….I do not own GH or the characters. No copy write infringement intended…
Chapter Twenty-Four
Mac knew it was wrong but as he dispassionately observed the corner zipping up the body bag around Michael Sonny Corinthos' lifeless body, all he felt was relief. In an ironic twist, justice finally prevailed over the man that had systematically tried his best to destroy Port Charles and all its citizens. In a way Mac felt bad that Taggart resided elsewhere. The former detective had slaved away with his nose to the grind year after year trying to build a case against the Cuban. A prison sentence the ultimate goal, Mac believed that Taggart would have accepted this fate with open arms as well.
An anonymous telephone tip of a dead body in a room registered to Michael Smith had been reported almost two hours earlier. When the responding officer had notified him that the deceased was actually Corinthos, Mac had rejoiced at the man finally no longer being able to create problems or threaten anyone. Now the PCPD just needed to find out who had known the ex-mobster had returned. He seriously doubted that Morgan or Zacchara helped him sneak into town undetected. The blow up between Sonny and Jason had been ugly and public, not kept out of the public eye at all, and it was no secret that John Zacchara and the deceased hated one another with a passion.
Silently admitting that he was relieved by that, Mac dreaded the day that he would have to go after Georgie's new husband. He feared his youngest daughter may not be able to think logically and not lash out if he ever did have cause to arrest Zacchara. Her mysterious return was easily the best day of his life, but the woman that returned was not the same person that had been taken. Glimpses of the old Georgie cracked through her shell sporadically but only for brief minutes at a time.
"Commissioner," Harper cleared his throat, interrupting his musings. "Tech reviewed the video surveillance and you aren't gonna believe what they found."
Trying not to build up hope, he waved the detective on.
"Mrs. Jacks entered the suite late last night and then left almost an hour and a half before the call came in. No other individuals, guests or staff, entered the premises until Officer Hamilton arrived."
Anticipating finally nailing the blond female version of Corinthos, a feral grin spread slowly over the commissioners tired features. "Well then, I'd say that we need to pick Mrs. Jacks up and let her bury herself in lies. This might just turn out not to be another day of hell."
Harper smothered a laugh but his face lost all traces of humor when the corner asked about next of kin information. "I'll go pick up the witch. Are you going to break the news to Dante?"
Mac grimaced but nodded. While having no respect or feelings of remorse at Sonny's death, he did feel for Dante. No matter how much he fought with his father in the past, he had been his blood. He also needed to contact Sonny's latest wife, Kate. "Damn," he groaned as he gave one last look around the room before leaving the crime scene.
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Fidgeting restlessly, Maxie stared blankly at the ships passing by on their way to unload cargo. "I think I'm being punished for all my past sins, Dillon. Georgie's back but so different, aloof even. Then I find out that I'm knocked up and Coop's been acting weird." Ignoring the tears falling, she sadly shrugged in defeat. "Everything should be great, perfect even. But instead of enjoying getting everything that I prayed for, I've never felt so alone."
"Oh, Max, you're not alone. Maybe Cooper just needs time to adjust to all the changes or work's been especially stressful lately." It sounded weak to his own ears but Dillon wasn't sure what to say. He barely knew Cooper. "Give Georgie time to adjust. Just don't let that criminal that she married isolate her more than she already has on her own."
"Dillon, I don't want to hurt you, not after how great you've been to me lately. You let me rant, cry, and basically just wallow while being nothing but supportive even after I've been nothing but a bitch to you for years." Taking his hand, Maxie compassionately squeezed it. "But she's happy with Johnny, Dil, really happy. And he's great with Baylor. Diego being her father doesn't affect the way he treats Georgie's daughter at all."
Jaw dropping, he blinked, unable to form words.
"Shit! I thought you would have heard by now. Sorry. I never would've just sprung it on you like that on purpose. I know Diego is a touchy subject for you."
