"Be sure the jet is ready, and the decoys. We want the authorities jumping through their usual hoops when we takeoff."

Mancuso nodded and rose from his seat, heading out to coordinate the guards and contact the pilot. "And when should I tell them we'll be leaving?"

Renata, who was standing at the bar, finished pouring himself a drink. He drew a sip of the expensive liqueur and savored it before answering.

"Tomorrow morning. Lorenzo won't make me wait longer than that."

"You seem very certain."

"You aren't?" Renata asked, turning toward his right hand.

"The man is infamous for his self-control," Mancuso explained. "But Lorenzo practically came unhinged when I got near his supposed sex toy and her child. You asking him to bring Ms. Davis along should be... interesting."

"I don't believe for a moment that he views Ms. Davis as merely a sexual diversion, Nicolo. If you do, you disappoint me."

The blond man bit down the snide reply he'd have loved to deliver to his employer's words and waited. He knew the unnecessary schooling was unfinished. One day, truly, Renata's assumption that he was stupid was going to push upon the hit man's last nerve.

"Lorenzo isn't his brother. If it was Luis who had seduced a woman like Alexis Davis into his bed, it would've been for sport, an effort to prove even a smart woman couldn't resist him." Renata laughed and took another sip of his drink. "I have to admit, it amuses me no end to wonder what Luis' last thought was... when he realized he was being taken out by a woman."

Even Mancuso chuckled at that image. He and Luis had gone whoring together enough times for him to know what the elder Alcazar's thought would have been. The litany of outraged swearing had probably only ended when he crashed into the roof of the car below that balcony.

"As for our trip," Renata continued, "there's no doubt that Lorenzo will show in Venezuela. He's the best man to replace our lost shipment and he's eager to keep favor with me. What is in question, of course, is whether or not the lovely Ms. Davis will be... encouraged... to accept my invitation."

"And if he doesn't bring her, you'll know for sure that she's his weakness." Mancuso stated, certain he knew where the conversation was going.

Renata took another sip of his drink, a sigh of satisfaction escaping him. "I already know she's his weakness. As you said, his reaction to your surprise visit was quite informative. His attempt to cover up that mistake was even more telling. That's not the point of this."

Mancuso hated to be wrong, but despite his earlier certainty that he understood his boss' plan, now he was lost. If he already knew that Lorenzo was vulnerable where this woman was concerned, then why were they wasting time?

"Be sure there's a good supply of Cristal on the plane. According to my research, it's Ms. Davis' favorite."

The dismissal told Nicolo that he was going to be left in the dark about what Renata had in mind for Lorenzo's lover. Swallowing his frustration, the man strode off to complete their travel plans to South America.

*****

He was tempted to ignore the phone when it rang. Lorenzo was in no mood for anything after his fight with Robert.

[i]"Did you hear a word I said to you earlier? Alexis is pregnant, Robert. Pregnant. You can't possibly think I'm going to drag her any further into this."

Robert let out a long, slow breath and then placed a comforting hand on Lorenzo's arm. "I know you don't like it, but the truth is... you may not have any choice."

"Don't you say that to me," Lorenzo screamed. "This man has already taken my life away from me once before. I'm not going to hand him a chance to do it again."

"Look, mate, I know this isn't what you planned on when all this started, but, Lorenzo, remember what we talked about when we were down in Venezuela. The agent can't get too far behind the man, or someone [b]will[/b] get hurt, and it just might be the people the man is desperate to protect."[/i]

And that was the hell the man and the agent found themselves trapped in mutually inside of Lorenzo's tortured self. How was he going to stay alive and protect his family?

The phone continued to ring and he pulled out his cell. Her name flashed up at him, deepening the pain of his internal conflict, but he knew that if he didn't take her call, she would grow worried for him.

"How are you today?" he asked, hoping Alexis couldn't hear the tension in his voice.

"I'm wonderful. Are you on your way home?"

"You sound very happy about something." His answer was a deflection. Lorenzo wanted to go home to her, but he wasn't sure he was ready. He didn't know yet what he was going to do, how he was going to handle the new dilemma in front of him. How many hours had passed since his promise to share all of his burdens with her? And already, he wondered if he could keep his word.

"Let's just say Kristina and I had a very productive day."

"I thought her ears were bothering her this morning."

"They were," Alexis confirmed. "But she felt better later and Sonny called and wanted to see her, so..."

