Chapter Six

"The mistake of you being alive could easily be rectified, O'Brien. You are incapable of handling the Alcazar Organization for Georgie Jones." Sonny gave a malicious grin. "How in the hell that weak girl has survived three years with connections to Lorenzo and Diego is beyond comprehension. Do you really think that she is strong enough to stick it out once things start heating up?"

Jason kept his face blank and neutral while inside he wanted to strangle Sonny. It may have been subtle, but every man standing there knew that he had just issued a threat against a young mother.

Johnny's face grew serious and his normally jovial eyes went flat with an undefined emotion. "Georgie Alcazar, not Jones, Sonny. And I can assure that you she is tougher and has more spunk than that bitch that you have married numerous times or her clone of a cousin that you were trying to use to get close to Zacchara." When Sonny eyes narrowed, Johnny laughed. "Yeah, it was pretty damn obvious that Lulu was after any information that she could get. Zacchara was always careful to never take any calls or meet with anyone while she was around. As for me running things, I helped you stay afloat in this world every single time that you had a mental breakdown. Unlike you though, most of the families respect me, Corelli, and even Georgie is adored by Vincent Begotti, not to mention her close association with Zacchara's older sister. Don't make threats that you can't back up, Sonny. I won't hesitate to protect Georgie and her son by any means necessary. If you are dumb enough to think that working with Ruiz is a good idea, I have no qualms of going after women too. Weigh your choices carefully. This is the only warning that I will give. Anything else that you have to discuss with us can be done at the meeting with Begotti tomorrow. You've wasted enough of my time."

Francis watched as his friend turned and strolled away like he didn't have a care in the world. Sonny stomped back to his limo, muttering to himself. Making sure that both were out of hearing range, he gave Jason a minute to process everything. "Your best friend and partner is working with a psychotic bastard. What you saw on the pier the other night, he helped to arrange that. He's known all along about Georgie and Blake. He wants them out of his way. Maybe you should think real closely about your loyalty to a man that would help Manny Ruiz. And you might want to think back on the order that you were given to take O'Brien out. Ask around to those that were in the know back then, Morgan. Corinthos has been playing you from day one."

"I'll get him under control. Women and children are off limits, protected. He knows that."

"Really? You think that you can accomplish that? He already has given Ruiz money. Zacchara started uncovered the transactions. They were sloppy. The money trail was not hidden at all. Arrogance kills, Jason. We won't take a risk with Georgie and her son, Morgan." Looking closely and seeing the shadow of doubt, Francis rolled his eyes. "Believe what you want, Jason. You've been used for years. Think about your options and decide if Sonny is manipulating you, using your past friendship. Johnny is chomping at the bit to get a hold of you anyway. Tell Lizzie thank you for last night," he added before following in O'Brien's footsteps. Getting into the car, he tossed Johnny the recorder so that he could hear the conversation. "I tried, but ultimately, it's his choice to accept the facts."

"For Elizabeth's sake, he'd better. I owe him an ass kicking already. I don't want to be responsible for killing him for one reason only. Liz would never forgive either one of us. I hope it doesn't come to that, but we'll face that if we have to. I'm more concerned about Ruiz. While both he and Sonny are a threat, Manny is the one that is more dangerous to Georgie. Zacchara is focusing on him. I need you to listen closely for anything connected to C&M. I don't believe in second chances anymore, Francis. Not with Georgie and Blake at stake."

Claudia clicked off the recorder and moved over to the fireplace while keeping her eyes averted from her brother's furious expression after listening to the tape. Instead she turned to the other man that was sitting behind the desk. "This is a nightmare, John. Maybe I should take her to Uncle Rudy's until some of the problems are dealt with."

"Absolutely not going to happen. Georgie and Blake are my responsibility. I have been with her since she stepped off that plane after burying Diego and had her family turn their backs on her."

"Think about it at least, John. She should be given the choice."

"There's nothing to think about. It's not an option."

"Claudia, I agree that sending them away is the wrong way to go. It will show a sign of weakness, implying that O'Brien and Corelli are admitting that they cannot keep her safe."

"I don't care about that!" she bit out. "I want Georgie and Blake alive and unharmed."

"You'd also regret it if something happened to them because they left," Johnny argued with her. "O'Brien is correct in what he is doing, Claudia. Fear and weakness are two things that will get you killed in this life. You know that. Stop thinking like her best friend for a couple minutes and look at the larger picture. It doesn't matter if Georgie and Blake are here, Italy, or any other country. It won't change who they are."

Francis entered the study and headed straight for the liquor cabinet. Pouring some whiskey into a glass, he turned and pointed toward the stairs. "Have you explained to her what happened last night, OB?"

