Pieces of My Heart-103-104  

by Lisa B

Chapter 103

Joanne woke with a start. Peering, she tried to read the digits on her alarm clock across the room. Long ago and far away, she had learned that putting the alarm next to her bed meant she never got to where she was supposed to be going. The involuntary reflex of slapping at the snooze button had been a habit Joanne had given up trying to break. The only thing that seemed to work was to physically get out of bed to shut the thing off.

8:15…. The numbers loomed large and red…8:15. Joanne would have to hurry to make it to Luke’s before he really lost his patience with her. Good thing, he liked a pretty girl with a quick wit. It’s how she managed to con him into hiring her to begin with. Joanne was starting to get antsy. She hadn’t caught a glimpse of Jason Morgan since she had hit town. Even the goons, who normally flock around mob boys, were suspiciously absent. She was hoping tonight would be the jackpot. Luke had a big name band playing at the club. Any body who was anybody or at least thought they were would be there. Jason just had to be there. If this night turned out to be a bust, she would have to come up with another plan of attack.

The bed creaked as Jock rolled over on his side. Joanne dropped a kiss on his forehead. She would deal with him later. Hastily, she scrawled a note on the back of an envelope. Hopefully, it would be enough of an explanation to keep him in bed until she got back or better yet, maybe he wouldn’t wake up at all before she got home. Rummaging through her drawers, she pulled out the black jeans and T-shirt that was the signature uniforms at Luke’s. She also pulled out her cell phone. Dealing with Jock was one thing but dealing with Mary McGillen was quite another. Joanne was sure the matriarch of the family would be none to pleased with Jock’s break out. She shuddered thinking about how she was going to explain and still tell them nothing.

There was just no way around it. If Joanne didn’t call, every airport would be crawling with agents trying to track down Jock. It would definitely blow her cover if they sent some boys to Port Charles. Calling the operator, she asked to be connected to MA General. The phone rang to hospital lobby.

Joanne waited as the operator at the hospital tracked down a wayward McGillen. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard a man’s voice on the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hello, who is this?” Joanne questioned.

“Who is this?” The man countered.

Deciding the best thing to do was be honest, Joanne took the plunge. “It’s Joanne Fambrough.”

“Joanne, thank god it’s you. We’ve been trying to find you…thought you’d want to know what was going on. Jock…” the man started

Joanne quickly interrupted. “Is with me.” She finished for him.

A long, low whistle hissed over the phone lines. “Oh man, my mother is going to blow a gasket.”

“Well, it wasn’t my idea. Listen,” there was an awkward pause as Joanne realized she didn’t know which McGillen she was talking to.

Sensing her discomfort, he had the sense to fill her in “Ryan…. It’s Ryan.”

The worrier, Joanne thought. This had turned out better than she hoped. “Listen, Ryan…” she continued. “This wasn’t my idea. He just showed up on my doorstep.”

“I’m sure he did.” Ryan tried but couldn’t stifle a laugh. Jock had never been one to sit still and wait for things to happen. He always met them head on and pushed and prodded until they turned into what he wanted. His antics had amused his brothers for as long as they could remember. “So where are you? Steven and I will come and get him ourselves.”

This was the part Joanne was dreading. “Well, that is a bit of a problem.”

“What?” he barked in true McGillen style. “How can that be a problem? Tell us where you are and we’ll be there. This is not a game Joanne. The guy’s barely made it back to the land of the living and he takes off. Enough to kill himself…my mother is reciting Hail Marys faster than I ever dreamed possible and she’s got the look. I know that look. I’ve seen it a million times. It’s the ‘I’m going to be worried until I get my hands on him and then I’m going to kill him for worrying me’ look. And you tell me there’s a problem! That was not a valid answer.”

Joanne checked her watch….8:30….she didn’t have time for this. Better to be blunt and make Jock sort it out later than to blow the case. “Well too damn bad. He’s with me and he’s safe and I’ll send him back as soon as I can. You’re going to have to trust me. If you don’t like it, tough! Right now, I don’t care what you tell your mother or those fools who let him slip away but you might as well stay put so I know how to get in touch. End of discussion…now I have things to do. I’ll call you later tonight.”

“Joanne,” Ryan started but she hung up on him before he got any farther.

Ryan hung up the phone and laughed. He laughed harder than he ever thought possible. Jock and his mother had met their match in Joanne Fambrough. She was quite a woman. He figured they’d be tying the knot before Jock ever realized what happened. Yes, Joanne was a definite asset to the family. He went upstairs to fill everyone in on what was going on.

