Faith Roscoe watched Alexis enter the interrogation room with a mixture of
annoyance and relief. Lorenzo had come through, which was good. It was now
past noon, which was not good. Every minute she spent in this miserable
little piss-ant jail was another minute that her enemies had to take away
what she had worked so hard to build.
Faith looked her up and down. She was wearing a suit. This morning she'd been wearing jeans and a sweater.
"You Iwent shopping/I before coming to see me?" Faith was incredulous.
Alexis looked down at her clothes. Wyndham's, straight off the rack. The saleswoman at Wyndham's was putting together a wardrobe for her, but it would take a trip to New York City to get the caliber of clothes she was used to wearing. She was about to explain that she had only bought one outfit before her jaw snapped shut.
"I have a reputation to maintain. It is difficult to command the respect of my colleagues when I am inappropriately dressed, Ms Roscoe."
"Let me clear this up for you. You have one and only one priority. Getting me out of here now. Not tomorrow. Not this afternoon. Now." Faiths eyes glittered dangerously.
"That is unrealistic. You don't want a bail hearing this afternoon." Alexis's voice was firm as she returned Faith's glare.
"Yes. I do." Faith's gaze was unrelenting.
Alexis continued, trying to ignore Faith's tone. "The courthouse is understaffed due to last nights events and Judge Fraser is the only judge hearing motions. Fraser plays golf with the Edward Quartermaine. Tomorrow morning we can get Judge Robinson. She will at least listen to my argument."
"Did I not make myself clear? I need to be released. Today."
"If we take your case to Fraser, you will be denied, Faith. Fraser does not grant bail in murder one cases."
"That is your problem, not mine." Faith's tone was icy.
Alexis counted to ten mentally, then gave up trying to be polite. "Let me make this very clear for you. If Fraser were going to be fair, he would recuse himself from the case. The hearing would then be rescheduled for tomorrow. If Fraser is in Edward's pocket, he will hear the case and deny the motion. If we lose today, we won't be able to try again until after your indictment. Tomorrow is Friday. They won't take this to the grand jury until next week at the earliest. If they drag their feet, it will be the week after that, and let me tell you something, Faith." Alexis lingered on the name, knowing that it would annoy Faith, and relishing the opportunity. "With everything that's going on right now, the D.A. will want to keep you in custody for as long as possible. If you really do want to get out of here, you will follow my advice and wait until tomorrow."
If there was one thing Faith hated, it was backing down. Her cuffed hand formed a fist, but otherwise she gave no sign of her fury at being stuck inside for another day.
"Tomorrow morning then. Do you think you can make Ithat/I happen?" Faith's gaze was practically daring Alexis to hedge.
"Yes, I do." Alexis didn't blink.
"Then do it. You can go." Faith very carefully relaxed her hand. It was all about control.
"Or I can stay and we can get to work on your case. I have to be honest with you, Faith. It would be a lot easier to get you bail if we could establish an alibi for the night of Emily's murder."
"I wasn't killing Emily. Beyond that, where I was and what I was doing are not your business."
Alexis very calmly put down her legal pad and laid her reading glasses on top of it. She was finding that representing Faith Roscoe was an even more thankless task than representing Carly Corinthos had been.
_ _ _ _
Alexis walked out of the interrogation room feeling like she'd gone ten rounds with Faith. Fortunately, long years of handling Cassadine business had given her the patience to hold her temper when dealing with difficult clients.
Alexis almost walked past Gia Campbell on her way out.
"Alexis! I'm so glad you're here. I need your advice," Gia said urgently. Gia's job interning for Alexis had given her great experience, but it hadn't covered this.
"Gia. What are you doing here? Don't you have a final?" Alexis had given Gia time off to study for finals- her law studies were more important than work. Alexis looked closer at Gia. Under her coat she was wearing a silk kimono style tunic with silk pajama pants. On her feet were matching slippers.
"My final was yesterday. I aced it, don't worry. Worry about the fact that I woke up this morning with a deadly snake in my bed and a nest of them in my closet."
Snakes. Just Helena's style. "Have you been spending time with Nikolas?" Alexis knew the answer to the question already.
