Chapter 42：Certified Jerk

"Well if it isn't Jordan Carter..You look like you would rather be any place but here."

"You guessed right." Jordan sat at the outside bar his shoulders hunched as he leaned on the wooden counter.

"Thought this party was in your honor bad-boy." She tilted her head. "The name is Blue-but you already knew that." Instead of giving him her hand she flipped open a gold cigarette case, "Cancer stick?" He took one. She held out the lighter and he bent over slightly to light the cigarette.

"Want to trade war-stories?" Blue slid onto the bar-stool that was next to him and blew smoke into the air.

"Thanks for opening my show by the way. It was very modest of you." Blue Rivers was the young hottest and probably richest female artist that was currently topping the charts. She had broken all sorts of records and was always trending on the pop-charts. She had a reputation as a bad girl and was usually in the press for all the wrong reasons-kind of like Miley Cyrus.

"That's what friends are for right?" She winked at him and tossed back her sea-blue hair that matched with her eyes. "Barman hit me with a triple tequila shot please?"

"You're a tequila girl?"

"You're a girly-boy?" She pointed her cigarette to his cosmopolitan.

"Yeah.." Jordan looked at his drink and smiled. a cosmo always reminded him of Lana. This was their signature drink, wherever they went they ordered it.

"You thinking about her aren't you?" Blue flicked ash into an ash-tray.

"Who?"

"Whoever put you in this mood." She waved her hand in circles towards him.

"Yeah..I guess I am.." He admitted.

"You know they say it's easier to talk about your issues with a stranger.." she proposed.

"How is it that we move in the same circles and we've never met?"

She shrugged her slender shoulders, "No time like the present right pretty boy? Lay it one me? Tell Mummy all your problems." She reached forward and pinched his cheek playfully.

"Does that mean I can be your Daddy?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Hmmph..." she grunted as she put out her cigarette stub.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He grimaced.

"Word on the street is that you-Jordan Carter-the epitome of sex on legs-is failing to get it up..even for few seconds." She leaned back and watched his reaction. "True or false?"

"True...All true.." Jordan massaged his temples and groaned melodramatically.

"Wow.." Blue let out a low whistle. "You got it bad pretty boy!" She was in stitches.

"Shut up." A ghost of a smile graced his lips.

"So-is it also true that you don't kiss-you just like to cuddle?" She interrogated in a hushed tone.

"I-I'm not going to answer that." He grasped the stem of his glass and looked fixedly at the red liquid.

"I'll take that as a yes!" She thwacked his arm.

"Whatever."

"You need to tell me everything!" She exclaimed with renewed energy.

And that's exactly what he did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thanks for the talk," Jordan said as they strolled to their respective cars.

"You need to talk to her pretty boy. She must be in a bad state-I mean she loved you and you bailed on her when she needed you most."

"I didn't bail-what? She loves me?"

"You really are blonde aren't you?!" Blue face-palmed.

"I didn't think-"

"Listen Homer Simpson-all the signs are there!" She hollered, exasperated. "She isn't talking to her mom or her friends and has practically given her life to you as an offering and you still don't see that she cares! How can you be so clueless Jordan?"

"I didn't think-"

"Meh!" Blue dug her fingers into her hair as shook her head. "You really are a doofus."

"Quit the name-calling Tequila," Jordan glowered. He wasn't used to someone being this frank with him, besides Jones.

"Well, I call 'em as I see 'em." She stared pointedly at him.

"So what do I do? How do I fix this?" He ran his fingers through his rumpled hair.

"You've got to grow a pair and go back to sort out your..hodgepodge."

"What if she won't talk to me?"

"Then good for her!" Blue applauded, the sound resounded into the still dark night. "

"I thought you were on my side?"

"Look Jordan-I may be drunk but I still know that what you did was wrong on so many levels dude. You're a certified jerk and you will be lucky if she even looks in your direction ever again," she patted him on the shoulder, "I've gotta go. Goodnight." She kissed him on the cheek and jumped into the waiting Limo.

"Hey, pretty boy!" Blue called out from the window and he turned around, "forget Dahlia. She did the nasty with your best friend and faked her own death. She's not worthy of your love-but you know who is. She's more than earned it don't you think?" The tinted window slowly slid shut and the car pulled away.

Jordan's security team had called him earlier and told him they had rescued Dahlia from the cat-house. She was in a bad state when they found her so they airlifted her to a private medical center in London, where she was receiving the best care. The perpetrators were in police custody.

He hadn't barked enough courage to go and face her but he decided it was time. He managed to sleep in the jet as it flew from China to London and was still tired when it touched down at Heathrow.

Jordan stood outside the hospital room and paced the floor. Finally, he took a deep breath and went in to see Dahlia Davenport.

"Hie baby! I knew you would come for me!" She cried out, her blue-green eyes glistening with joyful tears.

Jordan rushed forward and encircled his arms around her frail body. "You're here! You're really here!" He said overcome with emotion, "I thought you were de-"

"I'm not baby.." She fisted his jacket and wept.

"Hey..don't cry..you're safe now okay?" He kissed her hair and forehead affectionately.

"I don't even know how to thank you.." She sniveled.

"Just concentrate on getting better okay?" He smoothed her honey-blonde hair back.

"Dahlia!" Her parents wailed as they burst into the precinct. Jordan stepped aside and witnessed the re-union.

"Our baby girl!" They lamented as they clung onto her. "Our beautiful baby girl!"

After the parents had quieted down and finally acknowledged Jordan they looked at him with distaste.

"What are you doing here?!" Dahlia's Dad sneered. "Get out!" He commanded.

"After everything you did to our daughter you dare to show your face here?" Mrs Davenport shouted out.

"You told me she was dead! For three years I've lived with that! How could you lie to my face like that??!"

"To keep her safe! You were bad for her!" The protective father yelled, smoke protruding from his ears.

"You sucked her into your messed up world and we had to do something! We just couldn't stand by and watch you ruin our innocent daughter!" The mother conceded.

"Well, your 'innocent' daughter slept with my best-friend and got me hooked on drugs! I bet you didn't know that!" Jordan snapped.

"Stop it! Please!" Dahlia covered her ears and turned on the waterworks.

"Sorry sweetheart," her Dad took her in his arms again.

"You should be thanking Jordan actually..he's the one that got his security team to bust me out of the brothel in Thailand..where I was sold by sex-traffickers..I thought they were my friends but they used my addiction against me..it was horrible..you can't even imagine.." She broke down again.

"Shh, don't worry sweetheart we here..we will keep you safe." Her mother cooed.

"My work is done here. I'm out." Jordan said to no one in particular.

"Jordan, wait!" Dahlia reached out to him but he didn't go near her, he just stood at the door and gave her a bored look. He didn't even know what he was doing here..why he even bothered finding her and bringing her home.

"I'm sorry.." She didn't know how to apologize for the years of pain and torment she had given him.

"Yeah, whatever..see you around Dahlia."