Chapter Six

"We are going to have to stop soon. We both need a hot meal and time out of this freakin car."

"Thank God. I was beginning to think that you weren't going to ever stop."

Logan looked at her out of the corner of his eye and immediately realized the problem. Georgie was bouncing in her seat, obviously unable to sit still and clearly uncomfortable. "Geez, Georgie, why didn't you just say that you had to go?"

Throwing him a frown, she wiggled a bit in her seat. "I would have if there had been any place to go. I haven't seen a damn gas station or store in hours, Logan."

"According to the signs, we are about thirty more minutes from a town." Noticing her bite her lip, he grinned. While he had no problem pissing in a field, he had a hard time imagining her liking that idea, but it was the only solution that he could offer. "I could always pull over if I find a spot with some coverage."

"I'll pass, thanks." Ignoring his snort, she arched her back to help relieve some of the cramping in the muscles from being in the car for so long. "God, I just want a meal that takes longer than five minutes to cook and a nice hot bath."

Choosing to not comment on the last part, he bit back a grin. "This Texas boy could sure use a steak."

"Steak, baked potato, and a salad."

"No salad for me. Add on a nice cold beer though." He grimaced as his stomach growled. "Now I am craving it. I hope the next town has a place to get it."

Fifteen minutes later, he spotted the sign for the approaching exit and slowed the small car down. "Keep your eyes peeled for hotel or a place to eat, Georgie girl."

Leaning close to Logan, she pointed at the hotel. "There is one, unless you want something less expensive."

"Money isn't the concern. Morgan handed me quiet a bit and I know how to get more if we run low. It's the procedures of the big hotels, darlin. They want credit cards and ID's. Being this close to Milan, I would rather just stay in a small chain. As long as it is clean, I am happy." Seeing her nod in understanding, he caught sight of a small hotel. "Let's get checked in here and you can do whatever you need to while I find out where we can get some red meat."

Entering the small room behind Logan, she wished that they could just go back home. This moving from place to place was not an adventure that she was enjoying. She would much rather be in the comfort of her hometown. But she had heard Logan ask if they should come back, and she trusted Jason to keep her safe, so she would do it his way.

Stopping, Logan turned and caught her as she stumbled into him. Seeing the faraway look in her eyes, he ran a fingertip down her cheek and tilted her face so that she was looking directly at him. "You go get freshened up, baby girl, and I will look at the phone book and see what exactly are our options on dinner." He waited until her eyes lost the haunted quality that he had observed before releasing her. As she skirted past him and to the attached bathroom, he closed his eyes and prayed that Morgan and the rest of the guys were close to ending this. After last night and then this morning, Logan knew that he was in deep trouble.

Deciding that they would just walk around the small streets until they found a place that appealed to them, he pulled his phone out and checked to see if they had missed any calls while on the country roads. Seeing the text from Jason, he shook his head. It seemed that the big, bad mobster had a weakness, a person that made him more human than most believed. Reading the text, he almost snorted. It seemed that Elizabeth Morgan was capable of giving orders too.

"Any news?"

"Elizabeth wants you to call her." Tossing her the phone when she held out her hand, he watched as she twisted her necklace and nibbled on her lip. "I'm gonna go get some fresh air while you call her. I will be right outside."

Waiting until she heard the door click close, Georgie exhaled and dialed. Hearing the worry and relief mixed together in her friend's voice when she answered, Georgie had to blink back the tears. "Hey. Logan said that you wanted me to call."

"Thank God! I have been so worried about you! How are you?"

"I'm alright, Elizabeth. Logan is keeping me safe. While I am exhausted from all the moving and traveling, we are staying safe and out of trouble."

"That is not what I meant, Georgie." Elizabeth paused and Georgie sat on the bed and picked at the frayed strings on her capri pants. "I was asking about you emotionally, Georgie. Jason told me that Johnny spotted Diego. You have to be having a hard dealing time with that."

Voice cracking, Georgie let her emotions go. "I thought that I could handle this, Liz, but now I am not so sure. I wanted to die when Logan told me that he was alive. Just hearing his name made me sick. I thought that it was all over, that it ended once he died. But he can't even stay dead!"

Recognizing the pain and turmoil, Elizabeth wished that there was something that she could say, but the truth was that no one could make the pain go away. "I know. When I overheard, I thought that Johnny had to be wrong, but he sent pictures. It really is Diego."

