Chapter 16

Zach and David arrived at the airport and met Ryan at the hanger where the Cambias jet was parked. Ryan nodded at Zach. "They're refueling and filing a flight plan. We should be good to go in half an hour." Ryan looked over at David. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"Long story. He's coming with us."

Ryan shook his head. "No, absolutely not. He's already caused enough problems, I don't want him involved."

David glared at him. "I deserve to be a part of this."

Ryan gave him an incredulous look. "Why, because of Greenlee? You may have once been tied to her because she was married to your brother, but that thread snapped a long time ago."

David shook his head. "You're an idiot. True - I want to find Greenlee. Our bond is much stronger than you would like to think. But that's not why I'm here. I deserve to know the truth about my brother."

Ryan's eyebrows shot up. Before he could open his mouth, Zach pointed to his left. "There's someone who could give you some answers. Fair warning though – those answers could be lies."

Ryan and David turned and saw Chris Stamp approaching. David's jaw dropped open. "Oh my God. Slater was telling the truth."

Chris walked up to the group of men. He was not pleased to see David. He was less pleased when David grabbed his shirt. "I want to talk to you!"

Chris shoved him away. "I haven't got time for you, Hayward." He looked at Ryan. "When do we leave?"

Ryan shook his head. "I wasn't aware that I invited you to come with us. Zach, did you say he could tag along?"

Zach shook his head. "Nope."

Chris rolled his eyes. "This is pointless. We all want the same thing, and we can work much faster if we pool our resources."

Ryan laughed harshly. "I wasn't aware that your resources have produced a damn thing. All those tax dollars I pay and the government can't manage to ferret out a single lead on my son."

Chris jabbed a finger at him. "If it weren't for me, none of you would have any idea that Greenlee is missing and possibly kidnapped by Madden."

Ryan spread his hands. "What the hell are you talking about? We found out about Greenlee from Bianca."

Chris nodded. "And the only reason Bianca knew was through my source in Paris."

Zach smiled coldly. "I thought you said Max didn't know Bianca."

David grabbed Chris's shirt again. "Speaking of Max, you're going to give me some answers about him."

Ryan was getting fed up. "Tell you what, the two of you have your little chat about whoever this Max person is. Zach and I have a flight to catch." He started to walk away.

David turned to Zach. "You're not leaving without me. You promised!"

"You can come with us if you make it to the jet by the time the pilot is ready to take off. We're not holding it for you, so you better make it quick. This one, " He pointed to Chris, "can find his own transportation."

He caught up with Ryan, who gave him an annoyed look. "You want to explain to me why you're saddling us with that jerk?"

Zach sighed. "As he said, it's a long story. It'll make for some interesting in-flight entertainment."

They arrived at the jet. The pilot welcomed them with a smile. "Good news! We're ready to go now. There's a few other jets also planning to take off, so if we want to get in ahead of them we should leave immediately."

Ryan clapped his hands together. "Fantastic! I'm more than ready to hit the road."

Zach jerked his thumb back. "What about Hayward. We need to…"

Ryan made a cutting gesture. "No! I'm not waiting for him. If we don't leave now, we'll have to get in behind all those other jets. Hayward can hitch a ride with Chris. It will give them more time for their heart-to-heart." He turned and climbed into the jet.

Zach looked back at the tarmac where David and Chris had been standing. They were nowhere in sight. He shrugged. Chris was more than capable of commandeering a government jet, and David would no doubt make sure he wasn't left behind a second time. Besides, it was Ryan's jet and he called the shots. Zach climbed into the jet to join Ryan, allowing himself a cynical smile that he was a mere passenger on a Cambias jet.

---------

Chris began walking away from David, pulling out his cell phone so he could arrange a flight to Paris. He dialed a number in Washington DC, and asked to be put through to Senator Webberly. While he was on hold, he was grabbed from behind. "Not so fast, you son of a bitch. I want answers!" David jerked Chris around to face him. "Is my brother alive? Did you make him change his face? Is he the Max person you talked about earlier? What did you do to make him fake his death? What hold do you have over him?"

Chris shoved him away again. "You actually think I'm the one with the hold over your brother? You forgot about your mother."

There was a flicker in David's eyes. "Vanessa. So you admit it? Leo and Vanessa are alive?"