Gut churning he waved away her apology but confusion reigned in his head. "Diego and Georgie? I guess it makes sense in a warped, twisted way because we all know he didn't strangle her like he did the others."
"We should've known he didn't kill Georgie. Diego did his best to convince her that he was a good guy, trying to steal her from you. No way would he physical harm her." Maxie picked at her manicured nails. "But back to the point, I don't want you to get your hopes set on a reconciliation with my sister that will never happen. Johnny and Georgie, while it happened extremely fast, appear to be happy."
"I guess Georgie's stuck in that lifestyle from now on, anyway, with her daughter needing guards because she had a child with that murderer."
Maxie flinch and stepped away from him, giving him a hard look. "You hated Diego. I get that. Hell, I hate him too. But my niece is perfect, sweet, and completely adorable. Don't go there, Dil," she warned while cursing her hormones when her eyes watered.
"I'm sorry. You're right. That child is just another victim of that sick freak." Blowing out a breath, he motioned to the bench that they had been sitting on earlier. "Give yourself a break though, Maxie. Just focus on getting through Lucas's funeral tomorrow and then take things as they come." He paused and looked down. "I still can't believe he's gone."
"I know. Lucas was such a great guy." Sniffling, she ran her shirtsleeve over her wet face. "Everything's changing. Lucas is gone. Georgie's back but not really because she's not our Georgie. Coop, God, I don't even know what he's thinking anymore!"
Her sobs pulled at his heartstrings and Dillon enfolded her into hug, holding her while she sobbed as his own head swam with the information he'd learned. Maxie was right. Everything was different and it would never be the same again. He missed his teenage years, back when his friend was still alive and everything was simpler.
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Johnny slammed the door with enough force for the sound to echo throughout the sparsely furnished house. Tossing his blood stained gloves into the unlit fireplace, he suddenly slammed a balled up fist into the wall, practically vibrating with the urge to end this tonight. The only thing stopping him was hearing Georgie's one request. Her trust and faith in him to handle the entire situation had shocked him. He'd expected her to try and at least save Spinelli's worthless life.
The door to where Cooper was being held opened again and Jason quietly shut it behind him, his face unreadable. "How did he hide how sick he is? I can't believe we all missed it."
The question was rhetorical, Johnny knew that, but he still growled. "He ranks right up there with my father."
"Hell, John, I didn't think it was possible, but Barrett may be worse. Convince her to just let us do what needs to be done. Georgie doesn't need to be subjected to hearing the crap he's saying."
"If I could I would. She needs to hear his reasoning, otherwise it'll continue to fester inside her. But I'll be in there with her, attempting to keep some of those subjects from coming up. She isn't getting to speak to either of them until after her brother is buried tomorrow, so we need to arrange for men to be placed here." Kicking at the plaster that had fallen to the floor, he caught sight of the time and knew they needed to head back soon. "Tomorrow will be hard enough without this shit hanging over head. Extra guards will be at the church tomorrow but with what Patrick told you the other night, I'm still leery that Anna and Frisco will attempt something."
"At least Sonny no longer is an issue and Carly will be arrested soon."
He chuckled. "Your pal O'Brien sure has a devious mind. What him and Corelli pulled was a thing of beauty by placing blame directly on Carly. At first I worried that people would suspect Liz of being involved with the use of the pharmaceutics they chose, but I had forgot that Bobbie was Carly's mother."
"Johnny O'Brien's been waiting for his chance at revenge for a very long time. Him and Francis possess two of the best analytic minds I ever worked with. I need to talk to you about them anyway. O'Brien's gonna take the position of enforcer now that he's back. Sarah's getting everything settled in Ireland and then joining him in a couple weeks. "
"And Corelli?"
"That's the part I wanted to discuss with you. He's offered to take over as head of Georgie and Baylor's security if you need him."