"Ahh," Lorenzo cleared his throat. "How did that go?"

"Well, I wanted to wait till you were here, but... okay, I can't wait. He agreed to temporarily go with the custody proposal I drafted, which means no court and no insisting Kristina and I move out of our home."

His eyes closed in a gesture of relief. Lorenzo felt true gratitude that something had managed to sway Corinthos because at least for now, there was one war Alexis and Kristina would not be caught in the middle of.

"Oh, sweetheart, that's wonderful, really."

"Yeah," Alexis agreed, "it is. And we want to celebrate with you."

At a total loss for words, Lorenzo said nothing. She sounded so relaxed, so relieved. How was he supposed to now thrust her into danger and disrupt all that? But Alexis knew him too well. She would know he was withholding something if he opted not to tell her the truth about Renata's request. And then she would feel betrayed.

"Enzo?"

His silence was, as usual, speaking to her when words failed him. His choice was really very obvious. In fact, there was no choice to be made, at least by him.

"I need to talk to you about something. I'll be home in a few minutes, okay?"

This time it was Alexis' silence that filled the air for a beat before her voice, which was now less joyful, came over the phone again.

"I'll wait for you upstairs. Whatever it is, it'll be okay."

"I hope you're right. See you soon."

They both ended the call and then Lorenzo nodded toward Hector. His driver gave a slight bob of his head in return and began moving to his right so he could turn the next corner and head back to the compound.

For all the desire he had to insulate Alexis from this, Lorenzo knew that he had no right to. He had revealed his other life to her, and she had accepted it without question and stood by his side. You didn't reward that kind of love and loyalty by then deciding to shut the other person out of the next crisis. He would give anything if he could, but he wouldn't.

As the limousine pulled in through the gate, Nano walked out of the front door. He stared the car down and Lorenzo exited, walking toward him. The moment he had stormed out of Robert's place, Lorenzo had called seeking not his chief of security, but his friend.

[i]"Whatever happens, Lorenzo," he had said, "you know that Renata will have to kill every last one of us before we let him hurt Alexis. Don't doubt that for one moment."[/i]

It was one of the few times in recent memory that Nano had let himself step far enough out of the role he occupied daily as Lorenzo's right hand to reveal the depth of his concern for his friend. Now, however, the mask of cool professionalism that was Nano's normal demeanor was back in place.

"Ms. Davis is waiting upstairs. Alice took Kristina out for dinner so the two of you could have some privacy."

"Thank you," Lorenzo said. "I'll be down later so we can discuss arrangements for the trip."

Nano nodded, and Lorenzo headed inside the house. He found Alexis in their room in the large chair by the balcony doors. When he closed the door, her eyes swung toward him. It moved him beyond measure to see only welcome and understanding looking back at him rather than the reproach and fear he thought he deserved.

"Come here," she said, her hand lifted and extended toward him. He did as she asked, and when his fingers entwined with hers, she rose up and snuggled against him for a moment.

"Now sit down."

Despite the knot in his stomach, Lorenzo chuckled. He also did as she commanded, and once he was seated, Alexis eased down onto his lap.

"This is about him, isn't it?"

Lorenzo nodded. "Yes. Renata called me today. He needs me to replace a shipment that he lost."

"You have to go away again?" she asked.

"Yes, back to Venezuela. But that's not all."

Alexis drew her hand up and let it gingerly brush against his bearded right cheek. "So what's 'all'?"

"He... he wants you to come."

She was surprised. "Wh--why would he want me there?"

"Well, he claims it's because he's heard how brilliant you are and he's curious about how you set up our legitimate businesses."

Lorenzo watched her teeth sink into her lower lip as she nodded, her eyes telling clearly of her concern. "But?"

"But more than likely, this is a move to test me, see how much I trust him. And more importantly, to gauge how important you are to me."

Alexis thought that over, then she sighed and leaned her head next to his. "What happens if I don't go?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do, or you wouldn't be this worried." Alexis countered. "So what happens if I don't go?"

"He'll probably be suspicious. It would be highly unusual for someone to deny a direct request from him."

Alexis stood up and walked across the room. She took a moment, then turned, arms crossed, and looked at him pointedly.

"Then I'm going."

He opened his mouth to argue, but she didn't give him the chance. She was back in front of him in two long strides, and she knelt down with her hands on his knees.

"You'll be in danger if I don't go, and what's the point of that when my presence is enough to keep it from happening?"

