I was excited about this one but now I'm not.
But anyway...........
Chained 18
He woke up to the sound of the shower running and the shock that Alexis was up before he was.
That never happened.
Alexis took prodding to get out of bed. Prodding was a good way to put it, he wished he could employ a cattle prod at times.
She hit snooze for a solid hour, she also lied to herself and set the clock beside the bed approximately half an hour ahead.
He reasoned that she set it, therefore knew it was fast so what was the point?
She told him her mind was unable to do math before 10:00 AM and so her system worked and had worked for years and please stop questioning her methods before she had coffee because it was cruel.
She moaned, she pulled the pillow over her head, it took several tries to sit up fully and then looked nearly painful for her to move from the bed.
But not this morning. This morning she'd been up long before he opened his eyes. She'd been right about the alcohol. She did sleep less. He spent the entire night drifting in and out of sleep himself as she tossed and turned beside him.
But it was more than the alcohol, he knew that and so did she.
The water had stopped running. She rushed out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her. She opened her closet, grabbed the short silk robe off the hook, dropped the towel, giving him a nice glimpse of her backside and quickly, too quickly, slipped the robe on and rushed back to the bathroom.
She hadn't noticed he was awake or if she had, hadn't bothered to comment on it.
She left the bathroom door ajar and he watched her get ready. Watched as she studied her reflection. Her eyes weren't groggy but determined. She didn't pout or hum or sigh like she did most mornings. Her mouth was set in a grim little line and Lorenzo didn't like it.
He watched her yank on her hair almost painfully with the brush as she struggled to straighten it with the hair dryer. She fought the natural, unruly waves. Her hair would be straight and orderly, like her life was supposed to be.
She brushed her teeth and flossed. Flossed like there was a dental hygienist standing just behind her. Or like a judge would award her custody based solely on her superior dental hygiene.
No one could floss better than Alexis Davis, therefore no one else could raise her daughter.
She applied face cream and make up. Dusted on powder, made a swipe at her eyelashes with mascara.
Reached into the medicine cabinet, popped a multivitamin into her mouth and then pulled out the little, pink, plastic disk and without a thought, popped another little pill into her mouth.
Birth control. Something she hadn't bothered to worry about with Corinthos, obviously. But she faithfully popped her little pill every morning now that she was with Lorenzo.
Now his mouth was set in a grim little line and he knew it was stupid and childish and illogical and he didn't want a kid and she couldn't deal with another one right now.
But he still didn't like it. He thought of tossing that foul little piece of plastic into the trash and dragging her back to bed.
Keeping her there until she was having his baby. A baby conceived for all the wrong reasons.
But what were the right ones?
No, he did not want a child. He already had to share her with Kristina.
She rushed back to her closet. She was close enough that he could reach out and grab her, well probably not grab her, but brush his hand against her hip, get her attention. Get her to come closer so he could pull her back into bed where she belonged.
Fresh as a daisy. Squeaky clean, bright eyed, fresh makeup, perfect hair, just a thin silk robe to move out of his way.
Use the sash to tie her to the headboard. Keep her in bed all day. He could go out, shoot Corinthos in the head, come back and spend his day in bed with her. All her problems solved except how to deal with the sash burns on her wrists.
To Hell with leaving, he'd send Dillon to take care of it. He'd seen the Godfather enough times to know what to do.
Lorenzo smiled at that idea. Dillon would probably wet himself if Lorenzo called and gave him that order even jokingly.
And then Lorenzo Alcazar, international arms dealer would have to deal with Georgie Jones. Lorenzo shuddered at the thought. He'd dealt with corrupt governments, insane terrorists and agencies so secretive most members of their own governments didn't know of their existence. And he did it without flinching.
But the idea of facing Georgie if anything ever really happened to that boy made his stomach turn. She was fun to tease, but he wondered just how slimy he'd have to be to squeeze himself under a rock if he hurt someone like Georgie Jones or anyone she loved.
Of course Lorenzo had men who could take care of Corinthos without wetting themselves or upsetting their girlfriends, but Alexis had set forth the rules and there would be no ravishing her on this day.
But he'd try to find her Palm Pilot later and set a date.
She emerged from the closet in black panties and bra, stockings with black lace trim around the top. She was all business as she tossed a light blue pantsuit across her side of the bed.
He'd believe she was teasing him if it weren't so obvious that she was distracted to the point of being dangerous.
She had no idea how dangerous it was for her to stand there, that close to him, in nothing but black lace.
She turned back to the closet and came out wearing a black silk blouse.
She was safe, for the moment.
She stepped into the pants, pulled on the jacket and finally sat on the edge of the bed to pull on a pair of low heeled sling backs.
She sighed and let her head fall forward into her hands.
Lorenzo sat up and ran his hand down and up her back, stopping to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. "Good morning."
"No, it's not." She laughed bitterly and left the bedroom, this was her fight, not his. He'd done his part.
Now it was her turn.
She hurried to the kitchen in search of coffee and something solid to keep the multivitamin down. She found if she took one on an empty stomach, mornings were even less nice than usual.
She had about five minutes to eat something or she would be even queasier than she already was.
She smelled something sweet and knew what it was even before she hit the kitchen. Or at least she thought she knew.
But it was impossible; her nose was playing tricks on her.
She rounded the corner and there, in the center of the kitchen table, were blueberry scones and they smelled exactly like Mrs. Lansbury's.
And it wasn't just scones that caught her attention. The kitchen, her kitchen, was filled to the brim with appliances, most of which she couldn't even identify.
But she recognized a latte when she saw it. Sitting next to the scones in a tall porcelain coffee cup, her favorite coffee cup, was a latte, still steaming just like the scones.
Sweet butter, linen napkins, a silver butter knife, her travel mug sat empty next to the coffee cup so she could transfer it when she was ready to leave.
She turned at the small cry of Mama.