Thrown by the aggravated tone, he shook his head. "No. She deliberately avoided me this morning after breakfast. Why? I thought she was spending the morning with Blake until she left to go meet up with Maxie and Mac."

Slamming the crystal glass down, Francis growled. "She's been on the phone with Lucca for the last forty minutes. When I tried to get her to tell me what she was doing, she locked herself in her room. Shane is the one that admitted to who she had called."

"She called him yesterday too. I thought that he was one your guys."

"Damn it! What the hell is she up to?" Johnny demanded as he stood. "Has she mentioned planning to leave, Francis?"

"No, but it makes sense. With Micah dying, especially after she insisted on getting out of the house that night, it had to have hit her harder than she is showing. OB, they were extremely close."

Johnny looked between the two men. "So who is Lucca and how does he factor in?"

"He was Lorenzo's main enforcer for his operations in Brazil. He also happened to have been close tight with Diego. Georgie leaned heavily on him after Diego died. But after the situation when we were visiting South America last year, he asked to be taken off her security detail. Lucca was the one with Georgie when all hell broke loose. He blames himself for what she went through." Johnny started to pace behind the desk. "If she trusts anyone more than us, it would be him. She never once felt that he was at fault."

"Georgie even attempted to talk him into staying," Francis added.

"Couldn't she be calling him to tell him Micah's funeral arrangements?" Claudia asked.

"Considering that Micah hated his guts, I doubt it," Francis retorted dryly. "No one knows the whole story there, but trust me when I say that Lucca won't miss any sleep over his death. Micah was very verbal about blaming him. He almost killed Lucca while Georgie was missing. It was bad."

Blake skidded into the room, causing the conversation to halt, and threw himself at Claudia. "Hiya!"

Picking the little rascal up and ruffling his hair, she kissed his forehead. "Whatcha been up to, buddy?"

"Playing." He twirled a piece of her long black hair in his fingers as he rested his head on her shoulder.

"Blake, where is your mommy?"

"Uptairs with Shane. I wanna goes with her today," he pouted.

"Not today, Blake." Breezing into the room, Georgie sat on the couch to pull on her boots while arching her eyebrows at her son. "And I believe that you are supposed to be helping search for Nala. I'm not going to be happy if I find her in my room, Blake. You'd better march your little butt right back up the stairs and help Shane find her."

Shuddering, Claudia put him down. "I agree with your mom, trouble maker. The last time that I saw Nala I almost peed my pants."

"But yous always in skirts." Blake wrinkled his nose in confusion.

The three men snickered while Georgie hid her own chuckle with a cough. "Cadeon Blake Alcazar, go find that thing that you and OB call a pet, right now. If Shane has to search Nala out alone, she's going to a zoo." Waiting until he shot through the archway in a dead run, she tossed one of throw pillows at Johnny's head. "I swear to God, OB, if that snake isn't back in her cage by the time that I go to bed tonight, I am going to the hotel until it's found. And since you bought it after I specifically said no to having it in my house, I will take Frannie with me and leave you with Blake. Find your boa constrictor, O'Brien, or I will let Shane kill it like he's been begging to."

"It's a simple snake, Georgie. Don't be so dramatic."

"It's an eight foot snake, John. She's not being dramatic." Claudia had goose bumps even thinking about the reptile loose in the large house.

"I'm not kidding, OB. I've had nightmares since you bought Nala. If she isn't back in her enclosure by the time that I get back, I'm not staying here."

*****Break*****

Chuckling at the slight pout on her face over taking one of the SUVs instead of her Porsche, Johnny helped Georgie into the back of the vehicle. While Claudia had intended to go too, she had given into Blake request that she stay after he had started to cry at being left behind. None of the men were thrilled with the deviation of the original arrangement, but Georgie and Claudia had both hated to disappoint the upset tyke.

"I despise these vehicles."

"Sorry. We could've taken my car since it does have bullet proof glass and some armored protection, but I will feel more comfortable with a guard driving and being available."

Georgie sighed. "You're as bad as OB and Francis."

Johnny smirked. "And I have a feeling that you tend to make keeping you safe more complicated than it needs to be."

"Because I like being independent? That isn't going to change anytime soon."

Tabling the discussion as they parked outside of Kelly's, Johnny started to open the door but caught the glimpse of pain in her large brown eyes. Reaching for her hand, he laced his fingers with hers. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"

"Not really, but I need to." Sliding out of the vehicle, she started to shake free of his hand, but he only squeezed her hand comfortingly while ushering her toward the doors. "Fair warning, you're probably going to be insulted."

Johnny winked playfully. "Don't sweat it."

