Chapter Twenty-One

The house was silent when he entered through the patio doors. Looking in the kitchen and living room, he made his way back to the studio and saw her lost in thought as she painted. Her hips swayed to a beat that only she could hear. Leaning against the wall, he watched as her, taking in the happiness that she seemed to glowing with.

"I take it that you are happy that Grandmother and everyone made the trip?"

Startled, Elizabeth jumped and she frowned at him. "Jason, you have to stop sneaking up on me! Make some noise to let me know that you are here."

Chuckling, he moved into the room and wrapped his arms around her. "It was nice that you let Grandmother and Emily spend the evening with Sophie. Thank you."

"They deserve the time alone with her and Sophie was excited." She leaned against him and relaxed in his embrace. The security that she had always felt when with him caused her to smile. They had never lost that connection. "What are you doing this evening? I figured that you would be at the main house with your family."

"Naw. I wanted to spend some time with you. Johnny is staying with Sophie, along with Dean. They are fine by themselves."

She tilted her head back and saw the uncertainly in his eyes. "And what are you wanting to do? I thought that I was grounded to the property."

Shaking his head at her outlook on the safety measures that was needed right now, he sighed. "It's not like that, Elizabeth. You are safer here until we can get Ruiz and Alcazar taken care of."

"I know. I just feel like I am being punished because they are insane."

He stroked her cheek, understanding that she hated to be told what to do. Her independent nature was one of the things that he had always loved and admired about her, even when he wished that she was not so stubborn. "Well, I was thinking that we could have a nice meal, just us."

Thinking it over, she nodded. "Alright. But what about Frannie and Johnny? They usually eat with us."

"They are big boys, Elizabeth. They can fend for themselves for one night." His hand moved up to cup her chin. "You are so beautiful. I can't believe that I ever let you walk away," he muttered before capturing her lips with his.

Immediately returning the kiss, Elizabeth opened her mouth when his tongue swept across hers. As the intesity deepened, she encircled his neck and pulled him closer. Spending the last couple days with him and actually letting her guard down, she realized that all the hurt was in the past, and that she needed to live in the present. Holding onto the pain was accomplishing nothing except for making them both miserable.

Jason groaned and cupped her rear, lifting her up. He broke the kiss when she wrapped her legs around him and looked into her glazed over eyes. Seeing the want that he felt mirrored in her eyes, Jason paused before nipping playfully at her ear lobe. "Elizabeth, we are going to have to stop of you want to."

She tightened her arms around his neck. "I don't want to stop, Jason. I missed you so much."

The admission caused his heart rate to increase as he crushed his lips back down to hers hungrily. He sat her on the work table that was behind her and his hands roamed around to cup her full breasts. When she moaned and arched into his touch, he quickly pulled her shirt open, the buttons scattering to the floor in his haste. "God, baby. Are you sure?" he breathed against her neck, wanting to make sure that she would not regret what was about to happen.

Pulling back and meeting his eyes, she gave him a sassy wink. "Absolutely. I want you, Jason. Now."

Sweeping her up into his arms, he gave no second chance for a protest as he started toward her bedroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~b~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why would you even put the surgery off to begin with, John? If Jason had not called Robin, you would not be receiving this second chance!"

Watching as Georgie paced in the office at the house, John hid his smile. The firey brunette was definitely something else when riled up. She had lectured him all the way back to the house after the stunned silence had worn off. "Georgie, things were complicated. I can't really explain everything, but Dr. Drake is here now. I am consenting to the procedure, and going to give it a shot. That is all I can do now."

"How can you be so calm?"

"I've known for a while now that I was going to die. Hearing that there is a slim chance that I could pull through with no lasting side effects, I refuse to get my hopes up. I am prepared either way that this may end."

The complete lack of faith in his voice caused her to drop into the chair across from him. "You must be scared."

His eyebrows winged up as he considered her words. "Death is a part of the life that I live. It is always a possibility. I grew up accepting that. I am more worried about leaving my family. Claudia, Elizabeth, and Sophie will be taken care of financially, but I worry about their emotional well being. I know that my sister will lean and depend on Lorenzo. She was raised just like I was, so she will be sad, but move forward. I hope that Elizabeth will allow Jason to be her rock if something happens that I don't make it. And little Soph, well, she is so young that I know that she will be fine. The business will guarantee all of their safety."

