Chapter 20

The next day

Location- a safe house in the state of New York

Carly had dozed off sometime around dawn. She woke up to see Morgan was gone from the bed.

She shot up and looked around the room. Empty.

She heard voices. In the living room Carly found three more men she recognized as guards of Sonny's
"Where is my son?"

None of them answered. They looked uncomfortable.

"Morgan!" Carly yelled

"In here," called Leticia from the kitchen

Morgan came running to give her a hug, his face covered in syrup.

Carly bent to hug her boy.

"Sorry, ma'am, I thought you meant Michael." said Frankie, one of the guards.

When Carly stood back up she saw Jason and Max exiting one of the bedrooms and walking down the hall.

Her heart jumped. Jason looked devastated. Max was heartbroken.

Carly said softly, " Go finish your breakfast, Morgan."

He ran back to the kitchen.

"Jase?"

"We haven't found him yet." Jason said "But I will, Carly."

"I know you will." Carly whispered. Her nerves were frayed but she pushed herself to be strong.

Jason motioned toward Morgan's bedroom and Carly followed him.

When they were alone, he said "The only lead I had didn't pan out." His voice was frustrated.

"You told Max about Milo?"

Jason nodded, his eyes flashing a moment of added

anguish that Carly saw clearly.

"What now?" Carly asked

" I brought more men to relieve Carlos and Max. And now I have to go check in with the men I have searching Port Charles and the ones I have in New Jersey. Then see if Stan has found anything in Jose's electronic records that will tell us to a place to search."

"I'm coming with you."

"No, Carly, you're not." Jason gave her a stern look.

She stepped close to him, looked him straight in the eye so he could not miss her determination. " Yes, I am. Together we are better than either of us apart. And Michael deserves the best right now. I won't slow you down."

He let out a breath. "I need to know you and Morgan are safe. I have Emily and my mother on a private Jet, with guards, heading to the island. You should take Morgan and head there too. If I'm positive you are all protected I can focus solely on Michael."

"How better protected can I be than right next to you?" Carly said "Don't waste time arguing with me. He's waiting on us."

Jason nodded, once. But Carly knew she had won.

She grabbed her bag of clothes and said " Let's go get our boy."

I would fight for you

I'd lie for you

Walk the wire for you

Ya I'd die for you

You know it's true

Bryan Adams Lyrics

Around noon of the same day

Location- a warehouse in New Jersey

Jason pulled the gag out of Julio's mouth. "He wasn't there." Jason said.

Julio's eyes got wide and started darting around.

"You little punk," Carly said, getting in Julio's face

"tell me where Michael Corinthos is , now! Or I swear to God you will be sorry-"

"Carly." Jason said, giving her a look.

She gave Julio a look of pure hate but took a few steps back.

"I told you all I know." Julio said. He looked worse than when Jason left him a day ago. Sweat and dirt streaked his face and dried blood covered his cuts.

"Then you are useless to me," Jason said, pulling out his gun.

Julio started struggling, he tried to break the ropes that held him to the chair. "No, no. I can help you. Just tell me how."

"Is there anyone in the Morales organization who did not respect Jose's orders?"

Julio calmed a bit and said, "Sure, sure. Plenty of the old guys hated him for killing his own uncle."

"Which one of them might try to make a move against Jose?"

"I don't know..." Julio said

"Think, man." Carly said " Your life depends on it."

"Um, Antonio Torres might, he has a lot of pull with the old school guys. Or maybe Javier and Richie Garcia, they are brothers who were both tight with Jose before Jose took over the family. Jose pushed them aside when he got in power."

Jason said, " Give me numbers and addresses."

Carly pulled a envelope out of her purse and a pen. She jotted down the information

"When the last time you saw any of them?" Jason said

"Well, Richie and Javier were around the day Jose left Jersey. We all talked about ... um, Jose's plans for..."

"Killing me." Jason said flatly " What about Antonio?"

"He went with a small group of guys up to New York city to check out a crew Jose was thinking of moving in on next."

"When did he leave?"

"Three days ago."

Jason shoved the gag back in. He dialed Stan and said into the cell, "Any update yet? Is Alcazar still in town behaving as usual? Okay. What about Manny Ruiz? Okay. Get me all you can on Antonio Torres. He worked for Morales. I need to know if he owns any property that he could have Michael at or if he is known to go to any certain neighborhoods or areas where I can search abandoned buildings."

Jason hung up and looked at Carly.

A small flicker of hope was in her eyes.

Jason wished he could put more there. He reached his hand toward her. She put hers in his and together they left the warehouse.

Back in the car, Jason called Sonny.

"Hello?" Sonny said, his voice strained.

"Any news?"

"Alexis, Ric and the kids went into hiding." Sonny said. " Mac has been by every few hours. He brought in some guys from Morales crew that he found holed up in an apartment on the east side. But they are low level. They haven't given him anything yet. If he releases them we'll scoop them up."

" Do that. " Jason agreed " And send a few guys

up to Jersey to 569 Cannon Street. I have Julio Morales tied up there. Water and fed him. But keep him locked up tight till I see if his info pans out."

"Done," Sonny said. He sighed in frustration and exclaimed "I will kill the bastard that grabbed my son."

Jason said, "Bye, sonny."

Right now all he could think of was finding Michael.

Carly sat in the passenger seat, her eyes on him. She needed Jason to make this right. Jason needed to make it right for her.

He started the SUV. "Let's go through a drive thru while we wait for Stan to call back," he said.

Carly had stopped and changed her clothes when they filled up the car on the way to the private jet that flew them down to New Jersey but

neither had thought of food yet today.

Jason knew they needed strength to get through the battle that lay ahead.

A few minutes later, Carly said softly " How could we let someone take him again?"

There was no blame in her voice, just sadness and helplessness. She hated to show that side of herself but here, with him, she could.

Jason drove another block, thinking of how or if he should answer her. Finally he said, "No matter how careful we are, this could happen at anytime to any of the kids. Or you. That's why I'm getting out of the business."

Don't tell me

it's not worth trying for

You can't tell me

it's not worth dying' for

You know it's true

Everything I do

I do it for you

Bryan Adams lyrics