I still owe a TON of real replies to the last chapter and I will work on them this week.
And I will probably need to go back and make a ton of corrections to THIS chapter but my eyes are blurry and I want to go to bed!
At least this one is a little longer than usual.
Thanks,
CQ
Chapter 21
Piercing blue eyes only inches away from her and she could smell alcohol on his breath.
Maybe she should just go back to sleep? Her nightmare actually seemed friendlier.
But she wasn't dead? He hadn't killed her?
"Kristina!" Alexis sat up so quickly Lorenzo was forced to move back towards his end of the sofa, but his eyes never left hers.
"I killed her, cooked her and ate her for lunch." He took another sip of his scotch.
Alexis scrambled off the couch. "Where in the Hell is my daughter?"
Lorenzo frowned. "You mean you don't believe me? Seems no more absurd than everything else you've accused me of today."
Kristina let out a contented sigh and Alexis followed the sound to the front of the cabin where she found Kristina sleeping peacefully in her carrier which had been strapped into one of the seats with all the lights dimmed around it. Alexis had to fight the urge to pick her up and hold her daughter, but it was only to calm herself, Kristina was fine. It didn't seem fair to wake her.
Fair? Wake her? They were alive. They were both alive.
"Damn, still marinating," Lorenzo muttered.
But Sonny was dead..and Lorenzo was making jokes?
Alexis turned around and stormed back towards his end of the cabin. "You're drunk!" she hissed.
"And you're a bitch!" he snarled back at her. "Looks like the honeymoon phase of this relationship is over."
Honeymoon. The honeymoon phase. The words brought back images, they seemed like a million years ago, her nightmare felt more real than the reality of the night before. A night when she felt so close to him while he smiled at her, made love to her, made promises to her while he waited for his little plan to come to fruition. While he plotted to do the exact thing he promised her he never would.
Sonny was dead. Kristina's father was dead and it was her fault. All her fault and now Kristina was in danger. She deserved whatever happened to her, but not Kristina. Not Kristina. What had she done?
She'd trusted the wrong man..again. This was nothing new. This was typical. This was to be expected. She seemed to attract them like a magnet.
But she'd never pulled one into her daughter's life before.
And she'd never had a man lie to her so blatantly before. So cruelly.
And she never knew she could hate one so much.
"Where are you taking us?"
"To hell if your attitude doesn't improve."
So smug, so sarcastic, how could she be so stupid? And how could he be so cruel to drag a baby into this? The bastard! "If I were still your attorney I'd remind you that kidnapping is a federal crime."
"If?" he asked.
"I QUIT!"
"Consider yourself fired. I prefer my attorneys to be sane."
"I demand you turn this plane around and take us back to Port Charles immediately."
"Can't," he sighed. "Already filed a flight plan for Hell. You know how testy they get when you fly off course. All that nasty paper work..and me with no attorney."
Alexis paced and tried to calm down, she needed to think, she needed to figure out what was going on.
But it was hard to calm down when all she wanted to do was throttle that look off his smirking, drunken face.
"Alexis, sit."
"I'm not your dog, Lorenzo, I don't do commands." She didn't even break stride.
"Sit or I'll make you." He sat up and set his drink down.
This time Alexis did stop and glare at him. "You wouldn't dare."
"As you pointed out, I'm drunk." He let his eyes roam up and down her body, it might even be fun.
"You lay one hand on me and I'll...I'll..."
"You'll what, Alexis? Don't threaten me," he growled. "I still remember what you're wearing under that classy little pant suit."
The color drained from her face. It finally began to sink in just how angry he really was.
Less than 24 hours ago, she thought she knew this man. Now she had to admit she had no idea what he was really capable of.
With her chin held high, but her arms crossed protectively, she sat in the oversized chair opposite him.
"Much better, you were making me dizzy," he said.
"I'm no expert, but that's probably the alcohol."
"I assure you Ms. Davis, I can hold my liquor, but you've been throwing me for loops all day."
"Feeling is mutual."
He splashed more scotch into his glass, grabbed another tumbler, dropped in a couple cubes of ice, more scotch than was even in his own glass and pushed it towards her.
"No, thank you," she declined.
"Drink it Alexis, I know my company isn't as charming as Ms. Campbell's, but you have some catching up to do."
Truth was, while she had absolutely no intention of getting drunk, one drink for her nerves seemed like a good idea.
She grabbed the glass and he knocked his against it so hard some of the scotch splashed out onto her wrist.
"Cheers," he said grimly.
She took a cautious sip and it burned all the way down, but she willed her eyes not to water and held his gaze.
Lorenzo sat back getting more comfortable on the sofa. "Drink it all, baby."
Baby? He'd never called her baby and it wasn't an endearment she was fond of from any man. She only frowned at him and sat the glass down.
"Suit yourself, but you're going to need it where were going."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AJ counted the tiles on the ceiling of the interrogation room again. 48. Wow. Amazing. Exactly the same number as the first ten times he'd counted them.
Math was fun.
Being interrogated..not so much.
But Taggert had been called out of the room so maybe it was over. Maybe they'd caught the real culprit and soon he would be free to go.
Who was he kidding? This was the Port Charles Police Department, they couldn't catch a cold!
He was going to get life. No, the chair. He'd get the chair. He didn't think they even had the death penalty in New York, but somehow..he'd still get the chair.
Because he was AJ Quartermaine and why should his death be any more just than his life?
"Right this way, Ms. Alcazar. As you can see Mr. Quartermaine is fine. So if you would just sign your statement."
Juliette stood in the doorway of the interrogation room looking confused and almost child like. "Oh," she blinked up at Taggert, "maybe I should call our attorney."
"Ms. Alcazar, you aren't being charged with anything. If everything you've told us is true then Mr. Quartermaine will be free to go just as soon as you sign."
"Please forgive me, Captain."
"It's Lieutenant," Taggert corrected.
Her eyes widened. "Really? I thought you were at least captain, everyone here looks at you so admiringly, I thought you were in charge."
"No, just a lieutenant." Taggert smiled.
"Well, Lieutenant, you must forgive me, I am new to this country and unfamiliar with your laws and my brother does not allow me to sign anything without our attorney present. Lorenzo would be so angry. I suppose I could call him, but then he would be so cross and sometimes he is rude and I would not want him to come here and cause a scene when you have all been so nice to me."
"Here is your cappuccino, miss." Officer Peabody stood just outside the doorway with a cardboard tray holding three cups from Starbucks. "Now, I know you didn't say anything about chocolate sprinkles, but I figured you might like them so I got one with sprinkles and one without and I also got one decaf. I just wasn't sure so I got them all. Now if you want the decaf with sprinkles I'll be happy to go back..."
