Show: General Hospital
Title: Las Vidas de los Corinthos'- Chapter 25
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
A/N: Wow, exams are almost over, and so a brand new chapter is here, and lots of free time on
my hands! (well at least six days till they start again) but anyways… Hurray! **Does dance of
joy!** I want to thank everyone who took the time to review in the past and I hope that you will do
so now. I want to thank especially Shadow Phenix… you must think I never use spell check, huh?
As well as MzMocha…OMG I could not believe she read, reviewed and actually *liked* my story! I
think she is almost like the Queen of Sexis fanfic! Did I mention I love her… well I do. Well it's
great to be back for the moment, so enjoy!
*~*~*~*~*~*
There had been no change in Elizabeth's condition in the past few hours. She remained
unconscious throughout Monica's second examination, and was expected to remain so for at
least the next few hours. Quite surprisingly, Monica had agreed to keep Elizabeth's presence in
the hospital on a need-to-know basis, not even informing Stefan or Nikolas of what happened.
But of course the PCPD had to be informed of her assault, and so it wasn't very long before a
certain brash, but respectfully quiet Marcus Taggart came swinging by.
Mauricio, Francis' replacement knocked quietly on the door, before poking his head around the
corner. "Ms. Davis?" he called softly.
Alexis' head snapped up from where it had been resting near to Liz's hip. "Yes?" she replied,
turning her tear-streaked face to the guard.
"Detective Taggart is asking for you. Do you want me to tell him to come back later?"
Alexis paused, considering the idea. She wasn't in the mood for Taggart and all his questions and
the accusations he would make. She certainly wasn't in the mood for telling the lie that would
certainly have to be told when he asked who she thought was responsible for this. But she knew
she couldn't ditch the Detective forever, and it was probably best to get it over with now than
later. "No, no. I'll see him. I'll be right out."
Mauricio nodded his head in assent and closed the door behind him.
Alexis wiped away the weariness in her face and straightened her jeans. Carefully, she placed a
gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead before heading out to face Taggart.
Taggart stood brooding in the corner, mere feet from the door, hands shoved deep in the pockets
of his trench coat. Upon hearing her approaching footsteps, he turned toward her, concern
evident in his dark eyes. "Ms. Davis," he acknowledged.
Alexis stopped a few feet away from him and crossed her arms across her chest. "Detective
Taggart." To her ears, her voice sounded fragile and tired, and she knew she must look a fright.
"I'm sorry about intruding on you, but you do understand that I have a job to do?"
Alexis nodded her head, unable to keep from glancing through the window at Elizabeth.
"When did this all happen?"
Trust Taggart not to beat around the bush. "Early this morning," Alexis recited. "I couldn't sleep,
so I decided to take a walk outside. I took one of the guards with me for company and protection.
I left Elizabeth at home with Max, the other guard. I don't know anything beyond what Jason said
Elizabeth told him."
At the mere mentioning of Jason's name, Taggart's eyes narrowed. "And what did Morgan tell
you?"
Alexis lifted her chin. "She said that she heard some noises, and she saw a shadow walking
around the house. She thought it was Max, and she was going to tell him to come inside with her,
when three men attacked them. She was bound on the floor when Jason found her… you know
the rest as I'm sure Monica told you."
Taggart was furiously scribbling all this in his little notepad. He paused at that, however. "Jason
found her?"
"Yes," she replied, carefully not elaborating.
"What was Morgan doing at your house?"
Alexis' eyes narrowed. She didn't like the way Taggart was trying to point a finger at Jason. "He
called Max's phone to check up on him," she lied, not breaking eye contact. "He didn't get any
answer. The recording said the phone was no longer in use. He is a guard, Taggart. It's not
normal."
"Fine, ok, Ms. Davis."
Alexis exhaled heavily. She didn't know how much longer she could take this; her patience was
already wearing thin. "I don't know anything else, Taggart. You'd have to ask Jason when he
comes back, or Max or Elizabeth when they wake up and Monica clears them for visitors," she
stated tiredly.
"Fine, I will." He paused, "Come to think of it Ms. Davis, where *is* Morgan? In fact, where is
Corinthos?" he asked shrewdly, his eyes narrowing as he studied her carefully.
