| Chapter 4 By the time Luke and Alexis got to the Port Charles Grille, the entire parking lot was empty except for a long red Cadillac with enormous fins. "It's my baby!" Luke yelped, pulling Alexis' Lexus into a nearby parking slot. He flung the door open, but Alexis reached out, putting her hand on his forearm to stop him. He turned to look at her, one foot on the asphalt, the other still in the car. "What is it?" A powerful sense of dread descended upon her as she looked from the car back to Luke. Softly, she said, "Lucky wouldn't just leave your car here, Luke." Luke nodded, agreeing. "That's right. He wouldn't leave it. That means he's probably around here somewhere." "Where? The restaurant is closed." She glanced down at the digital clock, noting that it was past one in the morning. "And it's been closed for hours..." "Maybe they're in the hotel..." "Doing what?" Luke grinned, "The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, Alexis. Put two and two together." Alexis viciously punched him in the arm, scowling at him. "They're friends, Luke! Not every man and woman who spend time together end up in bed." "We did!" "My first mistake!" Alexis returned. Luke reached out to cup her chin. Their eyes met and he saw her fear very clearly. He wanted nothing more than to be able to reassure her, to make everything all right again, but he knew that neither of them would be able to calm down until they saw the kids again. Inside, he was walking a thin line. He was trying to stay strong and to believe that the picture was just some kind of a stunt. That it was a threat, but not a confirmation of a deed already done. Lucky had to be okay because Luke couldn't bear to lose him again. Finding both Lucky and Emily was top priority. As far as Alexis went, her patience was wearing thin. Guilt and shame were nagging at her, and he knew that if this situation went on much longer, she would shut down. And then he wouldn't be able to reach her. Especially if Helena had anything to do with this. Which, Luke suspected, she did. When something bad went wrong in his life, wasn't it always at Helena's hand? "Alexis," he said, "we'll find them. They'll be safe and then we'll know that we worried for nothing. I'm going to check out the car, see if there is anything to help us find them. Do you think you could stay here and try calling Lucky's number at Kelly's? Emily's too, if you have it?" She lowered her eyes to the leather arm rest between them. She took a deep breath, replying, "Of course, I have Emily's number..." "I knew you would." He kissed the side of her mouth, getting out of the car and shutting the door. He walked to his Cadillac, checking to see if it was locked. It wasn't, so he leaned inside to check it out. Everything was as it had been that afternoon when he had handed his Cowboy the keys. He smiled at the memory. His son was grown up now. He had to wonder at how quickly the time had passed. He sat down in the driver's seat, feeling underneath to see if the keys were where Lucky usually left them. When his hand made contact with the clanging metal keys, he felt his chest constrict. How far could Lucky get without the car? Why would he leave it if it hadn't been an emergency of some type? Luke held the keys in the palm of his hand, staring at them as if they held some clue as to where his son was. Luke searched through the keys, finding the one that fit the ignition. He stuck it in and turned. He released the breath he had been holding when the engine immediately turned over. That had been the only other possibility. That the car wouldn't start and Lucky had left the car. Now, that possibility was dead. "Lucky, where are you?" Luke mumbled under his breath. He took another long sweep of the car. In the back seat, on the passenger side, he found a soft white sweater draped over the edge of the seat. He thought it might be Lulu's, until he picked it up and took note of the size. It was Emily's. He tossed it over his shoulder, deciding to take it with him, for no other reason than that he couldn't bear to leave it behind in the abandoned automobile. He killed the engine, stuffing the keys in his pocket and walking back to the Lexus. Through the window, he could see her head bobbing up and down as she talked to someone on her cell phone. He climbed inside, swiftly closing the door. "Is it the kids? They're at home?" Alexis put up a finger to silence him. Trying to contain her anger, she spoke slowly into the phone, "I understand that it's only been a few hours, but we can't find them-" "Who are you talking to?" Luke demanded. "...this is Lucky and