sandy-haired man smiled genially and extended his hand towards Jax. "Pantera, I assume?"

Chloe was surprised when Jax drew her to his side and then approached the man. "Mr. Cassidine – we meet at last." He kept his left arm securely wound around her waist while extending his right hand towards Stefan.

She almost expected Stefan to have a broad-brimmed white hat and a foul-smelling cigar dangling out of the side of his mouth. The man who was shaking Jax’s hand was the very embodiment of a gentleman of the old South – from his white linen trousers and vest to his navy-blue-and-white striped dress shirt to his dark navy tie.

"Pantera!" Stefan boomed Jax’s name again and shook his hand firmly. "Welcome to La Estrella del Mar!" Then he let go of Jax’s hand and turned towards Chloe, his eyes widening in obviously hormonal appreciation. "But I think that perhaps my humble home is put to shame by the beautiful star that you have at your side……" He took Chloe’s hand and bowed formally, placing a kiss on the back. The tickling feeling his whiskers made on her skin prompted Chloe to smile. "Encantado, hermosa mysteriosa……"

"She’s Pantera’s woman." The sound of Jason’s voice from the other side of the library caused Stefan to raise his head. He dropped her hand and turned to stare in surprise as Jason strolled out of the shadows. "We meet again, Senor Cassidine."

Stefan arched one eyebrow suspiciously at the younger man. "Sooner than I expected, Jason." His eyes darted around the library. "Where is Sonny?"

"He was …… indisposed……this afternoon," Jason replied with a diplomatic pause. "I came in his place."

"You mean he was drunk again." Stefan’s words were clipped, his stance coldly clinical as he straightened and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Sonny is still having difficulties coping with Vincent’s death." Jason’s voice was flat but firm – making no judgements but still defending his superior. "We all cope in different ways."

"Vincent died a long time ago. It is time for Sonny to move on." Stefan strolled briskly towards a desk near the center of the library. "His method of "coping," as you put it, is having a detrimental effect on his business – and therefore *my* business."

"Which is why I’m here in his place, Cassidine." Jason stared fearlessly into Stefan’s unfeeling eyes. "Sonny won’t drop the ball when it comes to any business deals involving you." His eyes narrowed fiercely. "I’ll make *sure* that he doesn’t."

Stefan sank into his desk chair, never breaking eye contact with Jason. He propped an elbow on the arm of the chair and stroked his moustache thoughtfully for a few minutes. "I believe you will, Jason." He nodded. "Perhaps it is time that you and I sat down privately and discussed how business is run on this island."

"I look forward to it." Although Jason’s voice was still calm, Jax noticed the charge of satisfaction that seemed to run through his body.

"Soooo……." Stefan rubbed his hands together briskly and shifted his attention back to Jax and Chloe. "Once again I have been a most discourteous host." He gestured towards a grouping of chairs and a settee in front of the desk. "Please, Pantera……..make yourself comfortable."

Jason picked up on the invitation and moved towards a straight-backed antique chair while Jax maneuvered Chloe towards the small couch. They sat as a unit, with her still glued against him. Stefan leaned back in his desk chair, his elbows propped on the arms, his fingers making a steeple against his smiling lips as he observed them. "So, my dear, I don’t believe I’ve seen you on the island before. Are you one of Leanita’s new employees?"

Jax could have screamed in exasperation. Stefan was obviously toying with them – putting them under a microscope like lab animals, watching how they would react to various stimuli. When he implied that Chloe was a paid companion, Jax felt her entire body stiffen with barely-controlled rage.

"I met Chloe several days ago – before the storm rolled in." Jax’s firm hand at Chloe’s waist kept her silent while he answered the questions for her.

"Ahhhh, Chloe……." Stefan’s eyes twinkled appreciation for the female form. "A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

"Either you are a *true* gentleman or you’ve been out in this tropical sun too long without a hat, Senor Cassidine." Jax could have strangled her when the words tumbled out of Chloe’s mouth. She combed her fingers through her knotted blonde locks self-consciously. "After being out in the storm this morning, I *know* I look like a fright."

