Chapter 30
Sonny paced the penthouse restlessly while he waited for news about Jason. He had made sure that Philippe was well protected and had spoken to the men following Jason to verify that the tracking device was working. Now, all he could do was wait and that was killing him. Jason was like a brother to him and Sonny knew that the odds were against him in a situation like this.
Carly descended the stairs having just given Michael his bath. She could clearly read the torment in her husband's face and identify with it. She didn't know how either one of them would handle it if anything happened to Jason. And she knew that Jason would be destroyed if anything happened to Elizabeth. Carly sighed.
"Are you OK, Carly?" Sonny asked, concerned about her emotional state, especially with being pregnant. He drew closer to her and cupped her face with his hands. "I'm going to try to get Jason out of this alive."
"I know," she responded softly. "I'm fine, Sonny. I'm just worried about him."
Sonny's cell phone rang. "Corinthos," he answered. "Yeah, I understand. I'll be there shortly." He closed the phone and turned back to his wife.
"Do you really have to go, Sonny?" she asked. "Couldn't someone else handle it?" She knew she was being selfish, but she didn't want to see him putting himself in the line of fire.
Sonny pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. "I have to do this, Carly. Jason went into a burning building to save my life. I need to be there for him this time. I'll wait to go in until my men give the OK."
Holding him tightly, she said, "Promise me you'll be careful and not take any stupid risks." Her voice was hoarse and tears glimmered in her eyes.
"I promise," he responded firmly. "I'll be back before you know it." He kissed her once and walked to the door. Pausing, he said, "I love you, Carly." And he was gone.
Carly stood looking at the closed door. "I love you, too, Sonny."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Elizabeth smiled reassuringly at Jason. She could see the toll her disappearance had taken on him. He looked stretched to the breaking point.
"Are you OK?" Jason asked quietly. He wanted more than anything to be able to cross the room, take her in his arms, and never let her go.
"I'm fine, Jason," she responded softly. Seeing the longing she felt reflected in his face, Elizabeth took a step towards him.
Alexander grabbed her arm and jerked her back to his side. "As touching as this little reunion is, we have business to discuss. Where is the information I requested, Mr. Morgan?"
Jason's jaw and hands clenched in anger at Cranton's treatment of Elizabeth. He reached into his jacket and withdrew the disk. Tossing it to his enemy, he said, "It's all on there."
While his guards continued to watch their hostages, Cranton inserted the disk into his waiting laptop and quickly perused some of its contents. "Excellent. This will make things a lot easier for me." Turning to Michelle, he said, "Your father thought he could outsmart me. Well, I enjoyed watching him pay with his life."
Michelle gasped. "You bastard! My father was a wonderful man - something no one will ever say about you."
He shrugged. "Ah, Mischa. I'll have money and power. What more could I want?" He turned his attention back to Jason, who had managed to move a little closer to Elizabeth. "That's far enough. Now I want Philippe Lafontaine's current location and I will be having it checked out before we are finished here."
"He's in a house at 1121 Elm Drive," Jason replied, his voice flat and emotionless.
Cranton motioned to one of his men. "Check it out. Make sure he's there - not that he will be for very long." The guard nodded and exited the room.
Michelle was crying. "How could you, Jason? He will kill Philippe."
"I didn't have a choice," he answered coolly. He needed to keep a clear head if he was going to get them out of this. To Cranton he said, "I did everything you asked. I think it's time you released the women. I'll be your insurance policy until you've made sure my information is accurate."
Alexander smirked. "I would agree except I wasn't completely honest with you when I called. I wanted more than just the information you brought - useful as that may be. And you brought me everything I wanted without even knowing it."
Jason knew he was toying with him, but he also knew that he had felt all along like he was missing something. It looked as if he was about to find out what it was.
"Well... Can't you figure it out?" Cranton gloated. "I guess I'll have to lay it all out for you. What I really needed was the three of you together in this room."
As he became more involved in his self-congratulatory tale, Jason was able to move even closer to Elizabeth. Soon he would be between her and Cranton, which was what he wanted.
Alexander continued, "Think about it, Morgan. You had an important piece of information on that disk and it wasn't regarding Lafontaine's territory. It was his will. Come on. I'm sure you can figure it out," he goaded.
Jason focused on what he was saying. Sonny had told him the terms of the will. Turning the facts over in his mind, he said, "Philippe inherits the majority of shares in Lafontaine Shipping and Michelle gets the rest. How does that help you?"
