"I am very impressed," Erica said loudly, announcing her arrival. "You've become the CEO of ELQ." Erica smiled broadly at a stunned Skye. "Well, aren't you going to say hi to me?"
"Erica Kane?" Skye gasped. What in the world was Erica Kane, creator and head of Enchantment Enterprises, doing here? "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I'm trying to say hello to a friend and catch up on missed time," Erica said breezily. "It's been a long time since we've last seen each other, Skye. But you've obviously done very well for yourself."
Skye's body tensed when Erica walked up to her and hugged her. Skye weakly returned the hug, although she was still stunned by the presence of her one time rival, then ally, and now… friend?
"You're not busy today, are you?" Erica asked brightly. "I'm only in Port Charles for a short while, on business, of course, and I'd really like to talk to you and find out how you've been doing."
*******
Carly's home…"What do you mean we're not going to call the police?" Carly cried out. "Michael's been kidnapped, and you don't want to report it?"
"Go to No Name and find out what you can about what and where Roscoe's men were last night," Sonny instructed Johnny. "I'll be there in a bit. And if you see Roscoe, have some men follow him."
"If you would just calm down," Alexis advised Carly, "then we could try to figure out what to do."
"Shut up!" Carly yelled at Alexis, jabbing a finger in her direction. "I don't want to hear anything from you."
"Alexis, I want you to contact Ned and check the Quartermaines out. If we're lucky, then they have Michael," Sonny ordered, his face wrinkled with deep thought.
"Understood," Alexis replied immediately. She took a hesitant step towards the door, but then paused and looked around the shambled room. "Carly, I will do my best to find your son. If the Quartermaines have him, I'll find out."
"But don't, uh, tell them what happened if they don't have him," Sonny added. "And don't tell them we're looking for Michael." The note had said not to contact either the police of the federal agents, something Sonny wouldn't have done whether or not the note had been left. He had too many skeletons buried in the closet to have agents search for clues as to Michael's kidnapping.
"Got it," Alexis nodded. Without saying another word, Alexis hurried her way towards the Quartermaines.
There were three main suspects to the kidnapping, and all three of them were related to each other: AJ; Skye; Roscoe. Both AJ and Skye had been at Rinoa's party the previous night, and so both had alibis. But no one had known where Roscoe was. And, even if it hadn't been Roscoe, then it could have been any of his men. Roscoe, as he was now Skye's new ally, and he had always had a vendetta against Sonny, was the perfect suspect.
"Zander," Sonny commanded, "I want you to stay with Carly and stay in the house. Help my men look for fingerprints or hair samples or anything."
"Right, Sonny," Zander nodded.
Sonny turned to leave, but then was struck by a thought and he turned around. "Carly, I want you to stay in the house and wait until you hear word from me. If Alexis or Benny comes here, tell them to wait for me here."
Carly closed her eyes tightly, but her tears still spilled out.
"I need you to promise me that you'll stay here with Zander, and you won't leave the house," Sonny continued. "You understand, Carly? No leaving the house to search for Michael. You leave that to me."
A shaky nod was all Carly could give.
Sonny made direct eye contact with Zander, and, although not a single word passed between the two of them, much was said. Zander nodded firmly, and watched silently as Sonny left Carly's home to look for the kidnapped child. ******* Port Charles Hotel…"Yeah, Skye and I never got around to thanking you last night," AJ said sarcastically. "We both wanted to thank you for being so supportive of your daughter."
"Skye knows that I love her," Alan said defensively. "She came and left the party so quickly that we never even had a chance to speak to her."
"Alan," Rae warned gently. She placed a warm hand on Alan's arm. "You aren't helping Skye like this."
AJ snorted softly to himself.
"AJ," Rae said seriously. "your sister needs help. Your father and I are just trying to help her."
"Skye is doing fine on her own," AJ insisted.
"She's dating a mobster," Alan said angrily. "That is not doing fine."
"AJ, please, we're only trying to-" Rae started to say.
"Better
than Jax!" AJ burst out. "She's better
off with a guy like Roscoe who'll never break her heart."
"Break her heart?" Rae echoed
instantly. "Are you saying Jax broke
Skye's heart before?"
AJ picked up a pitcher of water and poured himself a glass. He took a sip from it and collected his thoughts. He hadn't meant to bring Jax into the conversation, but, truth was, AJ had wanted to punch the Aussie's lights out for a while now. The fact that Jax was a considerably bit bigger, though, posed a problem.
