Chapter 7

Carly could see the large bruise on Sam's right temple. Sam lay still and unmoving as Carly slowly approached her on her knees, too tired and weak to get to her feet. "Sam?" she whispered, hoping to get the other woman's attention. Make her move in some way. What the hell was going on here? Carly wondered. Who would do this? And why? Carly finally reached Sam and brought two fingers to her neck, looking for a pulse. She found one and breathed a sigh of relief. Okay, sure, Carly and Sam never got along, but Carly never wanted the woman dead. "Sam, come on, wake up," Carly said, shaking the woman's shoulder.

Sam did not stir and Carly was afraid that the woman would never wake up.

Sonny paced back and forth in the living room. There had been no sign of Carly all night long. It was like she had disappeared into thin air. The only thing that had been found was Carly's purse in the park. There were no signs of a struggle. Just her purse lying on the ground and nothing more.

Sonny looked up when Jason walked in. He looked at his right-hand man expectantly. If anyone could find Carly, it was Jason. But his hopes were dashed when Jason shook his head, indicating that he had found nothing.

"This is not like Carly, you know that Jason. She wouldn't disappear like this. Carly would not leave her children. Something is not right about this," Sonny said. He had poured himself a glass of brandy, hoping the burning liquid would clear his mind and keep the demons at bay. He needed Carly. They needed each other. One could not survive without the other. Sonny knew that if Carly were never found or was dead – a thought he did not want to even touch – he would not be able to go on.

Jason knew that Sonny was right. Carly was like a dog with a bone when it came to her children. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do to protect Michael and Morgan.

"Is there anyone that we know at this time who would try to use Carly to get to you?" Jason asked, his mind going through all known enemies and associates that would use Carly as a bargaining chip. So far he was coming up blank.

Sonny shook his head. "No. Everything has been quiet lately. The only person I could think of is Alcazar, but he and Carly are over and have been for a long time. He wouldn't try that again. Besides, Alcazar went legit."

Personally, Jason wasn't too sure about that. From his experience there was no real out in the mob. Unless it was in a body bag. And Lorenzo Alcazar was too powerful a player to just bow out and sever all connections to organized crime to become a legitimate business man.

"I think we should check out Alcazar anyway Sonny," Jason said. He would be damned if he didn't cover all his bases.

Sonny nodded. He knew Jason would do what needed to be done to bring Carly home safely.

"Sam. Sam, come on, wake up."

She could hear the voice, but it was too far away. It sounded familiar, but Sam's muddled mind could not place it. She wished it would just go away so she could rest. It was quiet here. She liked it here.

"Damnit Sam! Wake up! I am not going to let you bail on Jason!"

Jason. The name caught her attention. Jason. Sam fought and struggled and finally, she cracked her eyes open.

Carly breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God," she said as she looked down at Sam. "Don't try to move just yet. It looks like you were hit pretty hard on the head."

"Carly?" Sam asked, confusion settling in. "What happened? What are you doing here? Where's Jason?"

Carly sighed and shook her head. "I don't know where we are Sam, but it seems we were both kidnapped and are being held in some kind of glass . . . cage," she said, looking around her at the thick glass walls. Carly had no idea how long she had been there before Sam was brought in and she had yet to see their captives.

Sam's eyes finally adjusted to the light and she slowly sat up, taking in her surroundings. "Did you see who took you?" she asked.

"No. I was in the park – Sonny and I had had an argument – and someone grabbed me from behind. I struggled and then they put something over my face and I passed out. I woke up here. Do you know what's going on? Do Sonny and Jason know I'm missing?" she asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Sonny called the penthouse and asked Jason if you were over there. Then he went to Sonny's. I left after him . . . I was walking through the park . . . I was grabbed from behind and hit on the head," Sam remembered, her hand going to the spot where she was hit. "Have you seen who did this?"

Carly shook her head. "But I'm sure Jason and Sonny will figure this out and come for us."

Sam nodded. She hoped so as well.

Lorenzo jogged down the stairs and into the living room. He had gotten up early and went to check on Jodie, only to find the bedroom he had set her up in empty. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he saw the little girl sitting at the table, he legs swinging six inches off of the floor.

"Good Morning," he said as he came closer. They had had an interesting evening. Lorenzo had taken Jodie on a walk of the property. He watched as her eyes lit up at the horses and large swimming pool. After returning to the house, Jodie had asked about Diego and Lorenzo had told her that Diego was at school and would be by later the next day.

"Morning," said Jodie as she looked up from the plate of toast in front of her. She had gotten up early, thinking that everything that had happened yesterday was a dream – but it hadn't been. It was true. She had found her father and he wanted her in his life. Just that thought alone kept her from going back to sleep.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked as he joined her at the table.

Jodie nodded her head. "Want some toast?" she asked, pushing the plate toward him.

"Thank you," he said with a smile as he picked up a piece.

Jodie could see he was a little unsure. She swung her legs back and forth some more and watched as he took a bite of the toast. "Did you make this?" he asked, looking at the table and seeing the plate of toast, a tub of margarine and jelly and glasses of orange juice.

Jodie nodded her head. "Yeah. No one was up yet and I was hungry," she said. "So I found the kitchen and made enough for both of us." Jodie shrugged as she munched on some more toast. "I used to always make breakfast for me and mom," she said quietly.

Lorenzo nodded. "I know you miss her Jodie," he said. "So, what do you want to do today?" he asked as he watched her.

Jodie shrugged her shoulders. "Don't you have to work or something?"

