Chapter Thirty-Nine




It took two weeks and a lot of kicking Jason out of his own penthouse for Sam, Skye, and Carly to finish the nursery. And they couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

They chose the room across from the master bedroom for the nursery. While Carly and Skye were all about going the girly-girl way with a pink and white princess theme, Sam had put her foot down. So a compromise was made.

Instead of going with just pink and white, the color scheme consisted of various pastel colors on a white background. The furniture was all in a deep, blond wood that added elegance and charm. Instead of a princess motif, stuffed animals shared space with a ballerina lamp and a shooting stars mobile over the crib. Sam had even contracted a painter to paint the constellations on the ceiling that would glow softly at night. Sam planned on teaching her great-niece about them like Lorenzo had taught her. Carly added a large globe that lit up; claiming Jason would teach his daughter all about the places he had traveled to. Travel books, sailing books, and history books were tucked in with bedtime fairy tales and the classics. Skye remained steadfast about doing something princess and had hung a framed picture that said DADDY’S LITTLE PRINCESS over the bed.

When all the work was done, the three women stood back and surveyed their work.

“Well, I think we did a great job,” said Carly proudly as she looked from Sam to Skye and then back at the room.

“I have to agree,” said Skye. She had enjoyed every moment of this and was sure Jason and Jessica were going to love it.

“Now, all we have to do is get mommy and daddy here,” said Sam.


*~*~*~*~*


Dr. Meadows finished her exam. “I have to say Jessica; I am very pleased with the progress you have made.”

“So my pressure is better?” Jessica asked hopefully.

“It has dropped considerably. And the baby is a lot more settled as well."

“So what does this mean?” Jason asked.

“It means that I still want you to take it easy, but I am lifting the bed rest,” said Dr. Meadows. “You’re close to your due date Jessica, so I don’t want you over doing it. With this being your first pregnancy, you can either be early or on time. It can go either way.”

Jessica nodded. “So, I can leave the apartment?”

Dr. Meadows nodded. “But I do want you to be alone at any one time Jessica. If you do deliver early, it would be best to be with someone who can get you to GH.”

“Don’t worry Dr. Meadows, I am never alone around here,” she said.

After Dr. Meadows left, Jessica got up – with a struggle – and grabbed her purse.

“Where are you going?” Jason asked as he watched her.

“Shopping. Jason, our daughter is coming soon and we don’t have anything for her! If I am going to be moving into the penthouse with you, we need a space for the baby.”

“Alright, well, slow down. Why don’t we head over there and I can show you the room I was thinking about using,” he said, hoping Carly, Sam and Skye were gone. He had no idea what they had been up to at his place, and he was sure he didn’t want to know.

Jessica agreed. After Jason told Ramon where they were going, Jason led Jessica down to the waiting car.


*~*~*~*~*


“You wanted to see me ma’am?” Julius asked as he walked into Faith’s office at the back of the apartment.

Faith looked up. “Yes Julius. How long have you been working for me?” she asked non-challantly, setting her pen down on the desk and standing.

“Four years ma’am,” Julius said. He was used to Faith’s dramatics, but this seemed different somehow. He saw the lethal look in her blue eyes. And that look usually meant trouble for the person it was being directed at. “Four years, hmmm? That’s a pretty long time to be loyal,” she said, playing with a very sharp letter opener.

Julius wasn’t sure how or if he should answer that question. So instead, he just stood there, waiting to see what would happen.

Faith came out from behind her desk, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. She smoothed her hands over her sleek black button-down blouse that she had paired with a short black leather skirt.

“You have always been a loyal employee Julius. I have come to trust you. But that was my mistake. Do you have any idea why?” she asked, leaning against the desk.

“No ma’am, I don’t,” said Julius as he watched her. This was not going well.

“Of course you don’t,” said Faith. “See, I never trusted anyone with anything. Because when I do, there is the chance they will betray me. It’s happened in the past. And unfortunately, it has happened again.”

Julius didn’t move.

“You’ve betrayed me Julius. To Jason and Lorenzo. You’ve been feeding them information about my organization. And I can’t have that.” Faith pulled out her gun, a silencer in place. “I can’t allow you to get away without some kind of punishment.”

Without warning, Faith shot Julius in the chest. When another of her guards came into the room, Faith gestured to Julius. “Get rid of him. And get me Antonio. I have a job for him.”

*~*~*~*~*


Skye opened the door for Lorenzo and ushered him and Diego inside. “What’s going on?” Lorenzo asked.

“Jessica and Jason are on their way over and we wanted everyone here so we could show them the nursery,” said Skye after she kissed Lorenzo.

“You got it finished?” Diego asked, impressed. “I didn’t think the three of you would be able to actually agree on anything!”

“Funny,” said Sam as she hit her nephew on the back of the head.

“How are you getting Jessica here?” Lorenzo asked. “I thought she was still on bed rest?”

“Not anymore,” said Skye. “Dr. Meadows just gave the all clear. Her pressure is down and the baby is doing well.”

“Good. I know my daughter and I am sure she was itching to get out of there as soon as the doctor left.”

