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The Quintessential Q
Chapter Sixty Three
Best Laid Plans.
Lucky finds a discreet spot and huddles down. From his vantage he can see the motel style cottage that had been rented to Orchid and the photographer. Built a million years ago they'd seen better days. Out on the interstate and halfway to the recreation areas they still got the business. But some of the business was a busy little hooker offering hospitality to the truckers. Lots of traffic to this little no-tel.
Lucky doesn't allow himself to be distracted but instead stays on the lookout for the white van that had been rented to the photographer. He and Nik'd already checked the room to make sure that Emily and Rita weren't there. Nik went back to Wyndemere to meet Reese who was coming in by helicoptor and he'd remained behind to keep look out. Lucky shudders even though it's warm for a fall day in upstate New York. Nik's Cassadine side was coming to the forefront.
Johnny is breathing heavily when he gets to the base of the stairs. Emily wasn't as heavy as she claimed but three flights of stairs was a bitch with any kind of weight. Rita waits in the landing as Johnny had directed her. Setting Emily down, he steadies her as she finds her balance on her good foot. "You both wait here. I'm going to see if Jason and Sonny are here yet."
Emily nods hugging Rita to her. The initial stupor of the drugs in her system was waning with the adrenaline of the rescue. But she has a very good notion that the adrenaline won't keep her running for long. Before Johnny can duck out the same way he came in she asks "How long were we gone?"
Johnny looks over at her. "Three days." Then he slides out.
Rita hugs Emily back. "It seems longer."
"Yeah, it does."
Johnny's eyes adjusts to the bright light of day. In the distance he can see the approaching limo and town car. He flags them down. Jason is first out of the limo not waiting for the guards. "Where are they?"
"Just inside. Em's drugged and her ankle is messed up. Rita took a beating." Johnny gives Jason the facts quickly. "Did you bring Dr Q?"
"I'm right here." Alan joins Johnny and Jason. He has his bag with him. He'd been dreading the worst since the pictures of Emily had arrived at the mansion. "We need to get Emily to GH."
Johnny shakes his head. "She's hanging on by a thread. Being around all those folks might push her to snap. She wants to keep this private."
"Damn Carly." Alan mutters.
"Excuse me?" Jason snaps.
"She's just like Carly. No hospitals, no doctors." Alan explains. Alan shakes his head. Carly had taken her distaste for the medical profession to ridiculous extremes, but he doubted Carly had shared her reasons with Emily. Emily had her own. Going to the family hospital, hadn't been any fun back when she'd been in the psych ward for being catatonic around the time of Dorman's death. "You brought me not because I'm Emily's father but because she needs medical attention."
"Two things, doc." Johnny tells Alan. "Right now there is a lid on us getting the girls back. We walk into GH and the kidnappers are going to know things are blown one news break later. We lose the chance to catch those bastards."
Sonny joins the conversation. "If we take the girls somewhere private or where we can control access... We can leave a few guys here to greet the kidnappers. Tie them up all neat and tidy for the PCPD." Sonny tells Alan. Jason can tell Sonny is lying through his teeth but says nothing.
"And the second thing." Alan asks Johnny ignoring Sonny.
"You'd be the better judge, I know," Johnny says diplomatically, "...but I don't know if she can handle it right now... the pressure of the police, press, hospital, the crap in her system, the family. And with at minimum a badly sprained ankle, she's a sitting duck."
"I'm her father." Alan asserts. "I'll decide what my daughter can and can't take." Alan takes a deep breath. "The clinic has an x-ray machine and office hours aren't until the afternoon. It's closed until then. I was just in for paperwork when Jason stopped by. We can at least do a triage there and decide from there what needs to be done."
"We'll take the town car." Jason decides. "The limo draws too much attention."
The cottages were rapidly filling at the no-tel. Lucky winces at the vehicles. To him they just didn't blend. Too many high end vehicles for this seedy establishment. Thankfully Nik had gone along with Lucky being the one to rent all the available cottages as a cover for the vehicles. Lucky knew how to not draw attention to himself, unlike a certain brother. Lucky had let Nik, Reese and a couple of Cassadine goons into the kidnappers room picking the lock with ease. He pointed out which lights had been left on and any details that might key the kidnappers things weren't as they left them. Nik insisted Lucky retreat to be the look out and not inside the cottage. Lucky kicked up a fuss but finally retreated when Nik had reminded him that time was of the essence.
