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Johnny regretted joining the excursion to Florida as soon as he saw Carly and Blair with their heads together. Obviously, not only had they found out about what happened last night, but what had happened earlier that day. He never removed his sunglasses otherwise the now forming bruise covering his left eye would have confirmed everything. When Carly finally did look in his direction, her eyebrows rose in amusement and she grinned at him. He decided from that moment on, he would try to avoid her at all costs. The last thing he needed was playing twenty questions with Carly. As far as he was concerned, the sooner they got to Florida, the better.
Luckily for Johnny, they boarded almost as soon as he arrived and the flight consisted of the six of them discussing strategies and arrangements on where they were going. They all agreed that the best course of action was to go directly to the orphanage where Carly and Blair were placed. It was unlikely that it was still in service, but it was a starting point if nothing else.
~~~~~~~
When they arrived at the orphanage it was early evening, but the muggy weather of Florida suggested otherwise. They were surprised that the building was still standing, but as expected it was no longer an orphanage but a school. Their only lead now was the still standing church and rectory.
Carly looked at the building with a mixture of wonderment and anxiousness. She was curious how much had it had changed over the years. She knew she couldn't ask Blair, it would be too painful for her and Luke looked like he'd rather chew nails than talk at the moment. But technically this is where her life had begun. She curiously wondered if Virginia had come here to pick her up when the adoption was finalized. Carly smiled slightly at the thought. Her mom was most likely beaming, taking her Caroline home for the first time. It hit her then - how much she missed Virginia. She would have loved her boys and most likely spoiled them rotten. She sighed slightly at the bittersweet thought as she continued to stare at the building. For better or worse this was the place where it all began and now thirty years later, she was back.
She let out a breath and Jason turned to her. "You ok?" he asked her quietly.
"Yeah," she sighed. "I am."
Todd and Blair were at the back of the group. The same concern that Jason had for Carly, Todd had for Blair. He reached out for her hand and she immediately took it, squeezing it for reassurance.
"I'm ok," she told him, already sensing his concern. She had braced herself for the dread to set in, but it still hadn't hit her.
"Of course you are. You're Blair," he told her, his eyes remaining forward.
Jason turned to face the group. "I think it'd be better if I go in alone. The last thing we want is to scare them off."
Todd stepped forward, but Blair continued to grip his hand. He turned back to look at her.
"Don't go," she whispered.
His mouth opened to protest, but he reluctantly remained standing at her side. "Alright," he finally relented.
They all watched as Jason begun to walk towards the building and disappear inside the old church. He followed the plaque indicating where the rectory's office was located and walked into the small area. The first thing he noticed was an old man sitting behind a large oak desk. Jason cast another curious glance around the room and noted that he was the only one he could visibly see. As soon as Jason took another step forward, the man looked up with a smile on his face.
"Mr. Morgan," the old man began with mirth. "I've been expecting you."
~~~~~~~
Back outside, Carly took the few steps that were separating her and Luke. She was determined to deal with their sudden awkwardness one way or another. She stopped to stand next to him, her eyes never looking at him.
"I hate coming here," Luke muttered under his breath more to himself than to his niece. "It's too freakin' hot." A few moments later, he finally acknowledged Carly at his side. "I'm not sorry, darlin'," he told her not looking in her direction. "I did what I thought was best."
Carly tried to blink away the sudden tears in her eyes. "You've got nothing to be sorry about, Luke," she told him sincerely. She wrapped herself around his right arm as a means of letting him know how much she cared for him.
He could help but smirk at the situation. "You're a good kid, Caroline."
"You're not so bad yourself."
He snorted in return. "Remember that."
A few seconds later, Jason reemerged from the building.
"That was a little too quick," Carly muttered to no one in particular.
They crowded around him as he made his way forward. "There's a letter," Jason announced. "The priest found it on his desk this morning with instructions that just said 'please give to Jason Morgan upon his arrival'."
"No one saw anything?" Todd asked.
"No, they think it was dropped off last night after the church closed for the night."
"Did you open it, Jase?" Carly asked.
"No," he answered looking at the innocent looking envelope in his hands. "Not yet."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Blair asked. "Open it."
Jason turned the envelope in his hands a few times before ripping it open. He read the note and his forehead crinkled in confusion.
