Ch. 20 – Men with a Mission
"But why didn't you go with her?" Tony scolded. "You could have at least seen her off to the airport like a gentleman instead of leaving her all alone!"
"Tony, will you please calm down?" EJ sighed, sipping at a cup of tea nervously. "Things are bad enough with Samantha's concussion, finding care for the twins and dealing with all of the aftermath of Stefano's madness without you flying off the handle!"
At that, Tony began to pace around the Dimera mansion frantically.
"Sorry if I'm bothering your afternoon tea," he growled. "It's only a woman's life at stake! Your sister's life!"
"All of our lives have been at risk!" EJ answered back angrily. "And why all of this sudden concern for Renee? I thought you had made your decision to stay with Anna."
"That doesn't mean I want the woman dead..." Tony muttered furiously.
"Is it only good will that you feel for her? I wonder..."
Before Tony could snap at EJ to mind his own damned business, the doorbell rang. He was too on edge to wait for Illeana to get the door, leaving to answer it himself.
"Donovan!" he exclaimed at the sight of the trenchcoat-wearing Brit. "What in the hell are you doing here?"
Shane Donovan's jaw clenched with tension at the sight of his adversary.
"I'm here to see Renee if you don't mind," he answered coldly.
"Renee?" EJ interrupted, coming to join them in the hallway. "But she's in England, supposedly divorcing you right now!'
Shane shook his head.
"I don't understand," he said. "My solicitor would have left word with me. Renee's been nowhere near England."
"So what's going on?" EJ asked.
"That's what I'd like to know," Shane answered as he made his way into the mansion.
"Well, make yourself at home, Donovan," Tony quipped sarcastically. "Don't mind us. Would you like Illeana to fix you a sherry perhaps?"
"I'm not interested in getting into a quarrel with you, Dimera," Shane responded. "I have a personal stake in all that has gone on here in Salem this last week. You see, Kayla was not only my sister-in-law but a dear friend."
If Tony didn't know better, he would have thought that the unshakeable ISA agent was beginning to get a bit misty-eyed with tears.
"Oh, yes..." EJ recalled. "I believe Samantha had informed me that you two had been involved once."
"Yes," Shane nodded.
Tony was stunned by this revelation. He had no idea that Kayla and Shane had ever been involved. They seemed like such a mismatch. Again, he was are of just how much he had missed out since his captivity on the island.
"She was a great lady," Shane said. "A wonderful wife, mother and doctor. And she died before her time. This time, I can't just ignore what Stefano has done."
"Since when did you ever ignore Stefano?" Tony asked bitterly. "As I understand it, you followed his instructions right down to the letter. Even going so far as to marry a brainwashed insomniac prisoner in order to save your own damned neck..."
"Tony," EJ warned. "Please be civil in my home. Sorry, Shane. He's been like this all day."
"Well, we've all been distraught," Shane said charitably. "And I suppose you're worried about Renee."
"Of course, I'm worried about Renee!" Tony raved. "She has disappeared off the face of the earth. And what are the chances that Stefano has captured her again? He had his reasons for keeping her alive and a prisoner for so long. I don't suppose you know what those reasons were?"
Shane shook his head.
"I'm sorry. Stefano never took me into his confidence."
"As if I could believe a word out of your mouth anyway..."
"Look," EJ stepped in. "All of this arguing is getting us nowhere, Tony. Renee is missing. Fine. The next step is to find out where Stefano is."
"I do have a theory about that..." Shane spoke up. "There's been a lot of chatter in the Dimera organization. You see, lately the ISA's been working on ways to track down leads about the Dimeras on the Internet. Once Stefano was in a coma, there was no real need to use our new codes and technology. But since he's been on the move again, there have been a few interesting discoveries that we've made. There have been a series of numbers that have been repeated over and over again in our research. The more I think about it, the more I expect that those numbers are longitude and latitude of wherever he is."
"You mean, you think he's on an island?" EJ asked.
"It would fit his modus operandi," Shane nodded. "How many islands does that man own anyway? He's escaped from the hospital with several criminal charges on his head. Of course, he would leave the country. And more than likely, Renee is with him, I'd say, along with Bo and Hope."
