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Chapter 4

The second his arms closed around her everything in Jason relaxed. The rage that she had been taken was still simmering below the surface, but the fear was gone. Once he had Logan in front of him Jason could address some of the anger. However he would have plenty left over for Zander. Now though he needed to focus on Elizabeth. "It's okay baby. It's over. You did great, and now it's over." He said rubbing his hand over her back. As gently as possible keeping in mind her mentioning bruises.

Liz just burrowed as close to Jason as possible. The shaking was worse than it had been earlier. The fact that she was finally safe with Jason, and the guys, meant she could let her emotions out. She had expected that she would be a crying mess, but that wasn't the case. Shock could be at the root of that. At some point the tears would come, she knew that for sure. Right now she was focusing on being in Jason's arms which was the best feeling she'd ever known.

"Jason. We need to know where the cabin is." Johnny hated to interrupt the moment his friends were sharing but they needed to get Logan contained. The longer he was alone the greater the chance he might escape.

Jason nodded indicating that he had heard his friend. "Which way did you come from?" He asked Elizabeth.

"West. Like I said on the phone about ten minutes." Liz pointed while talking. "The turn off is a bit over grown, but that road takes you right up to the cabin. Logan had a gun, I'm not sure if he had more, but the one I saw is in the truck now. I hit him on the head with my shoe, so even if he woke up and managed to untie his hands he's still injured."

Jason just pulled her closer. He didn't want to think of her taking on an armed man. She was a lot stronger than most people would think from just looking at her. But no one could beat a bullet. Every man out here with them was proof of that. Without a word he picked her up and walked back to where the car was idling. In the back seat he settled Elizabeth on his lap. Putting her on the seat between him and Francis wasn't even a thought.


"I'll drive the truck." Cody told O'Brien. "You can follow me in the SUV. Once we have Logan we can transport him in the backseat of the cab."

Johnny looked over at the SUV before looking back at his friend. "Liz said she choked Logan out as well as hit him on the head. There is a chance she may have unintentionally killed him. If that happened I don't want her to know."

"I don't have a problem with that plan." Cody didn't hesitate to say. There was no need for her to live her life with that knowledge. "No matter what he's getting carried out of the cabin. I also don't see Jason letting her out of his arms anytime soon so she won't be getting a close up look at Logan. It was pretty badass, her taking him out. Like Barrett, Hayes is former military. He seems to have forgotten the part of our training where they tell you to never underestimate an opponent."

"She shouldn't have been in that position in the first place. Only someone with no morals goes after a woman." Johnny had no respect for men who went after women and children. The ladies would all be protected better from this point forward. Not giving them full time guards before now had been a mistake, one they fully intended to learn from.

"She won't ever be in this position again." Cody said also looking at the truck. Jason was going to use this kidnapping to send a message. "After Lily was killed I didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to try anything else where the ladies were concerned."

"Zander is an idiot. Apparently he found another idiot in Hayes." Johnny was looking forward to watching Smith die. "Let's get moving so we can get Liz settled into the penthouse for the night."

"Or the rest of her life." Cody joked before heading over to the large truck. They all heard Jason tell her she never had to leave.

Johnny got behind the wheel in the SUV. "We are going to follow Cody."

"Hold on a sec." Francis moved from the back to the front so his friends could have some privacy.

"Shouldn't he follow us, since I know where the cabin is?" Liz asked from her position on Jason's lap.

"Liz, men don't ask for directions." Johnny said with a grin. "How have you reached your mid-twenties without realizing that?"

"I was kind of hoping you guys were more evolved." She said laughing some.

"Nope." Johnny said dropping the car into gear. Looking at the clock he saw Cody make a right turn at exactly the ten minute mark. It was a short drive to the cabin. His phone rang and the ID screen showed it was their friend so Johnny answered on speaker. "What's up?"

"Liz did you leave the front door open?" Cody wanted to know.

"I don't remember." Liz said trembling hard. Just being back here had her fisting her fingers in Jason's shirt. "I just remember running out to the truck."

"It's okay." Jason said rubbing her back again. "We won't let anything happen to you." He was thinking they should have brought more guys. That way he could have just taken her back home while his friends handled this part.

"Francis you stay here. Cody I'll go in with you." Johnny got out of the car and pulled his gun. By the time he got to the truck his friend was out with his side arm in his hands. "Hold on." Johnny's phone was beeping. He checked his messages. "We need the keys. Liz said we want the silver key on the small ring."

Cody pulled the keys from the ignition and stuffed them in his pocket. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Johnny said as they went to the open front door.


