Chapter Forty-Three




Jason sat there frozen. There was a mistake. Spinelli had to be mistaken. He was not sitting there looking at video footage of Lorenzo’s plane going down. “Where did you get this?” he asked once he was able to speak again. There was a chance this had been doctored and Spinelli would know.

Spinelli swallowed. “It was sent to me through an email,” he said. “I . . . I have already started a trace on it.”

“It this real?” Jason asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the screen.

Spinelli shook his head. “I am already monitoring all the news sites . . . if something pops up, the Jackal will be the first to know.”

Jason reached out and closed the lid of the laptop. He couldn’t watch anymore. “Find out where this came from,” he said.

Getting up, he went to the door. “MAX!” he bellowed. He was doing what he could to contain his emotions.

Max came running. He had been on his way to see Jason anyway. “Boss,” he said, slightly out of breath. “Lorenzo’s pilot has been found dead in a storage closet.”

Jason closed his eyes. “Spinelli has video footage of Lorenzo’s plane going down. Get me information and get it now.”

Max nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said before hurrying off.

When he turned back into the office, he saw Spinelli typing away at the keys of his laptop. “Spinelli,” he said.

Spinelli didn’t move or respond.

“Spinelli,” Jason said a little louder.

Still, Spinelli didn’t move or acknowledge he heard Jason.

“SPINELLI!” Jason yelled.

Spinelli practically fell out of his chair. He turned to Jason.

Jason took a deep breath. “Go find somewhere else to work,” he said.

Spinelli nodded and gathered his materials together. There was no way he wanted to be on the receiving end of Stone Cold’s wrath.


*~*~*~*~*


Max walked into the room in the basement used as a security office in Lorenzo’s house. “Listen up!” he said to the men that were in there – including Stan Johnson. “We have a situation that can be potentially dangerous. What I am about to tell you does not get repeated outside this room.”

The assembled men nodded. “What’s going on Max?” Stan asked from his usual seat in front of his laptop.

“We have received two pieces of disturbing information. The first, Lorenzo’s pilot was found dead in a storage closet at the hanger,” Max said.

“Wait,” Milo, Max’s younger brother, interrupted. “Mr. Alcazar left today on a trip to South America.”

“Exactly,” Max said solemnly. “Which brings me to the other piece of information. It turns out that Spinelli received an email containing video footage of Lorenzo’s plane going down. We don’t know where as of yet. But someone was flying that plane. And if this is real . . . there is the possibility that Lorenzo Alcazar is dead.


*~*~*~*~*


Skye looked at her watch again. Lorenzo’s plane should have landed by now. In fact, he should have already reached the Villa, where the meeting was being held. So why hasn’t he called yet, she wondered.

Lorenzo had promised to call as soon as he landed. He always called. So why not now? Something was going on and she didn’t like it at all.

Making sure she had her cell phone, Skye left her bedroom, where she had been pacing for the last hour, and made her way to Lorenzo’s office. She didn’t care how, but someone was going to tell her what was going on.


*~*~*~*~*


Jason rubbed his hands over his face. It had been an hour since he had gotten the news – and he was still waiting for confirmation. He was not going to just accept that video clip as proof that Lorenzo’s plane did indeed go down. He was not going to accept that Lorenzo was dead.

Not until he had physical proof. A body. Anything that would prove that the man he had come to respect and admire was gone. Until he had that proof, he was not going to dwell on the pain losing Lorenzo would cause – and not just to him.


*~*~*~*~*


Sam looked around as she headed back to the house. Something was going on. There was a visible increase in security and activity on the property.

Picking up her pace, Sam practically ran through the back door of the house and up the stairs. She was going to find out from Jason what was going on.

*~*~*~*~*


Skye sighed in frustration when she found Lorenzo’s office empty. Walking to the window, she noticed a lot more men moving around. Something was definitely going on. But what?

Wanting answers, Skye left the office. Jason would have answers and she was going to make him tell her what was going on.


*~*~*~*~*


“The picnic was wonderful Diego,” Lulu said, her fingers laced with his as they walked.

Diego had surprised her with a picnic brunch in the park. It had been beautiful. And he had brought all of her favorites – Belgian waffles with fruit and whipped cream, orange juice, bacon, bagels with cream cheese and coffee. They had spread a blanket out under a large tree and enjoyed the quiet and solitude afforded them in that spot.

It couldn’t have been more perfect.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Diego said, looking down at her with a smile. He liked doing things like this. Little things that brought a smile to her face. And her smile was the best. It lit up her whole face and made her eyes sparkle. Diego found that he wanted to make her smile as much as he possibly could.

“I did,” Lulu said. She looked up at him. “With all of the tensions going on at the moment, it’s nice to get away for a little while. Just be us. Together.”

Diego agreed. He knew Lulu accepted the life he was choosing to live – but he also knew it wasn’t an easy life and she could change her mind at any moment. But he wasn’t going to dwell on that. Not now. Right now, it was about them. And their time together.


*~*~*~*~*


Sam found Jason in his office. She walked in and closed the door, not noticing it didn’t catch all the way.