Johnny's surprise caused his eyebrows to rise. "Isn't he a bit better suited to help run the territories? Besides, I'm thinking of giving that to Hayes. His actions the other night, well, not many would've turned on a man that they considered a brother. Without him Barrett might have succeeded in snatching Bay for my father."
"I agree. I just didn't know if your two's past conflict over Lulu would sway your decision."
Rolling his eyes at how stupid he'd been over the whiny blond, Johnny lit the fireplace and stared at the flames as they caught on the leather gloves. "Naw. I look back now realize that we both were just caught up in the games that she loved so much. Logan matured too. If he gave up Barrett I have no doubt that he'll protect them with his life. But about Corelli, I'm gonna need someone to help with the fallout once it gets out about the Jerome connections. He was around back then. I thought he'd be best since he knows several of the older men connected to that time period."
Jason fished the keys out of his pockets. "Francis has concerns about how messy that's going to be. You're right. He's still respected in that circle." Stopping and looking back at the younger man, his piercing gaze settled on Zacchara's. "About Alcazar, there's a possibility that he could want his family's business holdings returned."
"Whatever. Those properties were not the reason I stepped into the middle of this clusterfuck. If it had been anyone besides Georgie, I might have tried to help but not to the same degree. I knew as soon as I laid eyes on her at GH, Morgan. Diego can have the damn remnants of Lorenzo's organization."
"And Georgie?" Jason wanted to know.
Johnny's eyes hardened, growing dark with emotions. "Letting her walk away isn't an option for me, Jason."
Rubbing the back of his neck as flashes of Elizabeth choosing Lucky over and over in the past bombarded his brain, Jason hissed in frustration and snapped back to the conversation at hand. "You need to be prepared, John. Georgie and Diego always had a connection that no one understood or accepted. She may not have cheated on Dillon physically, but she might as well. Even after Lulu admitted that she'd lied to Dillon, he said Georgie was guilty of carrying on an emotional affair." Seeing that he had Johnny's attention, he pinched the bridge of his nose while trying to phrase his words carefully. "You didn't know Georgie back then. She always, and I mean always did the right thing, wanting to not upset anyone. People called her the perfect Jones sister for a reason. And then she blatantly ignored everyone telling her to stay away from Diego, going as far to risk her marriage and friendships for him. He's the father of her daughter, Johnny. I'm not implying or saying to let her go. You care about her. I saw that before you ever married her. All I am doing is trying to warn you that this could get complicated and ugly. She stayed with him for over six months while her family mourned her. Georgie could have come home and faced the danger that the WSB started with her friends and family, like Mac. But she didn't do that. Instead she placed all her faith in Diego."
"I'm not stupid, Morgan!" he snarled, his entire body rigid. "I know that she loved him even if she never said it or admitted it to herself. But letting her walk away without a fight isn't happening. I won't do that. My entire life I never expected to fall in love, Jason, but then she and Baylor blew that plan out of the water. I'm not you. I won't stand aside and just watch the woman that I'd do anything for walk into the arms of another man, unless she can look me in the eye and tell me that she wants him more."
"Good," he stated, causing Johnny to tilt his head at him, trying to process what Jason was up to. "My biggest regret is not fighting for Elizabeth back when Spencer returned after Helena brainwashed him. Don't make my same mistakes, John, and don't keep her in the dark about what you feel. Right now it's not real to her that he's alive. It's just words from two men that hurt her, lied to her. But when she lays eyes on him, it will become real. That's when your fight will start, not now. Until then, use this time with her to make her see what she means to you."
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Carly's heart pounded in her chest painfully, her breath coming in short little gasps. Bowing her head to keep her eyes averted from the officers and her husband, she frantically tried to figure out what had happened. Sonny couldn't be dead! She always thought of him being untouchable, invincible! This was all that pale faced bitch's fault! If Jason hadn't been tricked by her into turning on his true family none of this would have happened!
"Are you sure that it's Sonny? He was on his island last I heard," she lied, her voice containing just the right amount of doubt and tears.
