"There it is, Jax," James shouted, leaning over Jax’s shoulder to point to a large clearing on the parking lot of the junior college. "That must be the area that they set up for you to land. Can you set it down there?"

Jax turned slightly to the side to speak towards James. Between the noise that the helicopter rotors were making and the noise that Jo was making, Jax was considering borrowing Paul’s earplugs for this portion of the trip. "No problem. Everyone OK back there?"

James cast a glance over his shoulder. Jaz was sleeping peacefully in his car/helicopter-seat. Jo was sitting at a fold-down table, playing Candyland with Brenda, Paul, and Angie. He smiled at Jo’s gleeful shout of victory. "They’re fine, Jax," he shouted back. "I think Jo just sent poor Paul back to the Molasses Swamp again." He shook his head. "Paul may never be the same after this assignment."

"I may never be the same after this trip, either," Jax joked. He looked down at the parking lot below him and spotted Kimberly’s 1998 Thunderbird coupe. He had spoken with her once prior to the news magazine show, and then again during the taping of the show she was always not far from his side. But he hadn’t really faced her private wrath for canceling the speaking date in Port Charles, and although he knew he did the right thing, it still wouldn’t help the tongue-lashing he knew she would dish out.

Jax cast a glance back at his family. The trip to Manhattan had been a rousing success. Jo and Jaz had been suitably impressed with the toy department at Macy’s, and then Jax had thrilled them with a trip to FAO Schwartz to see another of Santa’s helpers. Brenda had to do some fast thinking to explain the existence of another Santa, but Jo had seemed satisfied with her quick story. While Angie and James stayed with the children in the evenings, Paul accompanied Jax and Brenda to several Broadway shows, including revivals of "Oklahoma" and "West Side Story." Paul was quickly learning to keep a discrete distance when Jax and Brenda started feeling romantic.

"OK, troops," Jax called, "we’re just about ready to set the falcon down. Everyone buckled up?"

"Ready, daddy! I just won the game!" Jo squealed, and although she woke her brother up, he smiled happily and waved his arms and legs. The highlight of the trip so far had been when Jaz took his first steps in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel. One moment, Jax let go of his hand to point something out to Jo. The next moment, Jaz started walking away from his father, calmly exploring on his own. In fact, the entire family was so unprepared for his accomplishment that it was James who finally wrestled the toddler to the ground several feet away from the rest of the group.

"Sounds like a Jacks already!" Jax replied with a smile at his daughter’s victory. "Here we go." Casting one more glance back to make sure James was buckled in, he banked the helicopter gently to the left and began to drift downwards towards the roped off area.

With a soft thump, the runners of the helicopter touched the ground. Jo was already struggling to unbuckle her seatbelt when Jax looked back at her sternly. "Young lady, what do I always tell you about getting out of your seat in the helicopter?"

Jo froze in place, her eyes wide at her father’s tone. "I’m sorry, daddy. I’m supposed to wait till you tell us that the motor is off."

Jax nodded. He turned back to the control panel and flipped some switches. The whine made by the rotors began to lessen noticeably, and Jax turned back to his daughter, who was already pouting to a degree that she would have made Brenda look like a beginner. "All right, Miss Jacks," Jax said as he unbuckled his own seat belt. "We’re clear and down. Everyone can unbuckle."

As Brenda reached over to help Jo with her seatbelt, Jax went back to where his son was gurgling happily. "OK, Jaz-man. Your turn to have some freedom." He lifted Jaz high in the air, and then cradled him in the crook of his arm as the rest of the entourage prepared to disembark the helicopter.

Jax pushed the hatch open and James hopped down first to help the ladies get out of the helicopter gracefully. Jax still was holding Jaz as he hopped down to the pavement. Angie held Jo’s hand, and Brenda extended her arms to her husband. "Why don’t you let me take the baby, Jax? I’m sure Kimberly will want to talk to you before you make your speech."

Jax shook his head but handed over his son. "I think I would rather have the bouncing billiard ball drool on me than face her, but you’re right," he said bitterly. As he turned to glance towards the doors to the auditorium, he saw Kimberly waiting there, her arms crossed against her overflowing chest, tapping her foot in annoyance.

As the group began to make their way towards the doors of the auditorium, Jaz began to wail in Brenda’s arms, grunting and pointing towards Jax. He was getting louder and began throwing himself towards his father, and Jax finally turned around. "Not happy, huh, kid? Well, let’s see what we can do about that." He smiled at Brenda and took Jaz out of her arms. Jax looked him in the eye for a few seconds and then shifted his namesake down so that his feet finally made contact with solid ground.

