If Only...

Chapter 21

This had to be the dumbest thing she'd ever done. Elizabeth glanced cautiously around the corner, her eyes widening as she took in the plush room, furnished with a sofa, some lamps, a couple of soft chairs, and a desk decorated with a large gold telephone. "What the hell is this place?" she whispered to the empty room.

She moved soundlessly, praying that no one had actually seen her board the plane, knowing that was probably wishful thinking. The best chance she had was to keep them guessing and hide. Footsteps echoed into the quiet of the room and she glanced hurriedly, looking for a safe place to disappear. Her eyes fell on what looked like a small closet, and she jumped into the dark space with only a few seconds to spare.

"Let go of me, you dumb ape!"

Through the sliver of space, she watched as a huge, heavily armed guard shoved

Carly into the room and loomed over her with his hand on his weapon, ready to act. From the expression on Carly's face, Elizabeth couldn't entirely blame him. She recognized a deadly look when she saw one. Carly pulled her arm out of his grip while she glanced around, and Elizabeth admired the calculating way that Carly seemed to take in her surroundings. She was sure that some plan was already formulating.

"There isn't anyway to escape now that we've taken off, Ms. Benson." The deep voice came from the intercom, echoing in the room, and both women flinched in response.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Carly muttered, eyeing the emergency door shrewdly. There had to be some way off if the plane got into trouble. Those chutes that jumpers used were always on airplanes, hiding under seats or in some closet. She saw the door of what she imagined was some sort of closet. There had to be something in there.

All she needed was a moment to explore and she might be able to find something that would help her out. She turned on the block of muscle that had been carting her around since they'd grabbed her back at the diner. "Hey you, Kong, tell me something, um, where we going?"

He ignored her, simply staring across the room at nothing in particular, but she watched his hand tense when she began to close in on him. "Oh come on, buddy. I'm sure you ain't a bad guy. Just doing your job, and you know what? I get that. I got lots of friends like you, you know? They're great guys that have to follow orders and that's cool. I'm not saying you got to betray anyone. I'm just curious where ya'll are taking me is all."

She glanced at his face and cursed under her breath. This guy was good. Not even a flicker of interest other than the tension in his hand, which had to be reflex, and she had done her best sensuous parade around the room while she had been talking. What a waste of good moves. Sighing, she surveyed the room for a weapon to knock him out with. It was the only way she'd get a chance.

"Nathan wouldn't be able to help you with those questions, Ms. Benson. He knows nothing more than he has to. I think I could help, though." That same deep, eerie voice that had come over the intercom resounded in the room and she glanced behind her, surprised at finding an attractive, if extremely frightening looking, older man standing in the doorway that connected to the pilot's cabin.

Elizabeth couldn't see him from her viewpoint, but from the look on Carly's face, the man was as scary as his voice. She kept her eyes on Carly, ignoring the cramping in her legs. She needed to be ready for anything.

Carly raised an eyebrow, slowly putting a chair between her and this man. "Who the hell are you?"

"Joseph. But most people call me Joe. Your…" He paused, thinking of the appropriate connotation and smiled as he continued, "… friend, Mr. Corinthos, knew me as Scully." Her eyes widened and Scully masked his surprise, smiling as he sat on the large leather couch. "I take it you know who I am then?"

Elizabeth racked her brain, the name sounding familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on why. She kept her eyes on the back of his head, cursing the fact that she hadn't chosen the closet that gave her a better view, and switched her attention back to Carly. She knew that there would be some sort of signal letting her know what to do.

Carly nodded.

"I'm flattered."

"Don't be."

He grinned at her, taken by her. This one definitely wasn't like that model or the teacher he'd heard about. He understood why the Boss seemed interested in keeping her alive. This one had fire. She was special. "Well, maybe we should sit down and have a little chat, Ms. Benson. I'm sure you want to know what's going on."

Carly slowly moved from behind the chair and sat, keeping her eyes firmly on Scully. "I've got nowhere else to go." She crossed her legs, moving her hands up the arms of the chair, and smiled across at him, her eyes cold and angry. "I'm listening."

"I don't care what you have to do, Benny! I want every man we got on this!!" Sonny slammed down the phone, leaning over his desk, pushing away the thought that he was too late and Carly was gone. He closed his eyes, listening around him, as Jason and Johnny spoke to the other men.

"Did you check the log book?"

"Were there any witnesses from outside of Kelly's? Besides Elizabeth, you idiot…"

"Vic, tell me you got some good news, buddy."