Harper cast Jax a sympathetic look before blowing her charade apart. "Mrs. Jacks, the video cameras on that floor caught you entering his suite late last night and not leaving until this morning. We know that you had contact with Mr. Corinthos."
Jax's hands curled into fists as he absorbed the words, recalling how his wife had told him that she'd spent the night with her mother who supposedly had been sick. He had believed that Carly had finally put an end to the unhealthy dependency that she and Sonny thrived on. Scraping back his chair, Jax unfolded his long legs and gave her a disgusted look. "I'm done, Carly. You promised, swore, that you were going to place the boys and our daughter first from now on. Now I hear that you spent the night with him! I'm not fighting his memory for you. It's not worth it. You'll never let him go."
"Jax! No! Please, I need you! Sonny's dead! The boys need you!"
"I'll always be there for Michael and Morgan, just like they were my own. Those boys deserve at least one adult figure that cares for them without trying to find a way to use them for their own gain." Unwinding her fingers from his arm, he wondered how it had come to this point. No matter how much he loved her, he wouldn't play the sick games anymore. "Do us both a favor and sign the divorce papers when Alexis gets them ready. I won't continue to be your fool, the third choice. First you attacked Elizabeth at GH, almost causing her to miscarry. Now I learn that you've been sleeping with Sonny again. You gambled and lost everything. Hope you enjoy having nothing."
Hearing the tramp's name made her see red. "Elizabeth!" she spat in disgust. "She's the cause of all this! Every freaking man in this damn town coddles that whore and refuses to see that she's nothing but a user!"
Harper sighed while Jax refused to be sucked back into the same old argument. He stalked out of the interrogation room and straight over to Mac. "Are you holding her?"
The commissioner felt for the Aussie. Carly had really done a number on him this time. "Yes. You should call your lawyer, Jax. The ME just reported that Corinthos had a medication only administered in OR's and ER's in his system. With the video proving only Carly had been in the hotel room before his death, we have to investigate her. And with Bobbie having access to GH's medications, we have just cause to hold Carly."
"Bobbie would never…"
Mac held up a hand to stop the other man's indignant protest. "I know that. But Carly has used her mother's badge in the past to gain access to restricted areas of the hospital. Carly's going to need a good lawyer, Jax," he warned.
"Well, then she's better use her one phone call to arrange for one," he muttered. "I refuse to do this any longer. Her obsession over Sonny and Jason, it's not getting better. And her blind hatred of Elizabeth Webber makes no sense. I'm done, Mac. Carly is on her own unless Morgan runs to her rescue like normal."
"Oh, I highly doubt that's going to happen except in one of Carly's deluded fantasies. He publicly made it known that Corinthos no longer was under his protection after the nightmare Anthony Zacchara caused last year. Morgan's been all about his family lately and Carly has repeatedly harmed the woman that he loves."
His eyes strayed back to the closed doors when Carly's shrieks pierced through the station. Dropping his head, Jax released a sigh that was barely heard. "I got to protect the children now. They're my main priority. I won't be sending her a lawyer, Mac. Cutting all ties is my only option."
The older man understood. He observed the dejected posture as Jax left the station before grinning. Carly had pushed away her last supporter. All she had left was the Spencer's and they were not powerful enough to be a concern. Years after she began wreaking havoc in town, Carly was finally in a position that there was no escaping from. Things were looking up. His only regret was informing Bobbie that Carly was under arrest. With Lucas being buried tomorrow, his heart ached for his old friend. The misery he'd lived with after Georgie's 'death' had never faded until the day she walked into Kelly's carrying her daughter but his pain still haunted him when he slept. Unfortunately Lucas would not be returning like his little girl had. Mac had observed the autopsy, needing to know if there was a chance that his death had been faked too.