The toddler wobbled for a split second, swaying in the direction he wanted to walk, but with feet that seemed glued to the pavement. Jax finally leaned over and extended the first finger of his right hand to Jaz. The baby happily grabbed it and began walking next to his father towards the doors of the auditorium. Jax slowed his long strides to keep up with his newly adventurous son.

Angie and Jo caught up to Brenda. "Mommy, why is Jaz still holding daddy’s hand? I thought he could walk all by his own self now."

Brenda smiled down at her daughter, who was trying as hard as she could not to be jealous of all the attention that was paid to her baby brother’s first steps. "Well, Jo, it’s kind of like when you decided to go down the big slide at the playground for the first time. Do you remember that?" Jo nodded. "Just like you wanted mommy to be waiting for you at the bottom. Jaz is probably still just a little scared he’s going to fall down, but if just holds onto daddy’s finger, it makes him feel better." Jo looked satisfied, and Jax and his son made quite a picture as they walked up to the double doors.

Jax finally approached Kimberly just as she looked as though she were going to explode. Before he had a chance to speak, James caught up to him and tapped him on the shoulder from behind. "I’m going inside to do a quick security check and meet with local law enforcement. Paul will stay outside here with you and the kids." Jax nodded.

"Good afternoon, Jasper," Kimberly finally said coldly as James went inside. "I trust you and your family had an enjoyable time in Manhattan." She looked down at Jaz as though he were an alien life form, and the toddler chose that moment to lurch away from his father and grab her leg with both arms, knocking her slightly off balance.

"Whoa, there! Good afternoon to you too, Kimberly." Jax smiled down at Jaz. "Guess you’re a chip off the old block already, Jaz-man. Going for the ladies at this young age!"

Kimberly looked down at the baby with disdain but then looked back up into Jax’s gaze. "We really need to sit down privately for a few minutes to go over your strategy for this speech today, Jasper." She glanced back into the auditorium. "I think it’s a fairly friendly crowd, but we really haven’t had any time to prepare for this appearance."

Jax smiled. "Well, maybe a little change is just what this campaign needs! Maybe being UNprepared will be delightfully refreshing to the crowd!" Jaz continued to hold onto Kimberly’s leg like a large tree trunk as Angie, Brenda and Jo approached them. Jax turned when his wife put her arm around him possessively and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Hello, Kimberly," Brenda said sweetly. She looked up into Jax’s eyes. "I think Angie and I will go inside and find a place to sit."

"I don’t want you down in the audience," Jax objected. "I want you up on the stage with me."

"That will *never* do," Kimberly said acidly. "If the children have to sit with you on the stage, they’re bound to get bored and start roaming around." She glanced down at Jaz, who was still holding onto her leg and beginning to drool profusely on her Italian shoes. "The audience will focus on the children and not on you."

At that moment, James came up behind Kimberly. "I have to agree with Kimberly, Jax, but not for the same reasons." Kimberly heaved a sigh of relief. "With all of you up on the stage, it provides too tempting of a target for some kind of crackpot," he said quietly, watching Jo out of the corner of his eye. "I can be down in the front row with the family and Paul can be up on stage with you. It’ll be an easier scenario to defend."

Jax reluctantly nodded his agreement. Brenda rose on tiptoes and gave him a kiss that was just a touch short of scandalous, trailing one hand down his chest proprietarily. She smiled at Kimberly, giving her a definite "He’s mine!" look, and then took Jo’s hand. Just as she was going to reach down to retrieve Jasper, Jr., he decided that he hadn’t had quite enough to eat for lunch and that Kimberly’s leg looked like a giant biter biscuit.

"OUCH!" Kimberly’s stifled her shriek with the back of her hand, but as she looked down at him with venom, the baby just gave her a toothy, slobbery grin. "Has he had all of his shots?" Kimberly asked, delicately massaging the place on her shin that was turning a bright pink.

Jax leaned down and delicately touched the pink spot on Kimberly’s calf, then scooped Jaz into his arms. "He didn’t even make a hole in your hose, Kimberly," Jax soothed. "There’s no reason for you to worry about any kind of infection." He tried to look sternly at his son, but somehow couldn’t find the strength to scold him too soundly. "I guess we’ll have to have a little discussion when we get home about biting ladies on the leg, young man," he said, almost laughing when Jaz’s lower lip came out and began to quiver.