"Master Nikolas, your... brother is scarily efficient at both picking locks and picking up details." Reese doesn't know if he is complimenting Lucky or not.
"Yes. But he is a Spencer which is why he may implement other's plans efficiently-- dot all the i's and cross the t's; he should not be in charge of formulating the plan. Spencer plans are too often wildly implausible and difficult to execute."
"And what exactly is the plan, Master Nikolas?" Reese asks politely.
"Extract the location of the girls from them by any means and then remove them from my air." Nik states his very simple plan.
"Excuse me?" Reese can't believe what he is hearing.
"The Cassadine jet is waiting at the airport. Take them to the Island and give what's left of them to the staff there. After decades of serving my Grandmother they'll know exactly what to do." Nikolas says mercilessly.
Rita stares out of the window as the car with Emily, Jason, Dr Quartermaine and her brother pulls away. With only each other's company for the last days, it was like losing a part of herself to be apart from Em, but Emily needed medical treatment. Her father had been rambling about rapid detox and her being good as new soon. What a crock.
"Would you like a glass of water or something?" Sonny asks uncomfortable with the silence and not quite knowing what to do the imp. Johnny's little sister was filthy, still wearing the clothes from the horseshow covered by of all things a bullet proof vest. Her hair had been butchered and went in every which way. Without the weight of her hair it was curling around her face.
"Sure. Water would be good." Rita continues to stare out the tinted window. Sonny hands Rita a bottled water from the bar in the back of the limo. She takes it without looking at him but Sonny notices her watching him intently from the reflection in the glass. "Do you deal drugs, Mr. Corinthos?"
Sonny grins flashing dimples and is about to blow Rita off with a quip or a cute comment when Rita turns to look at him, really look at him. Half of her face is a mottled bruise where the swelling had finally gone down enough for her to see out of that side but it wasn't that that halted him in his tracks. It was her eyes. They were old. Suddenly old, not like the little girl who raced to his warehouse on her bike to delivery him his lunch. Sonny's smile falls away. "No, Miss Porter. I do not deal drugs."
Rita looks at Sonny for a long time before looking away again. "Good. Because if you ever do I'll have to destroy you." Rita straightens around and unfastens her seatbelt as the limo pulls to a halt in front of her house. Before Francis can get out to open the door, Before Sonny can open the door Rita is out of the car. She keeps the limo between her and the line of sight of the press at the street.
Sonny catches her attention before she can slam the door. "Most people ask me if I ever killed anyone, Miss Porter."
Rita looks at him crooking her head to one side and then shrugs. "Some people need killing, Mr Corinthos." Rita slams the door and turning around runs into her father's waiting arms and the security of the house.
Sonny watches the reunion from the car. "She is going to be a problem." Sonny mutters to himself. The barrier between Sonny and Francis is down and Francis glances back in the rear view mirror.
"She's been through a lot, boss."
"Maybe too much. Head back to the Courtland Street, Francis." Sonny orders. "We've got some kidnappers to catch."
Orchid walks unknowingly right into the trap. The photographer behind her takes a step back ready to jump back in the van and take off but a beat up red pickup pulls in behind the van. The driver grinds the starter flooding the engine.
"Move that piece of crap!!" the man screams in a fit of fear and rage.
"Don't get your panties in a bunch, man." Young Mr Spencer tells the man. "This baby is tempermental and she doesn't respond well to hostility."
The man freezes cold as he feels the barrel of a gun in the middle of his back. A very prim and proper voice come from behind him. "Excuse me, sir. Your presence is required within." The man reluctantly returns to the cottage stepping into the semi darkness. As soon as he is in Reese shuts the door leaning against it and keeping his weapon trained on the photographer.
Nikolas turns on the lights of the cottage from the easy chair by the table. "I believe you have something that belongs to me. And I want it back now."
"I don't know what you're talking about." The photographer breaks out into a cold sweat. Nikolas nods to one of the Cassadine security men. The photographer's scream is cut off by Reese as the security man breaks his right index finger with a sharp twisting motion.
"Sir," Nik says politely. "If you have any dream of resuming your legitimate profession, I suggest you answer my question."