Carly fought like a wild cat, scratching, kicking, and biting as two uniformed officers struggled to take her to a holding cell. "You'll be sorry for this, Mac! Do you know who I am, who my friends are? You're going to pay and your bitchy perfect daughter and St. Elizabeth will not get away with turning all this around on me! Do you hear me?" Her unfocused eyes glowed with hatred. "I'll get out of here soon and then I'll take great pleasure in watching you and those bitches suffer! I didn't kill Sonny and you know that! I loved him almost as much as I loved Jason! He's going to kill you for this!"
Harper exited the room and pointed at the door to the holding cell block. "Get her the hell out of here, now! And Carly, you should've exercised the right to remain silent. Threatening people in front of several witnesses who just happen to be cops, well that's a dumb move even for you. No shut up and go with the officers before we restrain you."
"Call Jason! He'll never leave me here! He won't abandon me when I need him so much! He owes me!" she screamed as they forcibly dragged the unraveling blond from the main room.
"How in the hell has she not been locked up for good yet?" Harper demanded. "That meltdown was all because Morgan's number she gave me being disconnected. Freaking psychopath."
Mac smirked. "Is wrong that I am looking forward to watching her deteriorate?"
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"I can't believe you're a mom!" Brooke exclaimed while watching the kids splashing in the pool with Elizabeth. "And then you come home out of nowhere and marry that hottie mob prince. I'd definitely let him control and dominate me, that's for sure!" she added with a wink.
A slight blush colored her cheeks. "Brooke, shut up!" Georgie giggled as she played with her wedding rings. "I missed your unique ability to embarrass me, ya know."
"I do what I can." Brooke's smile faded. "I planned on coming home to see you but I hate the reason that I'm here right this moment. God, Georgie, who would wanna hurt Lucas like that?"
Guilt ate at her, making her stomach cramp. "I don't know. Lucas was one of the sweetest people that I know." Nibbling on her nail, Georgie watched as Baylor clung to Cam as he pulled her around the water on a small raft. "I wish Maxie would stop by. I'm concerned that the stress is too much with the pregnancy but she's avoiding me."
"Really? Maxie and Cooper are pregnant?" she squealed, missing the way that Georgie flinched. "Oh, I betcha Mac just about shit when he heard that news after you made him a gramps! But I saw her and Dil hanging out on the piers just before I tracked you down here. Wonder why she didn't say anything about being preggers?"
Uncomfortable discussing Maxie's pregnancy with all that Cooper had done, Georgie shifted nervously on the lounge chair. Dillon also was a topic that she wanted to avoid. Their last conversation in the park had evolved into a screaming match when he'd heard that she had a child. "Are you staying in PC for a while?"
"Nope, I can't. My schedule for this part of the tour is hellish. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow." Brooke's eyes strayed to the little girl that scrambled out of the pool and took off toward Jason and the man walking through the back gate that she recognized from the newspaper articles. "Wow, G. He's even better in person. Between him and that gorgeous cowboy lounging near the fence I'd kill to be in your shoes, girl."
Elbowing her when she throatily growled to emphasize her point, Georgie shook her head. "You haven't changed a bit."
"Hell no! I still call 'em as I see 'em and that man is smokin hot!" Her voice lost the teasing edge and as she observed Georgie's daughter talking a mile a minute while both Johnny and Jason listened and nodded here and there before Johnny swooped her up and tickled her stomach. "He's also great with Baylor. You lucked out, G."
"Bay took to him immediately and he's amazingly attentive with her." Georgie caught Jake as he tried to dart past. "Hey, little man, slow down. You don't want Patrick to put stitches in your handsome little head, do you?"
Jake laughed. "Nope. Sorry," he called out as he took off at only a marginally slower pace.
"Sometimes I think I am being tortured for all the times I gave my parents hell," Elizabeth muttered as she joined the twosome. When Brooklyn had first shown up on her doorstep searching for Georgie, she'd tried to occupy the kids so the two friends could catch up. But after an hour playing with three rambunctious kids in the water she needed a break.
