Day Breaks

Chapter Two
An Eye for An Eye

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In the morning, Jennifer Carlton was busy digging through a pile of paperwork on her desk frantically when her intercom buzzed. She touched the intercom button on her desk and breathlessly answered. “Yeah?”

“Miss Carlton. There’s a call on Line One for you. Tauri Harmon.” The secretary’s pleasant voice filled the office and made Jenny calm for a minute. Jenny plopped down in the chair and sighed. If organization was required for breathing, she would have died a long time ago. She smiled softly

Jenny was beautiful in a girlish way. She was not very tall, but she possessed curves in all the right places and all the right proportions. When she smiled, her eyes sparkled like emeralds, and her soft peaches and cream skin blushed lightly across her cheeks. Her long blonde hair was board straight, but it reached down to the back of her thighs and swayed with every step that she took. She had a slight figure, but despite her small size, she had a heart that encompassed more compassion than anyone would dream possible. Her usual choice of clothing were conservative business suits that were usually white or a light pastel. She always joked with Tauri that life was too short to live in dark colors.

“Thanks, Peg. Hey, would you look for the budget for this month’s projects? I can’t find it. I know it’s here in this office somewhere, but you know me. I’d lose my head if it weren’t attached to my neck.” She said ruefully. She seemed to be always losing something, but in the end, everything always turned out fine no matter what was lost and found.

Jenny picked up the phone and her sweet voice filled the office. “Hi, Tauri.”

“Hey, Jen. You left a message on my cell phone that sounded like the world was ending. What do you have for me?”

Jenny sighed. “You know the building we’re buying in the Red Light District to fix up, right?”

“Yeah. It’s a five million dollar real estate deal. Who wouldn’t know about it?” came the wry answer. “It’s highway robbery for that piece of shit.”

“Tauri, the jerk is raising the price because he claims that the value of the property is going up soon, and he says I need to pay him what the building is worth.”

“What?” Tauri’s voice raised an octave. “How much does the asshole want?”

“Eight million.” Answered Jenny.

Tauri issued a snort. “Let me deal with him in the conference room. He’ll sell it to you for three million. I promise.”

“Thanks, Tauri. I knew there was a reason I kept you around.” Jenny teased.

“Yeah. Thanks, Jen.” Tauri answered with a chuckle. “Hey listen, what are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Nothing. Probably going home, having a movie marathon, drinking some hot chocolate, and crashing.”

“So, you want to come to the club tonight and dance the night away?”

Jenny thought for a moment and then grinned into the phone. “Sure, Tauri. See you at three today at the conference room.”

“Gotcha, girl. See you then.” Tauri hung up and left Jenny contemplating the budget in her office. Peg, an older woman who was fairly attractive bustled into her office.

“Miss Carlton, your father is changing the budget again. He said he’d return the papers to you when he was done.” She told the beautiful executive. Jenny sighed. Her father was always changing the budget here and there, and most of the time, he was usually providing her more money to work with, but there were times when he could cut out large amounts and claim it was for basic maintenance of the company.

Jenny picked up the phone and smiled at Peg. “Thanks, Pegs.” She said affectionately. Jenny dialed a number and leaned back in her chair. When a deep voice answered, she sighed. “Daddy, I really need the budget soon. I’ve got that business deal in several hours, and he wants to haggle. I need to know how much I can spare.”

Parker Carlton was a business tycoon in the country, and he owned virtually every non-profit organization and every medical facility in the metro area. Although his daughter was a beloved philanthropist, he was quite the opposite. Many people knew that he was involved in extracurricular activities, but most chose to keep it quiet to prevent any hurt from affecting Jenny. She was loved by everyone, regardless of the sinister nature of her father.

“Honey, I’ll have it to you in less than an hour. I just needed to cut and add a few things.” His voice was patient, but there was an underlying viciousness that always made his daughter worry about the results of her requests.

“Ok, Daddy.” She set the phone down and leaned forward. Organization was the next goal.

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When Damion found himself in front of Rodney’s, his dark eyes searched the front of the restaurant. There were no bouncers, and there were no cameras. The restaurant looked fairly respectable and clean, and he wondered to himself why Tauri would give him the name of the owner of a establishment such as this. It didn’t look like the typical place where information could be obtained. It was an old style building with wooden walls and large tinted windows. The windows and doors were devoid of smears and smudges. The building was well kept up and clean.