"I'm in danger every time I'm around Renata," Lorenzo said. "That's nothing new."

The look on Alexis' face morphed from concern to the one she flashed at Kristina when the toddler threw a toy in frustration. "Don't be obstinate. You know what I'm saying."

Now Lorenzo stood. He crossed to the balcony doors, leaning against them with his back to her. "Alexis, I don't want you around this man. I told you what he's like, what's he capable of."

"Yes, you did," she said, coming closer to him. "And believe me, I'd rather do a great many things than spend a minute in the company of a man who's hurt you so badly."

Now she came still closer, her hand dropping down upon on his shoulder. "But I also know that you have sacrificed years of your life for this... and you're too close now to let anything stop you. If I can help you, you need to let me."

Lorenzo knew he could no longer imagine his life without her, but some small part of him wished now that she didn't love him so much. Any other woman would've run from him and his dangerous baggage. But not this woman.

"I can send you and Kristina away," he offered. "I can tell him you had a family emergency and had to go to Europe and you can stay there for awhile until..."

She moved in front of him. Alexis forced his eyes to hers by using her hands to lift his chin off of his chest.

"No."

Again, he went to argue. Again, she would have none of it.

"No. Kristina needs to be here at home for a million reasons, not the least of which is that she needs the emotional security we've been able to give her so she can bond with her father and not feel like her world is spinning out of control. And believe me, it's not going to be better for me to be a continent away wondering what's happening to you. I told you I trust that you can protect us, and I meant it."

He closed his eyes as his heart ached at her resolve.

"But the baby..."

"Is safely tucked away inside me. Gabriel will be just fine."

Her voice was filled with a gentleness that made him want to spirit her away that much more to keep her safe. But it was no use. Lorenzo had told her the truth so she could make her own choices for herself and their children, and he had no right to deny her that now.

"Nano will stay here with Kristina," he promised. "I'll make sure that she's absolutely safe."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I know you will. We both will. So I'm going to call Stefan and ask him to come stay with her while we're gone. It'll make it easier to have us both away if her uncle is here to tuck her in."

"Your brother's going to come to his senses one of these days," Lorenzo noted, "and come tell me how completely undeserving of you I am."

"He'd be one to talk," she shot back, flashing him a smile. "On a different note though... if we are going to do this, there's something we need to discuss."

"What is it?"

Alexis looked down and sighed, then she moved away from him and against the wall so they were facing each other from opposite sides of the balcony doors.

"I agreed to make day after tomorrow Sonny's first official visitation day with Kristina. I can't really back out of that without it raising some red flags we'd probably rather avoid right now. So how are you going to feel about him being in your home when neither of us are here?"

Lorenzo shrugged. "I don't love it, but it's for Kristina, so it can't be helped. I'll tell Nano to allow it."

She moved to him again, hand extended. He took her hand and lifted the palm to his lips, kissing it.

"I should go out and speak with Stefan. And I need to call Sonny."

"And I need to call my staff in Venezuela," Lorenzo said sadly. "And Renata, of course."

Alexis moved into his arms, nuzzling her cheek against his. "It's going to be all right. We're all going to be all right."

"Promise?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I absolutely promise," she said. "I told you, I'm not going to let anything separate our family. Nothing and no one."

The strength and conviction in her voice amazed Lorenzo, despite all the ways in which she had proven those qualities to him during their months together. She was so sure... he almost believed she could will them to safety.

Almost.

*****

Sonny came down the stairs and felt the chill grow the nearer he got to his wife. Carly had made an attempt to be pleasant when he had first come home, but when Michael had asked where he'd been and Sonny had said, "Visiting with Ms. Davis and her daughter Kristina," the glare from his wife had told him what the evening would be like. Thankfully Morgan had already fallen asleep and Michael was engrossed in one of his hundreds of video games.

"Am I supposed to call and tell you every time I spend time with my daughter?" Sonny asked, not even trying to hide his annoyance with her attitude. He knew she was hurt, and he didn't fault her for that. But Kristina was his child, and Carly's unwavering bitterness over that fact was already working on Sonny's nerves.

"Sonny, even if I asked you to, you probably wouldn't since you're gonna to be at Alexis' beck and call from now on."

He shook his head. "That's not what's happening. I told you, we have an agreement and we're setting up a schedule. There will be regular times I see Kristina or have her for visits."

