DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters.

Chapter Eleven

When Jason walked into the penthouse an hour later Max had informed him that she hadn't said a word since they arrived. She ordered food that arrived about fifteen minutes ago. And Spinelli and Lulu were still out.

Brenda was sitting on the floor with her back to the couch, Chinese food cartons across the entire coffee table, and a couple bottles of water. She'd changed into jeans and a white ribbed tank top. She was on the phone.

"I know, I'm sorry. I had no choice," Brenda said into the receiver. "How much damage control do you have to do?"

Brenda didn't even glance at him when the door closed.

"I'm staying at the penthouse until further notice," Brenda told the person on the other line. "Just stay there. You don't need to come out here."

Brenda lowered her voice a little, hoping he couldn't hear every word she said as he stalked through the house.

"The timing isn't good. Jason wouldn't understand anyways. I need to find Julia. I'm under lock and key, which means I can't figure anything out for myself."

She took a deep breath.

"I'm not calling him, even if he is a cop."

She stopped talking when she felt him standing behind the couch listening to her.

"I'll call you later. Give kisses to Brooke. Love you too. Bye."

Brenda hung up the phone and picked up a carton of food while flipping through a magazine.

"Who was that?" Jason asked. No response. "As much as I'm enjoying this silent treatment thing you're doing, you're going to have to talk sooner or later. That's the only way you're getting out from lock and key."

Brenda glanced at him, aware he was probably listening to everything she had said.

"Is this part of the plan? While I'm protecting you they can get to someone else?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Brenda finally said.

"Of course you do. You know Johnny Zacchara. You two seemed quite comfortable together. He's involved which makes you involved."

"I think too many years in this business has caused you to lose perspective. You immediately think the worst of me and anyone who isn't like you. Right?" she looked at him, void and empty.

"This is starting to look a lot like the Alcazar situation to me. A man is targeting Sonny and his family. That's what happened before."

"I don't want to talk about Luis."

"How about Lorenzo?" he asked. Brenda just looked at him. "Did you sleep with both brothers or just one?"

"You have no right to judge me on who I have relationships with. Don't you think I know a thing or two about you? We were married after all. It's a wife's right to know what her husband has been up to." It was his turn to just stare. "Courtney. Sam. A fling with Elizabeth Spencer. I feel sorry for Lucky. He didn't deserve any of that."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Are you so sure about that?" she asked. She looked away from him and continued eating.

Before Jason could answer Spinelli and Lulu walked back in.

"Good, you're here. I finished the trace and the history," Spinelli said setting his computer down.

Jason shook his head which didn't go unnoticed by Brenda.

"What? Don't want me to hear about the big bad business just in case I'm reporting back?" Brenda asked standing up. No one responded.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," Lulu said before disappearing upstairs.

"Let me guess. You're running a trace on me, my phone, you want to know my every move," Brenda said taking a step closer to Jason.

"Maybe I should go …" Spinelli started and began walking towards the stairs.

"No, stay. I'm interested in hearing what you found," Brenda said leaning against the arm chair, crossing her ankles, and never breaking eye contract with Jason.

Spinelli was torn. The evil ex-wife who was also the gorgeous model was talking to him. But Jason might kick him out.

"Well," Spinelli hesitated.

"It's okay," Brenda said with a smile. "It's my life. I already know what you have to say. Jason probably wants to see my reactions."

Spinelli walked to his computer and sat down.

"Um, where do I start?" Spinelli asked.

"How about when I left Port Charles last time?" Brenda suggested with a shrug. Jason hadn't broken eye contact with her yet.

"Moved to Paris. No known activity for at least a year. Then in 2005 showed up at Paris Fashion Week accompanied by at French man. It appears you dated for quite some time, often worked together for magazines. Nothing out of the ordinary. No trips to the United States, until a year ago, when you came to New York to be the spokeswoman for a beauty company. Made multiple trips back to the states over the course of six months, always only to New York City. Then two months ago you had what appeared to be a very public split with the French guy, packed up everything you old, sold you apartment, and here you are."

"Where does Jerry Jacks fit in?" Jason asked suddenly.

"Um …" Spinelli started searching through the records. "They were seen together multiple times over the course of a year before he showed back up as Mr. Craig."

"Seen together doing what?" Jason asked.

"Coffee, dinners, a concert or two."

Brenda smiled. "Satisfied."

"Not even close," Jason said. "What about Johnny Zacchara?"

"Only seen publicly once. At New York Fashion Week yesterday."

"Nothing in Europe?" Jason asked.

"There are a lot of references to many affairs over the course of the years with unnamed men, but nothing definitive," Spinelli told him.

"Phone records?" Jason said.

"Well, many phone calls a day across seas, probably to Europe. And one number, all received phone calls, is unlisted but traced back to someone named H.B. Roughly a call a week. Never lasts more than five minutes. Multiple phone calls to and from the number we confirmed is Johnny Zacchara." Spinelli told him.

"What about the last call?" Jason asked. He could see the look in Brenda's eyes was changing. Something in her was changed. He was breaking her down.

