“Who the hell are you?!” demanded Ben.

“Victor Lord’s bastard son,” said Todd arrogantly, instantly disapproving of his sister’s lover.

Viki just crossed her arms and nodded her head, actually happy to see her brother but appalled at his actions.

*********************************************************************************************************

“Get the hell out of my house!” yelled Ben. He was angry with the intruder in front of him.

“I’ve got more of a right to this house than you do…!” exclaimed Todd after allowing the raw, amber liquid slide down his throat while standing next to Viki’s bar.

“Ben, stop it! Todd Manning is my brother,” said Viki speaking up.

Ben wrinkled his brow and stared at Viki in shock, “Brother…?”

Todd rolled his eyes. Viki’s…whatever was a fucking joke.

Viki walked up to Todd, studying him – his eyes. Something had happened to give Todd the courage to come out of hiding, but what? She knew he’d tell her in his own due time. Then she caught it. The incredible sadness hiding behind his mask of coldness gruff exterior.

“What are you doing here Todd?” asked Viki softly.

“I’m back Viki. Back for good. I’m taking my life back and I need a place to stay,” his voice was even. And icy.

“Of course Todd,” said Viki, “You’re my brother. I would never send you or Tina away if you needed me.”

“Viki!! You can’t be serious!!” cried Ben, “I don’t even know this man!”

Viki turned sharply around and glared at Ben, “This man is my brother and I love him. That’s all you need to know.”

“Fine,” said Ben, “We’ll talk about this later.”

Ben turned around and stomped out like a child who had just been scolded.

Todd poured himself another drink, “I don’t like him Viki. He’s an ass.”

Viki crossed her arms, “So are you Todd.”

Todd brought the glass to his lips, desperately desiring to obtain the high it had to offer. Desperate to numb his pain.

“What happened Todd? Why are you here?” she watched his every move looking for a clue.

Todd unbuttoned the first button on his shirt after taking another intoxicating gulp.

“Téa’s dead. She was kidnapped and now she’s dead. So I’m getting on with my life,” he said jumping onto her couch and arrogantly kicking up his feet on the coffee table as if he truly was the Lord of the Manner.

“Todd, I’m so sorry. I know…I know how much you loved her,” she said sitting down next to him.

It was quiet between them, Viki offering her condolensances silently. Todd couldn’t stand the silence. It reminded him of his loneliness and he was tired to being alone.

“Just so you know Viki, I’m taking back my paper. My penthouse. My life. I don’t care who I piss off Viki. You understand?” he questioned.

Viki let out a knowing breath. When Todd wanted something he was relentless in pursuit of it. And his pursuit of what he wanted would hurt people. Possibly her son. The game was to begin…again.

“I understand you Todd,” said Viki, “More than you know.”

Todd turned to look at her. Viki always understood him. They both shared the ill-tainted genes that controlled their fates.

“I want to put a marker in the graveyard. A marker with my dead wife’s name on it. Do you understand?” he said firmly. He needed closure on Téa’s disappearance and giving her a grave was a start.

Viki put her hand over Todd’s, “I understand Todd but I don’t want you to become obsessed…”

“Obsessed? Look if you wanna’ visit Joe Riley, you visit. If I wanna visit Téa, I wanna’ have a place to do it,” he bitterly spit.

“Sure Todd. Look, I’m going to bed. Take any room you want. I’ll see you in the morning,” she said standing up.

“Put a muzzle on your…whatever…” added Todd.

“His name is Ben,” said Viki. She walked out.

Finally, the numbing effect of the alcohol was beginning to take it’s toll. Todd’s head felt light. Tomorrow he’d plan strategy. Tomorrow he’d see his daughter in the daylight. Tomorrow. And his first target was The Sun.

************************

RJ’s apartment…

Javier Perez didn’t move. He wanted too. He wanted to turn on the bitch holding the gun to his head but he heard something in her voice. An edge. She was pissed. Pissed to the point where she was deadly serious.

Antonio didn’t know what to do. While he was grateful for Sophia’s intervention, he never saw her look so raw.

“Look bitch…” began Javier.

“Shut up! Shut the FUCK up! Think I’m joking asshole?!” cried Sophia.

“Sophia did you…call the police?” asked Antonio softly.

“Someone’s on the way,” said Sophia. Her voice was practically horse.

She wanted to pull the trigger. She wanted to pull it badly – especially knowing how much his actions had hurt Todd Manning. A man she anted in her life. Todd would be delighted to know she had Perez’s life in her hands.

Bo Buchanan walked through the door with Hank Gannon and several uniform police officers.

“Put the gun down Sophia,” instructed BO.

“Not until you put this jerk in cuffs,” hissed Sophia.

“What am I arresting him for?” asked Bo seriously, anxious of his rookie academy cop holding a gun to another man’s head.

“For the murder of little miss goodie-goodie Téa Delgado,” said Sophia hissing her words like a crafty snake.

Bo nodded his head and the uniform cops took Perez into custody. Sophia lowered the gun and Bo took it from the cadet’s hands.

“Where’s RJ?” asked Hank crossing his arms, not knowing what to think.

“Dunno…” muttered Sophia biting her lip.

“Probably with his new friend Roseanne Delgado,” added Antonio aware of the fact those two had been tight as tight as a pack of wolves.

Bo crossed his own arms, “Well, you two need to come to the station. Needless to say, I’ve got a lot of questions and you two have a lot to answer for.”

Sophia flashed Bo a sneer and followed Antonio out of the apartment. She had no desire to answer Bo’s stupid ass questions. Her immediate concern was to find Todd and tell him she had caught Perez. This way he could finally that goodie-goodie behind him and move to her.

**************************

White mist covered their naked bodies as they danced on a cloud. He stood behind her while rough, trembling, anxious hands ran down her smooth bare back, down over her firm, taunt ass, rubbing every inch of it. He felt his own cock grow in size from the erotic arousal.

“Need you…” he whispered into her ear as her delicate, long sensuous brown hair rubbed against his stubble-laden cheek.

She passionately sighed.

He could tell she wanted him. Like no other woman before her, she wanted him. With one hand now on her waist, he reached around her, taking her nubile, tender breast in the palm of his hand. He felt the nipple grow hard and firm as he flicked it between his powerful fingers. Anxious to play her body like one would play a finely tuned instrument.

His hard erect cock rubbed up against the back of her smooth leg and it’s pre-cum slowly dribbled onto her skin. Oh, how he wanted to fuck her bad!

“Want you…” he whispered totally enraptured not only with her body but with her, “You’re so beautiful…”

“Are you sure it’s me you want? You don’t want her?” asked the female voice.

Todd’s hard body pressed up against the woman’s back. His chest tingled, his cock was throbbing and his breath was ragged. It was so hard to hold back – to savor the sexuality between them. He wanted to enjoy the way her every curve perfectly fit into his.

“I know what I want. You.” he insisted.

“Then you can have me…” she confirmed.

He took his hands, placed them on her luscious hips and turned Sophia Pelligrino into him, taking her moist, wet lips with his, pushing his tongue into her hot, greedy mouth. She was a delicious flower and he was going to take every soft petal and put his dark stain on every part to mark her as his.

He shot up out of his bed, alone, his sheets covered in sweat, panting from his erotic dream that featured the woman who had been there for him since his return to Llanview. Darkness surrounded them.

“Sophia…” he whispered, not quite sure where the roguish girl with a sad heart as sad as his fit into his life.

TO BE CONTINUED…