When
Alexis opened the door to him, she looked as shaken as she’d
sounded an hour ago on the phone. Her face ashen, her eyes bleary
with the after effects of her tears, and it looked as if she’d
been running both hands through her hair for every one of those
sixty minutes. She looked…vulnerable. And despite his best
efforts not to notice, as beautiful as ever. It made Sonny want
to pull her against him in an embrace and promise to protect her
again.
But the next moment, the past came hurtling back to the front of
his mind, and he squared his shoulders, raising his guard against
her. He wished he’d taken the time to don one of his impeccable
designer suits. He would at least feel more in control. But as it
was, he’d had to rush over to Bobbie's with his kids. He’d
had no time to change out of the pair of chinos and the short-sleeved
shirt he wore.
“Come in,” Alexis said softly, moving aside.
He glanced around her cozy living room checking for others in residence.
“Alice took Krissy to the park, and then she’s going to
take her to Kelly’s for dinner. We’re alone.”
He nodded as she unerringly read his mind and sank into an inviting
looking armchair. Alexis took a seat on the couch, her hands clasped
tightly together as if to stop them from fidgeting.
“Damn, this must really be bad,” he said, his dark eyes
glued to hers. “You’ve been crying.”
She sniffed and rubbed self-consciously at her nose. “Yeah,
it’s bad,” she whispered.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together like
hers. “So tell me.”
“Earlier today, Mac Scorpio called me down to his office. He
told me that a federal prosecutor is planning to indict you on the
charges of attempted kidnapping and attempted murder.”
Sonny frowned. “Who the hell was the victim?”
“AJ Quartermaine,” she answered and her voice trembled.
“They know, Sonny.”
He stared at her, his scowl firmly in place. “They know what?”
“They know you ordered a hit on AJ two years ago.”
It took him a moment to process the information. How could the
police have found this out after two years? Only one way came
to his mind.
“You told them?” he exploded, jumping to his feet. “You
told them that after all this damned time?”
Alexis’ eyes went wide with what he thought was hurt and anger.
She stood up as well. “No, Sonny! I didn’t tell them.
That’s the point. I didn’t tell anyone. And now they want
to take me down, too!”
Stunned, Sonny lapsed into silence, one hand finding his hip and
the other running through his ebony hair in agitation. He walked
away from her to stand at her window, staring out at the city bathed
in summer sunlight. He needed to reign in the tide of emotion that
had swamped him.
After what seemed like an eternity, he questioned her, his voice
nearly emotionless now. “How? Who’s giving them their
information?”
“One of the--the men you hired to do the…job,” she
said, and he could tell from her tone that the words were distasteful
to her. “He’s been indicted in another federal crime,
so he’s trying to buy his way out of that charge by giving
you up.”
Sonny sighed and closed his eyes briefly. “That’s all
they got?”
“No, Sonny, nobody’s going to trial with just that. They
also have a source inside your organization, so they say. That’s
the person who put my name into it.”
Finally, he turned back to her, hands on his hips. “So what
are they going to offer you?”
“Mac told me that either I say that you did this, or they indict
me for conspiracy to commit murder right along with you.”
“They can’t do that,” Sonny scoffed, his voice, he
knew, sounding a bit desperate. “Back then, you were my lawyer.
You can’t talk about legal matters between you and I—”
“Knowledge you committed a crime isn’t covered under privilege,”
she told him. “I was bound by law to report it and I didn’t.
I told you that back then…that night when…”
Her voice faded and they were both bathed in memories from the past.
He remembered that she had screamed at him, “You’ve made
me a party to murder…I have put everything on the line for
you and you cannot do this to me!”
And she had put it all on the line for him. He’d responded
by choosing her over revenge.
He saw her shudder now as other memories of that night intruded.
Memories that were sweeter indeed. She met his eyes, her face suddenly
suffused in color. It took all his strength to break the connection
and look away.
He needed to think. He needed to be stone cold sober not swamped
by memories of making love to her. He had his kids to think about.
And Carly. This was life or death…for all of them.
“In Mac’s opinion, do they have a strong case?”
“The best,” she responded bleakly. “The federal prosecutor
is really into seeing this the whole way through. His goal is you
in Statesville and me in the women’s wing if I don’t cooperate.”