"You want me to grab the first aid kit?" Francis asked his boss as Johnny and Cody disappeared inside the building. He was going to get a blanket to cover Liz.

Jason looked at Elizabeth who just shook her head. "No." He told his friend. "Call the doc."

"I'm okay Jason." Liz didn't think an exam was necessary.

"How did you end up with bruises on your back?" Jason figured since they were sitting here he would get as much information as he could. That way she didn't have to talk about it later if she didn't want to.

"It happened after I tricked Logan into coming into the room. I had set a trap for him. My bra was stretched across the lower part of the doorway." In the dark the black lace was invisible. "He stumbled and when he fell I hit him on the head with my boot. Since I didn't knock him out I used my belt to choke him out. While he was trying to stop me he rammed us into the wall trying to shake me loose. It didn't work though. I guess I'm clingy." She was telling them what happened while looking at Jason's shirt. Getting this out now was good. Her memories were the sharpest but it wasn't pleasant.

"You're smart." Jason immediately responded. "I'm proud of how you were able to get away from Logan." He took the blanket from Francis and nodded a silent thanks before covering Elizabeth.

"I told him I was thirsty because I was hoping that if he had something in his hand he wouldn't be carrying his gun." Liz had rolled the dice and won. "I'm not sure I wouldn't have frozen if he was pointing his weapon at me. That gun was why we all got out of the car after he hit us."

"The windows on your car will be bulletproof when you get it back." Jason promised her. "So will the tires."

"Thank you." Liz was tired. It had been a very long night, and it still wasn't over. It wouldn't be over until she was in the penthouse. "I need to call everyone so they know I'm okay." They would be worried.

Jason handed her his phone and guessed at least one of the ladies would be waiting when he got Elizabeth back home.


Cody and Johnny made a sweep of the front room of the cabin before moving deeper into the building. They checked the bathroom as well and then moved onto what they were guessing was the room Liz was held in. "It seriously pisses me off that she was locked in here." Cody said extracting the keys from his pocket.

"Me too." Johnny agreed not bothering to whisper. The key in the lock was going to announce their presence. If Logan had gotten himself free, and he had another weapon he would have time to prepare for them. What worked in their favor was how the door opened. With it swinging toward them it meant Hayes couldn't hide behind the wood panel and get the jump on them. They would also be able to see more of the room faster. The Corinthos Morgan safe houses were set up the same way for those very reasons.

Cody nodded and when Johnny returned the gesture the former solider pulled the door open. Lying on the floor, not moving, was the man they were seeking. "His pulse is strong." Cody bent down and checked. "There's blood on the floor."

"Head injuries bleed a lot." Johnny was aware that Cody knew that. "She didn't kill him which was my main concern. Jason can take care of that."

"We now know not to piss her off." Cody said with a boyish grin. "They say it's always the quiet ones."

"You must live in terror then. Nadine is the quietest one in the bunch." Johnny just laughed. Liz was a close second though. If she didn't know you then she didn't let you in. It took the crew a while to earn her trust, but Jason had it from the first.

"Which is why I treat my lady like a queen. All that medical knowledge gives her the advantage in a fight." Cody got out a plastic binding strip that he wrapped around Logan's ankles before moving to his hands. He would see if Liz wanted her belt back. "We need to get you a girl so you can live in terror too."

"Bite your tongue. I'm way too young to settle down." Johnny joked as he put his gun away. "I'm already avoiding both Alexis and Diane because they keep trying to introduce me to nice women." He said putting nice in air quotes. "Don't make me add you to the list." He told his friend joking. Johnny wouldn't mind meeting someone nice. At the same time he wasn't looking forward to an endless series of blind dates. They never ended well for him.

"I have the entire Halo collection. You won't be avoiding me." Cody said standing up. "Odds or even?"

"Odds." Johnny said holding up his fist. After three throws Cody won, so O'Brien hefted Logan's deadweight. "He's heavier than he looks."

"It's all the stupidity inside him." Cody said following his friend to the front door. "Marco is waiting at the warehouse. He dispatched Phil, so at some point we'll pick him up. He'll follow me to the warehouse so that you can take Liz to her place, and then to the Towers."

"Sounds good." Johnny said unknowingly dumping Logan in the same place he had put Liz after taking her. "I don't think Jason will be over until late tomorrow at the earliest. Unless it takes Hayes longer to wake up."

"After the doc looks Liz over he's heading to the warehouse." Cody would stay during the exam and see how much damage Liz did. He really hoped Logan woke up with the world's worst headache.