"Oh, Officer Peabody, you are too sweet, are all American police officers like you and Captain Taggert?"
"Well, miss, it was no problem at all," Peabody blushed. "There is a Starbucks only 20 minutes from here and it's not really raining that hard and I've only been off duty for an hour and the seats I had for the game really weren't all that good anyway so.."
"I'll take the one with sprinkles." Juliette smiled adoringly at Peabody as he handed her the cup.
AJ was sure if the man had a tail it would have been wagging frantically.
"The coffee here isn't fit for human consumption. We just couldn't let you drink that slop, could we Captain, er, I mean, Lieutenant?"
"No, I guess we couldn't," Taggert said softly as he watched her pry the lid off her cappuccino and blow on it gently.
AJ coughed loudly to stop himself from laughing and all three of them looked in his direction as if they'd forgotten he was there.
"You know I've been in here for hours with nothing to eat or drink, if you've got a cup to spare."
"You can get your own damn coffee soon enough, Quartermaine," Taggert snapped at him.
"Sounds like I could be here awhile if Ms. Alcazar insists on calling Alexis."
Taggert and Peabody exchanged a look. "Ms. Davis is your attorney?" Taggert asked her.
"Yes, she works for my brother. Is that a problem?" she asked innocently.
"No, not at all. I'll tell you what, why don't you have a seat in here with Mr. Quartermaine and I'll get Commissioner Scorpio and maybe he can put your mind at ease about signing this statement."
"Certainly," Juliette agreed, "I'm just so sorry to be such a bother."
"No problem, just have a seat and we'll be right back."
Taggert started to close the door, but not before Peabody stuck his head in. "You sure you're alright? You need anything just let us know. I can run out again and..." Taggert shoved the rookie aside and closed the door so that Juliette was alone with AJ at last.
"So why are you stalling signing the statement?" AJ asked.
Juliette gagged on the coffee and offered it to AJ who took it gratefully. No one had offered him so much as a glass of water in the six hours he'd been in custody.
He took two scalding gulps before he noticed the slow smile that had spread across her face.
"What?" he asked her.
"So...where is my gun?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kristina's cheeks were flushed and she sniffled, whined and squirmed in her mother's lap.
"Is she going to be okay?" Lorenzo asked solemnly.
"Eventually," Alexis huffed.
"Maybe..maybe she needs another sucker."
"It took me half an hour to get the last one out of her hair. She doesn't need anymore sugar, Lorenzo. She needs a nap. Preferably in her own bed...at home!"
"We should make it to the compound before nightfall, but that's still a few hours away and the drive is pretty rough, maybe some juice."
"Stop trying to assuage your own guilt by plying my child with sweets."
"I just don't like seeing her like this," he said.
"Then you shouldn't have dragged her to this God forsaken place!" Alexis spat.
Four shots and she'd screamed her lungs out through all of them. They'd landed in Caracas where Lorenzo had his physician waiting on them.
He didn't know what he had expected. In the scheme of things, getting Alexis and Kristina vaccinated to enter the country had been a minor detail. There was no time for customs and passports but in Venezuela he could easily bypass the system. His bribes through the years made it easy. They never even entered the actual airport. It was only supposed to be a quick stop to change planes.
All of that changed after the first injection when he felt like his heart had been ripped out as Kristina howled in pain.
And he knew they were going to stick her again and again and again.
"What do you do when you take her to the doctor at home?" he asked Alexis anxiously.
"The nurses do them all at once," she yelled at him as she tried to soothe Kristina who was having none of it. "Then I take her for ice cream or something."
Lorenzo grabbed one of his guards by the arm, "Go inside, get her some ice cream, some candy, get her a doll, get her anything...hurry!" He actually shoved the man who ran across the tarmac towards the small airport. Lorenzo didn't know if the place even had a gift shop, if it didn't the guard had better improvise or he was fired.
Maybe even dead.
Now Kristina was miserable, Alexis despised him and he felt like he was the one who should be dead.
This was for their own good, this was to save them!
Alexis was acting like an irrational shrew and he alternated between wanting to throw her ass off the plane to wanting throw himself down on his knees and beg forgiveness.
He was over reacting. It wasn't that bad. He'd taken people, women, to the compound before.
There was Michelle. She hadn't complained much. She was bored, sure, but Michelle was always bored. Michelle was bored in the middle of the hottest night club in Paris, drunk, coked up (it had taken him a little longer than he liked to admit to figure that one out) at the center of it all and she would whine that she was bored.
She'd spent her days at the compound reading fashion magazines and running up huge bills as she ordered clothes from different boutiques over the phone. She complained that the packages took so long to arrive the clothes were out of style by the time they got there.
They'd flown back to Paris after a month. He took her out to a club, lost her in the crowd and never bothered to find her again.
There was Nadine. A prostitute he met in Houston, or rather stole from a business rival in Houston. Maybe stole wasn't the right word either, he'd just out bid the other man. Nadine always went with the highest bidder.
Nadine had very long and elaborate finger nails. They were amusing at first until he realized how much time and effort went into the nails. Her hands were always waving through the air as she tried to dry the polish. The fumes from the polish remover in the bedroom nearly rendered him unconscious at one point.
The business rival arrived at the compound three weeks later and Lorenzo made another bid..for the man to take Nadine back to Houston with him.
He'd caught Clarice fucking one of the guards in the garage after two weeks. He'd have killed them both but the boy was only 19 and it turned out Clarice was only 18.
And he started to wonder if she was really even that old.
He counted himself lucky and let them both leave in the middle of the night so none of the other men would know. He didn't want to lose the respect of his men along with his consort.
He'd finally given up on bringing women to the compound and settled on...Mother of God, he'd completely forgotten.
Eva!
Eva was still there.
Eva was a local. She'd grown up in the village less than ten miles from the compound.
He hadn't brought Eva to the compound. No, she arrived under very bizarre circumstances.
It was dusk, one of the men was looking for a lantern so the card game could continue. No one wanted to move inside because it was too hot. Even with the sun down the heat was oppressive.
He was slightly drunk, sun burned from sitting outside with them all day. Lost more money than he was able to count at the moment. It didn't matter. He wanted the game to end. He was ready to find his hammock and drift off to sleep. The compound was so peaceful and quiet at night.
The peace was shattered by shouts at the gate. Lorenzo paid little attention. The men were harassing someone who wanted in. It was usually someone from the village come to beg for money. They would come with their sad story. Their father had run off and left the family with nothing, someone needed medicine, a doctor, a lift into the city to look for work.
Sometimes they came to barter. Chicken, eggs, one time he ended up with four goats and a pig for an old pick up truck.