"Brooklyn. Lois Cerullo."

Jason finally broke eye contact and looked at Spinelli.

"The unlisted number, where are those phone calls originating from?" Jason asked walking over to Spinelli.

"New York. Brooklyn. Maybe Manhattan," Spinelli said.

Jason turned back to Brenda. "Who is that?" he asked. She was back to being silent. "You need to talk to me. I know you want to."

"Actually, I don't," Brenda told him. "You, of all people, would be the last person I would want to tell anything to. Do you think I trust you with anything? You don't think anymore when you do anything, Jason. You just act, which is probably why all your relationships have failed. Why you will never be a father to the boy you think is your son."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Jason said.

"I don't care if you believe anything I say. The point is, because of that, you won't be hearing anything from me period. So stop asking," Brenda told him.

"Then I'll call Sonny. He seems to always know how to break you down," Jason said, regretting the words also as soon as they left his mouth. He saw the flash of pain cross her eyes and knew he hit something.

A knock on the door brought their attention away from each other. Spinelli opened the door and Sonny walked in followed by Trevor Lansing.

"What's he doing here?" Jason asked.

"I'm here to help," Trevor said, glancing at Brenda.

"What's going on?" Sonny asked seeing the straight faces of everyone in the room.

"History lesson," Brenda said. "You should have been here sooner." She walked over to the bar and poured a drink. And Jason thought she was doing so well in the past hour.

Trevor started to walk towards Brenda, but Jason stepped in front of him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jason asked.

"Maybe you two should give me a minute alone with her," Trevor suggested.

"Why would I do that?" Jason asked.

"Jason, let's step outside. Spinelli, disappear," Sonny said nearly forcing Jason out of the penthouse. All Jason wanted to do was stand with his ear to the door to hear what was being said. But Sonny brought him far enough away.

"Why are you letting him in there by himself with her? For all we known, Brenda is a pawn and Trevor is there to manipulate her," Jason said.

"Trevor came to me. Said he knew that you had Brenda and wanted to talk with her. Made reference to the possibility that Brenda's sister was missing," Sonny told him.

"Brenda said her sister was in New York," Jason said.

"Brenda tries to protect herself. She probably thought she was but hasn't talked to her in so long that really she has no idea."

Jason glanced at the door. All he wanted to know was what was being said in the room.

---

Brenda sat down in the chair and Trevor on the couch.

"Where is she?" Brenda asked.

"We don't know," Trevor told her.

"Then why are you here?"

"To make sure you're okay, that you haven't done anything stupid." Brenda just looked at him. "It's unfortunate you're stuck here, but it's probably for the best."

"I want to see him."

"He doesn't want to see you," Trevor said. He could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

"If he hates me so much, why doesn't he just let me go?"

"It's not as easy as you think," he said. "You haven't made the best choices in life."

"Killing Sonny and his family isn't going to change that."

"No, but it will certainly change you won't it?"

"I hate you," Brenda said.

"Enjoy the ride," Trevor said before standing up, brushing his hand across her cheek, and walking to the door. When he opened it both Sonny and Jason were standing there waiting. Trevor only smiled before getting onto the elevator. From inside the penthouse, glass shattered. Both Jason and Sonny went running inside to find Brenda standing by the window with her back to them. Lulu was standing at the top of the stairs.

"It's okay," Jason told her as he closed the penthouse door.

"Brenda?" Sonny asked walking over to her.

"Hey," she said turning to look at him. She was fighting the urge to break down harder than anything else.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," she said turning to look out the window again.

"What'd Trevor say?" he asked. She only shrugged. "Did they find your sister?" She shook her head. "You know if you need help, I'm here."

"I don't need your help. Everything's fine," Brenda told him.

"What do we have to do to get you to open up?" Sonny asked gently touching her arm.

It was starting, Jason thought. This is how Sonny gets her to do just about anything. He starts charming her.

"Don't touch me," Brenda said stepping out of his touch.

Sonny held up his hands. "Who can I call? Lois? Robin?"

"Sonny, what part of I don't need your help did you not understand. You can't save me. You can't even save yourself," she blurted out.

Sonny looked to Jason. "Is this about Zacchara?" Brenda laughed slightly.

"You don't even know," she told him. "You think you have everything figured out, don't you."

"Maybe you can let us in on what you're talking about," Jason suggested.

"Don't talk to me," Brenda said to him. "You can actually save yourself."

Jason and Sonny both looked at her, hoping she might continue.

"I'm tired," she said. "You're sleeping on the couch," Brenda told Jason as she headed for the stairs. Neither one of them argued with her.

"What was that about?" Sonny asked once she was upstairs.

"I have no idea, but it doesn't sound good."

"It's not helping any of us to keep her secluded. Give her her bodyguard back and let her roam. Have someone follow her. Let's just see what she does."

"Are you sure that's safe? She could be an easy target."

"She's still alive despite having direct contact with these people. I think she's okay for now," Sonny told him. "In the meantime, I'm calling Lois. If there's anything to know, she'll know it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Brenda and Lois are inseparable when it comes to their lives. Lois is also Brenda's manager."