"Give him to me, honey," Brenda crooned, taking the baby from Jax as Angie took Jo’s hand. As she turned to leave, she made sure that her voice carried back to where Kimberly stood. "That’s right, Jaz. Your daddy will have to tell you to wait until you’re much older to bite ladies." She gave Jax a flirtatious look over her shoulder. "After all, he *is* an expert at that kind of thing!" Kimberly turned an even darker shade of annoyed red as Angie looked back over her shoulder at her.

"Oh, and V told me to say hi to you, K!" Angie called, and then turned to link arms with Brenda and march triumphantly into the auditorium. The women were seated in the front row, and about 15 minutes later, Jax and Kimberly took their places on the stage.

Jax was politely introduced by the mayor of Newburgh. He came to the podium and, after giving Brenda a reassuring grin, he began to give a speech that he had written several weeks before and presented to other groups. It basically outlined his plans for a development project on the docks that would bring new business into the Port Charles area while preserving the environment. He also detailed his platform on tax reform and wasteful governmental spending.

Just as he began to go into his thoughts on reforming campaign spending, a man in the sixth row got to his feet. "Why should I believe you?"

Jax’s eyes widened a little. "Excuse me, sir, but if you’ll just allow me to finish this point, I’d be happy to address any questions you might have." Brenda could feel James’ body tense next to her, and she caught sight of Paul moving closer to Jax on the stage out of the corner of her eye.

The burly, balding man refused to take his seat. "I said……why should I believe *any* of this cr*p you’re handing out today? Why should a guy who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth care about folks like me?"

Jax gripped the podium and Kimberly frowned and moved forward a little in her seat. "Although I may have come from a wealthy background, sir, I would remind you that I pay taxes just like you do. I don’t get a break on any of the prices at the grocery store. Government waste hurts my bank account as much as it hurts yours."

To Brenda’s surprise, a man on the other side of the auditorium rose and gestured wildly. "Yeah? Well, then why don’t we trade bank accounts for a few days? Then we’ll see how much it *really* hurts you!"

To Jax’s chagrin, there were several loud cheers from the rest of the assembled crowd. As Brenda swung around to face the stage, she could see Kimberly looking clearly distraught and rising from her chair. Jax put up his hands, trying to calm the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you will just let me finish, I will try to address any concerns you might have about my ability to represent *all* of my constituency."

Another woman rose in the back of the auditorium. "Yeah, right! You can represent me anytime, honey!" She assumed a suggestive pose, and as Kimberly moved to stand next to Jax, the mayor quickly came to the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Please! Can we have order so that Mr. Jacks can continue his speech?" The crowd quieted for a moment. "I’m sure that we don’t want to give Mr. Jacks the mistaken impression that the good people of Newburgh are less than polite to political candidates."

A new man rose on the left side of the room. "Yeah, mayor – we’re *real* nice and polite – when the candidates are serious about running for office and aren’t just some bored rich kid who sees a new toy he doesn’t have yet!"

Brenda shot a distraught look to James, who came down to crouch in front of her. "I don’t like the way things are looking here, Brenda. I want to take you and the children out of the hall – NOW!" He glanced up at Jax, who apparently had guessed his intentions and nodded quickly. As the noise level of the crowd grew in intensity, James gave Paul a private signal and pulled Brenda to her feet. As Angie rose and hoisted Jo into her arms, James grabbed Jaz from Brenda’s arms and cradled him to his chest, moving the small group into the aisle.

Although the crowd was noisy, James encountered no resistance as he led Brenda, Angie and the children out of the hall. "Everyone OK?" he asked quietly as they gathered in the lobby.

"Yeah -- what happened in there?" Brenda said, still shaking slightly.

James shook his head. "I’m not sure. I don’t think Jax has ever had this hostile of an audience." He went back to the doorway to the auditorium, and saw Paul bringing a disgruntled Jax and an almost tearful Kimberly up the aisle. As they came through the doors, James lifted his eyebrows in question to Jax.

"I’m not sure what’s happening either. Let’s just get the ....." He looked over at Jo and then pulled James closer to him. "Get Brenda and the kids out of here and into the chopper. I’m going to stick around for a few minutes to see if the mayor can quiet things down. But don’t frighten them, OK?"

James patted Jax on the arm. "I don’t think there’s anything frightening about what happened in there, Jax. Just the realities of political life sometimes," he said sadly. He went back over to Brenda, spotting that Angie had taken Jo and Jaz outside the doorway to get some fresh air. "Jax wants you all to go to the helicopter and wait for him. He thinks he might be able to finish the speech if the mayor can restore order." A low roar came from inside the auditorium and James shook his head. "I think he’ll be joining you shortly. I’ll be right behind you."