The questions trailed off quickly, followed by demands or another question, and Sonny fought the urge to punch someone. He needed to keep his head straight if he wanted to ever find Carly. His heart clenched at the thought that he might never hear her voice…see her smile…touch her…

Sonny opened his eyes, glancing at Francis, who sat under a blanket on the couch, pale and sweating. He had insisted they come back to the penthouse, not wanting a hospital. Too many questions, he'd said. "Francis." Sonny moved closer, leaning over his friend and guard. "Frankie." He slapped Francis' face gently, watching as the man's eyes fluttered open.

"What…what's up, Boss?" The words choked out from dried lips and Sonny shook his head, knowing he had to take drastic measures.

"I'm taking you to the hospital, Frankie."

"No sir…they'll…ask…"

The door opened and Sonny saw Adam's eyes search the room, relief flooding his features when he caught sight of Francis. He held still at the door, however, waiting for instructions.

Sonny cut of Francis' priotest. "They're gonna ask questions anyway, Frankie. If it had just been Carly that went missing, then we would have been able to keep quiet at least for a little while. But Elizabeth's gone, too… They'll notice."

"Sir, don't…it…there's no time…"

Johnny joined them, a cool towel in one hand and water in the other. Placing the towel on Francis' head, he nodded in agreement with Sonny. "He's right, Frankie. We got to go to the cops." Johnny made a face at that and Francis struggled to let out a laugh. "Besides, man, this will totally help you score, you know? Who doesn't like to take care of a wounded hero?"

Francis eyes seemed to wander to the door and he nodded weakly. "Yeah."

Jason glared at them from behind the couch. "So, the cops it is, then."

Sonny noted Jason's disapproval. "We have no other choice, Jase." The other man nodded, knowing it was the truth but refusing to voice it.

"Are we going to go down there…I mean, how are we supposed to do this, Sonny. We just gonna tell the whole force?"

Sonny rubbed his forehead. "Not all of them. There's one that will help us." He went to the phone, dialing a number quickly. "Hey, I need you to get a hold of Mac Scorpio for me. Yeah, the commissioner, you heard right. Come by my house as soon as you can." He hung up and turned back to the other two. "I want you both out there looking for leads. I'll take care of this here first." He stopped Jason on the way out. "We have to find her, Jason. I can't…I need her, man."

Jason nodded, completely understanding Sonny's desperation. He wanted to find Carly; she and Sonny were the closest he had to family. But he needed to find Elizabeth. Anytime he allowed himself to think that he would never see her… "We will. We'll find them both."

Sonny closed the door behind them, glancing at Francis again, and picked up the phone. "Hey. I need your help."

"So, I guess this is all about getting back at Sonny… you know, for "killing" you." Carly used air quotes as she spoke, glaring at Scully. He scared her out of her mind but there was no way she was going to let him know that. She needed to find out what he had planned for Sonny. She'd worry about escaping later.

His smile was slow and even, sending shivers of fear down her back. The guy was good at scaring the crap out of people. "What makes you think that this has anything to do with Corinthos?"

Elizabeth kneeled closer to the slit, seeing a flicker of confusion pass over Carly's face. She forced her breathing to quiet down, straining to hear what Scully or whatever his name was had said.

"I'm not an idiot by any means, Mr. –is it really Scully?" He nodded and she shook her head and continued. "Okay, if we have to be in each other's company, let's get a few things straight. I get that you're one scary dude and I should be more than cautious." Scully smiled in reply and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Believe me when I say, I'm more than aware of how dangerous you are. You, in turn, need to realize I'm neither helpless like Lily nor oblivious like Brenda."

Her eyes flickered past the closet, catching a movement inside, and her heart leapt into her throat. She played it off, not leaving her eyes on the closet for more than a split second. "Or oblivious like she pretended to be, anyway."

"I can see that, Ms. Benson."

"Good. Then no bullshitting… Why are you after Sonny?"

Scully shook his head, admiring this woman before him. If she wasn't the person she was and as young as his own daughter…

Elizabeth gently shook her foot awake and, ignoring the cramping in her legs, she rolled her neck to loosen the stiffness. She needed to get out of this damn closet. She leaned further back, resting on the wall, while she kept her eye on what she could see of Carly through the slit. Sulky or whatever his name was scaring the hell out of Carly as far as Elizabeth could tell. That wasn't a good sign.

Carly caught a quick glimpse of the same movement in the closet and her heart stopped. She was pretty sure she knew who was in there, and she couldn't decide if she would kill the girl or hug her when she got a chance. "Why are you staring at me? I think it's a good question, Mr. Scully."