Johnny feigned shock as he and Jason joined the small group. "Really? I'm pretty sure I remember you saying that you were the perfect little demon, I mean angel as a child, Liz."
Tossing her towel at his head she stuck her tongue out. "Shut up, Zacchara."
Not able to pick up any hint of his mood after talking with Coop and Spinelli, Georgie tried to shove the memories of this morning's events from her mind. Helping Baylor onto her lap when she reached for her, she was surprised when Johnny sat beside her on the chair. "Um, Johnny, this is Brooklyn."
"Nice to meet you, Brooke. Georgie says a lot of good things about you."
"You too, handsome." Tossing a wink in Jason's direction when he groaned and mumbled under his breath about her antics, Brooke laughed. "Wow Elizabeth! You got my nonsocial cousin to do more than just grunt and snap his fingers. I'm impressed. I was beginning to think he was granny Tracy's son instead of Alan's."
Elizabeth and Georgie burst into giggles while Jason glowered at his mouthy relative. "Please tell me that you are heading back out on the road soon."
"But of course! A rock diva's obligations are never complete. Too bad you refused to sign when Dad tried his best to convince you to back before all that crap happened, G. Imagine all the white hair we coulda inflicted on Dad by now."
Shuddering at the idea, Georgie ran her fingers through Baylor's hair, untangling knots. "Best decision I ever made. Sorry, Brooke, the stage is your drug of choice, not mine."
"You sing?" Johnny asked, intrigued.
"I forgot about that," Elizabeth broke in. "I can remember being at L&B with Emily and hearing you."
Self-conscious with being the center of attention, Georgie shot Brooke a quick glare. "I've never been comfortable performing unlike the attention hog here," she answered while hitching her thumb in Brooke's direction. "But, yeah, I can sing decently."
"More than just decent if I remember right." Elizabeth corrected.
Popping out of the chair after a quick look at her cell phone, Brooke leaned over and kissed Baylor's cheek before tightly hugging her best friend. "I gotta split. Pray for me and Dillon. We both were threatened to be present at the family dinner of unholy nightmares. I'm even being blessed with Princess Lulu gracing us with her sanctimonious self."
Georgie's eyes sparkled as she smirked. "Better you than me. Have fun!"
"Nice to meet ya, Johnny. Elizabeth keep up the miraculous training of Jason to be human! See ya!"
"I'd love to have a fifth of her energy," Elizabeth commented wistfully as they all watched the hyper singer wave to the boys as she disappeared out the back gate.
Rearranging a snoozing Baylor so that her head rested on her shoulder, Georgie chuckled. "And she was pretty subdued today. After you have that baby and we can escape to Jake's, I'll invite Brooke back."
"Hell no!" Jason immediately retorted. "I can recall Ned having to bail you and her out of jail when you two took off on Spring Break your freshman year without telling anyone you were leaving."
"How did you hear about that?" she wondered while Elizabeth and Johnny looked curious.
"Ned borrowed my jet so Edward and Mac wouldn't hear that you and Brook started a brawl in that bar in Miami. When I heard the name of the guy that she hit, I joined him too. You both were too blitzed to remember, but you got into a fight with a connected family's college aged sons."
Georgie shrugged nonchalantly. "No worse than the Dead Ted Fiasco Emily and Elizabeth got into"
Francis groaned as he walked by, having overheard the comment. "I wouldn't laugh, Georgie. Baylor will be a teenager before you know it. And hopefully Lizzie's newest addition will be a girl. Then they can raise hell together and give you all grey hair."
The two females just laughed while Jason and Johnny gave him death glares. Both men knew that they needed to update the women but wanted them to enjoy the carefree mood. Tomorrow was soon enough to start explaining the convoluted mess that Spinelli had helped to create with the Cassadine's and the WSB.
A/N: Thank you for all the reviews and sticking with the story. Next update will include the funeral.