The animals still roamed the property. He didn't care except twice his shirts had been eaten when hung out to dry.
It was a boy this time and he wasn't taking no for an answer. One of the men fired his pistol into the air and the boy wouldn't budge until he was allowed to see the man of the house.
Lorenzo realized the disturbance at least gave him a good excuse to end the game so when he finally lost the next hand he excused himself and headed for the gate.
The boy couldn't have been older than 12. He was on a bicycle and had a rifle slung over his shoulder. His shirt was torn, his jeans a good three inches too short. He held himself up so straight and had such an air about him Lorenzo would swear the boy thought himself a prince.
Lorenzo had them open the gate and the boy extended his hand in greeting and told Lorenzo he had a great offer for him. A once in a lifetime deal, but they would have to talk in private.
The men at the gate laughed and teased the boy and it was all Lorenzo could do not to laugh himself, but he had to admit he was curious so he invited the boy inside so they could talk business.
He brought his rusted out bicycle all the way to the front door and then looked worried when he realized he couldn't bring it inside with him. He leaned it against the wall and scowled back over his shoulder like he was daring one of the men to touch it.
Lorenzo had no doubt he would actually take one of them on if they tried. He couldn't blame him, the boy probably believed the bicycle was worth his life. For all Lorenzo knew it was the sole means of transportation for his entire family.
Lorenzo offered him something to drink. "Lemonade?"
The boy asked for a beer.
Lorenzo grabbed two cokes out of the refrigerator and they sat at the kitchen table to discuss this very important business proposition.
Finally, the boy seemed nervous. He was quiet as he slowly sipped his coke. Savoring it. Lorenzo had known he would prefer it to any beer. He had two chickens running around he'd once traded for a six pack of cola.
Nectar of the gods as far as the locals were concerned.
"This is a big place," he said.
Lorenzo nodded in agreement.
"I've seen bigger, though," he added nonchalantly.
Lorenzo only grunted and sipped his coke.
The boy stood up and walked over to the sink full of dirty dishes. "You have a maid?"
"She comes tomorrow."
"Place this big, you should have someone here all the time to keep things nice for you."
"You want a job? You want to clean my kitchen?"
The boy walked over to the table quickly and set his bottle of coke down hard. "I did not come here to be insulted," he scowled again. Lorenzo guessed it was a nearly permanent expression for him. "I'm a man, cleaning is woman's work."
"My apologies, senor. Maybe if you told me why you were here."
"I can get a woman for you and she can do more than clean. She can make you very happy. She can make any man happy."
A 12 year old pimp. Now Lorenzo had seen it all. It would have been funny if it wasn't so unspeakably sad.
"They...they said in the village you were fair. You were honorable. You don't cheat men, you don't beat women."
"Only if it makes me happy," Lorenzo sighed.
The boy only stood there confused. The joke so lost on him he had no idea how to proceed.
"I don't beat women," Lorenzo said.
The boy nodded. "This is good. I don't want her beaten again. You can't have her if you beat her."
Again? Lorenzo drew in a long breath. He was stuck now, damn it. He'd have been better off continuing with the card game. "Can she cook?" he asked.
The boy smiled and revealed a mouth full of perfect, gleaming white teeth. Lorenzo remembered a group of missionaries who came to the village yearly with a nurse and dentist. Most of the village couldn't read or write, but they certainly knew how to floss. "She is a very good cook!" the boy announced.
The boy was a liar. Eva, his sister, could burn water. Lorenzo had forbidden her to use the kitchen after she'd nearly burned down the compound her first week.
She'd been hiding in the bushes on the side of the road as her brother brokered the deal. One of the most dangerous deals Lorenzo Alcazar had ever agreed to in his life.
The boy, Hector, haggled for her. Lorenzo managed to get rid of all four goats and had to buy a new bicycle chain for the boy. In return Eva would come to stay with Lorenzo and make him very, very happy.
Turned out the boy had neglected to mention that Eva already belonged to another man.
Jose Esteban. King of Coka, Deliverer of Death and as Lorenzo soon found out, beater of women...to within an inch of their life.
Hector's father sold Eva to Esteban when she was 15. The father took the money and managed to drink himself to death less than a year later. It wasn't much money, but it bought a lot of tequila and that was all that mattered to dear old Dad.
Esteban was generous with Eva at first and allowed her to send money home to her mother and baby brother.
But as the government cracked down on Esteban's livelihood he cracked down on Eva until the money stopped. Hector made the long journey to Esteban's compound to find out why and found his sister with a broken arm, a black eye and not much hope of surviving the next beating.
It was a matter of honor, he had no choice but to confront the man who did this to his sister. Either Eva left with him immediately or he would kill Esteban.
And Eva knew Esteban would put a bullet in Hector's head without flinching.
She begged to take her little brother into town to buy him a new pair of jeans. Esteban agreed, he was always so sorry just after the beatings..until the next beating. He gave her the money and let her take the Mercedes into town.
There were no guards. No reason for guards. Everyone knew she belonged to Esteban so no one dared to so much as speak to her and it wasn't like she would ever try to leave him. That would mean certain death.
It never occurred to Esteban that she no longer cared.
Eva had only planned on taking Hector back to his village and then she would leave. Eventually Esteban would find her and kill her, but Hector would be safe.
They left the Mercedes in town and hitched a ride back to the village. They took their time on back roads, sometimes walking on foot through the fields. They spent one night in a barn.
Maybe if they'd have hurried. Just gone straight home.
But Eva knew that just meant they all would have died.
He'd burned the house down. They saw it from the road and knew to hide. Hector went to the priest and he told him the rest. A price on both their heads, Esteban had threatened everyone, even the priest.
Their mother was dead.
He gave them some food, but offered no sanctuary. Esteban would just burn down the church as well.
Hector and Eva hid in the jungle for two days before he came up with his brilliant plan.
Senor Alcazar. He was back. He only came to his compound a few times a year. It was a sign from God.
Esteban wouldn't be able to touch Eva if she had a new man. Esteban wasn't even that powerful anymore. The government was after him, some said the cartel thought he was a liability now.
Eva only needed someone more powerful to stay with and she would be safe.
So Lorenzo Alcazar was scammed into providing refuge to a cook who couldn't cook and her 12 year old brother.
It wasn't like he could send the boy back to the village with a price on his head.
Not when Eva pleaded with him. Eva was good at getting her way and it wasn't like Lorenzo minded.
She was never bored, she didn't paint her nails and she showed no interest in any of the other men at the compound.
And while she couldn't cook, she had other talents that made up for it.
The only bad part of the deal was waiting for Esteban to find out where she was.
