Gray Areas by Nicky
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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Title - Gray Areas (3/4)
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG to PG-13 (for some violence)
Category - JMPR/MPL
Summary - Lyle meets someone who changes his entire life. That new life is threatened when Jarod's actions, although done for the right reasons, turn out wrong for all involved.
Disclaimer - Most of these characters don't belong to me. But I'm staking my claim to Jessica and Zachary. They're all mine :-)
Note: The story crosses over here a bit with General Hospital. Fans of the show may recognize familiar elements. I'm basically just using the characters, not the storyline. So bear with me if things in GH-land seem a little off. I guess the only GH spoilers would be basic familiarity with Sonny Corinthos and Joseph Sorel.
* * * * * * * * * *
Upstate New York
2 days later
Jarod walks into a diner and finds himself a table. It was mid-morning, but the place was pretty busy. A young waitress stops by his table with some coffee and tells him she'll be back soon for his order. He looks around the table and notices that there weren't any menus. Yet, everyone seemed to know exactly what to order.
"Excuse me, Miss," he asks an older blond woman at the counter. "I was wondering . . . "
"New in town?" she asks with a smile.
"How did you guess?" he says with a blush.
"For one thing, I don't think I've ever seen you around here. And to most people, I'm not 'Miss'. I'm Tammy." She reaches her hand out to shake his. "Pleased to meet you."
"Jarod," he informs her. "It's nice to meet you too, Tammy. So, what's good here? I see there aren't any menus."
"Oh, sorry about that," she chuckles, pulling out a menu from under the counter. "Sometimes we forget about them. Most people already know what they want. Kelly's Diner has been here awhile. The specials haven't really changed. I'll give you a few minutes to decide."
"Actually, the coffee is fine for right now. I kind of wanted to sit for a while and get my bearings back," he tells her.
"That's fine. This is about as busy as we're going to be until lunch time. Take all the time you need," she smiles. "Are you just visiting or planning on making this your home?"
"Just passing through. Looking for a friend," he says cryptically.
"Where are you staying?" She stops wiping the counter when she sees a strange look cross his face. "I'm sorry for being so nosey. Just tell me to butt out if it isn't my business."
"No, I'm sorry. I'm just used to keeping to myself, that's all," he explains before answering her previous question. "But I haven't checked into a hotel yet. The Port Charles Hotel just seemed a bit too . . . uptight for me. I like simple."
"Well, I got a couple rooms upstairs if you're interested," she offers. "They're not much, but you'll have a roof over your head. Not to mention the best food in town. And you'll have basically the whole place to yourself. This one guy came in yesterday with his little girl, but they're the only ones up there right now. Shall I show you up?"
Jarod just nods, trying to paste a smile on his face. He had other things on his mind. A man and his little girl. Could be the person he was looking for. This could be the guy who has Jessie. He picks up his bag and follows Tammy up the stairs.
"Here you are. Room 3 is yours. The bathroom is down the hall. Like I said, that guy and his little girl are the only other ones here. And they've been gone most of the day so far. So it should be pretty quiet. Not a big line for the shower," she chuckles.
"Thanks again, Tammy," he says, faking a yawn. "I'm kind of tired, though. I may just get settled and rest a bit."
She smiles and nods before turning to leave. He stands at the door until she's sure he's gone before sneaking down the hall. Tammy said that the man and the girl had been gone most of the day. So chances are, they would be back soon. He had to work fast.
He quickly picked the old lock and was soon in the room. Closing the door behind him, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small flashlight. This room had a window. He didn't want to risk anyone seeing a light from the street, so the flashlight would have to do. Jarod looks around the room, being careful not to displace anything. There wasn't much there besides the furniture the room came with. No luggage. No clothes. Nothing to indicate who the occupants were. His search through the desk drawer also comes up empty. He looks next to the desk and sees that the trash can appears to have been on fire. Inside were charred pieces of paper. Jarod sifts through the paper until he finds something that wasn't completely burned. It looked as if it used to be a driver's license. The picture was still partially visible and Jarod sees that the license belonged to the man claiming to be Jessie's father. The license was more than likely a fake, making it impossible to track the man down. Jarod was pretty sure this is where Jessie had been. But all he could do now was wait and pray that they would be back.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jessie looks around the smoky room. She likes this place even less than the last place this guy took her. At least at the last place, that nice lady was there to give her chocolate milk. But this place was dark and scary. And this new man was even scarier. He was so mean that even the guy who took her from her daddy was afraid of him.
"I see you didn't screw things up this time," the man hisses. "We wouldn't have to go through this if you had just brought the mother the first time."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Sorel," Jessie's kidnapper apologizes. "We went a little far while trying to get information from the mother. But, we have the little girl. Maybe she knows where her mother stashed the tapes."
"You better hope she does," Sorel warns. "Now get her out of here and find me those tapes. Oh and Ray? You better find them, or else you and the little girl will both suffer the same fate her mother did."
Ray and Jessie are escorted to the door by one of Sorel's men. By this time, Jessie has heard the threats and have taken them very seriously. She's crying hysterically and won't stop. She cries all the way back to the diner, earning Ray several strange looks by people passing by them on the street.
"Quit that, Kid," he orders. But that only makes her cry harder. The crowd in the diner was slim. So Ray was able to drag her up the stairs fairly unnoticed. He opened the door and threw her inside, slamming the door behind him.
"I said to stop making all that noise," he yells. "You're giving me a headache."
The door slamming alerted Jarod to their presence. He opens his door slightly and peeks down the hall. Seeing no one out there, he tips down to the other door and presses his ear against it. He hears Jessie crying inside and her kidnapper yelling at her.
"I gotta get out of here. I need a drink," Ray screams. He grabs Jessie and shoves a sock inside her mouth, tying a handkerchief securely around her head to keep it in place. Instantly, the cries stop, her eyes now wide open in shock and fear. He pushes her into the closet and closes the door. He can hear her kicking against the door, trying to get out, so he pushes a chair against it to stop her. Satisfied that she's contained, he grabs his jacket from the bed and leaves the room.
Jarod steps from out of the hiding place he was barely able to find before Ray opened the door. He waits until he hears the man's footsteps all the way down the stairs before entering the room.
"Jessie?" he whispers. He looks around the room and notices the chair up against the door. He runs over and pulls the chair back. Opening the closet, he sees the scared little girl huddled inside shaking with fear. "It's okay. I won't hurt you."
He reaches inside and pulls her out, wincing as she jerks away from him.
"My name is Jarod. I won't hurt you," he says again. He reaches for her again, but this time, just to take out her gag. He steps back out of the closet and goes to sit on he bed. "He's gone. You can come out now. I promise I'm not here to hurt you."
"I want my daddy," she cries. "Where's my daddy?"
"He's not here," Jarod says to her. "But I can take you to him. Just as soon as I know it's safe."
"What about that man? He wants me to find some tapes for him for that other man." Jessie sniffs and wipes her face with the back of her hand. She's starting to trust Jarod. She wasn't afraid of him.
"What tapes?"
"I don't know," she shrugs. "They think my mommy had some tapes. And they want them back."
"Do you know who this other man is?" Jarod is curious. He wonders what's on these tapes they're so desperate to find. So desperate that they'll kidnap a 4 year old child to find them.
"Some scary guy. But that guy who took me thinks he's scary too."
"Well, I think you're mighty brave, Jessie," Jarod says. "I think that deserves a reward. How about some ice cream?"
"Really? I don't have to get back into the closet?"