"Yeah. Tell me psychogranny did not do this. I mean, a few phone calls are one thing, but snakes so poisonous that animal control freaked out? They were Coastal Taipans or something like that. Supposedly the most poisonous in the world. They took one look and evacuated my whole building."
"You had already received warnings from Helena to stay away from Nikolas?" Alexis asked, hoping that she could make Gia see the danger in her situation.
"Yeah, but if you think I'm going to let Helena tell me who I can and can't see, you're dead wrong. Nikolas is in bad enough shape as it is. And no, I didn't tell him about the calls. Nothing is going on between us."
Gia decided to explain. "After Emily died, I just knew how he was going to get, you know? All dark and depressed and isolated. we may not have worked out, but we spent 3 years together, and I still care about him. I've been going out there to make sure he doesn't shut himself off from the world. He doesn't need to know that psychogranny is hassling me about it."
"She's doing more than that. Gia, Helena had Emily killed. It sounds like she tried to have you killed, too," Alexis said, knowing that she was going to have to tell Nikolas this news, too, and knowing also that he would blame himself.
"But I thought Faith killed Emily." Gia asked, then held up a hand. "Never mind. This is so Helena. Do you think this was it, or do you think she'll try again?"
Alexis shook her head. "I really don't know, Gia. I never thought Helena would go this far."
"Well, do you mind if I crash at the office for a few days? I can't go back to my apartment until they're sure they've gotten them all. They're calling in some snake experts to deal with them," Gia said, thinking about all the things in her apartment she wished she had. Like. clothes."
Alexis considered this. "I don't think my office is safe, Gia. I do need your help on a case, though, and I may have a safe place for you to stay."
_ _ _ _
Lorenzo had been able to meet with Faith's lieutenants thanks to the calls Zander had made. The force of his personality, combined with Zander's presence, had been enough to convince them that they now were working for both himself and Faith, and that this was what Faith wanted. Overall, the meeting went well. They would put the word out that there was a one time offer for Morgan's men to join Lorenzo and Faith's organization and fight a takeover by out-of-town muscle.
Zander's presence had been necessary, was still necessary, but Lorenzo didn't like it. Zander was a liability. Unfortunately, he was now Lorenzo's liability.
"Faith values your input. Her men respect you," Lorenzo stated flatly. There seemed to be no choice in the matter.
Zander wasn't exactly thrilled to move from number two to number three in the organization, but that was Faith's call. He was trying to get a read on Alcazar, but he wasn't having much luck. The man seemed to dislike him, yet he had shown him respect during the meeting. Still, Zander thought it was a mistake to trust him. He had his own agenda.
Lorenzo interrupted Zander's thoughts. "Your apartment was destroyed. You will require more secure accommodations." After a pause, Lorenzo continued. "I have a compound outside of town. You may stay there until this war is over."
Zander didn't like it, but wisely kept his mouth shut.
_ _ _ _
When Lorenzo returned to the compound with Zander, he walked in to find Alexis working at the dining room table with a person he recognized as the former Deception model. Zander caught Gia's narrowed eyes and hung back.
Alexis stood. "Zander." She was a bit surprised to see him here, but given his association with Faith, she supposed she shouldn't be. He gave her a wry smile, and Alexis moved to introduce Lorenzo and Gia.
"Lorenzo, this is Gia Campbell." Gia unfolded her long legs and stood, examining Lorenzo up close for the first time. Gia extended her hand for him to shake. "Gia, this is Lorenzo Alcazar."
"Gia is my assistant and a law student at PCU. She will be helping with Faith's case."
"It is lovely to meet you, Gia," Lorenzo said, holding her gaze for a second longer than was necessary.
Suddenly Gia was very aware that her nipples had tightened into pebbles and that she wasn't wearing a bra.
"You'll have to forgive my pajamas. I woke up to a Coastal Taipan snake in my bed and discovered a nest in my closet. Animal control won't touch them."
"That is no surprise. They are the deadliest snakes on earth." So, Gia had enemies as well.
As interesting as it was to watch Gia work her charm on Lorenzo, Alexis chose that moment to interrupt. "May I speak to you privately for a moment?"
Lorenzo nodded and led Alexis into the newly furnished living room leaving Zander to suffer under Gia's glare.
