DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters.

Chapter Fifteen

Jason had dropped Brenda off at the penthouse and then went to meet Sonny. She had been extremely quiet on the way back, which meant she had nothing else to say or she was worried she might have said too much. She was fighting years worth of demons and no one could really understand what that felt like except her.

He was surprised to see the lights on in the penthouse when he got home; being that it was so late.

"Brenda?" he called. No answer. "Max, where's Brenda?" he asked.

"She left with Brady a few hours ago. Didn't say where they were going."

"What about the tail?" he asked.

"Tom's out there with them somewhere. Hasn't checked in for awhile."

Jason scanned the room. He saw the note lying on the coffee table and picked it up.

Jason, I need to take care of some things myself. Don't worry. Things will be back to normal before you know it. Brenda

Jason crumpled the note and threw it across the room before storming out of the house. Now all he had to do is find out where she was going.

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Jason and Sonny both stood motionless, guns drawn, as the elevator moved slowly up to the penthouse. Spinelli worked miracles by tracking Brenda's received phone calls and those to Johnny Zacchara in order to pinpoint at least one location. Now they were just praying it was the right one. The elevator dinged and they both stepped out into the hallway. There was no guard on the door as expected. Worse than that, within seconds of stepping off the elevator, gunshots could be heard from inside.

Jason couldn't wait any longer as he burst through the door followed by Sonny. Clear. No one was in the foyer. Stepping quietly around the furniture they could hear muffled voices and followed them to a pair of double doors. Jason pushed one open with the toe of his boot and pointed his gun inside before looking in. He wasn't shocked by what he saw.

Brenda was standing directly in front of Anthony Zacchara, gun pressed to her heart. She didn't look scared. She looked calmer than she had in days.

Brady, her bodyguard, was on the floor, with a blonde woman pressing a wound bleeding from his abdomen.

Johnny Zacchara was no where in sight.

"Look. Your knights in shinning armor have arrived," Zacchara said. He didn't look away from Brenda. "This will be better than I thought."

"Daddy, put the gun down. You know you don't want to shoot her," the other woman said, making it apparent she was Brenda's sister Julia, but Sonny already knew that.

"She's only made my life a living hell. The only thing that can make it better is if she's not longer alive," he growled.

Brenda was stronger than they thought, because despite the harsh words he said to her she never cracked under pressure. That's what he wanted. He wanted to see her beg for her life. But she never did.

"I should probably kill him first so you can watch," Zacchara said moving to point his gun at Sonny, grabbing Brenda by the arm in a tight grasp.

Sonny and Jason were both prepared for the gun shot, just not what would happen next. Sonny fell to the ground near Julia and Brady. Jason slid closely to the side of dresser out of sight.

Zacchara started yelling at Brenda and the first sound she made was when her cheek collided with the mirror, shattering the glass. She cried out in pain. Jason looked around the dresser and saw Sonny near the bed trying not to watch the fight. Zacchara tilted her head up with his gun and she stared back at him in anger.

"There she is. I knew she was in there somewhere," he whispered. "You were my worst mistake ever."

Jason just wanted to rescue her from him. Take the pain away. But none of them could help her now.

Zacchara pointed the gun at Brenda with an evil smile. But it faded quickly when Brenda pulled out her own gun, from where none of them saw, and pointed it directly at his head.

"You don't have the guts to shoot your own father," he said.

"Brenda," Julia said, pleading with her sister. "We can work this out."

Before Jason knew what was happening, a series of shots rang out and they all ducked for cover.

Silence filled the room as the minutes passed by, before Jason looked back around the corner. Brenda was kneeling next to her father's body, gun by her side. Jason crawled over to her and slowly reached over and took the gun from her and she let him.

"Let's go," he said, wrapping a hand around her waist and slowly pulling her up into a standing position.

"The ambulances are on their way," Sonny said as he closed his phone. He looked up at Jason and Brenda. "Is that all his blood?" Sonny asked standing up.

Jason hadn't even paid attention to any of that, but her white tank top was soaked in blood. Brenda almost didn't think of what they were saying to her, as Jason pulled down left strap. Two round holes oozed blood. Exit wounds in the back leaked drops as well.

"He shot you?" Jason asked.

"I don't feel good," Brenda said before collapsing in Jason's arms.

"Brenda? Wake up. Stay awake. Brenda," Jason repeated. She was old cold as the sirens got closer and closer to the hotel.