Alexis turned away, unable to look him in the eyes and lie to him. "Sonny and Jason are taking
care of business." It wasn't exactly a lie, except this type of business required putting one Joseph
Taggliatti in a body bag.
Taggart scoffed from behind her. "I'll bet they are…." he replied cryptically.
Alexis said nothing, just continued staring at her daughter, hoping the bald-headed Detective
would leave soon.
"I guess I *will* have to wait 'til Liz wakes up," he finally spoke up, after a few minutes of silence.
He had shrewdly noted Alexis' stiff spine, and her closemouthed response. He had one more
question, a question that had been gnawing at the back his mind. "Where's Kristina, Ms. Davis?"
he asked softly.
Alexis's spine stiffened even more and she whirled around to face him. "Kristina is fine," she
replied tightly, dreading the lie, knowing that Taggart probably *knew* she was lying.
"Well then, where is she? Three men forcibly enter your home and assault your guard and your
daughter. No harm was done to the baby apparently… so I can't understand why you don't have
her sheltered here with you…." Taggart let the implication run off. Something was not right. He
could feel it, and Sonny not being here with his daughter, and Kristina not being with her mother
had something to do with it. He just knew it !
"She is with Carly and Michael," she lied, not knowing why she said that. "Sonny sent them away
after we found out what happened to Liz. Are you happy now, or do you want to search the
penthouse and the whole damn city to verify they're gone!" Alexis realized she was shouting.
"Ok, calm down Ms. Davis, I'll take your word for it," Taggart replied, trying to quiet her.
"Don't you dare tell me to calm down, Taggart! My daughter is hurting, and I don't need you to
come in here and start hurling accusations about! I told you what I know, and I would appreciate it
if you would just leave me the hell alone!" as if to reiterate her statement, Mauricio took a step
toward her in defense.
"Ok. I'll go for now, Ms. Davis. But something doesn't smell right about this. And I hope it doesn't
take a body in a black bag to really make me understand. I'll be seeing you again." With those
words, Taggart whirled around, his trench coat flapping wildly as he stalked away.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Taggliatti was broken. He wasn't dead…yet, but he was *definitely* broken. Jason had made sure
of that. As he opened the steel door and stepped out into the hallway, he could feel the shocked
stares of Johnny and Francis as they took in his appearance. Jason looked up, his glacial eyes
sending shivers down their spines. He looked at Sonny, who lifted a sardonic brow. Jason shook
his head knowing his friend was silently asking him if Taggliatti was dead.
He knew he must look a fright, and he did. His face and clothes were spattered with blood, and it
covered the swollen knuckles of the fists he had used to pummel Taggliatti into submission. But
he didn't care. His bloodlust had been slaked for the moment, but they still had to find Kristina
and take her home, and then the beast in him would truly be released, and he was a little afraid of
what that would be like.
"We should get going," he announced, pushing past the three men. "We have to get Kristina."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Scaduto had called into Taggliatti as was customary exactly one hour after the previous call. But
no one had answered. He put it off, and decided to call back. When he did, Gino answered the
telephone.
"Gino?" asked Scaduto incredulously. "What the fuck do you think you're doing answering Mr.
Taggliatti's phone?"
Gino gritted his teeth and struggled to keep a short leash on his temper – Scaduto was getting
what was coming to him in due time… in the form of a 6'2" blonde darkangel with revenge on his
mind and murder as his tool.
"He went to meet with a Mr. Neilson," he lied easily. "He told me to wait for your call and tell you
to sit tight. He's gonna tell you what to do with the kid, then."
Scaduto looked behind him. The eighteen-month-old was staring at the three men in fright, her
face mottled with tears, and she was babbling and asking for her mama. He's sooner get rid of
her than sit through her screams. "Yeah, whatever. We ain't goin' nowhere," he replied,
terminating the call.
Gino chuckled at the irony. He had no idea just how close to the truth he was.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Another soft knock on the hospital door woke Alexis from a fitful sleep and she turned her sleepy
head in time to see Bobby and Ric step through the door. Ric was dressed in his customary suit
and tie, and Bobby in her scrubs, and Alexis couldn't help but feel like slightly bum-like around
them.
