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My Place Is With You -
Mike & Carrie Saga: Volume 2
by Bradygirl
Part 8
"The Truth Is Out There"
Gia watched Ethan maneuver around the cardboard jungle searching for any henchmen left behind. Personally, she
didn't know the men who had stolen the Templar armor. But apparently he did. He knew the leader or had alluded
to knowing him. She decided she would have to keep a very close eye on this man. Sometimes the enemy came in pretty
packages.
Her rental car which was perfectly camouflaged next to the stormy gray sky was waiting for her thanks to Philip.
She drove a few yards following the exit signs toward the Interstate. In the rear view mirror, she could see him,
a silhouette of precise movement. His actions synchronized like a perfect time piece, every shift, every stride
deliberate and impeccable. She gloried at his technique. Shaking her head, she concentrated once again on the road
in front of her. There was a soft bed waiting for her just up the road at a cozy little bed and breakfast nook.
She couldn't wait to slip into a warm bath and let the rest of the night slip away in a spiral down the drain.
Another glance revealed him at ease, thrusting the fire arm into his holster, then leaning against the building.
She didn't know what alarmed her first, the way his head suddenly hung down or the buckling of his knees that dropped
him to the ground. He had seemed so stoic, so unbeatable and now was so fragile. She pulled her eyes from the mirror
and focused forward. He wasn't her concern. He'd just have to fend for himself. Shifting the vintage Mustang into
first, she pounded her foot against the pedal aiming for the exit. If she hadn't glanced one last time in the mirror,
she would have made it, but Gia couldn't help herself. He was obviously injured and just as obviously needed her
help. Who else was there at that time of the morning?
Slamming one foot down on the clutch and the other on the brake, she skidded to a stop outside the parking area.
Throwing it into reverse, she laid her arm against the back seat driving just as expertly backward as she had forward.
The car came to a stop a few feet from Ethan. He hadn't moved since he collapsed.
"Oh, God," she muttered. Blood covered the right side of his head. It wasn't bleeding badly but she was
afraid the bulk of the injury was internal. "Come on lover boy," she grunted as she lifted him to the
car. She held him steady while opening the door. Her muscles didn't bulge like a man's but they were toned and
firm. Within a few seconds he was secure in the car and they were on their way to the B&B.
***
Mike, how are you feeling? You've been sleeping for quite some time now. I was getting worried about you."
Shane let out a relieved staged chuckle.
Mike offered him an unusual expression. Not a frown, not really a smile. "Not that I'm not grateful, Shane,
but... what's going on? You pulled a gun on me and now you're acting like it never happened."
"It didn't. You must have misunderstood."
***
A figure lurked in the shadows watching Shane and the mysterious blond man converse. "Misunderstanding, my
foot!" the voice protested. "You never misunderstand. You manipulate to serve your own purposes. Never
believe him," the voice silently commanded. "Never be taken in by his lies."
Emma Barnett's long blonde hair looked much like her mothers had, straight, fine and flawless. Even her name was
the same, Emma. After all the years she'd worked for him, Shane had never once suspected she was Emma, his first
wife's daughter. It had taken a lot of effort to get placed in the Salem Legacy House as a cook, but she had succeeded.
Then, last Christmas, had thrown it all away. Shane hadn't been around for months prior to that. If Shane wasn't
there, her plan would never work. So, in the end, she had given up. She'd given up on the one goal that had driven
her life for so long. But now, Shane was back and her mission again set into motion. The only trick now was...
how to get back in?
***
"Mike, may I be blunt, yes, let me be blunt. The reason you're here is that I need information from you."
Mike eyed Shane curiously. What information could he possibly know that Shane would want? "It's about Gina"
And that's how the conversation started. Mike explained his short-lived relationship with Gina but it hadn't gone
anywhere because she was in love with another man. Shane humphed. Gina had always told him that Mike Horton...
He let out an exasperated sigh. "That's what she wanted me to think. Blast!" He paced the room like a
caged animal. "She's disappeared, Mike, and we need to find her."
"How long has she been gone?"
"Four years."
"Four years? Why didn't you contact me sooner?"
"What I'm about to tell you is a secret and will not leave this room, understand?" Mike nodded. "Gina
is my sister. She's all I have left in this world and I have to find her, for my own sanity if nothing else."
"Shane, four years is a long time. She could be anywhere. And I don't know how I could help. The last time
I saw Gina was in Israel."
"The note. I need the note she gave you on that last night." Mike gulped. How did Shane know about the
note? "Do you still have it."
Mike reached into his pocket for his wallet. Out of it he pulled a small, yellowed scrap of paper. On it was written,
I love you, and I'm sorry. He gave the note to Shane.
"Mind if I keep this a while and get it analyzed?"
"Sure, I've put that part of my life behind me." Mike flashed on the dreams he had been having about
Gina. Was Shane the reason she had been so prominent in his thoughts?
Shane accepted the note and then let Mike go. They shook hands at the door but Mike dashed out into the perfectly
landscaped lawn disappearing behind the trees. He was glad to be free.