Brenda nodded and went outside to get Angie and go back to the chopper. As they walked across the parking lot, Jaz was still fussing to get down from Brenda’s arms. She gave Angie a pained look. "Jasper, Jr. is going to pitch a royal fit if he has to sit in that car seat for another few hours while we fly home."

Angie smiled sympathetically. "Why don’t you let me take him? I’ll let him walk around on the parking lot a little and stretch his legs while you take Jo and get her buckled in."

Brenda hugged Angie. "Thanks, you’re an angel." She set Jaz down on the parking lot and his little feet immediately began motoring away from them in the direction of open spaces.

"Hold on, you little hoodlum!" Angie called, racing after him.

As Brenda took Jo’s hand, she saw the confusion in her daughter’s eyes. "Why didn’t those people like daddy, mommy?"

She swung her daughter into her arms as she slowly walked back to the helicopter, noting with a glance behind her that Paul, James and Jax were now also headed towards the chopper. Kimberly was walking to her car like a hyperactive locomotive. "Well, munchkin, sometimes people just don’t think the same way that daddy thinks about things. But even if we disagree with the way somebody thinks, it’s never polite to shout or not let the other person talk. Those people were very impolite, do you understand that, Jo?" She nodded, and Brenda pulled open the door to the helicopter and gingerly got inside, lifting Jo in with her and then moving her towards her seat to buckle her in.

When they got to the chopper, Jax and Paul went around to his door and James shaded his eyes looking for Angie and Jaz. He put two fingers to his mouth to whistle to them, and motioned that they should join everyone to lift off. When he turned back to the chopper, Brenda was buckling into her seat in the front next to Jax. Jax was looking at the control panel in confusion. "What’s the matter?" James asked tensely.

"I’m not really sure," Jax replied. "Some of these settings just don’t look the same as when we landed, but maybe I was so intent on the speech that I’m remembering incorrectly."

"I trust your memory," James said in a cold, serious voice. When she heard it, Brenda turned to find his glance darting all over the chopper, finally narrowing on the roof of the cabin. As she started to speak to him, he held up one hand, and then turned very pale. "Paul," he hissed, "situation J red."

Brenda turned to Paul and saw his face go the same determined shade of pale. Paul glanced out towards the parking lot and when he spied Angie walking towards the chopper holding Jaz, he murmured, "I’ll take prince and Ang out of the equation." Before Brenda could ask, he was on a dead run towards Angie and Jaz, meeting them about 100 feet from the chopper and tackling her around the waist, pulling her in the opposite direction. Brenda saw Angie get a hysterical look on her face and hug Jaz closely to her as she allowed Paul to lead her away from the helipad.

"James, what’s....." As Brenda turned back to James, he put up his hand again and nodded towards Jo. Brenda reached out to take Jax’s hand, but at the same instant, James gripped her forearm like a vise.

"Jo!" he said loudly, "do you remember that game we played with Mr. Paul the other day? Freeze tag?"

"Yeah!" she replied exuberantly, finally glad someone was paying attention to her. "Can we play that when we get home?"

James tried to catch her bouncing legs in his hand. "Well, sweetie, I was thinking we could play that game right now, and get mommy and daddy to play it with us. I’ll be "it", and you have to freeze --- NOW!" James shot her a playful look, but then released a breath softly when Jo postured in place and smiled at him from her seat. "Now," he continued quietly to Jo, "I think I need to explain some of the rules to your mom and dad, so can you just stay frozen while I talk to them, OK? No cheating now!"

Jo blinked happily, and James moved closer to where Brenda and Jax sat immobile. "What’s the problem, James? Something having to do with movement, I take it," Jax said through gritted teeth.

James took a deep breath. "I can’t be sure, but there’s some kind of a container affixed to the ceiling of the cabin. It looks like it contains a yellow crystalline solution, but I don’t see a timer. From the placement, I’m guessing that it’s intended to respond to the vibrations from the rotors with a big boom."

Brenda whimpered, and James slowly moved his hand to cover hers. "You have to stay perfectly calm, Brenda. I’m going to get you all out of this, but you have to follow my instructions to the letter, and that means no movement at all." He glanced back towards Jo, who was still smiling happily. "Most of all, I don’t want to scare Jo. If she catches on, she’s likely to panic, or jump up and inadvertently set off the explosion. So for now -- we’re all playing a really exciting game of freeze tag."

