Unsettling Realizations
By Didi
Disclaimer: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.
Summary: Nikolas goes to see Luke, Liz gives Lucky a surprised, Logan comes clean with Coop and Jason gets a hold of Johnny just as Claudia finds Carly.
Timeline: I think we're still stuck in late 2007… possibly early 2008. But does it really matter? Is anyone actually keeping track of the year, month or day?
Author's Note: Ahhh…. Why did not let Lucky and Liz get back together! Why??? Maybe they're setting up Rebecca and Lucky so that they can use that to make Nikolas and Liz jealous. Then Liz can finally take action and get her man back? Maybe? Please? Pretty Please?
Rating: T
Key: "Spoken," "Thoughts." ("Spanish") Any questions?
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Chapter 26 – Two Sided
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"I need leverage and a bargaining chip," Jason announced with a kind of finality that didn't sound good to even Spinelli. "I need you to find someone for me."
Swallowing the sudden fear for this mentor, Spinelli nodded his head slowly. "Your grasshopper will endeavor to comply with his master's wishes. What person of interest does Stone-Cold wish to seek?"
Jason watched the kid for a moment, wondering how it came to be that he would be replying on one such as he to help him with the current crisis. And it was a crisis of a magnitude he didn't want to consider too closely. Carly was missing. She had fallen into their enemies' hands again. And this wasn't going to be like before, there wasn't going to be anyone there to protect her the way the smitten Lorenzo Alcazar had done. Which means that the sooner Jason got her back, the safer it was for everyone involved. "And the sooner I find her, the sooner we can resolve this… this thing between us."
"Stone-Cold?" Spinelli asked in trepidation.
"Find out if there's anyone close to Anthony Zacchara: wife, girlfriend, daughter… wait, he had a daughter. Alcazar said she and her father don't get along so you can forget about her. I need someone can I use to trade for Carly." He didn't like resorting to this but he will.
Spinelli, who had been quietly researching the Zacchara family since they heard of them, volunteered a tentative, "There's a son."
"What?"
The sharpness in Jason's eyes gave the usually oblivious Spinelli pause. "John Anthony Zacchara, spawn of Anthony James and Maria Zacchara."
"John Zacchara," Jason repeated, remembering a scene in a cheap motel just outside of town. "Can you get me a picture of him?"
"Several in fact," he violently punched in some keys and turned his screen around as several newspaper clipped shots popped up simultaneously. They all were centered on a young handsome man of dark coloring but fair complexion, with eyes that watched the world with a caution born of instinct.
Jason cursed viciously under his breath. He had been hoping for someone he didn't recognize but luck was not with him. If the Zaccharas had Carly, Johnny Zacchara would be a very effective bargaining chip. And if they didn't, Claudia Zacchara might be persuade to work a little harder on finding Carly if she thought her little brother was in danger. Either way, Johnny was a good ace in the hole. Picking up his jacket, "Go back to your apartment and continue that search on the finances. I want a report ASAP; get Stan to help you but don't step on his toes." If he heard one more word about the two hackers, Jason was going to have consider shooting someone.
Startled by the abruptness of his dismissal, "Where are you going, Stone-Cold? Does the master not require the location of the devil's spawn?"
"No," he answered curtly. "I have another way to get to him," though he does wonder if Lulu had the same kind of loyalty that her cousin does. If so, getting her to cooperate was going to be a great deal more difficult than he wished it to be. "Why does it always have to be Spencers?"
-&-&-&-
The phone shrilled and Claudia frowned at it and made a mental not to change that damn ring tone then cursed when she saw who it was. Pulling her car to the side of the road because she did not need the hassle of being pulled over for driving and answering her cell phone at the same time – especially with several illegal weapons in the trunk of her car – she picked it up. "You better have something for me by now."
"Two things," said the no-nonsense male voice on the other end. "One, your father wasn't involved. I've got nothing on any of the taps and no one has been moved from their usual spots. We can nix that idea right now."
"So it's Trevor's show then," Claudia bit down on a curse and shook her head. It was yet something else she'd have to look into and file away for reference to use at a later date. Chances are good that this isn't the first time the lawyers made moves on his own She was going to have to handle that man soon. "Got a location for me?"
"That's two," spoken in the same monotone, "I think there may be a possible location but it's going to be hard for you to check it."