Ric's eyes widened as he took in the still unconscious form of his niece, looking so pale and
fragile against the white hospital sheets.
"How is she?" he choked as he gently pushed away an errant lock of hair from her forehead.
Alexis shook her head. "Nothing's changed," she admitted, her fingers finding Elizabeth's limp
hand.
Bobby smiled sympathetically at them. "I'm just going to check her vitals and make sure
everything's alright, OK?"
Alexis nodded, allowing Bobby to get closer to Liz.
When Bobby finished checking up on Liz she turned to Alexis and Ric. "Can I get you two
anything? Coffee, tea? You really ought to eat something, Alexis. I know you haven't had
anything since you were here. You should go down to the cafeteria and get something."
Alexis shook her head. "No, I'm not hungry," she lied; in fact her stomach was growling, but she
didn't want to leave Liz alone.
Ric shot her a disbelieving look – he probably knew she was lying. "Well, I am," he spoke up,
although he'd had breakfast at his apartment before he'd left. "I'll just bring something up for you
in case you get hungry later on."
Alexis smiled in gratitude.
Before Bobby left, she caught Alexis' hand. "Don't worry. Liz is strong just like her mother. She'll
be fine." She gave Alexis a reassuring squeeze before she swept out with Ric.
Alexis turned back to her daughter and resumed her vigil. She certainly hoped so.
*~*~*~*~*~*
It was just after nine when Jason and Sonny pulled up to Pier 19. It was in a deserted area of the
waterfront, and had been closed by the Quartermaines for well over five years, having failed to
remain competitive enough with Sonny. It was a location that would hide a kidnapped child very
well, in the abandoned buildings that surrounded the yard. It would serve Sonny's intentions very
well too – no witnesses.
Along with Sonny and Jason were Francis and Johnny and three other guards: Andrew, Max's
cousin; Jared and Rhys. Taggliatti had blatantly assured them that it was only Scaduto and two
others: Sean and Tony; but they were heavily armed and Sonny was not taking any chances
where the safety of his daughter was concerned.
Jason paused and cautiously looked around. It was eerily quiet and not a sound could be heard
but the lapping of the river on the docks. The sunlight reflected off the few panes of glass left in
the abandoned buildings, making it difficult to see if anyone was watching them from above.
"Taggliatti said they're supposed to be in the third building. It has a door to the front and then a
back exit that runs along the western fence," he paused, pointing out the front door to the others.
"Johnny, you and Andrew go through the front. Jared, you and Sonny wait here; Rhys, you're with
me, we're going towards the back to catch them from behind."
Each man nodded and Jason made to move off, but Sonny stopped him. "Do what you want with
the others, Jason, but Scaduto's mine you hear me?"
Jason's jaw clenched. He had wanted to be the one to personally make the man who made
Elizabeth suffer pay, but he understood where Sonny was coming from. He would have to be
content with the pond scum named Sean instead. He nodded his head in acceptance and
motioned for Rhys to follow him.
*~*~*~*~*~*
As soon as he's received Taggliatti's call early that morning, Conrad Neilson had called the
Pentonville Penitentiary and arranged with the warden to have a private conference with his
client. Of course the shifty little man's palms had had to be greased a little before this could take
place, but those were the reasons the Quartermaines gave him such a hefty expense account.
After receiving the necessary permission, Neilson had sped towards the prison to tell Ned the
news. He knew he would not be happy that it had all happened so soon but he could rest a little
easier knowing that the baby had been taken. All this did not rest easy with Neilson. He may not
have been the bravest of them all, but he still had scruples, and Ned Ashton and his vindictive
Grandfather were seriously bulldozing them. What they thought to gain from bringing down Sonny
Corinthos wasn't entirely unbelievable, but what could come of kidnapping a child that wasn't
yours was beyond him, and what they planned to do with her was beyond him as well. But it was
not his place to judge, only to do as he as told, collect his hefty paycheck and be done with it…
and his "scruples" were OK with that.
As he bustled into the conference room, Ned's scornful look was clear: **What are you doing
here?**
Neilson cleared his throat apprehensively as he sat down. His knees began to quake in fear as he
anticipated Ned's impending anger. "This morning, I received a call from Mr. Taggliatti," he
began. "He said Mr. Jacks had a visitor last night from the Quartermaine office who knew what
was going on. His men grabbed them as soon as they were on their way to tell Mr. Corinthos
everything."
