Sorry for such a long time without an update. Classes started back and I've been busy. Thanks again for the reviews! I really appreciate them. =) If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be happy to read them. I have a pretty good idea of what I want to see happen but I'd like to know what everyone else wants to see too.
*
Brenda rounded the corner as she headed for the penthouse.
So much had happened in the last couple days. Courtney had been sent to one of the top treatment facilities in the country, in California, and would be gone for at least a month maybe more. Sonny and Carly still didn't know about her relationship with Jason. It was too early to start making announcements, start defending themselves to people. They hadn't really had a chance to begin a relationship yet. All she knew, was that after all these years of knowing Jason, after everything they had been through together, for the first time she truly enjoyed being around him. Coming back last time, marrying him and living with him, she had discovered just what a loyal friend he could be. The way he treated her then had amazed her; he was the one person she could truly depend on throughout everything. A person like that was special, and she wasn't about to let him go.
"Brenda?"
A sharp chill went up and down her spine as her ears quickly rang with the familiar voice. Slowly, in disbelief, she turned around and gasped at the person she saw.
Luis?
Then she remembered, Jason had told her about Lorenzo. He had been one of the guys responsible for kidnapping Carly.
"You must be confused," he laughed, haughtily.
"You look just like him," she whispered, her eyes darting around the docks.
"I'm afraid we've never met," he moved toward her, and she quickly took a step back.
"I'm Lorenzo Alcazar," he extended his hand "Luis was my brother."
"I, I," she stammered.
"How my brother loved you," he shook his head, circling her slowly "So much, he would have died for you."
"Your brother was crazy," she suddenly found her nerve.
"Some might think so," he shrugged "But he was my brother and deserved better than falling out of the Port Charles Hotel."
"I didn't do that," Brenda shook her head "Alexis Davis killed Luis. I had nothing to do with it."
"You broke his heart, killed his spirit, he was as good as dead."
"That's not my fault," Brenda clenched her jaw "Luis was obsessed with me. He made me believe I was dying so he could keep me with him!"
"You called him crazy," Lorenzo slowly nodded "Maybe it was, to imprison you the way he did, but his intentions were nothing but good. I used to think he was wrong too, but I finally understand how he felt."
"Luis didn't love me. You don't hurt the people you love."
"Brenda!" Jason's voice broke the tension as he came down the stairs and moved in front of her.
"Stay away from her Lorenzo."
"I just wanted to meet the love of my brother's life...the reason for his downfall," Lorenzo narrowed his eyes, a mock smile on his lips.
"Don't come near her," Jason moved closer to him.
Lorenzo turned without another word, and sauntered off down the docks.
"Are you all right?" he turned to her once Alcazar was out of sight.
"I'm fine," she nodded "It's unreal. It's, it's just like Luis was standing there in front of me."
"He's dangerous," Jason insisted "He knows you were connected to Luis, he blames Sonny for Luis' death because he was one of the reasons Luis came here. He's going to be after you too."
*
"So," Jason turned to Brenda later that night. She had come with him back to the penthouse; he didn't want her to be alone until he could decide what Lorenzo was up to "Where are my cookies?"
Brenda laughed, leaning her head back against the couch.
"You're never going to shut up about those are you?"
"No," he shook his head seriously, before a smile spread across his lips "I'd settle for brownies."
"You don't want me to cook," she shook her head "We could order out."
Jason reached to get his cellphone on the coffee table, but before he could place a call, it rang. Brenda let out a sigh of annoyance, she knew what these phone calls late at night meant.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be right there," Jason nodded his head before disconnecting the call and putting the phone in the pocket of his leather jacket.
"I know, I know," Brenda waved him off when he turned to her "Go do your job."
"Max is going with me, but I'll send another guard up here to watch the door right away," Jason assured her.
"Ok, be careful."
He smiled softly at her as he walked out the door.