Claudia smirked. "There's not a place on earth I can't break into; Uncle Rudy made sure of that."
"It's a Franciscan monastery."
For a moment, Claudia actually thought her usually humorless point man was joking her with; then she remembered who she was dealing with right now. She blasphemed. "That bastard."
"He knows you," came the reasonable explanation.
"Not well enough," she muttered angrily. If breaking a religious sanctuary will protect her baby brother, that's what she will do despite her own distaste in the matter. She wasn't a fanatically religiously woman like her mother but Claudia has a healthy respect for the people that's dedicated their lives to the holy calling. Plus monks were near saints in Claudia's book, especially Franciscan ones. "I'm going to kill that man." And she fully planned on it too. Just as soon as she's confirmed that it was safe for Johnny for her to do so. "Where is it?"
"Coast line, a hundred and sixty miles west of your current address. I'm sending you the location now." Her phone chirped sweetly. "Oh, and I've added the schematic of the place. That PDA phone is finally coming into use."
"Told you," she couldn't stop herself from saying.
There was a soft grunt from the other end. "Good luck."
"Keep digging," she replied in lieu of a goodbye. She's got work to do. With a smooth roar of a well tuned diesel engine, she was off.
-&-&-&-
"So, it must be in the Spencer genes to attract the most inappropriate people into your lives," Nikolas greeted his mother's most beloved husband in the universe.
Luke lowered his newspaper slowly and regarded the Cassadine Prince with a raise brow of curiosity. It wasn't a surprise to see Nikolas there given Emily recent announcement that he and her former husband have reconciled but this was the first time he's sought Luke out of his own accord. "Not that I don't agree with you but that was kind of out of the left field, even for you. Care you tell me why the sudden observation?"
"I had a face-to-face with one of Lulu's admirers last night," helping himself to coffee from the sideboard. It was thick as mud and twice as strong as it ought to be… just as doctors and anyone else in the medical profession takes it.
"Which one? Artsy, Brawny or Crazy?"
"Johnny." Nikolas gave himself a moment to savior the caffeine laced liquid of the gods as he braced himself for the explosion. "Johnny Zacchara."
Whatever it was that Luke had been prepared for, that had certainly not been it. "What the hell are you talking about?" half out of his seat already.
"The Zacchara heir apparent decided to pay me a little visit last night while I was on my way to pick up Lulu." Nikolas made a face just remembering the conversation and his exasperation that followed. "Seems he was the one that grabbed Lulu while she was trying to escape the Zacchara compound."
Blinking a moment as he processed it, "Are you saying that Zacchara's kid helped my princess escape?" the disbelief was… well, this was an interesting turn of events. And Luke was certain that he didn't like it at all.
"Yes," Nikolas waited for Luke's eyes to pop back into his head before adding, "And he came to see me for the specific purpose of asking me to help keep Lulu away from him."
"Excuse me?" one more shock and he was likely to have a heart attack right then and there.
"Lulu has a bad habit of attracting young men without any effort on her part. And now Johnny Zacchara has got himself caught in her web. He won't…" he considered Johnny words to him last night and shook his head. "He can't say no to her, nor can he stay away from her if she wants to see him. And Lulu is apparently not too good about keeping her distances."
Luke almost groaned in pain. "Oh for crying out loud." He did not want to see this happening. It was him and Laura… all over again. Just the thought of it was extremely painful. "Is he in love with her?"
Nikolas sighed rather resignedly. "I think so."
Chuckling, "Recognized that look in the mirror, huh?"
He rolled his eyes. "Lulu is on the island and the guards have been notified not to let her onto a boat. If you want to see her…"
"I know where to find her," he grinned and stood up. "Emily is upstairs arguing with her grandfather about his heart medication. I wouldn't go up if I were you."
Glad for the information, "I'm having Lucky, Liz and Cameron over for dinner tomorrow night. Family gathering for Lulu." He hesitated but issued the invitation anyways. "It would be nice if you can join us."
Surprised by the request, Luke smiled. It wasn't his usual devil-may-care kind of sticking-it-to-the-man kind of grin. It was a genuine happiness that he usually only received for Laura and their kids. "Thank you, I would love to join you. You might have to restrain me from strangling my daughter but it would still be nice to see her."
Grinning, Nikolas nodded with perfect understanding.