"No. I cleared my schedule for the day," Lorenzo said. "Although I do have a meeting with Ms. Carmine this afternoon to finalize some paperwork," he added. He raised an eyebrow when she looked up quickly, her eyes wide. "What?"

"Ummm . . . nothing," she said, taking a big bite of her toast.

"Is there something your worried Ms. Carmine will tell me?" Lorenzo asked as he watched her face.

"Nope," Jodie said with a shrug of her thin shoulders.

"Good. Now, why don't we clean up here and get ready."

"Ready for what?" she asked curiously. "I thought your meeting was later."

"It is. But I thought you might want to get some things for your bedroom and some clothes. Plus I need to enroll you in school. And by the time we get back, Diego should be here and the two of you can spend time together while I'm at my meeting," Lorenzo explained the plans for the day.

"You're going to take me shopping?" she asked. Jodie liked the room he had given her. It was bigger than the whole apartment her and her mother had lived in. All the clothes she had were the few things she had brought with her.

Lorenzo nodded with a smile as he watched the excitement come to her face. He looked at his watch. "I'll meet you back down here in 20 minutes," he said.

Jodie nodded as she jumped up from her chair and bolted for the stairs. Pausing at the bottom, she looked back at him. He was still sitting at the table, looking through the newspaper and sipping his juice. Jodie smiled. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. And if it was, she could always slip out. She was smart and tough and figured she could make it on her own.

Jason was getting frustrated. He and the guards had resumed their search for Carly early the next morning, but had come up with nothing. And to top it off, Jason was unable to reach Sam. He had called the penthouse and her cell phone to check in on her and let her know what was going on, but there was no answer. It was unlike Sam to be out of touch.

"Hey Max, I'm going to swing by the penthouse to check on Sam. Call me if anything comes up," Jason said. He trusted Max to run things for a while.

"Sure thing boss," said Max. He could tell that Jason was unsettled by this whole thing – and it took a lot to unsettle the infamous Jason Morgan. First Mrs. C. went missing and now Jason couldn't contact Sam. Something not right was going on.

After nodding to Max, Jason headed home. It had been a long night and he pushed his fatigue away. Carly needed him to be on top of his game. Jason pushed open the door and knew Sam wasn't there. It was too quiet and still. Sam's presence made the cold penthouse feel like home.

"Sam?" Jason called, even though he knew it was in vain. He listened for a moment. There was nothing. Jason quickly checked the bedrooms upstairs and then the kitchen. He then checked the phone messages, but the only ones there were his own. There was no note.

Jason pulled out his phone as he headed out of the apartment. "Max, we have a problem. Meet me back at the compound."

Jodie made a face and shook her head at the dress the sales woman held up for her. There was no way she was going to wear that pink frilly thing. It was horrendous. She had told the woman that she did not like dresses, skirts, or anything too girly. But this woman insisted that every girl needed a pink dress.

"Are you sure you don't like it dear?" the sales woman asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Jodie turned to her father. "Can I look on my own? I don't need help. I always pick out my own clothes," she asked.

Lorenzo had watched with amusement as Jodie turned down the dress in the sales woman's hands. Lorenzo nodded at her pleading look. "Sure, come on," he said, leading her away from the perplexed woman.

"Thanks. That woman looked like she was going to cry," Jodie said as she looked up at him.

Lorenzo chuckled. "So, what is it that you like to wear?" he asked. This was the second store she had turned down.

Jodie shrugged her shoulders. "I like jeans, t-shirts, you know, comfortable things. I like sneakers too. Not dresses and skirts and I hate pink."

Lorenzo looked over the small girl and took in what she was wearing. Jodie had on an oversized blue and white striped t-shirt over a pair of baggy jeans and scuffed sneakers. Her straight blond hair was loose and swung just above her shoulders. "Okay, how about this, you can pick out your own clothes, but I would like you to include a dress or two in case of social events."

Jodie looked up at him. "Social events?" she asked.

"Like a dinner party or going to a nice restaurant."

"Oh, okay I guess. But it doesn't have to be too girly, right?" she asked with a hopeful look.

"No. As long as it's presentable," Lorenzo answered with a smile.

The rest of the shopping trip went well and Lorenzo was glad that Jodie seemed to be enjoying herself. After grabbing a quick lunch at Kelly's, Lorenzo called the house to make sure Diego was there. When this was confirmed, Lorenzo settled into his seat in the limo, wondering how this was going to play out.

"How long have we been here?" Sam asked wearily as she rubbed her eyes. The headache was better now. "And what the hell is the deal with the glass cage?"

Carly sighed. "I don't know Sam." Carly had been wondering the same thing. They had investigated their prison together and could find no reason or purpose for the structure they were kept in. They could see there was a large room beyond where they were being kept, but there was nothing to indicate where they were or who had done this.

Sam tried hard not to feel the panic that was trying to creep up. She never panicked – but then again Sam had never been in a situation like this before. She and Carly didn't know how long they had been there or even why. Their captors should have shown themselves by now – but that hadn't happened either. This was a completely new experience and Sam had no idea what to expect or know how to prepare in a way that would keep herself and Carly alive.

Sam looked over at Carly and could see the fear and uncertainty on the other woman's face. Carly was scared and Sam found that it shook her – Carly was one of the strongest women Sam knew.

Looking around for what felt like the hundredth time, Sam noticed something in the base of the walls. Moving over to the closest one, Sam inspected what looked like some kind of vent.

"What are you doing?" Carly asked curiously as she watched Sam.

"Did you notice these before?" Sam asked as she moved to another one.

"No. What are they?" Carly asked as she joined Sam at one of the vents.

"I have no idea," Sam said thoughtfully, trying to figure it out.