CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT "Sonny?" Lucky asked. "Sonny Corinthos?" "In the flesh, kid," Sonny smiled coldly as he stepped into the dim light cast by the flickering flame. "And getting ready to get my life back, and take a measure of revenge against the man who sold me out." In his hand was a gun, trained on Lucky. "See, I've been waiting for this moment, waiting for the chance to make Luke sweat." "Dad didn't do anything to you," Lucky pointed out. "He had no idea what you were doing until it was too late for him to do anything about it. You were the one who was planning to kill Robin and Jason. Don't blame Dad for that." "Dad? You still call that Spencer Dad? I heard that Stefan was your old man-but that's okay because he's on my **** list, too." He grinned. "Helena will be pleased at tonight's haul, considering what you just said. She'll owe me big time." Nikolas and Lucky exchanged glances. "Helena?" Nik asked, finally. "She's behind this?" "Not exactly," Sonny admitted cheerfully. "Actually, I'm doing a favor for a friend tonight-a recent acquaintance who got me out of jail when Luke Spencer left me to rot. Yeah, the mighty Luke Spencer, the man I called friend, turned his back on me when I needed him. Now, I've got a better friend-a man with clout-and soon to have more, if what you're saying about that diary is true. Now, hand it over, kid. I'd hate to kill you right here-you're worth more to me alive, but hey, I'm already a rich man. Besides, there are some things that money can't buy-things like satisfaction. Like revenge." "Speaking of revenge," Lucky asked, trying to buy some time, "were you behind Brenda's murder?" Sonny smiled. "Don't try to change the subject boys. Pablo, Rudolpho, get the book. Kill them if they give you any trouble." "I'll give it to you," Nikolas muttered, reaching into the book bag. Pablo trained a gun on Lucky's temple. "Easy, kid, or this one buys it, and you'll be the one wearing his brains." "Here," Nik said, handing the book to Sonny. "Now you've got it." Sonny pulled a penlight from his pocket, and quickly perused the pages. "Let's see. Ah, here it is." He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and entered the numbers. "Julian? Got it. Yeah, he's dead. A loose end that needed to be tied. Okay-here's the name. Maria Cummings-and we have an old address in Texas. " Sonny turned to his men. "Deliver them to the safe house-try not to break anything." To the boys, he added, "I'm going to enjoy this more than anything I have in a long time. And, when I'm done here, I'm going to enjoy taking out Robert Scorpio and Ned Ashton, personally. I'll get Candyboy, too, before I'm finished, but I want him to suffer without Brenda for a while. No sense putting him out of his misery soon. And Robin?? When I think of how horrible she'll feel without her precious Jason, it does my heart good. I'm really going to enjoy doing Jason. I'll make it hurt." "You can't kill them all," Lucky pointed out. "WEB will be after you, along with Anna Devane Scorpio and the Cassadines. Stefan has no use for Helena now, and if he suspects that she's involved-which I'm sure he already does, he'll track her down and finish her off once and for all." "Dream on, kid. This is going to be the end of the road for the Spencers, before the night is out. Ruby is out of the picture, though I must admit, that wasn't my handiwork. Luke and his old man are going down soon, but not before he knows that I've got his son-sons. He still thinks of you as his, I'm sure. Now, Pablo, Rudolpho, I'm outta here." Jamie looked at Jillian and said to her, "You know why I'm taking you here, don't you?" "He's my daddy, isn't he?" "Yes. This isn't how I'd hoped that this would turn out, but..." "But Mommy isn't going to come back, is she?" Tears shimmered in her eyes, and the child spoke aloud the fears that Jamie had been keeping inside. "I don't know yet, but she told me that if she wasn't in touch with us by a certain date-that was yesterday, that I was to take you to him and tell him the truth." "What if he doesn't want me?" "Then you can be my little girl for real," Jamie heard himself replying. "And I'll see about getting you a couple of sisters and a new....no, make that..." "I understand," the child said in a tone that belied her childish years. The car edged up the drive of the estate, and seconds later, Jamie and Jillian stood on the doorstep of the Quartermaine mansion. "Ready?" he asked her as she stood beside him. "Ready." Jamie rang the doorbell, which was answered very quickly by Reggie whose eyes went instantly to the dimpled darling standing next to the blond man. "Yes?" "We're here to see Ned Ashton." "Are you expected?" "No, but he'll see us. Tell him it's Jillian Rose and Jamie Jacks." "Please come in." Reggie vanished into the study, where he found Ned staring at the fire, lost in thought. "Sir?" "Reggie, call me Ned." "Ned, there are people to see you. A Jamie Jacks, and a little girl-Jillian Rose." Ned's gloom seemed to lift, and he smiled, flashing dimples which Reggie noted were a match for Jillian's. "Send them in." Ned was standing by the fireplace when the pair walked in, but before either man could say anything, Jillian ran to him. "Daddy?!?!?!" Jamie nodded at Ned, who knelt beside the child, shock and wonder on his face. "Jillian?" "Her mother-Julia Barrett-gave me this to give to you," Jamie said softly, noting that his suspicions about how the child would be received had been confirmed. She'd be safe and loved with Ned. He handed a sealed envelope to Ned who asked, "Julia's...?" At Jamie's pained expression, Ned picked up the little girl. "Jillian Rose? Will it be all right with you if we change it to Jillian Rose Ashton?" The child just hugged his neck tightly, her face buried against his neck. He could feel her small body tremble, and suddenly knew how anxious, how unsure she'd been. And, he knew just as much, as tears made their way down his face, just how much he'd needed to be her daddy. There'd been, he realized abruptly, a big hole just her size in his heart, and that hole was filled to overflow. He looked at Jamie, and mouthed, "Thank you." "It's almost over," Julian told Helena and Jade who sat in his study, drinking brandy with him. "We have Julia Barrett's signature giving me power of attorney, and she'll put no more obstacles in our way as far as the cartel is concerned. I control the CEOs of several major corporations worldwide, and, thanks to my school, I'll control even more of their children. Jade Wu has brought word from the East that our friends are more than willing to do business with us. And, finally, I will learn the secret of The Seventh Rose." "I still think that you are related to the late Cesar Faison. He was killed by Anna Scorpio," she explained, altering the truth to suit her needs. "I was blamed-by my son Stefan, as a means of keeping me from retaking control of the family from him, and the others went along with it." "And if I am?" "Faison assured me long ago that he had connections in high places, people he controlled by means of a secret that he kept. Perhaps it is that same secret." "Perhaps." He fingered the medallion, pulling it out from inside his shirt, and Helena paused. "May I see that?" Her voice was breathless with excitement as Julian stared at her, his curiosity piqued. "You may." He lifted it from his neck, and handed it to her. "You seem intrigued." "Where did you get this?" "Why?" "Because there were five of them originally," Helena explained. "And they all belonged to the children of Nicholas and Alexandra. I've only seen them in picture-and I heard that Laura produced one when she proved that she was the descendent of Anastasia. If this is yours by right, then you may well be........" Her eyes grew wide. "You know nothing of your family?" "Nothing," Julian admitted. "Though what you're saying is fascinating. This belonged to one of the Czar's children?" "Yes-four have been accounted for-the fifth belonged to Alexei. My god, are you Alexei's grandson?" "I have no idea," Julian told her, but his eyes seemed to glow with excitement. "However, I expect to have the information that I seek very soon." Helena continued to study the pendant. "Have you checked for special compartments? These were made by the same people who made the Faberge eggs." She ran her fingernails along the edge of the medallion, feeling for irregularities. "I'll take that," Julian told her. "If it has secrets, they are mine."