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Chapter 26
Jason came down the stairs of the penthouse. He stopped at the bottom and looked over at his girlfriend who was sitting on the couch. They had a great day staying inside, but the closer it came to the time they had to leave the quieter she got. Walking over he sat on the coffee table and took both her hands in his. Her cold hands. "You can stay here." He let her know.
"No I can't." Liz looked at him. "I need to go."
"I don't want you to do something you will have trouble living with." Jason rubbed his hands over hers to warm them.
"I'm not having trouble with this decision." Liz assured him. She was not going to lose a bit of sleep over this. Some people might think that was cold, but Zander meant her harm. She was only taking the necessary steps to protect herself. "That's not why I'm so quiet. I'm not having trouble with what you're going to do tonight." She wanted that clear too. "What was I thinking?"
"About?" Jason was lost.
"Zander." Liz said looking at her guy. "Every single time he begged me to take him back, he said he cared about me. Then he let Logan kidnap me. I already knew that he didn't really care about me because he slept with my supposed friend. I was smart enough to put those puzzle pieces together. But kidnapping me took his self-absorbedness to a whole new level. That's the epitome of thinking that his feelings on a matter are more important than mine. I didn't want to see him again, and he forced me to. For what reason? Did he think that I was going to leave that cabin with him? And what was the plan when I told him to shove that idea up his ass."
Jason got that he had misread the situation. He thought her silence was second guessing her request to go talk to Zander. In reality what was causing her silence was her anger. "He's waiting, so you can ask him all those questions." Honestly Jason and the guys wanted those questions answered as well. They had a better chance of getting answers if Elizabeth was doing the asking.
"Good. Let's go." Liz said getting up from the couch and going to the door, without waiting for her guy. She might end up popping Zander one because he more than had it coming. "Hi Max."
"Liz." The guard was in the hall. Marco was downstairs with the car. Everyone else was already at the safe house they had picked for tonight. Max looked over at Jason, and his boss nodded. So the big guard knew that his charge was okay.
They rode down to the garage in silence and the ride to the safe house was accomplished the same way. Jason noticed that Elizabeth had closed her eyes once they left the city. He wasn't worried about her knowing where this building was located, but he was guessing she didn't want that information in her head.
Getting out of the SUV Liz got a nasty jolt. This cabin looked exactly like the one that she had been held in. It kind of made sense. The guys would want a building that didn't draw attention, the one story cabin in front of them would fit that bill. And being out here in the middle of nowhere the exterior would become weather beaten giving it that slightly abandoned feel.
"Elizabeth." Jason stepped into her line of vision and waited until she looked up at him. She had stopped cold and now her breathing was accelerated. In her big blue eyes he saw fear and he wanted to kick himself. He should have realized bringing her out here would pull up bad memories.
"I'm okay." She said pulling herself back to the moment. It wasn't exactly true at the moment, but later it would be. "Cabin camping isn't going to happen."
Jason nodded. "Not a problem, we own a tent." He knew that she wasn't really okay, and he also knew she wasn't going to let this momentary jolt stop her. Tonight they were staying at the gatehouse with Emily and John. Spending time with his sister would be good for his girlfriend. In fact Elizabeth was going there right from here.
"Let's go." Liz wanted to get this over with so she could go shower. Her skin was crawling.
Paulie was on the door and he opened it so that the small group could enter the building. Ms. Webber looked like she was ready to kick someone's ass and Jason was a blank slate which didn't bode well for Smith. "Mr. Alcazar is inside." The guard passed along.
"Thank you." Jason said without breaking stride. He had gotten a message from Francis already with that information.
Elizabeth however stopped in surprise when she saw the arm's dealer. "Lorenzo." She knew him well through Skye. Liz and Jason's older sister were becoming good friends and had been hoping for a better relationship between the two organizations. So if anything positive came out of this whole situation it was that Sonny and Lorenzo were in the same room without glaring at one another. Liz refused to say her relationship with Jason came out of this because they were moving forward on their own anyway.
"Liz." Lorenzo nodded to the small women. "I have a gift for you from Skye in my car. We won't be at brunch tomorrow, because we are leaving for Portugal. Thank you for the invitation, we'd like to get together when we return." He was meeting with another organization head. The trip had been planned for almost a month. He was worried that Zander's death might happen while he was away and he would miss it.
"Skye told me about the trip." Liz was using this short conversation to relax some. She didn't want to just snap on Zander. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to her that much. "Thank her for the gift, and thank you as well."
