Chapter Eighteen

"ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE." Sonny replied. "It would make sense why this guy is helping Brenda get revenge on me. There must be more in it for him then just making the little woman happy."

"So, what do you think he'll do next?" Jason asked.

"I have no idea." Sonny answered. "This guy is a total unknown quanity as far as I'm concerned. Look at the scam he tried to pull on me to convince me I had dreamed being kidnapped by him. I think we can expect anything and everything from this guy." Sonny began to pace the docks. "If he's out to take control of my operation from me, his most likely ploy will to be to use Brenda against me. He probably knows when I get around Brenda, it messes with my head and I don't think clearly."

"Then you need to stay away from Brenda." Jason told him.

"What I need." Sonny retorted. "Is to find out where Alcazar is. Now I know who my enemy is, I want to keep a close eye on him." Sonny began to walk away.

"Enemies, Sonny." Jason corrected him. "Don't forget that Brenda is just as much your enemy as Alcazar is."

~ ~ ~

BRENDA STORMED INTO their penthouse suite in a fury. "Was it really necessary to have your drive come and fetch me." She rounded on Alcazar as she stormed into the room.

"I sent you on a mission." He reminded her. "You were to go to see Carly Corinthos and then you were to return here." He added angrily. "But you decided to take advantage of the situation by going in search of Corinthos." He grabbed her by the arm. "I told you you were to stay away from him until I sent you to him."

She snatched her arm away from him. "Why can't we both have what we want?" She asked him. "You want Sonny's mob and I want Sonny. You let me have him, and I'll get you what you want."

"You belong to me." He told her. "When you married me you became my property."

"I'm no man's property." She spat back. "I've belonged to one man and only one man in my life and that man is Sonny." She advised him. "Make it easy on yourself, Alcazar. Let me see Sonny, because I'll just try to see him the minute your back is turned." She added. "We're not back in Spain. You can't lock me in a dungeon. I have friends in this town who will come to my aid if they think you're mistreating me. Make it easy on yourself. Let me see Sonny whenever I please. It'll be in your own best interest. The more I see him, the easier it'll be for you to take over the mob from Sonny."

Alcazar glared at her. He wanted to tell her no. He now knew the only way to punish her for what she had done to him, was to keep her away from Corinthos. He was the only thing that truly mattered to her. But what she said was true. The more she was getting in Corinthos' face causing trouble between him and his wife, the more he'd be distracted from business and the easier it would be for him to take over the entire operation.

Well, he tried to comfort himself. Why not let her be near her precious Sonny. Once he had taken over Corinthos' operation, she'd have the pleasure of watching him kill her lover, before he killed her. By letting her see Corinthos and be with him, he would just increase her pain when he made her watch him die. So, why not let her win now, when it would cause her so much more pain in the end.

"Fine." He gave in bad-naturedly. "You may see Corinthos whenever you feel like without any interference from me."

"Thank you." She smiled. "May I go and look for him now?"

"Be my guest." He spat. It's your funeral, not to mention his.

She grabbed her purse and sailed out the door. As he watched her leave, he didn't know it was possible to hate someone so much. How had he fallen for that lying slut's lies. Corinthos was more than welcome to her. Before she was through with him she was going to bring about his total destruction.

~ ~ ~

SONNY RETURNED HOME to the mess that used to be his living room. "Carly?" He yelled. "Are you here?" He got no answer and figured she must have gone out. Great that meant he was going to have to clean up the mess she made. Then he laughed bitterly. Wasn't that the story of her life. Someone always had to clean up the mess Carly made.

He went to the kitchen and got a broom and dustpan. As he swept up the mess, he began to think about the current mess his life was in. Jason was right, he had to stay away from Brenda. Whenever he got near her he didn't think. And the best way to make sure he stayed away from her would be to recommit himself to Carly and their marriage. But could he really do it?

He'd given Carly everything he knew how to give when they got back together and still it hadn't been enough for her. She lied about everything to him. If the sun had been shining, she would have told him it was a rainy day. And that was before he'd cheated on her with Brenda. Just how much worse would she be now? Especially if she realized he was still in love with Brenda.

