Chapter Nine
As Claudia lay awake in bed that night, listening to Sonny's snores, all she could think about was how terrible of a mother she was. Her own husband had murdered her daughter's parents, and she had invited her to live in the same house as him. Why hadn't she connected the dots sooner? She hadn't heard mention of any other murders last night. So of course Sonny was talking about the Browns when he asked for an alibi. The reason he didn't tell her more was simple: she didn't need to know more. He knew that she'd help him no matter what. She hated how she had been so eager to give him an alibi.
But wait. She hadn't actually given a legal statement of her alibi. What she had said to Detective Harrison didn't mean squat. She could still get out of it. But that would mean she had to run, and she didn't want to do that. She couldn't do that. She couldn't just leave Adriana here with Sonny, and she couldn't take her with her, either. Technically, Claudia wasn't her mother, and she was pretty sure that crossing state lines with her would be illegal.
Maybe they didn't have to cross state lines, though. They could hide out right here in Port Charles. They wouldn't stay with Johnny; it was too obvious a choice, and his new apartment barely fit him. Plus, Olivia was over all the time, and Claudia didn't think she could stand that. But they could stay at a hotel. Not the Metro-Court; Carly and Jax would have a conniption if Claudia invaded their space, not to mention that Carly would savor any opportunity to expose Claudia's whereabouts to Sonny. So, maybe the Cosmopolitan would be a good idea. It was across town, and the last place Sonny would look. They wouldn't have to stay there long; either the cops would catch him and put him away, he'd find a new alibi, or he'd leave Port Charles and never come back. Then, Claudia would file for divorce, and she and Adriana could move on with their lives. Sonny wouldn't hate a divorce. He had only married Claudia for business purposes, and now her father was in jail and Sonny controlled the entire Zacchara organization. He didn't need her anymore. It all fit perfectly. While Claudia would miss the power that came with being Sonny's wife, protecting Adriana was more important.
The plan would work. But first, they had to escape.
*
It was the same nightmare as last night, except this time, the endless corridor was filled with bodies. Her parents' bodies. Every turn she took, they were there, lying in the same grotesque poses that they had been when she found them. She tried turning back around, to get away from them, but it didn't do anything. Everywhere she looked, they were lying on the ground, dead.
"Adriana!"
"No!" Adriana screamed, jolting into a sitting position. Standing next to her bed was Claudia, who looked frightened at the response she got when she spoke her daughter's name. Adriana shook her head, trying to get her bearings. The sheets and comforter on her bed were all tangled, and half the pillows were on the floor. She had never been a fitful sleeper. But then, she had never had nightmares, either.
"Are you okay?" asked Claudia nervously, stepping away from the bed a little. "Did I scare you?"
Adriana tried to catch her breath, which was coming out in ragged gasps, like she had just run a marathon. She tried to shake the image of her parents' corpses, but it was no use. It was like someone had tattooed their dead bodies into her brain. She would never lose that image.
"Are you okay?" Claudia asked again.
In actuality, Adriana couldn't be farther from okay. But Claudia wasn't asking in general. She was just wondering about this very moment.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, running a hand through her hair, and finding it damp with sweat. "Just a nightmare."
"You sure?" asked Claudia. She didn't look so good. Her face was pale as a ghost, and Claudia thought she was going to throw up.
Adriana nodded. Unlike her mother, she had never been a good liar, but she'd give it a shot anyway. "I'm fine. What's going on?" Claudia had to have woken her up for some reason.
What was Claudia supposed to say? "My husband murdered your parents" wasn't always a great conversation starter, but she couldn't just take Adriana and run without explaining herself. "Look, I know this'll sound really strange, but we have to get out of here."
Adriana frowned. "Why?"
"It's a really long story. I'll explain in the car." Adriana noticed the worry and anxiousness in Claudia's voice, and knew that something was really wrong. Any tiredness still with her shook itself off as she hopped out of her bed and ran to her closet for her suitcase.
"No," said Claudia, pulling her away. "There isn't time for that. Plus, if you bring it, the guards will hear us. Grab some shoes and let's go."