"What is it?" Carly prompted when Jason didn't immediately inform them what was written.
"It's a note," Jason began and passed it along to Carly.
Blair crowded near her as Carly read aloud what was written. "Dear Manning and Morgan Families, Please be assured that the answers you have been searching for will soon be at your disposal. This is not a trap or ambush of any sort. To prove my honorable intentions, I ask that you select a location of your choice where we can meet with a time and date. I will come alone and unarmed. You have nothing to fear from me. All I ask is that you contact me at the following phone number and leave a message. I look forward to finally meeting and I hope that you will see through this final leg of your journey. Sincerely, B.R. 727-555-2342."
"What the fuck?" Todd muttered aloud, verbalizing what everyone else was thinking.
It only took another split second for everyone in the group to start speaking all at once. Questions were being hurled, but no answers given. The noise grew louder and louder, as each of them tried to talk over the other.
"Enough!" Jason yelled, silencing the group before him. "Look," he began taking charge of the situation. "We have a phone number as a lead. I'm going to call Manny and have him get a trace on it. I don't think whoever this is is stupid enough to use a payphone or anything that we can trace back to, but it's a start. When we hear back from Manny we'll figure out what to do next."
The silent response again only lasted for a moment before everyone added their input to Jason's plan.
"Shut up!" Luke yelled. Again everyone fell silent. "Look, we ain't in Port Chuck anymore. There could be someone watching our every move right now. If they see that we're falling apart at the seams, it's going to end up hurting us in the end. Morgan's right, we try to get a trace and then move on from there. But we do it away from here."
"Fine, Let's move," Todd finally answered for the group. "You know somewhere we can go?" he asked Jason.
"Yeah, yeah I do."
~~~~~~~~
By the time they got to the safe house a half hour outside of the city, they had heard from Manny confirming that the phone number left was untraceable. The number simply led to a recently purchased minute phone with no records revealing the owner or the location of the purchase.
"So what do we do now, Jase?" Carly asked on behalf of everyone.
Jason ran a hand through his hair as he paced around the living room contemplating which road to take. He was, for all intents and purposes, out of his territory. And aside from the people currently with him, there was no one he could really trust.
He finally stopped pacing and turned his attention to his friends. "I’m going to call whoever this is and have them meet us here," he finally decided.
Todd and Luke quickly began to disagree, acknowledging that there was a reason the home was called a 'safe house'. Once their location was revealed and if whoever they were contacting was a threat, they were screwed.
Jason pinched the bridge of his nose as the arguing amongst their small group increased by the second.
"Shut up!" he called out loudly.
Their eyes turned to him surprised at his sudden outburst.
"I'm calling w--"
Jason couldn't finish his thought when Luke and Todd began to disagree again.
"This isn't up for a vote," Jason told them pointedly. "Look we don't have time and we don't have any other options. We'll keep this simple. Luke you watch the front. If you recognize whoever shows up, you'll be able to make him and let us know. Johnny you get the back and keep your eyes open. I'm gonna call in a favor and get some extra guys over here just in case." He turned to Todd before anyone could begin arguing again. "You know how to use this right?"
"Yeah," Todd answered taking the gun Jason handed him. "It's been awhile - just like riding a bike right?"
Jason nodded silently and turned to Carly and Blair. "I want the two of you to stay close to me and Todd." He pointedly looked at Carly. "I'm serious, Carly. Please don't do anything crazy." She simply smiled in return and Jason shook his head. He turned back to see everyone. "This is it," he told them. "Everyone knows what they're supposed to do?" They confirmed and he sucked in a breath. "Alright, let's do this."
He pulled out his cell and dialed the number that was left behind. As expected, their voicemail picked up. "This is Morgan. 1130 Chaplin Road. One hour and you better be alone," his voice threatened. He ended the call and looked at each of his friends. "It's done," he announced unnecessarily.
~~~~~~~~~
Luke was camped out in the front of the house, effectively hidden from whoever would be arriving. All that mattered was that he had a clean shot if he needed to make one. Jason's called in favor had produced four other men. They were dependable according to Jason as he had used their "services" before. Two were with Luke and the other two in the back with Johnny.
