"Mr. Corinthos, it's Benny." The guard moved aside to let Benny in.
Sonny groaned, his hand rubbing his face. "Make it quick Benny." His eyes shot bullets at the accountant.
Benny smiled nervously, "Sorry boss, I know it's late, but you told me you wanted to know right away." Benny opened the file he'd been holding, and handed it to Sonny. "Mendoza has brought in two dozen men so far. The projection predicts about two or three dozen more."
Sonny's eyes scanned the paper, his face growing darker by the second. "Does he think I don't have the manpower to match?" he growled, flipping the file closed and slamming it on the desk. The sound of the folder slapping the polished desk surface reverberated throughout the penthouse.
Benny watched while Sonny splayed his palms flat on the desk, leaning over it as if he were nauseous. He stood like that for a few moments, then pushed off, a string of expletives flowing from his mouth.
Benny shifted his weight from one foot, to the other, and then back again. This was the part of his job he hated the most, giving his boss bad news. "There's one other thing."
Sonny turned around, his hand pushing through his raven hair. "What?"
Benny smiled again out of nervous habit. "That matter you wanted me to look into? About the child? The name you gave me, there's no trace of him." Benny watched Sonny approach the wet bar to fix himself a scotch. "It's like he never existed."
In one swallow, the half inch of scotch was gone. Sonny nodded, slamming the glass back down on the table. "Is that it?" He looked at Benny, his eyes suddenly hollow, empty.
The accountant took a step backwards, "For now."
"Keep me posted." Sonny walked him to the door, watching until the elevator doors closed behind him before knocking on Alexis' door.
She answered with a big smile on her face, obviously expecting somebody else. The smile fell when she realized it was Sonny on the other side of her door. She stood back, her eyes never leaving him as he walked silently into her penthouse, is hand scratching at his stubble. "You found something." It wasn't a question, but a statement.
He nodded, letting himself look at her finally. A small smile tugged at his lips when he noticed she was wearing nothing but a robe. "Am I interrupting something?"
She looked down, a blush creeping into her cheeks, and tightened the belt. "No. What, Sonny. Just tell me." She walked past him towards the sofa where a bowl of popcorn sat waiting for her.
Sonny's chuckle was low as he followed her, his eyes focused on her bare feet. "Alexis, are you sure the man's name was Jamie Masters?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Why?" She looked up at him, immediately reading the expression on his face. "You can't find him?"
Sonny sat down on the arm of the sofa with a groan. "Benny says there's no records of him."
Alexis instantly shot up from the couch, "You told Benny?! Sonny! You said you would keep this to yourself! I knew I should've done this on my own." She paced the floor in front of the sofa, hands on her hips, her short ponytail bobbing with every step.
Sonny's hand reached out to take hold of her wrist and stop her. "I told Benny the guy's name. That's it. He doesn't know who asked me to search for him." His eyes bored into hers, forcing her to calm down. "I wouldn't do that to you, Alexis. You know I wouldn't."
Alexis looked down at his hand on her wrist, the heat that emanated from it spread throughout her whole body, calming her at once. "How do you do that?"
He cocked an eyebrow, his thumb stroking the inside of her wrist, where
he could feel her pulse through the thin skin. "Do what?"
She smiled slightly, her head entranced by the rhythm his thumb created.
"Calm me down so easily." Her eyes closed, and a moment later she
felt cool air his her wrist where his hand had just been. She looked
down, a slight frown on her face when she saw his arms crossed over his
chest. "I'm sorry. I knew you would need Benny. I've
just been a little stressed." She dropped back down on the couch
with a sigh, leaning her head against the back to turn her face to the
sky.
Sonny cleared his throat. "Don't worry about it." Before he knew what he was doing, he saw his hand reaching out, his fingers brushing a stray hair from Alexis' face. "We'll find him Alexis. And your daughter." His finger tips lingered against her soft skin, and Sonny would've sworn he could detect the faintest scent of jasmine in the air. "Good night, Alexis." His hand reluctantly dropped from her face and slid into Sonny's pocket. He headed towards the door, allowing himself one last look before leaving the penthouse.
Closing the door quietly behind him, he heard the soft ding of the elevator, and waited to see who it was. He wasn't too surprised when the doors opened and he saw Jason. What did surprise him was Jason's distracted attitude towards Sonny.
"Jason?"
Jason jolted, his brows knotting when he looked to see his partner standing in the hall. "Yeah?"
Sonny's head cocked to the side. "Something wrong?"
Jason shook his head, stepping on the elevator. "No."
"Yeah ok," he chuckled. "What's her name?"
"Beth," he replied, a second before realizing his mistake.
Sonny motioned for Jason to enter his penthouse, "Must be some girl."
Jason pushed his hand through his hair to stop at the nape of his neck. "Yeah, it's weird. I could swear I know her from somewhere." He shook his head again, ridding his mind of Elizabeth's image.
Sonny grinned, his dimples running deep. "You going to see her again?"
Jason shrugged, anxious to change the conversation. "What do you need me for?"
The older man pointed to the folder on his desk. "Mendoza. He's preparing." He poured himself another scotch.
Jason's blue eyes read over the file, his fingers tapping on the folder. "That's a lot of men, especially for Port Charles." He looked at Sonny, "Any idea what he's up to?"
Sonny swallowed the alcohol, grimacing as it flowed down his throat. "Benny's going to try and put a guy on the inside."
Jason nodded, tossing the file back on the desk. "That all?" He watched Sonny nod once. "Then I'll see you at the warehouse tomorrow." He turned to leave, his leather jacket in hand.
Sonny watched Jason open the door. "You better see her again!"
he yelled just before Jason shut the door.