"Mendoza?" Jason asked, realizing why Sonny wanted his new secretary gone.
Sonny nodded as he walked around his desk, his fingertips trailing lightly on the bare surface. He eased himself into the chair and kicked his feet up, a sigh escaping his lips. "He's growing balls, Jason. He's getting arrogant. Moving men in, in plain view. I can't believe he would try something like this." His fingers drummed on the empty desk.
Jason moved to sit in the chair opposite Sonny and noticed the notebook left behind. It jogged his memory. "So who's the new girl?" he asked, "What happened to Stephanie?"
Sonny shrugged, his mind still on Mendoza. "She was too awestruck, working for the mighty Sonny Corinthos." Sonny smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
Jason nodded in understanding, "So uh-" he motioned towards the door, "What's her name is going to be any different?"
Sonny chuckled low, "Her name is Elizabeth, and yes, I think she'll be different." Taking his feet down from the desk, he perched his elbows on the marble surface, interlocking his hands together. "She's not from around here, and she's a couple of years older than Stephanie. The only person in town is her Grandmother. She doesn't know anybody else. So hopefully she won't hear anything about us for a little while."
Jason glanced at his friend. "So what are we going to do about Mendoza?"
Sonny shrugged and sat back in the chair. "Let him go. Lull him into a false sense of security. Find out his game plan, and attack." Checking his watch, he stood up from the chair. "I'm going to go home, surprise Carly and Michael, take them to the park. I'll see you tomorrow."
Jason watched him walk out the door, waiting until he was out of sight before heading back to his own office to go over the books. He worked diligently for two hours, making sure all the numbers added up correctly. Standing up from his chair, he stretched his arms over his head, working out the kinks in his stiff muscles. He grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and shrugged it on. Even though it was nearing the end of May, he still wore his leather jacket, especially at night when he was riding his motorcycle. And tonight was the perfect night for a ride.
Pushing his bike to the extreme limits, the wind roared in his ears, causing his hair to shake. He had no particular destination. Nowhere. Everywhere. The wind carried the scent of pine tree and acorns to his nose, and he reveled in that one simple joy. He couldn't shake the feeling of loneliness that had crept into him since Sonny mentioned Carly and Michael. He was happy for them, but there was still a small part of his heart that would always think of himself as Michael's father, and it hurt.
Jason slowed the bike down enough to see how close he was to entering Port Charles again, and spotted a half full Jake's parking lot. Deciding a game or two of pool was just what he needed, he directed the bike in that direction. His foot instinctively kicked down the kick stand, and his hands scrubbed through his hair as he shook the feeling of the wind from it.
He entered the dive, eyes scanning the room for anything out of place, a habit he wouldn't ever break. Satisfied that nothing was amiss, he approached the bar and ordered a beer. It was cool and refreshing as is flowed through his mouth and down his throat. So comforting that he downed it in two swallows and ordered another. Taking the second bottle, he turned to face the semi crowded bar. He leaned his back against the bar, his legs crossing at the ankles, his arms folded across his chest. His eyes fell onto the pool table, and watched a hustler taking some clueless sap for all his money. He shook his head at the financially challenged rube, a smirk on his face.
He approached an empty pool table and began playing, worse than usual in the hope that the hustler might try to play one over on him. Jason's prediction was correct, and his whole body itched to beat the stuffing out of him. Before the hustler could approach Jason, his attention was diverted to a woman across the room, her head thrown back in a hearty laugh. Forgetting about Jason's poor pool skills, the con artist approached the woman, offering to buy her a drink, even though she was already surrounded by half a dozen men.
Jason studied the woman, dark brown hair that hung loosely, brushing her shoulders. Her red V-neck tee shirt that clung to her body. The hip hugger jeans that hugged just a little too tightly. She half turned, revealing her face to Jason. A flicker of recognition danced behind his eyes, but faded into the background before he could decipher it. Her face was round, her lips full and pink. She had brushed a smoky gray eye shadow on her upper lids, bringing out the blue in her sparkling eyes.
Something tugged inside of him, something he hadn't felt since Robin
or Carly, and as Jason crossed the room to order another beer, he knew
this girl was something special.