********************** Damascus Syria **************************

“He’ll be here in a couple of hours.”

“Who?” Emily asked absentmindedly rifling through Jerry’s books for yet another time.

“Eduardo. He’s in Amman. His mother sent him since they hadn’t heard from Isabella. She calls her mother daily when she’s out of the country. Senora Romero hasn’t heard from her in almost 2 weeks so she sent Eduardo to find out what’s going on. He’s on his way to Damascus.”

Emily looked up from the stack of papers before her. “Never count out family.” She stated matter-of-factly and returned to her project. She started flipping through the stack.

“Jax…Jax, come here for a minute.” Pushing her glasses so they sat securely on the bridge of her nose, she returned to her task pulling sheets out of the stack and forming a separate pile.

Flopping down on the chair in front her, Jax waited for her to continue. He noticed the growing stack in front of her. “What are these?”

Staring at him over the top of her reading glasses, Emily contemplated how to answer. “That’s just it. I don’t know. I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before but Jerry has an awful lot of florist bills.”

“Big deal Jerry likes flowers.” Jax started to rise impatient to do something anything. He felt trapped and for the first time in his life, he had the sinking feeling that he might not get to Jerry in time.

“Arghh, sit down you fool. I know it sounds crazy but I just have this gut feeling that there’s something here. I mean who the heck is he sending all these flowers to.”

Jax reached out and picked up a pile of receipts and bills. Emily Thompson was right. Jerry had an inordinately large florist debt. Jax routinely picked up fresh flowers for Brenda but it was a drop in the bucket compared to these. “Fine, he’s ordered a lot of flowers but so what?” He questioned again.

“I don’t know.” She answered in disgust. “I just can’t help feeling that it means something. I can’t imagine what it could be but it must. Give me the phone. I’ll start calling the florist and see who he’s been sending the flowers to.”

Jax pushed the phone across the coffee table. “I need to get out of here. I’m going back to the market. Maybe someone over there is ready to talk.”

Never looking up, Emily waved him away with the flick of her hand. “Fine, fine dear, you do that. I stay and wait for Eduardo.”

His robe hung loosely from a peg by the front door. Jax groaned inwardly. He would never understand how Jerry could find where these get ups comfortable. Jax felt smothered. The thought of putting the robes on made him break into a sweat. He could feel the puddle forming at the base of his spine. What he really needed was a good work out in the ocean. There was nothing more refreshing. He longed for the salt spray licking at his face and the surety that Brenda was waiting on the shore for him. As much as he protested, he enjoyed Brenda toweling him off after a heavy workout. He shook the image from his mind. This was no time to sink into his memories. The nagging feeling engulfed him whenever Brenda invaded his thoughts. Jax had chalked it up to longing. Night after restless night reminded him how much he needed her. The warmth of her body, the way her chest gently rose and fell in peaceful sleep, always lulled him to sleep as well. He missed her company; the way she helped him put everything into perspective, and the way she took his mind off his problems. A smile crossed his face as he remembered her tension relieving motions on the plane. That trip to Alaska seemed like eons ago but it had only been weeks. How had every thing gotten so screwed up so quickly?

More than ever Jax was determined to make whom ever was behind all of these plots and assassination attempts to pay. He had finally learned what drove men to revenge. It was a lesson he had hoped to avoid.

Pulling on his Arab ensemble, he muttered. “Jerry, where the hell are you?”

***********************************************************

The sound of water dripping in the background magnified with each …drip…drip…drip. Jerry counted the seconds between when the water droplet formed and when it fell, splashing against the porcelain basin. Gritting his teeth, he refused to let his captors see that the isolation and deprivation were starting to get to him. His face remained placidly calm.

Remi watched from behind the two-way mirror. He wanted to break Jerry Jax. He wanted the man to cry for mercy and then he wanted to break him again and again and again. Fumbling in his pocket, he found his cigarettes. Instinctively, he pulled one from the pack and lit it. A smoky haze quickly formed above his head. Closing his eyes, he lost himself in the motion. Inhaling, he waited as the smoke filled the chambers of his lungs. Slowly, he exhaled. Opening his eyes, he stared at his nemesis. It was time to make him beg.

Hitting the buzzer by his side, he barked instructions to an unseen face some where else in the complex. He had been patient long enough. It was time to draw blood.

***********************************************************

The shades were drawn in the makeshift drawing room, leaving the room in dusty shadows. A lone figure sat huddled in a ball in the corner of the room. Wild with fear, she had refused to move from her present position.

A stout matron barged into her quiet hell.