Luke shifted on his feet, anxious to get the ball rolling. He kept thinking about Frank Smith and the hell he had put his family through. He had called Laura earlier double and triple checking that she was ok. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something big was going to happen tonight. He shifted again and made himself more comfortable in his spot. Whoever the hell was showing up, he'd be ready.
Johnny had covered his ground just as well as Luke had. There was no way he was letting anyone ambush his friends. He was having a hell of a time seeing out of left eye, but he had worked under worse circumstances. His mind went back to the events that had happened earlier that day and the night before. He could be so stupid sometimes. He couldn't see what was right in front of him this entire time. He had fallen in love with his best friend again and he never even knew it. He quickly shook his head trying to clear his mind. He'd deal with Sonya when he got home - if she was still talking to him that is. He sucked in a breath and let it go. He had to clear his mind from everything except protecting his family. When they were done here, then he could concentrate on the person that took up most of the room in his heart. Sonya.
~~~~~~~~~
"We're gonna be ok," Jason told Carly stepping up behind her.
"I know," she told him without hesitation. "I trust you with my life, Jase." She sighed and leaned back against him. "I just want this done."
Jason wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. "This is almost over. Just think, in a couple hours we can be back home with Michael and Ethan."
She smiled at that thought. She missed her boys so much. "I miss them, Jason."
"So do I," he told her softly, tightening his hold on her.
"Are you ok, Jase?" she asked him as she rested her hands on his arms. "You've been so worried about me, but how're you holdin' up?"
"I'm fine," he answered without hesitation.
She could feel him tense behind her. The last thing Jason was was 'fine', but she wouldn't push him. He was in his 'protect Carly at all costs' mode.
"I love you," she told him tightening her hands on his forearms.
He relaxed slightly and kissed the crown of her head. "Me too."
She glanced at her watch. "Fifteen minutes to go."
Todd was pacing at the other end of the living room like a caged tiger. The only thing on his mind was to protect Blair at all costs. Blair could see the pent up frustration building on his face. She approached him quietly, trying to calm him before the storm actually hit.
"You're going to wear a hole in the carpet," she told him teasingly.
"Morgan can afford to replace it," he snarked in return.
"Todd, you need to relax."
He stopped pacing and turned to face her. "I just . . ." he paused trying to collect his thoughts. "If this is the same bastard that's caused you to suffer - I'm gonna need to remember not to shoot until we get all the info we need. After that, he's dead."
She remained silent for a second, not at all surprised by his comments. "Todd, sweetie, I know you're mad and upset, but that’s not going to help. It happened. It's done."
"I want to kill him, Blair."
"I know," she nodded. "But that's not going to help me. I need you. I need you to focus on me and the kids. We all need you, Todd. I love that you want to protect me, I do. But don't let your anger win this time. Just focus on us."
"I'll try," he finally answered.
She hugged him tightly and he brought his hand up to wrap around the nape of her neck, letting her try to ground him.
~~~~~~~~~
The silver Lexus lulled to a stop in front of the house without any fanfare. Almost immediately an older man emerged from the vehicle holding nothing but a manila envelope.
The quick repetitive knocks at the door by one of the guards signaled their visitor's arrival. Jason and Todd took their places as Carly and Blair stood off to the side.
As the man made his way forward he was detained by one of the guards and patted down. As he continued his way toward the door, Luke glared at him hard. Whoever he was, Luke didn't recognize him. There was nothing about him that rang any bells of familiarity. Luke quietly made his way to the back of the house, determined to be in on the big mystery.
The door was flung open before he got close enough to knock. Jason stood there, gun aimed.
"He's clean," the guard announced. He was checked twice." Jason nodded silently and stood aside so that the stranger could enter.
He walked into the living room and glanced around the room. He couldn't help but smile. He was ready to let his friend go and this was the last step. "Good evening," he greeted everyone.
"Who are you?" Todd asked him, the gun aimed, but not cocked.
Luke had snuck in through the back door, hidden away in the kitchen, but close enough to hear the conversation in the living room clearly.
"My name is Ben Reed. I'm an attorney," he informed them all.
"Who do you work for?" Jason demanded.
"Frank Smith," came the simple reply.
The room fell in deathly silence and the next thing heard was click of the gun aimed directly at Reed's head.
"You better start talking," Jason warned.
Chapter 14
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