A voice shot out from behind a sturdy oak cabinet. "Sister, Shane? Gina is your sister?" Kevin Fairchild
revealed himself by stepping out from his hiding place where he had been listening to their entire conversation.
"So that's what you've been hiding all these years."
Shane thrust his hand against Kevin's throat squeezing it tightly. "You never heard that," he bit out
through clinched teeth. "Do you understand?"
"Perfectly. I understand perfectly."
***
Carrie had been gone quite awhile. All Sami could do was revel in her victory. She'd won. Carrie had given up on
Austin and she'd won. It hadn't entirely sunk in yet. Austin loved her. Loved her! Even when the bump on his head
was healed, she knew he still would. She was all smiles as she exited her apartment on her way to the Java Cafe
to meet Austin. She barely closed the door when a noise behind her drew her attention.
"Carrie?" she said triumphantly. "Where have you been?" Sami's hands rested plainly on her
hips over her new pale aqua sundress.
"Out," Carrie said abruptly. She closed the door behind her and it didn't latch properly. Slowly, it
inched open standing ajar. Sami ignored it and continued on.
"Lucas has been worried. He's found a reason to come over here every day asking about you. You do have a job,
you know and I'm sure Kate expects you to show up once in a while." The smugness in her tone sparkled. "By
the way, how's Mike? They haven't seen hide nor hair of him at the hospital for nearly a week."
"Sami, I don't know where he is," said Carrie honestly. "Now, if you don't mind. I have an appointment
to keep."
Carrie stalked off down the hallway and disappeared into the stairwell. Sami was about to head off herself when
a noise inside her sister's apartment drew her attention. Carefully, she peeked through the door, making sure not
to be seen. There stood a man, a man she'd never seen before, in the middle of Carrie's living room. He was barefoot
wearing only a towel slung low on his hips. Sami marveled at his physique while he wiped away the water droplets
sliding down his body . They disappeared into the thin terry cloth with each circular motion. Sami observed him
as he dried his hair with a smaller hand towel listening to the morning news on television. He walked around the
apartment with a silent authority never noticing her or the open door. He definitely was a looker, whoever he was.
Tearing his eyes away from the television, he whistled and softly hummed to himself while picking up a photo off
the bureau. It had to be the one of Carrie and Mike from the Horton/Brady Picnic. He stared at it with a far off
look in his eyes and placed it back in exactly the same spot he'd found it. His legs were long and toned, she couldn't
help but notice. The towel he was wearing, or sort of wearing, was barely the size of a postage stamp. Carrie never
went in for the big fluffy bath towels like she did, opting instead for smaller, more space conscious ones. The
royal blue of the terry cloth suited his skin tone and boy, could she see a lot of skin, from his bulging biceps
to his flat stomach. He picked up the phone abandoning the smaller towel around his neck.
"Yes, this is Craig Wesley, any messages?" He spoke with a calm aloofness dripping with the same authority
she'd noticed before. He listened intently scribbling away on the notepad in front of him.
Sami stepped away from the door and slowly made her way down to the lobby. Who was that man, Craig Wesley? And
what had happened between him and Carrie? It actually didn't matter. Sami could make up a story and Austin would
believe her. My, wouldn't Austin be surprised at just what things Carrie had been up to? They may not be true but
it would be nice to see her squirm for a change. The only thing that bothered her was Mike. What had happened to
him? Where was he? It wasn't like the good doctor to disappear without even a word. "What if...? No."
she said to herself, pushing the silly thought that came to her out of her mind. Instead of worrying, she headed
off to meet her husband for breakfast.
***
Gia stood at the window, sunlight streaming across her face. Ethan watched her as she stared out at the birds,
listening to their morning song. She was standing there in a pale yellow nightgown that almost seemed white at
times with pale ivory beads accenting the neckline. From that angle, she looked so much like Gina. Her hair, her
face, her body, the way she stood. Ethan inwardly cursed himself. He had to stop thinking about Gina. He ran a
hand through his ash blond hair and felt the wound. His two passengers from last night had gotten away but at least
they hadn't discovered the truth. In a way, he wished they had. He was tired of playing games like this. Pretending
to be something he wasn't. He tried to convince himself that he was in love with Carrie Brady but it wouldn't wash.
He knew he could never love her because he could never forget Gina. Gina was an ISA agent just like he was and
did whatever was necessary for an assignment. She had been assigned to seduce Mike Horton and get him to confide
in her. Get him to trust her. And he had. Body, mind and soul. Ethan knew Gina loved him but knowing she was willingly
with another man tore at his heart.
Pushing the thoughts away he focused on the woman in front of him. Oh, how he wished she was Gina come back from
the dead. Shane was confident Gina wasn't dead. The forensics teams said she was but in the back of Ethan's mind
something held on to her memory. Was it because she was really alive or because he was too foolish to let her go?
***
Gia drove the two of them to Salem in her rented Mustang. Neither talked during the hour drive, neither knew what
to say. She had learned during breakfast that Ethan worked for the Salem Legacy House which was where she too was
headed. That was an unusual turn of good luck. The entire household was silent once they arrived on Smith Island.
