Chapter Four

A feeling of unease shot down Johnny's spine once they were almost to the edge of the docks, near a Corinthos-Morgan warehouse. Seconds later, he knocked Georgie to the ground as gunshots rang through the darkness. Hearing Micah's sharp inhalation and then painful groan, he waited for Georgie to make a sound. When she remained silent and all he could hear was Francis and Morgan's footsteps thundering on the wooden planks, he pulled his glock out and prepared for the worst as more gunfire erupted through the night. "Georgie," he murmured, pulling her back into a corner. "Answer me! Are you okay?"

Her hand clutched his leather coat from behind and he could feel her trembling. Looking quickly over his shoulder, he cursed at seeing that her left hand was applying pressure to her side and covered in blood. Her expressive, dark eyes were glazed with pain. "Jesus," he breathed. "Come on, stay with me until we can get you out of here." He could see Francis rounding the crates when she slumped into him, her body going completely limp.

Jason fired in the direction of where the sniper had to be as Francis raced to the young woman that Johnny now had on the ground while he held pressure to her wound. From where he was partially hidden behind some crates, Jason could see that her other guard was down with a bullet wound in chest.

Needing to gage the extent of her injury, Johnny jerked Georgie's coat open and then carefully eased her shirt up enough to get a good look. "It's a through and through," he muttered, relief coating his voice. "I think she was more stunned than anything. She's gonna need sewed up but I don't think it's too bad."

"Thank God." Francis watched as she stirred a bit before turning his attention to his dead friend. "Micah is gone. One went straight through the heart."

More shots rang out and Jason returned fire while Francis also fired toward the dark building.

"Go! Get her back to the house. She can be treated there. Tell my partner that I am going to be dealing with the PCPD and arranging for Micah to be taken care of. I will get back there as soon as I can, but I want Georgie the hell out of here, Zacchara." Francis trailed off as several of the Zacchara employees arrived, having heard the chaos from where they had been unloading a shipment. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Johnny easily lifted a semi-conscious Georgie and was covered by his men as they slipped off the docks.

Jason moved closer to his onetime friend and saw his eyes narrowed in concentration. The ambush had immediately slacked off once the Zacchara heir had gotten Georgie away. The fact did not go unnoticed. "Damn it, Francis. What the hell is going on? She was lucky tonight that she wasn't killed."

Frustrated, he bent down and closed Micah's eyes before scanning the darkness once more as sirens wailed in the distance. Ignoring Jason's outburst, he asked a question of his own. He already knew the answer, but was praying that he was mistaken. "Did you recognize the men? I thought that I saw…"

"Manny Ruiz," Jason interrupted. "Care to explain why the Ruiz family is trying to murder Georgie Jones and moving in on my territory to do so?"

"He doesn't want her dead, Morgan. And that is the problem," Francis growled. "Manny is systematically taking out all her protection because he intends to take Georgie unharmed. I guarantee that the bullet that hit her was meant for Zacchara."

Understanding what Francis wasn't elaborating, Jason's face darkened. While confused about the entire situation concerning the youngest Jones girl, he knew that he would align his self with Francis to help protect her from that horror. Sonny had already been spouting off about her connection to the Alcazar's and what her being back now meant. The danger from Sonny was why he had approached Zacchara this evening, wanting a meeting with Francis. Now he was learning that another mob family, one of the most vicious in their world, was already attempting to harm her. "Once the inept cops leave, I think we need to lay all the cards on the table, Corelli. Elizabeth would never forgive me if I didn't help protect Georgie."

Cool hazel eyes assessed the enforcer. "Fine. You have a lot to catch up on though, Jason. Nothing you have been told is correct. You've been lied to for years."

He was interrupted from demanding an answer to that cryptic remark when Mac, Lucky, and Harper rushed onto the docks.

"Do not mention that Georgie was here!" Francis murmured before moving away and toward the angry police commissioner.

*****Break*****

Carrying the petite brunette across the living room while she insisted that she could walk, Johnny tightened his hold as she wiggled in his grasp. "Georgie, stop!" he told her adamantly but still in a soft voice. "Fighting me is only making you bleed more. You passed out. You aren't fine."