"I am not saying Roscoe is good for Skye. In fact, I believe the very opposite," AJ said slowly. "But I won't deny that I appreciate the protection from Sonny that Roscoe provides for Courtney, Skye, and I."
"Roscoe works for the mob. He is the mob," Alan spat out. "How can he be any better for Skye than Jax?"
"Everyone knows that Roscoe is scum," AJ acknowledged. "Everyone, even Skye, knows that the man is a jerk. No one has any illusions that Roscoe is a good man for Skye. But, see, that's the difference between him and Jax. Everyone knows that Roscoe is bad for Skye, but not everyone realizes that Jax is bad for Skye."
"And why is Jax bad for Skye?" Rae asked, captivated by AJ's words.
"You know what Rinoa calls Jax?" AJ asked Skye's parents. "Remember those old Indiana Jones movies? There was one called Raider of the Lost Ark."
Alan's mouth was opened slightly, and his eyebrows were furrowed together. What was AJ leading to?
Rae leaned forward and impatiently waited for AJ's next words.
"In the short time Rinoa got to know Skye and Jax, and in the short time she had to learn about Jax and his past exploits," AJ said resentfully, "Rinoa came up with a nickname for him, partly inspired by his role as corporate raider and the character Indiana Jones. She called him raider of the lost hearts."
"Raider of the lost hearts," Rae echoed, her mind racing.
"See, neither of you knows Jax too well. At least not as well as I do. Jax has a tendency to steal women's hearts. He charms them, convinces them that he'll love them forever, steals their hearts, and then WHAM!" AJ shouted as he smashed his right fist onto the palm of his left hand. "He breaks their heart, crushes it into nothingness, and leaves for the next conquest. That's Jax's style, and that's what he did to Skye. I tried to warn Skye. I told her what Jax was like, and how he's all style, but little substance. But she didn't listen. She trusted him, she thought he loved her, and then it blew up in her face and she was left with nothing. He broke her heart, her spirit. So if you ask me who Skye's better with, heart raider Jax or Roscoe scum? I'd have to say Roscoe scum."
Rae rubbed her chin thoughtfully. In her professional opinion, AJ was a man filled with anger and feelings of inadequacy because of his failure to protect Skye from harm. She would have to schedule an appointment with him later to help him through these feelings, but, for now, she had someone else she had to see.
"AJ, thank you for talking to us," Rae spoke up suddenly. She stood up and grabbed her bag. "I'd like to continue this conversation later, but I have to go see someone."
"Rae," Alan called out. "Where are you going?"
"Jax lives in this hotel, doesn't he?" Rae replied in response. "I think it's about time I met this raider of lost hearts."
*******
About twelve pm… Port Charles Grille…Erica picked up her glass of ice water and took a small sip from it. "So tell me about yourself, Skye," Erica said invitingly. "How'd you become CEO so quickly? Any important men in your life? How are the Quartermaines?"
Skye studied the woman sitting across of her. Erica had done her homework, and she had found out about Skye's new family and relatively new position at ELQ.
"I tricked my grandfather into giving up control, a friend helped me take over ELQ, and then he became the major shareholder and he appointed me as CEO, and that's it for that question," Skye said, giving the short answer to Erica's first question.
"Important men?" Skye hesitated. "Not really. My family? They're doing just fine."
Erica laughed lightly. "Skye, you haven't changed a bit! You're still the same… reclusive non-information sharer."
Skye raised her eyebrows slightly. Erica Kane was acting as if they were the best of friends, and this had never been the case.
"Seriously, Skye, you have to have a man in your life," Erica probed. "I run Enchantment, but I still have time for the pleasures in life. And, Skye, you've got everything a man could possibly want in a woman. You're beautiful, intelligent, charming, rich… everything. You ought to have dozens of men calling on you."
Skye hadn't wanted to have lunch with Erica. She hadn't wanted to leave ELQ office at all, in fact, and had been planning on ordering in. But then Erica had arrived and she simply wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Well, what about you?" Skye asked. She didn't want to talk about her personal life, not about Jax nor Roscoe. If she was able to turn the conversation onto Erica, then they could spend the rest of the afternoon talking about her, as Erica loved talking about herself, and not about Skye. "You found anyone special yet?" Damn, that word special again.