Chris glanced over to where the Cambias jet was parked. "Looks like your ride is leaving."

David looked and saw that the hatch was closed and the jet was starting to inch out of it's parking spot. "Goddamn it! So much for Slater's word." He looked back at Chris. "I know you have a way of getting to Paris. You're taking me with you."

Chris wondered at what point in time his life went to hell in a handbasket. He held up his cell phone. "Neither of us are going anywhere if you don't let me make some calls."

David spread his hands. "Be my guest. And when you're finished, you can make your case for why I shouldn't kill you with my bare hands the minute we land in France."

---------

Greenlee blearily glanced over at the window, noticing that it was dark. She moaned. "Do I want to know what time it is? How long have I been in labor?"

Erica dabbed her forehead with a washcloth. "It's pretty late. Try to rest, sweetheart. Greg says you're almost fully dilated, so it won't be long now."

"Rest? Rest??? The only way I could possibly rest in my condition is if you stick a knife through my heart and put me out of my misery. But you can't do that, because Madden made sure there's no knives within ten square miles of this god-forsaken hell hole. Except of course for his scalpels that he takes with him every time he goes off to God-knows-where."

Erica bit her lip. "His staff certainly has been quite thorough in removing anything that could possibly be used as a weapon. I'm sure there's something in the kitchen. There has to be. I just haven't checked there because it's in an open area."

Greenlee looked at the ceiling. "Oh God why couldn't I have had this baby yesterday? I was in a hospital. With a nice doctor who more than likely wasn't a psychopath. I'm pretty sure they had epidurals there." Tears streamed down her face. "And Max was there. Why couldn't I have believed his stupid lie? We'd probably be together right now. I wouldn't have gone to the airport and run into Doctor Freakazoid."

"Who is Max, dear? What lie did he tell you?"

Greenlee turned to her side, overwhelmed with exhaustion. "He claimed to be Leo."

Erica stared at her, aghast. "What?"

Greenlee sniffled. "He must have done a lot of research. When I first met him, he reminded me immediately of Leo. He was like him in so many ways. He took me out that night and we had a wonderful time." She stared up at the ceiling. "When I was in the hospital yesterday, I was so tired and relieved that I was okay, that I believed for a minute that he really was Leo. He was quick to go right along with my delusion. But the very idea that Leo would have let me believe he was dead for four years...I snapped out of it and ordered him to get out. I only saw him once more, when I was on my way to the airport. If only he had stopped me. Begged my forgiveness. If only I hadn't decided that going back to Ryan was the solution to my problems…" Her voice trailed off, and after a few moments she looked over at Erica. "Have Ryan and Kendall gotten…close?"

Erica smiled ruefully. "Yes. They're both pretty enchanted with their…with Spike." She shrugged. "But they aren't nearly as close as I would like. Kendall is very much in love with Zach." Erica rolled her eyes. "Why, I have no idea."

Greenlee laughed weakly. "I know what you mean. That man is too weird for words. He's hot in an intense sort of way, but who needs all that drama?"

Erica sighed. "We Kane women seem to be magnets for drama."

Greenlee shook her head. "It's not exclusive to the Kanes. I seem to attract it as well. Must be a Pine Valley thing. And now we've exported it to France."

Erica looked down. "France. It's still hard to believe that I'm in the same country as Bianca. So close…"

Greenlee reached out and took her hand. "Do you think she's still here? She might have gone back to the "U.S. to help in the search for you."

Erica's face crumpled in anguish. "I hate that my girls are worried about me. I hate that Kendall is surely out of her mind over Spike. I think I'm more scared for their sake than my own, if that makes any sense."

Greenlee stroked her belly. "I'm beginning to understand."

Erica stood up and went over to the window. She looked up at the moon. "Oh Bianca, honey. I hope you can feel me. I hope that you know deep inside of you that I'm alright."

---------

Bianca sat in the window seat, staring out into the street. The room was dark, and moonlight washed over her. "You're so close, mother. I'm convinced you're still in France, somewhere. We'll find you." She closed her eyes, full of misery.

She heard footsteps behind her. "Binks? Can't sleep?" She shook her head.

Leo reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "I don't mean to pry, but…I couldn't help but notice that you and Maggie seemed to be arguing. Is everything okay?"