"You are overreacting." She hissed as a sharp pain robbed her of breath as he eased her onto the couch.

Giving her a knowing look, he lifted a dark eyebrow but remained silent as O'Brien hurried into the room.

"Jesus!" The dark expression on his face had Georgie swallowing when she saw the rage that he was not bothering to conceal.

"OB, it's not that bad. It painful, but I've been hurt worse," she tried to reassure him.

Opening the medical kit, he shook his head at her attempt to make light of her injury. "Georgianna, you were freakin shot. Micah is dead. You are damn lucky that Zacchara here has a level head on his shoulders since Francis was too busy speaking to Morgan. Bringing you back to this town was a mistake."

A tear escaped down her cheek at the mention of her friend's death. Brushing it away and then wincing as he started to clean the wound, she inhaled sharply. "Safety's an illusion, OB. We both know that, probably better than most. But I won't risk my son by staying here. I want to go back to Milan as soon as the meeting is over."

Stopping suddenly, he briefly met her eyes. They had tried to keep the news away from her until after the meeting tomorrow night, but now it was impossible. "The estate in Italy and the compound in South America were destroyed, Georgie. Everything is gone. Everyone is gone," he admitted painfully.

Knocking his hands away from where he was securing the bandage, she scrambled into a sitting position, ignoring the pain. "There were over a hundred men scattered between both properties, Johnny! You're wrong! There is no way!"

"He's correct, Georgie." Francis stood at the entrance of the room with Jason behind him, the former staring at the Irish man in disbelief. "You can't leave. You are in too much danger."

"From who? Corinthos and the man standing behind you?" she sneered. Struggling to her feet, she swayed but shoved away the two sets of hands that were close enough to try and get her to remain sitting. "I trust you as much as I would Sam McCall with my son and our security, Jason. Why are you did you bring him into my home, Francis?"

Francis dreaded telling her the news, but she had to be aware. The more informed that she was of the threat, the better they could protect her. Running a hand through his short hair, he exchanged a telling glance with his best friend before focusing on her. "It wasn't Sonny's or Jason's men on the pier, Georgie. It was Ruiz."

Georgie didn't flinch or even make a sound. The only indication that she had even heard the words was the narrowing of her eyes for a split second before she looked down, blocking all three men of reading what she was thinking.

The light footsteps approaching the room at a rapid pace caused her to shake her head to clear her mind. Her lips curved upward automatically as her sleep tousled baby boy scampered into the room. Biting her lip to keep from groaning as he hugged her tightly, she braced herself and slowly bent down. "What are you doing up, sweetie?"

Innocent dark eyes searched hers before he shook his head and wrapped his little arms around her neck. "Noisy."

Lowering her voice, she leaned close to him. "Let's get you tucked back in to bed. I'll stay with you until you fall back asleep."

"Let me carry him, Georgie."

She cast a disgusted look in Jason's direction. "I'll manage, O'Brien. Make sure that he," she inclined her toward Jason sharply, "finds his way off my property before I get back."

She started to try and lift Blake, but was stopped when Johnny bent down to the little boy's eye level, gaining his attention. "How 'bout a piggyback ride, Blake? Claudia told me that you love them."

Johnny carried the toddler up the stairs while keeping a close watch on his pale mother. He had known that there was no way that she could carry him but that she wouldn't admit it. Waiting until she had soothed Blake back to sleep, he stopped her in the hallway before she could escape into her own room.

"Before you go change, I want to talk to you."

"Look, Johnny, I really appreciate what you did for me tonight. You saved my life."

"Georgie, you don't have to thank me for that." He shoved his hands into his jean pockets to keep from reaching for her when she swayed a bit and leaned against the wall next to what he assumed was her bedroom door. "Claudia loves you like a sister and that little boy in there like a nephew. I don't know the entire story or the circumstances, but I do know that you are in over your head here. From what I have heard and researched, O'Brien is more than capable of running Lorenzo's business. But I think you need more security, especially after tonight what happened tonight," he added.

Needing to sit down, she moved past him to open her door but stumbled.