He opened the door and let himself inside. The dining room was empty, and everything was spotless. Immediately, his eyes fell on the owner, Tabitha Ross. She sat at the bar with her legs crossed, rolling silverware in napkins and laughing with the bartender. She wasn’t an attractive woman, but she seemed fairly agreeable. When he approached her, she looked at him and smiled.

“Can I help you?”

“Information.” He growled. At the tone of his voice, her gentle smile disappeared, and immediately, she stood up from her stool. She motioned for him to follow her to a corner booth in the empty restaurant, and she motioned to the bar tender to bring two beers. When they had sat down with a beer in hand, Damion took a swig of his. His eyes never left Tabitha, and she was finding it disconcerting.

“What information do you need?” She asked sharply. This woman wasn’t an idiot, but she also didn’t have the business finesse and confidence that Tauri wielded so easily.

“I want to know who ordered the copycat hits back in March.” He answered. He was quiet, she noticed, and his handsome face seemed so cold that he could have frozen an Eskimo in an ice cube with a glance.

“What makes you think I have that information?” She demanded. Her face was blank, and it was at that point that Damion realized what Tauri had done. This woman knew nothing of what he was speaking of. She was obviously wary of his questions, and it seemed that this wasn’t the first time she’d been questions. Tauri, no doubt, had sent people to Tabitha before.

“Never mind. Thanks for the beer.” He growled. He stood up and stalked out of the small restaurant. The annoyance in his mind was turning very quickly to anger. Tauri was in for a world of hurt.

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Tauri was running a brush through her hair when she heard a smart knock on the bathroom door. She rolled her eyes. “What do you want, Thomas?” She had changed her red suit for a conservative navy blue suit, and she was proceeding to coil her long fiery red hair at the base of her neck. Her long legs were complimented by black staccato heels, and black thigh-high hose. Thomas grunted on the other side of the door.

She was annoyed with him because the hulking beast just wouldn’t leave her alone. He stayed in her office until she decided to go to her home to sleep, and then, he’d followed her and stood outside her door and pounded until she let him in. He’d slept on the couch without asking for anything, but when he’d woke up, he found himself covered in a deep blue soft blanket and a feather pillow was under his head.

“Tauri, I’m going to go shopping for food. All you’ve got here is canned stuff. Don’t you ever eat at home?” She opened the door suddenly, and he stepped back. She was breathtaking. He paused for a moment, and then he looked her in the eye, the good natured cocky smile returning to his face. She snorted at him as she pushed past.

“Buy whatever you want. I never stay at home enough to eat.” She grabbed her purse and turned to face Thomas. “Buy enough for one day. You will be gone by the time I get back from this conference meeting.”

Thomas shrugged and mumbled at her. “Whatever, Mistress Tauri.”

Tauri flashed him a grin as she walked out the door. “Damn straight.”

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The conference room was bright and sunny. Windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling went along one wall of the room, and the wall that the entry door was one way view so that they could see out into the hallway at passers by, but still allow meetings their privacy. Impersonal black chairs surrounded a long oval black marble table, adding to the impersonal atmosphere where business was conducted.

As Tauri strode down the hallway, she gained appreciative glances from businessmen and a few women even turned their heads to stare at the tall, stately red headed. Tauri entered the conference room where a lawyer was harassing Jenny over the price of the building. When she entered, all talking stopped and the associates all stared. Jenny looked up and gave an indulgent smile. “Gentlemen, this is Taurance Harmon.” Everyone visibly paled at mention of her name, and when she smiled at Jenny and entered, everyone remained silent.

One of the lawyers continued his rant. “Miss Carlton. The worth of the building will be at least eight million by the time that the deal is finished due to the rising value of property. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we must ask the full value of the building.”

Jenny fidgeted slightly, and she cast her emerald eyes on her friend. Tauri nodded with encouragement as she put her purse on the back of a chair and proceeded to sit down. Jenny’s soft but firm voice filled the conference room with harmony. “Mr. Forrester, the building just isn’t worth that much. I’m willing to shell out quite a bit of money, but only a small sum over the worth of the building. Everything you make off of it will be profit anyway.”

