The moment Jack had said Sam was online, the room became filled with activity. All computers that the Feds had set up were now hooked into Jack’s My Face page, and now they all waited for a response back from Sam. Jack looked at his mom. “He’s not saying anything else. Do you think he’s all right?”
"I don’t know. Let me talk to him.” Blair sat down at the table and started typing. “Sam, it’s Mom. Are you okay?” Todd came up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder. She reached up, twining her fingers with his for comfort. The wait was interminable. Come on Sam, write something.
In his room, Sam shifted in his chair and began typing back an answer for his Mom. “I’m okay, but I think there is something wrong with Dad."
Todd reached around Blair and quickly sent another message. “This is your Uncle Todd, Buddy. Are you sure he’s your dad? Could it be someone else pretending to be your father?“
Sam looked at the message from his uncle. He bit his lower lip trying to find a way to answer. “Ummm, it’s Dad, but he’s acting strange and he looks weird, too. He’s got his hair all wet and combed backward and he’s wearing funky black suits and wire-rimmed glasses. When I asked him why he looked that way, he told me he liked it. He said Mom didn't, but now he could wear what he wanted. He’s Dad, though, we watched a horror movie and ate popcorn last night, the way we used to at home. Only this morning....” Sam paused. Should I tell them about the guns?
As Sam’s message came through, Blair gasped. Todd looked at her and the message. “What is it, Blair? What’s the matter?”
Blair sat there shaking her head and felt a shiver run down her back. It couldn’t be possible. Oh, God!
“Flynn!” She started shaking. All those years ago, Flynn said I wouldn’t know the difference. Her stomach churned, and she realized she was about to lose her breakfast. Blair stumbled up from the chair and headed to the bathroom.
Todd frowned and looked at the rest of the family. “What’s going on? Who the Hell is Flynn?”
Jack, Addie, and Starr were stunned by Blair’s reaction. Starr spoke up. “I’m not sure, but I think Victor knew him. John McBain did, too.” From the bathroom, came sounds of something breaking.
Todd rushed to the bathroom to check on Blair. She was leaning against the vanity and crying. The mirror was once again shattered. He walked to her and turned her to face him. “Blair, talk to me? Who is Flynn? Why are you so upset?"
Blair’s eyes were full of anguish. “Oh God, Todd,” she grabbed the front of his shirt feverishly seeking comfort. Todd’s hands quickly caught hers and stilled them as he waited for her to talk. Blair gasped for breath. Get a grip, tell him! “Walker Flynn was Mitch Laurence’s brother. We thought he was dead. He was the vilest, sleazy snake I ever met. The first time I saw him I thought he was Victor except for his hairstyle and clothing. Victor, who at the time was Walker, told me it was in his business persona and he was trying to leave that side of his life. I believed him. Then Victor told me they were twins, but it was all a lie. Later Flynn was on the run from the law and showed up at the penthouse looking exactly like your brother. I thought he was Victor until your brother showed up and I saw double." Her voice cracked, and she started to sob softly continuing her story. “He said he had come to take Victor’s place. We all thought he died in the elevator that day. It couldn’t be him.” Her hand went to her mouth, as she became nauseated by the thought of being with Flynn all of the last 8 years. She gulped and turned back toward the sink turning on the water and splashing it on her face.
Todd moved close behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He was trying to follow her train of thought. Suddenly he realized what she was saying. She leaned back against him, her arms covering his as he pulled her close to his chest. “Blair? Is Victor this 'Flynn?'”
Blair clung to Todd, he had put two and two together quickly. She felt safe in his arms and the horror she had felt when she realized who Sam was describing, diminished a small amount. With a shaky voice, she answered him. “Sam just....he just described Flynn to a tee. Todd, you have to believe me, I ...we all thought he was dead.”
Todd closed his eyes for a moment. What if Blair was right? “When Blair? When did Flynn become Victor?”
Turning to face him, she reached up to touch Todd’s face with her trembling hand. “Late fall, 2003. I’m sorry, you were right all along, I should have known it wasn't you.” She waited for his anger, her eyes searching his expression for some kind of forgiveness.
Todd reeled a little bit from the date but soon registered Blair’s last words. 'I should have known it wasn't you.' He remembered when he had thrown that line in her face. He felt her hand trembling and saw the fear in her eyes. Todd captured her hand, rubbing his thumb soothingly against her palm. “Don’t go there. We’ve been through all that. Victor, Flynn, whatever, you thought you were with me. I realized a long time ago, that all you really wanted was me. You love me, and I love you, that’s all that matters. Let’s get out of here, and you can tell me more about Flynn. Sam still needs our help.” That said, he pushed her hair back off her face lovingly, and kissed her softly, tasting the remains of her tears. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” They exited the bathroom and found Jack typing furiously on the computer.
The feds were all excited, and it appeared something major had been found out while they were in the bathroom.
****
Tomas opened the door to find John McBain standing outside. He scowled, “Damn it, John, what are you doing here? If the wrong people see you, I’m in big trouble.”
“Well, then I guess you better let me in and I’ll tell you why I’m here.”
