CHAPTER THREE

Emily sadly sighed as she sat alone at the table in Kelly’s her thoughts full of Zander. She couldn’t believe that he had broken up with her and for what? A couple of measly threats? After everything they’ve gone through to be together…his being in jail, her parents…the one thing that came between them was Sorel. It wasn’t fair. She had finally found someone that gave her the type of love Lucky and Liz shared and he was taken away from her.

"Emily," a voice spoke up from behind her chair. She turned around and her eyes lit up.

"Zander."

"Can I set?" He motioned towards the empty chair.

"Of course. Come set down," Emily nodded. "What is this about?"

"Well…I’ve been thinking and I realized, who you are alone was putting you in danger."

"What? I’m not following you."

"Well your brother is Jason Morgan. Sorel knows that. Besides, if he was going to make a move on you, he’d have to get through your brother first. Right?"

Emily nodded, her voice was hopeful. "Does this mean you want to get back together?"

Zander nodded. "I can’t go a day without you Emily much less however long it takes for the trial to be over."
Emily smiled and took his hand. "I can’t express how happy I am to hear you say that," She leaned over and kissed him tenderly. A bolt of guilt ran through her as she looked up to see Elizabeth enter the diner, looking straight ahead, her face emotionless. She felt bad for her friend. Here she was, a great boyfriend and there Liz was, just having been dumped. Emily’s mouth dropped open when Lucky came in after Liz and wrapped a secure arm around her. They look at each other lovingly. Nikolas and Gia walk in after the couple, hand in hand, the same happy expression on their faces.

"I guess they worked everything out," Zander followed Emily’s gaze.

"I’m so happy. I’m happy and now my friends are happy. Life can’t get more perfect than this."

"You two are back together I see," Gia replied as the foursome come up to the table.

"Yes. Zander came to the conclusion that being Jason Morgan’s sister was all the protection I needed," Emily happily replied. "And I see you’ve gotten your claws back into Nikolas."

"Emily," Nikolas’s voice warned. "Liz and Gia have called a truce. I suggest you two renew the truce you had since Gia is a major part of my life now."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Ok. Fine. I’ll be nice," She glanced at Lucky and Elizabeth. "May I say I’m happy to see you two back together."

"It’s good to be back together," Lucky kissed Elizabeth just as Audrey Hardy came stumbling in, her eyes full of panic.

"Gram?" Elizabeth pulled away from Lucky and went to her grandmother, who seemed to be having a hard time standing on her feet.

"Elizabeth….ambulance…" The woman stuttered before collapsing into Elizabeth, who if not for Lucky would have been sent to the floor with her grandmother.

"Gram!" Elizabeth screamed

"Oh my God," Gia gasped. "Somebody call an ambulance!"

Nikolas flipped out his cellphone and began dialing. "Hello? Yes we have an emergency."

"Gram what’s wrong?" Elizabeth asked.

The older woman tried to answer but her voice wouldn’t come.

"Lucky! What’s wrong with her?!" Elizabeth began to sob, losing her composure, no one realized the ringing of Kelly’s phone until Tammy picked it up.

"Elizabeth! It’s for you!" Tammy held the phone out to her.

"Who is it?"Lucky asked.

"I don’t know," Tammy shrugged. "But they said it was important."

On shakey legs, Elizabeth stood up and walked over to the counter. "Hello?"

"I suggest you heed this warning, or next time you’ll be in your grandmother’s place," A raspy voice replied then whoever it was hung up.

"Hello? Hello?! Who is this!" Elizabeth’s voice was strained with panic. "Hello?" But there’s no answer. The caller was gone.

"Elizabeth? Who was that?" Lucky walked up behind her and placed two secure hands on her shoulders.

Elizabeth just turned around and leaned into his arms. "Helena. She did this…it was Helena."

Lucky was struck silent, dread rising up in his throat. He should have known that she’d strike out at someone close. All he could do at that moment was just hold Elizabeth close, guarding her from anything else that Helena may throw her way.

"The ambulance is on their way. Who was on the phone?" Nikolas approached his brother and best friend.

"Helena," was Lucky’s flat answer.

