Final Betrayal

 A Sonny and Brenda Story

Chapter 1

She lay on the beach, exhausted from the running, swimming, sun and stress. She lay with her eyes closed, until she felt him lower himself down onto her. Opening her eyes, she stared into his. "We made it baby," he told her. "Yes," she whispered back. After holding her gaze a moment longer, he took her mouth into a fierce kiss. Brenda moaned and arched up into him. Sonny released her mouth, and buried his head into her neck. "Brenda," he moaned; "Sonny," she moaned in reply.

Jax watched Brenda sleep. Despite Sonny and Jason's insistence that she live with Jason, Jax refused to let her leave the cottage. He was determined to keep her as far away from Corinthos' influence as he could. It was a miracle that he had her back after all these years, and he wasn't going to lose her again. Brenda stirred, and Jax smiled down at her. The smile was wiped from his face, and the hope from his heart, when she softly called out Sonny's name.

Carly couldn't relax; she couldn't calm down. Her head was spinning with the tale she heard from Catherine on New Year's Eve; the tale of Catherine's world falling to pieces because of the mob. She tried talking to Sonny about it, but he wasn't interested. "That happened a long time ago Carly; it's got nothing to do with us." Carly didn't know it, but Sonny was already nervous that she was going to do something crazy. She'd been talking non-stop about him getting out of the business ever since Ric first mentioned it to her. But Carly was never one to stop and think, or consider what Sonny wanted, and this time wasn't any different. She waited anxiously until the knock on the door came. Johnny opened it and announced Ric. "I really need to talk to you!" Carly exclaimed as Ric entered. Johnny glared at the man's back, then closed the door and went back out into the hall. He took out his cell phone and dialed. "He's here again boss." He listened as Sonny instructed him to continue to keep tabs on Ric's comings and goings, nodded his head, said, "yes sir," and then hung up.

Back inside, Carly was telling Ric how she couldn't shake Catherine's tale of woe. "It was pretty intense," he commented. "Intense? No, it was tragic. And I can't let it happen to my family…I won't!" "What do you want to do?" "Tell me more about making Sonny legitimate; how would it work?" Ric shook his head, "your husband was very clear about this Carly. He wants nothing to do with it." "He doesn't know what's best for him a lot of times Ric. He's obsessed with saving Brenda, but doesn't give a thought to saving himself!" "Maybe he doesn't need to be saved," Ric stated. "Maybe he's perfectly happy with the way things are." Carly winced remembering that Sonny had told her exactly the same thing. But she wanted Sonny and her family out of the life. "OK, maybe so," she replied. "Can you just humor me and tell me how it would work? I know he'll never go for it, but I just want to know." Ric studied her eyes and saw genuine panic there. The last thing he wanted to do was to cross Sonny Corinthos. Luis Alcazar only thought he had been crossed, and Ric ended up in a South American prison. Ric knew he'd be a dead man if he went against Sonny. "As long as you know I won't help you do anything behind Sonny's back, I'll tell you how it would work." Carly nodded her head, "agreed. Now tell me."

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