Wong had Kristina in his arms. She was dressed in a light blue dress with a dark blue satin sash, tiny white socks turned down with lace trim, perfect little black patent leather shoes. Like she'd been color coordinated to match Mommy.
Alexis felt unsteady on her feet. She reached out for the back of a chair to steady herself, missed and nearly fell in the floor before she caught the edge of the table. She sobbed. Wong turned around just in time to pass the baby off to Gia. "Go and get Mr. Lorenzo," he told her quietly but still loud enough for Alexis to hear.
"Wong, no. Please don't...don't get Lorenzo."
Wong and Gia stood in the doorway staring at each other then looking at Alexis, wondering what to do. Alexis pulled out a chair, sat down and cried.
Gia hated these moments, hated them. She wanted to help but never knew what to do and she hated feeling helpless more than anything. She wanted instructions, a manual, a how to guide so she could fix what was broken.
Wong knew it couldn't be fixed and directed Gia to take Kristina into the living room so he could speak with Alexis alone.
He pulled out the chair next to hers and sat in silence while she cried.
Alexis took in great gulps of air, willing herself to stop, it was beyond humiliating, sobbing in front of a man who was still a virtual stranger.
"Just Breathe," he told her softly.
Wrong. Thing. To. Say.
She shook her head and became nearly hysterical, taking in short, gasping breaths. She was panicked, it usually made others panic. Wong simply reached out for her hand.
The only thought Alexis had was that a reassuring pat wasn't going to help. This was the worst attack she'd ever had and the world was squeezing in tight around her, she was going to pass out.
But little by little, her breaths were deeper, longer, slower. Little by little, the room was larger, more solid, brighter.
He had her hand turned palm up and firmly rubbed the point where her middle finger met her palm in between his thumb and index finger, occasionally he pulled on the finger, stroked it.
Her throat relaxed, her breathing came under control, even her pulse slowed. When her eyes became heavy, he let her hand go.
She was reluctant to lose contact. Don't let go. Please hold my hand through today.
"I will drive you," he nodded.
It was like he could hear her thoughts. "How?" Alexis asked, now perfectly calm and clear headed.
Wong smiled. "How what?"
"How...how did you do that? How did you do that?"
"Your ha..."
"I didn't even know what I was going to wear when I woke up this morning! The scones, the latte, how? How!"
"Ms. Alexis."
She was staring at him wide eyed. "Do you know why I didn't want you to get Lorenzo? You do, don't you?"
"You didn't want him to see you cry."
"He's seen me cry and you're right, I didn't want him to see it again. He didn't like it last time."
"He wouldn't," Wong agreed.
"And you can expound on that later."
"Perhaps."
"But no, I was scared if you brought him to me...if I could ask him..."
"Ask him what?" Wong was curious now.
"We could have this anywhere, couldn't we?"
"Have what?"
"Perfection. Magic?"
"It's not magic."
"It feels like magic. It feels perfect. I don't want to leave. I don't want to take her out of the house. I feel like I'm taking her to be executed! I feel like they are telling me, no forcing me, to set her down in front of a firing squad and just walk away! I can't do it. I can't!"
"You've built this up in your mind."
"But I don't have to, do I? If I ask Lorenzo, we could leave today. We could have this anywhere. Switzerland, Argentina, Tahiti, New Zealand..anywhere. A house like this one. Me, Kristina, Lorenzo, you."
"Gia? Wouldn't you miss Ms. Campbell?" Wong asked sadly.
"Couldn't we just take her, too?" Alexis sighed.
"Pack her with the furnishing, and your nephew, his fiance, your career, your friends."
"You moved Kristina and I out here in two days."
"I'm not magic, Ms. Alexis. I'm afraid I can't pack up your life."
"I think you can do anything."
Wong sighed and shook his head. "Gia mentioned the scones, I called Mrs. Lansbury and asked for the recipe, she's very fond of you and your daughter. You mentioned the latte in passing yesterday, I pay attention. You chose that suit perhaps for the same reason I chose the dress, it matches the blue in your daughter's eyes."
"And my hand?"
"Accupressure."
"I thought you didn't believe in all of that ancient Chinese..."
"I learned it from a prostitute in Seattle several years ago and since you are fond of making wild jumps to conclusions, no I was not a client, just a friend. She was a good woman and a good friend to me, like Lorenzo is my friend and yes, if you ask him, he will move us and I will attempt to pack up your life and take it with us, but we won't have this, it won't be the same."
"Maybe it will be better?" She nibbled on a scone.
"That sick feeling in your stomach right now. The dread, the fear? You would live with it always if we leave."
"I'll live with worse if Sonny Corinthos takes my daughter."
"You won't let that happen."
"You have more confidence in me than I have in myself."
"That's more common than you know."
"What is?"
"I think we often see others even more clearly than we see ourselves. You're magic, Ms. Davis."
"Excuse me?"
"You're magical to me. You can take all those laws, interpret them to suit you, then convince others to see things your way. That's magic."
"No, THAT is common."
"We're all common, we're all magic. You know the law, I know people. I watch you, I watch Kristina, I ask questions, I pay attention. I know you hate mornings so I make them bearable. It took you years to get through law school. It took me 15 minutes on the phone with Mrs. Lansbury to know you like blueberry scones the most, hate rooms with heavy drapes on the windows, are allergic to dust and fear your step mother with good reason." He stood and bowed to her. "I will drive you and your daughter to your appointment today." He turned to leave the kitchen.
"Thank you for helping me breathe," she told him softly.
He paused in the doorway but didn't turn around. "I'm glad it worked, today is the first time I ever tried it."
He left, Alexis went back to her scone. Some day she'd ask him why Lorenzo was so upset with her when she cried.
She wouldn't do it before she was ready for the answer because she knew Wong would tell her the truth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It took less than a minute to set the bomb and it was done without anyone ever taking their eyes off the limo.
There were no mistakes. Sonny's men did their job.
And still it was so easy, even for an amateur. An explosives amateur, anyway.