Brenda walked around the apartment, leering at the decorating touches Courtney had left behind. It wasn't really any of her business to personally redecorate but she knew Jason wouldn't mind. Besides, she wasn't sure she could spend time here surrounded by the things Courtney liked. She carefully picked up a japanese style vase on a bookcase and rolled her eyes. She was just about to search for some paper to roll it up in, when she heard a knock on the door. Assuming it was the guard letting her know he was at his post, she put the vase back and crossed the room to open it.
"I didn't expect to get to you so easily," Lorenzo Alcazar met her on the other side "May I come in?"
"No," Brenda said sternly, trying her best to block entrance into the room.
"I just want to talk to you Ms. Barrett."
"Well, I'm sorry but you'll have to come back when Jason is here."
"What is it with you women and Jason?" Lorenzo scoffed.
"You'll have to come back," Brenda tried to shut the door but he was too strong and he easily propped it open with his arm.
"Sonny!" she called out, hoping that he was at home across the hallway.
"Sonny and Carly are out for the evening," Lorenzo smirked "You don't think I'm stupid do you?"
"Well, if you're anything like your brother..." she shot back.
Lorenzo easily made his way inside and shut the door.
"Don't be stupid enough to try to escape," he insisted "Now, please sit down."
"What do you want from me?"
"I want justice, Ms. Barrett, that's all," he said calmly, sitting down on the sofa.
"Jason will be back soon."
"I'm not worried."
When Brenda didn't move, Lorenzo stood up and walked toward her. She began to back up until she was nearing the bookcase and then she remembered the vase. If she could just trick him into turning around, she could use it to knock him out.
"Why don't we just sit back down," she urged "I'll talk to you. If you promise that you'll leave after I tell you what you want."
"Fine," Lorenzo folded his arms across his chest. He didn't consider Brenda a threat, so he turned his back on her to return to the sofa. She quickly grabbed the vase and crashed it across the back of his head. He fell in a heap onto the rug and she rushed toward the door. She could hear him groaning but she knew he wasn't getting up anytime soon. After a couple of seconds fumbling with the doorknob, she managed to get it open and ran as fast as she could.
*
Brenda rounded the corner as she headed for the penthouse.
So much had happened in the last couple days. Courtney had been sent to one of the top treatment facilities in the country, in California, and would be gone for at least a month maybe more. Sonny and Carly still didn't know about her relationship with Jason. It was too early to start making announcements, start defending themselves to people. They hadn't really had a chance to begin a relationship yet. All she knew, was that after all these years of knowing Jason, after everything they had been through together, for the first time she truly enjoyed being around him. Coming back last time, marrying him and living with him, she had discovered just what a loyal friend he could be. The way he treated her then had amazed her; he was the one person she could truly depend on throughout everything. A person like that was special, and she wasn't about to let him go.
"Brenda?"
A sharp chill went up and down her spine as her ears quickly rang with the familiar voice. Slowly, in disbelief, she turned around and gasped at the person she saw.
Luis?
Then she remembered, Jason had told her about Lorenzo. He had been one of the guys responsible for kidnapping Carly.
"You must be confused," he laughed, haughtily.
"You look just like him," she whispered, her eyes darting around the docks.
"I'm afraid we've never met," he moved toward her, and she quickly took a step back.
"I'm Lorenzo Alcazar," he extended his hand "Luis was my brother."
"I, I," she stammered.
"How my brother loved you," he shook his head, circling her slowly "So much, he would have died for you."
"Your brother was crazy," she suddenly found her nerve.
"Some might think so," he shrugged "But he was my brother and deserved better than falling out of the Port Charles Hotel."
"I didn't do that," Brenda shook her head "Alexis Davis killed Luis. I had nothing to do with it."
"You broke his heart, killed his spirit, he was as good as dead."
"That's not my fault," Brenda clenched her jaw "Luis was obsessed with me. He made me believe I was dying so he could keep me with him!"