"We wanted you to know we are happy for your success." Lorenzo liked Liz he just had kept their interactions in the past brief. With things between him and Skye going well, and his new alliance with Corinthos/Morgan that would change. He would get to know both Liz and Emily better.
"Welcome back." She turned her attention to Johnny.
"Thanks." He said giving her a wide grin. She was pissed, he was hoping she clocked Zander with her ring. "Congrats on all the fun stuff you did while I was gone."
Liz gave him a grin. She had a surprise for him at brunch tomorrow. "Thanks. It's been a good week. What's with the bandage?" He had white gauze at the base of his left hand.
"Zander bit me." Johnny let annoyance come into his eyes. "Which will explain the state he's in. I got it looked at." That would be her next question. He had also been assured that there wouldn't be a scar.
"Not something I knew about him." Liz said grinning at Francis, Sonny, and Cody who were also in attendance. They were waiting for her to say they could get started. "I'm ready." In fact she wanted to do this and leave. Emily was waiting with chocolate ice cream. It would be a fun late night treat and then they were going to bed. Her best friend wanted to fuss over her some, and Liz was going to just going to soak up the love.
"I'll go get him." Cody went into the back and opened the locked door. It was almost exactly the same setup as the cabin where Liz had been kept. Only they had removed the bed and chairs making it so their prisoner had nowhere to get comfortable. Stretching out, or sitting on the floor, was an option but since it was concrete that wouldn't feel very good. "Let's go." The former solider tilted his head in the direction of the front of the cabin. "You have a visitor."
"Is that your new title for Jason?" Zander had thought for sure he was going to slip through their grasp. He had been in Canada that first night. He didn't stay in Toronto because Alcazar had contacts there. Vancouver wasn't somewhere his boss had connections. He had no idea if Corinthos/Morgan had friends in the area, but with the water so close he was willing to risk it. Once he left North America he would be almost impossible to find. Only he never even got close to the ferry station. He was spotted by the tracker not long after he crossed into the region. His tail simply followed him until the grab could take place. Zander had been turned over to the family that controlled the area and held in a warehouse. When he was pulled from the room he was locked in O'Brien was waiting to bring him back to Port Charles. No amount of struggling had stopped them from boarding the waiting plane.
Cody didn't say anything else, he just waited for the prisoner to get moving.
While Zander had been expecting Jason, seeing Liz was surprising. She was pissed too. He'd seen that face a lot after sleeping with Gia. He'd also seen that face the night Logan snatched her. She promised to kick his ass and his was thinking she came out to make good on that. "Liz."
"Why?" She wanted to know. There wouldn't be any small talk or chit chat. She was here for answers and that was it. Jason had told her what Logan said. The dead man confessed that he did it for a quick payout, but that her ex-boyfriend did it to push her and Jason together. Liz wasn't buying it.
"It won't make sense." Zander had no choice but to be honest with himself while he was on the run. This whole situation had been wrong from the time he answered the phone and listened to Logan's plan. Instead of calling Liz and warning her, Zander had stupidly gone along with the other man. Because he had seen a chance to look better in Liz's eyes, even though he had denied that at first.
"Try me." She said and her voice was ice cold.
"I thought it might help you and Jason get together." Zander told her. "I could see the attraction, and I figured you weren't with him because of me."
"Bullshit." Liz said staring him down. He was lying. She knew the signs. "You're about to die Zander, so now is a good time to be honest."
He just looked at her for a moment. Morgan hadn't said anything just yet. He was leaning against the wall waiting for his girlfriend to be done. O'Brien was also here, which wasn't too surprising. The Irishman had knocked out three of Zander's teeth during the capture, and he was probably hoping to get in a few more licks. Corelli, Corinthos, Paul, and Alcazar were just here to witness him die. This was not how Zander saw himself going out. The least he could do was give Liz the truth.
"Alright. I wanted to use the situation to my advantage. I was hoping that I could ride in and play the hero before Morgan did." Zander looked her in the eye while answering. "Only when Logan arrived at the cabin I saw that you were tied up and gagged, and I came out of hiding. I was only there because I didn't want him to hurt you." He should have stayed in his apartment. "Even after you saw me I thought about going back to get you."
"You didn't want me hurt, but kidnapping me was fine." Liz said through gritted teeth. Her temper was spiking, so she took a moment to calm down. "So if I had walked in under my own power you would have stayed hidden and left after I was locked up. To do what Zander?!" Her voice was starting to rise. "To come back later, overpower Logan, and rescue me!" She was standing in front of him with her fists clenched tight. "He was after ransom, there was no way he was going to let you take me back until he got paid." She said in disgust. "And thinking that I was going to develop Stockholm Syndrome and get back together with you after I knew you were involved…I just can't even." Because that's what he was talking about.