"Well ,if we know where he is, what are we waiting for?" Tony asked. "We need to go to that island immediately."
"Patience, Dimera. Take it from a man in the spy business. You don't want to go into this all hot-headed. We need back-up. Someone that we can trust. Roman has his hands all tied with the police department right now, with Abe's injury and Bo and Hope's kidnapping. Ordinarily, I'd turn to John Black if he were in his right mind, but..."
"So we're left to our own devices?" EJ asked.
"Well, there's another man who would be a great help to us in this sort of operation, but..."
"For God's Sake, Donovan!" Tony raged. "We need all the help that we can get! If you know someone..."
"The man is Steve Johnson."
Both of the Dimera brothers were shocked at Donovan's suggestion.
"Steve Johnson?" Tony bellowed. "Are you crazy? He's in absolutely no condition right now to go looking for his wife's killer."
"On the contrary, he might welcome the distraction from the grief," Shane responded.. "I've worked with Steve Johnson for a long time, both in ISA missions and police action. Let's face it, he's bound and determined to get revenge anyway. It's only a matter of time before he tries to track down Stefano himself. At least, if he's with us, we can keep an eye on him. Perhaps if we all work together, we could get Stefano, save all the others, and put an end to this madness."
EJ nodded soundly.
"Let's go talk to Steve Johnson, shall we?"
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Renee sat alone on the beach, staring out at the beautiful ocean and tropical skies. She was in a complete funk.
She couldn't handle being around Bo or Hope. Whatever fight had been left in them seemed to evaporate with the news of Kayla's death. She had never seem them look so bereft and silent before.
Stefano and Dr. Rolf, with their obscene glee and gloating, were even worse to put up with. How could they be so happy about Kayla's death? Had her father always been such a monster all along? The knowledge made her feel sick.
As it was, Renee had only fleeting memories of Kayla from her past. Once Kayla had been in love with David...and had been a miserable pain in the butt. Still, that was years ago. She was truly sorry that Kayla ended up as collateral damage in this infernal war. And, like it or not, she had been an accomplice to it. Ultimately, she had pressed the button that blew up all those places in Salem, whether she knew it or not.
And now here she was, stuck on this island, wanting nothing more than to go home.
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Anna did not like what she was seeing. Not at all.
Tony had been so distracted ever since Eugene showed up. No, even before then. And it seemed to be something more than just all of the destruction around Salem. It was something else.
Driving past the Dimera Mansion, she saw his red sports car in the driveway. That was a bad sign. A little later, she drove by to find that Shane was there too. Now she knew that trouble lay ahead.
Determined, she went straight to the front door of the mansion, deciding to face this head on.
"Anna..." EJ said, rather loudly as a warning to Tony as he answered the door. "What a surprise!"
"Where's Tony?" she asked, in no mood to play games.
It didn't take her long to find him with Shane Donovan in the study, both of them hunched over a large map.
"What are you doing?" she asked frantically, as if she didn't know. "Tony! You're not planning on going after Stefano, are you?"
Tony was surprised to see her at first. And then his eyes grew dark with sadness. He didn't have to answer her. She knew the answer.
"Tony..." she begged. "I've lost you for so many years to that man. Please! I'm begging you. Let someone else be the hero."
Tony shook his head, determined.
"I have to do this," he insisted.
"Why?"
His silence said volumes.
"Renee is involved in all of this somehow, isn't she?" she asked suspiciously. "Where is she?"
All three men were silent for a long time.
"We don't know, Anna..." Shane finally admitted. "She appears to be missing. We think she's with Stefano."
"Well!" Anna exclaimed, full of self-righteousness. "Didn't I tell you, Tony? Didn't I tell you that her whole amnesia thing was just an act?"
"You don't know what you're talking about!!!" Tony roared back.
Anna's eyes widened with shock. It had been a long time since Tony had spoken to her that way. In fact, she couldn't remember when she had last seen him so angry.
"I know you don't like Renee..." Tony continued, on a rampage. "But even you have to admit that she's been horribly victimized for years by Stefano. And now he's about to ruin her life again. He's kidnapped her and taken her God knows where!"
Anna's jealous nature came burning to the surface just like it always did where Tony was concerned.
