hank took the letter out of Jon's hands and scanned the page then looked at the envelope.
"Now this is unexpected....I thought they would at least wait until we meet them in the court house." hank handed the letter back to Jon.
Jesse lowered and shook his head.
"Do they hate us this much Dad?" He whispered.
Jon took out his cell and called Dorothea.
"What do you want now Jon? You have the kids. You want my blood now?" She snapped.
"I want a meeting with you and Graham in the next hour in my hotel." he told her calmly and without the mal lace he heard in her voice.
Hank touched his arm.
"Make a neutral place Jon. We can meet in my room." Hank told him then wrote his room number on the envelope he had given Jon at the detention center.
"So I am to drop everything and rush over...those days are over Jon....We aren't married anymore and I don't have to do anything you say." She spat at him.
"I mean it Dot..." He knew she hated to be called that..."Room 6410 in an hour or I won't be responsible for what happens." He snapped the phone closed.
"Calm down Jon, we can handle this." Hank told him as he ushered Jon and Jesse into the elevator. Let's get Jess up to your room and then we can go to mine and wait for Dorothea and Graham."
They got Jesse settled, Jon and Hank headed down to his room. Once in there Jon began to pace.
"He was so nice sitting there at the detention center...let's not get lawyers in on this." Jon patted his pocket looking for a smoke then remembered he quit...hell now was not the time to go cold turkey...he thought.
"Maybe he didn't know his parents were going to go after you?" Hank gave them the benefit of the doubt.
"I don't know man...this just..." Jon couldn't find the words to explain how he was feeling.
"Look let me do most of the talking. You want full custody? I think this letter will insure that you do get it. Also you don't want to pay them anything...because it just starts them bleeding you. I'm here to make sure they don't." Hank told him.
Jon just nodded his head. shoving his hands into his pants pocket he felt his cell phone. He needed grounding...he needed to hear Lexie's voice.
"I'm going to go make a call." Jon told Hank as he slipped out onto the balcony.
~ ~ ~ ~
Alexis heard her cell ringing. Richie had Romeo sitting on the piano bench as they played chop sticks. Noticing who the call id showed she smiled and slipped out of the room.
"Hey there...how did it go?" She checked the fridge for more soda. "Richie and Romeo are playing on your baby grand." she laughed as someone hit a clunker.
"Okay." Jon told her. Just hearing her voice calmed him some.
"Oh oh I don't like the sound of that okay...Jon..." She sat at the bar and waited on his answer.
"I have custody of the kids...as of right now Temporarily." He wished he had stopped for a pack of cigarettes before they got up to the room.
"Well that's great...isn't it?" She could tell there was more to it than he was letting on.
"Yeah...depends on what Hank can do." he rolled his shoulders and turned an leaned back on the railing. "When we got back there was an envelope from Grahams parents...they want a quarter of a mill."
Alex about dropped the phone.
"A quarter of a million dollars?"
Her voice must have carried because the piano stopped in the other room. Richie sent Romeo up to his room to check on Snowball.
"What's up?" Richie asked her. All she could do was hand him the phone.
"Hey bro what's going to cost you a quarter of a mill?" Richie smiled at Alex
"Grahams parents are blackmailing me to the tune of a quarter of a million and if it gets me full custody of the kids then I'm paying it." Jon made up his mind.
"You'll do what's right bro...I know how hard it was to not have the kids with you." Richie smiled and nodded his head toward Lexie who stood waiting for the phone back.
"Yeah man...if things would have been different we could have done joint...but the hate she felt toward me and the band...now it's in the past and they'll come home with me." Jon patted his pocket for smokes then gave up...time to quit.
"Listen I got someone tugging at my pants..I think he wants to talk to you." Richie smiled down at Romeo who had come back in and was tugging on his jeans pocket to get his attention.
"Okay put the little man on." Jon laughed. Good think it was Romeo and not Lexie tugging on his pants.
"Daddy? You brinin Stephie and brothers home?" He held the phone to his ear. "Uncle Mookie and Lexie and I are going to have pizza for dinner and then watch Nemo...Snowball sleeps wit me and I take care of Lexie for you." he finally ran out of steam.
"I'm glad you and Uncle Mookie are keeping Lexie company...you're such a big man for taking care of Snowball for her. Can I talk to her now?" Jon asked as he saw Hank go to the door to let Graham and Dorothea into the room.
"Hey...listen...what can I do to help you Jon?" Lexie asked as she took the phone from Romeo.
"I'll let you know when I get finished here...it might be late...My Ex and her husband just walked in." Jon nodded to Hank who came out on the balcony to let him know they had arrived. "Be there in a second Hank."
"Just call and let me know...I'll wait up." Lexie said as they hung up. She looked over at Richie who shook his head. "He's going to pay isn't he?"
"Yeah he will. It's killed him not having the kids." Richie reached out and put his hand on Romeo's head. "I hear we're having pizza for dinner...We can hit Ramon's it's around the corner...sound like a plan Little man?"
Romeo looked up at Richie and smiled.
'Looks like Ramon's it is" Lexie laughed.
"I beat you at Guitar Hero Uncle Mookie?" he reached up and took Richie's hand and then Lexie's and walked them to the door.
"He beats you at Guitar Hero?....The Great Sambora?" Lexie laughed.
"Ah one of my adoring groupies?" He smiled over Romeo's head.
"Nope...I'm more of the lead singer groupie's" She laughed
Richie raised his eyebrow at that.
"Does kidd know you are one of his groupies?"
"He better, he's one of mine...and yes he is the starting point of my main character." They headed down the elevator. "You'll be one too if I put you in my next book...want to be a good guy or a bad guy?" She asked him looking up at him with big green eyes.
