If Only...

Chapter 20

Elizabeth glanced up, stopping mid-wipe to smile widely at Francis, who stood almost shyly in the doorway to Kelly's. "Hello there." She had to admire how well he fit into his suit, a nice charcoal grey with matching striped tie. Sonny had some serious hunks working for him. She pushed the unwelcome image of Jason out of her mind.

"Hello Ms. Webber. Is Ms. Benson around?"

"Liz, please. She's out back throwing out the trash." Elizabeth laughed at Francis double take. "She owed me."

He nodded, not understanding but knowing better then to ask any explanation for Carly's actions. "Well. That's...interesting. Can you let her know I'm-" His sentence was cut off by the crash of what could only be garbage lids. Francis glanced worriedly behind Liz. "Um...does that happen when you take out the trash?"

Elizabeth started to laugh. "No…but I don't throw it in the bin with the force I'm sure Carly is-"

She was cut off by Carly's muffled scream, "Elizabeth, help!"

Francis broke into a run, gun already in his hand, shoving aside chairs as he ran to the back. He kicked the door open and watched as two men shoved Carly into a long black car. He aimed at them, pulling on the trigger, the blast of sound from the gun echoing in his ears. He felt Elizabeth behind him and yelled, "Get back inside now!"

"Watch out!" They fell to the floor as Elizabeth shoved from behind, pushing them out of the line of oncoming bullets. He felt a searing pain in his shoulder but ignored it, rolling Elizabeth beneath him, and making a mental note to NEVER tell Jason, he fired again at the car. He heard a loud groan and smiled, pushing himself to his feet. He grabbed Elizabeth's arm and pulled her to stand next to him. He heard the car that held Carly peel around the corner as he ran to where the guard he'd hit had fallen. Grabbing hold of his shirt, he shoved his gun against the guy's forehead. "Where are they taking her? Tell me!"

"Francis…your arm." He heard Elizabeth's voice but shook his head. That would have to wait. Looking the other man in the eye, he cocked his gun. "I'll only ask once more, where are they taking her?"

"I'd tell him." Elizabeth looked down at the man on the floor. "Frankie likes to shoot things."

The man shivered, his mind looking for a solution but finding none, he realized he was going to die unless he told them what they wanted to know. Who cared what happened to his employers? They left him there to die. "Airport….they're taking her to the airport." He held his hand over his bleeding stomach. "It's this small airport off Route 5 on the way to Pine Valley."

"What the hell is going on here?" Mike came running up, stopping as he saw the scene more clearly. "Jesus." He looked at Elizabeth in shock. "What happened?"

"Someone just kidnapped Carly." She shot the words at Mike but her eyes remained on Francis' bleeding arm. He shoved his gun into the waist of his pants and picking up the wounded man's discarded gun, he handed it to Mike. "You stay here with him until one of the other guards shows up. You got that Mike?"

Mike nodded. "Stay with him. I got it."

Francis moved slightly toward the street, stopping to stare at Sonny's father. "Mike. You need to do this. It's important."

"I promise I won't let him down."

Francis nodded and pointing at Elizabeth, he started toward the front of the building. "Get back inside and act normal. I'll let Sonny know." He grimaced as he pulled his cell phone out. Trying to open the car door and dial Johnny's number proved to be a problem.

"Give me those keys. Get into the car."

Elizabeth pulled open the car door, gesturing for him to get into the passenger's side, she climbed into the driver's seat. He stared at her, cell phone still in hand before speaking. "Didn't I tell you to stay inside?"

"Yes, you did. But you can't drive with that injured arm so I figured the least I could do after getting Carly kidnapped was to make sure her rescue team got to her in one piece." She shook her head when he started to argue. "We're wasting time, Francis. You can yell at me after we get her back. Get in."

Jason paced the penthouse, listening to Sonny's end of conversation with Benny.

"Well then we need to find a way to make sure we have enough guards to cover Carly and Michael 24/7…whatever it takes Benny." He hung up, turning to Jason. "Benny says he'll work on it until then I want you guarding her."

Jason nodded. "No problem there. I think that we-"

Sonny's phone rang and no less then a second later, Jason's followed. They stared at them and then each other. That wasn't a good sign. Sonny picked his up. "What?" He heard Jason speak into his own phone as well.

"Sir, we have an… issue."

Johnny's urgent tone stopped his heart cold. It was Carly. "What happened?"

"She's been taken, sir."

Sonny closed his eyes, faintly aware of Jason cursing into his own phone. "Where are you?" His mind wandered to the worst, picturing her hurt or… He shoved those thoughts aside. He had to get her back. That was all that mattered.

"On the way to where they're taking her. It's a small airstrip off Route 5 somewhere near Pine Valley." Johnny gave someone, who Sonny assumed was Francis, some directions, then quietly asked someone else a question. Sonny could make out the unmistakable sound of a female voice. "Johnny, who the hell is that?"

His bodyguard sighed and in an exasperated tone, muttered. "Ms. Weber, sir."

Sonny glanced at Jason, hearing his barked orders at Benny to get every man they had ready. "Why is Elizabeth with you?" Jason's eyes clashed with his and Sonny nodded to let him to know he'd heard correctly.

