Shadow
Of A
Heart
Chapter One
Emily got into her father's limo and waited for him to tell her the familiar news.
"Sweetie, I have to leave town for a bit," Sonny informed her.
"Business?" she asked, her heart in her throat. Every time her father disappeared, Emily worried it would be for the last time. That this would be the time her uncle Jason, who worked in the same 'business' as her father, or even worse, some stranger would show up at the house with the sad news that the violent world Sonny Corinthos inhabited had finally swallowed him up and destroyed him.
He never lied to her, even if he never really came clean about what it was he did. She may have only been fifteen but she knew her father was no coffee importer. Her mother warned her to never ask. Everyone knew, but for her mother's sake and for her father's sake, Emily never asked. She pretended not to know. It was safer that way.
Sonny pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket. "This is the number if you need to reach me for anything."
He felt safe giving her the number because he knew the police could never interrogate her without a parent present and her mother Alexandra would never let that happen, neither would her step father AJ, regardless of how he personally felt about Sonny.
"Does mom know you're leaving?"
"Yeah. I told her I'll be back in a few months. Call me next Thursday at this number. I won't be able to call you."
"I know the drill," Emily sighed. She was gonna miss her dad so much.
"I love you, kiddo." He stroked he cheek.
"I love you too, Daddy." Emily hugged him tight before exiting the limo and dragging her feet back into the Quartermaine mansion.
Her great-grandfather Edward was waiting for her in the living room.
"Is that hoodlum off the property?"
"No, my father is," Emily tossed back.
"Oh for heaven's sake. Couldn't your mother teach you to stay away from that criminal?"
"My mother taught me to treat everyone with the same respect I'm shown and love them for who they are, not what they do. The same I love you, Great-Grandfather." She reached up and kissed the old man's cheek.
Edward grumbled but his cheeks flushed with pleasure like they always did when Emily took away his bluster. "Oh go find your mother. It's almost time for dinner."
Emily walked up the long staircase to her parent's bedroom just as her mother was coming out.
"Did Sonny leave?" Alexandra asked her.
"Yep, where's dad?"
"He'll be down in a minute." The two of them turned back towards the stairs and made their way back down together.
"Mom, after dinner can I go over to Luke's club and watch the band practice?"
"As long as you promise not to drink," Alex joked.
"Scout's honour," Emily laughed.
"Homework done?"
"Done," Emily nodded.
Dinner at the Quartermaines was always a cross between a board meeting and Family Feud. Edward was the patriarch. His wife Lila tried her best to keep him in line and because he loved her to distraction, often succeeded. Their children weren't much better, Emily's grandfather Alan and his wife Monica were head surgeons at General Hospital when they weren't lying, scheming and having affairs on each other or declaring war on Alan's sister Tracy who was constantly trying to gain control of the family company ELQ. Tracy's son Ned lived with his wife, one of Emily's favorite people Lois in the carriage house just off the property where she managed Emily's mom's recording career with Lois's best friend Brenda who was married to Sonny.
AJ's brother Jason worked for Sonny after an accident caused him to become estranged from the family. Emily didn't like to poke too much at that relationship because even though her stepfather claimed he hated Jason, Emily could tell he still missed his brother. Jason was also one of Emily's favorite people and she knew if it wasn't for her and Lila, Jason would have cut all ties with the Quartermaines completely.
Her mother Alex never went into too much detail about the affair that produced Emily but Emily was pretty sure it had to do with her step father's drinking. Sonny and Brenda, thankfully hadn't technically been together when Alexandra and Sonny had slept together so were able to retain their friendship. Sonny and AJ tolerated each other. Barely.
There weren't many customers at Luke's at seven in the evening. Things didn't really pick up until ten which unfortunately was Emily's curfew so unless there was a party they'd all be invited to, she always missed the live performances. Emily usually only got to hang out with the after work crowd and watch the band practicing which sometimes was even more fun because they all seemed to know her best friend Lucky and his dad Luke personally so Emily got to hang out with them.
At the moment, her godmother Lucy was following her grandfather Mike, Sonny's father, who tended the bar, around the club, going on about curtains.
"Lucy, stop! You can't make any changes without Luke's okay," Mike insisted.
"Oh poo! I'm sure he'll love it. Come on, Mike." Lucy was also Luke's partner in the club.
"Orange stage curtains? I don't think so."
"But Halloween is coming. It'll be in keeping with the season."
"Luke will be back from wherever he is by then and you can ask him yourself."
Emily hopped on a bar stool beside Lucky who was hunched over his homework, swearing softly to himself.
"Your father's with my dad?" Emily whispered.
"Huh?" he asked, as if only suddenly noticing her presence. "Oh, yeah."
"We should start a support group. Children of obsessive mobsters." Emily grabbed a bottle of soda water from the bar, including an extra one for Lucky. "Whatcha doin'?" She asked, grabbing a look at his textbook. "Gross. Algebra. Reginald helped me with mine."
