Audrey was surprised to find Justus and AJ on her doorstep. She rarely spoke to either of them and could not imagine what they could possibly want from her.

"Come in," she said, a slight frown marring her features. She indicated that the two men should sit and they complied. Both chose to sit on the sofa.

"I apologize for not calling first, Mrs. Hardy, but this is an emergency," Justus said.

"An emergency? I don't quite understand…" she said. Now, she was really confused.

"Keesha is missing and I believe that Tommy may know something that could help us locate her," Justus continued.

"Tommy? Tommy's only been back for a few days. He wouldn't know anything about what's happened to Keesha," Audrey replied.

"Has Tommy told you anything about where he's been?" Justus asked.

"Well, no. Not exactly, but I still don't see how this could concern Keesha…"

"Mrs. Hardy, is Tommy here?" AJ asked, somewhat impatiently. He didn’t want to be rude, but the back and forth between her and Justus was making him agitated. Keesha was gone and if Tommy knew something, he wanted answers. Now.

"No, AJ, he isn't. He had to run an errand. He should be home soon, though," she said. She hoped he would be home soon.

"Thanks, Mrs. Hardy," AJ said. Directing his attention to Justus, he added, "Let's go."

"No, wait a minute. I think both of you need to hear this," Justus replied.

"Okay. Since you're so convinced that this has something to do with Keesha, I'll listen. But I'm contacting the police first," AJ said.

As AJ pulled his cell phone from his pocket and punched in the numbers, Justus turned his attention towards a very confused Audrey and said, "Mrs. Hardy, maybe you should sit down."

Dawn ran blindly. Her only thought was to get out of there and to go as far and as fast as she could. The people and the buildings she passed were a blur. But eventually she had to stop. She couldn't ignore the sharp pain in her side any longer.

Cautiously, she looked around as she slowed down to a walk. She needed to rest in order to catch her breath, but she wasn't sure if that would be a good idea. She didn't know where she was and the neighborhood was on the seedy side.

Her arm ached and her face throbbed where Wayne had repeatedly slapped her. Her back didn't feel too good either. She licked her lips and tasted blood. She brought her fingers to her lips and wiped at the blood as best she could.

As Dawn continued to walk, she refused to give in to the fear that threatened to consume her. She wished she knew how to get back to the park. Nickie needed her. The blow to his head may cause serious injury and what if no one helped him. She needed to find a phone. If she could find one, she could call the police and tell them about Nickie and about what happened to her.

The sound of music caught her attention and she drifted towards it. Maybe she would find a phone nearby. What little money she had in her pockets was taken by Wayne, but 911 was always a free call. And if pushed came to shove, she could call Dara collect.

Dawn reached the end of the block and discovered that the music came from a car that was quickly racing away. The last lines on the song drifted towards her and she paused to listen to it.

The words were similar to the ones she and Nikolas had danced to the night before. This version was a little bit faster, but the words were the same. Remembering the song, the dance and Nikolas…how much had changed in just twenty-four hours, Dawn lowered herself to curb. Cradling her injured arm, she wept. How true those lyrics were, she sadly thought.

'I'd give my all
To have just one more night with you
I'd risk my life
To feel your body next to mine
Cause I can't go on
Living in the memory of our song
I'd give my all
For your love tonight'

Dara glanced at her watch. Dawn should have been there over an hour ago. She didn't know whether to be angry at her or scared. Dawn made the effort to contact her. She didn't understand why Dawn would just suddenly back out now. She glanced at her watch again. She would give her fifteen more minutes and then, she would leave.

Alex watched Dara without saying anything. She was nervous and agitated and doing everything in her power to hide it. He wished he could do something. If he knew where her sister was, he would bring her here himself. He'd probably tell her a few choice words, he thought. Dara obviously loved her very much and it wasn't fair of her to put her sister through this, by making her wait.

"Alex, you should go. I appreciate your staying, but I've taken up too much of her life the last few days," Dara said quietly. Secretly, he was happy he was there, but she didn't want him to feel obligated to stay.

"You haven't taken up anything that I haven't wanted to give," Alex said, holding her eyes with his own. He reached out and covered her hand with his own and said, "I'm staying."

"Thanks," she smiled at him and continued, "I don't understand any of this. This isn't like her at all. She's always been true to her word. When we spoke, she seemed…"

Dara stopped speaking when she saw Nikolas Cassadine walk through the door. His clothes were dirty and he looked like he had been in a fight. He stood in the doorway, looking for someone, until his eyes found her.

Chapter 28