Walking over to the wet bar, he poured scotch into a glass, downing it in one swallow. His fingers then went to his bow tie, working the annoying material to rip it from around his neck. Unbuttoning a couple of buttons, he finally felt human again.
He turned then, to look at the stairs, anticipating the night ahead, when the phone rang. He seriously considered letting it ring, but he knew no one would call this late at night if it wasn't business.
"Yeah." His voice reflected his mood: irritated, tired, and ready for sex.
"Bring it. No Benny, now." He slammed the phone back on the cradle and bellowed for Johnny. "Benny's coming, just let him in," he instructed the guard, and poured himself another scotch.
Three more glasses of scotch and fifteen minutes later, Benny came bustling into the penthouse, nervous as a cat in a room full of rockers. "Mr. Corinthos. We found him." He handed over a thin file, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"He's dead?"
Benny nodded.
"Alright." He slapped Benny on the back and walked him to the door. "Keep looking for the girl. Leave nothing unchecked. Put more men on it if you have to. I want her found." He nodded a silent good bye and closed the door behind him. He waited a few minutes before going over to Alexis' penthouse, hoping that she was still awake.
She answered after a moment, a black silk robe tied securely around her waist. She tensed immediately when she saw Sonny standing in front of her. Moving to the side, she made a sweeping gesture with her arm, inviting him in.
"What's wrong?"
She stood facing the closed door for a minute, trying to gather her wits. "Nothing." She turned, a fake smile plastered on her face. Brushing past him, she returned to the couch and flopped down on it with a bowl of popcorn.
"Alexis," he growled, following her. He knew something was up, her face bore the proof: her eyes rimmed red and puffy, her cheeks marred by the stains of her tears. "Don't lie to me."
She huffed and a blush crept into her cheeks. "Casablanca. It gets me every time." Her smile was crooked with the embarrassment of her admission.
It took Sonny a moment to register, and a small chuckle was her reward. Sitting down on the coffee table in front of her, he opened the file and read it again. "Alexis, we found him."
Her smile froze, twisted into a half smile half frown, which quickly changed to a whole frown when she recognized Sonny's grim expression. "He's not- he's-"
"Dead."
"My daughter?"
Sonny shook his head, "We don't know yet. We haven't found her."
She held out her hand to him, ignoring its trembles. "May I read it?"
"There's something you should know."
She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, silently screaming at herself to calm down. "What?"
"His name isn't Jamie Masters." He watched her eyes change from
sadness to confusion. "When he died, his name was Marcus Malloy,
but we don't think that was his name either. We're still trying to
figure it out."
He handed over the file, only to pull it back at the last second. "One other thing. There's a coroner's picture in here of him, so you can know for sure if it's him. Tell me now if you don't want to see it."
Pressing her lips together, she extended her hand once more, thanking God that it didn't quake. "Let me see."
She took her time reading the single paper, her face masking any emotion she might be feeling. When she flipped the paper to study the photograph, she finally broke. A tear streaked down her cheek as she remembered the past, the feelings they shared, how abandoned she felt after she had given birth.
Abandoned. The one emotion that followed her everywhere she went. By her mother. By her father. Most definitely by her brothers. Even by her lovers. Was she destined to survive this life completely alone?
She hadn't even realized she was crying until the tears splattered against the gruesome photo of her Jamie, a bullet hole between his eyes. She could still see his soft brown eyes, the color of melted milk chocolate. Could still feel his hands on her, stroking her gently, so gently, pleasing her before himself. And the way they cuddled afterwards, talking about everything and nothing. Back then, she had thought it would last forever. Forever turned out to be not long enough.
"This is him," she whispered, closing the file to hand it to Sonny. Leaning back against the couch, she let out a heavy sigh and allowed her slim fingers to wipe away the last of her tears. Her eyes focused on her wet hands; slightly mesmerized by the way the liquid glittered in the light.
Sonny's heart broke for the attorney "We'll find her Alexis, I promise."