"I didn't know about the money." Zander wanted her to believe him. "Logan said he was doing it so I would owe him a favor."
"Were you always this stupid and I just missed it?" Liz wanted to know. "Did you think that if you rescued me I was just going to fall back in love with you?" She asked him. "You betrayed me! You slept with someone I thought was my friend! I told you we were over, and the fact that I was still avoiding you should have let you know that hadn't changed. You setting up a rescue wasn't going to change anything."
"I realized that too late." Zander admitted. "If I could go back I would have stopped to think before agreeing to his plan. I would have called you and told you what he was planning to do. This wasn't about helping you and Jason. It was me being selfish. This was all about what I wanted, and I didn't care about how this would affect you."
"Because your telling me was the right thing to do, or because you were hoping that I would see you protecting me?" Liz wanted to know. In any other situation she might actually feel bad for him that he still had feeling for her when she had nothing but contempt for him. That compassion was crushed under the weight of what he had done.
"Probably both." Zander said with a shrug. "I never gave up on us, and I don't think I ever would have. Not completely."
"I gave up on us. If you care about me as much as you are standing there saying you do, if you wanted me happy, then you would have respected that. You would have wished me a happy life and let me go." Liz spit out. She didn't believe Zander wanted her to be with Jason. She did however believe all the parts where he talked about using the kidnapping to get her back. He wasn't going to be one percent honest with her, he didn't have that in him. She had enough answers to be satisfied.
"Elizabeth..." Zander didn't get any further.
She balled up her fist and slammed it into the middle of his face. The silence in the room meant that everyone could hear the cartilage snap as she broke his nose. Without a word she turned on her heel and walked out of the cabin. Liz was done here. Jason would handle Zander and she would continue working to put this behind her.
Max didn't say anything he just walked out behind Liz. He found her leaning against the car. Still not speaking he opened the front passenger door so that she could get inside. He started the car using the remote and turned on the radio the same way. With her door closed he walked to the back and grabbed the first aid kit. Then Max got behind the wheel. "Here's an ice pack. Can you move your fingers?"
"Yeah." Liz raised her hand and wiggled it. "Hurts a little though. I'll probably bruise." She took the ice pack. "Think Jason will take me back to Puerto Rico?" She asked with a brightness that was completely fake.
"After that punch, he'd be an idiot to get on your bad side." Max said grinning. "Fifteen minutes on, and then fifteen minutes off. Then back on again." He said in case she didn't know.
Liz nodded. "Thank you."
Max nodded as well, and pulled off.
Jason waited until he heard the car pull off before pushing from the wall where he had been leaning. Generally when they had someone out here they needed a different kind of information then what Elizabeth's questions had uncovered. Generally when someone was out here they had information that would keep the organization safe. Elizabeth had needed answers to the questions she asked. She also needed closure. She never got that with Baker.
Jason only had one question. It was never his intention to ask it when Elizabeth was in the room. Since she was gone, he could get this last bit of information and then he could dispatch Zander. "What were you going to do when you showed up to free Elizabeth and she didn't want to go with you?" He could see the answer in Zander's eyes before the man spoke. "If things had gone according to your original planning Elizabeth wouldn't have ever returned to Port Charles would she? You wanted to rescue her from her kidnapper, only to then kidnap her yourself."
"I figured after enough time together, she could fall in love with me again. Once she knew she wasn't going home she would have adjusted. She wouldn't have had any choice. I had no intention of letting her go." Zander was hurting and he figured he was about to really learn what pain was all about.
Jason gave him a cold smile. "Logan had no clue did he? You had this planned from the second he presented you with an opening, even letting Elizabeth see you. What were you going to do Zander? Go back and kill Logan then tell Elizabeth that you were sorry. Offer her a ride back to Port Charles but then drive in the opposite direction."
"Logan wasn't the threat he thought he was. But he would have made the perfect scape goat. It doesn't matter what I wanted at this point, does it? I didn't get it in the end. She's with you." Zander was trying to brace himself for the first punch. His mouth hurt from Johnny, and his nose from Liz. Jason was going to lay claim to everything else.
"No I guess it doesn't." Jason pulled on a pair of gloves. "It doesn't matter at all." He said before throwing the first punch.
"How come you aren't asleep?" Jason asked walking into the gatehouse. It was almost two in the morning.
