Living in the Past by Yash
Chapter 8
"How does it feel to be home?’ Brenda asked throwing herself on the sofa.
Anna flopped onto the lounge. "Ask me tomorrow after my first official day of working under my brother-in-law. It should be very interesting."
"You could’ve worked with Felicia at her PI agency."
"No. I enjoy being a cop too much."
"Too bad for you that you got stuck with Taggert for a partner. He’s- -"
"Don’t finish that sentence," Anna said interrupting her. "There will be no negative talk about my partner in this house, is that clear?"
"Yes, mum."
"That goes for you to Robin," Anna said.
"How did you know it was me?" Robin asked.
"Motherly instincts. Don’t change the subject, is that clear?"
"Clear as a whistle."
"Does Taggert know who you are?" Brenda questioned with a gleam in her eye.
"He knows I’m Anna Devane, former WSB agent, and I was married to Robert," Anna replied.
"I hope I’m there when he finds all the complete story," she said.
"And what story is that exactly," Anna asked.
"You live with and are mother to the ex-girlfriends of the two men, he hates most in the world. Taggert is going to clip out when he finds out."
Lying on the floor, Robin added, "He hates Sonny more than Jason. And third on that list is the ex-Mrs. Morgan, almost Mrs. Corinthos."
"Hey!" Brenda exclaimed. "He hates Carly much more than me."
Robin nodded, "That’s true."
Anna clearly confused, "Can someone please explain this to me?"
"Ah, the history of Michael "Sonny" Corinthos Jr. and Marcus Taggert. Simply put it’s the story of Cain and Abel, minus the blood relations," Robin clarified.
"Well, I don’t know about that Robby. Has Taggert taken a blood test? With the way Sonny keeps having siblings pop up, you never know," Brenda laughed, and then she and Robin gave Anna the backstory of the two long time enemies.
"Thaddeus Orisini Martin bought the three warehouses on the docks," Jason told Sonny.
Sonny nodded for him to continue.
"Two of the warehouses are residences. He’s moving into one of the warehouses and three brunettes have been seen in the other residence. The third warehouse is being used for his wine," Jason finished.
"Do we know who these women are?" Sonny asked.
"We’re working on it. One of the brunettes is in her 40s. Randy seems to think, she’s the mother of the other two."
"Is he at the winery now?"
"Yes," Jason replied.
"Then I think it’s time for me to pay him a visit. While I’m gone, I want another search done. I want to know everything about him, down to what side of the bed he sleeps on and in what position." Sonny ordered. "I don’t believe he just randomly decided to move to this town on my docks. Someone persuaded him to do so and I want to know who that is."
"I’m on it," he answered as Sonny headed out the door.
Sonny stood in the empty office watching the engineers assembly equipment on the floor of the warehouse. Maybe he and Jason need to remodel. He liked the glass wall looking out over the entire warehouse. Sonny tapped on the glass.
"It’s 100% soundproof," Tad answered the unasked question.
Watching Tad enter the office, Sonny was impressed. He almost didn’t hear him enter the room.
"It keeps the workers on their toes, wondering when and if the boss is watching, yet it reassures them that I care and am interested in my business and what they do." Tad paused. "I’m Tad Martin, by the way."
Sonny extended his hand and shook Tad’s. "Nice to meet you, I’m Sonny Corinthos."
"Nice to meet you, too. So are you and your guard the welcoming committee because I am starving?" Tad laughed.
Sonny smiled. "I’m sorry, I’m fresh out of cookies. I just wanted to pop in and meet my new neighbor."
"You have a business here on the docks?"
Sonny nodded. Did this guy really not know that or was he playing dumb? Tad Martin was a difficult one to read. "I’m a couple of warehouses over. Corinthos Morgan."
Tad’s eyes lit up. "The coffee company."
"Yes."
"I’m hooked on it and so is my little lady."
"Good to know the case I brought over won’t go to waste," Sonny stated.
"Thank you. I really appreciate it. Please let me reciprocate and send you some bottles of our finest."
"I’ll look forward to tasting your wine. I didn’t realize Orisini wine was based out of New York.
"It wasn’t, but I think to expand we needed an east coast facility."
"True."
Are you in other businesses besides the coffee business, Mr. Corinthos?"
Sonny stared into the guileless eyes of Tad and without missing a beat said, "No, the coffee business keeps me busy enough and it’s Sonny, and you?"
"I owned a television station, dabbled in a little bit of this and that."
Sonny nodded at least Tad was sticking to everything Jason turned up. "Are you going to make this your permanent home?"
"It depends on my fam- -"
"Tad," a voice cried out over a crying infant. "Have you seen her binkie?"
He knew that voice, but the crying distracted him from correctly identifying the voice.
"It’s not a binkie, it’s a pacifier for the millionth time. Why do you give it to her anyway?" Tad asked walking to the doorway of his office.
Trying to catch a glimpse of the woman, Sonny moved to Tad’s right, but Tad’s body blocked his view.
