Chapter 56

Inhaling, Skye threw back her hair and let her robe fall off one shoulder as she straightened her spine. With calculated movements, she pulled open the door separating the bathroom from the bedroom and slinked back into the room. "Sorry to have kept you waiting," she said airily as she crossed to Sam, who had jumped and turned at her voice. Catching sight of the PDA in his hand, she forced herself to keep her features schooled. "Decided to put the time to use? I must be slipping. I'm usually able to keep a man's mind off things. Guess, I'll just have to try harder," she added as she wrapped her arms around his neck before sliding them down his arms, hoping to get a glimpse at what he had inputted.

"Give me a second, to file this away," Sam said guiltily as he stepped back. "Some ideas for a case," he tacked unconvincingly as he moved to save his notes and placed the PDA in his jacket pocket.

"What kind of case?" Skye pushed.

"Nothing too big."

"Well, it must be interesting if they're retaining you. I mean, it's not like a partner in a firm like Gage Whitley takes an interest in any case that comes across his desk."

Tensing, Sam frowned, glad that his back was too her, since he knew that he hadn't mentioned his status at the firm to her. Lucky guess or is she suspicious? he wondered as he tried to come up with an excuse. "It's a disclosure case. My client has a boss who isn't happy that they didn't disclose that they have a possibly dehabilitating illness. The man used it as a means of dismissal. We're fighting it under ADA," he lied.

"Oh," Skye sighed, biting her lip as she tried to decide if he was telling the truth or not. Sounds convincing, and yet it doesn't fit somehow, she thought even as she answered: "well, if it's more interesting than me. . ."

"No, you're an interest that's hard to resist," he answered as he turned and gave her a smile that had melted many a heart. "But, if you want me to go. . ."

"What I want from you is something you can't imagine," she smirked as she moved towards him, deciding that if she tired him out enough she might be able to get her hands on his PDA and access it to find out just what he was up to and what he knew. . .

Sitting in his car, a cigar hanging out of the side of his mouth, Luke Spencer watched the shadows for his prey as his mind ran over ideas, questions, and patterns. He hadn't gotten information from Sonny. In fact he hadn't even attempted to. He knew better. Knew that his former best friend wouldn't part with information on Junior. That didn't mean, however, that he didn't have an idea of what it could be.

After all, a man heard things tending bar.

The same man could also glean more information running back room poker games.

At the sight of a man exiting into an alley, Luke shifted to exit his car, not at all surprised when two men followed his own prey and cornered him. "Man never has Lady Luck with him," he muttered even as he started towards them, whistling 'Luck Be a Lady' under his breathe. "Having a problem there, Mike?" he asked as he stopped a couple of feet from the trio.

The older man looked up as he tried to regain his breathe after being punched in the stomach. "What do you think?" he managed to get out before being hit again as the other assailant turned towards Luke. "You want some of the same?"

Luke only shrugged as he took the cigar out of his mouth and flicked some ashes to the ground. "Nah, just wanted to chat with a friend. But I gotta say, you two have a lot of guts. I mean, messing with Corinthos's father in his own territory and all- takes balls- not a lot of brains mind you- but definitely balls," he replied calmly to another grunt from Mike s the assailants shared a look before letting the man fall to the ground and taking off, giving Mike a warning that things weren't over.

"Thanks," the man wheezed as he braced himself against the wall of a building behind him.

"Guess it's a good thing that Dumb and Dumber don't know that Sonny wouldn't lift a finger to help you when it comes to gambling debts."

"Just don't go telling them," Mike muttered.

Shaking his head, Luke moved to help him, "well, let's get you outta here before someone who does shows up."

"I owe you one, Luke."

"Funny you should say that," Luke mused as he helped Mike to the car. At the older man's groan he raised an eyebrow, "should I call those guys back instead?"

"Funny, real funny," Mike groused as he leaned his head against the headrest while Luke rounded the car and got in. "What do you want?" he asked as the younger man started the car and pulled away from the curb.

"Information."

"Kinda short on that."

"Something tells me you'll know something."

"All right, I'll give it a shot. What do you want to know?"

"Just what did Junior really do to make your daughter leave him and town? And I want the truth Mike."

"Why do you care?"

"An old friend wants the info. Seems Junior finally messed with the wrong person. And someone's going to take him down."

"I seriously doubt that they'll be able to."

"You don't know Rizzo and her crew."

Mike snorted at that: "Really? What are the T-Birds and Pink Ladies going to do? Drag race him?"

Luke looked at him out of the corner of his eye, "one don't worry about what they're planning to do. Two, how the hell do you know that?"

Mike shrugged: "Courtney's mother loved the movie. Wanted to name her Sandy."

"OK then," Luke muttered. "So what about AJ?"

"Court never told me the whole story. All I know is that AJ put Coleman up to something."

"Coleman? Former strip club now Jake's owning Coleman? How the hell does Courtney even. . . Oh man, come on! I know Kelly's customers don't tip well, but I would've gotten her something at my club."

"I didn't find out till afterwards," Mike admitted. "And the idea still makes me sick to my stomach. Supposedly, AJ made her quit when he found out, but he. . . I don't know what he had Coleman do to her. Not sure I want to. All I know is that whatever he did, it wasn't the first time and Courtney was afraid of what Sonny'd do when he found out, so she took the divorce settlement and a pay off to leave town. I swear Luke, that's all I've got."