"Oh, I did," Erica gushed, her right hand clamping over her heart. "He is the greatest, Skye. You'd love him." But, then again, maybe she didn't want to use those exact words, and possibly incite another rivalry with Skye.
"I'd love to," Skye smirked, glad that the topic of conversation had shifted away from her. "The next time I go to Pine Valley, Erica, we'll all have lunch. Or go out for dinner or something. And you can introduce me to him then."
"Why wait?" Erica asked innocently. "Chris, my boyfriend, is at the hotel room right now. He felt a little sick last night, so I told him to stay in today and rest. Why don't you come by after lunch and meet him then?"
ELQ was waiting for her. But if she said no to Erica, then the woman might pester her the following day. Or the next. "Sure," Skye sighed. "But just for a short while, because I've got work to do."
"Naturally," Erica beamed. "I understand what it's like to run a business."
*******
Jax's suite…Rae Cummings needed to speak to Jasper Jacks. If he wasn't in his room right now, then she would track him down using any method she had to. Fortunately for her, Jax answered the first knock on his door within a few seconds.
He smiled charmingly at his female guest. "What can I do for you?"
"Are you Jasper Jacks?" Rae asked, although she was pretty certain he was. Alan had pointed him out to her the previous night.
"Yes. And you are?"
Rae smiled brightly. "I'm Rae Cummings, Skye Quartermaine's mother. I need to talk to you about my daughter."
*******
Quartermaine estate…Alexis sighed. She had wasted over an hour searching at the Quartermaines and had come up with nothing. None of the Quartermaines had acted suspiciously, and none of the servants had thought anything out of the ordinary had happened.
"Sonny?" Alexis frowned. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to check No Name."
"Alexis," Sonny said, "I need you to stop looking for Michael. And I need you to stay out of the search and anything else related to him."
"I might not be related to him," Alexis acknowledged, "but I do care for him. I want him found too, Sonny, and I want to do as much as I can to look for him."
"Yeah, I know but," Sonny frowned. "You have to understand, Alexis, that, uh, I can't have you involved."
Alexis looked at Sonny, confused. "Why not? I promise I won't get in the way."
Sonny looked Alexis straight in the eye. "I don't want you involved with Michael's rescue, you understand?" There was no question if Michael would be rescued. The only question was when. "I don't need you, and I don't want you, to see what happens. The less you know, Alexis, the better."
Alexis bit her lower left lip. She understood what Sonny meant. And, although normally she wouldn't approve, this time, with the young and innocent child at stake, Alexis was willing, for once, to turn a blind eye. "I understand what you mean, Sonny, but I'm not going to stop searching, either."
"Alexis," Sonny said stronger. "This isn't open for debate. I want you to-"
Sonny's cell phone started ringing, cutting off Sonny's latest orders. Sonny took his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and answered it. "Benny, did you find anything?"
Alexis felt awkward just standing there. She crossed her arms in front of her, and then started looking around the estate.
"I'm coming right now," Sonny said curtly. He hung up his phone and hurriedly jammed it back in his pocket. "They found Michael. He's in one of the abandoned warehouses at the docks."
"Thank God," Alexis breathed in relief. "Should I get Zander and Carly? We'll meet you down at the docks."
"I told you, Alexis," Sonny said coldly. "I want you to stay out of this. Just go to Carly's and tell her I'm on my way and Michael's with me."
"But-"
"But nothing," Sonny cut her off abruptly. "I'm going alone, and I don't want you or Carly following."
Alexis has been Sonny's lawyer for a while now, and she knew better than to protest anymore. She watched silently as Sonny left as quickly and abruptly as he had come.
*******
Jax's suite…Rae wished she had her clipboard with her. If she had her board with her, then she could pretend that Jax was nothing more than a new patient, someone she had to get to know better. But the man was much more than a new patient. He had been the one that she, AJ, and Alan all suspected Skye had fallen in love with.
"So what did you want to talk about?"
There was no way she was going to tell this man what her daughter had felt for him. Instead… "How well did you know my daughter?" Rae asked, her eyes searching Jax's face.
Jax hesitated briefly. As he had noticed in the past, Skye was a conundrum, a mystery. And although he had thought he had figured her out, it had turned out that he hadn't done too well of a job. "Not very well," he answered.
"I was under the impression that you understood her as well as her brother AJ," Rae informed him. "Were my sources mistaken?"