'"I'm sorry if I haven't been concerned about Renee!" she bit back. "I've been a little too concerned about my friends, about the death of my sister-in-law! Roman's needed me!"
Tony was as cold as ice as she mentioned his rival for her affections.
"Then go to him."
"What?' Anna asked in shock.
"If Roman needs you, go to him."
"And what are you going to do?"
He remained maddeningly silent.
"You're going to look for Renee, aren't you?" she gasped. "That's what this whole quest for Stefano is really about. Boy, nothing turns you on as much as Renee when she's doing her 'damsel in distress' act!"
"Oh, Lord..." Tony sighed in exasperation. "Not that again!"
"Not that again!" Anna repeated in disgust. "Well, I'm tired of always having to compete with you for her affections, Tony, when she's done nothing but deceive you ever since..."
"Oh, don't act the innocent!" Tony bit back.
"What do you mean?"
"For some time, I've suspected your hand in the timing of Donovan's arrival at the engagement party. But I never said anything to you about it because we were happy for a while. But I'm so tired of your hypocrisy."
"And I'm tired of your unfaithfulness!" Anna answered back, outraged. "And if you go looking for her, don't you dare come crawling back to me!"
Anna stormed out of the mansion, slamming the front door behind her.
As Anna sat down in her car, she began to sob, her heart breaking. She would never forgive Tony Dimera for this betrayal. Not ever.
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Steve Johnson was a man with a mission.
As he grimly stared at the landscape from the small plane, he vowed that this time Stefano Dimera was a dead man. It was bad enough that so many years of his life had been stolen from him, but now the love of his life was gone. And it was all Stefano's fault.
Seeing that man dead was the only reason that Steve agreed to come on this little trip. The other men in the plane were also tense, nervously glancing at him from time to time, occasionally asking him if he was okay. Of course, he wasn't okay! But he had to stay cool. He had to keep it together and somehow keep all that volcanic anger held down inside. Otherwise, Donovan would tell him to go home.
And there was no way he'd miss out on a piece of this action.
And he wouldn't stop at Stefano. No, there was also that creepy Dr. Rolf. He still had a score to settle with EJ. And then there was the fair Renee Dimera...
EJ, Shane and Tony were all taken in with Renee Dimera's act. But he didn't trust that little Mafia Princess. No, sir. Not for a second. He knew what jilted women were capable of. And at that engagement party to the fancy count, Renee Dimera had been good and jilted by her Count. He'd been around devious women too much over the years to be taken in by them. Savannah, Emma, Britta, Marina, Ava...the list went on and on.
The only woman worth a damn in his life had been his Sweetness. And now she was gone...forever...
Fighting back tears, Steve tried to remain hard and in control. He knew what she would say. She would say that everyone had to die sometime, that it wasn't worth it to see meaningless revenge. That's just how she was. And for a while, he was also seeing things her way. He had Stephanie and little Joe to think of. They didn't need to lose their papa too.
Steve knew in his head that Kayla was right. But in his heart, there was just an empty space. The last time he had felt this bad was when he was a little boy, abandoned by his mama in the orphanage. And that's how he felt now. Abandoned.
He felt more alone than ever.
He felt more hurt than ever.
He felt more like Patch than ever.
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Johnson had a grip on her hair, so tight she thought her neck would snap. Flashbacks of Andre's brutality crowded in on her, but she tried to push them back. She couldn't panic, not like before. Even so, she nearly fainted as she felt the feel of a knife against her throat.
"You're going to help me free Bo and Hope...you got that?" he said softly, like a snake. "Because I have no problem with killing you right here and now, understand me?"
"Okay..." she gasped. "Okay. Just take the knife away. Please...please..."
She felt what little was left of her self-control evaporate as the cold fear and memories kept closing in on her.
"Where are they?"
She led Steve over to where Bo's cage was in the hut.
"Oh, you people are sick!" Johnson swore. "Hey...hey, buddy. How you doin?"
"Steve?" Bo rasped, his eyes barely open.
"Yeah,. It's me. I'm gonna get you out of here. You and Hope."