"Yeah, visits I can't even be around for. I cannot believe you agreed to that."

"What the hell was I supposed to say to defend you, Carly?" Sonny countered, though he had to fight to keep his voice down. "You lie to Alexis, trick her into meeting you, cause a scene and you think I can tell Alexis she's wrong to not want you around Kristina?"

"Oh, do not tell me you are siding with her!" Carly picked up a few of the kids' toys and hurled them into the storage chest. "I would never do anything to hurt your precious daughter. I can't believe you'd even act like I might."

"I did not... you know what? There's no point to this." Sonny walked to the desk and sat down, his head falling into his hands. "No matter what I say, you're gonna make me out to be the bad guy here."

"I'm not the one who had a kid with someone else."

His eyes shot back toward her. Had he spoken then, it was likely their marriage would've been over. But he took a breath, and then he took another one. And then Sonny spoke.

"Don't forget, I made a choice to love Michael as my own. I'm not even asking that of you, Carly. I'm just asking you not to make me miserable every time I want to see my little girl."

"That's right," Carly said as she dropped the rest of the toys she'd accumulated into the chest, then walked toward him. "You got to make a choice, Sonny. What choice do I get here? 'Sorry, honey, but I got Alexis pregnant, so her baby's a part of [b]our[/b] life whether you like it or not'? That's my choice. That's what you're throwing in front of me. So I'm sorry if I'm a little pissed off, Sonny. Maybe you should've thought of that before you dragged that whore up to my bed and--"

The force of his hands on her arms registered in Sonny's head within seconds of him grabbing Carly. Ashamed, he released her, but he did not take let the fury he knew was blazing in his eyes dissipate even a little bit.

"That is why you aren't going to be around my daughter. You can't stop yourself, Carly. Hate just comes flying out of your mouth, and you don't care who it hurts. That's how you could hurt Kristina, and that is why... that is a damn big part of why I decided to accept Alexis' terms... for now."

Carly was shaking. He wasn't sure if it was out of fear or out of anger, and as much as it saddened him, he couldn't honestly say he cared much. There was only so much room he was going to give her to be furious about him sharing a child with another woman, and she had slammed up against that barrier with brute force.

The phone's ring sounded particularly shrill against the charged silence that stood between husband and wife. Sonny was grateful for the chance to get out of the conversation before more damage could be done. He snapped the device up and cleared his throat before speaking into the receiver.

"Hello."

"Hi, Sonny. It's Alexis."

"Oh, hey. Hi."

Sonny hadn't realized that, the moment he'd heard Alexis' voice, he had turned so his back was toward Carly. He didn't realize it until she stalked past him and out the door without so much as a backward glance or another word.

"Sonny? Is everything all right?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorry. What's going on?"

"I wanted to let you know that Lorenzo and I have had a business emergency come up, and we're going to have to go out of town for a few days."

His heart sank. It took Sonny a moment to realize that was his reaction rather than one of anger. He'd already been looking so forward to his next day with their little girl that he was too sad at the idea of postponing to be angry.

"I'm asking Stefan to stay here at the house with Kristina and Alice will be here. Lorenzo told Nano that you're welcome for as long as you like, so just come by for your visit as planned, okay?"

And just like that, not only did his unnecessary sadness disappear, so did his lingering upset over the fight with his wife. Sonny was going to see his daughter, and he was going to see her because Alexis was making sure that he did, just as she had promised. A little more of the hurt that her lie had caused him was erased as he realized how truly she was trying to work with him despite her very valid fears.

"Uh, okay. You're sure that's not gonna be a problem?" he asked, acknowledging how unlikely he'd have been to offer an open door to Lorenzo were the situations reversed.

"I'm sure. And if Stefan is grumpy, just ignore him."

That made him laugh. "I'll make a point of it."

She sighed, and something about the weight within the sound made Sonny worry.

"Alexis... you sure everything's okay?"

"Yes. Yes, everything is fine, it's just... this kind of came out of nowhere and it's been awhile since Kristina had to spare me for more than a few hours. But everything will be fine. She has her uncle and Alice... and now she has her daddy. It will all be fine."