And that he was still stuck with the damn goats.
Eva, she was still at the compound. What the Hell was he going to do? He could not throw Eva out.
He couldn't have her there with Alexis.
This was one of the many, many reasons he kept his two worlds separate. He knew if they ever collided it would be disastrous.
As if things weren't bad enough already.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Forget it."
"Excuse me?" Juliette was still smirking.
"I'm not telling you where that gun is."
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm your alibi. The only one who can prove you didn't kill Corinthos. At least...once I sign the statement. All you have to do is agree to give back my gun."
"Forget it." AJ crossed his arms.
Juliette narrowed her eyes, stomped her foot in frustration and suddenly threw her purse straight at his head.
AJ ducked and the purse slammed into the wall with a loud thud.
Surely she didn't have another gun already? Maybe she was carrying bricks now. "See there..no way."
"Why not?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"You've got a temper. I give you that gun you'll shoot me."
"I will not shoot you."
"I don't believe you."
"I don't care if you believe me or not! I just had to...had to FLIRT my way in here. Do you know how much I despise that?"
"I have some idea."
Bribery, extortion, these were methods she could respect! But flirting? It was so beneath her. "I could have broken my neck slipping in that imbecile's drool!" she hissed.
"Yes, but you didn't and you managed to bring me coffee to boot. Thanks."
"I didn't do it for you," she snarled.
"Let me ask you something."
"What?"
"Doesn't your family make all its money selling guns?"
"What is your point?" She walked over and retrieved her purse from the floor.
"Is it really that hard for you to get another gun?"
"I want MY gun back."
"I think it's more than that," AJ teased.
She glared at him. "You know, I have no problem letting you ROT in here."
"I don't think so."
"Well, what good are you if you won't give me my gun?"
"I think you like me. I think that's why you're really here."
"I loathe you," she screamed. "You've been nothing but trouble for me since I came to this stupid town in this horrible country! As soon as I get my gun back I'm going home!"
"No, you won't."
"Oh, yes I will!"
"You'd miss me."
"Like Europe misses the black plague!"
"You liiiiike me."
"I'm leaving! I hope prison agrees with you. You're very cute, you should have lots of boyfriends."
"See, you think I'm cute."
"Like a little bunny. Did I tell you I hunt?"
"See, I knew you'd shoot me."
"You just said I liiiiked you. Make up your mind."
"Oh, I know you like me, but you'd still shoot me. That's probably a show of affection for you. You have issues, but so do I, we can work on them together."
"Do they provide therapists in American prisons? You need one. You and your new boyfriend can go to couple's counseling." She headed for the door.
"Juliette."
She didn't stop, but the door was locked. She knocked on the glass trying to get someone's attention. Why had they locked her in?
"Juliette, sign the statement."
"No! Not unless I get something out of it."
"Juliette, I suggest you sign the statement or.."
"Or what?"
"Or I'll tell them about the gun."
Juliette turned around and looked at him. "So what, it's untraceable."
"It has your prints all over it."
"It...well...it ..."
"And I was pretty careful so I think ONLY your prints are on it. So it's an unregistered firearm with your prints all over it."
"It's not like it was involved in a crime or anything."
"Ya, but, you aren't exactly a citizen."
"So what?" She was less than convincing in her haughtiness now.
"So, foreigner, gun, no registration, no permit, post 9/11...I don't know for sure there would be jail time involved, but I doubt they'd let you stay. And I bet it's a hassle to be deported like that. And maybe not so good for business.."
The door opened and Mac entered the room looking grim. "Ms. Alcazar, I'm Commissioner Scorpio. I'm afraid I need to speak with you about.."
Juliette never even looked at him. Her eyes were locked on AJ. She marched back to the table at the center of the room and took a seat opposite him. "I'm very sorry for all the trouble, Commisioner. I'm ready to sign the statement now."
"Yes, well that will be very helpful but..."
"I was with Mr. Quartermaine all night. He never left my sight."
"Yes, and we really appreciate your coming down but..." Mac tried again.
Juliette continued in a near monotone, "It's quite impossible for him to have been anywhere else as we were making love for hours."
AJ raised an eyebrow, Mac blushed uncomfortably, the door was still open and Peabody tripped over a waste paper basket, careened into the coffee maker, scalded two officers and a mugger (who would later sue the entire department) and finally knocked his head into a desk and lost consciousness.
"We were very noisy, I'm sure they heard us in the adjoining room, for that matter, the entire floor can probably collaborate. I'm very vocal and Mr. Quartermaine is a magnificent lover. We had video, but broke the camera in the shower, or perhaps it was on the balcony."
"Ms. Alcazar, I believe you, really, no more details are necessary."
"I just want to be certain."
"I'M SURE! Now then, now that we know what a great lover..."
"Magnificent, I believe she said magnificent," AJ corrected.
"Yes, well, I'm happy for both of you, really, but I came here to discuss another matter entirely." Mac closed the door.
"Ah, come on Mac, leave it open, at least let me see if they revive Peabody."
"I'm sure he'll be fine, AJ. This is a private matter, but seeing as how you and Ms. Alcazar are so...close now, I think she might want you to stay."
"I'm more than ready to sign the statement," Juliette assured him.
"Ms. Alcazar, I'm afraid I have some very disturbing news. As you know, early this morning, Sonny Corinthos was killed in an explosion."
"Yes, that is why you brought AJ here and..."
"Ms. Alcazar, there was another bombing this afternoon. A limo. I'm afraid, well, it appears your brother, as well as his attorney, Alexis Davis and...and her child were all killed."
Juliette stood up "No, there must be some mistake."
AJ rounded the table and stood in front of her. "Juliette, I'm so sorry."
She looked from Mac to AJ and tears sprang to her eyes. AJ put his arms around her.
"No, this can't be true."
"I'm very sorry, Ms. Alcazar. We were only putting this together when you came in and when you told Lieutenant Taggert that Alexis Davis was your brother's attorney, everything sort of fell into place."
"Alexis was in the car? Oh, God...Kristina?" AJ asked.
Mac nodded sadly. "We've launched a full investigation of course and.."
"Get me out of here," she whispered in AJ's ear.
"Of course," he told her, never registering that she actually sounded perfectly fine.
Because she was. Her afternoon couldn't have gone better than if she'd planned it this way.
Except for the damn gun!
And I will probably need to go back and make a ton of corrections to THIS chapter but my eyes are blurry and I want to go to bed!
At least this one is a little longer than usual.
Thanks,
CQ
Chapter 21
Piercing blue eyes only inches away from her and she could smell alcohol on his breath.
Maybe she should just go back to sleep? Her nightmare actually seemed friendlier.