Ned's face paled before slowly infusing with colour, his rage slowly building. "Go on," he
instructed through clenched teeth.
"They took the baby, sir. He and his men are waiting for instructions as what to do with her."
At that news, Ned did something Neilson never expected him to do: he smiled, a crazed light
dancing in his eyes. "They have Kristina? Good, *that* at least is good news. As to what to do
with her: arrange to have Richard and Hank pick her up and take her to the beach house in the
Keys. Have the nanny that I asked for waiting for them there."
Neilson watched this in a sense of awe. Ned Ashton *was* crazy! How could he expect to do this
and get away with it? Corinthos would have his head by the end of the week! Conrad nodded, on
the surface the dutiful lawyer, but on the inside at the back of his devious mind, he was preparing
to cut his losses and get the hell out of Port Charles before Ned Ashton had him killed!
*~*~*~*~*~*
Scaduto and his men did something they never should have – in addition to kidnapping Sonny
Corinthos' daughter – they trusted Gino, and relaxed their guard.
And so when the first round of machine gun fire thundered through the doors and Tony's prone
body fell to the floor peppered with bullets, Scaduto and Sean didn't know what hit them. Sean
was in the backroom with Kristina when he heard the first round of gunfire, and he had drawn his
own gun and bounded out to help, but he took one look at the smoking barrel of Johnny's gun
and he turned tail and ran towards the back exit, one step ahead of Scaduto who had abandoned
his guns in favor of a Turkey Club before they were stormed.
No sooner had they made it to the back exit than it swung open and they were blinded by the
sunlight. By the time their eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, they found themselves looking
into the frosty blue eyes of the Enforcer behind the barrel of a wicked looking Magnum.
The jig was up….
TBC…
A/N: R&R folks, I look forward to hearing from you. BTW, the name of the character Rhys is
actually pronounced Reece for those who didn't know. As I'm posting this Chapter before my
exams are officially opened the next Chapter won't be up till next week, but thanks for bearing
with me so far. Ciao!
Title: Las Vidas de los Corinthos'- Chapter 25
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
A/N: Wow, exams are almost over, and so a brand new chapter is here, and lots of free time on
my hands! (well at least six days till they start again) but anyways… Hurray! **Does dance of
joy!** I want to thank everyone who took the time to review in the past and I hope that you will do
so now. I want to thank especially Shadow Phenix… you must think I never use spell check, huh?
As well as MzMocha…OMG I could not believe she read, reviewed and actually *liked* my story! I
think she is almost like the Queen of Sexis fanfic! Did I mention I love her… well I do. Well it's
great to be back for the moment, so enjoy!
*~*~*~*~*~*
There had been no change in Elizabeth's condition in the past few hours. She remained
unconscious throughout Monica's second examination, and was expected to remain so for at
least the next few hours. Quite surprisingly, Monica had agreed to keep Elizabeth's presence in
the hospital on a need-to-know basis, not even informing Stefan or Nikolas of what happened.
But of course the PCPD had to be informed of her assault, and so it wasn't very long before a
certain brash, but respectfully quiet Marcus Taggart came swinging by.
Mauricio, Francis' replacement knocked quietly on the door, before poking his head around the
corner. "Ms. Davis?" he called softly.
Alexis' head snapped up from where it had been resting near to Liz's hip. "Yes?" she replied,
turning her tear-streaked face to the guard.
"Detective Taggart is asking for you. Do you want me to tell him to come back later?"
Alexis paused, considering the idea. She wasn't in the mood for Taggart and all his questions and
the accusations he would make. She certainly wasn't in the mood for telling the lie that would
certainly have to be told when he asked who she thought was responsible for this. But she knew
she couldn't ditch the Detective forever, and it was probably best to get it over with now than
later. "No, no. I'll see him. I'll be right out."
Mauricio nodded his head in assent and closed the door behind him.
Alexis wiped away the weariness in her face and straightened her jeans. Carefully, she placed a
gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead before heading out to face Taggart.