"No, Sweetheart," he says trying to hold the tears. It's sad the way this man was treating this little child. "Let's get you out of here." He stands up and grabs her hand. They walk out of room together and downstairs to the diner.
"Jarod," Tammy calls. "What are you doing with Mr. Benson's daughter?"
"He had to leave," Jarod quickly lies. "He asked me to watch her for him until he got back. Jessie and I were just heading out to get some ice cream."
"Okay," Tammy says slowly, eying Jarod suspiciously before looking down at Jessie. "You okay with this, Sweetie? You don't have to go with him if you don't want to. You can stay here and wait until your daddy gets back."
"He's not my daddy," Jessie screams, her eyes starting to fill with tears. She looks up at Jarod and stretches out her arms to him. Quickly he picks her up and pats her back to calm her down. "You said I wouldn't have to stay with him," she cries.
"Shhh. It's okay, Jessie. Calm down," Jarod says soothingly. He notices the look of alarm on Tammy's face.
"Listen, Mister. I don't know what's going on here. But I'm calling the police." Tammy reaches for the phone, her hand shaking with fear. "Why don't you just put the little girl down until we can settle this."
"That won't be necessary," Jarod says, reaching into his pocket. "Special Agent Jarod Daniels, FBI. This little girl has been kidnapped. Once she identifies her kidnappers, I'm taking her home."
"You're FBI?" Tammy says, sounding somewhat relieved. "Okay, so what am I supposed to do if Mr. Benson returns looking for the little girl?"
"I don't think he'll be in any condition to even notice she's gone. I heard him say he was going to get a drink," Jarod tells her. "Can you excuse me? I need to make a phone call." He sets Jessie on a chair and goes to the corner to make a phone call to the police department back in Blue Cove.
"Detective Lowry," the voice on the other end answers.
"Ben. It's Jarod. I found her. The little kidnapped girl."
"The Parker case? Jarod, what's going on? Where are you?"
"A town in upstate New York called Port Charles. But there's something deeper going on here. The guy who kidnapped her, the one pretended to be her father in into something shady. I think possibly mob related. He took Jessie to meet with his boss. They want her to find some missing tapes."
"Missing tapes? What kind of tapes?" Detective Lowry asks.
"I'm not sure. But check out that alley again where Lyle found Jessie. Ask around and see if there was anyplace she could have stashed them. Those men were desperate enough to kill an innocent woman over those tapes. I have a feeling if we find those tapes, we'll be stumbling on something big."
"Alright, Jarod. Lay low and keep that kid out of sight," Lowry says. "I'll send someone to check it out and get back to you."
Jarod hangs up the phone and walks back over to the table where Jessie was sitting. But she wasn't there anymore? He looks frantically around the place and sees her standing next to a man with a baby stroller. She was shaking hands with a little red haired boy.
"Jessie! I thought I told you to stay put. You scared me," Jarod tells her.
"This is Michael, Jarod. Isn't he cute?" she looks at the little boy and giggles when he smiles.
"I'm sorry about that," the man with the little boy says. "I get the same way when Michael runs off. Sonny Corinthos," he says holding out his hand to Jarod.
"Sonny Corinthos?" Jarod asks, his eyebrows raising in shock.
"I see my reputation precedes me," Sonny remarks.
"It does in the FBI." Jarod holds out his badge for the man to see. "Most big time mobsters are pretty well known in my circles." He steps in front of Jessie and notices that Sonny does the same to Micheal.
"There are children here, Agent. What are you planning?" Sonny asks.
"Just one question. And I hope you keep the children in consideration when you answer it. Did you have anything to do with her kidnapping or the murder of her mother?" Both men look at the little girl behind Jarod.
"Agent Daniels. I don't know what you've heard about me. But my business is making money, not murder. I'm also a family man. Despite popular opinion, I'm not a monster. I don't go around killing innocent women. That's more Sorel's style," Sonny growls. "That man has attacked my wife and my family more times that I should tolerate." He pauses when he notices Jessie practically in tears. "What's wrong with the kid?"
Jarod looks behind him and sees a panicked look on Jessie's face. She's about to start crying again when Jarod bends down to her level.
"Jessie? What is it? What's wrong?"
"That was his name," she whispers. "That mean man who said he was going to chop me up like my mommy."
"Sorel?" Sonny asks. Jessie nods her head and falls into Jarod's arms. He picks the little girl up and hugs her. "Sorel kidnapped you and had your mother killed?"
"He thinks her mother was in possession of some tapes," Jarod explains. They all jump with surprise when his phone rings again. "Excuse me."
"Jarod," the caller greets. "It's Lowry. We found the tapes. They're videos."
"Videos? What's on them?" Jarod asks excitedly.
"We're not sure yet. We just got them. But so far, we've only seen what appears to be a meeting of some kind."
"Check out a guy named Sorel," Jarod says, holding his hand over the mouth piece to ask Sonny a question. "What's his first name?"
"Joseph. Joseph Sorel," Sonny tells him.
"Joseph Sorel," Jarod repeats into the phone. "Let me know as soon as possible if you can get a warrant on this guy."
Jarod hangs up the phone and looks down at Jessie.
"Well, Kid. I hate to say this, but no ice cream. I can't risk taking you anywhere until those bad men are put in prison. We have to stay here."
"But that other guy will come back to get me," Jessie whines. "He'll find me if we're just down the hall."
"Then we'll find someplace else to say. Someplace safe," he promises her.
"You can come to my penthouse," Sonny offers. "Michael doesn't have many children around his age to play with. Plus, my place is guarded by my men. You two will be safe."
"I'm not so sure, Sonny," Jarod says with some hesitation. "But, we have to go somewhere. Jessie's right. We can't stay here."
"Then you can come while you make other arrangements," Sonny suggests.
"Alright. Let me go get my things." Jarod takes Jessie's hand and leads her up the stairs to the room. Packing up his stuff is quick. He didn't even bring the DSA case with him this time. It's stored at Miss Parker's house, although she doesn't know it. He almost laughs at the irony. The very thing she searches day in and day out for, and it's hidden in her attic. On the way back downstairs, he runs into Tammy.
"Oh, Tammy. I'm afraid I won't be needing the place to stay after all. How much do I owe you?" he asks her.
"Leaving so soon?"
"Well, it's not really safe here anymore. And we've been offered a place to hide by Sonny Corinthos," he says tentatively. "How much do you know about him?"
"Well, you're FBI, so I assume you've heard about him," Tammy starts. "I'd suggest you forget anything they've said. Things aren't always black and white. Yes, Sonny operates outside of the law, but he's no thug. He has a territory to protect and does whatever is necessary, but he also has a conscience. He's a loving and caring family man. He's loyal to a fault. And the protection of women and children is his utmost priority. He's a great guy. He just happens to be a criminal."
"Gray areas," Jarod mumbles absent-mindedly.
"What?" Tammy's confused.
"Nothing," he smiles, remembering what Lyle told him a few days ago. "Just finally starting to see the shades of gray in life."
* * * * * * * * * *
Apartment of Joseph Sorel
"Boss, I got some bad news for you," Ray starts. He was shaking like a leaf. He hated to deliver this message but it would be worse for him to find out some other way.
"What is it Ray? Did the girl not know where the tapes were?" Sorel asks in an exasperating tone.
"I wouldn't know. She was gone when I got back to the room tonight," Ray confesses.
"Gone? She's 4 years old," Sorel growls. "Where could she have gone?"