A skate board, an electronic magnet on remote. Plastic explosives on a timer.
He'd purchased most of it at local stores, Toys-R-Us and Radio Shack. The explosives had been easy enough to get as well, though at least they weren't readily available at the mall. There was some small comfort in that though not much because other, less sophisticated agents, were readily available to the general public.
The skate board slipped underneath the car. A switch was flipped on the remote and the magnet sought to attach itself to the largest source of metal.
That would be the limo.
The explosives were set on a timer. It was 9:00 AM. The blood test was set for 9:30 AM. There was no chance of Sonny Corinthos skipping this appointment and it wasn't like he could send someone else.
Would his wife accompany him? Hard to tell. On the one hand, she rarely passed up an opportunity to snipe at Alexis and this would be a good one. She could even make lots of threats.
Then again, her husband had slept with another woman and now had a child, his first born, by her.
And that had to hurt. Especially an ego as frail as that of Carly Corinthos.
She might feel inclined to stay at home and let her husband deal with this one on his own.
50/50 and the bomber was fine with those odds.
If they were going to be finding bits of Carly Corinthos scattered over hundreds of yards with her husband.
So be it.
She did choose to marry him after all. She knew the risks.
The only way anyone could have known what was about to happen was perhaps if they'd caught sight of the skate board sitting in the abandoned parking space.
But the explosion occurred before that was even possible. So no one saw it coming, there was some blessing in that.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By 9:32 Alexis knew something was wrong. Two minutes. Two minutes late and Sonny was never late. Of course to anyone else that would sound insane, but she knew him.
He would never in a million years be late for this.
She'd always found him alarmingly punctual if nothing else. It was something about a matter of respect. She never understood it. She wasn't chronically late herself or anything, but sometimes it happened.
It happened because she could only find one earring of the earrings that went perfectly with what she was wearing. It happened because she couldn't decide on shoes. It happened because coffee pots didn't brew quickly enough. Because she had to stop for gas, because she couldn't find a parking space.
It happened because of life, certainly not because of a lack of respect for whoever was waiting on her. She supposed some people played those games, she wasn't one of them.
And neither was Sonny and since life never seemed to get in his way and prevent him from ever making any appointment on time, Alexis knew something was terribly wrong.
But it wasn't like she could do anything about it. What? Tell the receptionist to call him? She didn't even want him to show up!
But she knew he would and this was just a delay of the torture. Or extending the torture. She wasn't sure which.
Maybe he was late on purpose after all. Maybe he was making an exception for her. She was sure he despised her more than anyone else now.
She didn't care. She really didn't.
Two minutes was one thing. By twenty, she was sure she would throw up.
Then her cell phone rang.
"Alexis, do not say my name, act like this is a business call."
"Yes, I'm sorry. I should be in my office shortly," she replied.
"Good, is the representative from the PCPD there with you?"
"Yes." She was dying to ask Lorenzo what was going on but could tell that Officer Peabody was listening to every word she said.
"When you hang up with me tell him you're late for a business appointment, you can't wait any longer for Corinthos. He'll have to reschedule. Get out of there, make sure he doesn't follow you and meet me at the Southwest entrance to the hospital."
"I'm sorry, where? My sense of direction..." Alexis frowned. Southwest? Why did men always do that?
"The entrance near the pharmacy. And tell the officer you are taking Kristina home first. Mention it specifically."
"I'm on my way and again, I'm very sorry."
"Hurry Alexis." He disconnected and Alexis felt her knees become a little unsteady. She turned to face Officer Peabody, the greenest rookie she'd ever laid eyes on. She would be shocked to find out he was old enough to shave, much less carry a gun. She adopted the haughty air that had become a damn reliable defense mechanism years ago and had only grown stronger with age, and approached the child the PCPD had sent to safe guard her daughter's DNA results.
"He's late, I don't have time for this. Tell him to call my office and reschedule."
Peabody looked confused for a moment but rose from his chair when Alexis grabbed her purse and Kristina's diaper bag and headed for the exit.
"Um, Ms. Davis?"
Alexis stopped abruptly and turned around to face him. "What!" she snapped.
"Well, um, why don't we go ahead and take your daughter's sample and when..."
"Excuse me, what?"
"Well, I can, um..."
Alexis rolled her eyes and shook her head. "If he can't be bothered to show up for this appointment then MY daughter can't be bothered to provide him with proof, yet again, that she is NOT his. This entire situation has gone too far. If Mr. Corinthos decides to show up, tell him I'm filing harassment charges against him. I've had more than enough of his games. I'm taking my daughter home and then meeting a client."
"Ms. Davis, I'm not really sure I can let you just leave and.."
"LET me? LET ME! Are you telling me I am under arrest? For what exactly?"
Peabody's cheeks turned bright red, "Oh no ma'am, but you were ordered by the court to..."
"And so was Mr. Corinthos, I'm here, he's not. You have no right to detain me, if you detain me, I'll sue you and your department and do you have any idea what I make an hour? Do you have any idea how much this little delay is costing me? Who is your supervisor?"
"Well, we don't really call the Sergeant a supervisor so much as a..."
"Never mind. Tell Mac Scorpio he'll be hearing from me soon!" Alexis turned and stormed out of the lab and didn't look back until she reached the elevators. No sign of Peabody, poor little guy was probably crying. She bet the worst thing they told him could ever happen on the job was being shot.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Her cell phone rang, she checked the caller ID and immediately accepted the call. "What's happened?" He was calling from a secured line.
"Corinthos is dead."
"How?" She yawned and stumbled out of bed, crossed the room and made her way out to the small sitting room. He was still there, asleep and snoring softly on the sofa.
"Car bomb."
"When?" she asked.
"20 minutes ago."
"Okay." She nodded like someone had just given her a weather report and prepared to hang up.
"Staying or going?" he asked.
"Staying. I guess that means you're going," she sighed.
"Yes, immediately. If you stay, there'll be heat."