Jax grimaced slightly. "Rae, I believe no one, not even AJ, and maybe not even your daughter, knows what Skye is like."
Rae frowned. There was truth in Jax's words. She had suspected as much from her last conversation with her daughter.
Rae's eyes roamed over Jax's face and body. She tried to figure out how much of AJ's remarks were true, and how much of it was due to his anger at his inability to protect his sister and how much of it was due to Jax's reputation. He radiated feelings of earnestness and honesty, and he truly did seem as if he wanted to help her find a way to help her daughter.
"What were your feelings towards my daughter?" Rae asked finally. "I've heard conflicting opinions, and now I'd like to hear yours."
"What did you hear?" Jax asked curiously, a small smirk on his face. "That I used her to raid ELQ?" That was what Sonny and Edward had both thought.
"Maybe," Rae said simply, refusing to give any clue as to whether he was right or wrong. "Do you think that's true?"
Psychologists always did have a way to return questions that their patients had asked right back at them. But Jasper Jacks was no patient.
"I didn't use her," Jax assured Rae. "I swear to you I didn't use your daughter in any way."
"So what were your feelings towards her?"
Jax wasn't sure if he wanted to answer this woman's questions. He knew that Skye had problems with her birth mother, and he wasn't sure if answering Rae's questions would hurt Skye in any way. "Why do you want to know?"
Rae leaned forward, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. "I'm worried about my daughter, Jax, and if my professional opinion means anything, I'm certain that you're also worried about her. I've already spoken to the Quartermaines, Alan and AJ mostly, and they both think you were the closest to Skye. And, out of all of us, you have the best chance of reaching her."
Jax chuckled. But his laughter was devoid of humor, and filled with bittersweet contempt. "Not likely. Your daughter made it clear to me she doesn't want me in her life. And that she doesn't want to be in mine."
"You have realized, haven't you," Rae sighed, "that more than half the things my daughter says are lies. And, that being the case, I wouldn't be quite so ready to believe that what she said to you was the truth."
"I know that," Jax replied. "No matter how many times I've asked her to, she could never stop lying. Not even to me." And that had been the most disappointing part. He had thought that the two of them had reached a part in their relationship where he was exempt from her lying, but that hadn't been the case at all.
"Have you ever wondered why?" Rae asked quietly. "My daughter, as you must have realized by now, is a very complicated woman. I'm a professional psychologist, but even I can't fathom why she says and does half the things she says and does. I'd like to change that, Jax, and I'm pretty sure you feel the same way as I do."
"I do," Jax admitted. "I've tried to figure her out, but it was too difficult for me."
"That's because you don't know my daughter's past," Rae pointed out. "And that's something I'm deficient in, also."
Was Rae going to propose what he thought she was going to?
"Mister Jasper Jacks," Rae said formally as she rose from her seat, "if you don't have any plans for the next few weeks, I'd like for you to come with me to Pine Valley and Llanview. What do you say?"
"Pine Valley and Llanview," Jax repeated.
"Pine Valley is where her adoptive family lives, and Llanview was where Skye and I reunited," Rae informed Jax. "I have some business to take care of in Llanview, but it shouldn't take too long. I was hoping we could both go to Pine Valley and learn more about Skye, and what happened to her in the past. I think that if we knew more about her, we'd be able to help her more, Jax. And there's nothing I'd like to do more. And, looking at you, I think there's nothing you'd want more either. So how about it?"
Last night, Rae had wanted to wring Jasper Jack's neck. Today, she wanted him to fly with her to Pine Valley and Llanview.
"You really think you can find a way to help Skye?" Jax asked, the feeling of hope almost leaping from his words.
"I think we can," Rae corrected. "I don't know her as well as you do, despite your claims to the contrary. I would have asked AJ to accompany my quest, but he's too wrapped up in his other activities, and…" She didn't want to tell Jax that AJ actually thought Roscoe was better for Skye than Jax was, did she?
"And what?"
"And," Rae covered, "I think you would do a better job helping me than AJ would. So will you come with me?"
To help Skye or to not. To risk failure or sit by and do nothing. The choice was obvious. "So when do we leave?"
*******
About one pm… Erica and Chris's suite in the hotel…"Skye Chandler Quartermaine, I would like to introduce you to Chris Stamp," Erica said proudly. "Chris, this is Skye."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Chris said politely to Skye. He offered his right hand to Skye, and, after a second of hesitation, Skye accepted it. "I've heard a lot about you."