Unable to watch her struggle any longer, Johnny moved closer and carefully wrapped an arm around her, supporting her as they entered the room. When she didn't protest, he knew that the pain taking a heavy toll on her. Her eyes were glazed with it and she was shaking slightly.

"I hate this town," she muttered. "It only brings misery."

"Unfortunately I think that you're stuck being here."

"Come on, Johnny. You know as well I as I do that I have enough money to start over somewhere else." She hissed as sitting down caused pain to shot through her side. Digging her fingers into the bedspread to keep from crying, she took a deep breath. "Why do you care anyway? You can't expect me to honestly believe that all your help is because I am close to your sister."

Sitting next to her, he noticed her hands were clutching the material and that she was breathing raggedly. He got the feeling that most people took Georgie at the first impression that she portrayed. And while he did see the sweetness and compassion side too, he recognized the pain as well as the strength that she hid all too well. "At first it was because of Claudia. But now, well, I see why she respects you. Besides, we're a lot alike. I wanted nothing to do with this life either, Georgie. But just like I am, you are now stuck. No matter what you do from here on out, you will always be connected to the Alcazar holdings because of your relationship with Lorenzo's son, and more importantly because of Blake."

"I never dreamed that this, being in this position, would be the end result of getting involved with Diego."

"But you don't regret it." It wasn't a question. He could see that it was the truth.

Gingerly scooting back so that her back rested against the headboard, a faint smile curved her lips. "Not for a single second. I learned who I could count on when Diego died, and it wasn't my family. But I do wish that I could walk away from all this now that they are all gone. For a time I was convinced that I could. OB tried to warn me that it wouldn't be possible."

"There is no walking away when you are the heir to a family, like I was, or like Blake is." Johnny caught sight of the blood soaking through the bandage and onto her shirt. "You're bleeding again."

"It never stopped," she admitted sleepily.

The slurred words and the way that her eyes were unfocused caused him to curse. He lifted her ruined shirt just enough to reexamine the wound. He easily caught her hand as she tried to tug the shirt back into place. "Georgie, I'm gonna redress this." When she didn't acknowledge him, he looked up and saw that she was passed out. Exhaustion and pain lingered on her facial features. Sighing, he rose to find more bandages.

Finding Shane in the upstairs den next to Blake's room, he asked for a first aid kit. When the voices from downstairs escalated in volume, Shane grimaced as he handed him the kit.

"Do you need help? There is no way that I am going down there with those three tempers boiling over."

Johnny laughed. "Can't say that I blame you. But I can handle this. It's not the first gunshot that I have treated."

Shane nodded. He had been with the Alcazar's for years. Danger was a fact of life. "She need a doctor? The last time that she was hurt, we had problems getting her blood to clot."

Surprised, Johnny paused in the doorway. "What kind of injury? Another GSW?"

"Not quiet. She was stabbed," he admitted reluctantly. "Georgie almost died. I've seen a lot in my time, but finding her bleeding out, it was a nightmare. Lorenzo went nuts."

Processing that bit of information, Johnny tucked it away for now. Returning to her room, he studied the young woman for a minute before approaching the bed. There was something about her that intrigued him. From the minute she had walked over at the airport he had wondered about her. Shoving aside his curiosity, Johnny quickly applied another pressure dressing. When she whimpered, he ran his fingertips lightly over her smooth face, immediately calming her.

"Johnny, does she need stitches?"

Startled to see Elizabeth in the doorway with Francis, he nodded. "She's still bleeding pretty badly."

Elizabeth winced as she moved into the room. "Can you stay? I can sew her up, but I don't have any way to numb her. I'm going to need you to hold her." Her blue eyes looked back at one of her old friends. "Frannie, get back down there before OB and Jason kill one another for real."

When the older guard had left, Johnny eyed her with surprise. "Why are you here?"

She pulled on a pair of gloves and flinched at seeing the bullet wound before meeting his eyes. "Georgie and I were friends. I've worried about her since Diego died and she just up and vanished. Jason texted me on his way here. I know that she doesn't trust him, but he would never go after a woman, let alone her."

"Corinthos will."

Her eyes dimmed. "I know. But I also know that OB and Frannie will die to protect her. And from the way that your men are on the property, I would say that you aren't going to let that happen either, Johnny."