"It's a freakin nightmare, one that I wish I could wake up from! I made a mistake, a horrible one I admit, but how long am I suppose to pay for it, Liz? What more could he possibly want? I think that I would have been better off thinking that it was Luis. I wish that Logan had not told me the truth."

"Have you told Logan any of it?"

"No! And I am not going to! You can't either!" she practically screamed. Seeing Logan enter the room and look at her questioningly and with confusion, Georgie turned her back to the door. "Look, I am sorry. But that is my choice, Liz. I made my decision way before this, and I intend to stick with it."

Sadness tinged her voice as she sighed. "I know, and I do understand, Georgie. I just think that it will come out, no matter how hard you try to pretend otherwise. I know that it is probably getting late there. You can call me whenever you need. You are not alone anymore. You have lots of people that are willing to help you in amy way needed, Georgie. Hang in there."

"Thanks. Give the boys a hug for me."

"I will. You be safe, Georgie, and listen to Logan. Him and OB will keep you protected. I miss you, we all do."

Ending the call, she dropped the phone on the comforter and moaned as she ran her hands through her hair. Feeling Logan move up behind her, she turned and met his piercing stare. When he wiped away a tear from her lashes, she easily went into his arms and settled against his chest, taking comfort in the warmth of his arms.

Elizabeth switched off the speaker, then hung up the phone, and moved to stand in front of the fireplace, wrapping her arms around herself. She knew that he was watching her, but refused to acknowledge any of what he had overheard. But when he called her name softly, she turned and saw that he had heard enough. It was in his eyes. "It's not your call, Jase. You know that."

"Elizabeth..."

"NO. You take care of Diego and the threat that he poses to her now. That will do more than anything else ever could. Stay out of the rest of what you think you know, Jason. It is not your place to interfer or to know what happened in the past."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Walking hand in hand, Logan and Georgie explored the town's shops. She had been subdued since she had pushed him away and fled to the bathroom to pull herself together. While he had always kept his distance from her before, he had often watched her. And comparing all the things that he knew, Logan found it hard to even think that she was being overly emotional. He had seen her angry, happy, hurt, and sad in the past, and none of those situations compared to whatever she was trying to keep to herself now. While he really wanted to respect her privacy, he was beginning to think that pushing her to talk may help her, especially after she had lashed out at Elizabeth. They were often seen talking together or having lunch. It was common knowledge that the two were close, even with Maxie's hatred of the older brunette. So her snapping at the only woman that she could really talk with at the moment told him that it was likely that Elizabeth already knew about whatever was bothering Georgie and had tried to discuss it with her.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he frowned at the place that she was nodding to. "Hell, no! You have lost your mind, Georgie girl."

"I've been in bars before, Logan." Rolling her eyes, she gave him a knowing look. "You are the one that wanted a beer, not me. Do you wanna go in there or not? Because I am hungry and plan to eat sometime soon."

"You are a freakin brat!" Wrapping an arm around her waist, he guided her away from the loud bar. "I saw a little diner about a block over. I betcha they have a decent steak."

"Never thought you could be responsible, Logan," she snarked, half sneering, half laughing. " But I am impressed."

Bumping his hip into hers, he gave her a smug grin. "Honey, you have no idea how responsible I have been since we left. You really would be impressed."

"Huh?" Her brows wrinkled in confusion. "I know that you are helping me, Lo. I hope you know that I do appreciate you being here with me."

"No thanks are necessary, but that isn't what I meant." Feeling eyes on them, he slowed his steps as he scanned the crowd. While it was not a threatening sensation that he was picking up, Logan knew that any attention that they drew could be really bad for them in the long run.

The swift change in his body language caused her to also search the streets, instinctively knowing that he had picked up on something that she had not. She was just getting ready to shrug off the concern until her eyes met the emerald green orbs as a man stepped out from a shadowed area. Seeing him, Georgie squealed and broke free from Logan.

He could tell that she was instantly relaxed once she had made visual contact with the man that had been watching them. Letting her go, Logan watched as the older man caught her as she launched herself at him and smiled as she chattered in his ear. But Logan knew that O'Brien, who he was positive was this man, should have still been on Diego's trail. When their eyes connected, he knew that whatever was coming was bad.