“Ramon called and said they were on their way over here,” said Carly. She was excited and couldn’t wait for Jessica and Jason to get there. She was so sure they would love the nursery.


*~*~*~*~*


Sonny picked up the ringing phone on his desk. “What?” he said.

“Nice greeting,” said Faith. “I want you to know that the leak has been contained and taken care of.”

“Good. Then we no longer have a need to continue this association,” said Sonny. “And the deal still stands Faith. I gave you information in exchange for the safety of my family.”

“Don’t worry Sonny. Once Jessica and Jason are out of my way, I will have everything I want. I will no longer have a need for you.”


*~*~*~*~*


“Maybe we can stop at Kelly’s before doing some shopping,” said Jessica as she and Jason stepped off the elevator at Harbor View Towers. “I could so go for one of Mike’s double cheeseburgers, a large order of fries and a vanilla milkshake.”

Jason laughed and shook his head. “Sounds like a plan,” he said as he pushed open the penthouse door.

Jessica stepped into the apartment. “Oooh and we can get an order of those double-chocolate brownies,” she said.

“SURPRISE!”

Jessica nearly jumped out of her skin as she took in the sight before her. “What is this?” she asked her hand on her heart.

“A surprise baby shower!” exclaimed Carly as she went over to Jessica and hugged her.

“Wow! This is great!” Jessica said as she looked around. There were large baskets full of baby things as well as food and drinks. Zeroing in on the plate of brownies, Jessica grabbed one. “Amazing!” she moaned in delight.

“Why do I get the feeling that she’s more impressed with those brownies than anything else?” Lorenzo asked Skye with a smile as he watched his daughter.

“Okay, the brownies can wait. We have a surprise for you,” said Carly as she pulled Jessica away from the tray of goodies.

“More?” Jessica asked as he grabbed Jason’s hand as Carly pulled her toward the stairs.

Everyone followed.

“Okay, with this precious little baby coming soon and you having to rest a lot, Sam, Skye and I figured you wouldn’t have time to set up a place for the baby. So we took matters into our own hands . . . “ Carly pushed open the door to the nursery and then stepped back so Jessica and Jason could see.

“Oh my God . . . this is beautiful!” Jessica exclaimed, the brownie in her hand forgotten as she looked around.


*~*~*~*~*


“Do you understand what I want done?” Faith asked the man standing in front of her.

“Perfectly,” Antonio said as he looked at the pictures of his targets. “Are you sure these are the only ones you want? I should be able to take Morgan and Alcazar as well.”

Faith shook her head. “Believe me, not shooting them will be the worse punishment they can get,” she said. “Right now, they are all at the Harbor View Towers in Penthouse 2. I have an inside source that they will be heading to Kelly’s after. I want you to do the job when they leave. Ambush them in the park. And make sure the job is done right.”

“Don’t worry Mrs. Roscoe, I am good at what I do,” Antonio said. “It will be done.”


*~*~*~*~*


“I still can’t believe you all did this for me. I can’t thank you enough!” Jessica said as the group headed into the park. After the small celebration and after Jessica went over every square inch of the nursery, they all decided to continue the celebration at Kelly’s. Carly had called ahead to Mike and had their orders placed and waiting.

“We totally enjoyed it,” said Carly with a smile.

“I still can’t believe the three of you actually worked together to get that done,” said Jessica as she looked from Carly, to Sam, to Skye.

Sam laughed. “Believe me, it was an adventure at times,” she said.

“Hey! I think we did a very good job working together!” Skye said.

“So, I’m wondering, did the three of you put together all of that furniture or have it delivered already assembled?” Jason asked his fingers laced with Jessica’s as they walked.

“It was a piece of cake,” said Carly.

“Yeah, right,” Diego snorted.

The three women looked at him.

“What? The only way all of that got put together was because you all begged me to do it!” he claimed.

“And you weren’t complaining when we made sure to feed you,” said Sam.

Everyone laughed as they continued to walk, entering the clearing just before the playground.

*~*~*~*~*


He was set up. Everything was ready. All he needed was his targets. Faith had better be right about them going through the park.

Getting comfortable, Antonio checked his equipment one more time. He was positioned on a park restroom building, lying on his stomach. His sniper rifle was in pristine condition and ready to go. He knew Morgan, Alcazar, and whatever guards were in tow would be packing, but he was ready for that too.


*~*~*~*~*


“Well, we all know the way to Diego’s heart is through his stomach,” teased Jessica.

“Look who’s talking,” Diego said.

Jessica laughed. She couldn’t think of anything better than being with the people she loved and cared about, celebrating the coming arrival of her daughter.


*~*~*~*~*


The shot was set up. He would have to be quick if he was going to get both of them in as few shots as possible. The silencer was in place. His finger on the trigger and ready to go.

They stepped into his line of vision. He had the shot.


*~*~*~*~*


When asked later, Lorenzo still wouldn’t have been able to tell exactly what happened. One moment they were all walking through the park. The next, everyone was diving for cover as bullets erupted around them.














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