Jax nodded ever so slightly at James. "So what’s the plan?"

"Paul has Angie and Jaz safely out of range. He’ll stay there with them and get in touch with the bomb squad." James looked Brenda in the eye. "I’m going to get Jo out first, then you and Jax. I need you two to help play along if needed. We need to keep Jo as quiet as possible."

"With Barrett blood in her veins, that won’t be easy," Jax quipped, and Brenda gave him a wan smile.

"OK, Jo," James finally said aloud, turning to her. "This game is a little different. Here’s how we’re going to play. You have to stay frozen, no matter what I do to try to get you to move. I’m going to lift you out of the helicopter and carry you to a place where Miss Angie and Jaz are. That’s the base. If you get to base without moving, you’re safe from me and I can’t tag you. OK?" Jo blinked her eyes again. "Great. Here I come."

Brenda just lifted one finger of her right hand. "Please, James.....she’s my baby.....can’t I take her? I promise I’ll be very careful." Her words came out on shaky breaths, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

James reached slowly down to take Brenda’s hand. "This is what I’m trained for, Brenda. I know how much you love her, but you can’t be as objective in a situation like this as I can." His heart wrenched at the tears in her eyes. "I promise you I’ll treat her like she was my own flesh and blood." Brenda eyes darted towards Jax, and he nodded slowly. Finally, she gave a quick nod of her own, her eyes shut tightly as tears squeezed out.

As Jo still sat frozen in her seat, James very slowly climbed inside the cabin of the helicopter, making his way towards Jo’s seat. He heaved a sigh that only Jax and Brenda noticed when he grasped the armrests of her seat. Moving in slow motion, he unbuckled Jo’s seat belt, and then smiled at her. "OK now, kiddo. I’m going to lift you up and carry you off the helicopter. But if you move, I can tag you and you’ll be it, so stay frozen!" He slid one arm under her knees and one around her shoulders, and then, gritting his teeth, he lifted her with agonizing slowness.

Brenda longed to turn and watch, but she was afraid to make any kind of movement, and also afraid of seeing her child blown to bits before her eyes. Finally, she felt James’ body brush hers as he made his way to the front of the helicopter. When she saw him step one foot and then the other outside the cabin, Brenda’s breasts rose and fell rapidly and the tears began to run down her cheeks freely.

James stepped clear of the helicopter runner and stood there, holding Jo in his arms. Jo was still frozen, an angelic smile on her face. "Now, kiddo, I’m gonna take you to base with Angie and your brother and Mr. Paul. Then I’ll come back for your mom and dad." He looked at Brenda and Jax. "So you two – don’t worry. You’ll get your chance to play, too!"

James moved away from the helicopter and towards the area where a small crowd was already beginning to gather. Paul was doing his best to hold down media attention, but Brenda could see reporters there out of the corner of her eye. All she could focus on was that her two children were there, too – safe and sound.

Jax suddenly squeezed her hand. "Brenda," he said softly through clenched teeth, "don’t give up. We’re going to get out of this OK – all of us. James knows what he’s doing."

"I know, Jax." Brenda shook her head at the irony. "You know, it’s funny, but right now all I can think of is all of the time I wasted being angry with you about Kimberly and being jealous of her."

Jax squeezed her hand tighter. "Brenda, don’t think of that now! Besides, I told you – I deserved your anger." He let out a long sigh. "Don’t you know I’m sitting here, thinking what a bloody fool I was, spending all that time jumping through hoops for her when I should have been with my family?"

As they tried to reassure each other, James came back to the helicopter. "OK, folks, the kids are safe with Angie and Paul and the bomb squad’s on the way. Now I suggest we move this party to the other end of the parking lot, OK?"

"What’s next?" Jax asked quietly.

"I’m going to take Brenda out of the chopper and then come back for you," James replied, glancing up at the container of yellow liquid which still looked fairly benign. Then he saw Brenda shake her head strongly.

"No way. I’m not leaving my husband." She gripped Jax’s hand even tighter.

"Brenda, I told you that you need to follow my instructions…." James began, but Jax cut him off.

"I recognize that tone, James, and you’re gonna have a real problem here, I guarantee." He took a deep breath. "Let’s just think about this for a minute. I assume when you say you’re coming back for me, you’re going to just help me get out of the chopper gently, aren’t you?" Jax shot him a rueful grin. "Cause if you planning to carry me, mate, you’re in for one h*ll of a fight." James smiled sheepishly and nodded. "OK. Then once you’ve got Brenda out of the chopper, couldn’t you two stand on this side – with Brenda standing a good distance away – while I get out?"