Taggart stood brooding in the corner, mere feet from the door, hands shoved deep in the pockets
of his trench coat. Upon hearing her approaching footsteps, he turned toward her, concern
evident in his dark eyes. "Ms. Davis," he acknowledged.
Alexis stopped a few feet away from him and crossed her arms across her chest. "Detective
Taggart." To her ears, her voice sounded fragile and tired, and she knew she must look a fright.
"I'm sorry about intruding on you, but you do understand that I have a job to do?"
Alexis nodded her head, unable to keep from glancing through the window at Elizabeth.
"When did this all happen?"
Trust Taggart not to beat around the bush. "Early this morning," Alexis recited. "I couldn't sleep,
so I decided to take a walk outside. I took one of the guards with me for company and protection.
I left Elizabeth at home with Max, the other guard. I don't know anything beyond what Jason said
Elizabeth told him."
At the mere mentioning of Jason's name, Taggart's eyes narrowed. "And what did Morgan tell
you?"
Alexis lifted her chin. "She said that she heard some noises, and she saw a shadow walking
around the house. She thought it was Max, and she was going to tell him to come inside with her,
when three men attacked them. She was bound on the floor when Jason found her… you know
the rest as I'm sure Monica told you."
Taggart was furiously scribbling all this in his little notepad. He paused at that, however. "Jason
found her?"
"Yes," she replied, carefully not elaborating.
"What was Morgan doing at your house?"
Alexis' eyes narrowed. She didn't like the way Taggart was trying to point a finger at Jason. "He
called Max's phone to check up on him," she lied, not breaking eye contact. "He didn't get any
answer. The recording said the phone was no longer in use. He is a guard, Taggart. It's not
normal."
"Fine, ok, Ms. Davis."
Alexis exhaled heavily. She didn't know how much longer she could take this; her patience was
already wearing thin. "I don't know anything else, Taggart. You'd have to ask Jason when he
comes back, or Max or Elizabeth when they wake up and Monica clears them for visitors," she
stated tiredly.
"Fine, I will." He paused, "Come to think of it Ms. Davis, where *is* Morgan? In fact, where is
Corinthos?" he asked shrewdly, his eyes narrowing as he studied her carefully.
Alexis turned away, unable to look him in the eyes and lie to him. "Sonny and Jason are taking
care of business." It wasn't exactly a lie, except this type of business required putting one Joseph
Taggliatti in a body bag.
Taggart scoffed from behind her. "I'll bet they are…." he replied cryptically.
Alexis said nothing, just continued staring at her daughter, hoping the bald-headed Detective
would leave soon.
"I guess I *will* have to wait 'til Liz wakes up," he finally spoke up, after a few minutes of silence.
He had shrewdly noted Alexis' stiff spine, and her closemouthed response. He had one more
question, a question that had been gnawing at the back his mind. "Where's Kristina, Ms. Davis?"
he asked softly.
Alexis's spine stiffened even more and she whirled around to face him. "Kristina is fine," she
replied tightly, dreading the lie, knowing that Taggart probably *knew* she was lying.
"Well then, where is she? Three men forcibly enter your home and assault your guard and your
daughter. No harm was done to the baby apparently… so I can't understand why you don't have
her sheltered here with you…." Taggart let the implication run off. Something was not right. He
could feel it, and Sonny not being here with his daughter, and Kristina not being with her mother
had something to do with it. He just knew it !
"She is with Carly and Michael," she lied, not knowing why she said that. "Sonny sent them away
after we found out what happened to Liz. Are you happy now, or do you want to search the
penthouse and the whole damn city to verify they're gone!" Alexis realized she was shouting.
"Ok, calm down Ms. Davis, I'll take your word for it," Taggart replied, trying to quiet her.
"Don't you dare tell me to calm down, Taggart! My daughter is hurting, and I don't need you to
come in here and start hurling accusations about! I told you what I know, and I would appreciate it
if you would just leave me the hell alone!" as if to reiterate her statement, Mauricio took a step
toward her in defense.