-&-&-&-
The din of the police station had little impact on Lucky as he reviewed the notes from the other officers at crime scene. A night at the hospital followed by an hour with Cruz's devout mother had Lucky aching from head to toe and exhausted both physically and mentally. And he still had a ton to paperwork to get through.
"How is he?"
Lucky answered without looking up. "He's holding his own. The doctors are optimistic but it's going to be a while before we know for sure."
"Has it woken up yet?" someone else asked.
That was the hard one. "No."
The silence followed. "We're praying for him, man."
"Thanks," he answered finally looking up at the two patrolmen that had stopped by before their shift to speak with Cruz's partner. They were young, these two; younger than Lucky had been when he joined the force. Probably entered the academy right out of high school and hasn't even turned twenty-one yet. And here they are, guns at their hips and facing a city that was partially run by the mob. Worse of all, Lucky couldn't even tell them who the bad guys were. He wasn't sure of it himself. "Be careful out there."
The two nodded their appreciation and headed toward the car bay for their patrol vehicle. It was going to be another day of searching for the bastard that ran down one of their own. And they were determined to find the guy.
Turning back to the half written report Cruz had been working on, Lucky signed the report and decided to plow through the work as if he's life depended on it. And it did. He told Cruz's brother that he'd wait for answers from him but he didn't want to just sit there and do nothing while the bastard that put his partner in a coma ran around free. Not that he suspects that Enrico Rodriguez was going to go easy on the guy once he gets his hands on him… but still. It was the principle of the thing.
"Hey Spencer!"
"What?" he growled irritably. There was way too much paperwork involved in police business. How annoying….
"You've got visitors!" There was a splatter of chuckles across the squad room.
"What the hell are you…" then stopped himself when a grinning Liz came into the room, partly restraining the eager Cameron from charging across the bullpen. "Cam!"
Wrenching his hand from his mother's, Cameron launched himself into his father's open arms with loud, "DADDY!" eliciting laughter from the rest of the room.
Bringing the boy to his shoulder, Lucky leaned over and pressed a quick affectionate kiss to Liz's cheek, causing a roar of approval to erupt. "Don't you people have work to do?" Lucky shouted with a grin as he guided his family to the interrogation room for some much needed privacy. "Not that I'm not happy to see you both but what are you guys doing here?" as soon as the door was closed.
Liz leaned up and pressed her lips to Lucky's for a moment, enjoying the intimacy until her son tugged on her hair. "You didn't come home last night and I was worried."
"I'm sorry. Things are a little crazy right now. Didn't you get my message?"
"I did, that's why I was worried," she took Cameron from him and sat the child down on a chair. "How's Cruz?"
"Holding his own," Lucky said, moving over to the table so he could fold her into his arms without ignoring their son. "Em is cautious but thinks that it's looking pretty good. She stayed with me part of the night in Cruz's room until his mother finally arrive from Boston. We're all taking turns checking in on Cruz and his mom."
"I'll stop by later and see if I can find out anything that you guys are not privileged to," she smiled and touched his unshaven cheeks. "You look tired. Did you get any sleep at all last night?"
He sighed and turned his face into her hand, pressing his lips against her palm for a moment. Her presence calmed him. "This thing is going to be ugly. I want you and Cam to be very careful when you go out, okay?"
"What do you mean?" she looked at him with wide curious eyes.
Glancing at the window to the station, he sighed. "I can't talk about it here."
Eyes narrowing, Liz watched his face and saw the lines of sorrow and stress there. "Can you come home tonight? I'll make dinner and we can talk."
"You're suppose to be resting," he reminded her.
"I'm better now," she replied cheerfully, "Because you have taken such great care of me lately. How about you let me return the favor for a change?" her smile was shiny and her gently seductive look a little hard to resist. She tightened her hold on him a little. "Come on… you know you could probably use something other than take-out and bad station coffee. I'll make lasagna," she offered.
"I don't want you slaving over a hot stove for me," he kissed her forehead with a laugh.
"Mac and cheese?" she suggested, to which Cameron cheered. "Oh, I see we have a fan."
"That kid will eat anything in cheese," Lucky frowned and shook his head.
"Just like his father," Liz pointed out with a grin. "Speaking of which…" reaching around her husband for her purse.
"What?" trying to twist about to see what she was after.
The envelope was thick and slightly crinkled from how hard she had been clutching them. "Paper for you to review and sign. Diane said you might want to find a lawyer to review them but…"
"What is it?" pulling the thick stack of legal paper out. "What's this?"