Scully stared at her for a long second, then, motioning to Nathan, stood up to tower over her. "What makes you that Sonny is the one we want?" The taste of fear filled her throat and Carly shook her head, unwilling to comprehend.

"I…what…you want me?"

Scully smiled, cocking his head to the side. "You catch on quick, Caroline. Bring her into the backroom, Nat."

Carly considered struggling before realizing that if they left the room that would give Elizabeth…at least she hoped it was Elizabeth…the time to get out or form a plan. Her gaze flicked to the closet and she shook her head slightly, enough to make sure that whoever was in there, stayed there.

Carly adopted her best poker face and smiled up at Nat. "Yeah, big guy. Take me to the backroom." Her voice was tinged with bitterness as she glared at Scully. "I just love a little torture, don't you know."

Scully laugh faded as they moved further back into the plane. Elizabeth leaned her head on the wall, attempting to get her heart under control. She had to do something quickly. She heard some more movement and noted two men making their way from where they had taken Carly to the pilot's cabin.

"Man. That one was is gonna be tough to handle."

There was a stifled laugh. "Did you see poor Nat's face?"

"The sooner we get to Caracas, the better…"

The voices faded as quickly as they had come and Elizabeth let out the breath she'd been holding. Caracas. Venezuela. They were taking Carly to South America, but for what? She had what she needed, and now all she had to do was find a way to let Sonny know. She glanced at her surroundings, rolling her eyes, and snorted. That wouldn't be too hard to do for Rambo…

"Okay, Corinthos. There better be a damn good reason I got woken up from my drunken slumber and had to deal with this hangover, man. 'Cause if there isn't, I'm gonna have to kill you, pal." Luke stumbled into the penthouse, sunglasses on his eyes and a paper bag in his hand. "Wait…where's the kitchen?"

Sonny pointed in its direction and watched while Luke went in, hearing the clash of glasses, pots falling, and Luke's audible cursing, and watched as the older man came back out with an egg yolk in a glass. He took out a small bottle from the paper bag, poured it into the bag, and gulped it back in one swallow. He grimaced then, shuddering as the acrid liquid went down, and finally turned to Sonny. "Okay. What was the big deal? And, Corinthos, this had better be worth it, for your sake."

"Carly's been kidnapped."

There was a long beat while the two men, once the closest of friends, stared at one another. Luke shook his head. "I'm sorry. I thought you just said that Carly, my sister's only daughter, has been kidnapped." He slowly placed the glass on the table, his eyes focusing on Sonny. "I'm sure I heard that wrong."

"You didn't. She's gone, Luke."

Sonny felt the punch long before he saw it coming. He held his jaw, shaking his head to clear away the stars, before straightening and facing Luke. "Feel better?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah. A little." He rubbed his newly shaved head and laughed mirthlessly. "Shit. Barbara is going to lose it. Damn it, Sonny." Luke saw the pain in Sonny's eyes, the stress evident in his face, and sighed. "How you doing?"

Sonny shook his head. "I can't lose her, Luke. I…just can't." He shrugged at Luke's knowing glare. "I love her, man. She makes me…better." He watched his former partner and friend hesitate, then nod.

"Yeah. I know how that goes." Luke took off his jacket. "Okay, what's the plan?"

"Jason is down at the PCPD…"

"Whoa!" Luke held a hand up. "Cops? You called the cops. Corinthos, that's insane!"

"They got Elizabeth too, Luke. I can't hide that. We're trying to get a deal going with Mac. I sent Jason down there to get him and Justus is on his way."

Sonny's cell phone rang from the desk and he ran to it, picking it up as he did. "Hello?"

There was only static and Sonny met Luke's eyes. "Hello?"

"Sonny."

The voice was so low and soft, barely audible through the crackling line, that he thought he was imagining it. He paused and heard his name again. "Sonny?"

"Elizabeth?"

"Oh th…god. I don't…ow what I…one if this wasn't…umber."

Sonny could barely make out her words but he knew it was her. Before he could respond, Jason burst in the door with an angry-looking Mac on his heels. They both halted at Sonny and Luke's furious glances and agitated hand signals.

"Elizabeth, are you okay? I can barely make you out." There was silence for a moment, and then the static died down and he could make out some shuffling.

"Is this better? I moved some…the signal seemed stronger on this end."

"Elizabeth…is Carly okay? Are you hurt?"