But it wasn't all fine. Sonny could tell from the very fact that she'd used the word repeatedly in so few sentences. It was classic Alexis... and he was tempted to call her on it, to ask again what was wrong and to press until she told him. But he couldn't get past the feeling that he shouldn't. They had just barely found civil ground with one another again. And if what was wrong was about Lorenzo, he honestly didn't know if he could handle it. Sonny still felt sick every time he thought about his family living within the walls of that man's house. He could not let himself think about anything that went on between Alexis and Lorenzo inside it. Not if he wanted to keep the painful visions from the balcony at bay.

"Well, if there's anything I can do to help," he finally offered, "let me know. And tell Kristina I'll see her in a few days."

"I will. Good night, Sonny."

"Night, Alexis."

He let the phone slowly slip down from his shoulder, then Sonny replaced the receiver onto the cradle. His eyes then moved to the door and he wondered if perhaps Carly was across the hall, venting to Jason.

Sighing himself, he realized he didn't have the energy to go and look, not if it meant risking a new start to the same tired argument. Carly had hated Alexis from day one and the feeling had only gotten stronger. The truth about Kristina had cemented it. And he just didn't know how he was supposed to live with that bitterness every day when the targets would always be his little girl and her mother.

Too tired to think more about it, Sonny headed back to the stairs. He'd go spend some time with Michael and then he'd kiss his little boys good night. His mess of a marriage could wait until after that.

*****

Alexis had felt the unmistakable sense of something about to happen the moment Hector had volunteered to drive her to the docks for her trek to Spoon Island. It was unusual for her to use a driver at all if she was alone, and definitely odd for her to be driven in Lorenzo's limousine rather than her own car. It was the kind of thing she'd have normally asked Lorenzo about, but he was behind closed doors with Nano once again, most likely planning their trip to Venezuela. But because she was now fully aware of the pivotal role Hector played in Lorenzo's "other" life, Alexis had smiled and accepted his offer as she wondered what came next, unafraid but definitely curious.

The ride had been uneventful. Her conversation with Stefan had been anything but. It was hard to gauge which particular item of discussion upset him more, her trip with Lorenzo, which, despite her best efforts, her brother could tell was more than just "business," or her admonition that Stefan not interfere in Sonny's visit with Kristina in any way.

[i]"His unworthiness of Kristina aside, I will never forget the pain he caused you, Alexis, nor the toll his nefarious associations have taken on this family. You may choose to forgive him, but I will choose to stay outraged for you and for the rest of us."[/i]

Alexis shook her head. For all the pain and turmoil she and Stefan had caused one another in their lives together, they were certainly true siblings. What they did to each other was one thing, what some outsider did was quite another. And though she knew Stefan was fully aware that he himself had hurt her just as deeply as Sonny in the past, Sonny was not family... at least, not as far as her brother was concerned.

But he was Kristina's and, undeniably, Alexis'. Like most her family, her relationship with him was emotionally charged, filled with miscommunication and hurt and yet just as it had been with Stefan and Nikolas, too important to let go of completely, even in the darkest of days.

"Oh, what a family you're going to get, little man," Alexis whispered as she glanced down at her flat stomach, wondering again how her various loved ones would react to the news of Baby Gabriel Alcazar's impending arrival.

She leaned her head back against the seat, trying not to think too much past this moment. Alexis knew the next few days would be tension-filled. She didn't want to start obsessing over what could happen or might happen during their trip. She knew for a fact what would happen if she didn't go. Lorenzo would be in more danger than he already was. That was simply unacceptable to her.

"Ms. Davis."

Hector's voice came over the intercom as the car pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. The privacy glass slid down, revealing his face to her and Alexis sat up straight and stared back at him.

"Mr. Scorpio would like to speak with you."

Alexis nodded. So this was the "something" she had sensed. The door locks clicked and the passenger side rear door opened. A man she recognized from photos she had seen both at the PCPD in the memorial case and in Mac Scorpio's home climbed into the car and sat opposite her.

"I'm sorry to make our introduction this way," he said. "But I had to be sure no one else was tagging along before I stopped in."

A nod was all she could manage. The sense of outrage Alexis had felt toward this man when Lorenzo had told her his story returned full-force now that she was face to face with him.

"I understand that you're now fully briefed on what's going on." Robert paused, but when she said nothing, he went on. "That's good. It's good he has someone to share this with."

"It certainly was quite a burden you asked him to carry."

There was no way he had missed her cool tone or standoffish demeanor, but the WSB legend gave up no ground to her.

"Lorenzo and I shared a common goal and we've worked toward it together."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "You used his grief against him to get him to do your dirty work. You can pretty it up, but that's the way it is."