"Ah the joys of a butler. Life at the Quartermaines. I suppose we should be honored you like to slum it here with us, Princess," Lucky teased.
Emily kicked him. "Please. I love my family but a night spent with a bunch of money grubbing adulterers as opposed to hanging out with you guys, listening to some awesome music? No contest."
"Well, let's not forget if they weren't a bunch of money grubbing adulterers you wouldn't be here."
"Too true," Emily conceded, clinking her bottle with his.
"That better just be water," Mike warned stepping back behind the bar just as the musicians began to set up.
"Hey, Gramps!"
"Any word from your father?" Mike asked.
"You know I can't say anything," Emily said apologetically.
Mike nodded ruefully. "Leave it to my son to trust a fifteen year old but not his old man."
Emily cleared her throat in offence. "His extremely gifted fifteen year old," she huffed.
"And extremely gorgeous," Lucy added, kissing the top of Emily's head.
"Hi, Lucy. Who's playing tonight?"
"We've just got the house band tonight," Mike replied. "When are we going to get you there, hmm?" He gestured towards the stage.
"That will take copious amounts of the alcohol you don't let me drink," Emily cracked. She had no desire to follow in her mother's footsteps. When it came to being in front of a huge group of people, she was painfully shy, even if Alex did insist she had a lovely voice.
"That's right, Mike. As soon as school's out, this beauty is all mine." Lucy draped a possessive arm around Emily.
"I haven't said yes to that either, Lucy," Emily pointed out. She wasn't sure she wanted to follow in her step mother Brenda's impressive footsteps as the face of Lucy's cosmetics company Deception.
"Oh for heaven's sake hasn't your mother talked some common sense into you yet?" Lucy whined.
"She says it's up to me what I want to do."
"Oh what does Alex know about common sense, she's married to a Quartermaine," Lucy huffed.
"Weren't you married to my grandpa Alan a long time ago?" Emily asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Besides, I'm half a Corinthos anyway."
Lucy gasped in horror. "You're not going to become a mobster, are you?"
At that, Lucky burst out laughing, making him choke on his soda.
"God, Lucy," Emily said, shaking her head as she patted Lucky's back.
A few of Sonny's associates, led by Harry Silver walked into the club.
"I swear, I'm gonna talk to your father about bringing his hoodlum friends around here," Lucy pouted.
"You don't have a problem when he brings Jason by," Emily reminded her.
"Oh that's different. Ever since the accident your uncle hasn't been right in the head," her godmother pointed out.
"Oh," Emily nodded slowly, feigning understanding. "Right." She lifted her gaze to the ceiling as Lucy walked away.
"That's it. My brain is fried." Lucky threw down his pencil and ran his fingers through his blond hair.
"What do figure's going on over there?" Emily asked motioning her head toward Harry and his guys. She knew a few of her father's men, but these guys were new.
"Don't know. Don't wanna know." Lucky shrugged.
"Don't you ever get curious?"
"Sure but my dad would kill me if he thought I was sticking my nose in where it didn't belong."
"Well…" Emily's voice trailed off. "I'm still thirsty. You want something?"
"Nah. I've gotta be heading home. I'll see you at school tomorrow unless you want me to walk you home?"
"That's okay. I'll see you tomorrow."
Emily slowly made her way to the door, a bottle of lime soda in her hand and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as she listened in on Harry's conversation behind the employee entrance.
"He won't know what hit him. He and Spencer think they've got the upper hand but after I'm done with them, they'll know who's really the boss. I've got men in Athens ready for my signal. Sonny and Luke will never see it coming."
Emily tried to stop it, but the bottle fell out of her hand, crashing to the floor. She bolted and into Luke's office, locking the door behind her. "Oh God," she whispered breathing hard against the door. "Oh my God." Harry was betraying her father. Jesus Christ! She never would have imagined him capable of such a thing. She'd known Harry all her life. He'd been to each one of her birthday parties and would sneak her candies and money when she was little. She considered him like an uncle. And now…why?
She had to warn her father, but how? She couldn't call him yet. Go to Greece? No, her mother would kill her. But wouldn't it be Emily's fault if something happened to her dad and she knew about it?
Her mother would understand if it was to save her dad's life, right?
Should she tell Lucky? Emily bit her lip. Luke was in danger too but…what if something happened to Lucky? Oh his mother Laura would be pissed.
No, it'd be safer for everyone if she went alone. She snuck out Luke's office window and rushed home to pack a bag. She'd leave a note. She reached into her bedroom vanity and pulled out some lilac scented note paper that her grandma Monica had given her.
Now how to say this in a way that her mom would understand and yet wouldn't bring the cops to their door.
"Dear Mom, Thanks for letting me go on the class field trip. I'll miss you and dad. Call as soon as I get there. Love, Emily."
Since her mother knew there was no field trip, she'd understand…and probably start planning Emily's punishment, she thought with a grimace. Maybe she'd be so glad dad was okay she wouldn't kill her. Emily grabbed some money out of her desk and added another credit card to her wallet. First thing was first, her daddy needed her help.