"The boarding rooms above that diner ain't exactly the Ritz, Boss. I needed a drink. So I went to the liquor store to pick something up. When I got back, I saw her leaving with two men. One of them was Corinthos."
"Sonny Corinthos?" Sorel stammers. "What does Sonny know about this? Why is he even involved? How could you let this happens?" Ray flinches as each question get louder and angrier.
"I don't know, Boss. I swear, I was only gone for a minute. Sonny must have had his guys watching the place or something." It was a lie. A small lie that Ray hoped Sorel wouldn't find out. He was gone for almost an hour. And was more than a little tipsy by the time he got back.
"Here's the new plan," Sorel says, somewhat calmer. His steely exterior chilled Ray to his bones. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like the new plan. "We forget about finding the tapes. Chances are, the girl doesn't know where they are anyway. And no one else knows about them. We need to get rid of her before anyone finds out about them."
"How are we going to get to the girl? She's at Sonny's. That place is tighter than Fort Knox," Ray quips.
"That's for you to worry about," Sorel says with a wicked grin. "You take care of the girl. No more slip ups. She dies, plain and simple. Follow those orders and you'll be alright."
"Boss, she's with Sonny. If I go in there with my gun blazing, Sonny's men will kill me."
"You kill her or you die," Sorel warns him. "Those are your two choices." Sorel turns his back, an indication that the meeting was over and Ray was dismissed.
Ray walks dejectedly to the door. He knew he wasn't going to like this plan. Either he killed the girl and risked getting killed by Sonny's men. Or he didn't kill the girl and would definitely be killed by Sorel. There really was no choice to be made. He had to kill the girl.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sonny Corinthos' Penthouse
"Leticia," Sonny calls up to his nanny. "Jarod and I will be in a business meeting. Keep the children upstairs please."
"No problem, Mr. Corinthos," she says before going back up the stairs.
"Jarod, I'm going to go put on some coffee. Make yourself at home." Sonny shows him to the guest room down the hall from the kitchen where he can put his stuff. Then he goes into the kitchen to start the coffee. Jarod uses this time to make a phone call.
"What," the sharp voice on the other end snaps.
"Good to know *you* haven't changed much, Miss Parker," he smiles.
"Jarod. Should have known. What do you want?" Miss Parker asks, trying to sound harsh. But Jarod could hear the ice around her heart cracking a little.
"Would you believe that I just missed the sound of your voice?" he smiles when she lets a little chuckle slip.
"Actually, I do. Because I missed the sound of your voice, too," she says sweetly. "But I know you. And you always have a reason. No matter how lame and demented it may be," she teases.
"You're not still mad at me?"
"Jarod, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad with this situation," she sighs. "I'm mad that the Centre kept you prisoner all your life. And I'm mad you came out feeling as if you had to be some avenging angel. I'm mad that you allowed a killer to kidnap my brother's child. But mostly I'm mad that you left me . . . "
"Parker, you told me to be gone . . ."
"I know, Jarod," she sighs again. "There's no other way right now."
"Even if I found a way to see some gray in life?" he asks cryptically.
"What are you talking about, Jarod?"
"Would you believe that right now I'm hiding out in a mobster's penthouse?"
"Yes I would. You've pretended to be a mobster before to put the guy away. You left him locked in a meat locker if memory serves me," she laughs. "I hope you this guy doesn't have a deep freezer in his kitchen. He could be in some big trouble."
"Funny, Parker. But no. It's not a pretend. Well, not one aimed to take him down, at least. Parker, I found the guy who took Jessie. She's here with me," he explains.
"What?" She jumps up off the couch. The sudden movement disrupts the boys from their cartoon watching momentarily. "You have her? Jarod, where are you? Lyle and I will . . ."
"Not yet. It's not safe. The guy who took her was also a mobster. Sort of in a territory war with my new buddy here. He thinks Jessie may know where some tapes are. But, I had my friends in the Blue Cove Police Department search the alley again and they found the tapes. They viewing them now, seeing if they can get an arrest warrant for this guy. So right now, it's important to keep Jessie out of the way and safe. That means you and Lyle can't know where she is yet."
"But Jarod . . "
"Trust me, Parker. I'll take care of her," he promises.
"I know you will. I trust you, Jarod. I trust you with my life."
"And with your heart?" he asks tentatively.
"Jarod, I'm afraid," she admits with a whisper. "You had my heart. And then you broke it. I can't go through that again."
"I'm trying to fix it Parker. To fix us."
"How, Jarod?" she asks, her voice raising a notch. "By running off the first chance you could find to put one of your little plans into action? By once again, trying to solve things the 'Jarod' way, not even considering the consequences? Jarod, your plans always end in some kind of heartbreak. I just don't want it to be mine this time. You're dealing with mobsters here, Jarod. I don't want anything to happen to you."
A long silence comes between them, though Jarod swears he can hear her tears falling.
"Parker, I'm sorry," he finally says, breaking the empty silence. "I just wanted to get Jessie back. I owed it to Lyle. It was my plan that got her taken away from him in the first place."
"Don't let this plan take you away from me," she sniffs.
"That won't happen, Parker. I love you. And that binds us together forever."
"I love you, too," she whispers. "Don't get yourself killed. Come home to me."
"I will," he promises. "I'll be back before you know it." He closes his eyes to try to blink away his own tears before hanging up the phone.
"Wife? Girlfriend?" Sonny asks from the doorway.
"A little of both. A little of neither," Jarod replies, drawing a strange look from Sonny. "It's a long, complicated story."
"Okay. Whatever, man."
"Listen, I just wanted to thank you again for doing this for us. I'm not used to . . ."
"Hanging out with mobsters?" Sonny laughs. "Most people aren't. But at least you didn't judge me like the rest of this town does. My business may operate outside of the law, but I consider myself an honorable man. I keep my promises. I'm loyal to those loyal to me."
"That's all I can ask for right now," Jarod says, holding out his hand to seal the deal.
* * * * * * * * * *
Miss Parker bangs on the door one more time. She knows Lyle is in there. She heard him moving around when she first started knocking.
"Open the door, Lyle. Before I shoot my way in," she threatens. She waits a few more seconds, but hears nothing. Raising her gun, she aims for the lock just as the door cracks open.
"Go away, Parker," Lyle says, standing in the doorway. "I'm not in the mood for company."
"Let us in, Lyle. You're scaring the boys." She pushes her way into the apartment, holding the door open for Zach. She shifts Joshua to her other hip to replace her gun.
"What do you want?" Lyle sighs, clearly not in the mood for this.
"Just a second," she says, putting the baby down on the floor. "Zach, honey. Do me a favor and take Joshie into Jessie's room to play for a little while, okay?" She watches the smaller boy toddle behind the Zach into the room.
"Again, Parker. I'm not in the mood for company. What do you want?"
"Jessie. Jarod. He found her. He has her," she manages to say as it all comes tumbling out of her mouth.
"What? Where? How?" is all Lyle's able to say.
"I don't know the details. I got a phone call from him earlier today. He said that he found her and was going to keep her safe until he can get her to you," she explains.
"What do you mean *until* he can get her to me? Where is he, Parker? Why isn't he bringing my daughter home?" Lyle screams.
"Calm down, Lyle," she says quietly. "I haven't told Zach yet that Jessie's okay. But I know that she is okay. If Jarod says so . . "
"Then it must be gospel," Lyle adds sarcastically. "Listen Sis. I know you have this thing for the labrat. But he almost destroyed my life. I'm not going to trust him as far as I can throw him."