She waited for his eyes to find the printed words. "Adoption papers."
Lucky's froze in that second and his breath caught in his throat.
"I didn't see any need to waste any more time," she murmured softly, watching his eyes glisten. She felt the same way. "What do you say, Daddy? Ready to make this official?"
Sniffling a little, he laughed and hugged her tightly, one arm reaching out to enfold Cameron into this familial moment. Perfection was the only word to describe the moment. Then he asked the very simple and logical question of, "Where's the pen?"
-&-&-&-
"You have any idea what they're saying about you on the streets?" Logan asked without ceremony as he dropped himself into the seat across from his best friend. Jake's was a good place for breakfast but lousy for anything else but drinks. And right now, he didn't need a drink. "What the hell are you eating?"
"I think it's a burrito," Coop muttered then went back to the tasteless concoction. Actually, everything was pretty tasteless these days. "I'm exhausted Logan, what do you want?"
"I heard about the hit and run. They caught the guy yet?"
"Nope."
"Let me guess, you were out all night looking for him. Probably haven't gotten any sleep yet either."
"Yep."
"That would explain why you didn't know about Lulu being arrested last night."
That finally got Cooper's attention. "What?"
Logan grinned rather wolfishly. "Central holding for about an hour before her brother, the Prince, bailed her out."
"What was she arrested for? Why didn't Detective Spencer…"
"Well, that's pretty simple to answer. One, Detective Spencer was busy; what with his partner being almost killed and all. Two, he was probably the one that arranged for Lulu to be arrested; no charges were filed of course. Three, reason being that she snuck out of Carly Corinthos' house without any guards to protect her. Four, Carly Corinthos is currently missing, taken right out of her own home, so you can see how they might panic a little. And oh yeah… they think the Zaccharas did it."
The fork clattered onto the plate.
"Yeah," Logan nodded almost sympathetically.
"What the hell is going on?"
"Too much apparently and not enough of it is under control," Logan grumbled with a shake of his head. He's been putting out fielders for about a week and nothing has bitten so far. ADA Lancing was gnashing at the teeth for something to happen and Logan is about fed up with that whiny man's demands. If not for the sake helping Cooper, he'd up and walk away. "And didn't you hear about what I said about there being talk about you?"
"I heard you," he replied sourly. And there ought to be. Cooper's been doing overtime getting his name a little trashed and bantering about his lack of cash. So far, no go. All it's earned him was a relocation of place of residence (plus he couldn't stand seeing Georgie's accusing eyes anymore) and offers of loans from his fellow rookie cops. "And relax, I've got it handled."
"Everyone is whispering how you might be ripe for a bribe," Logan informed him unnecessarily.
Cooper sighed. "That's the idea." He pushed the unappetizing meal away and rubbed his tired face. All he really wanted now was a shower and a quick shave before he headed back to the station. Nothing like extra shifts to convince people that you're strapped for cash. "Is that all?"
Studying him, Logan frowned. "Are you trying to trash your rep?"
"I don't really care about my rep."
That didn't make any sense. "What are you up to, Coop?"
"Nothing you want to be involved in," Cooper answered honestly. He may not like Logan butting into his life like this but he did appreciate that his friend wanted to help.
"Well, you might be wrong about that," Logan replied with a frown. "This have anything to do with the…" he glanced around the empty bar, "With the Metro Court thing?"
It always came back to that. "Partly, but that's not all of it. Don't worry about it. I've got it handled."
"Yeah, like you had Maxie Jones handled," Logan muttered then winced. He's got to tell him. He couldn't keep this a secret from Coop. Besides, knowing Maxie, she was going to make sure Coop found out about it anyways and probably in the worse possible way. "Hey… I… I have to tell you something."
Since it didn't appear as if Logan was going to let him leave before saying his peace, Coop nodded toward the stairs. "Come up with me, I've got to get changed for work."
"You're pulling another shift?"
"I need the money," he answered simply.
This was really not what Logan was hoping to hear. Actually, he was hoping that the gossip was wrong about his friend. "Are you into something, Coop? If you are… Look, Corinthos pays pretty good and I've got some saved up for the rainy days; you know, like old Sgt. Campbell use to tell us. Most of the money went to my mother but if you need a loan to get you through…"
"I'm okay," Coop said seriously, turning to face Logan, looking him square in the eye. He may not want to tell him about what he was doing but he damn will could be upfront with Logan about everything else. "But I appreciate the offer."