Emily, Taggert! They wouldn't just disappear..." "TAGGERT?! What are you doing, lady?" Luke barked, snatching the phone from her hand. He turned it off and then thrust it back into her lap. Alexis' eyes widened in anger as she turned on him. "I was trying to find Emily and Lucky, you overgrown ape! I was about to convince Lt. Taggert to put some men on it." "Are you trying to get them killed?!" he raged, "You know Helena as well as I do. Cops ain't gonna do nothing but piss the lady off. Which is exactly what we don't want when she's got our kids all hemmed up...location unknown!" She glared at him angrily. "Who said anything about Helena?" "You know you've been thinking the same thing, Doll. That she's behind this. Who else would bother?" She turned away, settling back in her seat and fixing her eyes on the building in front of them. "Lucky didn't answer his phone. Emily didn't answer her phone. I even called Nikolas to see if he had seen them-" "He hadn't?" "Nikolas didn't answer his phone." Luke exhaled loudly. "She didn't take the prince, too, did she?" "These days, anything is possible. I called the Quartermaines-" "You called Ned?" he questioned. "I said Quartermaines, not Ned!" she replied indignantly. Luke rolled his eyes. "And?" She smiled. "And Ned said that he hadn't heard from her since yesterday and that nobody said anything about her being at the house." "The next time I see that leather pants wearing-" "Ned is a non-issue, Luke. I managed to skirt around the truth. I just said something about tying the loose ends of Zander's case. But...I don't know if he believed me. It is the middle of the night, after all." "No one's seen them...." "I want to go to Kelly's," Alexis announced. "Let's check their rooms. If we don't find them or any clues, then I want to go to the police with the picture and our concerns." "I make no promises where the police are concerned, but I think heading over to Kelly's is a good idea." He sped out of the lot and exited the parking lot. He took a right, taking the quickest route to their desired destination. "What's this?" Alexis asked, lifting the white sweater from Luke's shoulder. "It's Emily's. It was in the car." "Oh," Alexis whispered, holding it in her arms. Her eyes teared up. "Emily seems very conscientious. Most young girls wouldn't think to take a sweater with them in June." "She's a very smart girl," Luke said tenderly, taking his hand off the wheel and putting it on her thigh. "And she's strong, too." "I hope so..." They pulled up to Kelly's parking in the back alley. They quickly exited the car and walked to the door. Luke fished out his keys and unlocked the kitchen door. They walked in, looking carefully around the unlit room. The only sound was the buzzing of the large refrigerator. They went out into the restaurant, maneuvering around the counter to the stairway. Upstairs, they stopped in front of the room that belonged to Lucky. "Open the door, Luke," Alexis nudged him. "Hurry." "Ummm....how am I supposed to do that?" "With the key! You own this place, right?" "Yeah, but I don't have a key to the rooms. Tammy and Bobbie handle stuff like that." Alexis grimaced. "I thought you were Mr. Resourceful? Where's all that Spencer ingenuity?!" "You hammered it out of me with all of that Cassadine insanity." "Pick the lock!" "I don't have my lock pick." "Why not?" "Because I wasn't planning on going out tonight, doll." Alexis avoided his eyes. "Neither was I..." She pushed him aside, taking a chance and turning the handle. The door creaked open slowly. "Score one for Cassadine insanity," she teased. He stepped to the door, looking inside. The room was completely dark. Luke walked in cautiously, reaching his hand out to find the light switch. Alexis stayed in the hallway, craning her neck to see inside. "I think I found the switch!" he announced. Just as he was about to flip the switch, a very large wooden object came down on his head, sending him into swirling darkness as he crumpled to the floor. The last thing he heard before he lost all trace of consciousness was the sound of Alexis' screams. * * * * * She always dressed, from head to toe, in one color. Never a day went by that she didn't coordinate. It had started as a joke when she was in college, a gag to get a certain professor to notice her, but, eventually it became a way of life. Head to toe. One color. Always. Her moods were reflected in the brightness, the intensity, the deepness of the color. She wore yellow when she was happy. Green when she was nervous. Purple when she was insecure. Pink when she was excited. And, when she was mad... ...she