Tauri straightened her back as she sat down and snatched the papers out of the man’s hand. An indignant snort escaped him, and Tauri raised icy blue eyes. “Mr. Forrester. I see here that the land itself is only worth about two hundred fifty thousand dollars.” She perused the paperwork again. Jenny sat down in her chair and let her friend do her job.
“Look, to be honest, this paperwork is garbage.” She tossed the papers neatly in the trashcan and turned her chair to face the lawyers again. “The building itself is worth one and a half million. If you add in two million for electric and parking space, and then the two hundred point five thousand dollars, you have a total of approximately four million dollars. Even with the rising prices of real estate, the true value of the building with depreciation will never exceed three million dollars.”

The men started to sputter. The lawyer jumped from his chair, towering down over her with accusing eyes. “You don’t have access to that information.”

Tauri’s blue eyes narrowed dangerously, and she straightened her back at the man. “On the contrary, Mr. Forrester, you forget who I am.” She leaned back in her chair and straightened her jacket, keeping her posture rigid and intimidating. “I own half if not three quarters of the country clubs you belong to, and I guarantee you that I could argue my way out of murder if I had to. I’m not discussing the finer points of politics and the stock market with you.” She leaned forward, into the man’s personal space, and smirked.

“I don’t think you’ll find anyone who is willing to pay you three million dollars for the piece of shit in the Red Light District, so let’s cut the crap and make the deal fairly. Just because Miss Carlton has a kind heart doesn’t mean she’s going to let you cheat her out of money that could be used helping the homeless.”

Forrester growled in annoyance and then turned to Jenny. “Ok, we’ll agree to three million. Nothing less than that.” Tauri smirked at the man behind his back and threw a thumbs up to Jenny who stood and politely shook the man’s hand. She had the distinct desire to wipe her hands after touching the bastard, but she desisted from doing so, and she smiled indulgently.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Forrester.” It was a guarantee that the lawyers wouldn’t forget their day with Taurance Harmon in the room.

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As Tauri and Jenny descended the stairs into the parking garage beneath Carlton Corporation, they laughed back and forth about the interesting on goings in the conference room. Jenny’s long blonde hair was unrestrained, and it flowed around her like a silk sheet in the wind every time she stepped. They stopped at Jenny’s car, and Tauri kissed her cheek gently. “Night, Jen. See you tomorrow at the club around seven?”

Jenny blushed slightly and nodded. “Seven sounds great!” She unlocked her car, and Tauri started to walk away. Before she could get too far, Jenny called for her. “Hey, Tauri!” The redhead stopped and turned to face the blonde. Jenny tried to tell herself that Tauri’s interest in her was purely platonic, but she knew the woman well enough to know that she wasn’t in any particular category when it came to sexual orientation. Tauri was always sensual, but with Jenny, it exuded from her in waves, wrapping around the blonde’s insecurities and protecting her from harm.

“Yeah, sweetheart?” Tauri cocked a fiery eyebrow.

“Thanks. I mean for today.”

Tauri’s ice blue eyes took on a gaze of amusement, and she gently nodded her head once. “Anything for a friend, Jenny. I owe you my life. You know that.” Jenny smiled back at her, and watched as the redhead slowly walked to her BMW sports car and opened it. Jenny left the garage with Tauri still trying to situate the things in her car. She growled in annoyance at Thomas’ bag stuck in her front seat, and with a grouchy grunt, she popped the trunk of the car and snagged the bag. As she backed up out of the car, she stifled a scream as her body came up against something hard and warm.

An ice cold voice raked her senses like sandpaper. “You sent me to the wrong place.” He wrapped his fingers around her upper arms, and the bag in her hands fell to the garage floor, uninteresting for the time being. Damion pulled her roughly to his chest, hard pressed against her back, and she gasped in fear as cold metal pressed up and into her suit against her bare skin above her kidney. “I don’t like being jacked around with. I’m not your lap dog, Taurance.” The voice was still cold, but every time a word escaped his lips, it brushed the tendrils of fire that had escaped the coif at the base of her neck, making unwanted shivers go through her body.

She was pissed. Damion had no right to even touch her, and here he was, practically raping her to get the answers that he wanted. The man just didn’t understand her reasoning, and she remarked bitterly to herself that if he did know the truth, it would make matters worse. Yet more proof that honesty is overrated and unneeded. Fucking asshole. She threw herself against the hold, and it got her nowhere.