Sighing in resignation, "The offer stands if you change your mind."
"Thanks," and continued up the stairs. "So, what did you want to tell me?"
Logan waited until they got to Coop's new abode. "God, this place is a dump."
"It's a bed and a shower, I don't really care about anything else," Coop said dropping his jacket and shoes at the foot of the bed. Military habits forced him to clean up the place as best as he could given what little he had to work with. But the bed was clean and made with sharply laundered sheets. The floors were swept and everything else was about as Spartan as they get. It was enough for him. "And stop avoiding it. Just spit it out already."
Taking a breath, Logan braced himself but couldn't help but put it off just a tiny bit longer. Confession was good for the soul but a punch in the face was not. "Maxie is out to make trouble for you."
"Like I didn't predict that already?" Cooper replied emotionlessly. At the moment, he really couldn't give a damn. Nothing Maxie does could possibly be worse that the mess he's already made of his life. Maybe if the truth came out, he could finally put some distance between himself and this godforsaken town… and a girl he had no rights to. "What did she do?"
"Nothing yet," Logan replied and took a tentative step back. If he remember basic training correctly, Cooper's got a mean right. "I um… I kind of played her game a bit… to keep her quiet for now."
Shirt half on and half off, Coop turned with narrowed eyes to ask, "What does that mean: 'play her game?'"
Sometimes when he gets that look in his eyes, Coop was kind of scary. Logan took another half a step back. "She… she came to see me the other night. Was a little… angry. And in a mood. She wanted to bite back and I… I let her."
Cooper stood there a full minute and let Logan's sideway talk sink in. "You slept with her." Surprisingly himself with the bluntness.
He almost winced outwardly but managed not to. It wasn't that he was ashamed… okay maybe a little ashamed but not guilty… okay maybe just a little. "Yeah," and he could at least say that he wouldn't lie about it.
"You think she'll tell?" he asked curiously, a little appalled of himself by the fact that he didn't particularly care that his best friend just told him that he slept with Maxie. Did that mean that what he had with Maxie wasn't real? That he was with her simply to placid her? That was not a side of himself he liked to acknowledge.
"She didn't choose me for my looks, Coop. She knew it would hurt you."
"I meant about the Metro Court thing."
A little thrown by how calm Coop was, Logan frowned and tried to keep up with Cooper's train of thoughts. "Out of vengeance for sure. Yeah, I think she'll talk just to stir up the trouble."
It never occur to Coop that Logan would be willing to put himself out there for him. Logan always came off arrogant, selfish even. Except in Iraq. On those foreign soils, Logan was all about the unit. He would live and die for his fellow soldiers and proved it on more than one occasion. That was the Logan Hayes that Cooper Barrett called a friend. And that was the one standing in front of him; not the mobster he had be… "Wait a second," his eyes narrowed as pieces of what he understood about his friend fell into place. "Logan, why are you with Corinthos?"
"What?" now really thrown for a loop. This conversation wasn't going anywhere he could have conceived. "What are you talking about?"
"Why are you really with Corinthos' people? They're not exactly your usual hang out group."
"Easy money and a life of excitement, what could be so bad about that?" he did not like where this is going now.
"You're from Texas. You don't go with easy money," Cooper replied with careful words. "This doesn't exactly match what I know about you from before… and I'm sorry to say that I never even questioned it until now. Maybe it's because I've been viewing you through my own tainted sense of the world but… something about you doesn't add up right."
Oh this is definitely not good. "Coop…"
"Don't whore yourself out to Maxie just to save me, Logan," Coop informed him in no uncertain terms. "If you're sleeping with her for your own pleasures, that's fine. I've got no beef over that. Maxie and I are done; who she sleeps with doesn't bother me." He looked Logan in the eye to forced him to accept what he was saying. "But don't do it if you're just trying to protect me; I don't want that. And while I appreciate you wanting to help me, I'll deal with my own messes when they come my way."
Logan wasn't sure how he was suppose to react. He'd gone through it so many times in his own head, and none of it had come out like this. Cooper Barrett, despite his mistakes in the past, was a good guy. And a friend. Logan Hayes has very few friends and he means to take care of the ones that he does have. "Coop…"
"I'm in a lot of trouble Logan," Coop admitted with a sigh as he grabbed his towel. "And I do not want to drag you into it."