Entering Kelly's and looking around, Georgie heard the gasp just before she was knocked off balance by Maxie's momentum as she leapt at her. Johnny caught Georgie around the waist and steadied her as she stumbled and almost fell.

"Oh my God! You have no idea how much I have missed you! I've had Spinelli searching for you for months, Georgie! You just vanished and I was terrified that…"

"Maxie, enough!" Georgie edged back more as the petite blond took another step, only stopping when her back hit Johnny's chest. Instinctively moving away from him, she frowned at the way that her heart rate had accelerated. "Don't touch me, Maxie. Let's sit down and we can talk."

Blinking back tears, Maxie led them to a table tucked into the back corner. Suspiciously glancing at Johnny, she bit her tongue to keep from demanding to know why he was there with her baby sister. The cold disdain that she heard in Georgie's voice hurt, but she knew it was deserved. She didn't want to make the distance worse between them by asking too many questions. "Um, thanks for meeting me."

"Do you me to wait for you at the counter?"

Maxie raised an eyebrow when Georgie shook her head. As far as she knew, Lorenzo had not been in business with Zacchara's, so it was weird to see her sister so relaxed with Johnny.

"You're fine. After the other night, you'd probably get killed if you did and the guys heard about it." Focusing on her sister, she scanned the room before asking, "Where is Mac?"

Maxie's head dropped and her eyes flashed. "He refused to come."

"I wish I could say I'm surprised, but I kinda expected that reaction. I had hoped that he would've accepted things by now."

"He hasn't said too much around me, but I know that he heard you were escorted back into the country by Alcazar guards." Licking her lips, Maxie sighed. "I really am trying to be patient, Georgie, but please tell me about my niece or nephew."

Johnny watched as Georgie's lost her neutral expression and some of her control faded. The two sisters were polar opposites in looks and personality, but it was clear that at one time a close bond had existed and that bond had been destroyed. Johnny knew that whatever Maxie had done in the past had created damage that she was now trying to repair. It also did not escape his notice that Georgie had been resigned that the police commissioner had not accepted the way that she had chosen to live her life. The strength and courage that it must have taken her to stand up for herself was impressive.

"Why? You begged me to have an abortion when you heard that I was pregnant." Maxie gulped uncomfortably. "I have a son, Maxie. You wanted nothing to do with him. Remember? You and Mac both were adamant about that."

"I regretted it as soon as you left, Georgie! You just up and walked away, never looking back. I didn't have the chance to apologize." Nervously playing with the spoon beside her coffee cup, Maxie looked between Georgie and Johnny. "Maybe we should talk alone. No offense, Johnny."

"He can't leave. OB and Francis had meetings today. He's here instead of them. Besides, I'm not ashamed of any of my decisions, Maxie. Or are you afraid that you will end up insulting Johnny and coming across as a hypocrite? Let's see….Coop is a cop and we all know how you like the boys in blue. But you had to self-destruct to see if he would still accept you, hence Logan Hayes. Conveniently he is an employee for Corinthos and Morgan. Then you struck up a friendship with Damien Spinelli. From what I heard, he lived in Jason's penthouse."

"But you deserved more out of life! You always did, Georgie! Getting with Diego on the rebound from Dillon screwed up your entire life!"

"Do you really think that Dillon and I were going to last, Maxie? And to be honest, when he slept with Lulu, I was fighting to stay away from Diego. We were gonna end up together. The pull was too strong to ignore. The only difference is that I have enough class and self-respect that I would've divorced Dillon where he just took what was offered."

"But you would've walked away eventually if you hadn't gotten pregnant, Georgie. Now you will always be associated with that family."

"Life is a never ending mystery, Maxie. I don't think that I'd have walked away, but you never know. I can tell you that when I married him, I sure didn't expect to be raising our son without him."

"You married that piece of shit?" Maxie screeched. "Jesus! Did you lose your mind?"

Standing, Georgie sadly studied her. "Just couldn't keep up the act, huh. Pretending that you cared must have been painful. You've never cared about anything except yourself. Whose idea was it to look for me? Did you think of it? Or was it your pal, Sam? She sold information you told her about the Alcazar holdings, Maxie. My guess is that you helped her by telling what you already knew. Your hatred of Diego, it may have been founded, but you did that after he was dead. I was the one that paid for you running your mouth. Thanks a lot, sis. I really appreciated it."

Getting a sick feeling in his gut, Johnny watched as Maxie blanched and started to reach for Georgie. Capturing her hand, he met her tear filled eyes. "Keep your distance, Maxie. If Georgie wants to see you, she'll let you know." Releasing her, he shot her one last dark look before maneuvering Georgie through the diner. Motioning for the guard, he remained silent as she turned toward the piers instead of the SUV.