“Fucking bastard.” She snapped. The combination of fear, arousal, and anger was beginning to weigh in on her redheaded personality, and she tried to shove the man off of her. “Get the hell off me, Jackstone, before I kick you in the nuts!” She struggled against him, but instead, he pressed forward, pushing her chest flat against her car, making her unable to move between steel and rock solid muscle. His gun was still pressed against her kidney, and he still had a painful hold on her upper arm. Her blue eyes slid shut and she took a steadying breath. “You’re starting to really piss me off, Jackstone.” She warned.

The dark headed man dipped his head so that his lips brushed against her ear every time a word escaped his mouth. “It’s funny that I find you here at Carlton Corp. You know he’s the single most active gun trader in the United States, Tauri?” He pressed the muzzle of his pistol into her skin harshly, making her yelp in pain. “Tell me why you’re working with that scum.” He nuzzled her neck and sniffed her perfume, making her shiver in fear. He was a true master of intimidation. He grunted softly, and this time, he ground his hips against her buttocks, making her suddenly cower in throat-gripping fear.

“S-stop.” She begged. The note in her voice spread a smug satisfaction through Damion’s body, and he snorted in amusement against her neck, and he proceeded to grind against her again, and suddenly, she threw her head back desperately, trying to break his nose, but he was quicker. He moved his nose out of the way and grunted as the crown of her head collided with his chin. She tried kicking the next time, so to prevent it, he roughly turned her around, putting her back against the car, and he only released her when she calmed. His fingertips tilted her chin up to him so that he could see her eyes, and the soft pads of his fingers brushed along her jaw line.

“Tell me who you are protecting.” He demanded. The voice was cold, but his dark eyes had softened slightly, and his touch was no longer bruising. Tauri shifted on her feet, and steeled herself against him. He obviously enjoyed using his unpredictability for intimidation purposes, and she was getting disgusted with herself as she felt the affects of his strange intimidation concepts. She steeled herself instantly and glared at him.

“The Easter Bunny.” She snapped in reply.

Damion instantly saw red, and he unceremoniously shoved her back against the car, and growled angrily at her. “Don’t fuck with me, Tauri.” Her eyes snapped fire at him, and she spat at him, missing horribly, but still the insult was present. Damion had never met a woman as stubborn as Tauri before, and it was annoying to no end. He was used to getting his way as obviously Tauri was as well, but now, it ended up another battle of wits as she denied him the information that he so zealously sought.

“Go to hell, prick.” She insulted him again, nearly making him roll his eyes at her idiocy.

He shook her viciously by the shoulders.. “Who the hell are you protecting?”

“Fuck you!” She snarled. Tauri caught the movement of shadows behind Damion, but she didn’t avert her eyes from his face. Instead, she continued to glare at him, shoving her fear down into her chest, letting her anger bubble up and speak for her. “I’m not telling you jack, you crazed maniac! Go ahead and shoot my ass! I’m not giving you any information.”

Damion cocked the pistol and pressed it to her temple. “I can arrange for that if you don’t tell me who the hell you’re protecting!”

A shotgun cocked behind Damion, and he froze as an arrogant smirk crossed Tauri’s features. Time stopped as he listened to the rasping breath behind him, and his heart sunk. He should have known that Tauri would have a body guard. Tauri pushed the gun away from her head and shoved Damion back from her, and his heart slowed when he felt the barrel of a shotgun pressed into his upper back, right in the vicinity of his heart. He caught the scent of beer and cooked food wafting from the person behind him, and then, a very rare cologne that only one person he knew would ever wear.

“Who she’s protecting is none of your business, asshole.” Thomas growled. “And if you ever touch her again, you’ll wish that you were never born.” The seriousness in the voice had Damion believing every word, and he lowered the pistol, and holstered it calmly. He knew exactly who his assailant was, and he sighed in annoyance.

“Is your mouth still bigger than your brain, Lieutenant?” The muzzle of the gun shoved against his shoulder blades, making his eyes narrow in annoyance. It seemed that Thomas Barton hadn’t changed a bit.

“Just Barton now, Jackstone.” The shotgun was removed from his back and was accompanied by a staunch order. “Turn around. Let me see what seven years has done to your butt ugly face.”