But she wasn't dead? He hadn't killed her?
"Kristina!" Alexis sat up so quickly Lorenzo was forced to move back towards his end of the sofa, but his eyes never left hers.
"I killed her, cooked her and ate her for lunch." He took another sip of his scotch.
Alexis scrambled off the couch. "Where in the Hell is my daughter?"
Lorenzo frowned. "You mean you don't believe me? Seems no more absurd than everything else you've accused me of today."
Kristina let out a contented sigh and Alexis followed the sound to the front of the cabin where she found Kristina sleeping peacefully in her carrier which had been strapped into one of the seats with all the lights dimmed around it. Alexis had to fight the urge to pick her up and hold her daughter, but it was only to calm herself, Kristina was fine. It didn't seem fair to wake her.
Fair? Wake her? They were alive. They were both alive.
"Damn, still marinating," Lorenzo muttered.
But Sonny was dead..and Lorenzo was making jokes?
Alexis turned around and stormed back towards his end of the cabin. "You're drunk!" she hissed.
"And you're a bitch!" he snarled back at her. "Looks like the honeymoon phase of this relationship is over."
Honeymoon. The honeymoon phase. The words brought back images, they seemed like a million years ago, her nightmare felt more real than the reality of the night before. A night when she felt so close to him while he smiled at her, made love to her, made promises to her while he waited for his little plan to come to fruition. While he plotted to do the exact thing he promised her he never would.
Sonny was dead. Kristina's father was dead and it was her fault. All her fault and now Kristina was in danger. She deserved whatever happened to her, but not Kristina. Not Kristina. What had she done?
She'd trusted the wrong man..again. This was nothing new. This was typical. This was to be expected. She seemed to attract them like a magnet.
But she'd never pulled one into her daughter's life before.
And she'd never had a man lie to her so blatantly before. So cruelly.
And she never knew she could hate one so much.
"Where are you taking us?"
"To hell if your attitude doesn't improve."
So smug, so sarcastic, how could she be so stupid? And how could he be so cruel to drag a baby into this? The bastard! "If I were still your attorney I'd remind you that kidnapping is a federal crime."
"If?" he asked.
"I QUIT!"
"Consider yourself fired. I prefer my attorneys to be sane."
"I demand you turn this plane around and take us back to Port Charles immediately."
"Can't," he sighed. "Already filed a flight plan for Hell. You know how testy they get when you fly off course. All that nasty paper work..and me with no attorney."
Alexis paced and tried to calm down, she needed to think, she needed to figure out what was going on.
But it was hard to calm down when all she wanted to do was throttle that look off his smirking, drunken face.
"Alexis, sit."
"I'm not your dog, Lorenzo, I don't do commands." She didn't even break stride.
"Sit or I'll make you." He sat up and set his drink down.
This time Alexis did stop and glare at him. "You wouldn't dare."
"As you pointed out, I'm drunk." He let his eyes roam up and down her body, it might even be fun.
"You lay one hand on me and I'll...I'll..."
"You'll what, Alexis? Don't threaten me," he growled. "I still remember what you're wearing under that classy little pant suit."
The color drained from her face. It finally began to sink in just how angry he really was.
Less than 24 hours ago, she thought she knew this man. Now she had to admit she had no idea what he was really capable of.
With her chin held high, but her arms crossed protectively, she sat in the oversized chair opposite him.
"Much better, you were making me dizzy," he said.
"I'm no expert, but that's probably the alcohol."
"I assure you Ms. Davis, I can hold my liquor, but you've been throwing me for loops all day."
"Feeling is mutual."
He splashed more scotch into his glass, grabbed another tumbler, dropped in a couple cubes of ice, more scotch than was even in his own glass and pushed it towards her.
"No, thank you," she declined.
"Drink it Alexis, I know my company isn't as charming as Ms. Campbell's, but you have some catching up to do."
Truth was, while she had absolutely no intention of getting drunk, one drink for her nerves seemed like a good idea.
She grabbed the glass and he knocked his against it so hard some of the scotch splashed out onto her wrist.
"Cheers," he said grimly.
She took a cautious sip and it burned all the way down, but she willed her eyes not to water and held his gaze.
Lorenzo sat back getting more comfortable on the sofa. "Drink it all, baby."
Baby? He'd never called her baby and it wasn't an endearment she was fond of from any man. She only frowned at him and sat the glass down.
"Suit yourself, but you're going to need it where were going."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AJ counted the tiles on the ceiling of the interrogation room again. 48. Wow. Amazing. Exactly the same number as the first ten times he'd counted them.
Math was fun.
Being interrogated..not so much.
But Taggert had been called out of the room so maybe it was over. Maybe they'd caught the real culprit and soon he would be free to go.
Who was he kidding? This was the Port Charles Police Department, they couldn't catch a cold!
He was going to get life. No, the chair. He'd get the chair. He didn't think they even had the death penalty in New York, but somehow..he'd still get the chair.
Because he was AJ Quartermaine and why should his death be any more just than his life?
"Right this way, Ms. Alcazar. As you can see Mr. Quartermaine is fine. So if you would just sign your statement."
Juliette stood in the doorway of the interrogation room looking confused and almost child like. "Oh," she blinked up at Taggert, "maybe I should call our attorney."
"Ms. Alcazar, you aren't being charged with anything. If everything you've told us is true then Mr. Quartermaine will be free to go just as soon as you sign."
"Please forgive me, Captain."
"It's Lieutenant," Taggert corrected.
Her eyes widened. "Really? I thought you were at least captain, everyone here looks at you so admiringly, I thought you were in charge."
"No, just a lieutenant." Taggert smiled.
"Well, Lieutenant, you must forgive me, I am new to this country and unfamiliar with your laws and my brother does not allow me to sign anything without our attorney present. Lorenzo would be so angry. I suppose I could call him, but then he would be so cross and sometimes he is rude and I would not want him to come here and cause a scene when you have all been so nice to me."
"Here is your cappuccino, miss." Officer Peabody stood just outside the doorway with a cardboard tray holding three cups from Starbucks. "Now, I know you didn't say anything about chocolate sprinkles, but I figured you might like them so I got one with sprinkles and one without and I also got one decaf. I just wasn't sure so I got them all. Now if you want the decaf with sprinkles I'll be happy to go back..."
"Oh, Officer Peabody, you are too sweet, are all American police officers like you and Captain Taggert?"
"Well, miss, it was no problem at all," Peabody blushed. "There is a Starbucks only 20 minutes from here and it's not really raining that hard and I've only been off duty for an hour and the seats I had for the game really weren't all that good anyway so.."