"Let's see. I'm stuck in the utility closet on some scary mob guy's airplane, which is right now heading into South America, while they hold Carly hostage on some other part of this unbelievably huge plane where I can't see her. I'm peachy." She rubbed her face with her free hand, refusing to give in to tears. She was the only chance Carly might have. "Yeah, no. I'm not doing too good here, Sonny." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and remembering who she was talking to. This wasn't Sonny fault. She was the dumbass who'd gotten on the plane instead of letting Johnny handle it. "Sonny. I'm sorry. I'm just really scared right now."

She heard his soft sigh and felt horrible for having made him feel worse than he probably already did. "I'm sorry. I know this can't be easy for you."

"It's okay, Liz. I understand. Is…I mean…are you…did they do anything?" He knew the broken sentences weren't helpful, but he could barely think of the horrible things they could be doing to Carly, let alone say them.

Elizabeth sensed his fear and quickly reassured him. "Carly is fine." There was a touch of humor in her quivering voice. "She's given them a run for their money. I don't think they were prepared for her."

A whisper of a smile crossed Sonny's face and he saw Luke, Mac, and Jason relax slightly. "They're okay for the moment." He turned his attention back to the phone. "Elizabeth, do you have any idea where you're going?"

"Venezuela. Caracas, I think."

"Are you sure?"

"I heard two goons talking about it while I was hiding in the main cabin. Whoever is behind this is taking us there…some small ranch way in the forest. That's all I got." There was a thud and Sonny heard her curse softly.

Sonny met Jason's eyes. "What happened?" He listened to her soft muttering and was near panic when she finally responded. "Some stupid cleaning thing fell on my head. It doesn't matter. I don't know what to do now, Sonny. They took Carly into another room where I can't keep an eye on her to make sure they don't hurt her. Or, hell, the other way around."

Sonny motioned to Luke as he talked to Elizabeth. "Was there anything about the men that seemed memorable? Did you get a good look at any of them?" He took the pad and pen that Luke handed him, writing down notes to Mac as he spoke. His heart seemed to be at double time and his hand seemed to be keeping the beat. "A name? Anything?"

Elizabeth sighed. "I'm sorry, Sonny. I couldn't see anyone in this damn closet. Hold on." She stopped as she heard what she thought were footsteps, calming her breathing and listening intently. Silence. She waited another beat before speaking again. "I did get a name, though. I think I even heard it before."

Jason paced in front of Sonny, resisting the urge to grab the phone away from his friend. He was too angry and scared to make any sense right now, but he needed to hear her voice…

Sonny sensed Jason's thoughts and shook his head. "What's the name?"

"James…hold on…no…what the hell was I…shitshitshitshit…Joe…yeah! Joseph."

Sonny wrote down "Joseph" on the pad, tilting it so Mac, who was now at his side, could read it. "Is that it?"

"No, he said his last name. S…something…Scu….no…wait…I think it was Skull, maybe. Does that mean anything?" There was a long pause and Elizabeth feared she had lost her connection. "Sonny?"

The three men in the penthouse watched as Sonny's face drained of color. His voice shaking, he asked quietly, "Scully. Was it Joseph Scully?" Luke's eyes bulged and Mac threw his hands up in the air. Only Jason remained for the most part unaffected by Sonny's statement.

"Yes. That was it. Scully." Elizabeth shuddered at the name. "He scares the hell out of me, Sonny." She heard Sonny's curses and grimaced at the fear that laced his words.

"Elizabeth, I'm handing you over to Jason for a moment. You hang in there. We're going to get you both out of this."

"All right. I'll hang." There was a shuffle and she heard quiet breathing. She smiled despite her fear, sensing his worry over the line. "Hi, Jason."

"Hey. You okay?"

"I'm hanging." She knew he wanted to say a thousand things he couldn't get past his mouth, and she closed her eyes, her heart pounding in her ears. "It's nice to hear your voice. I thought I'd never…"

"Me too. I-- are you sure you're okay? "

Man of few words as always…"I'm fine. Listen, I need to tell you something." She felt the presence on the other side before they opened the door and spit the words out before it was too late. "Tell Sonny this wasn't about him. It's Carly they want." She paused as the door creaked open. "This is so not the right time but just in case…I love you, Jason."

There was a scuffle and Jason yelled at Sonny. "They found her! Elizabeth! Elizabeth!"

"Let GO!! Let me GO!! No!! Stop! Where…stop it!!" Elizabeth screamed his name. "JASON!"

The line went dead…