“It’s time Mrs. Bodega.”

Isabella’s head snapped around and the woman was met with a crazed stare. “Time for what?”

Cooing softly, the woman approached. “To freshen you up, dear.” The woman tenderly reached out a hand and brushed the tangled mess from Isabella’s eyes. Isabella’s once distinct beauty was now lost in the fear that consumed her. Her once shining eyes and quick wit were no longer evident. The hunted look had taken their place.

Lulled by the soothing words, Isabella allowed the woman to stroke her face.

“Come my dear, your husband…”

Before the woman could finish, Isabella sprang to her feet. “Remi sent you!” she shrieked. “Get away from me!”

Puffing from the effort, the woman grabbed a nearby chair and pulled herself to her feet. “Now, now Mrs. Bodega.” The woman gingerly approached her ward a second time. Isabella backed away and spit at her. The woman’s face glowed red with anger. She clapped her hands. Instantly, two guards appeared in the doorway. Isabella strained to hear their mumbled dialogue.

The guards circled the room and snared Isabella. Kicking and screaming, they carried her from the room and brought her to the bathroom. Annoyed with her hysterics, the younger guard ripped her clothes from her body. His fingers lingering on the silky folds of flesh as he pulled her panties from her. His eyes memorized each detail of her body before the second guard deposited her in the waiting tub. The woman followed them into the room.

As the guard held her down, the woman scrubbed Isabella’s body. The men ogled her as the woman circled her breasts with a wash cloth. Pain coursed through their bodies, as one and then the other was slammed into the wall and then their heads were crushed into the sink and toilet.

“Get the hell out of here!” Remi growled. “Look at my wife like that again and I will kill you.”

Isabella's eyes welled with tears. She wondered if any of them would make it through this alive.

Chapter 104

Stopping outside of the front entrance to catch her breath, Joanne checked her watch and cringed. Luke was going to be really pissed. She was over a half an hour late. Running to the rear of the building, she tried to slip in through the kitchen entrance but Luke was perched on a stool barking orders to the kitchen staff.

Without turning, he addressed his next comments to her. "Nice of you to drop by."

Joanne scrunched up her fast and cursed under her breath. She'd been caught red-handed. Silently, she passed by his highness and made her way to the locker room. As usual, the only thing she left behind was a black sweatshirt. Luke stood in the doorway and watched.

"So what's the excuse this time…cat steal your homework?" He questioned sardonically. Cigar in hand, he kicked the door shut behind him to have a little pow-wow with his tardy little miss. "Bright eyes, I think you and I need to clear up a couple of things. I pay you to get here on time and work."

Joanne stood still listening to the bile Luke continued to sputter. She had never met a man who thought so highly of himself and his opinions. Joanne itched to put him in his place but she squashed the urge. Right now, she needed this job. Luke Spencer seemed to be the only jackass in town who openly cavorted with thugs. And thugs are who she needed to cozy up with if she was ever going to find out where Morgan was hiding out.

"S..s..s..sorry Mr. Spencer." She sputtered convincingly. "I…I…I promise it won't ever happen again." Squaring her shoulders slightly, she smiled inwardly as his eyes traveled from her face to her chest. Typical, Luke Spencer was definitely typical. Wetting her lips and summoning up her best helplessly coy demeanor, she again apologized and headed for the floor.

As the door closed behind her, Luke shook his head and took a long puff on his cigar. "Women…god bless'm." He smacked his lips and headed out to the bar.

Luke set up post near the front door to welcome all the nuvo riche who had begged and bribed to get good tables for the night's show. Motioning to the back room, two bouncers set up camp on either side of him as group of Jason's boys sauntered in.

"Hello…boys…what can I do for you this evening?" Luke asked as he pulled Jason's bodyguard aside and whispered. "Where's Morgan? Is he in or out of this club because I don't need dead weight dragging me down."

Joanne made her way to the end of the counter and positioned herself just beyond Luke's left shoulder.

"He's still out of town Luke."

"Out of town…out of town." Luke's voice rose with his annoyance. "That's all I you ever say." Luke brushed against the man's shoulder turning him so that they were face to face. Taking a drag from his cigar, he blew a stream of smoke above the other man's head. "I'm tired of your candy-ass double talk. I want to know where he is and if there is shit coming down that I need to prepare for…Kapeesh." He punctuated his comments by waving his cigar perilously close to the man's face. "I don't do surprises well."

"Luke don't make this ugly." The man motioned to his friends that every thing was fine and for them to watch the act. "If Jason wanted you to know where he is, he would have told you."

