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Chapter 17

"Heads up." Ritchie whispered from his spot in the dense foliage of the park. They had guys stationed throughout the area. They had been in place for a few hours now, so that the local wildlife would have a chance to settle. Diego had proven himself to be a predator and unnatural silence would have him on alert.

"Stay sharp." Shawn said from his position near the place where Gina was standing. He could be by her side in a matter of seconds if it became necessary. Ideally only Jesse would enter that space, they didn't want to leave evidence, but Shawn wasn't going to sit still if she was in danger. "Gina, are you ready?"

She didn't speak, but nodded instead.

"He just passed me." Cooper radioed in from his spot. It was important that they know what direction Diego was approaching. They wanted him to come up behind Gina so that he didn't see her face until the last second.

Gina knew where Cooper was and turned slightly so that when Diego walked up she was facing away from him. There had been some concern that he would approach through the bushes, and maybe stumble across one of the guys. Georgie had assured them that he would walk right up the path. Diego's ego wouldn't let him hide. He really did think he was untouchable.

"You ready?" Shawn asked Jesse who was crouched down beside him.

"I am." The officer was nervous, but he wasn't going to let Shawn know that. If they pulled this off, not only would they stop the murders but Jesse was probably going to get a promotion. Maybe even to detective.

Shawn nodded and turned back to where Gina was standing.

For her part Gina was telling herself to stay loose. Sparring with Georgie had left her a little sore, O'Brien's girlfriend knew her stuff, but it had also gotten Gina's blood flowing. She wasn't being cocky thinking she would take Diego down by herself but a heightened sense of awareness in this situation was a good thing. She heard footsteps and instead of looking behind her where the noise came from she turned her head to the left and looked out of the corner of her eye. Standing there big as life was Diego. It was show time.

Diego smiled wide as he stepped from the path to the central clearing. He and Georgie had spent many an afternoon and evening sitting here talking. This was also the spot they met on that one night he had her all to himself. That was the night before Sam shot him. If it hadn't been for her then he and Georgie would already be a couple. He was glad to kill the meddling con artist. Now his girl was standing there waiting for him, and a gentleman never kept a woman waiting.

Quickly he crossed the opening removing a cloth from his pocket as he went. He had it up and over her lower face in a flash. While he trusted Georgie more than anyone, he wasn't letting her return to O'Brien. He also didn't have time to explain that to her. They were too exposed here in the park.

"Hold." Gina said as she pushed Diego's hand away. That was a message for the guys. She wasn't having them jump the gun. She had gotten a good whiff of the chloroform and was a little woozy, but she wasn't out of it. Her elbow came up and connected with Diego's solar plexus as she pivoted and slammed her left hand into his face. She wanted it clear that she fought back, the scene was going to convey just what they needed it to.

Diego realized he wasn't with Georgie just before he got slammed in the face. It never even occurred to him that she would set him up. He had been so sure that she was still his girl. Now he knew better, whoever this bitch in front of him was would die, then Robin, and before he left he was going to show Georgie the error in turning on him. He wouldn't even have to work hard to take the decoy out because she was dizzy from the drug. He pulled out his switchblade and popped open the knife.

The punch threw Gina off balance, and in this case that was a good thing. She tangled up her feet and went down just as Diego knife made an arc through the air. She was on the ground with her leg cocked back ready to kick him hard enough in the balls that his ancestors would feel it. At the last minute she remembered to scream. If anyone was in the area they wanted them to say they heard a woman yelling for help. While her shout was still echoing through the park someone said her attacker's name.

"Diego." Jesse said from his spot by the bushes.

Diego's head swung up and that was it. His life ended in a single heartbeat.

For the barest of seconds they made eye contact before Jesse's bullet landed right between Diego's eyes ending the killing spree. For a moment the murderer stood there and then he dropped to his knees before falling face first to the ground. "Are you okay?" Jesse asked kneeling beside Gina. She had been outstanding.