Bo was too weak to be aware that Renee had managed to get a hold of Stefano's heavy marble chess set table. The thing weighed a ton, but fear gave her the strength to lift it as high as possible before bashing Steve on the back of the head with it. Her stomach lurched at the sound of Steve's skull cracking, but she was fighting for her life. This was no time to be weak or merciful.
Then she began to run as fast as she could away from the hut, escaping into the jungle part of the island.
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"Renee!"
The voice called to her out of the fog of her dreams.
"Tony..." she answered as loudly as she could. "Tony..."
There was a flashlight that glared in her eyes, blinding her.
"Renee, is that you?"
She could do nothing but sob at the vision of her lover standing at the entrance of the cave, looking so uncharacteristically rugged in his khakis and hat.
Quickly, he came to her side and embraced her tightly.
"I thought I'd never find you."
She couldn't stop the tidal wave of tears.
"And I never thought I'd see you again..." she sobbed. "Oh, God..."
They held each other as if they would never let each other go. And then they were kissing, frantically, desperately...
Renee couldn't remember who started the kiss. It didn't really matter.
"Thank you for finding me," she whispered, once she got her breath back. "You're my hero...once again..."
"I couldn't just let Stefano take you away."
Renee blinked slightly as she realized that Tony thought she had been kidnapped. There was no sense in telling him the truth. He would find out soon enough. But she was tired of worrying about the future or looking for her past. He was here. He was now. And that was all that mattered.
"You're not hurt?"
Renee shook her head.
"I'm fine, now that you're here."
They began kissing again, unable to stop themselves.
"We should probably go back to the others. Let them know you're all right."
"No..." Renee protested. "Please. I'm so tired. Can't we just rest here a little?"
"Wouldn't you be more comfortable if you were in a bed?"
Renee thought of all that must have been happening on the other part of the island. Bo and Hope were more than likely ratting her out to anyone who would listen. She knew she should just tell Tony the truth...that she had gone with Stefano willingly, that she had even been an unwitting accomplice in his crimes. But she couldn't bear to see the disappointment on his face.
She just wanted to pretend...if only for a little while.
"I'm too tired to walk all that way," she pleaded. "Can't we just stay here tonight?"
"Of course," Tony nodded. "There'll be hell to pay with Donovan, but I can handle it."
"Shane's here?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"We've all been out looking for you. Me. EJ, Shane and Steve Johnson. Renee, Stefano did some terrible things in Salem. Kayla's was fatally wounded in an explosion."
Renee nodded.
"I heard when Stefano got the news. It's terrible."
"Yes."
As Renee realized just how much trouble she was going to be in, she started to panic and cry.
"Oh, no...my dear..." Tony held her close. "Everything will be all right now. I promise."
"That seems a little hard to believe."
"Believe it."
Another kiss, ending with him tracing her lips with his fingertip. It drove her quite wild when he did that.
"I must be a horrible sweaty mess," she said, backing away self-consciously.
"No. You've very primal and exotic...like a jungle princess."
Renee laughed loudly. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed.
"You're so full of it..."
He gently stroked his fingers along the soft skin of her neck and shoulder.
"I've missed you..." he confessed.
It was on the tip of Renee's tongue to mention Anna. But she wouldn't let that woman spoil her moment now. Not this time. It didn't matter.
"Tony..." she whispered.
"Yes?"
"Don't start something you don't intend to finish."
He chuckled.
"Do you want me to finish?"
"Very much..." she confessed softly.
He pulled a shirt out from his knapsack and spread it down on the ground of the cave.
"Sorry. It's not satin sheets, but the best I can do."
"What does a jungle princess need with satin sheets?" she teased. "I just need you."
He began to unbutton his khaki shirt.
"It's rather warm in here, isn't it?"
"Scorching."
Renee began to kiss his neck and his collarbone, running her hands along the hair on his bare chest.
With a growl, Tony grabbed her, pinning her down on the ground, kissing her thoroughly as he began to work at the ties of her sarong. She loved his rough enthusiasm. Maybe it was the night air of the jungle, but he was kissing her with a wildness that she was unaccustomed to from him. And she loved the excitement of it. She pulled at his shirt, wanting to feel nothing but his flesh against hers. And she ran her nails along his back, encouraging him to be even more savage.