Alexis fiddled with the pencil in her hands, knowing she was overstepping in even making this request. "Gia is a former fiancé of Nikolas. She has been spending time with Nikolas since Emily's death. Apparently, too much time for Helena."
"You want me to invite Gia to stay here at the compound while she helps you with Faith's case," Lorenzo guessed.
"Well, yes. That would be ideal. Gia had already made an enemy of Helena. I believe she called her "psychogranny" to her face on more than one occasion."
Lorenzo chuckled. So the former model had spirit. "There is plenty of room. It will not be a problem."
Alexis released her breath. "Thank you."
"You have spoken with Faith?"
Alexis grimaced. "Did battle is closer to the truth. For a variety of reasons, her bail hearing had to be set for tomorrow morning. Faith was not pleased."
"Very well." This was fortunate. Lorenzo knew that he would have to hold a meeting that night to secure the loyalty of Sonny's men. In spite of Sonny's hatred of him, Lorenzo had made fewer enemies among his men. He felt certain that things would go more smoothly without Faith there.
"Do you believe that she will be granted bail?"
"I believe so. There is always the chance."
"Yes, dealing with human beings there is always risk." Lorenzo looked down at Alexis thoughtfully.
"Is there anything more you require?"
Alexis quickly demurred. "No, everything is wonderful. I have a woman at Wyndham's putting together everything I need for Kristina and myself. She is putting together some things for Gia as well."
"Good. I gather that you know Zander?"
"Yes, we became friends when I defended him in a murder trial. He is devoted to Kristina."
"Perhaps I shall have to reassess my opinion of the boy."
_ _ _ _
in the meantime.
"What are you doing here?" Gia asked Zander bluntly. She was still hurt and angry over the way he had treated her.
"I'm going to be living here. Look, Gia, I'm sorry about what happened. You knew I loved Emily." Just talking about her hurt Zander deeply.
"I'm sorry you lost her, then," Gia said, realizing that Zander was in pain. That was the problem with Zander. She understood him too well to be really angry with him. That didn't mean she'd make the same mistake twice.
"But that doesn't mean you get a free ride for the way you treated me. I deserved better."
Zander sighed. "You do deserve better. That's just not me anymore. I'm burnt, Gia. I don't want to care about anyone and I don't want anyone to care about me."
"I'm sorry, Zander, but that is such a load of bullshit. You're hurting right now. You may never trust the same way again. But don't feed me this "I am an island" routine 'cause you want an excuse to treat your friends like crap. That just don't fly with me."
"It's how I feel. I really am sorry, Gia. You did deserve better."
"Damn straight. And so did you."
_ _ _ _
Late that night:
Gia lay awake, trying to put the nightmare about the snakes behind her. She had brushed it off earlier, but underneath her bravado, the snakes had really scared her.
Finally, she put on her coat and went to sit in the winter garden. Maybe some Japanese zen would calm her mind.
Lorenzo strode through the doorway, trying to put the bloody aftermath of the meeting behind him. A few of Sonny's men had challenged his right to take the territory, wanting it for themselves instead. Fortunately, Lorenzo had sensed trouble from the two ringleaders and called them out. Two shots later, the nascent rebellion was over. The rest of the men had acceded to his leadership.
Lorenzo's blood had run like ice water during the meeting. It wasn't until the ride home, when he had faced down death and survived that he began to feel the familiar rush. Behind his icy façade, his blood now ran hot and wild.
Gia stood and turned when she saw him enter the garden.
"You must be cold, Ms Campbell."
"A little. The garden is beautiful at night. The cold makes me feel more alive."
Lorenzo took in the garden and the beautiful woman standing beside him. "Really." Lorenzo reached out to touch Gia's braids. "You seem more like a woman who blooms in the heat."
Gia flushed under his hungry gaze. Maybe confession was good for more than the soul. "I've been thinking about you all day."
"Have you." He was weighing his options. The tension between them thickened.
Gia wound her arms around his neck and stood on her toes, brushing her lips against his. As soon as their lips made contact, he pulled her flush against him, as close as they could get with their coats on. Her tongue sought entry and Lorenzo drew her into his mouth. Gia poured her pent up desire into the kiss. He responded, his tongue winding around hers and he devoured her mouth, stealing her breath. Starved for air, Gia broke the kiss.
