Chapter 8
Exiting Alexis' building Sonny walked quickly toward Johnny.
"Johnny, you are released from your obligation to me. From now on Alexis is your sole responsibility. You are her shadow. Wherever she goes, whatever she does. Be there. Stay just out of sight. I don't want her to know you're there; it will only upset her. Whatever loyalty you've ever felt for me is now directed toward her. If you have a problem with my orders I need to know now."
"I will guard her with my life. It will be my honor. She always respected me. Don't worry boss, I'll keep her safe."
"Thanks, Johnny."
Walking toward the limo he sent a passing shot back at Johnny.
"You've got the better end of deal."
Smiling conspiratorially Johnny murmured, "Don't I know it."
Sitting down beside Carly in the limo he passed his hand over his face and waited for the onslaught to begin. Hearing only silence from her he glanced over and saw her sitting there in stony silence glaring at him. Pushing the intercom button he told Max to take them home and then settled his attention on Carly.
"Well, aren't you going to say anything or are you just going to sit over there staring at me like I'm some sort of monster?"
"How could you? I am your wife. It should be me you protect like that. Just what is it that she holds over you that makes you jump through hoops for her?"
"I think we have already established that. Look, Alexis has lost enough. We are going to leave her alone. Don't come back here again. Stay away from her from now on. No phone calls, no trips to the park when she's there, no convenient excuses to leave the penthouse just to barge in on her. Do I make myself clear?"
"And what about you? Are you going to stop seeing her as well or does this new rule just pertain to me?"
"We are both going to leave her alone. Besides, I won't have to worry about you harassing her much longer."
"What do you mean, Sonny?"
Leaning forward in order to express his point he studied her for a moment before continuing.
"Carly, you and Michael will be leaving the country for an extended vacation."
"Oh hell no I'm not. I am not leaving you here with Miss High and Mighty alone."
"I don't want Michael in danger and he needs his mother. I told you this war is going to escalate. I want my son out of the way and that means you will accompany him so he doesn't feel he has been abandoned."
"Letitia can go with him."
"LETITIA IS NOT HIS MOTHER..."
Quickly reigning in his anger he sat back and looked out the window. How long could he go on like this? Bringing his hand up to the back of his neck he attempted to massage the tension away. For 'her'... It has to be this way for 'her'... for now. Looking back at Carly he let his face relax and allowed a small smile.
"Carly, can we not do this? You have what you wanted. You have me and Michael. We will only be separated until this war is over. When it is safe I will come get you."
Sonny watched her closely and saw when she finally bought into what he was telling her. He raised his arm to accommodate her as she slid onto the seat beside him. Forcing himself to relax the tension in his body at her touch he remained quiet until they reached the penthouse.
"I have a meeting in a little while and I would like to start reinforcing the idea of your absence to my associates as well as my enemies. Why don't you start packing and I will have Max take your bags down when you are ready."
Allowing her to kiss him, he anxiously awaited the time the penthouse would once again be silent.
"Ok, sweetheart. I'll have us all ready in just a few minutes. Could you possibly fly down with us and then come back?"
Drawing on the last bit of feeling he had for her he put his arms around her and leaned forward to rest his head against hers.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think that will be possible. I want this war over as fast as possible and I've set up meetings that will hopefully bring us closer to that end. Look, the sooner this is over, the sooner I can bring you home."
Stepping back Carly looked closely at him. Is he lying to me? Is he just trying to get rid of me? Watching for a sign and not finding one she kissed him once more and went upstairs to pack. Well, he may want Alexis, but I've got him. As long as he feels he can't have her then I'm safe. 'Thank you Miss High and Mighty Alexis. You have successfully taken yourself out of the picture. Glad I could help.'
Downstairs, Sonny called Max in for final instructions.
"Take two men with you when you take Carly and Michael to the island. Give them strict instructions that she is never to be out of their sight. I don't want her hopping a plane back here while no one is looking. Max, don't fail me in this. It is important that she not find her way back here until I say it's ok. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Mr. Corinthos. I'll make sure the message is delivered."
"Good, once you have her settled then you come back here. I'm going to need you here with me from now on. Johnny has been reassigned."
"I know boss. Good move. We've always respected her."
"Thanks Max, but let's leave the personal comments outside the door, ok?"