"Ok. I'll go for now, Ms. Davis. But something doesn't smell right about this. And I hope it doesn't
take a body in a black bag to really make me understand. I'll be seeing you again." With those
words, Taggart whirled around, his trench coat flapping wildly as he stalked away.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Taggliatti was broken. He wasn't dead…yet, but he was *definitely* broken. Jason had made sure
of that. As he opened the steel door and stepped out into the hallway, he could feel the shocked
stares of Johnny and Francis as they took in his appearance. Jason looked up, his glacial eyes
sending shivers down their spines. He looked at Sonny, who lifted a sardonic brow. Jason shook
his head knowing his friend was silently asking him if Taggliatti was dead.
He knew he must look a fright, and he did. His face and clothes were spattered with blood, and it
covered the swollen knuckles of the fists he had used to pummel Taggliatti into submission. But
he didn't care. His bloodlust had been slaked for the moment, but they still had to find Kristina
and take her home, and then the beast in him would truly be released, and he was a little afraid of
what that would be like.
"We should get going," he announced, pushing past the three men. "We have to get Kristina."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Scaduto had called into Taggliatti as was customary exactly one hour after the previous call. But
no one had answered. He put it off, and decided to call back. When he did, Gino answered the
telephone.
"Gino?" asked Scaduto incredulously. "What the fuck do you think you're doing answering Mr.
Taggliatti's phone?"
Gino gritted his teeth and struggled to keep a short leash on his temper – Scaduto was getting
what was coming to him in due time… in the form of a 6'2" blonde darkangel with revenge on his
mind and murder as his tool.
"He went to meet with a Mr. Neilson," he lied easily. "He told me to wait for your call and tell you
to sit tight. He's gonna tell you what to do with the kid, then."
Scaduto looked behind him. The eighteen-month-old was staring at the three men in fright, her
face mottled with tears, and she was babbling and asking for her mama. He's sooner get rid of
her than sit through her screams. "Yeah, whatever. We ain't goin' nowhere," he replied,
terminating the call.
Gino chuckled at the irony. He had no idea just how close to the truth he was.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Another soft knock on the hospital door woke Alexis from a fitful sleep and she turned her sleepy
head in time to see Bobby and Ric step through the door. Ric was dressed in his customary suit
and tie, and Bobby in her scrubs, and Alexis couldn't help but feel like slightly bum-like around
them.
Ric's eyes widened as he took in the still unconscious form of his niece, looking so pale and
fragile against the white hospital sheets.
"How is she?" he choked as he gently pushed away an errant lock of hair from her forehead.
Alexis shook her head. "Nothing's changed," she admitted, her fingers finding Elizabeth's limp
hand.
Bobby smiled sympathetically at them. "I'm just going to check her vitals and make sure
everything's alright, OK?"
Alexis nodded, allowing Bobby to get closer to Liz.
When Bobby finished checking up on Liz she turned to Alexis and Ric. "Can I get you two
anything? Coffee, tea? You really ought to eat something, Alexis. I know you haven't had
anything since you were here. You should go down to the cafeteria and get something."
Alexis shook her head. "No, I'm not hungry," she lied; in fact her stomach was growling, but she
didn't want to leave Liz alone.
Ric shot her a disbelieving look – he probably knew she was lying. "Well, I am," he spoke up,
although he'd had breakfast at his apartment before he'd left. "I'll just bring something up for you
in case you get hungry later on."
Alexis smiled in gratitude.
Before Bobby left, she caught Alexis' hand. "Don't worry. Liz is strong just like her mother. She'll
be fine." She gave Alexis a reassuring squeeze before she swept out with Ric.
Alexis turned back to her daughter and resumed her vigil. She certainly hoped so.
*~*~*~*~*~*
It was just after nine when Jason and Sonny pulled up to Pier 19. It was in a deserted area of the
waterfront, and had been closed by the Quartermaines for well over five years, having failed to
remain competitive enough with Sonny. It was a location that would hide a kidnapped child very
well, in the abandoned buildings that surrounded the yard. It would serve Sonny's intentions very
well too – no witnesses.
Along with Sonny and Jason were Francis and Johnny and three other guards: Andrew, Max's
cousin; Jared and Rhys. Taggliatti had blatantly assured them that it was only Scaduto and two
others: Sean and Tony; but they were heavily armed and Sonny was not taking any chances
where the safety of his daughter was concerned.
Jason paused and cautiously looked around. It was eerily quiet and not a sound could be heard
but the lapping of the river on the docks. The sunlight reflected off the few panes of glass left in
the abandoned buildings, making it difficult to see if anyone was watching them from above.
