Chapter Four:
Zach Slater had been careful for years; he'd stayed clean despite the temptations. There were a lot of unsavory people in the casino business but he had always been strictly legitimate. Sure, he knew who most of the players were and there were times when he'd skirted the line in his dealings with those people, but he'd never crossed that line, never even seriously contemplated doing so until now. "Desperate times," he muttered.
He heard the door open behind him and spoke without looking, knowing who it would be. "Thank you for coming," he said simply.
"I owed you," Sonny answered stepping into the room and letting the door fall shut behind him. Five years ago Zach had fired an employee for embezzling from one of his casinos. A year later he'd discovered that the man had falsified a reference with his name on it to get a job working in one of Corinthos's Caribbean casinos. Knowing the consequences he'd hesitated about tipping off the mob boss, but in the end had decided that if Saunders was stupid enough to embezzle from Sonny Corinthos he'd deserve what he got.
"That was just money," Zach responded dully still not raising his eyes from his wife's still form. "This is -" he broke off closing his eyes against the reality of the situation. "What I'm going to ask you, you don't owe me this."
"I was trying to help someone, and I-I got in over my head," Zach confessed. "When I decided to help Julia get her life back, Kendall told me not to do it. She said that someone would end up getting hurt, and I thought I was prepared for that, but I wasn't prepared for this. I wasn't prepared for it to be her. She said - she said that if she got caught in the crossfire I would pay." At long last Zach raised his head to look at Sonny. "She was right, I'm paying now."
"She's my wife," he said quietly. "What do I say if – when - when she wakes up? How do I tell my wife that because of my arrogance she may never walk again?"
Offering comfort had never been Sonny's strong suit, but he'd been in Zach's position more than once. He remembered sitting by Carly's bed praying that she would wake up, and that when she did she would be healthy and whole. He rested a hand on Zach's shoulder. "You can't blame yourself," he said.
"I am to blame," Zach answered. "And I can't make it right. The only thing that I can do now is make sure that it doesn't happen again – make sure that she's safe." He looked up at Sonny. "I need your help," he said.
"Whatever you need," Sonny promised.
"I need a name. I need to know who did this." He held Sonny's gaze as he continued. "You have contacts that I don't have access to. You can find out who ordered this. All I know is that he calls himself the Dragon."
Sonny studied Zach. "If I give you his name," he asked, "what then?" When Zach didn't respond he went on, "You'll go after him? What will that get you? You want him to pay for hurting your wife, I understand that. But the Dragon," Sonny shook his head. "You'll never be able to reach him. He's too well protected."
"I'll manage," Zach said simply.
"No," Sonny said. "No, there's a better way."
"A better way?" Zach questioned. "If he's dead he won't be able to hurt anyone again. That way works for me."
"Let me handle the Dragon," Sonny suggested. "Whatever you want done, I'll see it done. But let me be the one to take care of it." Sonny glanced down at the pale form in the hospital bed. "You should be here, anyway. If you leave the hospital now, even for this, and she, God forbid, she takes a turn for the worse, you'll never forgive yourself."
"You'll handle it?" Zach asked.
"Personally," Sonny swore. After a moment Zach nodded his agreement. "I have to make some calls. I've never done business with the Dragon myself, but I know people who have. Once I find out his name, we can decide on the next step."
Zach nodded again, acknowledging Sonny's words without responding. A moment later he spoke. "If you need a place to stay while you're in town you can go to the casino. I have a suite that I won't be using. You're welcome to my office as well. It's secure and Edie will show you how to turn off the security cameras."
Sonny didn't look surprised at the seeming change in subject, merely blinked calmly before thanking Zach for the offer. "I don't want to put you out," he objected. "Sooner or later you're going to have to sleep."
Zach shook his head. "I don't stay there anyway," he said. "I just keep it for nights when I'm working late."
"Alright," Sonny accepted Zach's offer. "I appreciate it."
"It's the least I can do," Zach replied as Sonny prepared to go. "You're here to do me a favor."
"I owed you one," Sonny repeated his initial greeting.
"And now I owe you," Zach responded. "I won't forget this."
Sonny nodded slightly and turned to go. Before he left he looked back at Kendall for a moment. "I've never met your wife," he said. "But I've heard a enough about her to know that she's a fighter. She'll get through this." He met Zach's tired eyes, "And so will you."