His brother was a fool.

Marco had never been one to suffer fools and he knew it was time to remind Marcell of that. It had taken him a few days but he finally learned where he was, overhearing the goons left to guard him. They were hired guns, stupid, but unerringly loyal to the old man… as he had been. It had been a bitter pill swallow being betrayed by the man he had taken bullets for, sworn an oath to protect above everyone else, but he also saw the logic behind it.

He didn't know what it said about him that he understood the Padrino's logic. If he had known about the threat of Andre especially that he would be going after Ombra, he knew he wouldn't have kept quiet. He even understood wanting to test his son's readiness to lead the family, but not like this. Not with Andre Dimera who was as crazy as they came, and not at the expense of all those women he killed.

Marcell had visited often, almost daily, gloating, his ego growing in size with every menial task the Phoenix assigned him. Unknown to him, Marco had been waiting for a singular opportunity, a distraction to get out… and it was time.

The sound of the comm device coming on and the two guards rushing from the room outside his barred cell let him know that this was the time.

He coughed, a small one at first. Then deeply violently, hacking barks that filled the enterty of the space he was in. Marco turned to the wall then, sticking two fingers down his throat until he threw up the less than pleasant gruel he was being fed. It wasn't pleasant by any means, but necessary. Falling dramatically to the floor, he continued his play until he heard the guard moving toward him. The moment he moved into his cell, he was on him, choking him into unconsciousness.

Stupid, but loyal.

Relieving the man of his gun, he walked out of his cell, hoping that whatever had distracted the others lasted long enough to get him the hell out of there.

As Sami positioned herself by the back entrance, Philip covered her.

"How did you know it was here?"

"I did some… work here."

"Work." He stated rather than asked.

Sami had seen him eying her as she handled her side piece and checked her knives. This time she would not be caught unaware and while she preferred her blades even Andre wasn't faster than a speeding bullet. She knew it wouldn't take Philip long to find out her secret, but as Victor's heir, he really had no room to judge.

Motioning him to follow, she opened the door and crept silently through the entrance. Once she rounded the corner, she saw him, EJ. He looked worse than in the pictures, a fact which caused her heart to pump painfully in her chest. She covered, sinking her emotions deep and turned to Andre Dimera standing at the center of it all.

Making a quick hand motion to Philip to stay behind the wall, she hoped that her movements were covered by the shadows. Sami swallowed, things were far more precarious than she imagined as she took in Marcell's smug face in the background. He had his gun trained on EJ and silently promised, for that he would suffer.

"Ombra," he dipped his head, greeting her mockingly.

She turned as she heard the footsteps, to see two other men enter. She didn't recognize them and instantly knew they had been hired for this purpose. Rage filled her and she swore then she would kill them all.

"The lovely Samantha," Andre began, bowing cordially, ever the Diva.

Even though her eyes were cast in the psychopath's direction, her focus was on EJ. The shallow rise and fall of his chest, the blue tint of his lips and the fact that he did not shiver, , not once since she had entered, worried her. She needed to get to him.

"I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You." She uttered, eyes deadly, casting a glance at each man in turn.

"There's that fire, that I love. Pity Elvis can't get close to the flames," he answered, laughing almost hysterically before coming to an abrupt stop.

"You will die bitch, like the others!" It was an entirely different voice and she even saw Marcell cast a surreptitious glance is way though he tried to cover.

She wondered how much he had been told. Andre did his whispering back and forth, a conversation none in the room was privy to and she prayed Philip was lining up his shot. Finally, he seemed to come out of it, facing them all once again as though the interlude of crazy never happened.

"Now, Samnatha, the last time I gave you a choice, now you have another. Give up your power in the Dimera empire and my dear cousin lives."

"I don't want it! I don't want anything from that sick bastard Stefano. I know he's the one who let you loose."

They all swung their heads in her direction and Sami laughed mirthlessly as she realized they thought she still knew nothing.

"Well, aren't you a smart little woman!" It was Marcell, leering in her direction.

"Fuck you! When I'm done making sure you suffer, I'll be after your boss next.

He laughed mockingly, "You and what army? My brother may have faith in you, his bitch enforcer, but I see you for what you really are - weak."

Sami fought the urge to laugh in his face because if anyone was weak here it was that spoilt brat, who thought nothing of betraying his brother. As though she had conjured him by thought alone, Marco's head stuck out from behind the crates stacked against the wall. She steeled herself against the tears of relief that came to her eyes. They could do this, and they had to because EJ didn't look like he had long.

The first gunshot came from behind, and Sami rolled, taking cover, pulling her own gun, she fired one of the guards just as he turned to put a bullet in her. She could hear Marcell's screaming curses. Glancing around, she saw Andre's maniacal face through the chaos, a purposefully psychotic smirk on his face as he cocked an eyebrow toward EJ, and before she could blink the love of her life was dropped unceremoniously in the tank.

Sami knew he would drown in the water, unconscious as he was. Not thinking about herself, she darted, dodging bullets to cross the short distance, uncaring if that snake got away for she would find him and kill him eventually.

It seemed like an eternity, but was probably a few seconds as she raced to EJ, bubbles of air rising to the top. Grabbing his bound hands, the shock of the water simply on her fingers stunning her, she pulled, but he was too heavy. Just as she was going to jump in another pair of hands joined hers and she nearly wept with relief as Marco's face came into view. Together they hauled until EJ was out of the tank, his body freezing cold. He was barely breathing, stuttering breaths.

"Andre?"

"Took off down a hatch. Kiriakis is after him."

"Does every place Stefano owns have a secret tunnel?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her, as though saying 'Duh', "We've got to get him warm."

Marco stood then, running off and Sami didn't know where, but she started pulling off EJ's wet clothes.

When he returned, he had a few old blankets and sheets Sami nodded to him gratefully having no idea where they came from. They rolled EJ to the side after stripping him, placing the one of the dry blankets on the concrete floor before covering him with the other, using one of the sheets to dry his skin.

"Marco?" She looked to her mentor, a pensive look on his face.

"It's not going to be enough."

Sami immediately knew what she had to do. Standing, she pulled her jacket off. When she reached for her shirt, she saw the realization come over his face and he turned around. Once she was butt naked, she climbed in, shivering as his frosty skin met hers. Keeping her weight off his chest by supporting herself with her elbows, she laid on EJ willing her heat into him as Marco tucked the blankets around them, cocooning them in.

"EJ, I'm here. I love you and I trust you," She whispered against his lips, tears coming to her eyes. "Not like this, you hear me?"

She didn't even turn when footsteps approached, knowing Marco would protect them.

"He got away," Philip's voice reached hers, filled with rage.

Sami still didn't turn. She didn't care about Andre just then.

"Come on, EJ." She whispered, kissing his still cold lips.

"We have to get him to the hospital." Marco spoke to Philip, and on any other day, seeing them working together would be a novelty.

"How many guys you got outside?"

"Four."

"Tell them come and make sure the car is on and heat turned up to full blast. We're going to lift them together. He's hypothermic and she's sharing body heat."