"You called him crazy," Lorenzo slowly nodded "Maybe it was, to imprison you the way he did, but his intentions were nothing but good. I used to think he was wrong too, but I finally understand how he felt."
"Luis didn't love me. You don't hurt the people you love."
"Brenda!" Jason's voice broke the tension as he came down the stairs and moved in front of her.
"Stay away from her Lorenzo."
"I just wanted to meet the love of my brother's life...the reason for his downfall," Lorenzo narrowed his eyes, a mock smile on his lips.
"Don't come near her," Jason moved closer to him.
Lorenzo turned without another word, and sauntered off down the docks.
"Are you all right?" he turned to her once Alcazar was out of sight.
"I'm fine," she nodded "It's unreal. It's, it's just like Luis was standing there in front of me."
"He's dangerous," Jason insisted "He knows you were connected to Luis, he blames Sonny for Luis' death because he was one of the reasons Luis came here. He's going to be after you too."
*
"So," Jason turned to Brenda later that night. She had come with him back to the penthouse; he didn't want her to be alone until he could decide what Lorenzo was up to "Where are my cookies?"
Brenda laughed, leaning her head back against the couch.
"You're never going to shut up about those are you?"
"No," he shook his head seriously, before a smile spread across his lips "I'd settle for brownies."
"You don't want me to cook," she shook her head "We could order out."
Jason reached to get his cellphone on the coffee table, but before he could place a call, it rang. Brenda let out a sigh of annoyance, she knew what these phone calls late at night meant.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be right there," Jason nodded his head before disconnecting the call and putting the phone in the pocket of his leather jacket.
"I know, I know," Brenda waved him off when he turned to her "Go do your job."
"Max is going with me, but I'll send another guard up here to watch the door right away," Jason assured her.
"Ok, be careful."
He smiled softly at her as he walked out the door.
Brenda walked around the apartment, leering at the decorating touches Courtney had left behind. It wasn't really any of her business to personally redecorate but she knew Jason wouldn't mind. Besides, she wasn't sure she could spend time here surrounded by the things Courtney liked. She carefully picked up a japanese style vase on a bookcase and rolled her eyes. She was just about to search for some paper to roll it up in, when she heard a knock on the door. Assuming it was the guard letting her know he was at his post, she put the vase back and crossed the room to open it.
"I didn't expect to get to you so easily," Lorenzo Alcazar met her on the other side "May I come in?"
"No," Brenda said sternly, trying her best to block entrance into the room.
"I just want to talk to you Ms. Barrett."
"Well, I'm sorry but you'll have to come back when Jason is here."
"What is it with you women and Jason?" Lorenzo scoffed.
"You'll have to come back," Brenda tried to shut the door but he was too strong and he easily propped it open with his arm.
"Sonny!" she called out, hoping that he was at home across the hallway.
"Sonny and Carly are out for the evening," Lorenzo smirked "You don't think I'm stupid do you?"
"Well, if you're anything like your brother..." she shot back.
Lorenzo easily made his way inside and shut the door.
"Don't be stupid enough to try to escape," he insisted "Now, please sit down."
"What do you want from me?"
"I want justice, Ms. Barrett, that's all," he said calmly, sitting down on the sofa.
"Jason will be back soon."
"I'm not worried."
When Brenda didn't move, Lorenzo stood up and walked toward her. She began to back up until she was nearing the bookcase and then she remembered the vase. If she could just trick him into turning around, she could use it to knock him out.
"Why don't we just sit back down," she urged "I'll talk to you. If you promise that you'll leave after I tell you what you want."
"Fine," Lorenzo folded his arms across his chest. He didn't consider Brenda a threat, so he turned his back on her to return to the sofa. She quickly grabbed the vase and crashed it across the back of his head. He fell in a heap onto the rug and she rushed toward the door. She could hear him groaning but she knew he wasn't getting up anytime soon. After a couple of seconds fumbling with the doorknob, she managed to get it open and ran as fast as she could.
