Chapter Five

Courtney stalked down the hall. Damn that stupid twit anyway! Who would have thought she would survive everything that had been thrown at her all these years? Why would she just die? Courtney swung around the corner, eyes blazing, cursing to herself, only to smash into Sonny, coming the other way.

"Whoa!" He reached out and steadied her. She quickly plastered a fake smile on her face.

"Sonny! What are you doing here?" Cue concern. "Are you here to see Elizabeth?" She lowered her voice. "It's so sad what happened, isn't it?" Her eyes were cold as they examined his face, assessing his reaction.

"It is sad. I wish that I could have protected her from this, especially after everything she has been through with Ric. She deserves some peace." Sonny looked past Courtney down the hall, then back at her. "Were you just visiting?

She shook her head, "No. I was going to, but she was asleep, so I was just going to wait for Jason." She pause, as if she were thinking, and then added, "You know, you might want to wait until tomorrow to visit, she probably shouldn't be disturbed." Courtney tried to buy time, in case the bitch had convinced Jason that she couldn't be trusted.

"You're probably right." Sonny said slowly. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "G'night, honey." He turned and walked off towards the elevators. She waited a moment, and then followed. As soon as she reached the waiting area, she pulled out her phone, punching in her co-conspirators number.

"Hello? She survived." Courtney paused. "No." Another pause. "Look, I'm sure she didn't hear your name; absolutely positive. At worst, she thinks I'm turning them in to the FBI. She has no idea how far this goes." She stopped, listening. "Well of course she has to be taken care of, but it's all fucked up now. If you have any brilliant ideas, then feel free to share them. In the meantime, I'll do what I think is best." The voice on the phone increased in volume, and Courtney winced. "No, I'm not trying to be disrespectful, just to the point. I'll call you as soon as I know anything. Goodnight." She closed the phone before taking the stairs down to the street.

Sonny stepped out of his hiding place, crouched behind the fern. His face was shuttered and cold. He couldn't believe the extent of the betrayal he had just heard. To think, if Carly hadn't shared her concerns, he would never have noticed her strange, calculating behavior in the hall. He would never have positioned himself to eavesdrop, in case there was something to hear. Most importantly, he might never have known his little sister was a poisonous viper until it was to late. Steeling himself to tell Jason the truth about her, he let himself into Elizabeth's room. Jason looked at him, his face utterly serious.

"Sonny," he whispered, "I have to tell you something important. You won't want to believe it, but-"

Sonny cut him off, also in a whisper. "My sister has betrayed me?"

Jason's eyes widened, "How did you know?

"I overheard her talking to someone in the waiting room. It was clear that she is planning something big.

Sonny tried desperately to keep the pain out of his voice, but Jason heard it, and echoed it, saying softly, "I trusted her too." The two men stood in silence, united in their loss of a woman who apparently had never existed.

After a moment, Sonny shook it off, asking, "How did you know?

Jason nodded towards Elizabeth. "She heard Courtney plotting on the docks. She's pretty sure that Courtney is behind her attack." Sonny flinched at the further proof of his sister's malevolent nature. "I promised Elizabeth that I would stay with her tonight, and that tomorrow we would find a way to protect her." Sonny nodded, and Jason explained what he wanted to do. "I think I should take her to the island, with Carly and the boys. We don't know what Courtney is planning, or who her partners are, so it seems like the best idea to get everyone where we can control who had access to them.

"I agree. In the meantime, I'll stay here and try to figure out what she is up to. I think we should at least try to convince her that we don't know what's going on. We'll tell her that we are sending Liz to the island to recover, since she is obviously coming a little unglued, and that Carly and the boys needed a little vacation, but that since I received a threat against them, I'm sending you as well. Chances are she won't fall for it, but it's worth a try." Sonny outlined the plan, thinking as he went along.

Jason added, "We need to make sure that the business goes dark for awhile. NO shipments, no calls, nothing until we know what's going on."

"Alright. You stay here, guard Elizabeth, and I'll o take care of all the details. I'll send a car in the morning, with a nurse to monitor Elizabeth's condition while she travels. Be ready to go." Sonny took another look at the woman lying so still on her bed. Jason laid a hand on Sonny's shoulder in sympathy, but he shook it off. He had to put the plan in place, and then he could go home to his wife and grieve.

Jason sat back down as Sonny walked out, angling his chair to face the door. And even though he told himself not to, he found himself reaching out and grasping Elizabeth's limp hand, as if it would lead him into his new life, without Courtney.

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