Robert nodded. "I'll give you that. But I did give him something he wanted."

"A chance to get revenge on the man who ruined his life," she said. "Yes, you gave him that. I'm just curious if you warned him that what you were sending him out to do would consume his entire existence."

"If he had gone after Renata on his own, he'd probably be dead," Robert countered, his tone slightly defensive.

"I'll give you that." Alexis echoed his earlier words. "But he's only been half alive for years, and you and I both know it. Lorenzo buried himself in becoming the man you needed him to be, and he nearly forgot who the hell he really was. That's over now... only his 'mission' isn't. He's been trapped in this lie for years, and he's trusting you to get him out of it."

"Meaning?" he asked, his eyebrows arched.

"Meaning you damn well better not let him down."

"I won't."

She still felt only disdain toward Scorpio, mostly because she did not believe that he had given a damn what happened to Lorenzo when he'd recruited him into this nightmare. But even the strength of that feeling didn't stop Alexis from sensing the true determination behind the man's words now. It softened her attitude just enough for her to deal with him as a potential ally rather than as a known enemy.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Scorpio?"

"Have you spoken with Lorenzo this evening?"

"Yes."

"He told you he has to leave town, I assume."

"He also told me that Mr. Renata wants me to come along."

Robert looked surprised. Alexis smiled slyly at that.

"You didn't expect him to bring that to me?"

"You didn't see him when he got off the phone with Renata," he replied. "I don't think I've ever seen him so angry... or so frightened."

Alexis sighed and crossed her arms in front of her. "I know. You're right on both counts. But he knew if he made the choice for me, I'd be furious."

"And your choice is?"

"I'm going."

Robert leaned back against the door. "I told him, and I want you to know, we've got people on the ground there. Since you're going to be at Lorenzo's house, we can do more to protect you."

"Lorenzo will protect me," she said. "You just make sure he can do what he has to do. He needs this to be over."

"Yeah," the agent said, shaking his head for emphasis. "I know he does. He's earned his happy ending, Ms. Davis. I'm gonna make sure he gets it."

With that as his parting statement, Robert opened the door and made his exit into the night. Hector started the car and they pulled away from the curb and started back toward home.

By the time they arrived, Alexis knew Kristina would be in bed already. She tiptoed into the nursery and leaned over to give her little one a whisper of a kiss, and then she headed for the bedroom. Lorenzo had their suitcases laid out and open, but both remained empty. Instead of packing, he was out on the balcony, the look on his face speaking volumes about the apprehension he felt. Alexis made her way to him, her cheek pressing against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Everything for Kristina is all set," she said. "Stefan will be here by the time she wakes up from her nap tomorrow, and Sonny will be by the next day for his visit."

Lorenzo turned and wrapped his arms around her. Alexis simply sank into his embrace, feeling his need to just ground himself by holding onto her. But she also knew she had to be as honest with him as he had been with her today.

"I just had a conversation with your friend," she said, looking up at him. Lorenzo realized who she meant and he shook his head in frustration.

"Don't worry," she said, "he just wanted to be sure I knew he was watching your back. I told him to be sure he did."

She snuggled back against him, and Lorenzo's hands moved up and down her back.

"Nano has hand-selected your security for the trip. A man named Colin that he trusts implicitly," he said. "Alexis, I don't want you to go anywhere without him by your side. Promise me."

"Of course I promise," she answered.

"I'm going to have to say things... be a way I wouldn't normally be around you."

She nodded, her head moving against his chest. "I understand. I don't want you to worry about that. I'm a Cassadine, remember? I know how to play this game."

He tried to pull away from her, but Alexis held tight and looked back up at him. Lorenzo's blue eyes cast downward, the pain in them causing a lump to form in her throat.

"This man taken so much from me. If anything happens to you or the baby..."

Alexis knew she could not offer him anything more in the form of words than the same assurances she had already given. And so she simply drew him back against her, her hands pressing into his back and held on... to him, to their future and to the life she hadn't known she'd ever want until Kristina and Lorenzo and the little growing being inside her had taught her to want it.

*****

Carly threw open the door of the room above Jake's that Skye had designated as their meeting place. Skye was standing at the mirror reapplying her lipstick. The red smudges on Coleman's face made it clear what had happened to the last application.

"Did you find out anything?"