Sonny heaved in a breath and let it slip noisily from his lips.
“Damn,” he said softly. “Never thought I’d get
popped for a crime I didn’t even go through with.”
The thought caused a bitter laugh to issue from his lips.
Alexis whirled round to face him, fire flashing in her eyes. “You’re
laughing about this? I mean, I don’t find any of it the slightest
bit funny!”
His head tilted to one side, as he scratched his chin, a grim smile
on his face. “Really, Lex? I feel it’s funny as hell.
It’s poetic justice. I hurt you. I walked away from us. And
now you have the perfect opportunity to see that justice is done.
Testify against me and put me away where I belong. Isn’t that
what you said you wanted when you ran for DA against Baldwin? To
keep me off the streets and make PC safe for all? Even for your
daughter who I’m apparently too maladjusted to even speak to!”
“Oh, right on schedule,” Alexis shouted, hands fluttering
wildly about. “Here comes the self-pity and the paranoid accusations.
I mean, really, Sonny, what do you think: that I’m over here
turning somersaults at the prospect of having to help put you in
jail?”
“Why wouldn’t I think you’d be happy about this?
You been actively trying to hurt me for two years now…parading
secrets I shared with you in open court…acting as if I am some
kind of pedophile when I come near Kristina—”
“That is absolutely untrue!” Alexis screamed. “You
are such a pompous, arrogant, ass! This is not JUST about you! FIRST,
you walk in here and automatically assume that I ratted you out
to the feds. Excuse me, but that was the termagant you married,
not me. Let the record show that Alexis Davis has NEVER informed
on you. NEXT, you just assume that I am going to cooperate with
the case without even asking me. And NOW you go so far as to infer
that it would be my revenge for you ending our…whatever it
was…two years ago! You’re unbelievable!”
“Well, what do you expect me to think?” he flared, unable
to stem the twist of hurt that overtook him. “You shut me out
ever since Carly came back even though YOU sent me back to her in
the first place. You turned away from me and made me public enemy
number one. I was no longer worthy to be part of your life. So excuse
me for thinking that this solves all your damn problems with me!”
Alexis stepped into his face, swiping at the angry tears in her
eyes. Her voice softened but it shook with the vitriolic emotion
of this moment. “Do I look happy? Whether I testify or not,
my life here is OVER, Sonny. How will I look Ned in the face--and
Monica and Allan for that matter--when they find out that I knew
someone was trying to kill their son and I did nothing? And as for
my career, that’s gone now, too. Who'll hire a mob snitch?
And my pride? Well, do you think it’ll give me pleasure to
tell this whole town I chose you over my principals and broke the
damn law and you STILL walked away?”
She poked him in the chest and then the poking became an all out
assault with her fists. Alexis was melting down in front of him.
“I CHOSE you that night and here I am still paying for it two
years later! How much more penance do I have to do for loving you,
damn it?”
Sonny let her hit him, as her words like unerring weapons sank into
his mind. She was right. Every single word she’d said. He’d
come here and attacked her when this whole thing was his fault.
She was no happier than he was about this mess; it would irreparably
damage her life, too. He deserved her fury. So he did something
he had never done since the day Deke Woods lay dying in and alley:
Sonny allowed himself to be hit.
He absorbed her blows with a savage pain in his heart until her
burst of emotion died down and she fell against his chest limp as
a rag doll, wracked by her sobs.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered over and over as he held
her. It was the natural thing for Sonny’s arms to come round
her. It was the expected thing for him to speak soft, soothing words
as he wiped her tears away. And it was as instinctive as his next
breath for him to lean his mouth down to stroke her cheek. A series
of tender kisses on her skin followed, gentle as whispers. They
seemed to calm her and bring her some measure of peace. That was
all he intended in that moment.
But then she turned her mouth to his, her lips parted on a ragged
sigh, and he lost thought of his innocent intentions. The only thought
was that he wanted her. That he needed to hold her as much as she
needed to be held. That he’d missed just being near her for
far too long now and he couldn’t do without it for one more
minute.
And with a sigh at the inevitability of it all, he took her mouth
with his own.