"I hope she managed to crack his thick skull." Johnny slammed the door shut. "We'll follow you until Phil joins us." Just in case something happened. Johnny would give Jason an update while Liz was packing. For now he just got behind the wheel.

"Is he still breathing?" Liz asked in a quiet voice. She was very much aware that she might have killed Logan. Even though he had been breathing when she left that could have stopped at some point. "Be honest."

"He's still alive, and still out cold." Johnny met her gaze in the mirror. "Please don't ever throw one of your shoes at me." He tacked on to lighten the mood.

"Don't lock me in a room." Liz said smiling. Gallows humor was totally called for.

"Noted." Johnny started the engine and followed Cody back home.


Liz walked into a group hug when she entered penthouse four. Emily, Carly, Nadine, and Georgie were all waiting. She just let herself soak up the love. "I'm okay." Liz assured them. "He didn't hurt me, I promise."

"Tomorrow morning I think we should all go down and apply for gun permits. That way if anyone else tries to mess with us they will regret it." Carly had been ready to claw out the eyes of the asshole who took her friend.

"I'm getting a guard." Liz told them. "So I won't need the weapon permit. I'm also guessing we are all about to go through self-defense training." The same training the guys took.

"That's a good bet. I've managed to avoid it up until now, but I think I'm out of wiggle room." Emily put her arm around Liz's shoulders for another hug. She had been really scared. She and Carly just sat in the front parlor staring at the phone. Neither one of them was surprised when it finally rang and Sonny told them Jason had left to get Liz.

"I'm sorry I left early." Georgie said feeling guilty. "If my cab was following you he might not have tried anything." Witnesses could often deter a crime.

"I'm glad you weren't there." Liz gave her friend a squeeze. "You didn't need to live through that." Like her Georgie had been the victim of a violent crime at a young age.

"I've sobered up enough that I can bandage your wrists." Nadine pointed to the faint bruises that were already blooming. Hopefully they wouldn't get too bad.

"Jason's doctor will be here shortly." Liz smiled at her friend. "So you still get your day off."

"I can hang out if you like." Carly would have no problem fussing over her friend.

"I'm probably going to sleep for a good portion of the day. However if Jason needs to go out I will take you up on that offer." Liz promised her friend getting another hug. "For now you guys should head home. AJ is probably wondering where you are." She told Carly before looking over at Georgie. "Same with Milo." Then looking at Em. "And John." Her best friend's relationship with the heir to the Zacchara fortune had come as a surprise to a lot of people. Her brother most of all, but since Emily's boyfriend wasn't in the business Jason kept his nose out of his sister's personal life.

"Even when she is throwing us out Liz is so polite." Georgie said making the group laugh. Milo knew where she was. "If you end up calling Carly, call the rest of us too. We can plan another Girls' Night Out to balance this one out. No Robin this time." Jason wouldn't probably leave until after dark and by then they should all be free. Georgie was going to be observing her boss in court tomorrow. Even sick Diane was going to crush Scott Baldwin.

"I think she cursed us." Emily wasn't even trying to hold her snark in.

"I hate to say it, but I kind of agree with Em." Nadine sent an apologetic look towards Georgie. "We've been going out for a couple of years now and never had an issue. Then Robin joins us and everything goes to hell."

"The way to test that theory is to invite Robin back and see what happens." Liz said being a smartass. She didn't the think the short doctor had jinxed them.

"What will happen is people needing to be bailed out." Georgie said looking at Emily and Carly. The newly graduated law student could see fists flying if her cousin joined them again. "It's just easier for me to hang out with Robin alone. She's just going to have to make friends on her own. She can always hang out with Maxie." She said with a shrug.

"I have a feeling that the next few times we all get together, it's not going to involve a bar. Or if it does half the guards will be sitting there watching us." Liz pointed out. The level of overprotectiveness from the guys was about to go through the roof. She wasn't going to complain. "That will put a damper on things. Girls' Night In can be fun too."

"Sleepovers." Nadine said grinning.

"Liz is correct." Emily figured that John was going to request a guard for her. If Jason didn't just assign someone. The only person who might not end up with a security detail was Carly. Although AJ might hire someone. "Sleepovers can be fun, and we can still have tequila."

They all looked over as the door opened and the doctor walked in. The look of surprise on everyone's face would have been comical on any other night. Dr. Patrick Drake stood in the doorway big as life. It just seemed the height of irony that the man they spent part of their evening bashing was the mob doctor for the organization.

"You can't make this stuff up." Carly said summing things up perfectly.