Lyle grabs his phone off the table and starts to dial.
"Where did you get the call?" he asks just as the person on the other line picks up. "Yes, this is Mr. Lyle. I'm need to speak with someone in communications." He looks up at Miss Parker, and motions with his hand that he's waiting for her answer.
"He called my house," she tells him. "But I tried to *69 him. He was on a cell phone. . . ."
"I need a call traced," he says into the phone, cutting off the rest of her sentence. "Miss Parker's home phone . . . yes, she already tried that . . . New York? That's as close as you can get? . . . I don't care what you can or can't do. Find that number and get it to me immediately." He slams down the phone, probably leaving the other person's ears ringing. Without even looking up, he dials another number. A few minutes later, he's got the Centre jet fueled and ready to go on his order.
"Lyle, just slow down," she tries to calm him. "Jarod said that it could be dangerous right now for him to bring Jessie to us. Maybe we should listen to him."
"And I told you. I'm not trusting Jarod with anything. The telecommunications office said that the phone call came from somewhere in New York, possibly someplace in upstate New York. As soon as they get a lock on it, I'm going. Now, you can stay here, or you can come with me. The choice is yours."
"I'm coming," she says with a huff. "Just take me home first so I can pick up a few things for the boys."
Lyle just nods and heads to his room to pack. When he returns, Miss Parker already has the boys downstairs and strapped in their car seats. Silently, they drive to her house and she runs in to get a small bag prepared. She prays to herself that everything would turn out alright. But she was getting that feeling again that something bad was about to happen.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sonny Corinthos' penthouse
"So, you're really not in the FBI?" Sonny asks him, his head reeling from the concept of what a Pretender could actually do. His new friend had completely convinced him that he was a federal agent. "Unbelievable. No wonder I liked you. I should have figured you weren't a cop," he laughs.
The two men had spent the entire afternoon talking easily with one another. Jarod did most of the talking, reliving his many adventures. They got along well, having so much in common. Both had unhappy childhood's, they soon learned. But where Jarod had been kept a prisoner of the Centre, Sonny was a prisoner of an abusive stepfather.
"So tell me again about this Miss Parker," Sonny begs, sitting down in the chair across from Jarod.
"I told you before. That's a long and complicated story. We grew up together. Her father is one of the people in charge at the Centre," Jarod explains.
"I still can't believe a place like that actually exists," Sonny says, shaking his head. "And I can't believe they'd experiment on you like that. Must have been miserable."
"Not so much with Miss Parker there," Jarod smiles, remembering the days when he and Miss Parker would spend every possible moment together. He lived each day for those moments with her. "I still remember the first day I ever saw her. I was standing in this room when she walks in. We were separated by a glass wall, but I couldn't even tell. This may sound strange, but it was like I could actually feel her in the same room with me. I raised my hand up to the glass and she did the same. It was like a shock when our hands met. I think she was the first girl I ever saw, because I was so surprised when I saw her. No doubt she was the most beautiful. I fell in love with her instantly."
"So why is it you've been running from her for the past few years?" Sonny asks curiously.
"I don't know," Jarod sighs. "She went away for awhile. And when she came back she was . . . different. Harder. Colder. Dead inside. It was like . . ."
The ringing of a phone cuts off Jarod's sentence. He excuses himself and answers the phone.
"Jarod, it's Lowry. I got good news for you," the detective excitedly announces. "We got the warrant for Sorel."
"The tapes were useful?"
"Very damaging for Sorel. The tapes gave us an inside look at the workings within his organization. There's no way he'd get off with this kind of evidence. The only problem is that this guy is nowhere to be found. We can't seem to track him down," the detective laments.
"I'll work on that from this end," Jarod says after some thought. "I have a lead on where we might find him. I'll get back to you."
Jarod hangs up the phone and starts pacing, trying to work through various scenarios in his head.
"What's going on, Jarod?" Sonny asks gently, not wanting to disrupt Jarod's thought process too much. He was actually kind of excited that he might see Jarod 'pretend' right before his eyes.
"That was the detective working on Jessie's kidnapping case back in Blue Cove. Those videos they found earlier turned out to be evidence enough to get an arrest warrant for Sorel and, more than likely, convicted of several crimes, including kidnapping, racketeering, and murder. The only problem is that they haven't been able to track him down."
"He is a slippery little weasel," Sonny confirms. "What are you planning? You going to search for him yourself?"
"I'm hoping I won't have to," Jarod says cryptically. He walks over to the stairs and calls for Jessie, gathering up their things while he waits for her.
"You're leaving?" Sonny notices.
"The guy who took Jessie is staying at the diner. He took Jessie to a meeting with Sorel earlier. Maybe if I tail him long enough, he'll eventually meet up with Sorel again and I can follow him there."
"Sounds dangerous. Why don't you let Jessie stay here. Leticia will be more than happy to . . ."
"Thanks for the offer, Sonny. But I don't want to put you in the middle of it any more than I already have. You have your wife and stepson to think about."
"And I heard you make a promise to that girlfriend of yours that you're going to make it back safely to her. I'd hate for the lovely lady to be disappointed," Sonny says with his own patented grin that rivaled Jarod's. "I'm going with you. Someone needs to watch your back. Someone who knows how Sorel operates."
Jarod sees the determined look on the other man's face. He wasn't backing down from this. And to be perfectly honest, Jarod was grateful for the help. Two sets of eyes were better than one when it came to being on the lookout.
"Okay," Jarod relents. "I think it's a good idea for you to come. I'm going to need the help. Thanks."
Sonny gives him another victorious grin and after getting Jessie, they all head out the door and back to Kelly's diner. Paying attention only to the road ahead, they don't see other car parked halfway down the street pull out behind them.
* * * * * * * * * *
Miss Parker distractedly watches the ice melt in her glass. The flight attendant on the Centre jet had brought her this glass of ginger ale over an hour ago, but she hasn't even touched it.
"You know, that'll work better if you'd actually drink it," Lyle whispers to her.
"What?" she asks, shaking herself from her daze. "I'm sorry. I was just . . . I don't know. I'm a little out of it I guess."
"What's the problem? I for one feel much better now that I know where Jarod and Jessie are."
"We don't know *exactly* where they are," she corrects him. "All that person from communications said was that the call came from Port Charles, New York."
"True, but how big a town can it be? I never heard of it."
"Neither have I. But it doesn't matter how big or how small it is. Searching for Jarod and Jessie will be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Where would we even start?" she asks.
"I don't know," Lyle shrugs. "The same place as always, I guess. We'll show his picture around town and see if anyone recognized him. We'll try the hotels first. He's got to be staying somewhere."
Lyle watches his sister let out a shaky sigh as she turns her head to stare out of the window. Something was bothering her. He didn't know what, but the look on her face gave him a sick feeling on the inside. The same sick feeling she was complaining about earlier.
"You're not just worried about whether or not we'll find them, are you?" he asks her gently.
"No," she whispers. "I know we'll find them. If Jarod's in this town, then we're going to find them. What I'm worried about is not finding him in time. Something horrible's going to happen, Lyle. I can feel it. And it scares me to death that I might not be there to save him from it."
The look in her eyes sends chills down his spine. It was a look he's never seen on her before. A look of pure fear. Suddenly, his own lunch was having a hard time staying in his stomach.
"He'll be fine," he manages to mutter over the lump now blocking his throat. "He always is." He tries to reassure her with his words, but realizes he's barely convincing himself. Instead, he reaches between the seats and grabs her hand, holding it tightly for the remainder of the flight.
