Surprises

Part Eight

"This is great, Lucky," Laura said, as she perused the black and white shots of Hope. "I never expected them to turn out this well. Unbelievable!"

"It's great," he said, his expression ho hum. He sat on the edge of her desk and faced her. "Too bad I let her get away."

She patted his hand. "Don't worry about it. Griffin found her once. We'll find her again. What did she put on the application?"

"What application?" he asked, staring at his mother. "According to Carmen, she didn't complete an application."

"Well, it's still not a problem. Where did Griffin find her?"

Lucky groaned and stood. "He found her on the street! Come on, Mom. Admit it. I blew it."

"You didn't blow anything. You've been down in the dumps since Elizabeth left." He moved away when she said that, turning his back to her. Laura sighed. "Sweetie, I know that break-ups are hard, but it's time to stop blaming yourself. Elizabeth wanted marriage. You didn't. It's better that you didn't do something you weren't ready for."

"This isn't about Elizabeth." Lucky had made his peace with that a long time ago. Something else was bothering him. Restlessness.

And there was something about Hope. She was edgy, wary, and vulnerable. He read all the signs in her eyes, and they reminded him of himself and the kid he used to be. She needed help and she was too proud to admit it. He was worried about her, scared that she'd run away from Deception and straight into trouble. And worse of all, he could have helped her.

"Whatever you say," Laura replied.

Lucky glanced at her. She was just humoring him. He decided not to correct her. She'd only try to make that better, too.

"If you haven't called the messenger yet, I can take these over to Carly," Lucky offered.

"Thanks, hon." Laura slid the black & white contact sheet inside an envelope and handed it to Lucky. "Tell her Hope's my number one choice."

"Will do." Lucky saluted and then, he left.

# # #

"What's our next move?" Luigi asked, watching Sorel as the man sat quiet and pensive at his desk. "Corinthos' got the ADA holed up at his place."

"You said his wife is there, too?" A wicked light gleamed in Sorel's eyes. "We may not have to do anything. That Carly is a wildcat and she won't be especially friendly to Corinthos' former lover or to him for bringing the woman into her home. We could just sit back and let nature take its course."

Luigi grinned. "Hell hath no fury and all that."

"Exactly." A moment passed and all humor left Sorel's face. Quick as lightning, he was deadly cold and all business. "But that's unpredictable. Corinthos has a way with women. We can't put our money on his wife doing the natural thing. No word on the kid, huh? On Hope?"

Luigi shook his head. "Our men are still looking. I could put more out on the street."

Sorel nodded. "Do that. Put as many as we can spare, and keep someone at HarborView Towers. But this time, put somebody good. The next guy gets his ass kicked liked that will wish Corinthos' guys had killed him."

Luigi made a mental note and headed for the door. Once he was there, he paused. "When we get the girl, want us to let Corinthos and Jensen know?"

Sorel shook his head. "Nah. Bring her here to me."

# # #

Sunlight was fading. Keesha glanced at her watch and looked back toward the wharf. She and Frank had spent most of the day in-house, discussing OC, organized crime, and how deeply it infested Port Charles. As the time for them to part ways for the day came near, Frank asked if she'd show him the territory. He just wanted to see it and get a feel for his new domain. She shrugged. If they were discreet about it, things should be fine. But they'd better vest up just in case.