"Nope. I guess it's time to get checked out." When she got the all clear Jason would relax even further. She got more hugs from her friends and then followed the doctor to the downstairs bathroom.


"We don't have any information on Zander." Sonny had been holding down the fort and fielding phone calls while everyone was out. "I spoke with Lorenzo, his guys are looking as well." The South American arms dealer was pissed at what had taken place. "He has agreed to turn Zander over to us if he finds him first. Lorenzo's one request is to be there when Smith is handled."

"Cody is taking Logan to the warehouse." Francis took over the reporting since Jason was taking Liz's bag upstairs. More than likely to his room. Francis expected that this whole situation was going to drastically change the relationship between his friends. He was thinking that some point soon they would be announcing that they were officially a couple. Which would be celebrated by everyone. "Liz kicked his ass."

"Is that right?" Sonny felt like a proud papa. "Not surprising. She's scrappy and she doesn't give up."

"Is she still down the hall?" Jason asked coming back.

"Yeah, she also has lethal shoes." Johnny was on the couch looking at his phone. "Cody is heading back to the Towers." Which meant his delivery had been made.

"The island or Puerto Rico?" Sonny looked at Jason.

The shift in topic wasn't at all confusing for anyone in the room. "Let me ask Elizabeth."

"Call me when she decides and I'll make the arrangements so that you don't have to." Sonny was waiting, like Johnny and Francis, to hear what the doctor had to say. "Who do you want as Liz's guard?"

Jason looked over at Johnny silently asking for input.

The Irishman gave it some thought. "Max would be a good fit. He's an outstanding senior guard, and at the moment he's not assigned to anyone." His last assignment had been Ava when she was dating Sonny. Everyone felt Max had earned a break when the relationship ended, and a pay raise. "I like working with him." Johnny was Jason's guard, mainly because the blonde would shake anyone else who took the assignment. "Liz also gets along well with him. Check with her."

"She told me to pick, but I'll run it by her." Jason was guessing that Elizabeth would be fine with this choice. The door opened down the hall and the conversation stopped. "How is she?" He needed to hear it from the doctor.

"Fine. Some light bruising on her wrists and ankles at the moment. I'm thinking that won't get much worse." Patrick started his report. He hadn't asked Liz to disrobe because it wasn't necessary. The lack of defensive wounds said she didn't have to fight off an attacker.

"What about her back?" Jason wanted to know.

"No bruising. I suspect Ms. Webber will be sore over the next few days. If it gets bad give me a call." She had told him what she went through. "Over the counter meds should handle any pain. Rest and relaxation is highly recommended. You will want to watch for signs of anxiety or PTSD. Ms. Webber said she knows what to look for." But she didn't go into detail.

Jason just nodded and looked at her. Having gone through therapy after being assaulted in high school she had the tools needed to deal with this event. He was thinking the fact that she took out Logan on her own would go a long way to making her recovery go smoothly. If she did need to talk to someone she knew who to call, or she could talk to him if that was what she wanted.

"I'm around if you need me." Patrick said before leaving to get driven over to the warehouse. He was told his second patient would need more medical care, and probably some stitches.

"See, I'm okay." Liz looked into four pairs of worried eyes.

"Okay. I'll head out then." Francis walked over and gave her a gentle hug. "Diane's going to want to see you with her own eyes sometime soon."

"I can be bribed into a visit if you make baked ziti." Liz gave him a grin. Francis was like a big brother and he didn't hide that he cared for her.

"So noted." He said stepping aside.

Johnny also gave Liz a gentle hug. "If you need anything I'm around." He would keep it simple.

"Good to know. I will not hesitate to call." Liz promised her friend. Johnny was another surrogate big brother. She never felt like an only child when they were around.

"What they said." Sonny said giving yet another hug. "Send Jason back to work when he starts getting on your nerves." He said with a wide smile.

"Not gonna happen." Liz knew he was joking. "Which means you might need a new partner." Sonny was like a favorite uncle. She wasn't close to either of dad's brothers, because they worked overseas, so all the family she found here in Port Charles was a blessing.

Jason was standing by the door which was a not so subtle nudge to his friends that he wanted them gone. He was only being patient because he knew they cared about her too. "I'll call you later in the day." He told Sonny. His partner just nodded as he followed his guys into the hall. "I put your things in my room." Jason told Elizabeth.

"I'm ready to start putting this night behind me. A shower is the perfect place to start." Liz said taking the hand he was holding out. "You are staying with me right?" She didn't want him on the sofa, or down the hall.

"Yeah." Jason needed her close. "When you come out of the shower I'll be waiting."

That was all she needed to hear.


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