There was no sense in denying it to himself, the same way he had denied to Jason when he asked him about it. But just because he loved her, didn't mean he had to let himself give into it again. He saw what giving into it got him. Her putting drugs in his drink to knock him out and waking up in a hospital bed not know what was real and what wasn't. Thanks but no thanks. So considering the alternative was deciding to give Carly another chance and trying to make it work really that bad?

It wasn't like he wasn't in love with Carly. He still was. Just not the way he was in love with Brenda. But it wasn't like he was only considering giving his marriage to Carly another chance just because he wanted to use her as a buffer against Brenda. They had something real together until Carly's lies had ruined it. And if he committed himself to Carly one last time, it would stop him from giving in to his feeling for Brenda again.

Sonny turned around when he heard the crunch of someone walking on broken glass. "So, you're back." Carly replied. "Did you find your precious Brenda?" Carly knew very well he hadn't. She'd followed him down to the docks where he'd run into Jason, then followed him back here.

Deciding there was no time like the present to approach Carly about a reconciliation, he took a stab at trying to explain to her what had happened to him. Unfortunately, it was such a fantastical tale, he doubted she'd even believe him. But he had to give it a try.

"Carly." He looked at her as she headed into the kitchen. "It's wasn't the way you think." She turned to him waiting for him to continue. "Brenda and me. I didn't see her and crawl in bed with her. It wasn't some big romantic holiday I had with her. It's far more complicated than that."

She walked over to him, then flopped on the couch. "Then explain it to me." She snapped. "I'm all ears."

"I was kidnapped." He revealed. "She got her husband to kidnap me. She told him she wanted revenge against me for leaving her standing at the altar. Then he left us alone and she tricked me into thinking she was still in love with me and she'd only lied to her husband about wanting revenge against me."

"So, you slept with her?" She snapped.

"It's a lame thing to say." Sonny replied. "But she seduced me. She had me totally in her power and she had the guards to back her up to make me do whatever she wanted me to do."

"And what did she want you to do?" Carly wanted to hear all the gory details.

"She made me strip off all my clothes and stand naked before her." He told her. "She made me get in the bathtub and let her bathe me. Then she made me sleep in the same bed as her."

"Did she also make you make love to her?" Carly exploded.

"No." Sonny admitted. "I was with her of my own freewill. She told me her husband would return in the morning and when he returned he would kill us both. That it was our last chance to be together."

"So you took it." She cried. "You're still in love with her, aren't you?"

Sonny didn't answer her. What good would it do to admit it to her. It would only make things more difficult between them. "I'm willing to give our marriage another chance." He said instead. "If you can try to get past the fact I slept with Brenda, I'll try to get past all the lies you told me." He added. "The choice is yours. What will it be? Do I move back into our bedroom tonight or do we end this marriage once and for all?"

~ ~ ~

BRENDA STEPPED OFF the elevator and walked towards Sonny penthouse. After going to some of their old haunts in an attempt to try and find him, Brenda decided to return to his penthouse and camp out on his doorstep if necessary until he finally came home. The door was ajar as she raised her hand to knock on the door. She peered into the apartment through the crack in the door and felt her blood boil over what she saw. Standing in the midst of a sea of broken glass was Sonny and Carly. He had her in his arms and he was kissing her the way he had kissed her only a few weeks ago. That bastard, she spat. After everything they had shared together he had crawled right back into that bitch's bed. Oh, he was going to pay for that. If it was the last thing she did, she would make him pay.

She turned on her heel and jabbed the elevator call button. She didn't know quite how she'd make him pay, yet, but she vowed she'd find a way. Sonny Corinthos was not going to get away betraying her like this. Not again. She didn't go through all she did to save that bastard's miserable life so he could live happily ever after with that bitch. They'd better enjoy kissing each other while they could, Brenda suddenly smiled, because when she was through with both of them they'd be tearing each other's throat out.