Bianca swiped at her tears. "I honestly don't know. She flipped out when I told her about Lena helping us. I didn't even say anything about our argument. Just the fact that she was with us set Maggie off." She shook her head. "I assured her that she meant the world to me…and to Miranda. We're a family and I'd never even think of destroying it for an old flame. She got this strange look on her face and said that she needed to go out for awhile. After watching Miranda for most of the day, she needed some space."

"And she hasn't come back yet?"

Bianca shook her head. "Nope."

Leo sat down beside her. "So what crazy ideas are going on in that head of yours?"

Bianca sighed. "I don't think you want to hear all the gory details."

He gave her a stern look. "Binks…"

She chuckled slightly, then shrugged. "Okay, but I warned you." She looked out the window again. "Maggie and I were friends for a long time. We connected with each other so deeply – it was and is a beautiful thing. When she came with me to Paris, we took things slowly. I think…I think she enjoys the physical side on some level. It's a natural extension of our relationship. But…I think if it weren't for the fact that we care about each other so deeply, she would have no interest in women at all. I also think that she's missing…being with a guy." Bianca sighed. "It could all be in my head - that deadly Kane insecurity gene. It's just that, I never got that feeling with Lena. She'd never been with a woman before me, but she took to it rather well." Bianca blushed. "She told me that she's always been attracted to women, but she never felt the urge to explore that part of herself until she met me. Maggie never even contemplated the possibility until our friendship deepened. I don't know, am I making any sense?"

"Do you think maybe Maggie is the one who's insecure - not you? Maybe she's not as fulfilled as she would like, but she's afraid of losing you if she admits it."

Bianca looked down. "I see her checking out good-looking men. I wouldn't have an issue with that – we all check people out – but when she realizes that I see her doing it, she gets this guilty look on her face."

Leo brushed a lock of her hair from her forehead. "Do you think she's cheating on you with a man?"

Bianca winced. "Ouch. Cut right to the heart of it, didn't you? I wish I knew one way or another. There are the typical signs, but everything has a logical explanation. I know she loves me, Leo." She broke off, tears welling in her eyes. Leo gathered her to him as she sobbed out all her pain, fear and frustration.

---------

Kendall answered her ringing cell. "Zach?"

"Hey, beautiful."

She slumped back against the seat. "Oh Zach, it's wonderful to hear your voice. Were you able to get the Cambias jet?"

"At this very moment, Ryan and I are flying above the same ocean, a couple of hours behind you."

"Really? So you took off a few hours ago?"

"Yeah. I would have called you sooner, but Ryan and I were having a heart-to-heart."

She raised her eyebrows. "Ooookay. About what?"

He sighed. "A lot of things. Chris Stamp, Spike's paternity, Greenlee's disappearance, the fact that she's pregnant. And then there's the latest conspiracy theory I dropped on him." He gave her the broad strokes of his belief that the man with Bianca in Paris is Leo du Pres, the same man he helped fake his identity in Rio.

Kendall was silent for awhile. "Well, as far as conspiracy theories go, yours is the only one I know of that's completely accurate."

"How do you know?"

"Bianca called a couple of hours ago with an update. She told me all about how Leo showed up at her apartment, resurrected from the dead. He had a new face and he'd been working for Chris Stamp all this time. Of course, I didn't know that he was the same man you helped in Rio. But what you just said about Max being in Paris with Greenlee fits. They have to be the same person. My God, Zach, how freaky is that? Long before you even heard of Pine Valley, you were interacting with people from there. Zach, I just thought of something. You told me that when Max was in Rio, he was being trained with a woman claiming to be his aunt. That had to have been Vanessa! That psychotic bitch is alive, too!"

"I think she's the least of our problems right now. Did Bianca tell you anything about the search for Madden?"

Kendall told him about the pilot confirming that the jet from New York had been Madden's. "Bianca's got some Cambias people doing a search of this company's other assets. They're hoping that Madden is still in France, somewhere."

"Kendall, please don't…..unpredictable….hurt…" There was too much static for her to hear what he was saying. She caught the words "turbulence" and "call later" and then the line disconnected.

She looked out the window and sighed, saddened that she didn't get to talk to him longer. Four more hours till she landed in Paris.