"I can handle it," she shrugged.
"I'm surprised you're staying, why bother?"
Juliette's hand reached out and lightly brushed the top of AJ's head. He shifted a little and she jumped back. "I-I have my reasons," she whispered.
"Be careful, I'll contact you later today, probably be best if you lay low until we're out."
"How long will that take?"
"About an hour."
"How long will you be gone?"
"Not sure," he told her.
"Are you even coming back?" she asked. There was a long pause. "Lorenzo? Lorenzo?" The line was dead and she couldn't be sure if he'd disconnected before or after she'd asked the question.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Alexis tried to look nonchalant as she exited the automatic doors. Just your average harried working mother. Pantsuit, diaper bag, walking too fast in heels and carrying a screaming child.
Kristina had not liked Mommy's attitude with Officer Peabody and was even less fond of her mother's obvious agitation as she raced through the hospital.
The limo was by the entrance. The door opened and she ducked in. They were in motion before she could even sit down properly.
Kristina was screaming at the top of her lungs.
"What's wrong with her?" Lorenzo asked.
"She-she knows I'm upset." She patted Kristina's back. "Hush, hush, it's okay."
"Pass her to me." Lorenzo reached for her but Alexis shook her head.
"Alexis, you're shaking. Let me hold her for a minute and you can have her right back when you calm down."
"What's happened?" she asked as Lorenzo pulled Kristina onto his lap and bounced her up and down.
"Tell Kristina it is going to be okay." He smiled at the little girl but she was staring at her mother and still crying.
Alexis pulled in a deep breath and smiled at Kristina. She and Lorenzo spent several minutes convincing her everything was fine, soothing her, smiling at her, totally faking it. She soon became tired from her crying jag and started to doze off. Lorenzo fastened her into the car seat on the seats that faced them. No one could say for certain if the seat had been placed in the proper area of the limo or not. There were no instructions provided by the car seat manufacturer on where it should be placed for maximum safety in a stretch limo.
Soothing Kristina had actually helped calm her own nerves somewhat. After all, Lorenzo looked calm. He appeared in control.
But she still had no idea what was going on and why Sonny was so late.
"Where are we going?" she asked in a falsely cheerful voice so she wouldn't alarm Kristina.
"Home," he told her and reached for her hand, squeezed it gently.
Kristina's eyes were closed and she was basically asleep. "Where is Sonny?"
"He's dead," Lorenzo whispered.
She jerked away from him, actually jumped from her seat and tried to get as far away from him as possible, but he had her hand and his grip tightened and he pulled her to him so hard she felt like he'd nearly jerked her arm out of the socket.
He pulled her to his side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her very close to him.
"Let go!" she snapped.
He put his finger to his lips. "Don't wake the baby," he whispered.
"Let me go," she hissed at him.
His grip around her shoulders actually tightened. "I had nothing to do with it."
Her breathing became ragged. "I don't believe you."
He squinted at her. "Alexis, I..."
"How?" she asked.
"Car bomb."
She pushed at him, balled up one hand into a fist and hit him, but she couldn't get any momentum the way he was holding her and it had no affect accept perhaps to make him angry. "Stop it!" he growled at her.
"Tell the driver to stop, let us out." She continued struggling.
"No." He was trying to keep his voice down because he didn't want to wake Kristina, one hysterical female was enough to deal with.
She dug her fingernails into his hand, he stifled a curse. That was it. He grabbed both her shoulders and laid her down on the seat and climbed on top of her and finally pinned her hands down.
"I'll scream."
Lorenzo looked over and to his relief, Kristina's eyes were still closed. "Do you want your daughter to see this?" he asked.
"Get off me!"
"No! Now listen to me..."
"He's dead? He's DEAD?"
"Yes."
"You killed him." She started crying.
"Alexis, no. I had nothing to do with this."
"Liar!" she hissed, as angry as she was with him, she didn't want Kristina to see anything.
"Alexis, I swear."
"I don't believe you!"
Lorenzo gritted his teeth. "Fine, don't believe me."
"Let us out." She squirmed underneath him and he was hurting her wrists.
"No, I told you we're going home and then we're leaving."
"You leave. I want you out of the house."
"We're all leaving."
"My daughter and I aren't going anywhere."
"Yes, you are. Now when we get..."
"Get off me! You bastard, what did I just tell you? Let me go, leave me alone."
"Alexis if you don't calm down..."
"What? What? Are you going to kill me, too?"
"This is not going to be very pleasant for you if you fight me."
"You're a liar and a murderer!"
"You would be better off right now if you had allowed me to kill him!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
She was still squirming and he suddenly realized she was very close to moving one of her knees in between his thighs and he knew exactly what she planned to do next.
He flattened her thighs so she lost her leverage, tightened his grip even further on her wrists and she was going to have bruises and he hated it but she was giving him no choice and it was pissing him off more and more.
"So help me God, Alexis. If you don't stop this and do as you're told..."
Her eyes opened wide in horror, "Do as I'm told?"
"Yes, do as you're told! Stop fighting me right now or I'll make you stop and you won't like it. We're going home, you need to pack anything you don't want to lose, forget clothes and toiletries, they can all be replaced, just pack what you don't want to lose, baby pictures, any jewelry, anything you don't want to lose permanently, anything that can't be replaced."
"Where's Wong?"
"He's driving the car back, he'll help you."
"No, he'll stop you."
Lorenzo frowned, "Alexis, Corinthos is dead."
"Murderer."
He ignored her and continued, "And I don't know who did it or why so we are leaving the country until I know more, but to do that, we have to cover our tracks so no one comes after us."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"And if you choose to fight me on this, I'll tie and gag you, whatever it takes to get you on the plane, but let me be perfectly clear, you and Kristina are coming with me and you will do as you're told until I find out who's behind this and what they want."
"You can't do this! You can't force me. I HATE you!" she spat.
"I know, Alexis," he sighed wearily. "They always do."
