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Chapter 14
"How is Port Charles treating you?" Francis was on the rooftop deck stretched out on one of the chaises.
"A hell of a lot better than the last time I was here." Johnny was in the penthouse.
"Could have something to do with the fact that there is less Sonny this go round." Francis suggested.
"That and Jason's hot lawyer." Johnny grinned.
"I only talked to her once." Francis hadn't really given Diane much thought because he was focused on the house.
"We are having dinner tomorrow night. I have noticed that the number of attractive women seems to have increased since we were last here. Lots more lady doctors." Johnny told his friend. "Maybe you should come visit."
"I'm not looking to get married." Francis said laughing. "Have you done any actual work since you arrived?"
"I have." Johnny said in mock outrage. "Just sitting there looking pretty is not as easy as you think. Plus Sonny seems to have lost every ounce of common sense he ever had. He got played badly." From the start Sam had made him dance to her tune. Johnny was willing to bet she knew who he was when she approached him that first time.
"Have you heard from Sonny?" Francis was getting the report to pass along to Jason. At some point Jason would call Johnny himself but for now this would do. The gang was down on the lawn having a picnic. Elizabeth's headache was still hanging around, and Georgie and Cameron were feeling the effects of jet lag. So Francis had suggested everyone take it easy today.
"He has not been allowed to make any calls just yet." Johnny told his friend. "I'm guessing when he is able he will call Alexis."
"She's still his lawyer?" Francis found that to be surprising. He didn't see Carly allowing the brunette attorney to stay that close to Sonny. Not given their history.
"Nope, but she is the mother of his child. Diane only handles business matter for Sonny, she told him she would not represent him in court." Johnny explained. The lawyer had said that Sonny was too unpredictable to take into court. The man liked to hear his own voice to much and would probably insist on testifying. She wasn't risking her professional reputation. "I don't see Alexis dropping everything to run to Sonny's aid. Especially seeing as she is running for D.A."
"Not the time to remind people she was at one point connected to the mob." Francis remarked. "So are you just going to leave him there?" Not helping Sonny would enrage the older man.
"His assets have been frozen, and until I hear from him, Hank, or Ritchie I'm pleading ignorance." Johnny figured the guards would be released first. There was no way Interpol was going to pass up the chance to try to squeeze Sonny. Not when they had him on a legitimate charge. Johnny was just waiting to see if Sonny decided to tough it out, or if he tried to cut a deal. Johnny was betting the older man was going to try to sell Jason out to save himself. Too bad everything he knew about Jason's part of the business was no longer true.
"At least the baby will be safe." Francis commented. Jason had told him what he suspected Sam was going to try to do.
"How is Liz?" Johnny wanted to know.
"Holding on." Francis told his friend. "She's scared and trying not to give into the fear. They took samples today so on Friday we will get more answers. I think Jason is going to try to get her to relax between now and then." After lunch Francis was going to suggest a trip to the art store. Maybe they would eat dinner out.
"How is Jason doing?" Johnny wanted to make sure his friend was okay as well.
"Being strong for her." Francis told Johnny. "If you know him well you can tell he is scared." Hell they all were, this was not the normal problem they faced. "Once we know how much access to Liz the doctor's need I'm guessing he will start planning their trip to Italy."
"If they go to Ireland let me know." Johnny requested. "I can make sure they have a good time."
"I'll suggest it." Francis thought Liz would like Johnny's native country. He knew Jason would want to show her as much of Europe as he could.
"I'm tired, so I'm hanging up now. Tell Jason to call me tomorrow. I'll give a holler if something of interest happens on this end." Johnny said standing up. The last two days had been busy, and he was also dealing with jet lag. He wanted to zone out in front of the television and just relax. First he needed to make a reservation at the restaurant Paulie recommended.
Johnny was reaching for the remote control when his phone rang again. The Palermo international code told him who was on the other end of the line. "O'Brien."
"Did Corinthos really order a hit on his own wife?" Maximus got right down to business.
"He did, I'll send you the recording." Johnny didn't feel the need to lie. "He wants to marry someone else."
"And a divorce wasn't good enough?" Maximus had watched Sonny go from a brash young man with a lot of potential to someone who was addicted to power and felt he was untouchable. That no matter what he did it wouldn't bounce back on him. Being protected by Jason had given Sonny a false sense of security. "Where is Morgan?"
"Out of town handling a personal issue." Johnny told the head of the Costa Nostra.
"Morgan leaves and Sonny goes totally off the rails." Maximus guessed this had been building for a while. "Who is the woman Sonny planned on marrying?"
"Her name is Samantha McCall. I can send you the file that Jason compiled." Johnny offered.
"Don't bother, give me the highlights." Maximus needed to figure out how to handle this. If Sonny had simply traded one wife for the other things would have been fine. But he didn't, and they had rules about taking out hits on women, children, and innocents. Women were only touched if they proved to be a threat. Carly was annoying, but she no longer knew anything that would pose a problem for the Corinthos Morgan organization. If Anthony Zacchara got taken out for killing his second wife why did Sonny think he could do it and remain untouched? When Johnny was done Maximus spoke again. "So either Sonny didn't read the file, or he did and chose to ignore the contents. Do you know when Morgan is returning?"
"No clue." Johnny wasn't going to tell Maximus that Jason was less than five hours from Palermo. Jason could pass that along if he wanted Maximus to know.
"Jason shouldn't have to be Sonny's keeper." Maximus said shaking his head. "Did he really think that my son would just blindly carry out that order?"