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG to PG-13 (for some violence)
Category - JMPR/MPL
Summary - Lyle meets someone who changes his entire life. That new life is threatened when Jarod's actions, although done for the right reasons, turn out wrong for all involved.
Disclaimer - Most of these characters don't belong to me. But I'm staking my claim to Jessica and Zachary. They're all mine :-)
Note: The story crosses over here a bit with General Hospital. Fans of the show may recognize familiar elements. I'm basically just using the characters, not the storyline. So bear with me if things in GH-land seem a little off. I guess the only GH spoilers would be basic familiarity with Sonny Corinthos and Joseph Sorel.
* * * * * * * * * *
Upstate New York
2 days later
Jarod walks into a diner and finds himself a table. It was mid-morning, but the place was pretty busy. A young waitress stops by his table with some coffee and tells him she'll be back soon for his order. He looks around the table and notices that there weren't any menus. Yet, everyone seemed to know exactly what to order.
"Excuse me, Miss," he asks an older blond woman at the counter. "I was wondering . . . "
"New in town?" she asks with a smile.
"How did you guess?" he says with a blush.
"For one thing, I don't think I've ever seen you around here. And to most people, I'm not 'Miss'. I'm Tammy." She reaches her hand out to shake his. "Pleased to meet you."
"Jarod," he informs her. "It's nice to meet you too, Tammy. So, what's good here? I see there aren't any menus."
"Oh, sorry about that," she chuckles, pulling out a menu from under the counter. "Sometimes we forget about them. Most people already know what they want. Kelly's Diner has been here awhile. The specials haven't really changed. I'll give you a few minutes to decide."
"Actually, the coffee is fine for right now. I kind of wanted to sit for a while and get my bearings back," he tells her.
"That's fine. This is about as busy as we're going to be until lunch time. Take all the time you need," she smiles. "Are you just visiting or planning on making this your home?"
"Just passing through. Looking for a friend," he says cryptically.
"Where are you staying?" She stops wiping the counter when she sees a strange look cross his face. "I'm sorry for being so nosey. Just tell me to butt out if it isn't my business."
"No, I'm sorry. I'm just used to keeping to myself, that's all," he explains before answering her previous question. "But I haven't checked into a hotel yet. The Port Charles Hotel just seemed a bit too . . . uptight for me. I like simple."
"Well, I got a couple rooms upstairs if you're interested," she offers. "They're not much, but you'll have a roof over your head. Not to mention the best food in town. And you'll have basically the whole place to yourself. This one guy came in yesterday with his little girl, but they're the only ones up there right now. Shall I show you up?"
Jarod just nods, trying to paste a smile on his face. He had other things on his mind. A man and his little girl. Could be the person he was looking for. This could be the guy who has Jessie. He picks up his bag and follows Tammy up the stairs.
"Here you are. Room 3 is yours. The bathroom is down the hall. Like I said, that guy and his little girl are the only other ones here. And they've been gone most of the day so far. So it should be pretty quiet. Not a big line for the shower," she chuckles.
"Thanks again, Tammy," he says, faking a yawn. "I'm kind of tired, though. I may just get settled and rest a bit."
She smiles and nods before turning to leave. He stands at the door until she's sure he's gone before sneaking down the hall. Tammy said that the man and the girl had been gone most of the day. So chances are, they would be back soon. He had to work fast.
He quickly picked the old lock and was soon in the room. Closing the door behind him, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small flashlight. This room had a window. He didn't want to risk anyone seeing a light from the street, so the flashlight would have to do. Jarod looks around the room, being careful not to displace anything. There wasn't much there besides the furniture the room came with. No luggage. No clothes. Nothing to indicate who the occupants were. His search through the desk drawer also comes up empty. He looks next to the desk and sees that the trash can appears to have been on fire. Inside were charred pieces of paper. Jarod sifts through the paper until he finds something that wasn't completely burned. It looked as if it used to be a driver's license. The picture was still partially visible and Jarod sees that the license belonged to the man claiming to be Jessie's father. The license was more than likely a fake, making it impossible to track the man down. Jarod was pretty sure this is where Jessie had been. But all he could do now was wait and pray that they would be back.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jessie looks around the smoky room. She likes this place even less than the last place this guy took her. At least at the last place, that nice lady was there to give her chocolate milk. But this place was dark and scary. And this new man was even scarier. He was so mean that even the guy who took her from her daddy was afraid of him.
"I see you didn't screw things up this time," the man hisses. "We wouldn't have to go through this if you had just brought the mother the first time."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Sorel," Jessie's kidnapper apologizes. "We went a little far while trying to get information from the mother. But, we have the little girl. Maybe she knows where her mother stashed the tapes."
"You better hope she does," Sorel warns. "Now get her out of here and find me those tapes. Oh and Ray? You better find them, or else you and the little girl will both suffer the same fate her mother did."
Ray and Jessie are escorted to the door by one of Sorel's men. By this time, Jessie has heard the threats and have taken them very seriously. She's crying hysterically and won't stop. She cries all the way back to the diner, earning Ray several strange looks by people passing by them on the street.
"Quit that, Kid," he orders. But that only makes her cry harder. The crowd in the diner was slim. So Ray was able to drag her up the stairs fairly unnoticed. He opened the door and threw her inside, slamming the door behind him.
"I said to stop making all that noise," he yells. "You're giving me a headache."
The door slamming alerted Jarod to their presence. He opens his door slightly and peeks down the hall. Seeing no one out there, he tips down to the other door and presses his ear against it. He hears Jessie crying inside and her kidnapper yelling at her.
"I gotta get out of here. I need a drink," Ray screams. He grabs Jessie and shoves a sock inside her mouth, tying a handkerchief securely around her head to keep it in place. Instantly, the cries stop, her eyes now wide open in shock and fear. He pushes her into the closet and closes the door. He can hear her kicking against the door, trying to get out, so he pushes a chair against it to stop her. Satisfied that she's contained, he grabs his jacket from the bed and leaves the room.
Jarod steps from out of the hiding place he was barely able to find before Ray opened the door. He waits until he hears the man's footsteps all the way down the stairs before entering the room.
"Jessie?" he whispers. He looks around the room and notices the chair up against the door. He runs over and pulls the chair back. Opening the closet, he sees the scared little girl huddled inside shaking with fear. "It's okay. I won't hurt you."
He reaches inside and pulls her out, wincing as she jerks away from him.
"My name is Jarod. I won't hurt you," he says again. He reaches for her again, but this time, just to take out her gag. He steps back out of the closet and goes to sit on he bed. "He's gone. You can come out now. I promise I'm not here to hurt you."
"I want my daddy," she cries. "Where's my daddy?"
"He's not here," Jarod says to her. "But I can take you to him. Just as soon as I know it's safe."
"What about that man? He wants me to find some tapes for him for that other man." Jessie sniffs and wipes her face with the back of her hand. She's starting to trust Jarod. She wasn't afraid of him.
"What tapes?"
"I don't know," she shrugs. "They think my mommy had some tapes. And they want them back."
"Do you know who this other man is?" Jarod is curious. He wonders what's on these tapes they're so desperate to find. So desperate that they'll kidnap a 4 year old child to find them.
"Some scary guy. But that guy who took me thinks he's scary too."
"Well, I think you're mighty brave, Jessie," Jarod says. "I think that deserves a reward. How about some ice cream?"
"Really? I don't have to get back into the closet?"