But anyway...........
Chained 18
He woke up to the sound of the shower running and the shock that Alexis was up before he was.
That never happened.
Alexis took prodding to get out of bed. Prodding was a good way to put it, he wished he could employ a cattle prod at times.
She hit snooze for a solid hour, she also lied to herself and set the clock beside the bed approximately half an hour ahead.
He reasoned that she set it, therefore knew it was fast so what was the point?
She told him her mind was unable to do math before 10:00 AM and so her system worked and had worked for years and please stop questioning her methods before she had coffee because it was cruel.
She moaned, she pulled the pillow over her head, it took several tries to sit up fully and then looked nearly painful for her to move from the bed.
But not this morning. This morning she'd been up long before he opened his eyes. She'd been right about the alcohol. She did sleep less. He spent the entire night drifting in and out of sleep himself as she tossed and turned beside him.
But it was more than the alcohol, he knew that and so did she.
The water had stopped running. She rushed out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her. She opened her closet, grabbed the short silk robe off the hook, dropped the towel, giving him a nice glimpse of her backside and quickly, too quickly, slipped the robe on and rushed back to the bathroom.
She hadn't noticed he was awake or if she had, hadn't bothered to comment on it.
She left the bathroom door ajar and he watched her get ready. Watched as she studied her reflection. Her eyes weren't groggy but determined. She didn't pout or hum or sigh like she did most mornings. Her mouth was set in a grim little line and Lorenzo didn't like it.
He watched her yank on her hair almost painfully with the brush as she struggled to straighten it with the hair dryer. She fought the natural, unruly waves. Her hair would be straight and orderly, like her life was supposed to be.
She brushed her teeth and flossed. Flossed like there was a dental hygienist standing just behind her. Or like a judge would award her custody based solely on her superior dental hygiene.
No one could floss better than Alexis Davis, therefore no one else could raise her daughter.
She applied face cream and make up. Dusted on powder, made a swipe at her eyelashes with mascara.
Reached into the medicine cabinet, popped a multivitamin into her mouth and then pulled out the little, pink, plastic disk and without a thought, popped another little pill into her mouth.
Birth control. Something she hadn't bothered to worry about with Corinthos, obviously. But she faithfully popped her little pill every morning now that she was with Lorenzo.
Now his mouth was set in a grim little line and he knew it was stupid and childish and illogical and he didn't want a kid and she couldn't deal with another one right now.
But he still didn't like it. He thought of tossing that foul little piece of plastic into the trash and dragging her back to bed.
Keeping her there until she was having his baby. A baby conceived for all the wrong reasons.
But what were the right ones?
No, he did not want a child. He already had to share her with Kristina.
She rushed back to her closet. She was close enough that he could reach out and grab her, well probably not grab her, but brush his hand against her hip, get her attention. Get her to come closer so he could pull her back into bed where she belonged.
Fresh as a daisy. Squeaky clean, bright eyed, fresh makeup, perfect hair, just a thin silk robe to move out of his way.
Use the sash to tie her to the headboard. Keep her in bed all day. He could go out, shoot Corinthos in the head, come back and spend his day in bed with her. All her problems solved except how to deal with the sash burns on her wrists.
To Hell with leaving, he'd send Dillon to take care of it. He'd seen the Godfather enough times to know what to do.
Lorenzo smiled at that idea. Dillon would probably wet himself if Lorenzo called and gave him that order even jokingly.
And then Lorenzo Alcazar, international arms dealer would have to deal with Georgie Jones. Lorenzo shuddered at the thought. He'd dealt with corrupt governments, insane terrorists and agencies so secretive most members of their own governments didn't know of their existence. And he did it without flinching.
But the idea of facing Georgie if anything ever really happened to that boy made his stomach turn. She was fun to tease, but he wondered just how slimy he'd have to be to squeeze himself under a rock if he hurt someone like Georgie Jones or anyone she loved.
Of course Lorenzo had men who could take care of Corinthos without wetting themselves or upsetting their girlfriends, but Alexis had set forth the rules and there would be no ravishing her on this day.
But he'd try to find her Palm Pilot later and set a date.
She emerged from the closet in black panties and bra, stockings with black lace trim around the top. She was all business as she tossed a light blue pantsuit across her side of the bed.
He'd believe she was teasing him if it weren't so obvious that she was distracted to the point of being dangerous.
She had no idea how dangerous it was for her to stand there, that close to him, in nothing but black lace.
She turned back to the closet and came out wearing a black silk blouse.
She was safe, for the moment.
She stepped into the pants, pulled on the jacket and finally sat on the edge of the bed to pull on a pair of low heeled sling backs.
She sighed and let her head fall forward into her hands.
Lorenzo sat up and ran his hand down and up her back, stopping to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. "Good morning."
"No, it's not." She laughed bitterly and left the bedroom, this was her fight, not his. He'd done his part.
Now it was her turn.
She hurried to the kitchen in search of coffee and something solid to keep the multivitamin down. She found if she took one on an empty stomach, mornings were even less nice than usual.
She had about five minutes to eat something or she would be even queasier than she already was.
She smelled something sweet and knew what it was even before she hit the kitchen. Or at least she thought she knew.
But it was impossible; her nose was playing tricks on her.
She rounded the corner and there, in the center of the kitchen table, were blueberry scones and they smelled exactly like Mrs. Lansbury's.
And it wasn't just scones that caught her attention. The kitchen, her kitchen, was filled to the brim with appliances, most of which she couldn't even identify.
But she recognized a latte when she saw it. Sitting next to the scones in a tall porcelain coffee cup, her favorite coffee cup, was a latte, still steaming just like the scones.
Sweet butter, linen napkins, a silver butter knife, her travel mug sat empty next to the coffee cup so she could transfer it when she was ready to leave.
She turned at the small cry of Mama.