"Sure boss, sorry. I'll be right outside."
Clapping Max on the back he followed him to the door. "It's ok, Max. I know how you feel. I just don't want to give air to too many words inside the penthouse. But, thanks man."
Two hours later, Sonny sat on the couch relishing the silence around him. She was gone and he felt unrestrained for the first time in months. Standing quickly he raced up the stairs to his bedroom. He didn't have much time, Zander would be there any minute, but this wouldn't wait another minute. Reaching for the pillows on the bed, he threw them to the floor along with the bedspread. With intensity he reached for the satin sheets and ripped them from his bed. Picking up the pillows he tore the cases from them as well. Taking all four items back downstairs to the kitchen he pulled a garbage bag from the pantry and deposited his armload into it. After Zander left he would complete the sterilization of Carly from his room. If things worked out the way he planned, she would not be returning to his bedroom.
Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, he pulled a worn frayed paper clipping from its hiding place. It wasn't a very good picture, but it was the only one he had.
"Hi, beautiful. Well, our nemesis is gone. Just hang on, Alexis. Just give me a little more time."
Tenderly replacing the clipping back in his wallet he made a note to himself to tell Johnny that part of his new assignment was to get a decent picture of Alexis for him.
Glancing at his watch he started downstairs just as he heard the knock on the door. 'Ok, here we go.'
Opening the door he stepped back to allow Zander to walk in unrestricted. Closing the door behind him he moved toward the living room beckoning Zander to follow him. Recognizing the familiar defiance in the boy Sonny knew he would have to be careful with him if this meeting were to turn out the way he hoped it would.
"Please have a seat."
"What do you want, Sonny. You summoned me; I'm here. Get on with it."
"What's it gonna take for you and I to resolve the conflict between us? Zander, we've hurt people around us with this thing that's between us."
"Hey man, I was there for you and you turned your back on me. I was willing to stand with you, I gave my loyalty to you and you threw it back in my face. Ok, I got angry and did something stupid. But, don't lay this all in my lap."
Sonny took a deep breath and let it out slowly to ease his tension.
"You're right Zander, I am at fault here too. I've made mistakes with you. But, can you see past the mistakes we both made and understand how your volatile temper threatened me?"
"You could have talked to me about it, you didn't have to turn your back on me."
"Zander, you have no idea just how much alike we are. We have so much anger inside of us because of our past that we have difficulty controlling it. We lash out at those who love us and we destroy what is good in our life because we feel we do not deserve it. It may be too late for me, but not for you. You have a chance to make something of yourself."
"Why now, Sonny? Why the turn around?"
"I think you're smart enough to figure that out for yourself. There are sacrifices we must make in life to protect those we love. I think you are finally figuring that out. There is someone out there that needs to hear from you, Zander. Don't make her wait too long. She's in a great deal of pain and needs her friends around her now. Be a friend to her."
"Do you think there is a way to stop this war without anyone else getting hurt?"
"I don't know. I hope so. That's what I want, but it's going to take cooperation from both sides and I don't know if DiLucca will be willing to lay down the grudge long enough to end it. But I need to know from you if we can call a truce at least until it's all over. I don't want to fight with you anymore, Zander. But, I also don't want to have to keep watching over my shoulder for the next time you decide to take action against me. I am telling you now I am no longer your enemy. I'll do anything I can to help you find your place."
"Look, I need to talk to someone. I am in a difficult position right now and I need to talk to someone who can be objective. For what it's worth, right now, I have no plan against you. I am willing to start over, but I need to know how and I don't think I want to talk to you about that. I think we both know where I need to be right now and who I need to talk to. So I'll talk to you later."
"Zander, be careful. Try to get there without being seen. Above everything else we need to protect her."
"I understand. You have my word that if it doesn't feel safe, I won't go until it does."
Walking to the door Zander turned and shook his head in disbelief.
"You know, she would really get a kick out of this."
"See ya later man."
Walking to the balcony door, Sonny stood and thought over the past few minutes with Zander. 'Well, that went pretty well I think.'
'Yes, that went very well. You should be proud of yourself. I'll take
care of him now.'
Smiling at the vision of her that had appeared in front of him he reached for her and closed his fingers around emptiness. "Don't leave me, Alexis. Stay with me."
"I am in your heart. I am always here, just listen for me. I will
never leave you."