wore red. Now, at ten till two in the morning, Celine stalked down the docks in a huff, wearing tight red slacks that hugged every curve. Her matching red tank top draped in the front, and was practically non existent in the back. Her high red heels clacked across the wooden planks like a workman's hammer. She didn't bother to look around or worry about being out alone so late. She never worried about things like that. As far as she was concerned, she was invincible and very much in control. She hated it when anyone sought to shake that image she had of herself. Tonight, after Stefan had left her alone in bed to go chase after his sulky brat of a nephew, someone had tried to do just that. Phone calls in the middle of the night were never a good thing. NEVER. Her back grew rigid as she caught sight of the person she had come to meet. When she neared the person, she smiled coldly. "I'm here. What do you want?" Helena Cassadine eyed the woman with a reserved glare. "What do I want?" she asked coyly, "Why, I want what I always want. My second son's complete and utter destruction. How much longer do I have to wait?" Celine flipped her hair behind her shoulder, allowing her eyes to roll slowly closed and then swiftly open. Her bright red lips fell into an unamused snarl. "Good things come to those who wait, Helena," Celine cooed. She approached the older woman, daring to run a long crimson nail along Helena's jaw line. "And bad things come to those who pester. Very bad things. . . " * * * * * "LLLUUUUKKKKEEE!" Alexis shrieked, flying into the darkened room. She dropped to her knees beside her boyfriend's unmoving body. She could feel the attacker moving around her and the room was suddenly thrust into light. "Oh my God!" Gia shrieked, coming out from behind the closet door and looking down in shock. "You've killed Lucky's dad!!!!" Nikolas held the remnant of a smashed guitar in his hand as he backed away. "I think this violence thing is starting to become a habit..." he muttered. "He's dead!" Gia said again. "He's dead!!" "Will you shut up?! He's not dead!" Alexis screamed. She searched Luke for a pulse. She sighed in relief when she found it. "Luke, can you hear me?" Gia stood behind Alexis, studying Luke's blank face and the trickle of blood on the carpet. "He doesn't look so hot, Alexis. Are you sure he's not dead?" "Who's not dead?" Stefan asked, appearing in the doorway. Everyone turned at the sound of his voice. "Luke Spencer," Gia informed him. "Uncle? What are you doing here?" Nikolas asked, tossing the broken guitar to the ground. "I was looking for you-" Stefan started, coming all the way in the room and observing the object of everyone's attention. He felt his spirits perk up as he saw Luke's unconscious form. "I take it Luke was attacked..." Nikolas scowled. "Gia and I were searching Lucky's room for clues when we heard voices. We thought there might be trouble so we defended ourselves against..." "Luke and Alexis?" "Yes." Stefan located the protective weapon by Nikolas' feet. "With a guitar?" "It was handy..." "If he's not dead," Gia asked, "then why isn't he moving?" "Gia!" Nikolas groaned. At that moment, Luke stirred, moving his hand to the back of his head. "Ahhh," he moaned. Everyone gathered around, staring down at him. Luke shifted, opening his eyes to the sight of Stefan, Gia, Nikolas, and Alexis all leering at him . Putting his head in Alexis' lap, he wearily remarked, "If this isn't hell, I don't know what is..." * * * * * It seemed like forever. Emily had no idea what time it was or how long it had been, but it seemed like forever. She laid next to Lucky's prone body, absently stroking his hair as she prayed for him to wake up. She was so incredibly frightened and was on the verge of complete hysteria. "Lucky," she said, wiping away the trail of tears that slid down her face. "Don't leave me here all alone." Through the sheer bed scarves, she could barely make out the furnishings of the large ornate room. She tried to remember how she got there, but found it an useless task. After storming away from the table at the Port Charles Grille, there was nothing. Nothing but blackness. "Lucky," she whispered against his ear, "please wake up. I need you..." * * * He stood in the shadows, watching her delicate fingers trail over her friend's face. Those fingers...he wanted to touch them. He wanted them to touch him. He wanted the same gentle caresses for himself that she lavished on Luke Spencer's son. She hadn't seen him, so he was content to stand, unmoving, in the dark corner of the room. Watching. And waiting for just the right moment.... |