"No, Sweetheart," he says trying to hold the tears. It's sad the way this man was treating this little child. "Let's get you out of here." He stands up and grabs her hand. They walk out of room together and downstairs to the diner.
"Jarod," Tammy calls. "What are you doing with Mr. Benson's daughter?"
"He had to leave," Jarod quickly lies. "He asked me to watch her for him until he got back. Jessie and I were just heading out to get some ice cream."
"Okay," Tammy says slowly, eying Jarod suspiciously before looking down at Jessie. "You okay with this, Sweetie? You don't have to go with him if you don't want to. You can stay here and wait until your daddy gets back."
"He's not my daddy," Jessie screams, her eyes starting to fill with tears. She looks up at Jarod and stretches out her arms to him. Quickly he picks her up and pats her back to calm her down. "You said I wouldn't have to stay with him," she cries.
"Shhh. It's okay, Jessie. Calm down," Jarod says soothingly. He notices the look of alarm on Tammy's face.
"Listen, Mister. I don't know what's going on here. But I'm calling the police." Tammy reaches for the phone, her hand shaking with fear. "Why don't you just put the little girl down until we can settle this."
"That won't be necessary," Jarod says, reaching into his pocket. "Special Agent Jarod Daniels, FBI. This little girl has been kidnapped. Once she identifies her kidnappers, I'm taking her home."
"You're FBI?" Tammy says, sounding somewhat relieved. "Okay, so what am I supposed to do if Mr. Benson returns looking for the little girl?"
"I don't think he'll be in any condition to even notice she's gone. I heard him say he was going to get a drink," Jarod tells her. "Can you excuse me? I need to make a phone call." He sets Jessie on a chair and goes to the corner to make a phone call to the police department back in Blue Cove.
"Detective Lowry," the voice on the other end answers.
"Ben. It's Jarod. I found her. The little kidnapped girl."
"The Parker case? Jarod, what's going on? Where are you?"
"A town in upstate New York called Port Charles. But there's something deeper going on here. The guy who kidnapped her, the one pretended to be her father in into something shady. I think possibly mob related. He took Jessie to meet with his boss. They want her to find some missing tapes."
"Missing tapes? What kind of tapes?" Detective Lowry asks.
"I'm not sure. But check out that alley again where Lyle found Jessie. Ask around and see if there was anyplace she could have stashed them. Those men were desperate enough to kill an innocent woman over those tapes. I have a feeling if we find those tapes, we'll be stumbling on something big."
"Alright, Jarod. Lay low and keep that kid out of sight," Lowry says. "I'll send someone to check it out and get back to you."
Jarod hangs up the phone and walks back over to the table where Jessie was sitting. But she wasn't there anymore? He looks frantically around the place and sees her standing next to a man with a baby stroller. She was shaking hands with a little red haired boy.
"Jessie! I thought I told you to stay put. You scared me," Jarod tells her.
"This is Michael, Jarod. Isn't he cute?" she looks at the little boy and giggles when he smiles.
"I'm sorry about that," the man with the little boy says. "I get the same way when Michael runs off. Sonny Corinthos," he says holding out his hand to Jarod.
"Sonny Corinthos?" Jarod asks, his eyebrows raising in shock.
"I see my reputation precedes me," Sonny remarks.
"It does in the FBI." Jarod holds out his badge for the man to see. "Most big time mobsters are pretty well known in my circles." He steps in front of Jessie and notices that Sonny does the same to Micheal.
"There are children here, Agent. What are you planning?" Sonny asks.
"Just one question. And I hope you keep the children in consideration when you answer it. Did you have anything to do with her kidnapping or the murder of her mother?" Both men look at the little girl behind Jarod.
"Agent Daniels. I don't know what you've heard about me. But my business is making money, not murder. I'm also a family man. Despite popular opinion, I'm not a monster. I don't go around killing innocent women. That's more Sorel's style," Sonny growls. "That man has attacked my wife and my family more times that I should tolerate." He pauses when he notices Jessie practically in tears. "What's wrong with the kid?"
Jarod looks behind him and sees a panicked look on Jessie's face. She's about to start crying again when Jarod bends down to her level.
"Jessie? What is it? What's wrong?"
"That was his name," she whispers. "That mean man who said he was going to chop me up like my mommy."
"Sorel?" Sonny asks. Jessie nods her head and falls into Jarod's arms. He picks the little girl up and hugs her. "Sorel kidnapped you and had your mother killed?"
"He thinks her mother was in possession of some tapes," Jarod explains. They all jump with surprise when his phone rings again. "Excuse me."
"Jarod," the caller greets. "It's Lowry. We found the tapes. They're videos."
"Videos? What's on them?" Jarod asks excitedly.
"We're not sure yet. We just got them. But so far, we've only seen what appears to be a meeting of some kind."
"Check out a guy named Sorel," Jarod says, holding his hand over the mouth piece to ask Sonny a question. "What's his first name?"
"Joseph. Joseph Sorel," Sonny tells him.
"Joseph Sorel," Jarod repeats into the phone. "Let me know as soon as possible if you can get a warrant on this guy."
Jarod hangs up the phone and looks down at Jessie.
"Well, Kid. I hate to say this, but no ice cream. I can't risk taking you anywhere until those bad men are put in prison. We have to stay here."
"But that other guy will come back to get me," Jessie whines. "He'll find me if we're just down the hall."
"Then we'll find someplace else to say. Someplace safe," he promises her.
"You can come to my penthouse," Sonny offers. "Michael doesn't have many children around his age to play with. Plus, my place is guarded by my men. You two will be safe."
"I'm not so sure, Sonny," Jarod says with some hesitation. "But, we have to go somewhere. Jessie's right. We can't stay here."
"Then you can come while you make other arrangements," Sonny suggests.
"Alright. Let me go get my things." Jarod takes Jessie's hand and leads her up the stairs to the room. Packing up his stuff is quick. He didn't even bring the DSA case with him this time. It's stored at Miss Parker's house, although she doesn't know it. He almost laughs at the irony. The very thing she searches day in and day out for, and it's hidden in her attic. On the way back downstairs, he runs into Tammy.
"Oh, Tammy. I'm afraid I won't be needing the place to stay after all. How much do I owe you?" he asks her.
"Leaving so soon?"
"Well, it's not really safe here anymore. And we've been offered a place to hide by Sonny Corinthos," he says tentatively. "How much do you know about him?"
"Well, you're FBI, so I assume you've heard about him," Tammy starts. "I'd suggest you forget anything they've said. Things aren't always black and white. Yes, Sonny operates outside of the law, but he's no thug. He has a territory to protect and does whatever is necessary, but he also has a conscience. He's a loving and caring family man. He's loyal to a fault. And the protection of women and children is his utmost priority. He's a great guy. He just happens to be a criminal."
"Gray areas," Jarod mumbles absent-mindedly.
"What?" Tammy's confused.
"Nothing," he smiles, remembering what Lyle told him a few days ago. "Just finally starting to see the shades of gray in life."
* * * * * * * * * *
Apartment of Joseph Sorel
"Boss, I got some bad news for you," Ray starts. He was shaking like a leaf. He hated to deliver this message but it would be worse for him to find out some other way.
"What is it Ray? Did the girl not know where the tapes were?" Sorel asks in an exasperating tone.
"I wouldn't know. She was gone when I got back to the room tonight," Ray confesses.
"Gone? She's 4 years old," Sorel growls. "Where could she have gone?"