Wong had Kristina in his arms. She was dressed in a light blue dress with a dark blue satin sash, tiny white socks turned down with lace trim, perfect little black patent leather shoes. Like she'd been color coordinated to match Mommy.
Alexis felt unsteady on her feet. She reached out for the back of a chair to steady herself, missed and nearly fell in the floor before she caught the edge of the table. She sobbed. Wong turned around just in time to pass the baby off to Gia. "Go and get Mr. Lorenzo," he told her quietly but still loud enough for Alexis to hear.
"Wong, no. Please don't...don't get Lorenzo."
Wong and Gia stood in the doorway staring at each other then looking at Alexis, wondering what to do. Alexis pulled out a chair, sat down and cried.
Gia hated these moments, hated them. She wanted to help but never knew what to do and she hated feeling helpless more than anything. She wanted instructions, a manual, a how to guide so she could fix what was broken.
Wong knew it couldn't be fixed and directed Gia to take Kristina into the living room so he could speak with Alexis alone.
He pulled out the chair next to hers and sat in silence while she cried.
Alexis took in great gulps of air, willing herself to stop, it was beyond humiliating, sobbing in front of a man who was still a virtual stranger.
"Just Breathe," he told her softly.
Wrong. Thing. To. Say.
She shook her head and became nearly hysterical, taking in short, gasping breaths. She was panicked, it usually made others panic. Wong simply reached out for her hand.
The only thought Alexis had was that a reassuring pat wasn't going to help. This was the worst attack she'd ever had and the world was squeezing in tight around her, she was going to pass out.
But little by little, her breaths were deeper, longer, slower. Little by little, the room was larger, more solid, brighter.
He had her hand turned palm up and firmly rubbed the point where her middle finger met her palm in between his thumb and index finger, occasionally he pulled on the finger, stroked it.
Her throat relaxed, her breathing came under control, even her pulse slowed. When her eyes became heavy, he let her hand go.
She was reluctant to lose contact. Don't let go. Please hold my hand through today.
"I will drive you," he nodded.
It was like he could hear her thoughts. "How?" Alexis asked, now perfectly calm and clear headed.
Wong smiled. "How what?"
"How...how did you do that? How did you do that?"
"Your ha..."
"I didn't even know what I was going to wear when I woke up this morning! The scones, the latte, how? How!"
"Ms. Alexis."
She was staring at him wide eyed. "Do you know why I didn't want you to get Lorenzo? You do, don't you?"
"You didn't want him to see you cry."
"He's seen me cry and you're right, I didn't want him to see it again. He didn't like it last time."
"He wouldn't," Wong agreed.
"And you can expound on that later."
"Perhaps."
"But no, I was scared if you brought him to me...if I could ask him..."
"Ask him what?" Wong was curious now.
"We could have this anywhere, couldn't we?"
"Have what?"
"Perfection. Magic?"
"It's not magic."
"It feels like magic. It feels perfect. I don't want to leave. I don't want to take her out of the house. I feel like I'm taking her to be executed! I feel like they are telling me, no forcing me, to set her down in front of a firing squad and just walk away! I can't do it. I can't!"
"You've built this up in your mind."
"But I don't have to, do I? If I ask Lorenzo, we could leave today. We could have this anywhere. Switzerland, Argentina, Tahiti, New Zealand..anywhere. A house like this one. Me, Kristina, Lorenzo, you."
"Gia? Wouldn't you miss Ms. Campbell?" Wong asked sadly.
"Couldn't we just take her, too?" Alexis sighed.
"Pack her with the furnishing, and your nephew, his fiance, your career, your friends."
"You moved Kristina and I out here in two days."
"I'm not magic, Ms. Alexis. I'm afraid I can't pack up your life."
"I think you can do anything."
Wong sighed and shook his head. "Gia mentioned the scones, I called Mrs. Lansbury and asked for the recipe, she's very fond of you and your daughter. You mentioned the latte in passing yesterday, I pay attention. You chose that suit perhaps for the same reason I chose the dress, it matches the blue in your daughter's eyes."
"And my hand?"
"Accupressure."
"I thought you didn't believe in all of that ancient Chinese..."
"I learned it from a prostitute in Seattle several years ago and since you are fond of making wild jumps to conclusions, no I was not a client, just a friend. She was a good woman and a good friend to me, like Lorenzo is my friend and yes, if you ask him, he will move us and I will attempt to pack up your life and take it with us, but we won't have this, it won't be the same."
"Maybe it will be better?" She nibbled on a scone.
"That sick feeling in your stomach right now. The dread, the fear? You would live with it always if we leave."
"I'll live with worse if Sonny Corinthos takes my daughter."
"You won't let that happen."
"You have more confidence in me than I have in myself."
"That's more common than you know."
"What is?"
"I think we often see others even more clearly than we see ourselves. You're magic, Ms. Davis."
"Excuse me?"
"You're magical to me. You can take all those laws, interpret them to suit you, then convince others to see things your way. That's magic."
"No, THAT is common."
"We're all common, we're all magic. You know the law, I know people. I watch you, I watch Kristina, I ask questions, I pay attention. I know you hate mornings so I make them bearable. It took you years to get through law school. It took me 15 minutes on the phone with Mrs. Lansbury to know you like blueberry scones the most, hate rooms with heavy drapes on the windows, are allergic to dust and fear your step mother with good reason." He stood and bowed to her. "I will drive you and your daughter to your appointment today." He turned to leave the kitchen.
"Thank you for helping me breathe," she told him softly.
He paused in the doorway but didn't turn around. "I'm glad it worked, today is the first time I ever tried it."
He left, Alexis went back to her scone. Some day she'd ask him why Lorenzo was so upset with her when she cried.
She wouldn't do it before she was ready for the answer because she knew Wong would tell her the truth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It took less than a minute to set the bomb and it was done without anyone ever taking their eyes off the limo.
There were no mistakes. Sonny's men did their job.
And still it was so easy, even for an amateur. An explosives amateur, anyway.