"Pantera and his woman actually survived two storms this morning." Jason’s unsolicited comment came as a surprise to everyone in the room. "One courtesy of Mother Nature, and one courtesy of Sonny Corinthos."

"Sonny caused a problem for Pantera?" Stefan arched an eyebrow and sat forward, folding his hands on the desk.

"I hardly think Senor Cassidine is interested in our little meeting with Sonny this morning, Jason," Jax growled. He tried to keep the tone light, but his impatience to get on with the mission was growing by leaps and bounds.

"On the contrary, Pantera." Stefan smiled serenely. "This is MY island. Everything that goes on here is of interest to me."

"It was nothing, really." Jax spoke up before Jason could interrupt and delay matters even further. "Sonny still holds me responsible for Vincent’s death." Jax shrugged nonchalantly. "Now he knows he was wrong."

"A mere squabble between two business associates? An opportunity to vent some testosterone over a misunderstanding?" Stefan stared daggers at Jax but his smile never cracked. "I think not."

"It started that way." Jason’s intrusions were becoming more and more annoying to Jax. Why did the man feel the need to become Montserrat’s version of Dan Rather, when he usually spoke less than ten words in an entire day?

"Sonny wanted revenge for Pantera’s alleged part in Vincent’s death. When Pantera refused to fight him, Sonny tried to take Chloe away from him," Jason added. He shifted uncomfortably in the straight-backed chair but smiled proudly at Jax.

Stefan arched an eyebrow, glancing back at Chloe. "Very interesting," he purred. "Obviously the beautiful Chloe chose wisely between her two suitors."

"Actually, Pantera fought for me!" The death grip Jax applied to Chloe’s waist failed to stifle her soft laugh. "It was like something out of an old romance novel – the way they dueled over me."

"Which obviously explains Pantera’s split lip, which I have delicately refrained from asking about until now!" Stefan’s booming laugh echoed in the quiet room. After the laughter died down, he nodded towards Jax and narrowed one eye critically. "A man who is not afraid to die protecting what is his – valor and tenacity rolled into one. Your reputation is well-deserved, Pantera!"

"Muchas gracias, senor Cassidine." Jax silently tipped his head to the side at the compliments. "De nada," he added modestly.

"Ahhh, but I disagree!" Stefan rose from his desk and went to a sideboard. He poured tall glasses of something that looked like lemonade and then walked over to offer them to Chloe first, and then Jax. "You and your woman have been through an ordeal in the last few days – first a fierce storm nearly wipes out your shipment and crew, and now this undeserved interference from Corinthos……"

Jax accepted the lemonade. "You knew about the storm?"

Stefan nodded. He had returned to pour a glass for Jason and himself. "Faison told us of the storm. He was here just yesterday to explain that he unfortunately lost much of his cargo and even a few crewmen to the howling winds."

Jax fought the urge to laugh in Stefan’s face. {So *that’s* how he planned to explain the shortages – he cheats Cassidine out of part of his shipment, sells it to buyers of his own, and then tells the man some sob story about losing the merchandise to a storm. A neat excuse for thievery as well as a cover for the men he lost when we battled on the Morgana.} Meanwhile, he kept a firm grip on Chloe’s shoulder with his free hand. He felt her body tense at the mention of Faison’s name and didn’t want her to blurt out something that would get them killed or blow his cover.

"Faison was here yesterday?" Jason asked the question that was on Jax and Chloe’s mind. "Is he still around?"

Stefan took a sip of lemonade. "No. He’s gone to PointaVerde on an errand for me."

Jax felt Chloe’s shoulders slump in disappointment. He hoped she could keep up a brave front just a little longer – just until he could think of a way to get her out of Estrella del Mar and back to the shelter in town.

"That’s a shame." Jason stared into his lemonade thoughtfully. "I thought I might manage to meet with him while I was here."

Stefan shook his head. "Perhaps next time, my friend."