"I think it's a little too late for that," Logan said as he sat down on the bed. Maybe it was time to come clean. Then they can work on how to get Coop's life back on track again. That's what friends do for one another. "Take your shower. When you're done, I'm going to tell you what I've been up to since I got to town."
-&-&-&-
It was like something about a vision: stone castle encircled with thick hundred year old trees sitting on top of a cliff that overlooked the pale blue sea. If Claudia had to hand pick a place she would situate a monastery, she couldn't have dreamed up of a more perfect location. It was breath taking. And it boiled her blood to think that Trevor had tainted this holy place with his darkness.
"You're going to burn in hell, Trevor. I'll make sure of it," Claudia muttered under her breath as she pulled the schematic of the place up. "Let's see what we have."
The building itself was an architectural masterpiece. Stone and mortar, not a nail in sight. Which meant that scaling it was going to be near impossible without some serious equipment, and you can't do it quietly. With the sheer drop off down the side of the cliff, even the best of the best would think twice about attempting it.
"More than one way to break into a bank," Claudia commented as she began a slow track around the building, looking for something to work with. "Let's see now. Monks, bells, stone wall…. What am I missing here?"
She frowned as a vague memory of something tickled at the back of her mind. She picked up her earpiece and dialed out. "Ronny."
"Claudia. What can I do for you, my darling?"
"East coast Franciscan monastery, just north of upstate New York. Weren't they use for something other than sanctuaries for a while? And I'm not talking the underground railroad here."
There was a pause. "Pirate hiding holes."
"What?" as she continued to explore the outside.
"Bootleggers." The sound of keys being punched were heard through the ear piece. "If I'm not mistaken, bootleggers would use those seaside places to hide their illegal goods. The cliffs make for good sea entrances without detection. My guess, you'll find some kind of opening further down that'll lead to underground tunnels use for smuggling. Try those."
"Um… thanks," she didn't like enclosed places.
"No problem. Anything else?"
"You and Randy talk about flying to Switzerland yet?"
"I don't fly, darling. You know this."
"So Randy will go then."
"Yes, I'll talk him through the hard stuff."
"Thank you, Ronny. Wire yourself a nice bonus on me."
"I'd rather take it from Trevor Lancing," Ronny noted rather calmly.
"Take it when you find it," Claudia replied. "And take a nice big chunk of it."
"Will do. Good luck."
"Thanks," she pocket the earpiece and began her descent.
-&-&-&-
Johnny stared at the dark waters and didn't move a muscle when he heard the footsteps behind him. He didn't really care to be honest. When no one said anything after a good three minutes he finally turned and almost wish he hadn't. Jason Morgan stood there like a dark demon simply waiting. To be honest, Johnny had been expecting him long before this. It was actually kind of a surprise that it took this long.
"Can I help you?"
"You need to stay away from her," tilting his chin a fraction toward the waters and the island just beyond sight.
Dark eyes followed, toward the stretch of water that separate him and her. This was the third time in so many hours that he's stood there. It was harder than he thought. He acknowledged the advice with a nod. "That's why I'm standing here, where she is not."
"Where's Carly?" getting to the point.
"I don't know," he answered tiredly. It was an honest response. He's spent a good deal of the day looking for the answer to that question, for her sake. Carly Corinthos was important; importantly enough that Johnny would know if she had been taken to the house.
"Someone you know does."
"I'm pretty sure of that too, but it's not the Zaccharas." He didn't give up Trevor yet, not until he was damn sure. "I promised her," nodding toward the water again, "that I'd help if I could."
"Good," taking a step closer. He motioned toward the docks. "Let's go."
"What?"
"You said you'd help if you could, so let's go."
Johnny stared for a moment, incomprehension clouding his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"You for Carly. Let's go."
"I just told you that the Zacchara's don't have Carly Corinthos."
"And I'm telling you that someone you are connect to does. We're going to do a nice easy trade. You for Carly. Let's go."
The gun in Jason's hand was a good incentive for Johnny to move. He did offer a quick, "This may not work, you know. We're not the only ones that Corinthos needs to be watching out for. And it's not like I'm that important on the grand scale of things." And considering his family history, it wasn't a complete lie.
