DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters.

Chapter Eight

Jason watched from the back of the room, VIP pass hanging around his neck, completely bored out of his mind, as Brenda sat in the front row of a runway show for some designer he'd never even heard of, and whose designs were terrible in his opinion. She kept pretty straight faced as she talked to the people around her. She was making her own fashion statements lately. Extremely revealing tops, high heels and skin tight pants. If he didn't know any better, he would think she was trying to impress someone.

He yawned and got a glare from someone standing next to him. He tried to smile but was pretty sure he didn't pull it off.

He perked up when he noticed her pull out her cell phone. She instantly glanced up and scanned the room. He tried to follow her gaze to see what she was looking for, and then his eyes landed on none other than Johnny Zacchara.

Brenda had returned her attention back to the show but only momentarily. She whispered something to the woman sitting next to her and quickly escaped before the next girl walked out on stage. Jason kept his distance but followed her. She entered a bar area that had enough people in it he could slip into a corner and not be noticed by them.

"What do you want, Johnny?" Brenda asked.

"Is that any way to greet me?" he asked leaning over and kissing her cheek.

"I'm being paid to sit in that front row and watching those girls."

"How come you couldn't get me front row seats?" he asked as the bartender walked up. "I'll have a coke and the lady will have vodka on the rocks."

"It's probably good you're here. We need to talk," Brenda said crossing her arms over her chest.

"We do. You hanging out in Port Charles was not in the plan."

"Leave Lulu Spencer alone," she said firmly taking her glass from the bartender.

"Why? She's very pretty and sweet and innocent," Johnny said with a smirk.

"This needs to end."

"You know I can't make that decision. People need to die," he said with such grace that one would have thought he was talking about doing his laundry.

"No they don't. Not these people," Brenda said taking a long drink.

"Poor Brenda. Can't ever find the right guy. They all keep rejecting her," Johnny said with a small laugh.

"Just talk to him. Stop the threats and the killing and then we can discuss the rest. But I'm not leaving Port Charles until he backs off," Brenda said finishing her drink, setting the glass down, and walking away from the bar. He just watched her leave before walking out of the building and onto the busy streets of New York.

Jason flipped open his phone and dialed by memory.

"This is Sonny."

"Hey. It's me."

"Where are you?" Sonny asked.

"New York City. We have a problem," Jason said slipping out of the bar and into the lobby in broad daylight.

"You're right we do. Elizabeth Spencer was just arrested for perjury."

"What?" Jason asked.

"I guess when Lucky kept forcing joint custody and then sole custody of Jake she broke and told him that Jake was your son. Lucky turned her in. Diane's with her now but this can't be good."

Jason paced. What was he supposed to do? He had to choose between his son and the woman he loved and the woman he loathed but promised to take care of.

"Jason? You there?"

"Yeah."

"You better get here soon," Sonny told him.

"I can't," he finally decided.

"Why not?"

"I got a message."

"From Zacchara?"

"I'm assuming so."

"And?"

"And Brenda's in on this whole thing? She knows something and unless I get it from her more people are going to die. She might be next."

He heard Sonny curse on the other end.

"I don't care what she's doing right now; you get her back to Port Charles right away. I'll take care of Elizabeth until you get here."

Jason hung up the phone and watched as people began to filter out of the runway show. He scanned the crowd for Brenda from afar as his phone rang.

"Morgan."

"Stone Cold. She's staying at the Ritz in Central Park. She's in a suite on the top floor."

Jason hung up almost immediately and disappeared outside, hailing a cab with an order to get to the Ritz and make it quick.