"I was waiting for you." Liz was curled up on the couch with the television turned down low so she didn't disturb Em and John. Her best friend had been waiting for her. They didn't speak at first, just ate their ice cream. Once the frozen treat was gone the silence lingered for a bit. Then Liz let herself have a good cry. Sometimes you got things from your best friend, from the sister of your heart that you couldn't get from your guy. Emily would understand her anger in a way Jason didn't. Just like the guys understood some things the way Liz couldn't.
Looking at her he could see that she had been crying. If she wanted to talk about that they could. If she didn't want to talk then they wouldn't. "This is the gift that Lorenzo mentioned." Jason put the box that was under his arm down on the coffee table.
"It's heavy." Liz noted picking it up. "Come on, let's go to our room."
"I'll carry it up." Jason took it from her because it did have some weight to it.
"We are down here." Liz pointed over her shoulder. "Emily thinks you will glare at John if you are in the hall upstairs at the same time." Elizabeth said smiling.
"I promised not to glare." Jason mumbled following his girlfriend into the guest suite. He put the box down on the bed. "I'm going to go shower." He had grabbed a quick shower at the cabin, but wanted to hurry back to Elizabeth.
"Can I join you?" Liz wanted to be close to him.
"Sure." Jason held out his hand.
"Will you be disappointed if only showering happens?" Elizabeth asked him as they entered the smaller room. She had been debating if she wanted to ask Jason what Zander's plan really was. Seeing her guy she decided no. It was time to let that go.
"I'll never be disappointed to have you close to me." Jason used their joined hands to bring her near and dropped his head to kiss her. "Not ever."
"Come on, I'll scrub your back." Liz said when he lifted his head. "I'll rub your shoulders too."
"I am a little sore." Jason would be fine in the morning, but right now his shoulders were stiffening up.
"I have some pain reliever." Liz let him know. "Don't be too proud to admit that you need some." She said arching a brow.
"Okay." Jason would take the pills because that would make her feel better. "I'll get some water." There would be glasses in the bathroom and he would fill one up.
Liz went over and grabbed her purse.
"Are you going to open the box?" Jason wanted to know. The shower had felt amazing, and so had her hands on his skin.
"Don't tell me you are curious about its contents." Liz looked up at him through her lashes. They were stretched out on the bed. Since they were going to brunch sleeping in was not going to be a problem.
"A little." He said with a boyish grin. "I just can't imagine what Lorenzo would give you. He barely knows you."
"Probably nothing. I'd bet the money in my wallet that Skye picked the gift and he just signed the card." Liz said laughing. "Kind of like what you do when I buy birthday gifts for Nadine and Georgie. Sometimes even Carly."
"Women are hard to shop for. Luckily I have this really talented girlfriend who makes beautiful clothing. So when I have to buy a gift by myself it not too painful." Jason said with a smile. "Monica always looks forward to my gifts."
"You are lucky aren't you?" Liz poked fun at him, and laughing as she sat up.
"I'll get it." Jason rolled off the bed and grabbed the box. He placed it on her lap.
"This paper is lovely." Liz said taking in the detailing of the wrapping. She pulled the yellow ribbon surrounding the box before lifting the lid. She was greeted with yellow tissue paper on which rested a card. "Congratulations on all your success. We know that you will have much more in the years to come." Liz read the message in Skye's graceful handwriting. "P.S. you don't have to use this if you don't want to, I just thought you might need it."
"Cryptic." Jason commented on his sister's words. "Maybe it's a cash register." He said making a joke.
"I do need one. I'm going to ask Sonny where he got the ones for the coffee house." She said laughing at the joke. Liz pushed the wrapping paper aside. "Oh."
Jason was looking over her shoulder and he smiled when the gift came into view. His sister had scooped him because he was planning on having something similar made.
Liz lightly ran a finger around the edge of the hanging sign. It was metal, but stylized to look like wood. That meant it would be weatherproof. The background was white and in the middle were large letters in gold leaf. Audrey March was in graceful feminine script. "This is amazing." Liz said softly.
"Cody's crew can put a bar out for you to hang that from." Jason knew that wouldn't be a problem.
"I'll ask on Monday." Liz wasn't doing business during brunch. She looked at the sign closer and gasped.
"What?" Jason looked concerned.
"The letters." Liz said trying to blink back tears and failing. "That's my gram's handwriting."
"Really?" Jason wasn't surprised that Skye would go into that much detail.
"I'm guessing Lila helped her." Liz said smiling as she traced the letters. Jason's grandmother would have cards with samples of the handwriting. "I have so much support. Starting with you." She turned to her guy. "I love you."
"I love you." Jason took the box and put it on the trunk at the foot of the bed. "Let's get some rest so we can party. We need energy to keep up with Grandmother." He spooned up and turned off the lights.
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