"Yes he did." Johnny thought Max was weak. He had let Carly ruin him, but there was still hope for the guard. He needed some distance from Port Charles for that to happen.
"I will handle Corinthos. Put Max on a plane for Palermo. His employment in Port Charles is over." Since Max had been the one to set up his boss, his fellow workers would no longer trust him. Maximus would find something for his son to do in the family organization. He was just happy that Max wasn't the oldest. There was no way he could run things. "Where is Milo?" He hadn't bothered to check on his boys, clearly he should have.
"With Jason." Johnny answered knowing that Maximus would see that Milo was doing well.
"Good." Maximus relaxed a bit. Jason was smart to not leave the business in Sonny's hands while he was gone. "When Jason returns please have him call me."
"I will pass that message along." Johnny told the Don. "However I don't know how long Jason will be gone."
"That is fine." Maximus wasn't concerned that Jason was being stupid. The younger man had proven to have a good head on his shoulders. He had also proven smart enough to place his trust in level headed men. "What are the plans for Ms. McCall?"
"We have no problem letting the Canadians handle her." Johnny told Maximus. Word was that another family that had been victimized by Sam, the Monroe family, were looking for retribution. Most likely the dark haired woman wouldn't be an issue after she had her baby. They would keep watch all the same.
"That is fine." Maximus would be watching as well. "Have a good night Johnny."
"You do the same Maximus." Johnny said as the call ended. He immediately called Francis. "I just spoke with Maximus."
"What did he say?" Francis had rejoined the group. The ladies were walking with Cameron so it was fine to talk.
"He will handle Sonny, and Max is returning home." Johnny passed along.
"Sounds good." Francis replied. "Enjoy your night."
"I will." Johnny said ending the call and going to get a beer.
"Maximus is handling Sonny, and Max is going home." Francis told Jason. Cody and Milo were up to date on the situation in Port Charles.
Jason watched Elizabeth as she helped Cameron with his balance while he processed what Francis was saying. The little boy was holding her hand and Georgie's while he figured out how to make his legs do what he wanted them to. It had been making Jason smile since they started. It probably wouldn't be much longer before Cam was walking on his own. He wanted Elizabeth to be able to see that.
Still watching them move further away he turned his mind back to Sonny. A part of Jason suspected that the older man would end up getting taken out at some point, but he figured it would be an enemy. He never saw his partner losing his life because he tried to kill Carly. The funny thing was if Sonny had ordered this hit when Carly was giving Alcazar information about the organization Maximus would have let it pass. Jason probably would not have. He either would have killed Sonny himself or dissolved the partnership. However his partner had done something to invoke the ire of the head of the Costa Nostra, and Jason couldn't protect him. Nor did he want to. What Sonny had tried to do was wrong.
Jason nodded and just like that it was done. "Milo did you want to go see your brother while we are here?"
"I'll call him at some point. I'm just glad he was smart enough to not follow the order." Milo worried about Sonny's influence over his older brother. "What will happen to Mrs. Corinthos?"
"I'm guessing Sonny didn't change his will before he left. Carly will inherit all the personal assets." Like the house and the bank accounts. Jason inherited all the business assets, legal and otherwise. "If he did change it, I will make sure she and the boys are okay. I'm going to walk with Cameron." Jason got up and jogged over. The guys watched as Georgie let him take the little boy's hand.
"Jason will be better off without Sonny." Cody said breaking the silence.
"Everyone will be better off without Sonny. Or at least this version of Sonny. He was a better man when I first came to Port Charles." Milo observed.
"Yeah he was." Francis thought it all started going downhill when Sonny ordered Johnny's death. While the pills helped with mood swings once he was more in control Sonny started displaying a more ruthless nature. Francis thought it was his former boss's true self. No matter what he believed they would still have ended up in this place. With someone ordering Sonny's death. At least it didn't have to be Jason.
"He's doing well with his walking." Jason looked down at Cameron who had decided it was time to sit.
"Yeah." Elizabeth smiled down at her son. "He really wants to walk. I think it's going to happen well before his first birthday. We should start figuring out what needs to be put up higher." She suggested. The baby proofing company had done a good job, but Francis had told them Cameron wasn't walking yet. "I need to get him a pediatrician, if we are still here when he is one he will need shots. I'd like to throw him a party. He won't remember so we'll need to make a video." Elizabeth started planning.
Jason made a note to get a camera they needed to start taking pictures of Elizabeth with their son. So that Jason could share them with the little boy as he got older. Looking out toward the water he had to blink back tears. In so many small ways this was extraordinarily painful. Everyday brought a new way Elizabeth would be missed. "I'm sure we can do that. Maybe he'll have some friends by then." Jason said when he was feeling more stable.
"I should look into mommy and me classes." Elizabeth was going to love Cameron enough in the time they were given that he would always feel it. Her little guy reached up and both she and Jason let him wrap his fingers around theirs. Using his arms he gained his feet and began heading back to the blanket.
Jason suggested a trip to the art store. "How about if the four of us go, and we let Georgie, Milo, and Cody have the night off? We'll cut Francis loose when we get back home?"
"I like the sound of that." Elizabeth said smiling. She'd like to sketch Jason and Cameron. "Also the book store to get some stories for bedtime."
"Would you like to eat out?" Jason offered.
"No. I like the sound of a quiet night in with my guys." Elizabeth swung Cameron up into her arms needing to hold him. "What do you think Cam? You, me, and daddy?" The little boy clapped. "Cam agrees. A quiet night in."
"Sounds good to me too." Jason put his arms around her shoulders as they rejoined their friends.
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