"Ah, but what happens if Philippe dies? His shares go to Michelle and she becomes a very, very wealthy woman." Cranton's eyes were almost wild with excitement. "Now, what if, in some tragic quirk of fate, Michelle dies? Who inherits then? Could it be her devastated, estranged husband?"
"But we're not married any more. We're divorced." Michelle sounded confused.
Alexander laughed. "Oh, Mischa. Your father was an intelligent man and I will concede that he sabotaged his operation quite effectively to keep us from profiting from it. But he did make mistakes. He underestimated me and he trusted the wrong person. The judge who granted our 'divorce' had a price and I met it. The papers were never filed and he buried the proof that he had ever heard your petition. You are still legally my wife." He looked around, ready to be congratulated on his brilliance.
The pieces were slowly falling into place for Jason, but there were still a few problems with this plan. "Philippe is still alive, so he would inherit if Michelle were to die. Also, if she were murdered, there would be inquiries and speculation that would hold up the inheritance for years," he pointed out.
"But that's where you come in, Mr. Morgan. Thanks to your efforts, no one else knows that Philippe is alive. His body will never be found and it will be assumed that he was killed at the same time as his father. That leaves Michelle as sole beneficiary of the will." He paused for effect. "As for her being murdered, you are correct. I wouldn't be able to profit from my crime for a very long time. However, if my beloved wife were to take her own life, no one would suspect her grieving husband of foul play."
Michelle turned pale. "No one would ever believe that I would kill myself. You will never get away with this."
"Ah, my love. I hate to disagree with you, but when people learn the tragic circumstances surrounding your suicide, they will surely be convinced. You see, poor spurned Michelle will find her former lover and his new paramour together in a seedy motel and, after killing them in a fit of passion, she will be overcome with guilt and end her own life." He shook his head in feigned sorrow. "Such a tragedy. Naturally, I will be heartbroken. Of course, the suicide note that I commissioned from a truly gifted forger should seal the deal."
Elizabeth had been listening in growing horror to the demented plan unfolding before her. She glanced quickly at Jason, wondering if these would be their final moments together. There were so many things left to say and do.
Jason saw the fanatical light shining in Cranton's eyes and knew that he was beyond reason. Their only chance to get out of this was to stall for time - enough for Sonny's men to get there. He looked at Elizabeth and his chest tightened in fear for her. Trying to reassure her, he reached out and squeezed her hand.
Returning his attention to Cranton, he said, "What I don't understand is why you made the threats against Sonny's wife and child. How did that fit into your plan?"
Cranton grinned maliciously. "I wanted Corinthos distracted and it's common knowledge that the way to get to him is through his wife and kid. Once you're out of the way, he'll be that much easier to take down. My superiors will be very grateful to me for that. I also wanted your focus off Miss Webber and Michelle." He shrugged. "I didn't actually plan on killing the brat - unless you and your boss proved difficult. It was fun watching you squirm, though."
Jason gritted his teeth. "You sick son of a ..." He took a step towards Cranton.
Waving his weapon in Jason's direction, he said, "Temper, temper, Mr. Morgan. As much as I am enjoying our little game, I think it is time to enact the final scene. Hmmmm. With whom shall I begin?" he asked, before turning the gun on Elizabeth. "If I were the jealous lover, I do believe I would start with my replacement. Such a waste. You are a pretty, little thing, Miss Webber."
As Cranton aimed his weapon at Elizabeth, Jason turned to face her and instinctively stepped in front of her. A searing pain in his back followed the gun's report. Falling forward onto Elizabeth, his last thought was of how much he loved her. Then everything went black.
Elizabeth screamed and tried to cushion Jason's fall. It all seemed to be happening in slow motion. As they slumped to the floor together, she cradled him in her lap. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't lose Jason. She didn't know how to go on without him. "Please don't leave me, Jason," she whispered.
At that moment, the door burst open. Turning towards the sound, Cranton yelled, "No!!" Johnny quickly took aim and fired twice, while Francis took out the remaining guard. Michelle was sobbing in the corner.
Johnny approached Cranton and felt for a pulse. Finding none, he turned to Elizabeth and asked, "Where was he shot?"
She looked at him dazedly. "He stepped in front of me. Cranton meant to shoot me." Pulling herself together, she answered, "He shot Jason in the back."
Johnny pulled a sheet off the bed and handed it to her. "Use this to try to stop the bleeding." He took out his cell phone and dialled. "Sonny, you need to get in here fast. Jason's been shot."