Exiting Alexis' building Sonny walked quickly toward Johnny.
"Johnny, you are released from your obligation to me. From now on Alexis is your sole responsibility. You are her shadow. Wherever she goes, whatever she does. Be there. Stay just out of sight. I don't want her to know you're there; it will only upset her. Whatever loyalty you've ever felt for me is now directed toward her. If you have a problem with my orders I need to know now."
"I will guard her with my life. It will be my honor. She always respected me. Don't worry boss, I'll keep her safe."
"Thanks, Johnny."
Walking toward the limo he sent a passing shot back at Johnny.
"You've got the better end of deal."
Smiling conspiratorially Johnny murmured, "Don't I know it."
Sitting down beside Carly in the limo he passed his hand over his face and waited for the onslaught to begin. Hearing only silence from her he glanced over and saw her sitting there in stony silence glaring at him. Pushing the intercom button he told Max to take them home and then settled his attention on Carly.
"Well, aren't you going to say anything or are you just going to sit over there staring at me like I'm some sort of monster?"
"How could you? I am your wife. It should be me you protect like that. Just what is it that she holds over you that makes you jump through hoops for her?"
"I think we have already established that. Look, Alexis has lost enough. We are going to leave her alone. Don't come back here again. Stay away from her from now on. No phone calls, no trips to the park when she's there, no convenient excuses to leave the penthouse just to barge in on her. Do I make myself clear?"
"And what about you? Are you going to stop seeing her as well or does this new rule just pertain to me?"
"We are both going to leave her alone. Besides, I won't have to worry about you harassing her much longer."
"What do you mean, Sonny?"
Leaning forward in order to express his point he studied her for a moment before continuing.
"Carly, you and Michael will be leaving the country for an extended vacation."
"Oh hell no I'm not. I am not leaving you here with Miss High and Mighty alone."
"I don't want Michael in danger and he needs his mother. I told you this war is going to escalate. I want my son out of the way and that means you will accompany him so he doesn't feel he has been abandoned."
"Letitia can go with him."
"LETITIA IS NOT HIS MOTHER..."
Quickly reigning in his anger he sat back and looked out the window. How long could he go on like this? Bringing his hand up to the back of his neck he attempted to massage the tension away. For 'her'... It has to be this way for 'her'... for now. Looking back at Carly he let his face relax and allowed a small smile.
"Carly, can we not do this? You have what you wanted. You have me and Michael. We will only be separated until this war is over. When it is safe I will come get you."
Sonny watched her closely and saw when she finally bought into what he was telling her. He raised his arm to accommodate her as she slid onto the seat beside him. Forcing himself to relax the tension in his body at her touch he remained quiet until they reached the penthouse.
"I have a meeting in a little while and I would like to start reinforcing the idea of your absence to my associates as well as my enemies. Why don't you start packing and I will have Max take your bags down when you are ready."
Allowing her to kiss him, he anxiously awaited the time the penthouse would once again be silent.
"Ok, sweetheart. I'll have us all ready in just a few minutes. Could you possibly fly down with us and then come back?"
Drawing on the last bit of feeling he had for her he put his arms around her and leaned forward to rest his head against hers.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think that will be possible. I want this war over as fast as possible and I've set up meetings that will hopefully bring us closer to that end. Look, the sooner this is over, the sooner I can bring you home."
Stepping back Carly looked closely at him. Is he lying to me? Is he just trying to get rid of me? Watching for a sign and not finding one she kissed him once more and went upstairs to pack. Well, he may want Alexis, but I've got him. As long as he feels he can't have her then I'm safe. 'Thank you Miss High and Mighty Alexis. You have successfully taken yourself out of the picture. Glad I could help.'
Downstairs, Sonny called Max in for final instructions.
"Take two men with you when you take Carly and Michael to the island. Give them strict instructions that she is never to be out of their sight. I don't want her hopping a plane back here while no one is looking. Max, don't fail me in this. It is important that she not find her way back here until I say it's ok. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Mr. Corinthos. I'll make sure the message is delivered."
"Good, once you have her settled then you come back here. I'm going to need you here with me from now on. Johnny has been reassigned."
"I know boss. Good move. We've always respected her."
"Thanks Max, but let's leave the personal comments outside the door, ok?"
"Sure boss, sorry. I'll be right outside."