"Sorry, kids. I assume that you were looking for a place to eat, but I really think that grabbing a couple pizzas and heading back to where you are staying would be better." Looking over Georgie's head, he met Logan's eyes and nodded. "I know that you already figured it out by Georgie's reaction, but I am Johnny O'Brien. Before we say much else, we need to be at the room that you are renting."

Without thinking, Georgie stepped back and linked her hand with Logan's. "Okay. We can pick some up food from the place across from the gardens that we passed."

Tucking away everything that he was picking up on, he mentally shook his head. How Elizabeth could be so damn right all time completely amazed him. Johnny shook his head once at Logan, who's eyes narrowed. "I will pick up the pizza and some drinks, Georgie. You and Logan head on back. I will meet you there in about thirty or so minutes."

"You know which room?" Logan asked.

The Irishman chuckled. "Yep, room 414."

"Cool. See you there." He waited for her to hug him again and then pulled Georgie close as they started back to the room. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that O'Brien was already lost in the crowd and nowhere to been seen.

"I thought that he was at least a couple days from showing up, Logan."

"I did too," he admitted. "So did Morgan last I talked with him." Feeling her shiver, he squeezed her side gently. "No matter what, you will be just fine, Georgie. I promise you that."

Ten minutes after they had entered their room, Logan was flipping through the channels while Georgie bathed and changed when Johnny waltzed into the room with three pizzas, a twelve pack of beer, and some sodas. After sitting the stuff in his arms on the small desk, Johnny studied the man that watched him with a bland expression.

"Where is Georgie?"

"She wanted to take a bath and change before she ate." Grabbing a beer from the table, he twisted the lid off. "Care to explain why you aren't watching Diego Alcazar at the moment. Unless the bastard is dead?"

Opening his own beer, Johnny grimaced. "I wish it had been that easy, I really do. I have a couple of men that I trust looking after him." Hearing the water start up again in the bathroom, he cast a sad look that way. "You have to get her as far away from him as you can, Logan."

"Wouldn't we better off if we just took him out?"

"I would love to, and trust me, I will before this is over, but I have to be able to get to him, Hayes. He is not exactly walking down the street unprotected. Anytime that he travels, it with at least ten armed guards and in amored vehicles. We will get him, but it will take time and patience." Lowering his voice, he leaned forward. "He is massing all the families that were loyal to Luis and his father here in Italy, asking for their help in keeping a watch out for Georgie, and trust me, they are numerous. He wants Georgie alive and unharmed. He is not planning to kill her. As far we can tell, he plans to keep her, almost like a fucking pet. All that we can gather points to him expanding his uncle's properties. It looks like Lorenzo is staying away at this time. But since he did somewhat warn Georgie, I would say that he does not approve of his son's actions." Seeing the rage, Johnny held up his hand to stop the explosion that he could see coming. "You cannot take her back to Port Charles either. He would decimate her family to get to her. But Italy is no longer safe. You have to leave and try and keep off the radar."

"And what will you be doing? Don't get me wrong, I will do anything to keep her safe and away from that psychopath. But why are you willing to send her off with only me?"

"Not exactly my favorite choice, Hayes." Johnny opened a box and grabbed a piece of the pizza. "Morgan wants me on Diego for now. I am one of the few that worked for that family at one time. We are hoping that I can pick up on a way in. But I can tell you that I won't be too far away from you. He is tracking her. His men usually end up about half a day behind you."

Logan snarled and tipped his beer back and drained it as the bathroom door opened. They both looked over to see Georgie exit the room dressed in sleep pants and a snug t-shirt. Her hair was still wet and hung in loose curls, barely reaching her shoulders. Offering them both a shy smile, she moved around the bed and grabbed a diet pepsi. Something set her off as she looked at O'Brien. Both men saw her eyes flash and then her expression go unnaturally sweet.

"So, I have a question, OB?"

Recognizing the same tone that Elizabeth had used when she planning something, he groaned. "You know, I always thought that you were a sweet kid, Georgie. But right now you are acting like Lizbits did before she would pull Francis and myself into a hell of a mess. So do me favor, cutie, just spit it out."

"Hmm, being compared to Elizabeth? I could do worse." Taking a slice of the pizza, she watched him as his eyes followed her wearily, but it was the pity that she detected that angered her. "But what I want to know is simple and relatively painless for you to answer. All I want is a yes or no. Can you do that for me?"