She thought about his statement and met his unwavering gaze. "You have truley given up."

Shaking his head, he stood and looked out the window. "I had at one point. Now, I want a second chance. I am hoping that your cousin's boyfriend can work that miracle that he is so renouned for."

Georgie studied his back and could see that he was tense. The day had to have been hard on him. She did not know how he had dealt with the idea of no hope. It would kill her to think that she was dying with no options available to save herself. To suddenly have a slight ray of hope, she could understand why he was hesitant to latch on to it. But Georgie also knew that having a reason to think positive was important. "You have to believe, John. Patrick is the best. He wouldn't take the case if he thought that he could not pull you through the operation."

"I want to," he admitted as he looked back at her. "I am not ready to let go, Georgie."

Without thinking, she stood and moved over to him, hugging him. She felt him stiffen before returning the embrace. "You will be fine," she whispered.

Running a hand over her back, he closed his eyes, praying that she was right. She may not realize it yet, but something was between them that John needed to explore. He refused to approach the building attraction until after the surgery. It wasn't fair to place her in that position. But John had ever intention of exploring what he felt for the young woman in his arms after he recovered. He knew that she felt the pull too, but did not think that she fully understand what was developing between them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~b~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We have a major problem!" Jerome snapped at John as he entered the room where everyone was gathered for breakfast.

Immediately standing, he motioned the man back into the hall. He noted that Jason, Johnny, and Francis quickly followed them into the hall. "What?" he demaded after shutting the door to the dining room.

"Seven of our guards were taken out. At radio call check, they never answered. I found them dead. Gunshot wounds to the head, all of them." Jerome saw John's eyes harden before going flat. "It looks like they have been dead for at least an hour, if not more."

"Fuck! That means that they are on the property and could be anywhere."

Jason's fists curled as he listened. "It has to be Ruiz or Alcazar."

"Luis Alcazar was found about an hour ago. Shot in the head," Jerome informed them without emotion. "It looks like Ruiz is making his move."

"Get everyone into the panic rooms that are set up in the basement," he snapped as he turned to look at Jason. "The rooms are set up so that after the code is entered, no one can get in from the outside unless the master code is entered from the inside. They will all be safe there while we search the grounds."

"Someone has to stay with them. Francis and Johnny can stay," Jason declared.

"Fine." He entered the dining room to see everyone standing, except for Lila who looked at them in concern from her chair. John's eyes briefly caught Georgie's before he turned and focused on Elizabeth. "You have to go to the panic rooms. Corelli and O'Brien will be with you." He saw Sophie wrapped in Emily's embrace with her head buried in her shoulder. John quickly pulled his gun from behind his back. Handing it Elizabeth, he saw that her eyes were large with fear, but that she was hanging in there. "React first, question later. Like I taught you. Remember?"

Jason wanted to protest but knew that Zacchara had to have taught Elizabeth how to fire a gun. The manuever that she had used to snap Carly's wrist showed that he had taught her self defense as well. His eyes widened though when he saw Georgie taking Francis' extra gun. "Francis."

The older man shook his head. "Mac raised her, Jason. I have seen Georgie at the range for years. She is a spot on shot."

Smirking, Georgie placd the gun out of sight as Sophie wiggled against Emily's arms. "I can handle it," she reassured Jason and John, amused that they both looked shocked.

When Dean reached to take Sophie from Emily, the little girl snuggled into the arms of her guard that had been with her since her birth. She may not have understood everything, but the little girl sensed that something was wrong.

Pulling Elizabeth over to him, Jason kissed her, wishing that they did not need to seperate. But there was no way that he was sending Zacchara and his men out alone to look for the threat to his family, especially with John having a time bomb in his head. "Be careful and listen to the guys. I love you."

Caressing his face, she smiled nervously. "I love you too. You be careful." She pulled away and touched John's shoulder. "Come back safely."