Coleman motioned for her to shut the door and she did, then Carly crossed to the small table across the room and dropped her purse down.

"You're in a hell of a hurry there, aren't you?" Coleman asked. Skye finished her makeup fix and turned toward him.

"We both are, and you agreed to help us out with information, so please..."

"I agreed so long as you keep meeting my fees, Red."

Carly shuddered uncomfortably as the undeniable sexual chemistry between Skye and Coleman crackled in the room. The rich girls who got off on sleazing around with the low-rent types never made much sense to Carly. What good was a man who didn't have power or money?

"Well, I can tell you Alcazar's got somethin' goin' on. He's got his jet fueling up to take off tomorrow for South America."

"Can you find out who he's meeting with?" Skye asked. Coleman shook his head.

"Seems to be top secret. And when no one wants to let the cat outta the bag, that usually means one of three people. Lorenzo's one of 'em, and there's a two other guys who are major, major hitters. A French guy named Douschane and this freak named Renata."

"And there's no way you can find out what's going on?" Carly demanded, her body language translating her impatience. She knew she had a limited amount of time, and that was frustrating the hell out of her. She had to get a wedge between Sonny and Alexis and she had to do it fast, or Carly knew that her fragile marriage wasn't long for the world.

"I might be able to." Coleman stretched out on the bed, his hands behind his head. "With some money I might be able to loosen a few mouths."

"How much money?" Skye moved to the bed, sitting beside him.

"Guy I'm thinking of probably wouldn't give up the info for less than $50,000."

"50 grand?" Carly rolled her eyes. "That's ridiculous."

"It's fine," Skye said. "I'll get you the cash tomorrow. Just set up an appointment with whoever this is. I don't really care who Lorenzo's doing business with, but if this trip could take a few days, then this might be our only window to put the plan into motion."

Coleman winked. "Consider it done."

The pool hall owner stood and walked to the door. He stopped just before his hand would have turned the knob.

"You guys are gonna make sure whatever happens happens away from the kid, right?"

Carly eyed him warily. "Why?"

"Well, it's one thing for you to make the man think there's danger... but if somethin' were to go wrong and even one curly hair on that kid's head got messed up... well, I wouldn't want to be you. That's all."

He made his exit as both women stared at him silently. As soon as he was gone, Skye stood and moved closer to Carly.

"He's right. Whatever we do, it has to be away from Kristina."

"But the whole point is to make him go after custody," Carly shot back.

"Which we can accomplish without Kristina being around. We can... I don't know, rig up something with one of Lorenzo's cars or we can have someone go after Sonny and make it look like it was Lorenzo. The point is, he only has to think that he can't trust his daughter around Alexis' big bad protector. Then he'll break their agreement and go after custody and that will be the end of them, Carly. Alexis will never forgive him for taking Kristina away from her."

Carly stared at her ally and sighed. "Yeah, let's hope Alexis will hate Sonny the way he can't seem to hate her. Because if that doesn't happen, Skye, I'm gonna lose my husband and you will never, ever see Kristina again."

*****

As Jason opened the door to penthouse four, Sonny looked up from where he sat on the sofa.

"Hey," Sonny said. Jason nodded.

"Hey."

"You see Carly?" Sonny asked.

"Yeah, she came by earlier. I tried to talk to her, but you know how she gets when she's that angry."

"Yeah."

Sonny walked to the bar and set down the empty glass in his hand. Jason felt his face turn into a mask of disapproval. Sonny's last drinking binge had been horrific. In fact, Jason couldn't remember seeing him like that since Lily had died. But when Sonny turned to face him and saw his expression, the older man shook his head.

"Water. Though believe me, I wanted a drink. But after the other day..."

Jason nodded. "I told her she needs to let you do this your way because if she doesn't, it's only gonna hurt you both. I told her what kind of shape you were in before you and Alexis managed to talk."

"Let me guess, that's all Alexis' fault, too?"

"What isn't where Carly's concerned?" Jason asked. Though he was aware of how justified his friend was in her jealousy, he was just as certain that Sonny hadn't willingly set out to hurt Carly with his feelings for Alexis. He was sure of that the same he way he believed Sonny and Carly had never meant to hurt him even though they had.

"I just want to know my daughter, Jason. And I want to make peace with... with my friend."

"Then that's what you have to do, Sonny. Carly will understand. She loves you. She'll come around."

Jason said the words, hoping they were true. But he wasn't sure... and that worried him more than he wanted to admit.