"She was there, sir. She saw the whole thing and wouldn't allow Francis to drive with an injured arm. When they picked me up, she wisely pointed out that it was a waste of time arguing with her which could be better spent getting to Carly. So…we had to bring her with us." There was a slight pause. "She wants to speak to you, sir." There was a scuffle; the sound of the phone handed from one person to the next, and then Elizabeth's soft voice came over the line.

"Sonny?"

"Hey. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm so sorry. Sonny. I don't know what happened."

"It's not your fault."

"We were getting along so well…oh, god. I should never have let her go out back alone."

"Elizabeth…we'll get her back." Sonny sounded confident even when his mind kept playing with him, telling him that it was too late, that she was dead and he'd never see her again. She shook away the thoughts, clearing his head. He had to keep it together if he was going to save Carly. And he was going to save her.

There was a pause before Elizabeth spoke again. "Listen, I don't want Jason to know I'm in this situation. He'll only get…stupid." When he didn't answer, she sighed and said "He already knows I take it."

"Standing right in front of me so I'd have to say he does."

"He won't understand I know that, but you do, don't you?" Elizabeth's message came through loud and clear to Sonny. She felt responsible for Carly's kidnapping. He knew exactly how she felt.

"Yeah, I understand. We'll meet you all there. Elizabeth, don't do anything rash. Please."

Hanging up, he grabbed his jacket before pulling a gun out of the desk and following a silent Jason out to elevator. His heart was beating faster then it ever had and his gut felt like it had seen twelve rounds in the ring. He swallowed hard, praying that he would get to Carly in time. He couldn't lose her. There was no way he could make it through that.

"Okay, so what's the plan?"

Johnny shook his head, staring intently at the plane on the runway. There appeared to be several, heavily armed guards around its perimeter and no actual way to get past them without a lot of bleeding. He glanced back at Elizabeth when she repeated the question. "Nothing we can do. We wait. Sonny and Jason will be here with backup any minute."

Francis held onto his arm, refusing to give in to the nausea that plagued him. He had to stay focused. He caught a movement and slouched down in his seat, motioning to Johnny as he did. They could make out someone at one of the windows.

"It's Carly." Elizabeth moved closer to her own window, seeing Carly's face peering out. "She looks so scared." The face disappeared suddenly and Elizabeth gasped. Someone had pulled Carly away. She glanced over at the two men in the front. "We can't just let her sit there."

"Elizabeth, there are about 20 men out there, with really big guns. Francis got shot already. I personally prefer to stay free of any holes that didn't come with me when I arrived on this earth. So we stay here and wait."

"So that's it, then? We don't do a damn thing to help her!"

"When the hell did you become Rambo, Elizabeth? You want to take on the whole squad of goons out there?"

"We have to do something before they take her away and we never see her again!"

"Look, the plane isn't even running so I think we have a few minutes. We wait." He hated waiting. He wanted to go in and get Carly just as badly as Elizabeth did but he knew there was nothing to be done. They would only get themselves killed. "It'll be fine."

The plane's engines started up at that moment and he caught Elizabeth looking his way, her eyebrow arched.

"Okay…that could be a problem…"

Jason gripped the dashboard, glancing nervously at Sonny, as the car swerved around a corner at a speed that wasn't anywhere near legal or safe. He watched Sonny carefully, unable to miss the stiffness of his jaw as he concentrated on the road. "Um…Sonny…we need to get to her in one piece, just remember that, okay?"

Sonny grunted in response, his foot pressing harder on the accelerator as a sign indicating the distance to the airstrip sped past them. "If they've done anything to her Jason, I swear…"

"I know." Jason's heart lurched at the thought of anything happening to Carly…or Elizabeth. He tamped down on the anger that rose every time he let his mind wander to that. He couldn't believe Elizabeth would put herself in this kind of danger. He knew Carly had a knack to attract this situation. Not that he blamed her because it wasn't her fault. Almost ever, anyway. But Elizabeth…she was supposed to be the calm, rational one. After they got Carly back, he was going to make sure to have a chat with Ms. Webber.

His eyes caught the faded sign pointing to the hidden access road that led to the airstrip. The car jerked toward the road, wheels squealing and they flew past the entrance sign. They were going to get her back he told himself. He just prayed that Sonny wouldn't kill them in the process…

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Johnny banged his hand against the steering wheel, his mind spinning with a million and one thoughts as the three in the small, dark car watched the last of the men start to board the plane. Sonny was going to kill them all.

Francis fought back the pain and darkness that surrounded him, keeping his eyes on the windows of the aircraft, hoping to catch another glimpse of Carly. He ignored the sticky, warm liquid that trailed down his arm and glanced at Johnny, feeling grateful he wasn't in his friend's position. Sonny wouldn't hurt him while he was possibly bleeding to death. Thank God for small favors. But Johnny might be a dead man.

