 |
||
The Quintessential Q
Chapter Twenty Two
Trouble making
Nik's office at General Hospital. He returns all of his calls and then as the initial morning rush is over is about to open up the Herald. His phone rings. "Nikolas Cassadine."
"Nikolas, this is Victoria Porter. I'm afraid a family emergency is going to make volunteering difficult."
"I hope everything is all right?"
"I take you haven't read the paper yet this morning. My father is sitting on a high profile case and there have been some security concerns. Someone mailed him a bomb last night."
"OHMYGOD." Nik leans forward in his chair resting his arms on the desk. "Is he all right?"
"It happened at a party Caroline Quartermaine threw for him." Viki hints.
Nik pales as he recalls that Emily was suppose to be at that party. "Was anyone injured?" He asks in a rush.
"My new stepmonster's son realized what was going on thanks to his alleged ties to organized crime. I guess it wasn't the first bomb he'd seen. He stopped his mother from opening the package. I never realized he and Emily were so close and it's evidently mutual. Once the package had been detonated by the bomb squad, Emily was climbing all over Johnny like the monkey bars at her school. Johnny didn't seem to mind."
"What a stressful situation." Nikolas excuses Emily's reaction even as his eyes narrow.
"I'm no expert in chemistry of course but you could cut the tension between the two of them with a knife. I suppose it makes sense since Johnny works for her brother. I'm sure they've spent a lot of time together. He just seemed so proprietal toward her. Don't you think it's interesting that she didn't bring a date to the party. Since you went to the wedding with her, I thought that you might have been there. Maybe she had a reason for not wanting you there." Viki insinuates.
"A number of them I'm sure if the Quartermaines were all there, or Caroline Quartermaine's uncle." Nik suggests. "Viki, if you want to volunteer, you'll be safe enough here at the hospital. My father takes security at the hospital very seriously. He's made numerous upgrades since Greg Cooper broke into the hospital and its computers a couple of years ago. Security has always been his top priority." Nik reassures Viki.
"Well if you're that confident, I'll run it by my PCPD watchdog. I am going to miss playing tennis with you however. Perhaps when this is all resolved." Viki hints.
"Perhaps." Nik says his goodbyes and hangs up the phone. He forwards his calls and finally opens the Herald. The pictures were taken with a telephoto lens from the gates of AJ's house. Emily is no where in sight but then neither is Johnny Cook. He reads the story quickly and decides just as fast. Nik calls his secretary. "I've been called out of the office please reschedule my appointments."
Deception offices
Emily walks the house checking in with people. Especially with the technonerds down in research who are working on a new scentless fast acting depilatory. She consoles them on the facial cleanser that was suppose to not plog pores but instead cause massive breakouts. Emily tucks a couple of tubes into her pocket. She has a small notebook with her. One that would get her in a world of hurt if anyone else read it. It has her list of plans for Kenny. The car was taken care of, the computer thingy of Lucky's. Next up talking to Katherine's secretary. Emily gets the list of places where Katherine is staying on the promotional tour.
Going into Katherine's office, she logs onto her computer using the access codes that she had gained from Katherine's suite and orders a pound of Godiva chocolates to be be delivered every morning and night to Katherine's room while she is on tour. She charges the chocolates to Katherine's visa card and sends along an anonymous card with the gift. Something to make it look like a secret admirer. Next she calls up Liz. "Elizabeth? You still have access to your grandmother's portable sewing machine? And the bigger question-- do you know how to use it?" Emily nods as she gets the reply she hoped for. "How do you feel about burglary, trespassing and vandalism?... I was hoping you'd say that... I'll see you after I get off work. Meet you at Kelly's?"
Emily hangs up the phone and goes back to Katherine's secretary. "You know I was thinking this is such a coup for Katherine... how well things are going. Do you think there is a chance of setting up a press release for when Katherine gets back. I know that Vogue was looking to interview some of the management here at Deception. She should really get the credit she deserves." Emily says sweetly. "And make sure the tv news is there. Deception could still use the positive press after what happened with the spa. No, even better we'll tape it ourselves and offer it to the tv stations. That way they don't have the opportunity to twist anything around. Could you set that up for me?" The secretary nods and starts taking notes. "Great. Could you contact Katherine and let her know? She will probably want to dictate the press release to you herself. We're going to have to jump on this while the iron is hot. It should probably be scheduled for the morning she gets back." Emily thinks out loud biting her lip.
"I'll reserve the main conference room ASAP." The secretary looks up from her notes.