"I'll take the one with sprinkles." Juliette smiled adoringly at Peabody as he handed her the cup.
AJ was sure if the man had a tail it would have been wagging frantically.
"The coffee here isn't fit for human consumption. We just couldn't let you drink that slop, could we Captain, er, I mean, Lieutenant?"
"No, I guess we couldn't," Taggert said softly as he watched her pry the lid off her cappuccino and blow on it gently.
AJ coughed loudly to stop himself from laughing and all three of them looked in his direction as if they'd forgotten he was there.
"You know I've been in here for hours with nothing to eat or drink, if you've got a cup to spare."
"You can get your own damn coffee soon enough, Quartermaine," Taggert snapped at him.
"Sounds like I could be here awhile if Ms. Alcazar insists on calling Alexis."
Taggert and Peabody exchanged a look. "Ms. Davis is your attorney?" Taggert asked her.
"Yes, she works for my brother. Is that a problem?" she asked innocently.
"No, not at all. I'll tell you what, why don't you have a seat in here with Mr. Quartermaine and I'll get Commissioner Scorpio and maybe he can put your mind at ease about signing this statement."
"Certainly," Juliette agreed, "I'm just so sorry to be such a bother."
"No problem, just have a seat and we'll be right back."
Taggert started to close the door, but not before Peabody stuck his head in. "You sure you're alright? You need anything just let us know. I can run out again and..." Taggert shoved the rookie aside and closed the door so that Juliette was alone with AJ at last.
"So why are you stalling signing the statement?" AJ asked.
Juliette gagged on the coffee and offered it to AJ who took it gratefully. No one had offered him so much as a glass of water in the six hours he'd been in custody.
He took two scalding gulps before he noticed the slow smile that had spread across her face.
"What?" he asked her.
"So...where is my gun?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kristina's cheeks were flushed and she sniffled, whined and squirmed in her mother's lap.
"Is she going to be okay?" Lorenzo asked solemnly.
"Eventually," Alexis huffed.
"Maybe..maybe she needs another sucker."
"It took me half an hour to get the last one out of her hair. She doesn't need anymore sugar, Lorenzo. She needs a nap. Preferably in her own bed...at home!"
"We should make it to the compound before nightfall, but that's still a few hours away and the drive is pretty rough, maybe some juice."
"Stop trying to assuage your own guilt by plying my child with sweets."
"I just don't like seeing her like this," he said.
"Then you shouldn't have dragged her to this God forsaken place!" Alexis spat.
Four shots and she'd screamed her lungs out through all of them. They'd landed in Caracas where Lorenzo had his physician waiting on them.
He didn't know what he had expected. In the scheme of things, getting Alexis and Kristina vaccinated to enter the country had been a minor detail. There was no time for customs and passports but in Venezuela he could easily bypass the system. His bribes through the years made it easy. They never even entered the actual airport. It was only supposed to be a quick stop to change planes.
All of that changed after the first injection when he felt like his heart had been ripped out as Kristina howled in pain.
And he knew they were going to stick her again and again and again.
"What do you do when you take her to the doctor at home?" he asked Alexis anxiously.
"The nurses do them all at once," she yelled at him as she tried to soothe Kristina who was having none of it. "Then I take her for ice cream or something."
Lorenzo grabbed one of his guards by the arm, "Go inside, get her some ice cream, some candy, get her a doll, get her anything...hurry!" He actually shoved the man who ran across the tarmac towards the small airport. Lorenzo didn't know if the place even had a gift shop, if it didn't the guard had better improvise or he was fired.
Maybe even dead.
Now Kristina was miserable, Alexis despised him and he felt like he was the one who should be dead.
This was for their own good, this was to save them!
Alexis was acting like an irrational shrew and he alternated between wanting to throw her ass off the plane to wanting throw himself down on his knees and beg forgiveness.
He was over reacting. It wasn't that bad. He'd taken people, women, to the compound before.
There was Michelle. She hadn't complained much. She was bored, sure, but Michelle was always bored. Michelle was bored in the middle of the hottest night club in Paris, drunk, coked up (it had taken him a little longer than he liked to admit to figure that one out) at the center of it all and she would whine that she was bored.
She'd spent her days at the compound reading fashion magazines and running up huge bills as she ordered clothes from different boutiques over the phone. She complained that the packages took so long to arrive the clothes were out of style by the time they got there.
They'd flown back to Paris after a month. He took her out to a club, lost her in the crowd and never bothered to find her again.
There was Nadine. A prostitute he met in Houston, or rather stole from a business rival in Houston. Maybe stole wasn't the right word either, he'd just out bid the other man. Nadine always went with the highest bidder.
Nadine had very long and elaborate finger nails. They were amusing at first until he realized how much time and effort went into the nails. Her hands were always waving through the air as she tried to dry the polish. The fumes from the polish remover in the bedroom nearly rendered him unconscious at one point.
The business rival arrived at the compound three weeks later and Lorenzo made another bid..for the man to take Nadine back to Houston with him.
He'd caught Clarice fucking one of the guards in the garage after two weeks. He'd have killed them both but the boy was only 19 and it turned out Clarice was only 18.
And he started to wonder if she was really even that old.
He counted himself lucky and let them both leave in the middle of the night so none of the other men would know. He didn't want to lose the respect of his men along with his consort.
He'd finally given up on bringing women to the compound and settled on...Mother of God, he'd completely forgotten.
Eva!
Eva was still there.
Eva was a local. She'd grown up in the village less than ten miles from the compound.
He hadn't brought Eva to the compound. No, she arrived under very bizarre circumstances.
It was dusk, one of the men was looking for a lantern so the card game could continue. No one wanted to move inside because it was too hot. Even with the sun down the heat was oppressive.
He was slightly drunk, sun burned from sitting outside with them all day. Lost more money than he was able to count at the moment. It didn't matter. He wanted the game to end. He was ready to find his hammock and drift off to sleep. The compound was so peaceful and quiet at night.
The peace was shattered by shouts at the gate. Lorenzo paid little attention. The men were harassing someone who wanted in. It was usually someone from the village come to beg for money. They would come with their sad story. Their father had run off and left the family with nothing, someone needed medicine, a doctor, a lift into the city to look for work.
Sometimes they came to barter. Chicken, eggs, one time he ended up with four goats and a pig for an old pick up truck.
The animals still roamed the property. He didn't care except twice his shirts had been eaten when hung out to dry.
It was a boy this time and he wasn't taking no for an answer. One of the men fired his pistol into the air and the boy wouldn't budge until he was allowed to see the man of the house.
Lorenzo realized the disturbance at least gave him a good excuse to end the game so when he finally lost the next hand he excused himself and headed for the gate.
