A/N – Thanks for the comments! I'm so glad you're still into this story.

Chapter 54

Daylight waned and the cat had left Jason alone. He wasn't sure if it had given up on him or what, but he felt lonely and despondent, wondering if he would survive the night. He had started to get the chills and they are excruciating due to his injuries.

Lila appeared in front of him again. "Help is coming, Jason. You just have to hold on for tonight and you can see your family again."

"Can't…"

"Yes, you can and you will!"

He isn't used to Lila yelling, so it got his attention.

"It is not your time to die and you will fight! Don't make me tell you again."

Jason blinked a few times. "Did you just yell at me?"

"I most certainly did."

"But you never yell at me."

"Don't get all girlie on me now, Morgan."

A smile graced his face and Lila couldn't help it and laughed.

"I can't believe you called me girlie."

"You looked like you were about to cry."

"Was not."

"Uh-huh."

"I love you," he said softly as his eyes radiated love.

"Oh Jason, I love you so much. Tell me that you haven't given up."

"I did a little, but I'll try."

"Good. Now, conserve your strength."

"Don't leave me."

She patted his cheek. "I'm here even when you can't see me."

"So, you're who the cat always stares at?"

She chuckled. "Probably. Are you going to buy a cat after this?"

"Hell no! She can't fetch or get help."

"Don't you under estimate her. She's smarter than she looks."

At the sight of his incredulous expression, she broke out into a fit of giggles and he hadn't heard something so wonderful in a long time. If that cat ends up rescuing him, he'd buy it anything it wanted.

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Johnny stepped off a plane at the Ontario airport and met with a few of Paul's men. When he got the call from Francis regarding Courtney, he couldn't resist. "Did you find her?"

"We did. They are holed up in a crappy hotel downtown."

"Good. If he leaves the building for food, you can grab him and I will get her."

"The car is over here."

He followed the man, happy that they had finally gotten some good news. The blonde American's appearance had turned a few heads and when you buy people alcohol, they tend to babble. They had caught a break and the drunk had been well paid for the information. Now, it's time for Courtney Matthews to pay the piper.

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Ian pulled his cat onto his lap as he sat on his front steps. "Is that blood?"

The cat meowed and Ian shook his head.

"You are such a killer, suppose that rat had a family?"

The cat averted her eyes and then jumped off his lap and went into the house and ate. When she was done, she moved back onto his lap.

"Now what?"

"Meow." She jumped onto the ground and Ian smiled.

"Are you going to show me your secret hideout?"

The cat purred.

"Can I come?"

"Meow."

"I'm going to take that as a yes." He grabbed his bike. "Mom!"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going for a ride."

"You better be back in an hour for dinner. Do you have your phone?"

"Yes!"

The cat took off and Ian peddled as fast as he could. It is starting to get dark and he hopes it won't take long. He didn't bring a flashlight and there aren't any street lights in the woods. There is a light on his bike, but it isn't that strong.

They ride about fifteen minutes as he kept the cat in sight. If he went too slow, it would pause and look at him like she is waiting and he couldn't help but smile. When the old decrepit house came into view, he is surprised, but very intrigued.

The cat darts into the house and finds Jason asleep, so she snuggles next to him.

Ian got off his bike and dropped it onto the ground. There is no way he'll make it back before the sun goes down. Quickly, he enters the front door and then stops. "What the hell?" There is a giant hole in the floor and he wonders what happened. A month ago, he and his friends hung out in the house a few times and it didn't seem that unstable. He lets out a shaky breath when he realizes they were wrong.

"Meow."

"Abbie?"

The cat cries louder, making Ian think she is hurt, so he gets on his knees on the tattered, dirty carpet and crawls closer to the edge. "Abbie, come here!"

The cat almost howls and since he can barely see, he takes out his phone and turns on the flashlight and looks around. It's a shit show and when she cries again, he finds her and gasps when he sees an arm and a face. "Holy shit." He almost drops his phone, juggling it before gaining control. There is no way to get down there safely, so he decides he needs to call his mom, but when he tries, he realizes he has no bars and curses. "Hello?" he yells into the darkness.

Jason is unconscious and can't hear him. Abbie tries to lick him and pat his face, but he's out cold.

"I'm going for help," he announces and then carefully gets up and runs to his bike. As he makes the trip home, his legs burn from pedaling so fast. He keeps telling himself to go faster because someone's life depends on it. Hopefully, his dad is home. Suddenly, he hits a hole and is thrown from the bike, crying out when pain shot through his hip.

"Stupid bike," he yells. Taking out his phone, he sees the bars and calls 911.