"If you decide to be sweet to the press-- I think I can get us a good deal on some coffee-- Call the Morgan/Corinthos warehouse and mention my name. And there is a great new restaurant in town that does to die for danishes and pastries." Emily writes down the number of Johnny's restaurant. "I really appreciate you doing all this. I know that Katherine and I haven't been the best of friends but we have to work here together." Emily smiles and closes her notebook. She looks down at her watch. "Wow I have an appointment in about two minutes. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help." Emily strolls back to her office starting to breath easier as she nears her own territory. She really should feel guilty about this but every time the twinges start she remembers the pregnancy testing kit in Katherine's medicine chest and the twinges fade to nothing. Em is startled to see Nikolas in her office. He is preoccupied by the portrait that Anderson had done. "Nikolas?"
"Emily, Thank God." Nikolas holds Emily close. "I read the paper and grew concerned. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Emily hugs Nikolas back and then draws back. Going around to her desk she shoves the notebook into the middle drawer and closes it firmly. "It could have been a horrible tragedy. The package was with a bunch of wedding presents. All of my family was there including little Michael. Luckily Cook didn't open the package and everyone was evacuated from the house while we waited for the bomb squad." Emily skims over the details. She'd gotten good at that after all of her non conversations with Monica about Michael and Carly. "I saw you looking at the portrait. What do you think? Is it me?" Emily laughs.
"No." Nikolas looks again at the portrait. He backtracks swiftly. "Of Course it's you but not the way that everyone sees you."
"And they say the camera never lies." Emily jokes.
"Who did the work?" Nik asks curiously.
"She's new; Miss Anderson she has a studio here in town. She did the wedding pictures, and the last ELQ board meeting." Emily studies the portrait but she never seems to see the topic. "She was experimenting with some kind of photographic technique to give the impression of a portrait. Anderson says it works on all kinds of mediums. She can even put it on metal things...." Emily grins. "Like the gas tank of my bike."
"With this latest threat are you going to be spending much time on the bike?"
"Oh the bomb wasn't aimed at me or even my family. This is about the case that the judge starts today. It's so scary. You hear about stuff like this happening down in South America, you know, with the drug cartels. This is the first I've heard of it up here. But the Judge didn't seem too shocked or surprised. I think he was more... disappointed and worried for his family."
"Who wouldn't be? I do hope you are taking precautions though. I know that you've been spending alot of time with the Judge's daughter, Rita isn't it?"
"Rita's been spending a lot of time with Carly. So yeah. You and I both know what it's like to be protected to the point of going insane. What I've seen of Rita makes her a candidate for getting into trouble if she starts getting bored. I've already volunteered to try to keep her occupied. Whoever sent the bomb messed up big time. Not only is the PCPD on the case and working so far over there heads they are going to get nosebleeds, but Johnny has connections too. And AJ isn't happy that it happened in Carly's house. She or Michael could have been injured so he is putting the security department of ELQ on it. They are connected."
"Connected?"
"Secret service, federal agents that kind of thing. ELQ hires those guys when they are either ready to retire from the service or lures them away. Hopefully the person who did it will be behind bars before the case is even finished. But enough about that. How are you?"
"Other than worried about you-- fine. I wish you had called me last night. I wish I had been there."
"I was using the party to mend some family fences." Emily moves in next to Nikolas. "When I'm with you all I want to think about is being with you."
Nik threads his fingers through Emily's hair and pulls her close. Emily's eyes close as she feels his breath against her hair, her face. Nikolas brushes his lips softly against hers. Emily's lips part as she exhales and Nik presses the kiss deeper, harder. She reaches out and grabs on to Nikolas' arms for balance as her legs go weak. "Emily..."
Emily leans back against the desk and takes a shuddering breath to draw air into her starved lungs. She opens her eyes and Nikolas' voice. "Oh my." Her hand goes up to her lips. "So much for slowing things down."
"I can't think when you do that." Nik takes Emily's hand away from her lips and brings it to his own. Kissing the palm of her hand, he feels the tremble that resonates up Emily's arm. "I want to see you tonight."
"Tonight?" Emily squeaks then clears her throat and repeats in a more normal husky tone. "Tonight?"
"Yes, tonight. And since I promised that we'd go slow-- tempt me." Nikolas suggests.
Emily grins. "I have just the thing. But it's not designed for a walk in the park or a family dinner." She teases.
"I'll make our plans accordingly." Nik leans in again and kisses Emily-- slowly and thoroughly. "I'll see you tonight."