"Okay, cowboy, I tried doing this the easy way but apparently you just to stupid to figure it out. Tell me where he is or Jason will have nothing left to come back to. Are you getting my drift?"

"London…are you happy now. He's in London. Now you know and I know. If I hear this around town, you're wife will be going to a funeral. Do we understand each other?"

Always the consummate host when he got what he wanted, Luke happily puffed away on his cigar and ordered drinks on the house. "Renaldo, it'll be our little secret."

Methodically, Joanne untied the knot in her apron. London, that scumbag Jason Morgan was in London. It could only mean one thing he had a hand in the bombing and Julia and Brian were in danger. Leaving her drink tray at the counter, Joanne pushed her way through the crowd to the back door. Filling her lungs with the cool night air, she sprinted back to Kelly's stopping at a payphone along the way to make travel arrangements.

Quietly, she unlocked the door to the diner and made her way to her room. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dark. The room was filled with the rhythmic breathing of Jock's sleeping form. Her luck continued to hold. Finding her note, she ripped it up and threw the pieces in the nearby basket. Kissing Jock's forehead, she whispered. "Sorry, Hon but I'm doing this for you."

Joanne punched the number for the hospital into her cell phone and asked the operator to page Ryan McGillen. She pulled her chair closer to the bed so that she could study Jock. Gnawing at her lower lip, she wondered if she was making a mistake keeping him out of the loop until a shadow of pain flittered across his face. She was transported back to the cave. His body transformed before her. No longer sleeping peacefully, instead she visualized him covered with blood barely able to get his next breath. She looked down and saw his blood encrusted on her shirt and arms. It was in her hair and smeared across her face. His gurgling respiration filled the room and bombarded her sense.

Only the pleading tone in Ryan's voice brought her back to the present. "Hello? Hello? Joanne is that you?"

"Hmm…oh…Ryan…sorry. Port Charles. Kelly's…room 203. If you hurry you might catch him sleeping." That's all she said before hanging up the phone. Dropping the phone into her bag, she stroked Jock's face. "I love you. Don't be too mad but I can't let this go. He's got to be stopped." Kissing his face and lips, she repeated. "I love you."

Joanne picked up her bag and snatched one last glimpse of Jock before turning her back on the man she couldn't imagine living without to find the man who nearly killed him. Checking her watch again, Joanne sped to the airport. She would be touching down in New York before the plane landed from Boston. At least Jock would be safe. The same couldn't be said for everyone else.

************************* Damascus Syria **********************

Jerry watched as an ornate dining table was dragging into the room followed by three intricately carved chairs. One positioned was one each side of the table. Irish linen was draped over the smooth mahogany surface and pinned in place by a golden candelabrum. He watched in amazement, as place settings of Wedgwood and Waterford were set.

His occupation had entered a new plateau. Surely, Remi was behind this extravagant display of opulence. Personally, he had never cared for the typical signatures of wealth, preferring to remember his humble beginnings. Why use china when paper plates would do had always been his motto. Yet, before him sat a table fit for a king. This could only mean trouble.

Without warning, the door opened again revealing his host.

"Wonderful." He stated surveying the table. With a snap of his finger, the door opened a second time to reveal Isabella. Her hair shimmered in the flickering candlelight and her skin shone with ethereal luminescence. She was dressed plainly, as was her custom. A formfitting black silk dress formed a second skin. Sheer black hose and open toed Italian leather shoes completed the picture of elegance. The only adornments were a diamond pendant and her wedding band. Her beauty, simplicity and elegance took Jerry's breath away.

"Ahh…I see you appreciate my wife's style Jerry…it is alright that I can you Jerry, isn't it?"

Jerry merely nodded in agreement struggling to keep his rage buried. It wouldn't do to let Remi have the upper hand so early in the game.

Remi snapped his fingers. Immediately two guards appeared. "Untie him." He snapped his fingers again and a woman entered carrying an old-fashioned pitcher and basin. "I thought you'd might like to…freshen up…before the meal."

The woman set the pieces on the rickety wood table beside him. Rubbing his wrists, Jerry dove at the chance to clean some of the grime from his face and hands. It seemed like an eternity since he'd last been given the chance to bath. He dipped a washcloth into the cool, crisp water and slowly scrubbed his face and neck. Once these had been cleaned the best they could under the circumstances, he started the task of scrubbing his hands and arms. Remi watched this deeming ceremony with gleam. Isabella watched in horror.

The once strong and invincible Jerry Jacks had been turned into a side show attraction. Isabella turned her head away but Remi standing behind her, wrapped his hands around her neck.