A skate board, an electronic magnet on remote. Plastic explosives on a timer.
He'd purchased most of it at local stores, Toys-R-Us and Radio Shack. The explosives had been easy enough to get as well, though at least they weren't readily available at the mall. There was some small comfort in that though not much because other, less sophisticated agents, were readily available to the general public.
The skate board slipped underneath the car. A switch was flipped on the remote and the magnet sought to attach itself to the largest source of metal.
That would be the limo.
The explosives were set on a timer. It was 9:00 AM. The blood test was set for 9:30 AM. There was no chance of Sonny Corinthos skipping this appointment and it wasn't like he could send someone else.
Would his wife accompany him? Hard to tell. On the one hand, she rarely passed up an opportunity to snipe at Alexis and this would be a good one. She could even make lots of threats.
Then again, her husband had slept with another woman and now had a child, his first born, by her.
And that had to hurt. Especially an ego as frail as that of Carly Corinthos.
She might feel inclined to stay at home and let her husband deal with this one on his own.
50/50 and the bomber was fine with those odds.
If they were going to be finding bits of Carly Corinthos scattered over hundreds of yards with her husband.
So be it.
She did choose to marry him after all. She knew the risks.
The only way anyone could have known what was about to happen was perhaps if they'd caught sight of the skate board sitting in the abandoned parking space.
But the explosion occurred before that was even possible. So no one saw it coming, there was some blessing in that.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By 9:32 Alexis knew something was wrong. Two minutes. Two minutes late and Sonny was never late. Of course to anyone else that would sound insane, but she knew him.
He would never in a million years be late for this.
She'd always found him alarmingly punctual if nothing else. It was something about a matter of respect. She never understood it. She wasn't chronically late herself or anything, but sometimes it happened.
It happened because she could only find one earring of the earrings that went perfectly with what she was wearing. It happened because she couldn't decide on shoes. It happened because coffee pots didn't brew quickly enough. Because she had to stop for gas, because she couldn't find a parking space.
It happened because of life, certainly not because of a lack of respect for whoever was waiting on her. She supposed some people played those games, she wasn't one of them.
And neither was Sonny and since life never seemed to get in his way and prevent him from ever making any appointment on time, Alexis knew something was terribly wrong.
But it wasn't like she could do anything about it. What? Tell the receptionist to call him? She didn't even want him to show up!
But she knew he would and this was just a delay of the torture. Or extending the torture. She wasn't sure which.
Maybe he was late on purpose after all. Maybe he was making an exception for her. She was sure he despised her more than anyone else now.
She didn't care. She really didn't.
Two minutes was one thing. By twenty, she was sure she would throw up.
Then her cell phone rang.
"Alexis, do not say my name, act like this is a business call."
"Yes, I'm sorry. I should be in my office shortly," she replied.
"Good, is the representative from the PCPD there with you?"
"Yes." She was dying to ask Lorenzo what was going on but could tell that Officer Peabody was listening to every word she said.
"When you hang up with me tell him you're late for a business appointment, you can't wait any longer for Corinthos. He'll have to reschedule. Get out of there, make sure he doesn't follow you and meet me at the Southwest entrance to the hospital."
"I'm sorry, where? My sense of direction..." Alexis frowned. Southwest? Why did men always do that?
"The entrance near the pharmacy. And tell the officer you are taking Kristina home first. Mention it specifically."
"I'm on my way and again, I'm very sorry."
"Hurry Alexis." He disconnected and Alexis felt her knees become a little unsteady. She turned to face Officer Peabody, the greenest rookie she'd ever laid eyes on. She would be shocked to find out he was old enough to shave, much less carry a gun. She adopted the haughty air that had become a damn reliable defense mechanism years ago and had only grown stronger with age, and approached the child the PCPD had sent to safe guard her daughter's DNA results.
"He's late, I don't have time for this. Tell him to call my office and reschedule."
Peabody looked confused for a moment but rose from his chair when Alexis grabbed her purse and Kristina's diaper bag and headed for the exit.
"Um, Ms. Davis?"
Alexis stopped abruptly and turned around to face him. "What!" she snapped.
"Well, um, why don't we go ahead and take your daughter's sample and when..."
"Excuse me, what?"
"Well, I can, um..."
Alexis rolled her eyes and shook her head. "If he can't be bothered to show up for this appointment then MY daughter can't be bothered to provide him with proof, yet again, that she is NOT his. This entire situation has gone too far. If Mr. Corinthos decides to show up, tell him I'm filing harassment charges against him. I've had more than enough of his games. I'm taking my daughter home and then meeting a client."
"Ms. Davis, I'm not really sure I can let you just leave and.."
"LET me? LET ME! Are you telling me I am under arrest? For what exactly?"
Peabody's cheeks turned bright red, "Oh no ma'am, but you were ordered by the court to..."
"And so was Mr. Corinthos, I'm here, he's not. You have no right to detain me, if you detain me, I'll sue you and your department and do you have any idea what I make an hour? Do you have any idea how much this little delay is costing me? Who is your supervisor?"
"Well, we don't really call the Sergeant a supervisor so much as a..."
"Never mind. Tell Mac Scorpio he'll be hearing from me soon!" Alexis turned and stormed out of the lab and didn't look back until she reached the elevators. No sign of Peabody, poor little guy was probably crying. She bet the worst thing they told him could ever happen on the job was being shot.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Her cell phone rang, she checked the caller ID and immediately accepted the call. "What's happened?" He was calling from a secured line.
"Corinthos is dead."
"How?" She yawned and stumbled out of bed, crossed the room and made her way out to the small sitting room. He was still there, asleep and snoring softly on the sofa.
"Car bomb."
"When?" she asked.
"20 minutes ago."
"Okay." She nodded like someone had just given her a weather report and prepared to hang up.
"Staying or going?" he asked.
"Staying. I guess that means you're going," she sighed.
"Yes, immediately. If you stay, there'll be heat."