Waiting until the woman had left the room with Reginald pushing Lila's chair and Johnny and Francis following, John turned and walked to his office without a word. Keying in a code into the panel that has hiden behind the painting, an opening slid open and Jason whistled at the variety of weapons that was hidden there. "Help yourself, Morgan. Manny made a huge mistake by coming back on my property. I want him dead."

The two men exited the room and headed quickly toward the guards that were gathered and waiting for orders outside. John stood on the steps and looked at the men. "I want this bastard dead. I don't care how, just make it happens. Any method necessary."

Spreading across the massive amount of property, Jason followed John as they rushed toward Elizabeth's house. "You think that he is here? At her house?"

"I don't know, Jason. But he is after her, so it makes sense."

As they stepped onto the patio, a large explosion threw them backward with the force of the blast. Lifting his aching head and swiping the blood from his vision, Jason looked over at John and cursed as he saw that he was not moving.

"Zacchara! John, can you hear me? Zacchara, damn it, answer me!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~b~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Approaching the panic rooms that were built into the basement, Elizabeth paused and reached for Sophie after making sure that Lila was holding up okay. The older woman looked back and smiled reassuringly with a nod of her head. "I'll take her, Dean."

Pulling the gun from his waistband, Dean shook his head, causing everyone to stop. Francis and Johnny froze, torn on what to do. There was no way that they could react because Sophie was in his arms and any shot taken at him may hit the little girl.

"I can't do that, Liz." He licked his lips nervously. "I'm sorry, more than you can possibly imagine. I have to take her with me."

"No!" Elizabeth stepped forward, fear making her shake. She fought against Johnny's arms as he grabbed her and quickly removed the gun that John had given her. There was no way that Elizabeth was thinking clear enough to have control of the firearm. "Dean, what are you doing? Sophie is an innocent. My baby!"

The dark haired guard sighed as he tightened his hold on the little girl that he had watched grow up from an infant. The trust that she had always had for him was making her rest quietly in his arms, not understanding the danger that was unfolding. "I have to, Liz. Manny will kill my sister if I don't do this. Go in the room and lock yourself in. Otherwise, you won't like what happens."

Gasping and struggling against the tears that were choking her vision, Elizabeth shook her head. "Take me instead. I am who he is really after. Sophie is a baby. Dean, please!"

Francis stepped forward from where he had been standing in front of Emily, Lila, and Georgie. "No way, Lizbits! He can't get off the grounds anyway. The compound is locked down."

Dean flashed a wicked smile. "Do you really think that Ruiz is that stupid? Trust me, I will make it out of here. Besides, do you honestly think that Morgan or Zacchara will take a shot at me with this little beauty in my possession?"

Knowing that he was right, that he would make it off the property with her daughter, Elizabeth lunged forward. Johnny's arms tightened in reflex as he brought her back against his body. "Stop it now, Liz! He is not leaving this house."

Finally catching on that something was terribly wrong with the adults around her, Sophie looked up and saw the tears on her mother's and Emily's face. "Momma," she whispered, starting to squirm in Dean's hold.

Everyone was holding their breath as Sophie started to kick. Georgie heard a click and immediately caught Francis' stricken eyes as she shoved Emily to the ground. Following suit, Reginald shielded Lila as a blast sounded inside the panic room. The force of the impact of the bomb exploded throughout the hallway, causing everyone to drop to the ground. Dean released his hold on Sophie and shoved her at the two woman huddled together. Quickly lifting the unconscious Elizabeth, he looked back quickly to see that O'Brien was out cold and that Corelli was struggling to sit up.

"It was never the kid," he laughed. "It was Liz. I just needed to keep you all away." Seeing Georgie raise the gun that she had placed in her pants, he shook his head and placed his own weapon to Elizabeth's temple. "If you even attempt it, Miss Jones, she will die here and now. Think carefully. Do you really want her to die in front of her daughter?"

Knowing that he was right and hating it, Georgie lowered the glock and scooped the terrified Sophie into her arms. Her own tears tracked down her pale face as the man suddenly kicked Francis in the head, knocking the guard out, leaving only the woman, Sophie, and Reginald alone.

"Tell Zacchara and Morgan that Manny will kill them if they follow. If they survive the next blast, that is," he taunted before slipping down the hallway with a still Elizabeth cradled in his arms.