"You better hope that you are important enough for your father to start doing business one way or another." Jason nodded toward the dark sedan. "Get in."
Shrugging his shoulder, Johnny merely sighed and got into the car then smiled grimly at the two goons in black in the front seats. "Oh this is going to be fun."
-&-&-&-
"I hate dirt," Claudia muttered under her breath as she put her fingers into the side of the cavern and pulled out the Maglite she'd stuck into the back of her pants. "And what's worse than dirt?" she made a face, "Cobwebs." She hit it with her flashlight. "Dirt filed cobwebs," she amended and shook her head. "I'm going to need a head to toe scrub down when this is over." She sighed and rolled her eyes, mentally hearing her mother. "Stop it, Claudia. You're whining now. Zaccharas don't whine. We get even."
When she finally got over her own form of insanity, Claudia squared her shoulders and began a crawling track through the dark hole on the side of a cliff. The cave had been situated in such a way that had she not been looking for it, she would have missed it completely. Overgrown shrubs had all but obscured the opening and she was just glad that they had been easy to navigate. Now she was slowly making her way to the underbelly of the monastery with every intentions of finding out some of Trevor Lancing's darker secrets.
And if she could get Carly Corinthos back and solidify that alliance with Lorenzo Alcazar, she's be one step closer to neutralizing Trevor Lancing and securing her brother's safety and future. As long as she remembered that she was doing this for Johnny, she could get through anything.
The darkness was almost oppressive and the cave was growing colder the deeper she traveled. The only sounds were of her own shuffling feet, the occasional sounds of the outside that were rapidly fading with distance and … something crackled.
She flicked the flashlight off and pressed her back to the wall. Something ahead was bringing light slowly forward. Muffled steps were slow but steady, as well as the sound of something burning.
"Ouch!" It was a woman's voice. "Damn it!"
Well, now that she knew that it wasn't 1) a monk and 2) a man; Claudia could not believe her luck. If she was correct…. "Carly Corinthos?"
"Who's there?" the candle was suddenly held higher, almost touching the low ceiling of the cavern. She was a tall woman, something Claudia hadn't been expecting. The pictures in the portfolio on the three times former missus Corinthos hadn't indicated just how tall she was and how much steel were in those eyes.
"My name is Claudia," withholding her connections for now. She didn't know how she was going to react to her name. Holding her hands up to show that she wasn't armed (which was a lie of course) and pointing the flashlight upwards, "I'm here to help you."
"Who are you?" she didn't trust easily; Claudia made of note of that. "Who sent you?"
The sharpness in Mrs. Corinthos eyes spoke of something, something Claudia could relate to: a life full of danger and pain. If taken into her inner circles, Carly Corinthos could be a powerful ally. But first she's got to win her trust. Which means doing something she wasn't use to, playing it straight. "I'm Claudia… Zacchara; and I don't work for my father or anyone under his control," she added very honestly. "He and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye about certain things."
"Like?" Carly asked.
"Smart girl," Claudia's lips curled a little in bitter amusement. "Like the way he treats my brother."
"What's your brother's name?"
"John," just the name was enough to bring a genuine smile to her face. "But he goes by Johnny these days."
"Johnny," Carly repeated with a frown. "This won't happen to be the same Johnny that rescued Lulu, is it?"
Surprised, "Who's Lulu?"
Carly cursed softly but the room was silent enough for Claudia to make it out. "If your father didn't send you, who did?"
"Lorenzo Alcazar," she informed the former Mrs. Alcazar. If she was surprised, she didn't show it through any action. "He and I are working out a deal… an alliance of a sort."
"Against?"
"My father and Trevor Lancing."
There was short and considerably tense pause. "Lancing," Carly muttered and finally lowered the candle a little. "Is this Trevor guy Ric Lancing's father?"
"Yes though I think Ric would prefer it otherwise," Claudia said quietly. The shields were lowering and she was sensing a change in the woman. She just wasn't sure what kind of change it was. Carly Corinthos was harder to read than she had expected.
"So what do you get out of this?" Carly wanted to know.
"I get to prove to Alcazar that I'm serious about taking Trevor Lancing down and I'll do whatever it takes to form that alliance needed to bring my father to his knees."
"That's an ambitious goal," Carly observed, as if she had all the time in the world.
"I'm an ambitious girl," Claudia admitted with a smile, "I'm too much like my father in that manner, though you will never hear me say that again in public."