The boy couldn't have been older than 12. He was on a bicycle and had a rifle slung over his shoulder. His shirt was torn, his jeans a good three inches too short. He held himself up so straight and had such an air about him Lorenzo would swear the boy thought himself a prince.
Lorenzo had them open the gate and the boy extended his hand in greeting and told Lorenzo he had a great offer for him. A once in a lifetime deal, but they would have to talk in private.
The men at the gate laughed and teased the boy and it was all Lorenzo could do not to laugh himself, but he had to admit he was curious so he invited the boy inside so they could talk business.
He brought his rusted out bicycle all the way to the front door and then looked worried when he realized he couldn't bring it inside with him. He leaned it against the wall and scowled back over his shoulder like he was daring one of the men to touch it.
Lorenzo had no doubt he would actually take one of them on if they tried. He couldn't blame him, the boy probably believed the bicycle was worth his life. For all Lorenzo knew it was the sole means of transportation for his entire family.
Lorenzo offered him something to drink. "Lemonade?"
The boy asked for a beer.
Lorenzo grabbed two cokes out of the refrigerator and they sat at the kitchen table to discuss this very important business proposition.
Finally, the boy seemed nervous. He was quiet as he slowly sipped his coke. Savoring it. Lorenzo had known he would prefer it to any beer. He had two chickens running around he'd once traded for a six pack of cola.
Nectar of the gods as far as the locals were concerned.
"This is a big place," he said.
Lorenzo nodded in agreement.
"I've seen bigger, though," he added nonchalantly.
Lorenzo only grunted and sipped his coke.
The boy stood up and walked over to the sink full of dirty dishes. "You have a maid?"
"She comes tomorrow."
"Place this big, you should have someone here all the time to keep things nice for you."
"You want a job? You want to clean my kitchen?"
The boy walked over to the table quickly and set his bottle of coke down hard. "I did not come here to be insulted," he scowled again. Lorenzo guessed it was a nearly permanent expression for him. "I'm a man, cleaning is woman's work."
"My apologies, senor. Maybe if you told me why you were here."
"I can get a woman for you and she can do more than clean. She can make you very happy. She can make any man happy."
A 12 year old pimp. Now Lorenzo had seen it all. It would have been funny if it wasn't so unspeakably sad.
"They...they said in the village you were fair. You were honorable. You don't cheat men, you don't beat women."
"Only if it makes me happy," Lorenzo sighed.
The boy only stood there confused. The joke so lost on him he had no idea how to proceed.
"I don't beat women," Lorenzo said.
The boy nodded. "This is good. I don't want her beaten again. You can't have her if you beat her."
Again? Lorenzo drew in a long breath. He was stuck now, damn it. He'd have been better off continuing with the card game. "Can she cook?" he asked.
The boy smiled and revealed a mouth full of perfect, gleaming white teeth. Lorenzo remembered a group of missionaries who came to the village yearly with a nurse and dentist. Most of the village couldn't read or write, but they certainly knew how to floss. "She is a very good cook!" the boy announced.
The boy was a liar. Eva, his sister, could burn water. Lorenzo had forbidden her to use the kitchen after she'd nearly burned down the compound her first week.
She'd been hiding in the bushes on the side of the road as her brother brokered the deal. One of the most dangerous deals Lorenzo Alcazar had ever agreed to in his life.
The boy, Hector, haggled for her. Lorenzo managed to get rid of all four goats and had to buy a new bicycle chain for the boy. In return Eva would come to stay with Lorenzo and make him very, very happy.
Turned out the boy had neglected to mention that Eva already belonged to another man.
Jose Esteban. King of Coka, Deliverer of Death and as Lorenzo soon found out, beater of women...to within an inch of their life.
Hector's father sold Eva to Esteban when she was 15. The father took the money and managed to drink himself to death less than a year later. It wasn't much money, but it bought a lot of tequila and that was all that mattered to dear old Dad.
Esteban was generous with Eva at first and allowed her to send money home to her mother and baby brother.
But as the government cracked down on Esteban's livelihood he cracked down on Eva until the money stopped. Hector made the long journey to Esteban's compound to find out why and found his sister with a broken arm, a black eye and not much hope of surviving the next beating.
It was a matter of honor, he had no choice but to confront the man who did this to his sister. Either Eva left with him immediately or he would kill Esteban.
And Eva knew Esteban would put a bullet in Hector's head without flinching.
She begged to take her little brother into town to buy him a new pair of jeans. Esteban agreed, he was always so sorry just after the beatings..until the next beating. He gave her the money and let her take the Mercedes into town.
There were no guards. No reason for guards. Everyone knew she belonged to Esteban so no one dared to so much as speak to her and it wasn't like she would ever try to leave him. That would mean certain death.
It never occurred to Esteban that she no longer cared.
Eva had only planned on taking Hector back to his village and then she would leave. Eventually Esteban would find her and kill her, but Hector would be safe.
They left the Mercedes in town and hitched a ride back to the village. They took their time on back roads, sometimes walking on foot through the fields. They spent one night in a barn.
Maybe if they'd have hurried. Just gone straight home.
But Eva knew that just meant they all would have died.
He'd burned the house down. They saw it from the road and knew to hide. Hector went to the priest and he told him the rest. A price on both their heads, Esteban had threatened everyone, even the priest.
Their mother was dead.
He gave them some food, but offered no sanctuary. Esteban would just burn down the church as well.
Hector and Eva hid in the jungle for two days before he came up with his brilliant plan.
Senor Alcazar. He was back. He only came to his compound a few times a year. It was a sign from God.
Esteban wouldn't be able to touch Eva if she had a new man. Esteban wasn't even that powerful anymore. The government was after him, some said the cartel thought he was a liability now.
Eva only needed someone more powerful to stay with and she would be safe.
So Lorenzo Alcazar was scammed into providing refuge to a cook who couldn't cook and her 12 year old brother.
It wasn't like he could send the boy back to the village with a price on his head.
Not when Eva pleaded with him. Eva was good at getting her way and it wasn't like Lorenzo minded.
She was never bored, she didn't paint her nails and she showed no interest in any of the other men at the compound.
And while she couldn't cook, she had other talents that made up for it.
The only bad part of the deal was waiting for Esteban to find out where she was.
And that he was still stuck with the damn goats.
Eva, she was still at the compound. What the Hell was he going to do? He could not throw Eva out.
He couldn't have her there with Alexis.
This was one of the many, many reasons he kept his two worlds separate. He knew if they ever collided it would be disastrous.
As if things weren't bad enough already.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Forget it."
"Excuse me?" Juliette was still smirking.
"I'm not telling you where that gun is."