"What's your emergency?"

"There's an old house off route seventy-two. I chased my cat in there and the second floor had collapsed onto the first and then into the basement."

"Are you hurt?"

"No, but there was a man was crushed by all the wood and stuff. I saw an arm and his face."

"What is your name?"

He relayed his name and address.

"How old are you?"

"Twelve and a half."

"Are your parent's home?"

"My mom is there and I think my dad is on his way home from work."

"Hold on." She made a call to the station and Mac picked up.

"What's going on?"

"Ian McCloskey is calling, saying he found some body in an old house that partially collapsed. It's off route seventy-two."

"Those boys are always playing jokes. I'll call his dad. Tell him to go home."

Mac dialed Bo McCloskey's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bo. Are you home?"

"I just pulled in. Is something wrong?"

"Your son just called 911 and said he found a body in some dilapidated house."

Bo groaned. "Let me go talk to him and I'll call you back."

"Sounds good."

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A disguised Paul opened and closed the cab door for Carlos and then slid into the driver's seat. "Where to?"

"The Metro Court."

"That's a nice place."

"Yeah."

Paul pulled away and about a mile before they got into town, he stopped at a light and Francis threw open the back door with a gun in his hand and Carlos raised his.

"Don't even breathe," Francis said as he shut the door.

"What do you think you're doing? We have a truce."

Paul grinned. "I'm not going to kill you, but I never said that I'd do nothing. Welcome to hell, Carlos."

He cursed under his breath, knowing that he's not going to like whatever happens next.

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Bo heard his son enter the house and rushed into the living room. "What the hell is going on?"

"Dad…" Ian struggled to catch his breath.

"You called 911 and made something up after all the trouble you got in before?" Several months before, Ian and his friends got in trouble for making prank calls.

"No. I'm not lying."

"You better not be or your punished for the rest of your life and I'm taking away your computer."

Ian's mouth dropped open.

"You brought this on yourself, now talk."

"I was curious where Abbie had been running off to, so I followed her and she led me to that old abandoned house where that barn is."

Bo's brow rose. "The cat led you to the house?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but she did."

"Alright, then what?"

"She ran inside and I followed. The second floor had fallen through the first into the basement. I heard her cry. It wasn't the normal sound she makes, but more like she was hurt, so I got on my hands and knees and crawled to the edge of the hole and it was dark down there and I couldn't see a lot. She made the noise again, so I turned on the flashlight on my phone and saw an arm next to her and then his face. Dad, I think someone is trapped. I'm not lying. Abbie found him."

Bo is stunned. "Show me."

Ian nodded and they rushed to the truck and got in. Luckily, it's only a couple of minutes away. Bo parked, leaving his lights on and grabbed a flashlight. He could see from the way the house tilted there is structural damage.

"You shouldn't have gone in there," he muttered as they made their way to the front door.

"Stay here."

He turned on the flashlight and stepped inside. "What a shit hole," he said before scanning the area.

"Meow."

"Abbie? This is insanity," he said before getting on his knees and carefully crawling forward. He is heavier than his son and could feel the floor shift a little under his weight. As he nears the edge, the cat starts making more noise and he locates her. "Jesus Christ," he said as the light hit Jason. He could only see an arm and his head. Abbie licked Jason's face and patted his cheek and to Bo's surprise, the man moaned. "Holy shit. Hold on! I'm going to get help." He snaps several pictures with his camera and then scrambles backwards and makes the call.

Jason thought he heard someone, but just couldn't stay awake, so he drifted back into a deep sleep.

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Mac picked up his phone. "Hello?"

"It's Bo. He wasn't lying."

"What?"

"You know that abandoned house and barn that used to be the McHenry's place?"

"Yeah. We've had to go there a few times to end some parties. It's scheduled for demolition next month."

"Well, something happened and helped with that. The center of the second floor collapsed in on itself all the way through to the basement and there is a body."

"Shit. Can you tell if they are alive?"

"Barely. He moaned and my freaking cat is down there with him."

Mac frowned. "What?"

"My cat found him and somehow managed to drag my son to the house. I took a few pictures so you know what you're working with."

"I'm going to give you my number so you can text them."

Bo recited the number to his son who used his phone to note it and then forwarded the pictures.

"Got them." There is a silence and then Mac says, "What the hell?"

"What's wrong."

"I think that's Jason Morgan." He is dirty, but the hair length and features match.

Bo's brow went up. "The mobster?"

"Yeah."

"Jesus Christ."

"We're on our way."

Mac quickly made some calls to get some heavy equipment and first responders on the move.