As she held the sheet to his back, Elizabeth said softly in his ear, "Don't you die on me, Jason Morgan. I need you. Hold on for me. Do you hear me?! Hold on!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sonny paced the penthouse restlessly while he waited for news about Jason. He had made sure that Philippe was well protected and had spoken to the men following Jason to verify that the tracking device was working. Now, all he could do was wait and that was killing him. Jason was like a brother to him and Sonny knew that the odds were against him in a situation like this.
Carly descended the stairs having just given Michael his bath. She could clearly read the torment in her husband's face and identify with it. She didn't know how either one of them would handle it if anything happened to Jason. And she knew that Jason would be destroyed if anything happened to Elizabeth. Carly sighed.
"Are you OK, Carly?" Sonny asked, concerned about her emotional state, especially with being pregnant. He drew closer to her and cupped her face with his hands. "I'm going to try to get Jason out of this alive."
"I know," she responded softly. "I'm fine, Sonny. I'm just worried about him."
Sonny's cell phone rang. "Corinthos," he answered. "Yeah, I understand. I'll be there shortly." He closed the phone and turned back to his wife.
"Do you really have to go, Sonny?" she asked. "Couldn't someone else handle it?" She knew she was being selfish, but she didn't want to see him putting himself in the line of fire.
Sonny pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. "I have to do this, Carly. Jason went into a burning building to save my life. I need to be there for him this time. I'll wait to go in until my men give the OK."
Holding him tightly, she said, "Promise me you'll be careful and not take any stupid risks." Her voice was hoarse and tears glimmered in her eyes.
"I promise," he responded firmly. "I'll be back before you know it." He kissed her once and walked to the door. Pausing, he said, "I love you, Carly." And he was gone.
Carly stood looking at the closed door. "I love you, too, Sonny."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Elizabeth smiled reassuringly at Jason. She could see the toll her disappearance had taken on him. He looked stretched to the breaking point.
"Are you OK?" Jason asked quietly. He wanted more than anything to be able to cross the room, take her in his arms, and never let her go.
"I'm fine, Jason," she responded softly. Seeing the longing she felt reflected in his face, Elizabeth took a step towards him.
Alexander grabbed her arm and jerked her back to his side. "As touching as this little reunion is, we have business to discuss. Where is the information I requested, Mr. Morgan?"
Jason's jaw and hands clenched in anger at Cranton's treatment of Elizabeth. He reached into his jacket and withdrew the disk. Tossing it to his enemy, he said, "It's all on there."
While his guards continued to watch their hostages, Cranton inserted the disk into his waiting laptop and quickly perused some of its contents. "Excellent. This will make things a lot easier for me." Turning to Michelle, he said, "Your father thought he could outsmart me. Well, I enjoyed watching him pay with his life."
Michelle gasped. "You bastard! My father was a wonderful man - something no one will ever say about you."
He shrugged. "Ah, Mischa. I'll have money and power. What more could I want?" He turned his attention back to Jason, who had managed to move a little closer to Elizabeth. "That's far enough. Now I want Philippe Lafontaine's current location and I will be having it checked out before we are finished here."
"He's in a house at 1121 Elm Drive," Jason replied, his voice flat and emotionless.
Cranton motioned to one of his men. "Check it out. Make sure he's there - not that he will be for very long." The guard nodded and exited the room.
Michelle was crying. "How could you, Jason? He will kill Philippe."
"I didn't have a choice," he answered coolly. He needed to keep a clear head if he was going to get them out of this. To Cranton he said, "I did everything you asked. I think it's time you released the women. I'll be your insurance policy until you've made sure my information is accurate."
Alexander smirked. "I would agree except I wasn't completely honest with you when I called. I wanted more than just the information you brought - useful as that may be. And you brought me everything I wanted without even knowing it."
Jason knew he was toying with him, but he also knew that he had felt all along like he was missing something. It looked as if he was about to find out what it was.
"Well... Can't you figure it out?" Cranton gloated. "I guess I'll have to lay it all out for you. What I really needed was the three of you together in this room."
As he became more involved in his self-congratulatory tale, Jason was able to move even closer to Elizabeth. Soon he would be between her and Cranton, which was what he wanted.
Alexander continued, "Think about it, Morgan. You had an important piece of information on that disk and it wasn't regarding Lafontaine's territory. It was his will. Come on. I'm sure you can figure it out," he goaded.
Jason focused on what he was saying. Sonny had told him the terms of the will. Turning the facts over in his mind, he said, "Philippe inherits the majority of shares in Lafontaine Shipping and Michelle gets the rest. How does that help you?"