Even the guards couldn't know they were leaving? What was going on? Adriana ignored her own questions and slipped on her sneakers, then joined her mother at the door.
"Okay, we're gonna sneak out the back," said Claudia. "Sonny never puts guards back there."
"Why?"
"I don't know, he's just reckless," said Claudia hurriedly. "Try not to make any noise, okay?" And with that, the mother and daughter made their silent way out of the house.
*
"I can't believe it." Adriana had listened to her mother's story as they pulled out of Sonny's back driveway and onto the road. Thank God for hybrids, or else they would have been caught for sure.
"I know, neither can I," said Claudia, trying her best to go the speed limit, but her nerves were making it extremely hard. She just wanted to drive at breakneck speed to the nearest highway and go until Port Charles was a simple memory in the rearview mirror. But as much as Claudia wanted to get away from Sonny, she wanted to avoid getting caught by the cops even more, whether it was for speeding or taking Adriana over the state border.
"Your husband murdered my parents?" It was too much of a coincidence. How could Sonny have killed the Browns? He was Claudia's wife, and Claudia was Adriana's mother. It didn't get anymore complicated or ironic than that.
Not to mention the fact that Adriana had stayed in his house. Ate his food. Even looked him straight in the eye. This was all God playing a cruel trick on her. When would this nightmare end?
"I am so sorry," apologized Claudia. In some way, she felt responsible for this. Maybe if she had listened in on one more conversation, or interrogated for information about Sonny's business dealings more often, she could have stopped this whole rollercoaster from the start. Adriana would happily be on her way back to England right now if Claudia had just done something.
Adriana couldn't believe Claudia was apologizing. "You don't have to be sorry. None of this is your fault. You don't have any control over your husband."
Claudia shook her head. "But if I had just—"
"No," Adriana interrupted. "There was nothing you could have done. My main concern is why. Why did he kill my parents? They never mentioned anything about him. Did he even know them?"
"I don't know," said Claudia. "I didn't question him about it. I didn't want to give him any idea that we were leaving."
"So, what's the plan?" asked Adriana. She looked out the dark window of the car, and had absolutely no idea where they were going.
"The Cosmopolitan," said Claudia. "It's a hotel on the other side of town. Trust me—Sonny will never look for us there."
"And then what? We go to the cops tomorrow?"
If only she knew what Sonny was really capable of, thought Claudia. "That's not an option."
Adriana didn't get it. "What? Why?"
"Sonny is a mobster. If we rat him out, he'll know. Even an anonymous tip won't stay anonymous for long with him. Besides, we don't have any solid proof. It's all hearsay."
"Hearsay?"
"I only heard Sonny say that he murdered your parents," said Claudia, but she wished she hadn't said it so plainly. Adriana's tears started to well up at the words, but she brushed them away before any fell. "In a court of law, it wouldn't be legal evidence to submit. What if I heard wrong? What if Sonny was talking about someone else? Whatever we have to say won't mean anything."
"So, what? We just let him get away with killing innocent people?" Adriana couldn't believe that Claudia was suggesting that they let her parents' killer walk free.
"No, of course not," said Claudia. "They already suspect Sonny of murdering your parents. When I'm not there to provide an alibi, they'll arrest him. Whether he'll actually be convicted is another story. Diane Miller is a damn good lawyer. Sonny's gotten away with murder plenty of times before."
Adriana couldn't believe how calmly Claudia was explaining all this. But, then again, she had grown up in the mob. She was used to all this violence. "So we just hide out until it all blows over?" she asked.
"Don't worry," said Claudia. "The cops will catch him before he realizes we're gone. And then, we can just move on with our lives." Adriana didn't say anything, and Claudia decided that this was the time to ask the question that had been burning inside of her all day. "Have you made your decision yet?" She didn't need to explain which decision she was talking about.
Adriana had. She had made it the moment Claudia had told her where she came from, and why she had given her up. She knew in her heart where she was supposed to be. "Yes. I want to stay with you."
Claudia couldn't help but smile. "Really?"
Adriana smiled back. "Really." And, for the first time, Adriana found herself willing to accept a new mother.