"I can handle it," she shrugged.
"I'm surprised you're staying, why bother?"
Juliette's hand reached out and lightly brushed the top of AJ's head. He shifted a little and she jumped back. "I-I have my reasons," she whispered.
"Be careful, I'll contact you later today, probably be best if you lay low until we're out."
"How long will that take?"
"About an hour."
"How long will you be gone?"
"Not sure," he told her.
"Are you even coming back?" she asked. There was a long pause. "Lorenzo? Lorenzo?" The line was dead and she couldn't be sure if he'd disconnected before or after she'd asked the question.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Alexis tried to look nonchalant as she exited the automatic doors. Just your average harried working mother. Pantsuit, diaper bag, walking too fast in heels and carrying a screaming child.
Kristina had not liked Mommy's attitude with Officer Peabody and was even less fond of her mother's obvious agitation as she raced through the hospital.
The limo was by the entrance. The door opened and she ducked in. They were in motion before she could even sit down properly.
Kristina was screaming at the top of her lungs.
"What's wrong with her?" Lorenzo asked.
"She-she knows I'm upset." She patted Kristina's back. "Hush, hush, it's okay."
"Pass her to me." Lorenzo reached for her but Alexis shook her head.
"Alexis, you're shaking. Let me hold her for a minute and you can have her right back when you calm down."
"What's happened?" she asked as Lorenzo pulled Kristina onto his lap and bounced her up and down.
"Tell Kristina it is going to be okay." He smiled at the little girl but she was staring at her mother and still crying.
Alexis pulled in a deep breath and smiled at Kristina. She and Lorenzo spent several minutes convincing her everything was fine, soothing her, smiling at her, totally faking it. She soon became tired from her crying jag and started to doze off. Lorenzo fastened her into the car seat on the seats that faced them. No one could say for certain if the seat had been placed in the proper area of the limo or not. There were no instructions provided by the car seat manufacturer on where it should be placed for maximum safety in a stretch limo.
Soothing Kristina had actually helped calm her own nerves somewhat. After all, Lorenzo looked calm. He appeared in control.
But she still had no idea what was going on and why Sonny was so late.
"Where are we going?" she asked in a falsely cheerful voice so she wouldn't alarm Kristina.
"Home," he told her and reached for her hand, squeezed it gently.
Kristina's eyes were closed and she was basically asleep. "Where is Sonny?"
"He's dead," Lorenzo whispered.
She jerked away from him, actually jumped from her seat and tried to get as far away from him as possible, but he had her hand and his grip tightened and he pulled her to him so hard she felt like he'd nearly jerked her arm out of the socket.
He pulled her to his side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her very close to him.
"Let go!" she snapped.
He put his finger to his lips. "Don't wake the baby," he whispered.
"Let me go," she hissed at him.
His grip around her shoulders actually tightened. "I had nothing to do with it."
Her breathing became ragged. "I don't believe you."
He squinted at her. "Alexis, I..."
"How?" she asked.
"Car bomb."
She pushed at him, balled up one hand into a fist and hit him, but she couldn't get any momentum the way he was holding her and it had no affect accept perhaps to make him angry. "Stop it!" he growled at her.
"Tell the driver to stop, let us out." She continued struggling.
"No." He was trying to keep his voice down because he didn't want to wake Kristina, one hysterical female was enough to deal with.
She dug her fingernails into his hand, he stifled a curse. That was it. He grabbed both her shoulders and laid her down on the seat and climbed on top of her and finally pinned her hands down.
"I'll scream."
Lorenzo looked over and to his relief, Kristina's eyes were still closed. "Do you want your daughter to see this?" he asked.
"Get off me!"
"No! Now listen to me..."
"He's dead? He's DEAD?"
"Yes."
"You killed him." She started crying.
"Alexis, no. I had nothing to do with this."
"Liar!" she hissed, as angry as she was with him, she didn't want Kristina to see anything.
"Alexis, I swear."
"I don't believe you!"
Lorenzo gritted his teeth. "Fine, don't believe me."
"Let us out." She squirmed underneath him and he was hurting her wrists.
"No, I told you we're going home and then we're leaving."
"You leave. I want you out of the house."
"We're all leaving."
"My daughter and I aren't going anywhere."
"Yes, you are. Now when we get..."
"Get off me! You bastard, what did I just tell you? Let me go, leave me alone."
"Alexis if you don't calm down..."
"What? What? Are you going to kill me, too?"
"This is not going to be very pleasant for you if you fight me."
"You're a liar and a murderer!"
"You would be better off right now if you had allowed me to kill him!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
She was still squirming and he suddenly realized she was very close to moving one of her knees in between his thighs and he knew exactly what she planned to do next.
He flattened her thighs so she lost her leverage, tightened his grip even further on her wrists and she was going to have bruises and he hated it but she was giving him no choice and it was pissing him off more and more.
"So help me God, Alexis. If you don't stop this and do as you're told..."
Her eyes opened wide in horror, "Do as I'm told?"
"Yes, do as you're told! Stop fighting me right now or I'll make you stop and you won't like it. We're going home, you need to pack anything you don't want to lose, forget clothes and toiletries, they can all be replaced, just pack what you don't want to lose, baby pictures, any jewelry, anything you don't want to lose permanently, anything that can't be replaced."
"Where's Wong?"
"He's driving the car back, he'll help you."
"No, he'll stop you."
Lorenzo frowned, "Alexis, Corinthos is dead."
"Murderer."
He ignored her and continued, "And I don't know who did it or why so we are leaving the country until I know more, but to do that, we have to cover our tracks so no one comes after us."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"And if you choose to fight me on this, I'll tie and gag you, whatever it takes to get you on the plane, but let me be perfectly clear, you and Kristina are coming with me and you will do as you're told until I find out who's behind this and what they want."
"You can't do this! You can't force me. I HATE you!" she spat.
"I know, Alexis," he sighed wearily. "They always do."
