Chapter 8

"Is everything under control up there?"

Alexis had rejoined the boys leaving Kristina upstairs to pack. She sat down next to Sonny and answered Johnny's question.

"We have a very subdued little sister upstairs who is at this moment packing in order to be ready to leave when we decide its necessary. I had to get rough with her, Johnny. I didn't have a choice; she wouldn't shut up. I just hope she will forgive me."

"She will, Alexis. She's a bright kid that learns fast. You did what you had to do. It will be all right. Now, here is the plan so far. Sonny will call a meeting of the heads of the organization. The meeting will take place here. Once the meeting has concluded we will sneak Kristina out with the boys. Once they are clear of the building, one of they boys will take her to Sonny's jet and hold her there in case we need to fly her out to keep her safe. She will stay there under constant guard. The jet will not leave unless things get too heated here for her safety. We do not want to tip our hand by having Sonny's jet take off without him on it."

"How do we know we can trust Sonny's man?"

Alexis had the ability to look at all sides of a problem at once and seek out the flaws of any plan. It was an ability she was proud of.

Johnny sat back and looked to Sonny to finish relating their plan to Alexis.

"I am going to put Kristina's safety in the hands of a man who has been with me longer than Johnny has. His name is Benny and I would trust him with my life any day. I have hidden cameras located several places in this room. Once I have outlined to the boys the war we are about to undertake we will use the tape from the cameras to gauge their responses. If we are not satisfied with any one of them, then they're out. Having the boys come here will also provide a united front in case the building is being watched."

"Sonny, can I offer another idea. I mean it's not that I don't trust you, but I think maybe we should pull in one other person here."

"Alexis, if you have any ideas in regard to all of this, I want to know them. You have an ability I don't have. You can see problems before they happen. We need that here. What's your idea?"

"I'd like to call Dixon and have him take care of Kristina. Since he was the one who investigated Johnny for me, he knows first hand the dangers involved. You're men would only have our word to go on. I know that they are probably more than capable of handling the situation, but we have to remember that your organization isn't in the best of shape right now."

Alexis hoped she hadn't gone too far in questioning Sonny's authority, but she just couldn't take any chances with Kristina's life.

Sonny looked toward Johnny solemnly. "She has a point."

"You'll get no argument from me on that one. She's right. Ok, Alexis, why don't you call Dixon now and get him on his way here. Have him meet Benny at the warehouse. Benny will see to it that he gets here. That way he will appear to be part of Sonny's organization."

"No, wait a minute. How do we know that Helena or Stavros hasn't already seen Dixon? Remember, I sent him to Greece to investigate you. I don't want to take that chance, Johnny. Can we get him here without anyone seeing him."

Sonny stood abruptly and walked away from Johnny and Alexis. He had the answer they were looking for, but it would mean giving up a little of Michael's safety and he wasn't sure he wanted to do that. Making the decision he knew would be most beneficial to their current problem, he rejoined Johnny and Alexis.

"There is a service elevator in the basement of this building that leads directly into Michael's quarters. It was put in for added security when I renovated his rooms. Its purpose was to be able to get Michael away without being seen by anyone on the outside. It's never been used and is completely hidden. You cannot enter it from this building at all. It's entrance is hidden in a building two doors down. We could use that entrance to get Dixon in and then both he and Kristina back out under total cover. I will send Michael to his grandmother's until this is over."

"Sonny, you didn't tell me about any service elevator."

Alexis was smiling compassionately at him. She knew what giving up that secret meant for Sonny. Working with such a competent and intelligent man was comforting. She reached over and laid her hand on his and squeezed it gently before releasing it to let him know there was no accusation in her words. All the while they were working out their plans they refrained from touching each other. They were all working together to solve a common problem and emotion would only get in the way.

Smiling slyly at her, Sonny responded. "You don't think I tell you everything, do you? I have to keep the mystery going somehow."

He couldn't resist teasing her a little. Being with her, working with her was exciting and refreshing for him. His mind was clearer than it had been in a long time and she was responsible for it. He didn't have to constantly worry about what mess she was going to get herself into or what she may be doing that would keep him tied up in knots. They were in this together and it felt good. Being able to work hand in hand with the woman he loved was a new experience and he was finding it very pleasing and very stimulating.

Johnny watched them in silence for a moment before interrupting them.

"Ok you two, back to business. I have a question, if we send Michael to Bobbie's why couldn't we just hide Kristina in his suite for a while? I could go out with her later today for the sake of prying eyes and send her back through the service elevator, then return here alone."

Sonny and Alexis thought for a moment about Johnny's suggestion. It seemed to be a perfect solution. Kristina would be safe, and she would also be close enough to Johnny and Alexis to know she was not being abandoned. The only problem they could foresee was keeping her mouth under control.

Neither one of the three noticed that Kristina had quietly come back down and was listening to the conversation from the staircase.

"Guys, I promise to behave. If there is any way I can stay close by, I promise to stay quiet. I don't want to be sent away."

Alexis, Johnny, and Sonny looked at each other and considered Kristina's plea. They would not let Kristina stay unless they were all three in total agreement. They would stand together on every decision that needed to be made in this battle. If any one of them disagreed with a decision, they would all stop to reevaluate it until they could agree. Unity was their strongest ally.

Johnny stepped over to Kristina and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Ok, Kristina. You can stay. But, the first time you go off on a tangent with that tongue of yours, this decision will be revoked. You may decide once we get clear of this mess that you would prefer going back to your old life. Alexis and I will understand and encourage you to follow your heart. I'm sorry that you've found yourself in the midst of all this, but you have to have faith in Alexis and I to do what's best for you and to protect you. We both love you very much and we need you, so can you allow us to do what we feel is necessary to protect you, without fighting us?"

"I won't give you any problem. I'll stay where you want me to stay and I'll do what you want me to do. I just don't want to leave you and Alexis. Johnny, you have my word, I'll behave."

Johnny pulled her into his arms and held her close. Kristina meant the world to him. He had not been able to protect her the day she was taken from him, but that was a long time ago and he was a man now. The scared little boy was gone and he was ready to protect what was his by any means necessary.

"This means we need to regroup and rethink our plans."

Sonny had been watching the exchange between Johnny and Kristina. He felt very uneasy about the whole situation. They could sit here all day and make all kinds of plans, but he just couldn't see a quick end to the problem the way they were going about it and they needed a quick end to this. Even as he agreed to the plans they laid out, he was quietly working out a few more details on his own. He would not tell them he was unsatisfied with the plans they agreed on; he would simply work in conjunction with them on his own without their knowledge.