"I told you from the beginning not to give her a pacifier, now my Sunshine is addicted," Tad reprimanded the woman.
"Shut up, I’ve heard it all before," she said pushing her way into the office and stared directly into Sonny’s face.
Oh, my gosh, Brenda thought. She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t supposed to see him this soon, but it was time.
"Hello Brenda," Sonny said. The shock of seeing her, he made sure was not reflected in his voice.
Brenda took a deep breath. "Hey, Sonny. Long time no see." She prayed she pulled off a causal greeting.
Watching the two covertly watch each other, Tad took matters into his own hands. He walked up to Brenda and took the crying Dawn out of her hands. "Come on, Sunshine, let’s explore your inheritance," he spoke to Dawn in a calming voice.
Sonny and Brenda didn’t notice them leave.
"How long have you been back home?" Sonny asked.
"Not that long," she answered.
"Are you visiting?"
She shook her head. She couldn’t believe that she was this nervous around him. She thought she had dealt with her feelings for him before Dawn was born.
He raised an eyebrow, wanting her to expand.
"I’m home for good," Brenda informed him.
"And what, you couldn’t call?" He said jokingly.
"I did, but I hung up when Carly answered," she replied with a grin.
"Old age made you scared of Carly?"
"In your dreams, I thought I should be respectful of a new mother for at least the first six months. Even if that new mother is Carly." She paused. "Congratulations, by the way."
He nodded. "Thanks and congratulations to you seem to be in order."
She returned his nod.
"See I told you that everything would turn out okay."
"Yes, you did. How do you know Tad? Through Nico?" Brenda inquired.
"Ah, no. So you met my cousin?"
"Yeah, I met him and his wife and their kids. If you think Port Charles is small, then you’ve never lived in Pine Valley."
"Is that where you’ve been?"
"Yes, for a while," recognizing Sonny’s evasion technique, she asked him again, "Why are you visiting Tad, if you don’t know him?"
Before he could answer, Brenda gave him a knowing smile and shook her head. "I see."
"You see what?" He should have remembered that Brenda could be quite perceptive when she wanted.
"Nothing," she said with the unchanging smile.
"No, I know your nothing smile and that’s not your nothing smile. So tell me," Sonny cocked his head to the side as if to examine Brenda.
"Maybe I’ve changed since you last saw me," she teased.
"I’m sure you have, but not that smile. So tell me."
"It was nothing. It just dawned on me why you came to see Tad and I thought all that was all over," she responded nonchalantly.
"What was all over? What are you talking about?"
Brenda laughed. "Tad buys two warehouses on the docks and you’ve come to check out who had the guts to invade your territory and to make sure it wasn’t one of Moreno’s men pulling a Trojan horse."
Sonny studied her, but remained silent.
"You can’t be part of your world and not learn a thing or two. So what were you trying to be, the welcoming committee?" The teasing note left her voice. "You need to be careful, what if Tad had been one of Moreno’s men?"
He threw his head back and laughed out loud. "Brenda, you’re too much. I have no idea, what you’re talking about. I’m simply a business man who imports and exports coffee."
Brenda stared at him for a second. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but if that’s the way he wanted to play it then she would follow his lead. "I wasn’t implying anything differently. A business man with a bodyguard. Donald Trump has one I’m sure." She smiled.
"I’m sure he does," he smiled back.
As a nice note of silence descended between the two ex-lovers, Tad reentered the room with a sleeping Dawn.
"Tad, how did you do that?" Brenda asked, all of her attention now focused on Tad and Dawn.
Stopping next to Brenda, Tad wrapped his free arm around her possessively. "Trade secret. You married with kids, Sonny?"
"Yes."
"Aren’t there little secrets or tricks you keep from your wife concerning the kids?"
"I have a few," Sonny answered.
"See Bren."
She rolled her eyes. "I’m going home," Brenda said reaching for Dawn.
"I’ll go with you. Get her bag out of the other office and I’ll meet you downstairs," Tad told her.
Brenda gave Tad a questioning look. Tad smacked her on the butt. She quickly shot him an evil look, but didn’t say anything to him.
Sonny silently observed the interplay between the two.
"Sonny, it was good seeing you again. Tell Michael, ‘Hello’ for me."
"Likewise and will do," Sonny assured her.
Brenda nodded again and left.
"Thank you so much for stopping and for the coffee. I hate to cut this visit short, but the family time," Tad explained gesturing to Dawn.
"No, I understand. It was nice meeting you," Sonny said.
"Nice meeting you too," Tad replied as he headed out the door.
Sonny watched Tad make his way to Brenda, who waited on the first floor with the stroller. Tad opened the door for her and the family exited the building.
Whipping out his cell phone, he punched in a well-used number furiously. "I want to know where the hell and what the hell Brenda’s been doing since she left here and her connection to Thaddeus Orisini Martin." He flipped the phone shut. Brenda Barrett, what have you gotten yourself into.
