How
High a Price?
a Sonny Fan Fiction
Chapter
2
"What do you mean you're in trouble Alexis? Did something happen? Did Sonny do something to you?" Alexis stared at her sister, "do something? No, he didn't 'do' anything. That's the problem." "I don't understand." "I wanted him to do something...you know!" Kristina's eyes got wide, "oh I see. And he didn't?" "No, like I said, he was a perfect gentleman. Besides, he's still getting over Carly." "So why are you in trouble? Have you fallen for him?" "Oh God you should have seen him," Alexis gushed, "in a tuxedo...but not an ordinary one; and black tie. He walked into the casino, men moved out of his way, and women just stopped and stared." "And you were with him," Kristina interjected with a smile, "must have felt good." "Well, everyone thought I was 'with' him, if you know what I mean. And, I wish I was. Have you ever wanted someone so badly...someone you know you shouldn't want...someone you know could ruin your whole life?" Kristina shook her head, "not yet. But I've read enough novels to know how it goes. He's Mr. Wrong, but he's the sexiest guy you've ever known." Alexis sighed, "that about sums it up." "Well, you're the most wonderful woman I've ever known, and Sonny's bound to see that. Just give it some time." Alexis smiled and hoped her sister was right.
Max knocked on the door to Janine's room in the Regency. Sonny stood a bit behind him, waiting for her to open it. When she did, Sonny looked her over as Max addressed her. "Ma'am. Mr. Corinthos would like to speak with you." Janine looked past Max to Sonny. She always considered herself a worldly, even tough, woman. She'd been through a lot in her life, and struggled everyday to get ahead. And, working in Atlantic City, she had to deal with all kinds of people. But looking into the eyes of Sonny Corinthos, she couldn't help but shiver. She had indeed heard a lot about him and knew he carried a lot of weight with a lot of people. And now, he wanted to talk to her, and she was nervous about it. "I'll take it from here Max," Sonny told him, and Max stepped aside to let him pass. Janine stepped back and let Sonny in the room; Max closed the door and waited in the hallway. "I'm Sonny Corinthos," Sonny said, extending his hand to her. She took it, and replied, "nice to meet you...sir. Can I get you something? A drink? They have this great little mini bar. You know this room is very nice, thanks for putting me up here." Sonny listened to her ramble, amused. It was obvious she was nervous, which was good from his perspective. "No thanks," he replied, declining the drink. "Let's get right to the point Janine...you're in a bit of a mess here." Janine froze and looked at him, "meaning?" "Meaning, blackmail is a nasty business; people can get hurt." "Is that...are you threatening me Mr. Corinthos?" Sonny smiled, "naw, there's no need for threats here, right? I'm just laying things out for you so you can make an informed decision." Janine wasn't sure that was all he was doing, but responded, "OK." "So, you're blackmailing Edward, who wants you to leave town, and Skye and AJ Quartermaine want you to stay in town as leverage against Edward. Did I leave anything out?" "No, that about covers it," Janine cryptically replied. Sonny smiled again, "fine. Well, the only one I care about in this situation is Edward. I gave him my word that you would leave him alone, no matter what Skye and AJ promised you." "You must be good friends," Janine interjected. Sonny's smile faded, "hardly. This is business. And, I take business very seriously...you get my meaning?" Janine nodded her head. "What are Skye and AJ promising you if you stick around? I assume they want to use you against Edward to get his ELQ stock, right?" "I guess, they didn't give me all the details. They said they'd give me $250,000." Sonny raised his eyebrows; that was a lot of money. AJ and Skye really had it in for him, but he couldn't imagine what they really hoped to gain. Even if they managed to outvote him on the ELQ board, or somehow get him off it, what difference would it make? He could still make either one of them vanish without a trace if he wanted. "All right, here's the deal," he continued, "you'll get your money, and you'll stay right here until this thing is all over. But, if anyone ever asks, nothing ever happened between you and Edward. You never even met the man until you came to Port Charles. Above all else, I don't want Lila hurt by this." Janine smiled, "so you want me to double-cross them, is that it?" "Yup." "And that's it? That's all you want with me?" Sonny shook his head, "not exactly. Now you're going to tell me what's going with AJ and Mike Corbin."
"Mike Corbin? I don't think I know anyone by that name." Sonny's eyes grew dark and he glared at Janine. "Don't lie to me, I don't like it." "What...what makes you think I'm lying?" "I can see it in your eyes," Sonny replied, crossing his arms. "So, tell me about you and Mike." Janine didn't answer. "Hey, I've got all day lady," Sonny stated, "and I'm not leaving until you tell me what you know. Start talking!" Janine realized she didn't have much of a choice. For all she knew, this guy could remove her from the face of the earth. She had to think of Courtney. "He...he and I had a thing once." Sonny narrowed his eyes, "when?" "Twenty one years ago," Janine replied. Sonny visibly relaxed; at least Mike didn't cheat on his mother with this woman. "OK, so you knew him twenty years ago...why would AJ care about that?" "I don't know." Sonny studied her face, "there's more, what is it?" Janine let out an exasperated breath, "I had his child all right! Are you happy now?" Sonny was stunned speechless and everything turned red in front of his eyes. Janine tried to categorize the look on his face, but couldn't figure out if it was shock, rage, or a combination of the two. After a few moments, Sonny managed to speak, and he whispered, "what did you say?" "I said Mike and I had a child together; my daughter Courtney." Thoughts raced through Sonny's head a mile a minute, "a sister? I have a sister?" "What?" Janine exclaimed, causing Sonny to realize he'd uttered those words out loud. He repeated himself, his voice choked with emotion, "I have a sister. Oh my God."