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Rex woke up Isabella and let her know what is going on. She used the bathroom and when she came back, Ari had woken up too.

"Everyone is probably in bed, so we'll have to track down Vinny to find Paul," Isabella said.

"I know where they are," Rex admitted.

"What happened?"

"Jason has been found and it's bad."

Isabella clicked her seatbelt. "How bad?"

"He's unconscious and has been laying in a basement with beams and debris on him for a few days."

Isabella's eyes filled with tears. "Elizabeth and Emily have to be going nuts."

"I think they are at the site along with Paul. They should have him about the time we get there."

"Then we'll go to the hospital."

"Okay."

Ari got up to use the bathroom. She felt sick. All her insecurities were coming out and she is scared about how Paul is going to react.

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Johnny eased his way into the hotel after Eric left. Paul's men had placed a camera in the hallway so they could see which room he had come out of. Luckily, the dump only had two floors. He took out a tool and jimmied the lock and threw the door open. Courtney gasped and dropped the glass she was holding and water spilled onto the carpet.

"Surprised to see me Courtney?"

Her eyes are big and she stammers. "What—what are you doing here?"

"You were missing and we were worried. Do you happen to know where Jason is?"

Tears sprang into her eyes. "Um—no."

Johnny pulled his gun out. "I'm going to ask you again, where is Jason?"

At his more sinister tone, she suddenly feels parched and starts to cry. "You have to help me. These two guys kidnapped me. Their names are Eric and Carlos. I don't know what they did to Jason."

"You must think I'm stupid. I know you're working with Sonny and Carlos. What you say next can change the course of your future, now where is Jason?"

"I didn't mean it. I ran into the house and went upstairs. Carlos had told me not to go up there, but I forgot and he ran after me and practically threw me down the steps. The floor was creaking and Jason was downstairs. We ran out and we heard a horrible noise and the ground shook. It had collapsed on Jason."

"Jesus." He moved closer and shoved her onto the bed. "Tell me where you were or I will put a bullet in your head right now!"

She tries to scoot backwards to put some distance between them. "It was an old abandoned barn off route seventy-two."

Johnny pulled out his phone and called Spinelli.

"Hello?"

"It's Johnny. Jason is in some old abandoned barn off route seventy-two."

"We know. It just came across the police scanner."

"Is he alive."

"They think so."

Johnny sighed. "Alright, I'll be back as soon as I can." He slipped his phone into his pocket. "You're one lucky bitch, because he's still alive."

She breathed a sigh of relief as he stared her down, not knowing that she is going to die anyway.

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Carly and Elizabeth watched the television as a reporter described the scene.

"The police have shut down route seventy-two on the outskirts of town and only rescue personnel are allowed in. Next to me is Bo McCloskey and his son, Ian, who found a body in an abandoned house and called for help. Can you describe what happened?"

Ian swallowed hard and then got over his camera shyness quickly. "It was my cat. She had been disappearing and I would joke about following her to see where she was going. She came home with blood on her and I just thought she had been hunting. I jumped on my bike and she led me to the house."

"Let me get this straight, your cat had found the body and then led you to it?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but Abbie is really smart."

"Go on."

"I went inside the house and it was a mess. The second floor had fallen all the way through to the basement and there was wood everywhere. Abbie kept crying, so I used my phone to shine a light and I saw him. I pedaled home as fast as I could and my dad was waiting and I dragged him back here."

The reporter focused in on Bo. "I take it you didn't believe him?"

"Of course not, he is friends are always playing pranks and just the cat part alone was enough to make me think he was high—not that he does that kind of stuff."

"Understood."

"Anyway, I had him stay outside and I checked it out and took a few pictures and called the police."

"Can we see the pictures?"

Bo shifted from side to side. "I suppose so." He pulled out his phone and the camera zoomed in and Liz's hand smacked against her mouth as she gasped.

Carly paused it. "His lips are a little blue."

Liz nodded. "It could be his lungs."

"I think I'm going to kiss that cat when I get a chance."

"I never thought a cat would be the one to rescue Stone Cold," Spinelli said.

"She saved him." Standing, Liz turned towards Spinelli. "I have to go there."

The door opened and Paul entered the room after leaving Carlos at a safe place until they could institute their plan.

Liz rushed towards him and hugged him as he looked at the television which was still paused on Jason's form. "Damn…"

She pulled back. "It looks really bad. I need to go to him. Can you take me?"

"Of course."

"I'm going too," Carly said.

Liz nods and they head to the car, eager to get to the old house and give Jason hope.