“Jason?” When he turned, Sam gasped. “Oh God . . . what’s happened? Is it Elaina?” She saw something in his eyes . . . it was almost like the look he had when Jessica had died.

Jason shook his head quickly. “No, Elaina’s fine,” he assured her. Four armed guards outside of her bedroom would guarantee that.

Sam was relieved. But that look was still in Jason’s eyes. “What’s going on Jason? And don’t tell me nothing,” she said before he could even utter the words. “I see the increase in security and the activity around here. What’s happened?”

He didn’t want to tell her. They didn’t have proof yet. “I’m not sure that anything is wrong just yet Sam,” he said.

“What’s that supposed to mean Jason?” Sam asked, not backing down. “Tell me.”

He didn’t want to do this. But she wasn’t giving him a choice. “Spinelli received a video feed over an hour ago . . . we’re working on verifying its authenticity . . . but there could be a chance it’s not real . . .”

“What Jason?” Sam exclaimed. “What video feed? What did it show?”

Jason took a breath and slowly let it out. He was never one to beat around the bush. And he wasn’t going to lie to her either. “The video showed . . . it showed Lorenzo’s plane going down.”


*~*~*~*~*


Skye stood by the door. She couldn’t have heard that right. Could she? Jason didn’t just say that Lorenzo’s plane crashed. He couldn’t have.

Just as she was about to push the door all the way open and make her presence known, she heard Sam’s voice.

“Are you sure it was Lorenzo’s plane?”

“I have Max and a team working on that right now,” Jason said. “Just after Spinelli showed me the video, Max came in. He had gotten a call from one of the mechanics at the hanger. Lorenzo’s pilot was found dead in a storage closet. We do know someone high-jacked the plane.”

Skye was shaking. No! He’s not dead! She would know if Lorenzo were dead!

“Do you know where the plane went down?” she asked.

“I’m waiting on verification of that,” Jason said, trying to keep his emotions in check. He looked up at Sam. “It doesn’t look good Sam.”

“Don’t say that!” Skye yelled as she burst into the room. “Don’t you dare say that Jason! Lorenzo has done so much for you – you can’t just give up on him like that!”

Jason jumped out of his chair and went to Skye. He had not wanted any of this to touch her until they were sure. “Skye, listen to me,” he said, trying to calm her. “I am not giving up. But what we do have . . .”

“NO!” Skye screamed at him, pulling away. “NO! Lorenzo is NOT dead! He isn’t! He promised he would be home tomorrow night and he will! Why are you saying these things?” She was shaking more now than a moment ago.

“Skye . . . I am not accepting anything until I have physical proof,” Jason said as calmly as he could. It would do no good to raise his voice with her. She was upset enough.

“Physical proof? You mean finding his body?” Skye asked in disbelief.

Sam intervened then. “Skye, Jason and everyone else are doing what they can to find out what happened. You need to let them do it.”

Skye turned on Sam. “They are doing NOTHING!” she yelled. “What is being done to find Lorenzo? And not just his dead body!”

Sam tried to steer Skye out of the office. She had to get her to calm down. Overreacting like this was not be good for the baby, but Sam wasn’t sure reminding Skye of that would help much right now.

Skye pulled away from Sam and wheeled on Jason again. “You can’t give up on him Jason,” she said, her voice lower and plaintive. “He means too much to this family.”

Jason approached, keeping his tone calm and steady. “I know Skye,” he said. “And I am not giving up.” The sentence was barely out of his mouth before he had to catch Skye as she fainted.


*~*~*~*~*


Lulu hated to see the wonderful she and Diego had in the park end – but it was time to get back to the real world.

“You know, we can always do this again,” Diego said, squeezing her hand gently. “In fact, I think we should.”

Smiling, Lulu looked up at him. “I think that’s a great idea,” she said.

Just as Diego was leaning in to kiss her, he felt a heavy weight come crashing on his back. The blow dropped him to his knees and stars of pain exploded behind his eyelids. A sharp kick kept him from getting back to his feet. As he lay there trying to regain his breath, Diego felt his gun lifted from the back of his jeans. He was now unarmed against the attackers.

“Diego!” Lulu screamed. It took her a moment to realize what was going on. Four large men were surrounding them. “Leave us alone!” she yelled at them, moving to where Diego was on the ground.

“I don’t think so,” one of the large men said, grabbing Lulu from behind.

“Let go of her!” Diego got out as he struggled to his feet. “She isn’t a part of this.” He didn’t recognize the men, but knew they were connected to Manny or Johnny Mendoza.

“She is now,” said the one still holding Lulu. He tightened his grip when she started to struggle. “I would calm down if I were you Sweetie,” he added, pulling her back against his hard body. “No on can help you now – especially your boyfriend.” He nodded to the other three men who all moved in closer to Diego.

The odds were not in Diego’s favor. Three against one was far from a fair fight. Lulu continued to struggle – she had to do something to help Diego.

Diego had to keep Lulu from getting hurt. He may not have had a weapon, but he had grown up on the streets and knew how to fight dirty – and it looked like that’s what he was going to have to do.

Keeping the three men in sight, Diego readied himself for a fight.