Lorenzo studied her face. She was even more beautiful in the moonlight. "Things could get complicated between us, with you living here. My heart belongs to another woman."
"It's not your heart I've been thinking about."
Faith looked her up and down. She was wearing a suit. This morning she'd been wearing jeans and a sweater.
"You Iwent shopping/I before coming to see me?" Faith was incredulous.
Alexis looked down at her clothes. Wyndham's, straight off the rack. The saleswoman at Wyndham's was putting together a wardrobe for her, but it would take a trip to New York City to get the caliber of clothes she was used to wearing. She was about to explain that she had only bought one outfit before her jaw snapped shut.
"I have a reputation to maintain. It is difficult to command the respect of my colleagues when I am inappropriately dressed, Ms Roscoe."
"Let me clear this up for you. You have one and only one priority. Getting me out of here now. Not tomorrow. Not this afternoon. Now." Faiths eyes glittered dangerously.
"That is unrealistic. You don't want a bail hearing this afternoon." Alexis's voice was firm as she returned Faith's glare.
"Yes. I do." Faith's gaze was unrelenting.
Alexis continued, trying to ignore Faith's tone. "The courthouse is understaffed due to last nights events and Judge Fraser is the only judge hearing motions. Fraser plays golf with the Edward Quartermaine. Tomorrow morning we can get Judge Robinson. She will at least listen to my argument."
"Did I not make myself clear? I need to be released. Today."
"If we take your case to Fraser, you will be denied, Faith. Fraser does not grant bail in murder one cases."
"That is your problem, not mine." Faith's tone was icy.
Alexis counted to ten mentally, then gave up trying to be polite. "Let me make this very clear for you. If Fraser were going to be fair, he would recuse himself from the case. The hearing would then be rescheduled for tomorrow. If Fraser is in Edward's pocket, he will hear the case and deny the motion. If we lose today, we won't be able to try again until after your indictment. Tomorrow is Friday. They won't take this to the grand jury until next week at the earliest. If they drag their feet, it will be the week after that, and let me tell you something, Faith." Alexis lingered on the name, knowing that it would annoy Faith, and relishing the opportunity. "With everything that's going on right now, the D.A. will want to keep you in custody for as long as possible. If you really do want to get out of here, you will follow my advice and wait until tomorrow."
If there was one thing Faith hated, it was backing down. Her cuffed hand formed a fist, but otherwise she gave no sign of her fury at being stuck inside for another day.
"Tomorrow morning then. Do you think you can make Ithat/I happen?" Faith's gaze was practically daring Alexis to hedge.
"Yes, I do." Alexis didn't blink.
"Then do it. You can go." Faith very carefully relaxed her hand. It was all about control.
"Or I can stay and we can get to work on your case. I have to be honest with you, Faith. It would be a lot easier to get you bail if we could establish an alibi for the night of Emily's murder."
"I wasn't killing Emily. Beyond that, where I was and what I was doing are not your business."
Alexis very calmly put down her legal pad and laid her reading glasses on top of it. She was finding that representing Faith Roscoe was an even more thankless task than representing Carly Corinthos had been.
_ _ _ _
Alexis walked out of the interrogation room feeling like she'd gone ten rounds with Faith. Fortunately, long years of handling Cassadine business had given her the patience to hold her temper when dealing with difficult clients.
Alexis almost walked past Gia Campbell on her way out.
"Alexis! I'm so glad you're here. I need your advice," Gia said urgently. Gia's job interning for Alexis had given her great experience, but it hadn't covered this.
"Gia. What are you doing here? Don't you have a final?" Alexis had given Gia time off to study for finals- her law studies were more important than work. Alexis looked closer at Gia. Under her coat she was wearing a silk kimono style tunic with silk pajama pants. On her feet were matching slippers.
"My final was yesterday. I aced it, don't worry. Worry about the fact that I woke up this morning with a deadly snake in my bed and a nest of them in my closet."
Snakes. Just Helena's style. "Have you been spending time with Nikolas?" Alexis knew the answer to the question already.
"Yeah. Tell me psychogranny did not do this. I mean, a few phone calls are one thing, but snakes so poisonous that animal control freaked out? They were Coastal Taipans or something like that. Supposedly the most poisonous in the world. They took one look and evacuated my whole building."