"The boarding rooms above that diner ain't exactly the Ritz, Boss. I needed a drink. So I went to the liquor store to pick something up. When I got back, I saw her leaving with two men. One of them was Corinthos."
"Sonny Corinthos?" Sorel stammers. "What does Sonny know about this? Why is he even involved? How could you let this happens?" Ray flinches as each question get louder and angrier.
"I don't know, Boss. I swear, I was only gone for a minute. Sonny must have had his guys watching the place or something." It was a lie. A small lie that Ray hoped Sorel wouldn't find out. He was gone for almost an hour. And was more than a little tipsy by the time he got back.
"Here's the new plan," Sorel says, somewhat calmer. His steely exterior chilled Ray to his bones. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like the new plan. "We forget about finding the tapes. Chances are, the girl doesn't know where they are anyway. And no one else knows about them. We need to get rid of her before anyone finds out about them."
"How are we going to get to the girl? She's at Sonny's. That place is tighter than Fort Knox," Ray quips.
"That's for you to worry about," Sorel says with a wicked grin. "You take care of the girl. No more slip ups. She dies, plain and simple. Follow those orders and you'll be alright."
"Boss, she's with Sonny. If I go in there with my gun blazing, Sonny's men will kill me."
"You kill her or you die," Sorel warns him. "Those are your two choices." Sorel turns his back, an indication that the meeting was over and Ray was dismissed.
Ray walks dejectedly to the door. He knew he wasn't going to like this plan. Either he killed the girl and risked getting killed by Sonny's men. Or he didn't kill the girl and would definitely be killed by Sorel. There really was no choice to be made. He had to kill the girl.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sonny Corinthos' Penthouse
"Leticia," Sonny calls up to his nanny. "Jarod and I will be in a business meeting. Keep the children upstairs please."
"No problem, Mr. Corinthos," she says before going back up the stairs.
"Jarod, I'm going to go put on some coffee. Make yourself at home." Sonny shows him to the guest room down the hall from the kitchen where he can put his stuff. Then he goes into the kitchen to start the coffee. Jarod uses this time to make a phone call.
"What," the sharp voice on the other end snaps.
"Good to know *you* haven't changed much, Miss Parker," he smiles.
"Jarod. Should have known. What do you want?" Miss Parker asks, trying to sound harsh. But Jarod could hear the ice around her heart cracking a little.
"Would you believe that I just missed the sound of your voice?" he smiles when she lets a little chuckle slip.
"Actually, I do. Because I missed the sound of your voice, too," she says sweetly. "But I know you. And you always have a reason. No matter how lame and demented it may be," she teases.
"You're not still mad at me?"
"Jarod, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad with this situation," she sighs. "I'm mad that the Centre kept you prisoner all your life. And I'm mad you came out feeling as if you had to be some avenging angel. I'm mad that you allowed a killer to kidnap my brother's child. But mostly I'm mad that you left me . . . "
"Parker, you told me to be gone . . ."
"I know, Jarod," she sighs again. "There's no other way right now."
"Even if I found a way to see some gray in life?" he asks cryptically.
"What are you talking about, Jarod?"
"Would you believe that right now I'm hiding out in a mobster's penthouse?"
"Yes I would. You've pretended to be a mobster before to put the guy away. You left him locked in a meat locker if memory serves me," she laughs. "I hope you this guy doesn't have a deep freezer in his kitchen. He could be in some big trouble."
"Funny, Parker. But no. It's not a pretend. Well, not one aimed to take him down, at least. Parker, I found the guy who took Jessie. She's here with me," he explains.
"What?" She jumps up off the couch. The sudden movement disrupts the boys from their cartoon watching momentarily. "You have her? Jarod, where are you? Lyle and I will . . ."
"Not yet. It's not safe. The guy who took her was also a mobster. Sort of in a territory war with my new buddy here. He thinks Jessie may know where some tapes are. But, I had my friends in the Blue Cove Police Department search the alley again and they found the tapes. They viewing them now, seeing if they can get an arrest warrant for this guy. So right now, it's important to keep Jessie out of the way and safe. That means you and Lyle can't know where she is yet."
"But Jarod . . "
"Trust me, Parker. I'll take care of her," he promises.
"I know you will. I trust you, Jarod. I trust you with my life."
"And with your heart?" he asks tentatively.
"Jarod, I'm afraid," she admits with a whisper. "You had my heart. And then you broke it. I can't go through that again."
"I'm trying to fix it Parker. To fix us."
"How, Jarod?" she asks, her voice raising a notch. "By running off the first chance you could find to put one of your little plans into action? By once again, trying to solve things the 'Jarod' way, not even considering the consequences? Jarod, your plans always end in some kind of heartbreak. I just don't want it to be mine this time. You're dealing with mobsters here, Jarod. I don't want anything to happen to you."
A long silence comes between them, though Jarod swears he can hear her tears falling.
"Parker, I'm sorry," he finally says, breaking the empty silence. "I just wanted to get Jessie back. I owed it to Lyle. It was my plan that got her taken away from him in the first place."
"Don't let this plan take you away from me," she sniffs.
"That won't happen, Parker. I love you. And that binds us together forever."
"I love you, too," she whispers. "Don't get yourself killed. Come home to me."
"I will," he promises. "I'll be back before you know it." He closes his eyes to try to blink away his own tears before hanging up the phone.
"Wife? Girlfriend?" Sonny asks from the doorway.
"A little of both. A little of neither," Jarod replies, drawing a strange look from Sonny. "It's a long, complicated story."
"Okay. Whatever, man."
"Listen, I just wanted to thank you again for doing this for us. I'm not used to . . ."
"Hanging out with mobsters?" Sonny laughs. "Most people aren't. But at least you didn't judge me like the rest of this town does. My business may operate outside of the law, but I consider myself an honorable man. I keep my promises. I'm loyal to those loyal to me."
"That's all I can ask for right now," Jarod says, holding out his hand to seal the deal.
* * * * * * * * * *
Miss Parker bangs on the door one more time. She knows Lyle is in there. She heard him moving around when she first started knocking.
"Open the door, Lyle. Before I shoot my way in," she threatens. She waits a few more seconds, but hears nothing. Raising her gun, she aims for the lock just as the door cracks open.
"Go away, Parker," Lyle says, standing in the doorway. "I'm not in the mood for company."
"Let us in, Lyle. You're scaring the boys." She pushes her way into the apartment, holding the door open for Zach. She shifts Joshua to her other hip to replace her gun.
"What do you want?" Lyle sighs, clearly not in the mood for this.
"Just a second," she says, putting the baby down on the floor. "Zach, honey. Do me a favor and take Joshie into Jessie's room to play for a little while, okay?" She watches the smaller boy toddle behind the Zach into the room.
"Again, Parker. I'm not in the mood for company. What do you want?"
"Jessie. Jarod. He found her. He has her," she manages to say as it all comes tumbling out of her mouth.
"What? Where? How?" is all Lyle's able to say.
"I don't know the details. I got a phone call from him earlier today. He said that he found her and was going to keep her safe until he can get her to you," she explains.
"What do you mean *until* he can get her to me? Where is he, Parker? Why isn't he bringing my daughter home?" Lyle screams.
"Calm down, Lyle," she says quietly. "I haven't told Zach yet that Jessie's okay. But I know that she is okay. If Jarod says so . . "
"Then it must be gospel," Lyle adds sarcastically. "Listen Sis. I know you have this thing for the labrat. But he almost destroyed my life. I'm not going to trust him as far as I can throw him."
Lyle grabs his phone off the table and starts to dial.