"I'm fine." She told the officer, and the guys listening. "I'm good. Nice shot."

"Thanks." Jesse said before pulling out his phone and calling it in "Empty the park." He said to Shawn after hanging up.

"Clear out." Shawn commanded from his spot just inside the trees. His eyes connected with Gina's and she nodded. Maybe sometime this week his blood pressure would drop. That had been terrifying and not just because he was attracted to the feisty brunette. They had witnessed what on another night would have been a life and death struggle.

"Take this to Shawn." Gina said sitting up and removing her earpiece.

Jesse tossed it to the former solider. They would be tracking footsteps in this area and he didn't want any moving in the wrong direction. He was going to say he heard the shout and ran through the bushes in the direction he thought it came from. Last year the police force had done team building in the woods upstate, Jesse had proven to have a heightened sense of direction and an intuitive tracking ability so the story would be believable.

With one last look at Gina, Shawn faded into the trees and made a beeline for his car. Francis would be waiting for a report. Gina was going to call when the hospital was finished giving her an exam. Shawn took a deep breath and told himself she could handle it.

"Ready for the next part?" Jesse asked as sirens started filling the night.

"Yeah." Gina told him. "I won't even have to pretend to be shaking." She would be glad when this night was over. Hopefully one of the guys had a cold beer waiting. She had earned it.

At the same time Diego was making his way down the path that would lead to his death, Johnny walked into the room Georgie had set up as her home office. "Hey, remember me mentioning a surprise this morning?"

"Yeah." She had figured work would keep her from watching the clock, but that wasn't proving to be the case. Instead she was watching the clock on her computer.

"Go get dressed." Johnny said tilting his head toward their bedroom.

"We're going out? This late? Aren't you waiting for a call?" Georgie was waiting too.

"Francis will call me on my cell." Johnny walked over and held out his hand. When his girlfriend took it he pulled her to her feet. "Go. There are clothes waiting for you on the bed." She had showered before putting on her pajamas back on. "You trust me right?" He asked with a sexy grin.

"With my life." Georgie didn't hesitate to answer. She got that he was trying to take her mind off of what was happening.

"I'll meet you in the living room." Johnny let her know. He had gotten changed out of his casual clothing into a suit earlier stating he might need to go out. Really he was just getting ready for this.

"I won't be long." Georgie said before heading up the hall. On the bed she found a garment bag from the boutique at the Metro Court. Inside that bag was a beautiful ivory silk blend knitted dress with a floral embellishment. There was also everything needed to complete the look. Including a velvet box with diamond drop earrings. She looked at the dress and butterflies rioted in her stomach. Pushing her curiosity aside she hung it up and pulled her t-shirt over her head. She wasn't going to make Johnny wait long, but she wasn't going to take five minutes like she originally expected.

Johnny was looking out the window when his phone buzzed. "O'Brien."

"It's done." Francis said reaching for his suit jacket. "Shawn is wearing a hole in the carpet in his unit waiting for Gina to call and say she is being discharged from the hospital." They were going to want her to stay, but she wasn't going to follow that advice. Because she inhaled chloroform she was going to need to be watched, Shawn had already volunteered to pull that duty.

"Thanks." Johnny said relaxing for the first time since they hatched this plan.

"We are heading out now." Francis told his friend. "See you there."

"You will." Johnny said before hanging up and turning around. The door to the bedroom had opened. "Wow, you look amazing." Like something from a dream.

"Thank you. This dress is stunning, and the shoes are incredible." Ivory lace to complement the design on the fabric. "So where are we going?" But she had a pretty good idea.

Johnny walked over and took both of her hands in his. "When Diane and Francis got married we had a talk and you told me you didn't want anything fancy. You wanted to run away in the middle of the night and get married under the stars. Do you remember that?"

"Yes." Georgie said blinking back tears. "I remember."