James sighed. "I suppose that’s the only way you’ll agree to the plan, Brenda?" She nodded, and James shook his head. "All right. I don’t like it, but we’ll try." He leaned in, but then froze. "But at the least sign of trouble, Jax, I’m picking your wife up and running like h*ll for the safe zone. One healthy parent is better than none."

"I’ll be right behind you, James," Jax reassured him.

"All right. Let’s get these seat belts undone." James carefully unbuckled Brenda’s seat belt. Fortunately, Jax had never buckled in. James slid his arm carefully under Brenda’s knees. "OK. Very slowly….put your arms around my neck, Brenda." Shaking badly, she slid her arms up to lock them around his neck, pressing her face into the collar of his coat. "OK – here we go – 1…..2…..3!" As he lifted her out of the chopper, Jax heaved an audible sigh of relief.

James moved away from the helicopter and then set Brenda down. Taking her hand, they ran around the front of the helicopter to Jax’s side. As James coached him, Jax slowly slid his lanky frame out of his seat and out the side door of the cabin. Brenda stood about 25 feet from the chopper, but as soon as Jax was safely out of it, she ran forward. Jax looked up and saw her coming and pulled James with him away from the chopper. As Jax met her about 15 feet from the helicopter, they could hear the whine of sirens in the background. James came up behind them as Brenda sobbed openly into Jax’s chest. He patted Jax on the back and Jax returned a "thank you" with his eyes. "Come on, folks. I think Jo wants to tell all of us that she won the game."

James knocked softly on the door of Jax’s study. "Everyone decent?" he said, sticking his head through the open door.

Jax smiled as he held Brenda on his lap in one of the large wing chairs. "You must have been talking to Paul lately. Anything he told you about our adventures in the Port Charles Hotel is not nearly as exciting as the real thing was."

"Why do you think I knocked first?" James said with a sly grin. He moved to sit in a chair opposite them. "Kids asleep?"

Brenda, clothed in one of Jax’s white terrycloth robes, nodded. "Finally. Jo couldn’t stop talking about the exciting game of tag we played today." She still held tightly to Jax’s neck. "What did you find out from the bomb squad?"

James took a deep breath. "Well, apparently I was on the money with my hunch. It turned out to be picric acid in solution. Your stalker is one smart cookie," he said grimly.

"Why?" Jax asked, hugging Brenda more tightly.

"Because picric acid crystals alone are very volatile. The slightest movement would set them off. Your stalker put them in a rapidly evaporating solution so that you would be airborne before it exploded from the vibrations of the rotors. He obviously intended for you to be the only casualties from the explosion, not anyone on the ground."

"But how did they get there in the first place? Didn’t you install a security system on the chopper?" Jax pushed, shifting Brenda to the chair and rising. He went to the mini-bar and poured himself a brandy, offering one to James. James shook his head, and Jax poured a smaller amount in a snifter for Brenda.

"Paul checked the chopper before he came with us into the auditorium," James replied. "He set the alarm system. Everything was clear. The stalker managed to bypass the security system and get in to attach the container of acid to the cabin ceiling."

Jax handed Brenda the snifter of brandy. She stared into it. "He’s after me," she said in a flat voice. At Jax’s incredulous look, she continued, "Well, I think it’s pretty obvious. He only attacks when both of us are somewhere. He didn’t come after you in Kingston when I wasn’t along."

"But he also didn’t come after you the other day when we went Christmas shopping," James argued, leaning forward. "So I don’t think that you’re the essential part of the equation, Brenda." His glance shifted back to Jax. "Both of you together are his target, it seems."

"Do you think it had something to do with the reception I got at the rally today?" Jax asked, sitting down and pulling Brenda into his lap again.

James shook his head decisively. "Not a thing. Totally unrelated. Those hecklers were just out to shake your political career -- not kill you."

"Then we’ve still got no clues to this nut," Jax said through grit teeth.

"He’s a baffling one, that’s for sure," James agreed. "He doesn’t leave any notes with details of what either of you did to upset him so much. Or what you did together." James glanced down at his watch. "Well, I’m going to go spell Paul for a while. Why don’t you two try to get some sleep."

Jax nodded and looked down at Brenda, who had already drifted off to sleep in his arms. As James stopped at the door, Jax raised his eyebrows and James flicked off the light switch. He cuddled Brenda closer to him, and mentally made a note to cancel all of his speaking engagements until after the Christmas holidays.

To be continued..........