Clapping Max on the back he followed him to the door. "It's ok, Max. I know how you feel. I just don't want to give air to too many words inside the penthouse. But, thanks man."
Two hours later, Sonny sat on the couch relishing the silence around him. She was gone and he felt unrestrained for the first time in months. Standing quickly he raced up the stairs to his bedroom. He didn't have much time, Zander would be there any minute, but this wouldn't wait another minute. Reaching for the pillows on the bed, he threw them to the floor along with the bedspread. With intensity he reached for the satin sheets and ripped them from his bed. Picking up the pillows he tore the cases from them as well. Taking all four items back downstairs to the kitchen he pulled a garbage bag from the pantry and deposited his armload into it. After Zander left he would complete the sterilization of Carly from his room. If things worked out the way he planned, she would not be returning to his bedroom.
Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, he pulled a worn frayed paper clipping from its hiding place. It wasn't a very good picture, but it was the only one he had.
"Hi, beautiful. Well, our nemesis is gone. Just hang on, Alexis. Just give me a little more time."
Tenderly replacing the clipping back in his wallet he made a note to himself to tell Johnny that part of his new assignment was to get a decent picture of Alexis for him.
Glancing at his watch he started downstairs just as he heard the knock on the door. 'Ok, here we go.'
Opening the door he stepped back to allow Zander to walk in unrestricted. Closing the door behind him he moved toward the living room beckoning Zander to follow him. Recognizing the familiar defiance in the boy Sonny knew he would have to be careful with him if this meeting were to turn out the way he hoped it would.
"Please have a seat."
"What do you want, Sonny. You summoned me; I'm here. Get on with it."
"What's it gonna take for you and I to resolve the conflict between us? Zander, we've hurt people around us with this thing that's between us."
"Hey man, I was there for you and you turned your back on me. I was willing to stand with you, I gave my loyalty to you and you threw it back in my face. Ok, I got angry and did something stupid. But, don't lay this all in my lap."
Sonny took a deep breath and let it out slowly to ease his tension.
"You're right Zander, I am at fault here too. I've made mistakes with you. But, can you see past the mistakes we both made and understand how your volatile temper threatened me?"
"You could have talked to me about it, you didn't have to turn your back on me."
"Zander, you have no idea just how much alike we are. We have so much anger inside of us because of our past that we have difficulty controlling it. We lash out at those who love us and we destroy what is good in our life because we feel we do not deserve it. It may be too late for me, but not for you. You have a chance to make something of yourself."
"Why now, Sonny? Why the turn around?"
"I think you're smart enough to figure that out for yourself. There are sacrifices we must make in life to protect those we love. I think you are finally figuring that out. There is someone out there that needs to hear from you, Zander. Don't make her wait too long. She's in a great deal of pain and needs her friends around her now. Be a friend to her."
"Do you think there is a way to stop this war without anyone else getting hurt?"
"I don't know. I hope so. That's what I want, but it's going to take cooperation from both sides and I don't know if DiLucca will be willing to lay down the grudge long enough to end it. But I need to know from you if we can call a truce at least until it's all over. I don't want to fight with you anymore, Zander. But, I also don't want to have to keep watching over my shoulder for the next time you decide to take action against me. I am telling you now I am no longer your enemy. I'll do anything I can to help you find your place."
"Look, I need to talk to someone. I am in a difficult position right now and I need to talk to someone who can be objective. For what it's worth, right now, I have no plan against you. I am willing to start over, but I need to know how and I don't think I want to talk to you about that. I think we both know where I need to be right now and who I need to talk to. So I'll talk to you later."
"Zander, be careful. Try to get there without being seen. Above everything else we need to protect her."
"I understand. You have my word that if it doesn't feel safe, I won't go until it does."
Walking to the door Zander turned and shook his head in disbelief.
"You know, she would really get a kick out of this."
"See ya later man."
Walking to the balcony door, Sonny stood and thought over the past few minutes with Zander. 'Well, that went pretty well I think.'
'Yes, that went very well. You should be proud of yourself. I'll take
care of him now.'
Smiling at the vision of her that had appeared in front of him he reached for her and closed his fingers around emptiness. "Don't leave me, Alexis. Stay with me."
"I am in your heart. I am always here, just listen for me. I will
never leave you."