"Will you let me make that dream come true?" Johnny asked his girl. "Will you marry me under the stars tonight?" This summer had made him think about how precious life was, and how fleeting it could be. Too many lives had been cut short in past few months, he didn't want to waste a single minute more. He wanted the incredible woman who had his heart to have no doubt this was for a lifetime. He had planned to propose in the fall, but tonight was the night he wanted their future to begin.

"Yes." Georgie said softly.

"Good, because I kinda set some things up." Johnny laughed. "I had some help. Maxie picked up the dress for me, and she is acting as your bridesmaid."

"That's love right there." Georgie said laughing too. He had talked to her sister at least once. "Can we go now, or do we have to wait?"

"We should leave now." Johnny would tell her about Diego once they had exchanged vows.

They walked up the stairs of the large gazebo on the grounds of the Quartermaine estate. Waiting for them was Francis and Diane, Monica, Robin, and Maxie who was holding Georgie's bouquet. Spinelli was also in attendance and he was manning the video camera. Johnny knew his girl would want to share this with Liz.

They exchanged vows in a short but sweet ceremony performed by Father Ruiz. Georgie's eyes got wide when she saw the ring. An emerald cut diamond in halo setting. He had paired it with a platinum band set with a row of pave set round diamonds. There would be no mistaking that she was taken. For himself he had gone the more sedate route with a plain wide platinum band. At the end of the ceremony they were invited to kiss and she swore it was the sweetest kiss ever.

"I love you Dr. Georgianna O'Brien." Johnny said before kissing her again.

"I love you Jonathan O'Brien." She looked up into his eyes and saw forever. In other words everything she wanted.

"Morgan." Jason was leaning on the counter watching the boys eat breakfast.

"I have an update. Johnny is out of reach for the time being." Francis told his boss. The O'Briens were in their penthouse apartment ignoring everyone. They would take an official honeymoon at a later date.

"Is he alright? Did something go wrong? I wasn't expecting you to call this early." Jason wanted to know. The sun wouldn't even be up yet.

"He's good, I'll let him explain." Francis said sitting behind his desk. "Diego has been handled. He's also been tied to the several of the murders around town through preliminary forensics." The official court admissible results would be available in a few weeks. "So the TMK case is closed. You guys can come back whenever you want, but there is no rush." Francis was waiting for the morning edition of the paper to come. For the next few days, at least, the TMK would dominate the headlines.

"Good to know. Gina is okay?" Jason asked just checking.

"A little shook up, Diego got closer than we wanted, but she is fine." Francis would fill in the blanks when Jason returned home. "She is sleeping." Shawn was sacked out on the couch in her unit in case she needed anything.

"Okay." Jason would let that go for now. "I'll let you know what our travel plans are."

"You know where to find me." Francis said before hanging up and grabbing his coffee mug.

Jason didn't move because Elizabeth was coming over with Cameron's plate. "Things back home have settled down. The TMK was caught."

"Seriously?" Elizabeth said relieved that nightmare was over. "Was it someone local?" All the adults were listening.

"In a manner of speaking. It was Diego Alcazar." Jason passed along. He hadn't shared this with her before now. All the guys but Cody and Marco looked stunned.

"Diego?" Liz asked looking wide eyed at her fiance. "We need to go home. Today if possible."

"Why?" Jason wasn't expecting that response.

"I can't answer that, it would violate a promise I made." Liz knew Georgie's history with Diego, and those talks were confidential between the friends.

Jason didn't need to hear anything else. "I'll call the plane."

"I can help you pack, if Jason watches the boys." Nadine said standing up, she didn't know why they were leaving. She did recognize the sense of urgency coming from her friend. The boys had twice as much stuff as everyone else and would take the longest to get ready.

"Thanks." Liz said to Nadine. "Thank you." She said softly to her guy. He was trusting her on this. Liz was worried about how Diego resurfacing would affect Georgie. Even with him dead her friend was probably shook up.

"Go pack." Jason said reaching for his phone to make his calls.

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