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm your alibi. The only one who can prove you didn't kill Corinthos. At least...once I sign the statement. All you have to do is agree to give back my gun."
"Forget it." AJ crossed his arms.
Juliette narrowed her eyes, stomped her foot in frustration and suddenly threw her purse straight at his head.
AJ ducked and the purse slammed into the wall with a loud thud.
Surely she didn't have another gun already? Maybe she was carrying bricks now. "See there..no way."
"Why not?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"You've got a temper. I give you that gun you'll shoot me."
"I will not shoot you."
"I don't believe you."
"I don't care if you believe me or not! I just had to...had to FLIRT my way in here. Do you know how much I despise that?"
"I have some idea."
Bribery, extortion, these were methods she could respect! But flirting? It was so beneath her. "I could have broken my neck slipping in that imbecile's drool!" she hissed.
"Yes, but you didn't and you managed to bring me coffee to boot. Thanks."
"I didn't do it for you," she snarled.
"Let me ask you something."
"What?"
"Doesn't your family make all its money selling guns?"
"What is your point?" She walked over and retrieved her purse from the floor.
"Is it really that hard for you to get another gun?"
"I want MY gun back."
"I think it's more than that," AJ teased.
She glared at him. "You know, I have no problem letting you ROT in here."
"I don't think so."
"Well, what good are you if you won't give me my gun?"
"I think you like me. I think that's why you're really here."
"I loathe you," she screamed. "You've been nothing but trouble for me since I came to this stupid town in this horrible country! As soon as I get my gun back I'm going home!"
"No, you won't."
"Oh, yes I will!"
"You'd miss me."
"Like Europe misses the black plague!"
"You liiiiike me."
"I'm leaving! I hope prison agrees with you. You're very cute, you should have lots of boyfriends."
"See, you think I'm cute."
"Like a little bunny. Did I tell you I hunt?"
"See, I knew you'd shoot me."
"You just said I liiiiked you. Make up your mind."
"Oh, I know you like me, but you'd still shoot me. That's probably a show of affection for you. You have issues, but so do I, we can work on them together."
"Do they provide therapists in American prisons? You need one. You and your new boyfriend can go to couple's counseling." She headed for the door.
"Juliette."
She didn't stop, but the door was locked. She knocked on the glass trying to get someone's attention. Why had they locked her in?
"Juliette, sign the statement."
"No! Not unless I get something out of it."
"Juliette, I suggest you sign the statement or.."
"Or what?"
"Or I'll tell them about the gun."
Juliette turned around and looked at him. "So what, it's untraceable."
"It has your prints all over it."
"It...well...it ..."
"And I was pretty careful so I think ONLY your prints are on it. So it's an unregistered firearm with your prints all over it."
"It's not like it was involved in a crime or anything."
"Ya, but, you aren't exactly a citizen."
"So what?" She was less than convincing in her haughtiness now.
"So, foreigner, gun, no registration, no permit, post 9/11...I don't know for sure there would be jail time involved, but I doubt they'd let you stay. And I bet it's a hassle to be deported like that. And maybe not so good for business.."
The door opened and Mac entered the room looking grim. "Ms. Alcazar, I'm Commissioner Scorpio. I'm afraid I need to speak with you about.."
Juliette never even looked at him. Her eyes were locked on AJ. She marched back to the table at the center of the room and took a seat opposite him. "I'm very sorry for all the trouble, Commisioner. I'm ready to sign the statement now."
"Yes, well that will be very helpful but..."
"I was with Mr. Quartermaine all night. He never left my sight."
"Yes, and we really appreciate your coming down but..." Mac tried again.
Juliette continued in a near monotone, "It's quite impossible for him to have been anywhere else as we were making love for hours."
AJ raised an eyebrow, Mac blushed uncomfortably, the door was still open and Peabody tripped over a waste paper basket, careened into the coffee maker, scalded two officers and a mugger (who would later sue the entire department) and finally knocked his head into a desk and lost consciousness.
"We were very noisy, I'm sure they heard us in the adjoining room, for that matter, the entire floor can probably collaborate. I'm very vocal and Mr. Quartermaine is a magnificent lover. We had video, but broke the camera in the shower, or perhaps it was on the balcony."
"Ms. Alcazar, I believe you, really, no more details are necessary."
"I just want to be certain."
"I'M SURE! Now then, now that we know what a great lover..."
"Magnificent, I believe she said magnificent," AJ corrected.
"Yes, well, I'm happy for both of you, really, but I came here to discuss another matter entirely." Mac closed the door.
"Ah, come on Mac, leave it open, at least let me see if they revive Peabody."
"I'm sure he'll be fine, AJ. This is a private matter, but seeing as how you and Ms. Alcazar are so...close now, I think she might want you to stay."
"I'm more than ready to sign the statement," Juliette assured him.
"Ms. Alcazar, I'm afraid I have some very disturbing news. As you know, early this morning, Sonny Corinthos was killed in an explosion."
"Yes, that is why you brought AJ here and..."
"Ms. Alcazar, there was another bombing this afternoon. A limo. I'm afraid, well, it appears your brother, as well as his attorney, Alexis Davis and...and her child were all killed."
Juliette stood up "No, there must be some mistake."
AJ rounded the table and stood in front of her. "Juliette, I'm so sorry."
She looked from Mac to AJ and tears sprang to her eyes. AJ put his arms around her.
"No, this can't be true."
"I'm very sorry, Ms. Alcazar. We were only putting this together when you came in and when you told Lieutenant Taggert that Alexis Davis was your brother's attorney, everything sort of fell into place."
"Alexis was in the car? Oh, God...Kristina?" AJ asked.
Mac nodded sadly. "We've launched a full investigation of course and.."
"Get me out of here," she whispered in AJ's ear.
"Of course," he told her, never registering that she actually sounded perfectly fine.
Because she was. Her afternoon couldn't have gone better than if she'd planned it this way.
Except for the damn gun!
Another chapter of Chained! 
Another chapter of Chained! 
up for another great chapter!! I love this story so much. I think it's the best Lolexis story I have ever read!! I love the details you give, and most importantly, the fact the Lorenzo stays true to what he is: a ruthless gun runner or whatever he is. He doesn't become a punk and get all mushy and lovey-dovey because he is falling hard for Alexis. He's rough with her, but caring and gentle. It's the perfect dichotomy for Lorenzo!! Please keep up the great work and gives us more, VERY SOON!!!
and all I can say is PLEASE FINISH THIS!!!!!!!!!! It is so good! I love the way you have written Alexis and Lorenzo and I am loving Lorenzo with Kristina! PLEASE FINISH!!!!!!!