Tomas opened the door wider and watched as John entered the apartment. “Okay, how did you find me?”
John looked around the apartment. It was pretty high-classed for Tomas, but he looked real comfortable in it. “Anna Devane did a favor for me, and we got your whereabouts from Calmar. I’ve been trying to find you for a while now." He had to keep Tomas off guard. After the happenings of the previous day and then the shooting that had killed Jacks' wife, John was pretty sure he was their suspect. They just needed proof. For now, he had to make Tomas believe that his good guy standing with John was still intact. "I wanted to get some advice, and you seem to have some experience in this particular area. By the way, nice place you have here, the CIA must pay their operatives pretty good these days.”
Tomas looked narrowly at McBain. “If you talked to Calmar, you know I’m undercover. Like I said when you showed up here, just talking to you could ruin everything I’ve been working on.”
“Oh yeah, I guess Anna said something about that, you know if you need anything from the Feds, you have it,” John smiled. Tomas was obviously going to play his part to the hilt.
“Really. Don’t worry I have everything under control here, and the last thing I need is the Feds getting mixed up in this.” Tomas strolled away from John and headed to the bar. “But you’re looking for me for something else, aren’t you?” He began to pour himself a drink.
John watched him and carefully chose his next words. “I’m assisting on a shooting that occurred recently. It seems the shooter likes to work with some unusual ammunition. The bullet that was found was coated with some type of poison.” His sharp eyes caught the minute stiffening in Tomas’ posture and realized he struck a nerve as Tomas spilled a little of his drink at the mention of the bullet. Got you. You son of a bitch, you thought you cleaned the site, but you missed one. He kept his voice calm as he continued. “I got to thinking that possibly an assassin might be at work in Port Charles. I was hoping with your past, you might have some insight into anybody that might work with a lethal combination like that.”
Tomas lowered the decanter. He gathered himself as he heard the rest of John’s words. Taking a deep breath, he took a big gulp of whiskey to steady his nerves and turned to face John. “That was a long time ago, John. I don’t kill for the CIA anymore. I’m not sure I can be much help. Back in the day, there were a couple of European assassins that liked to work with specialized ammunition. If you like, I can put out feelers with my contacts and find out if any of them are in the States.” He finished his drink and set the glass back down on the bar. “Tell me, what happened to the victim?” Tomas faced away from John, not wanting to give away any elation he would feel when John told him Todd was dead.
“The victim almost died from that attempt, but what I have to tell you now, stays in this room. The shooter tried again yesterday evening, this time, the results were fatal. Now we’re doing everything we can to find him or her. Anna Devane and the Port Charles Police Department are going to release an announcement for the press soon. I believe they're waiting to inform the family.” At that moment, John’s cell phone rang. “Excuse me, I need to take this.”
Tomas nodded and watched as John moved away and began talking softly on his phone. He poured himself another drink, and, this time, savoring the taste. It was finished. Todd was dead. He had been worried for nothing. They had just been waiting to alert Todd’s family before releasing the story to the press. He felt sorry for Victoria Banks, but she had been on the outs with her brother ever since she had found out he killed Victor. Tea hated Todd and Dani barely knew him. There wouldn’t really be many people mourning for him. Tomas swung back around as John finished his call. “I can see why you would like to find this guy. I’m sorry for the victim’s family, The victim must have been someone important, it’s unusual for an assassin to go after some ordinary target. Like I said, I’ll check with my sources. If I find out anything, I’ll contact you.”
John nodded, “Thanks.” He paused. It was time to drop his bombshell. “This guy you’re pretending to be, this Lorenzo Alcazar, what exactly do you know about him?”
“I know enough, or my bosses wouldn’t have sent me here.”
“You know everyone previously involved with him thinks he’s dead.”
“Don’t worry about that. My business here will not take much longer, Corinthos will never find out I was even in town. I know my job, John.”
John walked over to the balcony and looked out. “Hey, I’m not saying you don’t, it’s just strange how things happen. I did some checking into this Lorenzo Alcazar before coming here today. Seems he was once married to Carly Jacks, the owner of the Metro Court. Did you know about that?”
“Of course. But it ended years ago." He had loved Carly very much and had felt deeply betrayed when she went back to Sonny, still, she would always have a piece of his heart. " I’ve been keeping a low profile since arriving in town. I know better than to cross paths with any of Alcazar’s previous acquaintances.” As he finished talking, Tomas felt a sudden chill go down his back. “Is there a reason you brought up Carly Jacks?”
John looked across the room at Tomas. “Like I said, strange things happen. Here you are, living in Port Charles right under Sonny Corinthos’ nose, pretending to be Alcazar, a man some speculate Sonny had killed. Now, by some weird twist of fate, Corinthos’ ex, who was once married to your alter ego, was unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.” John watched Tomas and carefully chose his next words. “Carly Jacks was the latest victim of our unknown assassin. It was an accident, but there are those who could think she was the target. Just a word of warning, you might want to watch your back.”