Damion turned to see Tauri standing, pressed up against Barton’s side, his long, muscled around wrapped around her, while the other hand held up a sawed off shotgun at point blank range to Damion’s head. Barton looked about the same, but the only thing that was different was the fact that the shield that had once been permanently attached to his belt was no longer there. Barton looked down at Tauri. “Get my bag, sweetheart.” She inched forward and snatched it from the ground in front of Damion, glaring at the black-clad gunman the entire time.

“Fucking bastard tried to kill me!” She growled in anger. Thomas chuckled and wrapped his arm around her again, pressing her body snugly against his side. Her rant didn’t stop. “He thinks I know everything this damn town has to offer, and there are certain goddamn things I’m not at liberty to say! The mother fucker just shoved me right up against my car….”

Thomas silenced her with gentle lips to her forehead and a chuckle of amusement. “Calm down, baby.” Damion looked at the two with amused eyes and snorted to himself in wry laughter. It seemed that the rumors floating around the precinct were true at the time. Thomas Barton was sleeping with one of the most elusive and dangerous criminals on the streets, and it seemed like he had her in the palm of his hand at this point.

Damion glared at Thomas. “I take they finally figured it out?” He motioned to Thomas’ empty belt, and the large blonde glowered at Damion.

“Shut up, bitch. I quit. Carlton has got that whole department in his pocket, and there’s no way that asshole could pay me to keep quiet about all his little shipments going out of the city at night.” Thomas glared at Damion. “I take it you finally crawled out of the liquor cabinet and said ‘hello’ to being alive?”

“Fuck you, Barton. It’s not like you didn’t have the same issue with Miss I’m-So-Badass over there.” Damion motioned to Tauri this time.

“Yeah, sorry I said anything, Alchie.” Thomas snorted in malicious laughter. “So you still crying your eyes out, or did you grow up and move on?”

The playful air in Damion’s demeanor vanished, and he glared furiously at Thomas. He snorted. “I don’t have time for this.”

“On my watch, you do. You are so blind, Jackstone. Your little vendetta against Ebony’s murderer affects the whole city. This is one time when revenge isn’t as important as someone else’s life.”

Damion stared for a minute at Thomas, and then, a strange understanding slid into his golden brown eyes and he stepped forward, pushing the barrel of the gun away, and he stared into hazel depths. “Goddamn. She was protecting you.’ He almost stated in wonder. “You know who Ebony’s murderer is.”

“Don’t get your hopes up, dumbfuck.” Barton sneered. Tauri moved against him. He looked down at her, and immediately, the mood of the men shifted when they saw something they never expected. Taurance Harmon was huddled against Thomas’ side, her eyes tightly shut, and small streams of tears were streaking the pale cheeks in silent emotional reproach.

“J-Jenny can’t know. If she knows, he’ll kill her.” She whispered. Thomas immediately shushed her, but it was too late. Damion’s curiosity was already piqued. He tilted his head to one side, and he stepped forward, and regardless of the danger, he tilted Tauri’s chin up, and she opened tortured blue eyes.

“You’re protecting a whole hell of a lot more than just dumbass Barton.” He commented lightly. Then, as if he finally gave up on trying to intimidate her, he asked the most important question. “How deep does this shit run?”

“All the way to his daughter.” Tauri said in a more firm voice. “He’s using her against me. If I let out any information, she dies.”

“You’re friends with Jenny Carlton?” He asked carefully. Barton shifted uncomfortably before Tauri nodded.

“Yeah. She saved my life.”

At that, Damion turned and began briskly walking away from them towards a black Nova in the corner of the garage. Thomas growled at him. “Hey, where the fuck you going, Detective?”

“It’s just Jackstone.” Damion answered over his shoulder. When he reached the old muscle car, he looked up at Tauri, and said five words that made her blood run cold. “An eye for an eye.” Then, he was gone.

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Please review!

The characters of Day Breaks belong to The Mad Hatter and Bruce’s Girl. The story is original, and if it is alike to any other plot, it is unintentional and coincidental. All inquiries to archiving must be directed to Bruce’s Girl or to the Mad Hatter, and fan art that is requested to be on the website will be received via email with disclaimers.

Characters are based on the personalities of eight real life friends, but the story is in no way based on real life events. Any likeliness to real life events, places, or names is also unintentional and coincidental. This story is dedicated to our ever changing group of friends that keep our lives sane. Regardless of what happens to us in the future, we will always love each other!