Carly smirked. "Okay, I'll willing to go on a little faith here. But if you turn out to be a snake in the grass…"
"Don't worry, I know what will happen if I make a wrong move. This isn't my first time in this game." The two exchanged a curteous nod of understanding. It was as much as either one could hope for. "Come on then," motioning with her flashlight. "I've got a car three miles back. Didn't want anyone see me approach."
"How'd you find me?" Carly wanted to know as she followed cautiously.
"Wasn't easy," Claudia replied but didn't offer any details.
"I'll bet," was the only response as they made their way back through the tunnels that led out to the cliffs. "Is it cold outside?"
"A little nippy," Claudia informed her with a shrug. "I think what you have on will be enough to keep you warm."
"Brown was never my favorite," Carly replied with a disdainful look at the robe that she was currently sporting. "And why is it that monks always wore brown?"
"Because it's dull," Claudia guessed.
The two continued on with Claudia occasionally helping Carly over the more difficult spots on their climb to freedom. The mob princess grudgingly admit that she was impressed with Carly's endurance and resilience. And though she muttered general complaints about dirt and rocks, she never once stopped moving or never actually complained to Claudia about her discomfort. It sounded more like a habit of hearing herself then actually making conversation, for which Claudia was actually grateful for.
"So… how far are we from PC?"
"Two hours."
Carly nodded resignedly and followed Claudia through the woods, turning back only once to look at the monastery against the setting sun. She seemed pensive for a moment and Claudia imagined that she felt the same way she did: it was such a beautiful place to be used in this manner.
"I want to kill him," Claudia informed her in no uncertain terms.
"Trevor?" Carly got it with no problems. "Yeah, I know the feeling."
"He took my family away," Claudia admitted with growing anger. "He made sure that I couldn't protect my brother when he needed me the most. For that alone, I'm going to kill him."
"But there are other reasons," Carly stated with a nod. She understood only too will the urge to right something so important. "Your arrangement with Lorenzo…"
Claudia was a woman, she knew how other women thinks. "It's business."
"I don't doubt that," Carly replied with no heat in her words. "I was going to ask that it entailed and whether I need to be careful with my boys."
"You and your kids are not part of this. This is business; I don't bring family into business. That's Trevor's trick."
Nodding her understanding, "I appreciate that. I'll talk to Sonny. If he can help…"
"I appreciate that."
"I can't promise anything though. Sonny is his own person and sometimes, that's a very difficult person to live with."
"I appreciate the effort," Claudia amended with a quick smile just as her phone rang. The number was unknown, which was unusual. "Hello?"
"This is Jason Morgan."
Claudia's step faltered. "How did you get this number?"
"How do you think?"
It didn't take a genius. Her hands tighten on the phone. "What do you want?"
"You have Carly."
"Is that what you want?"
"Your brother for Carly. One hour, pier nine."
"I need two hours," feeling herself panic, she grabbed Carly's arm. Carly's watched her with growing alarm.
"You have one."
"I can't make it in one," she argued, allowing her emotions to show. "I need at least two hour to make it back to Port Charles." In her mind, she could already see what he would have done to Johnny to get her number from him. Johnny was loyal, she didn't know how he grew up that way in that house but she could see it in his eyes when they spoke. He wouldn't have given up her number. "If anything happens to my brother…"
Carly's hands snatched the phone out of Claudia's with a strength that belied her fragile golden looks. "This is Carly Corinthos."
A long pause answered.
"Who is this?" Carly demanded.
"Carly?"
She couldn't believe it. "Jason?"
"Are you all right?"
"Did you just threaten someone?"
"Carly, are you all right?" each word was pronounced with a patience of fear.
"I'm fine, none the worse no thanks to Trevor Lancing. We'll talk about that later. Let Johnny go." Of all the lame brained things he could have done. She was free, for god sakes. And she was on her way home too. What is it about men?
"Carly…"
"Let him go, Jason." She said in that 'I am mother and you must obey' tone of voice she used on Michael and Morgan at times. "I'll be home in two hours. Be there." She clicked off the phone and grabbed Claudia's arm. "Let's go."
"If he has hurt my brother, I'm going to kill him."
"He didn't and you won't," Carly said, half dragging Claudia who was trying to keep up with Carly's mile long legs. "But I might." She looked around the dense forest. "Now where's your car?"
To be continued…
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