"You had already received warnings from Helena to stay away from Nikolas?" Alexis asked, hoping that she could make Gia see the danger in her situation.
"Yeah, but if you think I'm going to let Helena tell me who I can and can't see, you're dead wrong. Nikolas is in bad enough shape as it is. And no, I didn't tell him about the calls. Nothing is going on between us."
Gia decided to explain. "After Emily died, I just knew how he was going to get, you know? All dark and depressed and isolated. we may not have worked out, but we spent 3 years together, and I still care about him. I've been going out there to make sure he doesn't shut himself off from the world. He doesn't need to know that psychogranny is hassling me about it."
"She's doing more than that. Gia, Helena had Emily killed. It sounds like she tried to have you killed, too," Alexis said, knowing that she was going to have to tell Nikolas this news, too, and knowing also that he would blame himself.
"But I thought Faith killed Emily." Gia asked, then held up a hand. "Never mind. This is so Helena. Do you think this was it, or do you think she'll try again?"
Alexis shook her head. "I really don't know, Gia. I never thought Helena would go this far."
"Well, do you mind if I crash at the office for a few days? I can't go back to my apartment until they're sure they've gotten them all. They're calling in some snake experts to deal with them," Gia said, thinking about all the things in her apartment she wished she had. Like. clothes."
Alexis considered this. "I don't think my office is safe, Gia. I do need your help on a case, though, and I may have a safe place for you to stay."
_ _ _ _
Lorenzo had been able to meet with Faith's lieutenants thanks to the calls Zander had made. The force of his personality, combined with Zander's presence, had been enough to convince them that they now were working for both himself and Faith, and that this was what Faith wanted. Overall, the meeting went well. They would put the word out that there was a one time offer for Morgan's men to join Lorenzo and Faith's organization and fight a takeover by out-of-town muscle.
Zander's presence had been necessary, was still necessary, but Lorenzo didn't like it. Zander was a liability. Unfortunately, he was now Lorenzo's liability.
"Faith values your input. Her men respect you," Lorenzo stated flatly. There seemed to be no choice in the matter.
Zander wasn't exactly thrilled to move from number two to number three in the organization, but that was Faith's call. He was trying to get a read on Alcazar, but he wasn't having much luck. The man seemed to dislike him, yet he had shown him respect during the meeting. Still, Zander thought it was a mistake to trust him. He had his own agenda.
Lorenzo interrupted Zander's thoughts. "Your apartment was destroyed. You will require more secure accommodations." After a pause, Lorenzo continued. "I have a compound outside of town. You may stay there until this war is over."
Zander didn't like it, but wisely kept his mouth shut.
_ _ _ _
When Lorenzo returned to the compound with Zander, he walked in to find Alexis working at the dining room table with a person he recognized as the former Deception model. Zander caught Gia's narrowed eyes and hung back.
Alexis stood. "Zander." She was a bit surprised to see him here, but given his association with Faith, she supposed she shouldn't be. He gave her a wry smile, and Alexis moved to introduce Lorenzo and Gia.
"Lorenzo, this is Gia Campbell." Gia unfolded her long legs and stood, examining Lorenzo up close for the first time. Gia extended her hand for him to shake. "Gia, this is Lorenzo Alcazar."
"Gia is my assistant and a law student at PCU. She will be helping with Faith's case."
"It is lovely to meet you, Gia," Lorenzo said, holding her gaze for a second longer than was necessary.
Suddenly Gia was very aware that her nipples had tightened into pebbles and that she wasn't wearing a bra.
"You'll have to forgive my pajamas. I woke up to a Coastal Taipan snake in my bed and discovered a nest in my closet. Animal control won't touch them."
"That is no surprise. They are the deadliest snakes on earth." So, Gia had enemies as well.
As interesting as it was to watch Gia work her charm on Lorenzo, Alexis chose that moment to interrupt. "May I speak to you privately for a moment?"
Lorenzo nodded and led Alexis into the newly furnished living room leaving Zander to suffer under Gia's glare.
Alexis fiddled with the pencil in her hands, knowing she was overstepping in even making this request. "Gia is a former fiancé of Nikolas. She has been spending time with Nikolas since Emily's death. Apparently, too much time for Helena."
