Chapter Fourteen: I Trust You
Sonny arrived home a few hours later, but instead of going into his own penthouse, he went across the hall to Angel's. "Hi," he said softly, when she opened the door. "Want some company?"
Angel smiled. "Of course," she replied, pulling him into the penthouse, "I always enjoy seeing you."
She led him to the couch where they sat down. "Is everything okay with you?" she asked, concerned. "How's that kid, um…Zander, right?"
Sonny nodded. "He'll be alright," he assured her, "he got into some trouble, but I'll take care of him."
"That's what you do best, you know," Angel said. "You always looked out for me when we were younger."
Sonny smiled back at her. He always felt so much better around Angel. No matter how stressed he felt, Angel could always calm him down. She knew him better than anyone else. Even now, after a 20-year separation, he felt like they hadn't been apart more than a day.
"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" she asked, adding, "You don't have to answer if you don't want. I'll understand."
Sonny paused. "It's okay," he asked, deciding that he didn't want to hide anything from her.
"Well, I just wondered," she began, "I've noticed that some people, no, everyone calls you 'Sonny'."
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, I just wondered…why?" Angel asked him, "I mean, I remember how much you hated when Deke would call you 'Sonny-Boy'. Why would you take that name willingly?"
Sonny was surprised. "Well, I don't really know why," he began, "when I left Brooklyn, I knew that I had to change who I was in a way, in order to survive on the streets. Changing my name was the first step. It enabled me to do some of the things I did without having the guilt attached to it. Kind of like it wasn't really me doing them, you know?"
Angel nodded. "I can't even imagine some of the things you had to do," she whispered.
Sonny took her hand. He had an overwhelming urge to tell her everything he had been through over the years. They talked for hours. He told her things about his life that he hadn't thought he could tell anyone. Angel didn't act shocked and she didn't judge him. She merely listened. When he was finished, Sonny was glad he had confided in Angel.
As she laid her head on his shoulder, she looked up at him. "Can I ask you something else?" she smiled.
Sonny laughed. "Anything."
"Is it okay if I still called you 'Michael'?"
"I would love that," Sonny whispered, as he kissed her forehead.
*****
Later Sonny was stretched out on Angel's couch. She was asleep with her head on his chest when he heard his cell phone ring. Angel stirred as he stretched his arm to reach inside his jacket, which was draped over the back of the couch."Sorry," he whispered, as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. He opened his phone. "Yeah," he said gruffly.
"Sonny, it's Jason, we have a situation," Jason told him, getting to the point of the call.
Sonny listened as Jason told him about Zander's latest predicament. Someone had gotten to him in lockup and scared him pretty bad. Zander had called Alexis and begged her to get him released. Sonny knew it was useless to ask what happened to his man on the police force because Sorel surely had his own men in the precinct that could get to Zander if he wanted. Jason was on his way to the penthouse with Zander and Alexis to talk to Sonny about where Zander would be safest.
After his conversation, Sonny snapped his phone closed and turned to Angel. She sat patiently, waiting for him to conclude his business. "I have to go," he told her, reluctantly.
"Is everything okay?" Angel asked, "Is it Zander?"
Sonny nodded, walking to the door. He opened the front door and they stepped into the hallway.
"I'm glad you came over, Michael," Angel told him, "I hope we can do it again."
Sonny touched her face tenderly. "Yeah, me too," he whispered.
At that moment, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Jason stepped out first, followed by Alexis and then Zander. Sonny nodded at them. "Let's go across the hall," he told them, leading the way to his penthouse.
Before she turned to go back inside, Angel looked over at Zander. Her heart went out to him. He looked scared. Angel caught his eye and smiled. "You okay?"
Zander nodded nervously. "I just want this to be over already," he told her, "then maybe I can get my life back."
Just then, Angel got an idea. She could give Zander a little bit of what he craves. "How would you like to stay at my place?" she asked him, nodding her head toward her penthouse. "I mean, it's not exactly having your life back but at least you'll be comfortable."
Sonny heard Angel's offer and turned around. "Angel, you don't have to do this."
As he took her aside, she assured him. "I want to do this, Michael," she said. Looking back at Zander, she continued, "look at him, he's so scared, he needs to be somewhere where he's more than just safe. He needs something of a home. Do you think he can get that living at your place with your other houseguest?"
Sonny smirked. "You got me there, but I don't think you fully understand how dangerous his situation really is."
"Michael, this place is like a fortress," she reminded him, "don't think I haven't noticed that since I've been living here. No one gets on this floor without your bodyguards knowing."
Sonny thought for a minute. He knew she was right about one thing. If he moved Zander into his penthouse, Carly would be all up in his business, demanding to know what was going on. "Hey Zander," he called the boy, "come over here a sec."
Zander didn't know what to expect as he approached Sonny. He wouldn't admit it anyone, but Sonny scared him. Not as much as Sorel did, but he scared him nonetheless.
Sonny nodded at him. "You remember Angel, right?" Zander nodded in affirmation. "You're going to be staying at Angel's place across the hall," Sonny told him, adding, "at least until the trial."
Zander looked at Angel. He didn't know her any more than he knew Sonny but there was something about her that made him trust her. "Okay," he said finally, "if it's alright with her."
With Angel's affirmation, it was decided. Instead of going into his penthouse, Sonny led everyone into Angel's. While Sonny, Jason and Alexis resumed their business, Angel took Zander upstairs to show him the room in which he'd be staying.