"Yes, well……" Jax sat forward, finally letting go of a somewhat dazed Chloe. "In the meantime, senor Cassidine, *we* have some important business to discuss."

"First things first, Pantera!" Stefan’s eyes twinkled as he set his lemonade down on the desk and went around the back to pick up a telephone. He murmured some rapid Spanish into the receiver and then hung up with a broad smile. "As I was saying earlier, amigo, you exhibited true chivalry this morning in putting your life on the life for your fair maiden!"

Chloe chuckled sarcastically. "I don’t think I’d exactly qualify as "fair," Mr. Cassidine." She held out a knotted strand of her hair. "Not after being caught in that downpour this morning."

"My point exactly! You two are well overdue for some pampering, and pampering is what we do *best* here at Estrella del Mar!"

"Exactly what are you getting at, senor Cassadine?" Jax got a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Stefan, please!" He waved his hand at several uniformed resort employees who had appeared at the door of the library. "If you and your woman are to be my guests here for the next few days, we should be on a first name basis! Do you not agree?"

"A few days?" Jax rose to his feet, thunderclouds forming in his expression. "Our business should only take a few *hours*!"

Despite his apparently affable mood, when Chloe caught sight of the men at the library door, a chill ran down her spine. She rose to cling to Jax’s arm, a fact that did not go un-noticed as he wrapped an arm around her waist for reassurance.

"And we will get to that business eventually, Pantera," Stefan replied insistently. "But in the meantime, I insist that you and your woman be my guests here at the resort!"

"A hot bath would be nice……" Chloe’s soft interjection almost drew a growl from Jax.

"A hot bath!" Stefan laughed heartily and came around to take her hands in his. "You are truly a treasure, dear lady!" He beamed at both Jax and Chloe. "What I had in mind was a shopping spree in the resort’s boutiques for both of you, a complete treatment in the spa for the lady fair, and then several nights in one of our deluxe bungalows! All courtesy of the house, of course!" he added with a wink.

{Clean, dry clothes……sauna and whirlpool to ease my aching muscles……..moonlit nights alone with Chloe in our own little honeymoon resort paradise……awwwww, geez…….if we just had been ten minutes earlier this morning! Chloe would have been at that shelter, maybe even on her way back to the States, and I would have been in and out of here with the name I needed…….what did I ever do to deserve this??!!}

"Ohhh, senor Cassidine……" Chloe’s soft exclamation brought Jax out of his fog of regret.

"I told you, my dear…..it’s Stefan!" He put one arm around Chloe’s shoulders and one around Jax’s, turning them towards the resort employees who stood waiting at the double doors to the study. "Now, while I discuss some other island business with Jason here, I want the two of you to go with these nice men!"

Jax opened his mouth to object once again but Chloe pressed her flat hand against his chest. "Pleeeease, Pantera?" she purred, batting her lowered eyelashes sexily. "It’s been so long since we had some time *alone* together!"

The phone on Stefan’s desk rang just as Jax prepared to wring Chloe’s neck. "Por favor……" Stefan held up one finger and then strode back to answer the phone. As he growled several curt orders into the receiver, Chloe pulled Jax close enough that only he could hear her.

"It’s a test, Jax! If we don’t stay and accept his hospitality, he’ll think something’s up!"

Jax’s eyes flared slightly in understanding. "Like a recruiter – who wants to see how a potential soldier will function under pressure."

"Exactly!"

The sound of Stefan hanging up the phone halted their discussion. He walked back towards them, rubbing his hands in glee as he did. "So! Things are all set for the both of you in our Presidential bungalow." He pushed them towards the resort personnel with a broad grin. "My men will take you to the boutique where Senor Gutierrez will personally help the both of you select an entirely new wardrobe, courtesy of the resort!"

"You are too kind, sen……..Stefan." Jax corrected himself with a grim smile.

"Nonsense!! It is my pleasure!" He remained in the doorway as the employees led Jax and Chloe away. "And once again – Bienvenidos a la Estrella del Mar!!"

To be continued……..