"You want me to invite Gia to stay here at the compound while she helps you with Faith's case," Lorenzo guessed.
"Well, yes. That would be ideal. Gia had already made an enemy of Helena. I believe she called her "psychogranny" to her face on more than one occasion."
Lorenzo chuckled. So the former model had spirit. "There is plenty of room. It will not be a problem."
Alexis released her breath. "Thank you."
"You have spoken with Faith?"
Alexis grimaced. "Did battle is closer to the truth. For a variety of reasons, her bail hearing had to be set for tomorrow morning. Faith was not pleased."
"Very well." This was fortunate. Lorenzo knew that he would have to hold a meeting that night to secure the loyalty of Sonny's men. In spite of Sonny's hatred of him, Lorenzo had made fewer enemies among his men. He felt certain that things would go more smoothly without Faith there.
"Do you believe that she will be granted bail?"
"I believe so. There is always the chance."
"Yes, dealing with human beings there is always risk." Lorenzo looked down at Alexis thoughtfully.
"Is there anything more you require?"
Alexis quickly demurred. "No, everything is wonderful. I have a woman at Wyndham's putting together everything I need for Kristina and myself. She is putting together some things for Gia as well."
"Good. I gather that you know Zander?"
"Yes, we became friends when I defended him in a murder trial. He is devoted to Kristina."
"Perhaps I shall have to reassess my opinion of the boy."
_ _ _ _
in the meantime.
"What are you doing here?" Gia asked Zander bluntly. She was still hurt and angry over the way he had treated her.
"I'm going to be living here. Look, Gia, I'm sorry about what happened. You knew I loved Emily." Just talking about her hurt Zander deeply.
"I'm sorry you lost her, then," Gia said, realizing that Zander was in pain. That was the problem with Zander. She understood him too well to be really angry with him. That didn't mean she'd make the same mistake twice.
"But that doesn't mean you get a free ride for the way you treated me. I deserved better."
Zander sighed. "You do deserve better. That's just not me anymore. I'm burnt, Gia. I don't want to care about anyone and I don't want anyone to care about me."
"I'm sorry, Zander, but that is such a load of bullshit. You're hurting right now. You may never trust the same way again. But don't feed me this "I am an island" routine 'cause you want an excuse to treat your friends like crap. That just don't fly with me."
"It's how I feel. I really am sorry, Gia. You did deserve better."
"Damn straight. And so did you."
_ _ _ _
Late that night:
Gia lay awake, trying to put the nightmare about the snakes behind her. She had brushed it off earlier, but underneath her bravado, the snakes had really scared her.
Finally, she put on her coat and went to sit in the winter garden. Maybe some Japanese zen would calm her mind.
Lorenzo strode through the doorway, trying to put the bloody aftermath of the meeting behind him. A few of Sonny's men had challenged his right to take the territory, wanting it for themselves instead. Fortunately, Lorenzo had sensed trouble from the two ringleaders and called them out. Two shots later, the nascent rebellion was over. The rest of the men had acceded to his leadership.
Lorenzo's blood had run like ice water during the meeting. It wasn't until the ride home, when he had faced down death and survived that he began to feel the familiar rush. Behind his icy façade, his blood now ran hot and wild.
Gia stood and turned when she saw him enter the garden.
"You must be cold, Ms Campbell."
"A little. The garden is beautiful at night. The cold makes me feel more alive."
Lorenzo took in the garden and the beautiful woman standing beside him. "Really." Lorenzo reached out to touch Gia's braids. "You seem more like a woman who blooms in the heat."
Gia flushed under his hungry gaze. Maybe confession was good for more than the soul. "I've been thinking about you all day."
"Have you." He was weighing his options. The tension between them thickened.
Gia wound her arms around his neck and stood on her toes, brushing her lips against his. As soon as their lips made contact, he pulled her flush against him, as close as they could get with their coats on. Her tongue sought entry and Lorenzo drew her into his mouth. Gia poured her pent up desire into the kiss. He responded, his tongue winding around hers and he devoured her mouth, stealing her breath. Starved for air, Gia broke the kiss.
Lorenzo studied her face. She was even more beautiful in the moonlight. "Things could get complicated between us, with you living here. My heart belongs to another woman."
"It's not your heart I've been thinking about."