*~*~*~*~*


Sam was pacing back and forth outside of the exam room Skye had been taken too. She had woken on the ride to the hospital, insisting she was fine, but no one was letting her out of this on. At the moment Dr. Kelly Lee was in with her.

“Have you heard anything?” Jason asked as he hurried up to Sam. He had sent Sam ahead with Skye in the ambulance while he made sure the house was secure and Elaina would be looked after.

“Not yet,” Sam said. “But Dr. Lee just got here a few minutes ago.”

“How was Skye, did she regain consciousness on the way over here?” Jason asked.

Sam nodded. “Yeah. And her blood pressure had been sky-rocketing – which is why she fainted in the first place.”

“I hadn’t wanted her to know anything until we knew for sure and could consult a doctor is necessary,” Jason said. “Lorenzo would never forgive me is something happened to that baby or Skye.”

“Have you heard anything . . . anything about what happened to Lorenzo?” she asked. Sam didn’t want to believe her brother was dead. It wasn’t possible. And like Jason, she was not giving up hope until she had concrete facts to go off of.

Jason looked into Sam’s deep brown eyes. He could see her hope and fear there. Taking her hands, he led her over to a couple of chairs and sat. “Not yet,” he said. “But Max is doing everything he can to help find out what happened. So is Spinelli. I don’t think he’s dead Sam . . . but something did happen to him. I can’t reach him on his cell and the staff at the Villa said he hasn’t arrived or called to change his plans. And you know that’s not like him.”

It wasn’t. Lorenzo was very meticulous about his plans. “I don’t want it to be true Jason. But if this is a kidnapping, then why haven’t we heard anything from the kidnappers yet? Surely there would a ransom demand of some kind.”

“Whether Lorenzo is alive or not, I know Manny has to be behind this Sam. He orchestrated this whole thing. I’m sure we’ll be hearing something soon.”

Sam was sure herself. “I’m not called Esmerelda until we know what’s going on. I don’t want to worry her like that.” Then she thought of something. “Does Diego know what’s going on?” she asked. With everything that had been going on, she hadn’t realized she hadn’t seen her nephew all day.

“Not as far as I know,” he said, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. “Milo, have you seen Diego? . . . has he checked in yet? . . . find him and get back to me.”

“Did something happen?” Sam asked.

“Milo said that Diego and Lulu had lunch plans in the park. He ‘s going to get them now.”

Sam nodded. All they needed was for something else to happen.


*~*~*~*~*


“Diego,” Lulu breathed out as she dropped to her knees next to him. “Oh God, are you okay?” The four men had left after doing a good job on Diego. Lulu was unharmed except for a couple of bruises on her arms from the guy who had been holding her back.

Diego groaned and rolled from his side onto his back. “Yeah . . . I don’t think anything’s broken,” he said. All he needed to do was get himself onto his feet. “Help me up.”

Trying not to hurt him even more, Lulu helped Diego to his feet. “You need to go to the hospital Diego . . . you could be bleeding on the inside or something,” she said.

Ready to protest, Diego looked down at her and nodded. He could see anger and fear in her eyes and he didn’t want to make her worry more by refuses. “Okay,” he said.

Making sure she had her bag, Lulu dug into Diego’s pocket to get his car keys and then helped him to the car. “Do you know who those men were?” she asked once they were in the car and she had the engine started.

“I didn’t recognize them,” Diego said, wincing as he adjusted himself on the seat. He didn’t think anything had been broken, but he was sure he had at least a few bruised ribs.

“But you think this might have been Manny’s doing,” Lulu stated as she navigated the streets of Port Charles toward the hospital.

Diego nodded, then regretted it as his head started to pound. “Something must be going on,” he said. “The attack was random and there were no threats.” He turned his head to look at her. “Did the one holding you say anything?”

Keeping her eyes on the road, Lulu shook her head. “No,” she said.

“I’m sorry Lulu,” Diego said softly.

Lulu took her eyes from the road a moment. “You didn’t do this Diego. Do not apologize,” she said firmly pulling up in front of the ER entrance. Then she pulled out her phone.

“Who are you calling?” Diego asked, not making any move to get out of the car just yet.

“Jason,” she said. “He needs to know about this.”


*~*~*~*~*


“What is taking so long?” Jason couldn’t sit still. He had begun pacing, running his hand through his hair. His cell phone was clutched in his hand and he almost jumped as it started to ring. “Yeah.”

“Jason, its Lulu.”

“Lulu, what’s going on? Where are you and Diego?” Jason asked.

Sam looked up when she heard Jason’s questions.

“We’re in the ER at general hospital,” Lulu said. “Some men attacked me and Diego in the park.”

“Are you two okay? What happened?”

“I’m fine,” Lulu said. “Diego’s messed up a bit, but it doesn’t seem to serious. He’s with a doctor right now.”

“I’m here in the hospital. I’ll be right down,” Jason said as he disconnected the call.

“What happened?” Sam asked urgently.

“That was Lulu. She said she and Diego were attacked in the park. Stay with Skye. I’ll go and check on them.”

He was already heading to the elevator before Sam could say anything else.














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