Chapter 9: Principles
PC Hotel
1: 26 a.m.
“Marcus, stop!” Gia continued to watch as her brother’s hands firmly grasped around Jason’s throat.
“I’ll kill you!” Taggert shrieked as he put pressure to Jason’s throat. “Wait, I forgot that’s what you do.” Jason didn’t take any chances and shoved him off.
Sighing loudly, she walked in between the two men and tried to hold Taggert back with one hand. “That’s enough.”
“Gia what the hell do you think your doing with this—this—thug? Hmm?” Taggert demanded.
“That’s really none of your business.”
Taggert rolled his eyes and scoffed. “God Gia. Does the fact that I’m your brother mean anything to you?”
“This has nothing to do with--.”
“This man,” Taggert pointed firmly at Jason, “Is a criminal and a killer. I think you’ve forgotten that. And I always knew you have bad taste in men but this is really stooping low.” Gia tried to speak but Taggert continued to interrupt. “And don’t give me that ‘it’s my life’ shit, Gia. You have no idea what your getting into.” His eyes stood firm and cold towards Jason. “C’mon Angerboy, why don’t you take another shot at me? Show my sister the kind of man you really are.”
But Jason gave his typical blank stare. “Its Gia’s choice who she wants to see.”
“Yeah. I’ve come to realized that but I’ll be damned if its gonna be you!”
“I’m old enough to make my own decisions, Marcus. And that includes who I prefer to see. And you know that.” Gia said, hoping to get threw to her brother, but already knew with the look on his face that it was impossible.
“Gia,” Taggert said in a softer voice, “He’s going to hurt you more than Cassadine ever did.”
“You know what Taggert--.” Jason began.
“You stay out of this!” Taggert screamed.
“Okay. That’s it.” Gia declared holding back the two of them with one hand each. “Get out.” She pointed towards the door.
Taggert and Jason looked at her for a moment then looked vacantly at eachother before saying in unison, “You heard the lady.”
“No I mean the both of you!” She walked towards the door and opened it wide. “Out.” When she noticed that neither one of them made any attempt to move, she screamed. “Now!”
“Fine.” Taggert said after a minute and wagged his finger at Gia. “But this conversation isn’t over. And if you think I’m hard headed, wait till Mom here’s about this.”
At the threat of her mother’s name, Gia’s eyebrows narrowed. “You wouldn’t?”
“Don’t test me.” He warned walking up to the doorway. “You better hope I don’t find you outside.” Taggert presaged as he looked back once to throw a malicious expression to his enemy. Jason shrugged his shoulders as if saying ‘whatever.’
Once her brother left, Gia still had the door wide open. She looked at Jason and put one hand on her hip, waiting for him to exit as well. “You too, Morgan. Get out.” Jason stared at her confusedly for a thud too long. “This isn’t a staring game Jason,” Gia informed, “Get the hell out!” Hearing the seriousness in his voice, he didn’t say anything but walked passed her and into the hallway. Gia cursed as she slammed the door and leaned herself against it, while exhaling noisily. She was having one bad day and nothing seemed to make it better. There was another knock on the door and she put one hand on her face before muttering, “Go away and leave me alone!”
“Fine. But I just got here.” Lucky said through the door.
Gia arched a brow as she opened the door to see Lucky. “Lucky, hey.”
“Hey.” Lucky looked at her distraught appearance. “I guess I came in a bad time.”
“No.” She sighed. “You came after a bad time. Come on in.”
Jack’s Apartment
Elizabeth yawned as she turned across the bed, her hand flowing with another hand. She opened her eyes and looked to find Jack in the bed with her smiling. She pulled the sheet over her body and smiled back. “Hey,” she said softly, massaging her fingers up his bare chest.
“Hey.” He said back.
“So much for just a goodnight kiss,” she chortled as she put her head over his upper body.
“Well you’re the one who seduced me,” Jack grinned slyly.
Elizabeth laughed. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t make excuses. As I recall you wanted to see my place.”
“Yeah. Your apartment. I didn’t say anything about your bed,” she swatted him on the arm playfully.
“The bedroom is technically a part of the apartment so--.”
“Whatever.” Elizabeth yawned again.
Jack’s looked intrigued by her yawn. “Sorry if I wore you out.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “You men are too conceded.”
“I thought it was the other way around.” Jack pulled her down and kissed her keenly.
“So, any word from Emily?” Gia asked as Lucky looked out the window.
“Emily. Which Emily are you talking about?” Lucky said impassively. “Oh that’s right, you mean Emily my fiancee who walked out on me on our wedding day.”
Gia could see the pain he tried desperately to cover. “Lucky--.”
“Hey. Its not the first time something like this has happened, right? I should be used to it.” Lucky laughed hastily.
“Alright. Stop doing this to yourself,” Gia told him. “I don’t know Emily that well. And we sure as hell aren’t good friends but I saw how much she loves you and I’m sure there’s a good reason as to why she left.”
Lucky turned around to face her. “She probably left because of me.”
“What?”
“I probably drove her off like I did to Elizabeth years ago.” He walked around the room, with Gia hot on his heels.
“Okay, Lucky Spencer. I told you once to get over yourself and not everything revolves around you. And it looks like I’m going to have to tell you again. So here it is: get over yourself! If you’re sure that nothing was going wrong between Emily and you before the wedding than it probably wasn’t your fault Lucky.”
Lucky studied her face and realized that she put meaning into her words. “I should’ve known that whenever a women uses my full name no good can come out of it.” They both chuckled.
“Look, if you don’t wanna go to your parents or go back to Liz’s.”
“No, I think I was just in her way.” Lucky said remembering watching her leave with Jack while he was partially collapsed on her sofa.
“Then, why don’t you crash on the couch for the night—well actually it’s around two o’clock in the morning now, but I’m not sleepy and I could use the company.” Gia offered. If it was one thing she enjoyed about Lucky, it was their easy going friendship.
“Thanks. Maybe I can let this hang over soothe down.” Lucky nodded his head and looked down at the carpet where pieces of a broken vase laid. “Looks like someone already crashed here. Let me guess this was your brother and Jason’s doing?” Gia nodded her head. “You know I have to agree with your brother on this one.” Jason was never high on Lucky’s list and vice versa.
“Yeah, I thought you would.” Gia frowned.
“Hey.” Lucky held up his hands. “It’s only a matter of principal.”
Gia faked a shocked look. “Oh, Spencers have principles.”
Outside the Diner
“Are you going to be okay?” Zander asked as he and Emily walked back to his car. Emily nodded sincerely. “You’re a liar, Quartermaine. C’mon, you can stay with me for awhile.” He said putting an arm around her shoulder and opening his car door for her. “Why are you so good to me?” Emily asked looking up at him with a twinkle in his eye.
“Because you were good to me Emily. Its time I returned the deed,” Zander said giving a crooked smile. Emily grinned back before getting into the car. Neither of them noticed the shadow lurking around the bushes. The man in the bushes stood up with his black ensemble and sustained to take snapshots of Zander and Emily inside the car. Once Zander’s car was out of the lot, he slid his diminutive sized camera into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone from his other jeans pocket. He waited for someone to pick up.
“Yeah,” said the voice on the other line.
“Mr. Morgan?” The man asked.
“Yes.”
“You were right. Your sister’s with him.”