"Gia thank God!" Florence stumbles into Kelly’s her eyes wide with fear.

"Mom?" Gia turned to her mother and immediately went to her. "Momma what’s wrong? Is it your heart?"

"Your brother…he’s been shot and is in surgery right this minute. You have to come with me."

"Shot? Where? How?"

"He was in the police station doing some paperwork. All they would tell me is that a shot rang out and Taggert was on the floor in a pool of his own blood," Florence began to sob uncontrollably. "They don’t even know if he’ll live."

"Do they know who shot the gun?" Nikolas asked, getting a bad feeling about the whole thing.

Florence shook her head. "That’s the thing that really confuses me. No one knows who shot him. Plus there’s no real evidence. Gia come on! We have to go to your brother!"

"Nikolas…" Gia turned to her boyfriend.

"Go. I’ll get there with Lucky and Elizabeth. Go and be with your mother right now," Nikolas nodded.

"I love you," She hugged him tightly and kissed him. "I’ll see you there." She looked back one last time before Florence pulled her out the door.

"Helena," Lucky stared at his brother. "What are we going to do?"
"I don’t know," Nikolas stared at his brother helplessly. "I just don’t know."

Meanwhile Zander was staring out the window when he spies a familiar black van drive upto the side of the diner. His stomach lurched as he pushes Emily to the ground just as a man with a dark pair of sunglasses and a black leather jacket emerges out the window holding a machine gun, pointed right at Emily.

"Everybody down!" Zander cries out. Elizabeth, Lucky and Nikolas barely make it just as bullets shatter the glass and whiz through the air. Fifteen minutes later, the van is gone and so are the bullets. Elizabeth screams as she glanced behind her to see Tammy laying in a streaming pool of blood.

"Tammy!" She cried in horror. Lucky quickly pulls her to him, cradling the sobbing young woman in his arms, hiding her face in his jacket so she won’t see.

"Helena?" Nikolas’s voice is near panic.

"I don’t think so. This isn’t her type of ammo. It’s too obvious," Lucky shook his head.

"Sorel," Zander silently replied, helping Emily back to her feet. "It was Sorel. This is exactly his type of ammo."

"Tammy," Elizabeth sobbed even harder, knowing that her boss was seriously injured. "Someone check Tammy."

Nikolas bent down next to Tammy’s still warm body and felt for a pulse. Looking at Lucky and Liz, who was now staring intently at him, he sadly shakes his head. "I’m sorry. She’s gone."

"No!!!" Elizabeth wailed, her composure completely gone. First gram and now Tammy. Why was life doing this to her?

"Shhh Elizabeth. Shhh, it’ll be okay. Shhh," Lucky tried his best to comfort her, holding her even tighter. "Where’s that ambulance?" Lucky hissed at his brother.

Just then the life squad and police arrive. Audrey was the first the paramedics attended to.

"How is she?" Elizabeth and Lucky stand in front of Audrey on a stretcher.

"Not good. I can tell you that. It looks as if she had a stroke or something of the sort," The med shrugged. "Frank! Check that body over there."

Frank Scanlon got to his feet and checked over Tammy. He sadly shook his head. "It’s too late. She’s gone."

"Well get over here and help me with Mrs. Hardy. We need to run some tests and get her hooked up to some kind of life support," The medic in charge demanded.

Frank nods and steps in front of Elizabeth and Lucky. He placed a reassuring hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder. "Don’t worry. I’m sure everything will be alright. We’ll send another squad over for the body."

"Tammy. Her name is Tammy," Elizabeth corrected. She wasn’t about to let Tammy be referred to as an object. A cold inanimate thing. A statistic.

"We’ll send another car over for Tammy," Frank corrected himself, before helping lift Audrey into the ambulance. Soon the ambulance, with sirens wailing heads to General Hospital.

"We better get to the hospital," Nikolas headed for his jag. He turned to Zander and Emily who were stareing at the scene still in a state of shock.

"I guess you two better come with us. Emily may need to be checked out," Nikolas nods towards the door.

Zander only nodded and led Emily out of Kelly’s trying to banish the sight of Tammy’s dead body from his mind.

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