Elizabeth's heart sped up as the few remaining men with guns began walking toward the small, depleted building that acted as the terminal. She glanced once more at the plane, knowing that if they didn't take action now, they'd lose Carly forever. She couldn't have that happen. She knew Jason would never forgive her if he lost his best friend because of her carelessness. And Sonny…she couldn't imagine what would happen to Sonny. "I should never have asked her to do that."

Her quiet words reached Johnny who glanced in the rearview mirror at the small, worried brunette. "There was nothing you could have done Elizabeth." She met his eyes in the reflection and shook her head, not wanting or deserving any comfort. Johnny spoke firmly. "They had her targeted. It wasn't your fault."

Glancing out the window, she muttered out loud. "We need to do something."

"She's right, Johnny." Francis said through gritting teeth. The pain was overwhelming but nothing mattered except for Carly. "We need a distraction to keep that plane from moving."

Johnny nodded, pausing when he realized what Francis had meant by that. He shook his head. "No way are you going out there in your condition, Frankie. Not happening."

"I'll be fine."

"If you mean dead by fine then I guess you would be, yes."

"Johnny…"

"No. It's not going to happen." He smirked at his colleague and friend. "This isn't the Dirty Dozen, Francis. Nobody is going to sacrifice anything. Is that understood? We will all think up of a plan and execute it from the safety of this here vehicle." Johnny quirked an eyebrow, meeting his friend's eyes. "Besides, if something happens to you, Adam will kill me."

Francis agreed, attempting to smile though it looked more like a grimace. He felt relief wash over him. He wasn't quite ready to die just yet. They needed to get Carly back first. Then, Sonny would probably kill him once he'd healed. And Adam... Adam would follow him to the afterlife just to do him in again. Oh boy…something to look forward to…

"Alright, here's the plan. We start this car up and ride as close to that plane as we can. One of us will stay in the car. The safest would be you -"

Francis glanced at Johnny when stopped off mid-sentence. He looked whiter then usual as he stared at the back of the car. Francis turned his head, not noticing anything out the ordinary in the empty backseat. His eyes widened as he realized that was the problem. Empty backseat. Where there once was an Elizabeth, now there was nothing except a small paper with some numbers written on it.

Johnny picked it up, crushing it in his hand as he stared out the window. "Shit." He watched the small figure sneak onto the plane and he would have laughed at the fact that a girl, who wasn't Carly, could pull that off without getting caught. But all he wanted to do was get his hands on the girls' throat and choke the life out of it. "If she doesn't end up killed or Jason doesn't end up sending her to some sort of far off convent, I'm gonna make that girl suffer."

Two goons came running out, guns aimed at the plane, having seen Elizabeth board. Trained bodyguards reacted without thinking, and so they did. Pulling out their own weapons, Johnny and Francis tore out of the car, shooting at the dark figures running onto the field. One slumped to the floor, gun falling from his hand. From nowhere, there seemed to appear a small army of gun-toting bad guys. Johnny laughed internally at the thought. Usually they were the bad guys.

The sudden screech of tires distracted him and he glanced behind, relived to see Sonny and Jason come charging out a car, guns raised and firing. Three other cars came to a halt behind them and every door opened with the sound of ammunition echoing into the air. Sonny had brought his own army. Johnny grabbed Francis' arm and led him back to the car, forcing him inside before he got himself killed.

Without argument, Francis closed the car door and promptly fell into unconsciousness. Johnny turned toward the ensuing battle, he aimed and fired, dodging flying bullets as best he could. He felt one whiz past his ear and fell to the ground in defense. He crawled to where Sonny and Jason stood. "Sir!"

Sonny kept his eyes on the plane and once he saw a clear path, took off running in its direction, knowing his men would cover him until he reached the door. Before he was halfway across the field, the plane began to move and he screamed soundlessly, pushing harder against the wind that slowed him down. He had to get to her. He couldn't lose her. If that plane took off he knew he would never see her again.

The plane seemed to gain speed as Sonny ran, the distance between them growing and he screamed Carly's name. It raced down the small runway, reaching its speed quickly and taking off into the air.

Sonny fell to his knees, staring at the departing lights as the plane rose higher and higher.

"Goddamnit!"

He heard the echoes of shoes approaching and turned in time to see his men running toward him. Johnny reached him first and he grabbed at the man's jacket. "Why didn't you do something?!"

"Sir, that would have gotten her killed. You know that just as well as I do." Johnny responded calmly, pulling from his boss' grip. Jason stared into the sky as the sound of the departing plane faded.

He glanced at Sonny. "How the hell are we going to find her? We don't have a fucking clue where they're taking her?"

Sonny couldn't think about that. He would turn the world on its damn axis if he had to but he was going to get Carly back.

"Actually, I think there is a way to figure that out."

Two pair of eyes glared at Johnny and he cleared his throat, motioning to the now empty sky. "Elizabeth can help us."

Jason's eyes narrowed and Sonny stared at him in a mix of hope and confusion. "How? Did she hear them say something?"

"Not exactly."

"Then what exactly, Johnny?" Jason glanced towards the car, searching for any trace of Elizabeth inside. "Where is Elizabeth?" He glanced back at Johnny and watched in horror as the other man pointed to the sky.

"She hitched a ride…"