"Taggliatti said they're supposed to be in the third building. It has a door to the front and then a
back exit that runs along the western fence," he paused, pointing out the front door to the others.
"Johnny, you and Andrew go through the front. Jared, you and Sonny wait here; Rhys, you're with
me, we're going towards the back to catch them from behind."
Each man nodded and Jason made to move off, but Sonny stopped him. "Do what you want with
the others, Jason, but Scaduto's mine you hear me?"
Jason's jaw clenched. He had wanted to be the one to personally make the man who made
Elizabeth suffer pay, but he understood where Sonny was coming from. He would have to be
content with the pond scum named Sean instead. He nodded his head in acceptance and
motioned for Rhys to follow him.
*~*~*~*~*~*
As soon as he's received Taggliatti's call early that morning, Conrad Neilson had called the
Pentonville Penitentiary and arranged with the warden to have a private conference with his
client. Of course the shifty little man's palms had had to be greased a little before this could take
place, but those were the reasons the Quartermaines gave him such a hefty expense account.
After receiving the necessary permission, Neilson had sped towards the prison to tell Ned the
news. He knew he would not be happy that it had all happened so soon but he could rest a little
easier knowing that the baby had been taken. All this did not rest easy with Neilson. He may not
have been the bravest of them all, but he still had scruples, and Ned Ashton and his vindictive
Grandfather were seriously bulldozing them. What they thought to gain from bringing down Sonny
Corinthos wasn't entirely unbelievable, but what could come of kidnapping a child that wasn't
yours was beyond him, and what they planned to do with her was beyond him as well. But it was
not his place to judge, only to do as he as told, collect his hefty paycheck and be done with it…
and his "scruples" were OK with that.
As he bustled into the conference room, Ned's scornful look was clear: **What are you doing
here?**
Neilson cleared his throat apprehensively as he sat down. His knees began to quake in fear as he
anticipated Ned's impending anger. "This morning, I received a call from Mr. Taggliatti," he
began. "He said Mr. Jacks had a visitor last night from the Quartermaine office who knew what
was going on. His men grabbed them as soon as they were on their way to tell Mr. Corinthos
everything."
Ned's face paled before slowly infusing with colour, his rage slowly building. "Go on," he
instructed through clenched teeth.
"They took the baby, sir. He and his men are waiting for instructions as what to do with her."
At that news, Ned did something Neilson never expected him to do: he smiled, a crazed light
dancing in his eyes. "They have Kristina? Good, *that* at least is good news. As to what to do
with her: arrange to have Richard and Hank pick her up and take her to the beach house in the
Keys. Have the nanny that I asked for waiting for them there."
Neilson watched this in a sense of awe. Ned Ashton *was* crazy! How could he expect to do this
and get away with it? Corinthos would have his head by the end of the week! Conrad nodded, on
the surface the dutiful lawyer, but on the inside at the back of his devious mind, he was preparing
to cut his losses and get the hell out of Port Charles before Ned Ashton had him killed!
*~*~*~*~*~*
Scaduto and his men did something they never should have – in addition to kidnapping Sonny
Corinthos' daughter – they trusted Gino, and relaxed their guard.
And so when the first round of machine gun fire thundered through the doors and Tony's prone
body fell to the floor peppered with bullets, Scaduto and Sean didn't know what hit them. Sean
was in the backroom with Kristina when he heard the first round of gunfire, and he had drawn his
own gun and bounded out to help, but he took one look at the smoking barrel of Johnny's gun
and he turned tail and ran towards the back exit, one step ahead of Scaduto who had abandoned
his guns in favor of a Turkey Club before they were stormed.
No sooner had they made it to the back exit than it swung open and they were blinded by the
sunlight. By the time their eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, they found themselves looking
into the frosty blue eyes of the Enforcer behind the barrel of a wicked looking Magnum.
The jig was up….
TBC…
A/N: R&R folks, I look forward to hearing from you. BTW, the name of the character Rhys is
actually pronounced Reece for those who didn't know. As I'm posting this Chapter before my
exams are officially opened the next Chapter won't be up till next week, but thanks for bearing
with me so far. Ciao!