a fanfic by SonnyandAlexisGal
Chapter Four
“He’s good,” Sonny answers as evenly as he can manage. “I’ll tell him that you asked about him. So? Now what?”
“Well, I thought that maybe we could work a deal…”
“I need to speak with Alexis first.”
“And you will…later – when the time is right…I just wanted to go over a few ground rules first.”
“Go ahead.”
“When the time comes, I will give you a series of directions to a series of locations. You’ll only have a certain amount of time to get to the locations. You will follow these directions to the letter. I’ll be able to see you arrive at each location. And if I see the cops or Benny or anybody else who works for you following behind…well let’s just say that your lovely lady lawyer…won’t be as lovely as she was when you saw her last…”
“Understood. And let me make you a promise.”
“What’s that?”
“If you hurt Alexis in any way…I’ll make you pay for it – even if I have to crawl back from my grave to do it…Are we clear?”
“Perfectly,” Roscoe says. “I’ll be in contact.”
With that, Roscoe abruptly hangs up.
_________________________________________________________
Alexis rolls her head around on her shoulders and tries to shake off the stiffness in her neck that comes from sleeping while sitting upright.
She feels disoriented. She has no idea of whether it is daytime or nighttime or late at night or early in the morning. She just knows that she is still in the small room and still tied to a chair.
And hungry.
Her arms and legs feel numb but she tries to wriggle them – to try to get them loose from the ropes.
She hears the sound of a lock turning and sits at attention.
The door opens slowly. Roscoe walks in, smiling pleasantly and carrying a brown paper bag.
“Hello, Miss Davis,” he says as he closes the door.
“When am I going to get out of here?” she asks abruptly.
“All in good time,” he answers. “I brought you some food.”
“No, thank you.”
“Oh, come on,” Roscoe says as he approaches her. “You must be hungry by now. Besides you have to keep up your strength.”
“In other words, I’m going to be here for awhile…”
“Possibly not,” he answers. “I told you. It all depends on Corinthos. So? Shall I untie you?”
Alexis reluctantly nods.
“Good,” Roscoe says. “Wouldn’t want you to starve. Sonny would never forgive me…”
He bends over and places the paper bag at her feet. Then he squats and slowly undoes the rope that binds her to the chair.
Alexis feels the ropes around her arms and legs loosen. She rubs the circulation back into her arms as she watches Roscoe standing in front of her, holding the rope in his hands.
“Better?” he asks.
“Much better,” she answers. “Thank you…May I stand?”
“Sorry,” Roscoe answers. “It’s much easier for me to keep track of you while you’re in that chair.”
“But you said that no one’s around to hear me scream. Where can I possibly go?”
“Oh, I’m sure that an intelligent woman like you could think of some way to frustrate a man like me and, frankly, I don’t have the time, Miss Davis…I’d eat if I were you.”
She reaches down and picks up the paper bag at her feet. It feels warm. As she opens it, she recognizes the aroma of a toasted bagel – an aroma that never smelled so wonderful before. When she unwraps it, she sees that there is cream cheese in the center.
“I guessed at the cream cheese.”
Alexis takes a bite and chews it slowly, savoring the taste.
“Thank you,” she manages.
“You’re welcome,” he says. “I just spoke with Corinthos…”
Alexis stops eating and looks up at him.
“You spoke to Sonny?” she repeats. “What…what did he say?”
“Well…actually, you should feel rather appreciated, Miss Davis. He seems only too willing to do whatever it takes to get you back safely…”
“What else did he say?”
“Just that he wants to speak with you himself – make sure that you’re really alright. That sort of thing…”
“Oh…”
“And actually,” he says, “the two of you have something in common...”
“Do I want to know what that is?”
“Emotion. I heard it in his voice…and I’m seeing it in your eyes right now when you're talking about him…Guess I can’t really blame him. You really are quite a woman. Much as I hate to admit it, Corinthos actually has good taste – except for that ex-wife of his…”
“You don’t like Carly?” she manages between bites.
“Well, she’s not really very smart, is she? I mean she tried to turn him in to the Feds. How did she think that would play out? In our business, that’s an offense punishable by death. Yet she’s still alive…I’ve always known that Corinthos is too weak to do the things that have to be done – the unpleasant things…”
“Unpleasant things? You mean like killing his wife? Well, yes – that would certainly be unpleasant…Maybe it isn’t that Sonny is weak. Maybe it’s simply that Sonny’s smart enough to know that he shouldn’t kill a person if he doesn’t have to…”
“Miss Davis, a large part of this business is appearance. If you appear to be weak, your enemies will come after you…much as I’m doing right now.”
“The man that you used to work for was a cold-blooded animal who didn’t mind preying on small children and families. Sonny isn’t like Sorel…”
Roscoe smiles.
“Sorel was weak, too. And stupid. I was going to make a move on him myself but his daughter beat me to it…Now the only thing left between me and control of this entire territory is Corinthos…”
“Should you be telling me this?” she asks.
He shrugs.
“No harm in it.”
“Why not – because you intend to kill me anyway?”
“Now, now,” Roscoe says. “I told you. Corinthos is holding the cards. Not me.”
“Mr. Roscoe,” Alexis begins in a steady voice, “please don’t take me for a fool because I’m not a fool – I assure you…I can identify you…I’m something of a danger to you. You’ve already admitted to me that you intend to kill Sonny…You can’t afford to let me live…can you?”
“I was right,” he says. “You are a very intelligent woman…But, as it happens, I do need you alive, Miss Davis. May I call you Alexis?”
She shakes her head no.
“I would prefer not…”
“Very well…In any event, you are my bargaining chip. Without you I’d never be able to get Corinthos out here – without his bodyguards and without the cops…You are going to deliver him right to my door.”