Skye was even more confused now. She and Erica had never been too close, but now here she was meeting Erica's boyfriend.
Erica's face grew serious. The pleasant smile disappeared, giving space to a determined, worried expression. "Skye, there was a reason why we're here in Port Charles."
"And it's not to see me, right?" Skye asked. She had suspected as much. In the past, she would have felt pangs of rejection, but not anymore, and certainly not from people like Erica Kane.
"Actually,
we are here to see you," Chris announced.
He reached into his pocket and withdrew his federal badge. "I'm a federal agent, and I'm here working
on a drug case."
*******
Docks…Firemen, the police, and ambulances were sprawling all over the place. The firemen were combating a blazing flame, while emergency crew workers were busily trying to help those who had been caught in the explosion and had been burned. The police were busy looking for suspects and helping those who needed it.
Sonny kept to the alleys. The people he had on the take, as Carly had put it, had already explained to him what had happened. A big explosion, probably from a bomb, had went off slightly after twelve thirty pm. It had gone off in an abandoned warehouse, though, and so far the worst sustained injuries had been second-degree burns
But that was only for the people the police had thus far found.
Johnny looked up, and upon seeing his boss's approach, he shook his head and bowed his head.
"What happened?" Sonny demanded. A quick look-over told him that Johnny had been caught in the blast, but that his injuries were minor and didn't need hospital treatment.
"Roger," Johnny replied softly. "He found your son, Mr. Corinthos. And he called us all to meet here and help him see Michael to safety."
"I know that," Sonny said impatiently, the disturbing feeling of fear and dread increasing in his stomach.
"I got here first. I headed for the warehouse right away, but then there was an explosion. I flew several feet, and was knocked unconscious. Benny found me and helped me over here."
"Roger and Michael?" Sonny demanded, the dread increasing even more. "What happened to them?"
"We've tried calling Roger. But he hasn't answered," Johnny replied, his voice cracking. Roger had been one of his best friends. "We're waiting here to see if any bodies are found."
"The water. Did anyone check the water?"
"We didn't find anyone yet," Johnny answered morosely. "We're searching what we can, but the police keeps getting in the way."
"Well keep searching," Sonny ordered, his voice filled with demand and control. He could not and would not break down in front of his men. Roger had been a trusted and loyal man, and Michael…
Sonny couldn't stomach the idea that his adoptive son may have died. He pushed the thought away, and then resumed his role as leader. He needed to be a pillar of strength, and he couldn't, not now and not ever, show weakness in front of his men. "I want more men guarding Courtney and Carly," Sonny ordered.
What if he were never to again hear Michael call out for Uncle Sonny?
*******
Erica and Chris's suite in the hotel…"And you would want to see me because…" Skye trailed off.
"Skye, I didn't tell you this," Erica said softly, "but Enchantment was being used to smuggle drugs. That's how Chris and I met."
"ELQ is not being used to smuggle drugs," Skye said in a voice that meant that no room for argument would be allowed. "I would swear my life on it."
"That's because ELQ does not receive or send packages of products anywhere," Erica exclaimed. "But ELQ will be used in one way or another."
"Miss Quartermaine," Chris said loudly, before either of the two women in the room could speak again, "before you start defending yourself and ELQ, let me make it clear that we are not here to accuse you of anything."
"So why are you here?" Skye demanded, her irritation increasing tenfold.
"Proteus, the person who had been in charge of the drug ring in Pine Valley, cooperated with us, and she told us the head of operations was located in Port Charles. The group's name was Sorel," Chris informed Skye. He had his eyes glued to Skye's face as he told Skye this latest bit of news. "And our sources have told us that a man named Roscoe has recently taken charge of Sorel's gang."
"So what does that have to do with me?" Skye demanded. It was innocent until proven guilty.
"You can't deny that you're involved with this Roscoe character," Erica told Skye, her voice rising above her normal level. "We know you're seeing Roscoe, and that you're practically living with him."
How much and how long have the agents been watching her? "If you knew it," Skye countered angrily, "then why'd you even bother asking me during lunch?"
"Roscoe could have had men watching you and Erica," Chris explained. "That's why I stayed out of the way, and that's why Erica pretended to be as clueless as she did."
"We need you," Erica said gently, her voice calm and soothing, "to help us infiltrate into Roscoe's gang. We need you to help us bring Roscoe and his men to justice."