The ferry ride had been short and it was nice to be on the sea again. Gia froze. She had a memory. A real flesh
and blood memory. The first one in four years that didn't come from a dream. She had been on a ferry before feeling
the wind in her face. She was so ecstatic she wanted to jump around and scream but she contained herself. Ethan
showed her to her room and then headed for his own.
***
Satisfied she had eluded their surveillance, Gia cautiously made her way to the Legacy control room. The place
sort of reminded her of what she always thought the bat cave would look like. It had been quite a trick getting
into the room. She had swiped or as she preferred to say, borrowed, the key card from Ethan. He'd never miss it.
He was asleep, and would be for hours. That gin and tonic he drank must have contained at least three sleeping
pills. The entire contents of all three hadn't dissolved by the time he drank the cocktail but she believed he
had consumed enough for her to do a thorough search of the database.
In front of her sat a large monitor surrounded by six smaller one. Three on each side vertically placed. Above
them were eight clocks each sporting a different time zone. They all looked exactly the same as if someone had
gone out and bought them at the same time for the sake of continuity. The only difference was the angle at which
the hands pointed. Some this way, some that.
The computer booted quickly and she tapped away at the keyboard in front of her. The first search was on Philip
Lancaster. She wanted to know why Philip made it apparent that he wasn't interested in his background when in fact
he had a journal, very similar to her Legacy journal, that told of his ancestors past life. You didn't have a tome
like that and not read it especially if it belonged to your long dead Templar relation, and you yourself were interested
in the Knights Templar. Maybe Philip really was related to Philip the Fair, the man who brought down the Poor Knights
of the Temple of Solomon, just as she had teased him about so many times. And if he was, what was he ultimately
after? The grail? It was only a myth.
Gia spent the better part of two hours searching the Legacy database but found very little on one, Philip Lancaster.
That was odd. Very odd. He was the director of the New Orleans Legacy House. There should be a plethora of information
on him, but there wasn't. She had found complete dossiers on Ethan, his brother Kevin and Shane. So, why not on
Philip? He was from one of the Legacy's founding families. Or was he? She had always just assumed... assumed that
Philip was a Lancaster by birthright. It seemed the only way to attain such a prestigious position was to be born
in a Legacy founding family. They were the Lancaster's, Donovan's, Fairchild's and one other she couldn't quite
remember. If he wasn't, how had he risen to such a high place in the secret ISA society?
The farther she delved into Philip's past, the more questions turned up. Gia hoped she could find the answers she
was looking for. Because if she discovered the secret of the Grail before discovering the secret of her precept,
surely her days on this Earth would be fewer than the petals on a daisy. She didn't know why she felt this way
but she was sure of it. As sure as she knew the man in her dreams to be the key to her past. After a few hours
and uncovering nothing, Gia exited the control room and slipped the key card back in Ethan's pocket. She brushed
past Shane and Kevin in the hallway on the way to her room.
"Who's the babe?" Kevin asked Shane once out of Gia's earshot.
"Gia Doyle. She's from the New Orleans House. Here to do research on an obscure order of knights from the
Crusades. They were holy crusaders protecting the holy land from evil-doers." Kevin noticed Shane seemed well
versed on the "obscure" order.
"Humm. Smart and beautiful. A lethal combination."
"Quite." said Shane. "She'll only be here a short time. So, I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were
you."
"Who, me?" said Kevin playfully. " I would never even consider..." His train of thought was
broken when he remembered something. "What do the Knights Templar have to do with Stefano?"
"Why do you ask?" Shane tried to hide his surprise.
"Because one of the objects Stefano had us steal from the airport was a suit of armor.. circa 1312 AD I believe,
from a box marked Templar exhibit. Strangest looking thing I ever saw. It had lots of intricate drawings on its
breastplate. I'd never seen a suit like that before. Almost like they wanted you to read it instead of wear it.
Maybe it was ceremonial."
"1312? You're sure it was 1312?"
"Pretty sure, why?"
"1312 was just about the time the Templars were dissolved and some believed killed in a mass murder."
"Mass murder? What was so important that they had to kill a bunch of monks?" Kevin couldn't believe someone
would stoop to killing a man of the cloth even for money. He knew he wouldn't.
"Oh, people have their reasons in all generations, I'm sure. Legend has it that the Templars were the keeper
of the Holy Grail."
"Holy Grail as in the cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper?"
"The very same." Shane knew his medieval history and he also knew a little known fact. "There is
one problem though if Stefano seeks the grail."
"What's that?"
"You have to be pure of heart to see it. Even if they were to discover the hiding place after all these years,
he'd need an innocent, pure person to help him."
"I hate to break it to you, but there aren't to many people who fit that description in Salem, Shane."
"Oh, you'd be surprised just how many people he could use. Many of whom are in the Horton and Brady families.
We'll have to keep a better watch on Carrie, Eric, Mike, Marlena and John. All five of them are perfect targets."
Coming next time: Who will Stefano kidnap next? It isn't who you'd think. Is Stefano really after the Grail? What
about the missile? And will Carrie find Mike now that he's escaped? You'll have to wait until next time. Same bat
time. Same bat channel.
to Part 9
Copyright © 1998, w3PG, inc.
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