"If I can, but you know that there are somethings that I cannot discuss with you."

"Fair enough." Stopping and twisting her necklace a couple times, she finally raised her eyes. When they collided with his, Johnny wished that he had never agreed to this because he was certain about what was coming. "Did she tell you?"

Logan's head jerked up and looked between the two. He could see that O'Brien was not happy with the conversation and that Georgie was getting pissed. "Hey..."

"No, Logan, I want an answer. Let him answer. It is not a hard question."

"No, she never said a word. To be honest, I never thought that she knew." Seeing her pale, Johnny sighed. "I am paid to observe. Did you forget that I was working for Lorenzo at the time. Although I was trying to gain information for Corinthos, I still worked as a foot soldier, Georgie."

Moving away from him, she held up a hand. "Okay, I understand. Just stop, please." Taking a steadying breath, she picked at the cheese on the pizza in her hand. "Where are we going now?"

Unable to stop himself, Logan took her hand and pulled her down beside him on the bed. He could feel the shivers that were ever so lightly racking her body. Wanting answers, he was getting ready to demand them when he caught O'Brien's warning look. It was clear that the older guard was not willing to explain what he had just witnessed between the two.

"You and Hayes have to leave, Georgie. Getting out of Italy is the main goal. I have some more cash and a list of contacts for you to use in an emergency. You go wherever you want, except for Port Charles. He has a couple of men waiting there to grab you or a member of your family as soon as you go back home. Personally, I would say that France or Spain are your closest options. But then you have to keep moving."

"And you?"

"I already explained to Logan. I spoke with Morgan and updated him right before I met you in town. I am staying here, or wherever this bastards goes. I know how the men operate. It will be easier for me to stay on them than anyone else. I am dead, after all. But in the meantime, you two have to get the hell out of here at first light. The sooner you get out of Italy, the better." Tossing Logan another beer, he continued. "Jason wants daily check in calls. He also said that he would like to keep it just you two for now, especially while still in Italy and any other surrounding country. Too much attention and you are screwed. Right now, most people that will see you will assume that you are a young couple just traveling. You want to keep it like that, kids. You are less noticable if you are wrapped up in one another."

"Freaking fantastic. So we are suppose to parade around multiple countries and pretend that we are happily involved. Working for the mob sure doesn't make you very bright or original, huh!"

Both men looked at her and then each other.

"Georgie, I hate to break it to you, kid, but that is exactly what you have been doing. When I found you two earlier tonight, I would have assumed that you were just another young couple if I knew nothing about you." Johnny chuckled at her scowl. "Just do what you have been. We are working on everything else, kiddo."

"I think that I should start drinking. It might help my sanity," she muttered.

"Somehow, I doubt that your father would too pleased if you return home drinking all the time. I am sure that I would be blamed for that."

"Probably, but it's better than me going home in a freakin box or straight jacket."

Silence descended on the room. Figuring that he had done nothing but upset her since she had left the bathroom, Johnny stood and studied her for a couple seconds. He had not lied to her earlier. There was something special about her that reminded him of Elizabeth. They were both fighters and had a certain spark in their eyes. "Georgie, I know that you are strong and can do this. You just have to have faith that we are going to protect you." Taking an envelope out of his jacket pocket, he laid it on the desk. "Money, the list that I mentioned, and a couple of fake ID's for you two. Just stay on the move and make sure to keep in contact."

Being a bitch was never a strong point for her and she did not want it to start being now. Standing, she sighed as she hugged him goodbye. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"I understand, but he doesn't, Georgie. Cut him a break, kiddo. Try to stay positive. It will help." Kissing her cheek, he gave her a playful wink. Looking back at the younger man, he thought of the file that Jason had sent him. His skill level with most weapons was impressive, but it was the thinking on his feet that had stood out the most, especially in the military files. Hayes may have been considered hot tempered, but he was one of the few that could react correctly without thinking about. His instincts were well known already in the ranks of the men that he worked with. "Whatever means necessary, Hayes. We will move in and clean up any mess that you may have to make. And trust me when I say that the WSB will also cover your ass legally. Be out of here by eight tomorrow. Be careful and stay together, no matter what."