"It's a start. I'll go find Coleman, and see what I can get out of him."

"You think your friend can really do something?"

"Yeah. In fact, I know with the right ammo, she can level the weasel."

"Good. It'll be nice if someone finally did it. My son never will because of the Kid."

"I know. I also know you know more you aren't sharing because of the Demon Spawn."

"I can't."

"I know that too."

Johnny cursed as he stumbled out of his bedroom and towards the door of his darkened apartment. Yanking the door open, he squinted at the light in the hall: "What?" he demanded.

"Nice to see you too, Johnny Boy," the redhead leaning against the door jam smirked.

Johnny rolled his eyes in recognition as he stepped back into the apartment, "guess I should've seen this little visit coming."

"Oh?"

"I'm not as politically ignorant as most of the people in this town, Ging. Carly Spencer gave me a list of names that alone wouldn't have meant a whole lot, but together," he shrugged as he let her enter his home.

"So what are you going to do with that list?" she threw over her shoulder as she crossed to the couch

"She wants background cheeks, so I suppose I'll give her them," he answered evenly as he closed the door.

"You can't!"

"I'm not exactly planning on handing her much more than common knowledge, Ginger," he defended as he moved to stand next to the couch.

"Can't you keep it to this town's version of common knowledge?" she pouted as she plopped onto the couch.

"How did I know you were going to ask that?" he asked unamused as he closed his eyes and inhaled. "You do know that a simple internet search would give them the same information you'd like me to withhold," he continued as he opened his eyes and looked at her.

Ginger only raised an eyebrow at that as she smirked: "I didn't say don't tell them anything. Schools they graduated from, what town they live in, just not that they were the members of Bartlett's senior staff or are in anyway DC power brokers."

"I don't do work that shoddy."

"Then why don't you tell me what you know about AJ Quartermain."

"You know I can't do that."

"Then what can you do?" she snapped.

"Ginger. . ."

"No. I'm not asking for a lot here, Johnny. Just information, or time."

"It's not that simple and you know it. I'm walking a very fine line here as it is. Sonny doesn't want us sharing information on this. He's keeping his information in reserve, and what he has only a few of us know."

"I figured that. And I know you can't just tell me things, but why do you insist on telling . . . They just need time to get more information. Gather the wagons so to speak."

"And what?"

"I'm sure they'll come up with a plan," she shrugged.

Johnny sighed as he sat on the arm of the couch and watched her sadly. "They're fallible, Ginger. People have been trying to bring down the Quartermains for years. I don't care who they used to be. Now, well now, they're just like everyone else."

"No, they're really not."

"Ging. . ."

"Listen to me, for a sec, ok?" she interrupted. "This isn't about who they were, but who they are. That group of people have never been ordinary. I knew that the day I started working for Zeigler. They're not just colleagues, or even a former President and his staff. They're a unit. A family if you will. You don't just hurt one of them and get away with it. I've watched it from the sidelines, hell we almost all did!"

"You don't count yourself as part of it?"

She shrugged: "I'm part of the Sisterhood, that's enough."

"And what's she part of?"

"Who? Donna?"

"Yeah."

"Both. She was more one of them than an assistant. We all basically knew it. Josh gave her more to do than the others gave us, and she did things for them too."

"And you didn't resent it?"

"She was one of the only assistants to be kept on after the campaign. At first we figured it was just because they were used to asking her. And then, we heard the rumors about her not having a degree and figured that she was just trying to prove herself. And then we finally realized what it really was."

"And that was?"

"She was just that good."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that she could take whatever they threw at her and run with it. She remembered facts that none of the rest of us could. Hell, Johnny, she figured out how to stop a filler buster when no one else could!"

"Then what's she doing working for Jax?"

"She wanted the chance to finish her degree, and maybe even to be seen as more than Josh's assistant," she shrugged. "Anyway, my point was that they're a family and families take care of their own. I mean, who better to take on a powerful family protecting one of their own than a powerful family protecting one of their own."

"Well, I guess if anyone could. . ."

"So, you'll help me buy some time?"

"I'll give them the bare basics, but I can't promise you that it will buy you any time. Hell for all you know they're already done an internet search and are on to you."

"And the chances of that are?"

"With Jax and Carly not that high. He wouldn't think of it and she'd trust me to get her the information. Ned. . .Ned's the wild card. He'd probably do it."

"I'll take my chances. I mean, even with a wild card you need other decent cards to win a hand, right?"

"Remind me not to take you gambling," he muttered with a roll of his eyes as he stood up and stretched. "So, where are you staying?"

"Well, I was kinda hoping. . ."

"Hall or car?" he asked on a laugh/

"Hall."

"You do realize that it could've been stolen out there all this time, right?"

"Outside one of Corinthos' best men's doors? I don't think so."

"Cute."

"I'm glad you like my looks, but what does that have to do with anything?"

SPOILERS:

Toby's remembrances of times pass give insight into why Donna didn't ask for help.

Bobbie does Monica's bidding

Toby's suspicions are raised and Donna takes a turn for the worse

More connections revealed along with a couple of high profile victims of AJ

Things heat up for Narly

Skye's fears are confirmed

AJ questions his actions and what to do about them

Luke confronts his sister

Donna wakes up

One of the PC 3 makes the connection just before all hell breaks loose. . .