Tomas felt like he had been kicked in the gut. No! That can’t be right. I was shooting at Todd, how the hell did Carly die??? His grip tightened, and he shattered the glass he was holding. The pain from the broken glass cut into his hand, breaking him out of his stunned reverie. “Damn, how clumsy of me, the glass must be defective.” He gathered his wits and grabbed a napkin off the bar and wrapped his palm. With a ragged voice, he asked, “Are you telling me Carly died last night?”
John had hit paydirt, not only was Tomas shocked, he had given himself away with his reaction to Carly’s death. It was obvious he knew Carly. His reaction wouldn't have been as strong if he was just playing a part. There had been anguish in his voice when he said Carly’s name. Tomas wasn't just undercover, he really was Alcazar. John moved to the bar. He kept his tone neutral, Tomas had just made a big mistake. “Yes, she was hit by the bullet meant for the target. It became imperative I find you after that. We have to try and locate this assassin. We need to bring him in before Corinthos goes looking for him.”
Tomas was only half-listening, all he could see was Todd falling right after he took the shot. If Carly was killed by the bullet, what happened to Todd? “John, what happened to the target? Was he killed too?”
“No, he collapsed only a moment before he would have been hit. Fate? It's unbelievable, the guy has more lives than a cat.” John studied Tomas. It was clear by his reaction, that he was angry and getting more so. His whole stance was rigid, his breathing had escalated, and the hand that was bleeding from the cut clenched into a ball. He had known Tomas had no love lost for Todd, especially after Todd had kidnapped him for six weeks, but something had driven the assassin over the edge. Was Jack right? Was this all about Blair? “Tomas, are you alright? That’s a nasty cut and you kind of left me for a moment?”
Tomas shook his head, the pain in his hand registering. The bastard is still alive. Get it together, right now, you can’t do anything about him or Carly. You need to get rid of John. “I’m fine, just thinking. That’s a shame about Carly Jacks. As for warning me about Corinthos, I’m not worried about him. Listen, I’ll do what I can, to find out anything about that ammunition, but I don’t think I’ll be much help. Hope the target knows how lucky he’s been so far. Now if you‘ll excuse me, there’s someplace I have to be soon.” The shipment from Flynn was due within the hour. He still had to get it planted at Sonny's coffee warehouse and then call the Feds.
John had gotten what he came for. It was only a matter of time before Tomas gave them all the proof they could ever need. “Sure, anything you can give us will help. I need to get back to the station myself. That call was from Anna Devane, they’ve released the information on Carly Jacks. I’m guessing the news broadcasters will be all over it soon. I’ll be in touch. Take care of that hand.” John smiled as he turned his back to Tomas. Now, it was a waiting game. The next move was Tomas’.
****
“What happened? Why all the commotion?” Todd said trying to get someone’s attention.
Starr walked over and joined her parents. “Sam just told us that Victor is moving guns. He called them 'salt' rifles. Everyone got excited when they read that.”
Blair grasped Todd’s hand tightly, “I don't think your brother could ever deal in guns, but Flynn would. He was unreal and amoral. He was also very cold and calculating. Obviously, he was more devious than any of us gave him credit for. He played Victor down to every detail, and none of us was the wiser. He fooled us all and hid among us all these years. Your return must have finally caused him to cut and run.”
“Well, he’s overplayed his hand now. He underestimated his own son. Now we all know he’s alive. He’s taken Sam and upset you. When we find them, I swear I’ll kill him.” He understood why Blair had broken the mirror. All he wanted to do was get his hands on the man. Not only had the man stolen his life and family, but he had also made him look like a killer. Flynn was a wild card. Todd had all sorts of questions rolling through his mind. Had Irene been aware her special Victor was dead? Had they both been working together or had Flynn fooled her too? The thought scared him as he realized he could no longer trust his memories anymore.
Blair felt the tension running through Todd and recognized the fear in his eyes. He was lost in his own thoughts, and she began to worry. She reached up and stroked his face, bringing his attention back to her. "We can't think about that right now. He has Sam and now he's involved in something extremely dangerous. We have to be careful not to scare Sam any more than he already is.” She wrapped her arm through his and hugged him. “I know you’re angry, and I understand more than you think. Flynn let you think you had shot him over a year ago, and he had to have help to pull it off. For your sanity, we need him alive so we can find out what he and your mother did to you.”
Todd found himself grabbing her arm tightly. He knew she was right. He took a deep breath and brought his emotions back under control. “Fine, he can live." He guided Blair over to the consoles where the Feds were working. "Please, tell me you guys have figured out where they might be.”
One of the technicians looked up. “We think so, he appears to be sending from an area outside of Philadelphia. We’re working on pinpointing the location.”
“My God, he’s been outside Philadelphia this whole time. We have to tell Tea. She needs to know her husband is alive.” Blair started to reach for her cell.
“Blair, hold on, Tea just lost their son. How are you going to tell her Victor is alive and has been hiding all this time? Not only that but how is she going to feel when she finds out she’s really married to Walker Flynn?”
“Who’s married to Walker Flynn? He’s dead,” said a voice behind them.
They turned to see John McBain stride into the room.
Loving it. Cannot wait to see Tomas and Flynn dead.
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