Whispering, so only she would hear. "Watch my sweet. The next time you see Mr. Jacks he could be dead."

Isabella resisted, the haunted look still evident in her eyes.

"Don't push me, Isabella. I've been looking for a reason to snap your neck." A sinister smile passed over his face illuminating the evil that lived within him. "Isn't that a delicious thought. Our friend Jerry having to sit by while I break you like a wishbone. Yes, maybe resistance is the dessert I've been searching for."

Isabella glared at the beast she called husband. His words ignited an inner passion which only moments earlier had lain buried beneath her fear and pain. "Go jack off in the corner Remi, that's more your style. You never did have the balls to carry anything through to the end." Meeting his gaze with one of equal intensity, she continued. "After all, I should know. If you were any good, maybe you could have held my interest."

The words carried the desired impact. Remi curled his fingers into a fist. His arm twitched as he readied to strike his whore-wife. The clatter of porcelain on porcelain as Jerry finished his cleaning ritual brought Remi bag to the situation at hand.

Reaching for a cigarette, he walked away from the table. If nothing else, he must be in command. There was time plenty of time. If Jerry was counting on assistance from his baby brother, he would be waiting an eternity. Having Jasper Jacks disposed of was a moment of true brilliance on his part. How convenient that Jasper and his pretty bride had cultivated such resourceful enemies. Jason Morgan had made it so easy and clean for him to set up this grand drama.

Revenge was sweetest when someone else did the grunt work.

***************************** London England **************************

Brenda and Julia sat huddled together trying to formulate a plan. The radio blared in the background to drown out their words. Brenda knew better than to trust Jason Morgan.

"Julia, there's no other way around it. We have to find a way to get you out of here."

"No Brenda. I won't leave without you."

The sisters had been having the same argument for the past 4 hours. Each time it ended the same. They remained locked in their prison without even a shred of an idea how to get out.

"Fine, fine." Brenda agreed through gritted teeth. "Let's go over it from the beginning."

Julia flopped herself across the bed and buried her face into a pillow. The feathers muffled the scream she'd been bottling up inside of her for days. This was her fault and she knew it. If she hadn't been so pigheaded, she'd be safely tucked away with Brian in her apartment and Brenda would be back in Boston.

Sitting on the bed next to her sister, Brenda stroked her hair gently. "Julia it isn't your fault…please stop thinking that way."

Rolling over, Julia confronted Brenda's tenderness with an obvious hostility. "Come on, Bren…you know as well as I do that if I had just done what I was supposed to we wouldn't be in this predicament. I'm so angry with myself. How could I have been this stupid?"

The irony wasn't lost on Brenda. "Apparently, it runs in the family because as soon as I found out where you were I high tailed it out of the apartment leaving Brian on the outside looking in a second time. If we ever get out of this, he is going to want one heck of a bonus!"

Julia couldn't help but laugh. "What bonus? I fired him remember." The two sisters relished the lighthearted kidding.

Again Brenda asked. "Let's just go over it one more time."

"I told you. He pushed me into the apartment and I must have fainted. I woke up in here and that's when made me start calling you. I tried to tip you off but espionage isn't my forte."

"Never mind the trying to rationalize, is there anything else. Think Julia really think."

Sitting up on the bed, Julia replayed the conversations over in her mind. "You know he didn't just want you…he wanted you and Jax. He was compulsive about it…like he was trying to beat a deadline or something."

Julia watched as the color drained from Brenda's face. Something had clicked.

"Julia that's it. This isn't separate. This isn't about me and Jax or Sonny. Why didn't I see it before?! This is about Jerry. It makes perfect sense. We know Bodega has Jerry. Jax went to find him but he wasn't supposed to. Jax, Jock and even me were supposed to be killed. All the people who would have helped Jerry or even known where to find him were to be eliminated before the snatch. Oh man, Jason screwed up big time and he's trying to find a way out of it. He's dumber than I thought. Julia, all we have to do is stall…act like bitches and stall."

Julia stared at her sister in disbelief. She hoped she was right.

Sensing her sister's hesitation, Brenda continued her explanation. "Julia, don't you get it. If Jax shows up hunting for Jerry, Bodega is going to flip. The plan that's been set in motion will be useless. Jax is the wild card and Jock. No ones knows Jock is alive but the family. People know Julia…people are looking for Bodega and Jason. We just have to hold out long enough for them to find us."

It made sense. It made perfect sense. They'd never bothered to think of a contingency plan. For the first time in days, Julia started to believe they would actually get out this jam alive.