"Where did you get the call?" he asks just as the person on the other line picks up. "Yes, this is Mr. Lyle. I'm need to speak with someone in communications." He looks up at Miss Parker, and motions with his hand that he's waiting for her answer.
"He called my house," she tells him. "But I tried to *69 him. He was on a cell phone. . . ."
"I need a call traced," he says into the phone, cutting off the rest of her sentence. "Miss Parker's home phone . . . yes, she already tried that . . . New York? That's as close as you can get? . . . I don't care what you can or can't do. Find that number and get it to me immediately." He slams down the phone, probably leaving the other person's ears ringing. Without even looking up, he dials another number. A few minutes later, he's got the Centre jet fueled and ready to go on his order.
"Lyle, just slow down," she tries to calm him. "Jarod said that it could be dangerous right now for him to bring Jessie to us. Maybe we should listen to him."
"And I told you. I'm not trusting Jarod with anything. The telecommunications office said that the phone call came from somewhere in New York, possibly someplace in upstate New York. As soon as they get a lock on it, I'm going. Now, you can stay here, or you can come with me. The choice is yours."
"I'm coming," she says with a huff. "Just take me home first so I can pick up a few things for the boys."
Lyle just nods and heads to his room to pack. When he returns, Miss Parker already has the boys downstairs and strapped in their car seats. Silently, they drive to her house and she runs in to get a small bag prepared. She prays to herself that everything would turn out alright. But she was getting that feeling again that something bad was about to happen.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sonny Corinthos' penthouse
"So, you're really not in the FBI?" Sonny asks him, his head reeling from the concept of what a Pretender could actually do. His new friend had completely convinced him that he was a federal agent. "Unbelievable. No wonder I liked you. I should have figured you weren't a cop," he laughs.
The two men had spent the entire afternoon talking easily with one another. Jarod did most of the talking, reliving his many adventures. They got along well, having so much in common. Both had unhappy childhood's, they soon learned. But where Jarod had been kept a prisoner of the Centre, Sonny was a prisoner of an abusive stepfather.
"So tell me again about this Miss Parker," Sonny begs, sitting down in the chair across from Jarod.
"I told you before. That's a long and complicated story. We grew up together. Her father is one of the people in charge at the Centre," Jarod explains.
"I still can't believe a place like that actually exists," Sonny says, shaking his head. "And I can't believe they'd experiment on you like that. Must have been miserable."
"Not so much with Miss Parker there," Jarod smiles, remembering the days when he and Miss Parker would spend every possible moment together. He lived each day for those moments with her. "I still remember the first day I ever saw her. I was standing in this room when she walks in. We were separated by a glass wall, but I couldn't even tell. This may sound strange, but it was like I could actually feel her in the same room with me. I raised my hand up to the glass and she did the same. It was like a shock when our hands met. I think she was the first girl I ever saw, because I was so surprised when I saw her. No doubt she was the most beautiful. I fell in love with her instantly."
"So why is it you've been running from her for the past few years?" Sonny asks curiously.
"I don't know," Jarod sighs. "She went away for awhile. And when she came back she was . . . different. Harder. Colder. Dead inside. It was like . . ."
The ringing of a phone cuts off Jarod's sentence. He excuses himself and answers the phone.
"Jarod, it's Lowry. I got good news for you," the detective excitedly announces. "We got the warrant for Sorel."
"The tapes were useful?"
"Very damaging for Sorel. The tapes gave us an inside look at the workings within his organization. There's no way he'd get off with this kind of evidence. The only problem is that this guy is nowhere to be found. We can't seem to track him down," the detective laments.
"I'll work on that from this end," Jarod says after some thought. "I have a lead on where we might find him. I'll get back to you."
Jarod hangs up the phone and starts pacing, trying to work through various scenarios in his head.
"What's going on, Jarod?" Sonny asks gently, not wanting to disrupt Jarod's thought process too much. He was actually kind of excited that he might see Jarod 'pretend' right before his eyes.
"That was the detective working on Jessie's kidnapping case back in Blue Cove. Those videos they found earlier turned out to be evidence enough to get an arrest warrant for Sorel and, more than likely, convicted of several crimes, including kidnapping, racketeering, and murder. The only problem is that they haven't been able to track him down."
"He is a slippery little weasel," Sonny confirms. "What are you planning? You going to search for him yourself?"
"I'm hoping I won't have to," Jarod says cryptically. He walks over to the stairs and calls for Jessie, gathering up their things while he waits for her.
"You're leaving?" Sonny notices.
"The guy who took Jessie is staying at the diner. He took Jessie to a meeting with Sorel earlier. Maybe if I tail him long enough, he'll eventually meet up with Sorel again and I can follow him there."
"Sounds dangerous. Why don't you let Jessie stay here. Leticia will be more than happy to . . ."
"Thanks for the offer, Sonny. But I don't want to put you in the middle of it any more than I already have. You have your wife and stepson to think about."
"And I heard you make a promise to that girlfriend of yours that you're going to make it back safely to her. I'd hate for the lovely lady to be disappointed," Sonny says with his own patented grin that rivaled Jarod's. "I'm going with you. Someone needs to watch your back. Someone who knows how Sorel operates."
Jarod sees the determined look on the other man's face. He wasn't backing down from this. And to be perfectly honest, Jarod was grateful for the help. Two sets of eyes were better than one when it came to being on the lookout.
"Okay," Jarod relents. "I think it's a good idea for you to come. I'm going to need the help. Thanks."
Sonny gives him another victorious grin and after getting Jessie, they all head out the door and back to Kelly's diner. Paying attention only to the road ahead, they don't see other car parked halfway down the street pull out behind them.
* * * * * * * * * *
Miss Parker distractedly watches the ice melt in her glass. The flight attendant on the Centre jet had brought her this glass of ginger ale over an hour ago, but she hasn't even touched it.
"You know, that'll work better if you'd actually drink it," Lyle whispers to her.
"What?" she asks, shaking herself from her daze. "I'm sorry. I was just . . . I don't know. I'm a little out of it I guess."
"What's the problem? I for one feel much better now that I know where Jarod and Jessie are."
"We don't know *exactly* where they are," she corrects him. "All that person from communications said was that the call came from Port Charles, New York."
"True, but how big a town can it be? I never heard of it."
"Neither have I. But it doesn't matter how big or how small it is. Searching for Jarod and Jessie will be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Where would we even start?" she asks.
"I don't know," Lyle shrugs. "The same place as always, I guess. We'll show his picture around town and see if anyone recognized him. We'll try the hotels first. He's got to be staying somewhere."
Lyle watches his sister let out a shaky sigh as she turns her head to stare out of the window. Something was bothering her. He didn't know what, but the look on her face gave him a sick feeling on the inside. The same sick feeling she was complaining about earlier.
"You're not just worried about whether or not we'll find them, are you?" he asks her gently.
"No," she whispers. "I know we'll find them. If Jarod's in this town, then we're going to find them. What I'm worried about is not finding him in time. Something horrible's going to happen, Lyle. I can feel it. And it scares me to death that I might not be there to save him from it."
The look in her eyes sends chills down his spine. It was a look he's never seen on her before. A look of pure fear. Suddenly, his own lunch was having a hard time staying in his stomach.
"He'll be fine," he manages to mutter over the lump now blocking his throat. "He always is." He tries to reassure her with his words, but realizes he's barely convincing himself. Instead, he reaches between the seats and grabs her hand, holding it tightly for the remainder of the flight.