"Ah, but what happens if Philippe dies? His shares go to Michelle and she becomes a very, very wealthy woman." Cranton's eyes were almost wild with excitement. "Now, what if, in some tragic quirk of fate, Michelle dies? Who inherits then? Could it be her devastated, estranged husband?"
"But we're not married any more. We're divorced." Michelle sounded confused.
Alexander laughed. "Oh, Mischa. Your father was an intelligent man and I will concede that he sabotaged his operation quite effectively to keep us from profiting from it. But he did make mistakes. He underestimated me and he trusted the wrong person. The judge who granted our 'divorce' had a price and I met it. The papers were never filed and he buried the proof that he had ever heard your petition. You are still legally my wife." He looked around, ready to be congratulated on his brilliance.
The pieces were slowly falling into place for Jason, but there were still a few problems with this plan. "Philippe is still alive, so he would inherit if Michelle were to die. Also, if she were murdered, there would be inquiries and speculation that would hold up the inheritance for years," he pointed out.
"But that's where you come in, Mr. Morgan. Thanks to your efforts, no one else knows that Philippe is alive. His body will never be found and it will be assumed that he was killed at the same time as his father. That leaves Michelle as sole beneficiary of the will." He paused for effect. "As for her being murdered, you are correct. I wouldn't be able to profit from my crime for a very long time. However, if my beloved wife were to take her own life, no one would suspect her grieving husband of foul play."
Michelle turned pale. "No one would ever believe that I would kill myself. You will never get away with this."
"Ah, my love. I hate to disagree with you, but when people learn the tragic circumstances surrounding your suicide, they will surely be convinced. You see, poor spurned Michelle will find her former lover and his new paramour together in a seedy motel and, after killing them in a fit of passion, she will be overcome with guilt and end her own life." He shook his head in feigned sorrow. "Such a tragedy. Naturally, I will be heartbroken. Of course, the suicide note that I commissioned from a truly gifted forger should seal the deal."
Elizabeth had been listening in growing horror to the demented plan unfolding before her. She glanced quickly at Jason, wondering if these would be their final moments together. There were so many things left to say and do.
Jason saw the fanatical light shining in Cranton's eyes and knew that he was beyond reason. Their only chance to get out of this was to stall for time - enough for Sonny's men to get there. He looked at Elizabeth and his chest tightened in fear for her. Trying to reassure her, he reached out and squeezed her hand.
Returning his attention to Cranton, he said, "What I don't understand is why you made the threats against Sonny's wife and child. How did that fit into your plan?"
Cranton grinned maliciously. "I wanted Corinthos distracted and it's common knowledge that the way to get to him is through his wife and kid. Once you're out of the way, he'll be that much easier to take down. My superiors will be very grateful to me for that. I also wanted your focus off Miss Webber and Michelle." He shrugged. "I didn't actually plan on killing the brat - unless you and your boss proved difficult. It was fun watching you squirm, though."
Jason gritted his teeth. "You sick son of a ..." He took a step towards Cranton.
Waving his weapon in Jason's direction, he said, "Temper, temper, Mr. Morgan. As much as I am enjoying our little game, I think it is time to enact the final scene. Hmmmm. With whom shall I begin?" he asked, before turning the gun on Elizabeth. "If I were the jealous lover, I do believe I would start with my replacement. Such a waste. You are a pretty, little thing, Miss Webber."
As Cranton aimed his weapon at Elizabeth, Jason turned to face her and instinctively stepped in front of her. A searing pain in his back followed the gun's report. Falling forward onto Elizabeth, his last thought was of how much he loved her. Then everything went black.
Elizabeth screamed and tried to cushion Jason's fall. It all seemed to be happening in slow motion. As they slumped to the floor together, she cradled him in her lap. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't lose Jason. She didn't know how to go on without him. "Please don't leave me, Jason," she whispered.
At that moment, the door burst open. Turning towards the sound, Cranton yelled, "No!!" Johnny quickly took aim and fired twice, while Francis took out the remaining guard. Michelle was sobbing in the corner.
Johnny approached Cranton and felt for a pulse. Finding none, he turned to Elizabeth and asked, "Where was he shot?"
She looked at him dazedly. "He stepped in front of me. Cranton meant to shoot me." Pulling herself together, she answered, "He shot Jason in the back."
Johnny pulled a sheet off the bed and handed it to her. "Use this to try to stop the bleeding." He took out his cell phone and dialled. "Sonny, you need to get in here fast. Jason's been shot."
As she held the sheet to his back, Elizabeth said softly in his ear, "Don't you die on me, Jason Morgan. I need you. Hold on for me. Do you hear me?! Hold on!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*