"No," Skye said stiffly. She wasn't about to give Erica and Chris a reason, and they were just going to have to take her "no" as her final answer.
"Why not?" Erica exclaimed.
Because she needed Roscoe to protect both her and AJ. Because she needed Roscoe to bring Sonny down. But these were things that Skye had no inclination to share with either Erica or Chris. "I have my reasons," Skye said vaguely. "Amongst them, I don't like helping people who pretend to be my friend but only really want to use me."
"But, Skye, we are friends," Erica sputtered. "We've fought against your husband, and we-"
"Erica," Chris interrupted. He held up a hand, and motioned for her to stop talking. "Miss Quartermaine, Roscoe will be brought down. The evidence we have against him and the rest of his group is steadily arising, and it's not a question of if Roscoe will answer to justice, but when."
"If Roscoe decides to use you or ELQ, and it slips by you unnoticed," Erica spoke up, ignoring Chris's raised hand, "then you will be implicated along with them when Chris and the other agents arrest them. There will be no evidence or shred of reason for the courts to believe that you had been duped and used by Roscoe. But if you helped us, Skye, if you helped us out them to prison, and keep the streets safer, you'd- you'd be a hero! You won't be implicated along with them, and you won't be sent to prison."
Skye crossed her arms in front of her. She turned slowly from Erica to Chris as she weighed her options. In the end, her arrogance and confidence in her business running skills and her desire to see Sonny Corinthos destroyed won out. "I won't be used, not by you and not by Roscoe."
"Skye," Erica implored. "You can't refuse to help us!"
"I just did," Skye replied softly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a business to run. And, apparently, I'm going to have keep an extra careful eye on ELQ accounts."
*******
Six pm… Carly's house…They had seen the news. They had heard the reports. But they had still clung to hope. They had still clung to the belief that Sonny Corinthos made things happen, and that he and his men could defy anything and everything and come out on top.
They were wrong.
Sonny returned to Carly's house as a bruised and tortured soul. The expression on his face, the lack of a child in his arms… they all pointed to the same thing.
The two unidentified dead bodies the police had found and the media had reported had indeed belonged to Sonny's man and to Michael Corinthos.
Michael Corinthos had died. And he had died because of his connection to Sonny. It was not Sonny's fault, for it was the fault of those who had kidnapped him, but it was because of Sonny that he had been targeted and killed.
Carly knew what Michael meant to Sonny. She knew that her son had always turned to Sonny, and that Michael had trusted Sonny to protect him from his nightmare demons. But now, Michael was gone and Sonny would never be needed to protect him again.
She just couldn't face Sonny. She couldn't stand the smell of burned ashes on him. She couldn't stand the sight of him. Instead, Carly turned to Zander, and she sought his shoulder to cry her tears and frustration away.
Alexis would have been there for Sonny. She really wanted to be the shoulder that he could lean on, just the way Zander was being for Carly. But Sonny had other ideas.
"I need a drink," Sonny said morosely.
*******
Seven pm… Roscoe's…Skye threw her jacket and her purse onto the leather sofa.
A folded up note on her drawer beckoned out to her. Skye picked the note up, unfolded it, and read its contents.
Skye, meet me in the guestroom. Don't make a sound. -Roscoe
"Oh, swell," Skye muttered under her breath. Roscoe had better not do something stupid like jumping out and scaring her to death.
Skye left the living room and quickly made her way towards the guestroom.
Roscoe stood at the doorway. He was leaning against the door, his arms crossed in front of him. Without saying a word, he waved a silent greeting to her.
"What-" Skye began to say, before Roscoe clamped his hand strongly against her mouth.
"Shh," Roscoe whispered, a devious smile on his face. "I got you a gift, Skye. It's sleeping right now, but he might wake up if we make too much noise. So you can't make any sound."
First Erica, then Chris, and now this? "I've had a long day," Skye whispered tiredly. "Can't this wait until tomorrow?"
Roscoe shook his head. He took a hold of her hand and led her into the guest room. Although the lights were already on, it took Skye a minute to see what, or who, Roscoe had been referring to.
A little redheaded boy, with a handkerchief tied tightly against his eyes, another handkerchief around his ears, and a final one gagging his mouth, laid on the bed. The handkerchief tied around his eyes was soaked wet. His arms and legs were strongly tied together with rope.
"Surprise," Roscoe hissed into Skye's ears. "I got you your nephew."