Ch 5

Jason walked into the coffee shop that he and Sonny had opened and there sat his protégée, Spinelli.

"Stone Cold, where have you been? Where is the small Stone-Cold one?" Spinelli asked.

"Spinelli, I don't really have time now. I need you to do something for me. I need all the information you can get on Christopher Mariucci and his business dealings. I need to know if there is any connection, paper trail or anything from Mariucci to Daniel Livingstone".

"But Stone Cold, what is this about? You know the jackel is always ready to give assistance and of course my cyber skills are strong, but where did this sudden emergency emerge from?"

"Spinelli, we don't have time to talk about this now. I need you to get on that thing and do whatever it is that you do. And I need it done NOW!"

Spinelli fell to his chair and began searching. He knew that Stone Cold only yelled like that when he was frustrated with a big problem.

Jason walked into Sonny's office without knocking. Sonny was sitting behind the desk on the phone with someone.

"I'm going to have to let you go. Yeah, Jason just walked in. Alright Carly, I will call you later", Sonny hung up and turned to Jason. "What's going on?"

Jason and Sonny had been friends for a long time and there were no pre-requisites needed for what Jason was about to say. "We need to make a move on Mariucci before he makes a move on us".

"What are you talking about Jason? Mariucci hasn't even shown any interest in us or any of our handlings. Why are you all of a sudden interested in Mariucci?" Sonny asked.

"He is after Keesha Ward and I think by an extension, us".

"Keesha Ward, what in the hell does she have to do with this?" Sonny asked. "When and where did you see Keesha?"

"She's back, she was at the Quartermaine's when I took Jake for a visit. She's in trouble, Sonny. It's bad. Mariucci is going after her for something, he wants something from her and she doesn't know what. Her husband got himself in way over his head on some deal with Mariucci. I don't know what, Keesha doesn't know what. But we need to find out, and soon. We need to stop him before he leaves three orphaned kids behind. He has already killed her husband and she is next. And once he is in Port Charles don't think for a minute that he isn't going to make a play for our territory".

Sonny sat back and took in everything that Jason said. It was true that Mariucci had left their territory alone, so far, but it wouldn't be long before he was making a play. And if he was coming to Port Charles to deal with Keesha Ward then that might be a perfect time for the new mobster to start messing with the Corinthos-Morgan organization.

"What do we know about the situation, so far?" Sonny said.

"Nothing, that's the problem. I've got Spinelli looking for any type of connection between Mariucci and Daniel Livingstone", Jason said.

"Livingstone?"

"Keesha's husband. His name was Daniel Livingstone, said she met him while she was taking care of her father in Philadelphia and then they moved to Cincinnati. She's been there for about nine years, I guess. Justus is about 8, so that makes since".

"Justus? Jase, what are you talking about?"

"Keesha has three kids. She named her oldest after Justus. Man Sonny, you should see him. He looks just like him. It's all in the eyes and the smile", Jason said with a smile remembering his older cousin.

Sonny shared the smile, thinking of his friend and lawyer.

"Sonny, I couldn't save Justus but I have to save Keesha. This is how we make up for Justus and how he died. This is also a chance for me to make up to Keesha for how I treated her. I know what you're thinking, you don't need to say anything. It just needs to be done. Mariucci is going after a house wife with three kids. This man is merciless".

Sonny shook his head in agreement.

"I'm gonna call Stan, see what he can find. I know you and Spinelli are tight and you trust him and all but I think it will be good to have them both on this", Sonny said. "Also, I'll contact some of our people in New York City and see what they know. Get down into the other boroughs and see if anyone has any useful information on Mariucci".

Sonny's demeanor changed as he thought about Justus again, and then Keesha. "So, how does she look?"

"Huh? Who?" Jason asked.

"Keesha, you know the love of Jason Quartermaine's life. How did she look when you saw her today?"

"Fine, good, I guess. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. You haven't seen her in years. You're not the same man you were back then. You've learned to trust and to love. And no matter how much you pushed her; she was resillent and she pushed back. She is a beautiful woman and the two of you still had a connection. It was different than her connection to Jason Q, but there was a connection. You can't deny that".

Jason shook his head. If anyone should know better it was Sonny.

"I don't know what you mean about a connection. She wanted him and I'm not him. There was no connection", Jason said emphatically.

"Jase, are kidding me? If there was no connection then why is it that when she called, you went running?"

"I never went running to Keesha".

"She didn't call you and ask you to come to the Q's?"

Jason shook his head yes.

"And did you go?" Sonny asked staring at his best friend.

"Yeah, so?" Jason said shrugging.

"Did she tell you what she wanted before you went? Or did you blindly go running to a house you hated to see a woman you 'hated' just because she asked?

"She didn't tell me what she wanted but I figured it had to be important for her to call me, so I went".

"Did you or did you not see her talking to Taggert one night at Jake's and try to 'warn' her to stay away from him?"

"Yeah, Sonny. You know I did all this, I told you. I don't see what this has to do with anything. I looked out for her a couple of times".

"You come in here talking about protecting her and you owing something to her and her kids. Jase, is it possible that there is something more than guilt involved?"

"Sonny, I don't really have time for this. We need to figure out what is going on. Keesha is in trouble. She is with my family right now making Emily the guardian of her children because she believes that she is going to be killed because of something that her husband got her into. Spinelli is on it and Stan will be too, soon. I want to know everything that you find out. I've got to go. I need to pick up Jake".

"Jason, this threat is real and we will work on it, but maybe while we're doing this you should think about what I said. You've had relationships and they don't work out for a reason. Its not you, its because you had… have one true love. You might have forgotten on a conscious level, but subconsciously you still feel something for Keesha. It's that feeling that makes you want to rescue her from whatever it is that threatens her. Think about it man".

Jason turned to leave. "Sonny, let's deal with the important things first. Even if I do… did have subconscious feelings for Keesha she wouldn't have anything to do with me. Even if I did, but I don't". With that sentiment Jason turned and left the room.