“Suppose…suppose he doesn’t come? Then what?”
“Oh, he’ll come alright. You see he hasn’t figured out yet that having people that you care about is a liability in our business. When there is someone out there that you would die to protect, you’re vulnerable and open to attack and, from what I can see, you are that person for Corinthos…And that’s what I’ll take him down with…”
“His concern for me…”
“Concern, love – whatever you call it. It’s what I’m going to use to kill him…Well, I’ve enjoyed our little visit but…I have to be going now…”
“Can you leave me untied?” Alexis quickly asks. “I hate being tied up…If you lock the door, I won’t be able to get out. There aren’t any windows…Please?”
“I’m sorry,” Roscoe says before taking the bag out of her hands and dropping it on the floor. He wraps the thick rope around her once, twice, and then three times before securing the knot out of her reach. “You have to be immobile. After all, I can’t have you hiding behind the door, waiting to hit me over the head with this chair when I come back now, can I?”
He bends down and picks up the bag containing what is left of the bagel.
“When are you coming back?” Alexis asks.
“After Corinthos squirms a little more,” he says. He looks at Alexis and smiles. “Don’t worry, Miss Davis. It won’t be long now…”
He walks to the door and pulls it open. He steps out of the room and pulls the door shut. Alexis can hear the lock turn.
She takes a deep breath and exhales.
“I can’t let you use me to kill Sonny,” Alexis whispers to herself. Her eyes scan her surroundings. “There has got to be a way out of here. I just have to concentrate…and find it…”
__________________________________________________________
Sonny sits quietly as the desk, staring out in front of him at nothing in particular. It is early afternoon. It has been hours since Roscoe’s phone call and there has been no news since then.
Sonny closes his eyes and remembers waking up with Alexis a couple of days before. The pattern was established on that first morning at the Port Charles Hotel. He always wakes up first. He purposely snuggles closer to Alexis and gives her a gentle squeeze so that she wakes up. They chat contentedly about the day ahead. They cuddle. They laugh.
And then they make love.
God, I miss you, Sonny thinks.
I won’t let anything else happen to you, Alexis. I promise. I’ll get you out of there – wherever you are. I’ll make sure you’re safe and protected – whatever it takes.
There’s a quick knock at the door.
“Yeah?” Sonny calls.
The door opens and Adam peeks in.
“Mike Corbin,” he announces.
“Whatever,” Sonny says as he stands. “Let him in.”
The door opens wider and Mike walks into the apartment.
“Why the tight security?” he asks as the door closes behind him.
“What do you want, Mike?”
“Is there any news on Courtney and AJ?”
“Uh…they’re on some island in the Caribbean called St. Sofia – at least that’s where they were yesterday…”
“Yesterday?” Mike asks. “Well, do you have somebody bringing them back?”
Sonny shakes his head no.
“Well, why the hell not?” Mike asks. “My God, Michael. She’s your sister!”
“I know who she is,” Sonny interrupts.
“You don’t even care, do you? She didn't do things when you told her to or how you told her to...and now you just don't care what happens to her...”
Sonny turns away from him and begins to pace.
“Not now, Mike…”
“How can you be so casual about this?”
“Because I’ve got more important things to worry about!” Sonny yells. He stops to collect himself. He takes a deep breath. “Courtney is important but…this other thing…has to come first.”
Mike studies the Sonny that is standing in front of him. It’s obvious that he hasn’t shaved. His clothes don’t have their usual crispness. He seems distracted.
And he’s pacing.
“What is it?” Mike asks. “What’s wrong?”
“Alexis…is missing…”
“Missing? For how long?”
“Long enough…”
“Oh, my God…I’m sorry, Michael…I hear that Helena Cassadine escaped. You don’t think that…”
“Helena Cassadine’s got nothin’ to do with this…”
“Then who does?” Mike asks.
Sonny stares at him for a moment.
“Okay,” he says. “I haven’t told Kristina but…There’s this guy by the name of Roslyakov – they call him Roscoe…He’s making a move against me and…he’s using Alexis to do it…”
“Has he contacted you?”
“Early this morning…It’s happening all over again, Mike. Someone who…who matters to me…is in danger because of me…”
“Alexis is an intelligent woman, Michael. She made the choice to be your attorney. She made the choice to move next door to you. She knew what she was doing. You can’t blame yourself for this.”
“I’ve got everybody out looking, you know – trying to find her…”
“So what do you need me to do?”
“There’s nothing’ you can do,” Sonny says. “I’ve just gotta – you know – wait - find out what Roscoe wants…and figure out a way to get her back…”
“Well, I know how close you and Alexis are…”
Sonny resumes pacing.
“She’s my best friend, Mike.”
“Right,” Mike says. “That’s what I said and…you’re gonna get her back safe and sound, Michael…You’ll make the right choices and you’ll bring her back home.”
He stops pacing and stares at Mike for a moment.
“Thanks, Pop,” he says softly.
Mike is caught off guard by the sudden softness that he hears in Sonny's voice. And he can see the weariness in Sonny's eyes.
“Well,” he begins. “I’ll get out of your way or…I can stay – if you want me to…”
Sonny shrugs.
“It’s up to you…”
“Okay then,” Mike says. “I’ll uh…stick around.”
“Whatever…I’m gonna go uh…make some coffee. You want some?”
Mike nods.
“Thanks.”
He watches as Sonny disappears down the hall and into the kitchen.
He takes off his jacket and drapes it over the back of the sofa.
And worries about his son.
I don’t know what’s been going on with you and Alexis lately, he thinks. But obviously something is different…If for some reason something goes wrong…and you can’t save her…I’m afraid to think what it’ll do to you…