*****

Lorenzo looked down at Alexis where she lay sleeping on the plane's sofa. Of course today had been her first horrendous day of morning sickness. Alexis had assured him it would ease and after some tea and some water, she'd finally been able to lay down and get some rest. But despite her attempts to calm his nerves, the rough morning had only reaffirmed all of his fears about her involvement in this.

Long after they had finished packing and climbed into bed last night, Lorenzo had jerked awake after a replay of his monstrous nightmare were Alexis was martyred with Sophie because of his mistakes. Even now, he could hear the damning tone in both women's voices as they condemned him.

[i]"You didn't save us."[/i]

There was no doubt that Alexis was the strongest person he had ever known, but this morning when she had been struggling to stand up without getting nauseous, he had seen her eyes and seen the few minutes of panic and worry there while she worked to believe that her illness was just regular morning sickness and not a symptom of any of the other more frightening complications she had faced during her last pregnancy.

She was courageous and strong and selfless, but she was afraid, no matter what she said, and it hurt Lorenzo to think he was in any way the cause of that. But he kept his pain to himself. Alexis was already carrying enough of his burden upon her shoulders.

"Mr. Alcazar," the pilot announced. "We're getting ready to land."

Lorenzo pressed his button on the intercom panel as he saw Alexis stir on the sofa. "Thank you," he replied and then he walked over and sat down beside the love of his life.

"How do you feel?"

Alexis blinked a few times and then she pushed herself up so she was sitting with her back against the couch's side.

"Better. No queasy when I sat up. That's a very good sign."

Her dimples peeked out as she smiled at him. Lorenzo saw that she wasn't pretending. Her eyes were brighter and her cheeks had more color in them. She did honestly feel better. He just hoped it stayed that way.

"If I get sick once we're with him," Alexis said, "we'll just tell him Kristina gave me the flu. Little kids are always sick with something, he should buy that."

Lorenzo nodded. "I don't want you to hesitate if you need to go rest. Just go, okay? He's getting his way having me bring you, but that's all the control I'm giving up to that--"

Alexis leaned forward and, as she so often did when his temper flared or his eyes became tinged with hurt, she set her fingers down on his cheeks. Lorenzo felt a slight tickle against his beard and he smiled in response.

"We can do this," she said again. "It's a few days of make believe, that's all. Besides, if I can deal with Helena and Stavros, I can deal with Antonio Renata."

He leaned forward and kissed her, and then they both moved to put their seatbelts on for their landing. Once the plane had come to a stop, Alexis ducked into the restroom and fixed her hair and makeup. Then, hand in hand, the two of them disembarked from the jet and made their way to the waiting limo. They tried to keep the conversation off their impending meeting and instead discussed who among their resort GMs they thought had the strongest case for the new Asilo president's position and the interview schedule they would set up and the office renovations. They spoke about their future as if it were set in stone.

Alexis fell silent and became focused on the view outside the windows as they turned off the road and onto the Alcazar property. Lorenzo had shown her pictures of it and described it, but it was a breathtaking piece of land and so he leaned closer to her, narrating the things she was seeing as they headed toward the main house. Then the enormous structure came into view and Alexis turned to him and smiled.

"I finally get to see where you grew up."

He couldn't resist kissing her then, one more time as freely and deeply as he wanted to before his touches were being evaluated for meaning. Even after the car stopped, they held tight to each other another moment before Lorenzo finally nodded to the driver and the man stepped out to open the doors.

Colin was waiting for them at the front entry. Nano had recruited the young man years earlier when they had been working a deal in New York. He'd been a raw street kid full of dangerous talents. Under Nano's guidance, he had become a respected member of their security force, and the elder guard had been certain that the younger man's combination of intelligence and dedication would endear him to Alexis and make protecting her in Venezuela that much easier.

"Alexis Davis, Colin Francis," Lorenzo said, making the introductions.

"Ms. Davis, my pleasure," Colin replied as he extended his hand. Alexis completed the handshake and then said hello to him as well.

"Mr. Alcazar, Mr. Renata's man Mancuso phoned. They should arrive in about two hours time."

Lorenzo felt Alexis' arm come around his waist and he looked down at her to again see her absolute confidence in him reflecting in her eyes.

"Two hours," he said, his stomach tightening as his heart said a very quick, silent prayer.

'Please, please don't let anything go wrong.'

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