![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Title: Just Between Friends
Author: speedy
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Expecting her second child and caught up in a mafia war, Carly Corinthos has a secret that will change the lives of everyone she knows.
Disclaimer: I'm not the Rat, so obviously the characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them for awhile.
Notes: Just moving this over from my now defunct website. This veers off canon right before the panic room fiasco in 2003.
Chapter 14
Carly walked into Kelly's, intending only to get a coffee to go and go back to the loft to wallow in her self pity. Elizabeth was sitting at the counter, looking quite tired. She was tempted to just leave, but Frisco's words echoed in her mind. Make friends with Elizabeth, he'd said after Luke forced her into a conversation with the snippy little brat. She could be useful. Yeah, right. Lizzie Webber was only good for one thing- screwing up her life.
But, as Frisco had repeatedly pointed out, Liz had information on Ric Lansing, information they needed. The previous conversation had put Carly in a position to find out what Liz knew about her new boyfriend.
Damn, she hated when Frisco had a point.
Reluctantly, Carly approached the younger woman and set her purse down on the counter next to her. By the lack of reaction from Liz, Carly assumed she hadn't heard. She craned her neck around, getting her face into Liz's view. "Hey," she said with a smile. "Tough day?"
Liz groaned, pushing her bangs from her face. "You have no idea. With Courtney gone, I've had to work extra shifts. By myself, I might add." She shrugged, her annoyance with Blondie quite apparent. "It's not liked she ever worked a full shift when she was here anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"She's at Jason's beck and call. When he needs something, or Carly, or Sonny, she drops everything and runs out of here without a single word. Lucas, Penny and I are always having to cover for her. It's like she doesn't realize we all have our own lives. I've had to take time away from my painting and break dates with Ric, Penny's had to cut classes and skip studying, Lucas has had to come in on days off. It's pathetic."
Carly's vindictive side cheered. So Blondie wasn't the sweet little thing she pretended to be. "Why does she still have a job?" she asked, a faint smirk on her lips.
Liz laughed bitterly. "We need the help too much to fire her, unfortunately." She glanced down at her watch. "Lucas should be getting out of school. He's supposed to be relieving me soon. I can't wait to get out of here."
Carly slumped on the next stool. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the disks she'd gotten from Sonny sticking out of her purse. Reminders of the job for Jason she was supposed to get to back to. "I know the feeling," she grumbled. "I've got work to do and I don't really want to do it."
"Still working on that computer problem?"
"Unfortunately," she grumbled.
"I feel for you, Robin. I don't really want to be doing this either." Liz sighed. "Plus, I have a date with Ric and I need to go shopping, but I'm stuck here working..."
Shopping, another she needed to do. She didn't have anything good enough for dinner with Frisco's daughters. "That makes two of us."
"You have a date with my boyfriend too?" Liz joked wearily.
Carly chuckled. "I have a date with my husband and his daughters."
Liz leaned closer to her, smiling conspiratorially. "You know what we need?" A crash at one of the tables interrupted them. The brunette sighed, reaching over the counter for a rag. "I better got take care of that," she said, leaving Carly alone at the counter.
Movement by the cellar stairs caught Carly's attention. Charlotte stormed up the stairs, Ric on her heels. Carly couldn't make out what they were saying, but it was clear they were arguing. He grabbed Charlotte's arm, pulling her back to him. He said something to her, rage taking over her face as he spoke.
"Stay away from me and stay away from my husband, you sick freak!" Charlotte screeched at him, freeing her arm. She took a few more steps towards the counter, but froze when she spotted Carly.
The two women stared at each other in surprise, Charlotte's jaw open. For once, she looked at a loss for words.
Ric spun the petite blonde around again, breaking their momentary connection. "I can ruin your marriage, Carly."
"Go ahead, try it!" she sneered at him, dropping her voice, but not low enough that Carly couldn't hear her. "I'll tell him how you raped me, then blackmailed me with it. Let's see how long you live after that!"
Giving Carly a nasty glare, Charlotte stomped out of the diner, pushing Liz put of her way. The doors slammed behind her.
Ric stared at the doors swaying in her wake. He glanced around, finally noticing Carly watching him from the counter. He swaggered over to her, an anxious smile on his face. "I'm sorry you had to witness that," he told her apologetically. "Carly tends to go off the deep end when she's angry."
"Does she?" Carly replied dubiously.
Something about Ric Lansing made Carly uneasy, put her immediately on edge. His smooth demeanor, trying to charm her as a way to blow off Charlotte's accusations, the odd look in his eyes that something just wasn't right. Everything in her gut screamed that this was not a man to be trusted.
"God, what's is her problem? Carly's bitchier than usual today," Liz said to them, walking around the counter. She dropped the dishes in her hands and the rag into a bin underneath the counter and shook her head. She gestured to the window, where Charlotte was outside with Lucas. "She's even going off on her brother."
"We had a bit of a disagreement," Ric replied, almost dismissively.
"Whatever it was, I'm sure it wasn't your fault."
Disagreement, Carly thought. That was one way of putting it. The way Liz was smiling flirtatiously at him and buying his excuse made her sick. If Charlotte was even remotely telling the truth, Liz was just setting herself up for a big fall. She was completely clueless about this man. It must've been a cold day in hell, because Carly actually felt sorry for her.
"Oh! Ric, this is Robin. She's the other bride from the reception at The Cellar," Liz told him. "Robin, this is Ric Lansing."
Ric held out his hand to Carly. "Congratulations on the new marriage... Mrs. Jones, wasn't it?"
"Yes," she answered coolly, trying to sound polite. "Robin Jones."
He leaned on the back of a seat casually. "Your husband looks familiar. What does he do, may I ask?"
"He's in law enforcement."
"Here in Port Charles?"
Carly watched his reaction as she answered, slowly and deliberately. "No. International."
That seemed to have an effort on him. He stiffened, became cold and distant toward her. "I should be getting back to work. It was nice to meet you."
She didn't know if maybe he recognized Frisco's name from his time with the Alcazars or if he had something to hide. Whatever it was, it made her smile smugly. "Nice to meet you too."
Liz watched him leave, going back down the stairs to the club. She turned back to Carly. "Why didn't you just tell him Frisco's in the WSB?" she asked guardedly.
Carly sighed. She couldn't tell her the truth, not until she had something more than a gut instinct a suspicious statement by someone who couldn't be counted on for honesty. "It's supposed to be secret, although that's impossible with his past in this town. Everyone here knows what he does."
Liz relaxed, seemingly accepting that response. She smiled and waved to the young man that had finally entered. She leaned over, resting her elbows on the counter. "I have a great idea. Since Lucas is here now, why don't we go shopping together?" she suggested. "Blow some hard earned cash on overpriced clothes for our dates?"
Shopping. A shopping spree was exactly what she needed, even if it was with Lizzie.
Carly returned the brunette's smile. "Let's blow this joint."
Carly flipped through the clearance rack, looking for something good. Spending money on clothes was something she rarely did anymore. Frisco had always tried to spend the least amount of money possible on unnecessary items like, so shopping at a department store was a happy change for her.
Unfortunately, Wyndam's clearance rack was reminding her of the consignment stores she'd shopped in Europe. Nothing worth even picking up.
"How about this?" Liz asked, holding a pink dress against her.
Carly shrugged, barely looking at it. "It's cute."
She walked over to the mirror, almost examining the dress. She made a face. "I don't think I like it."
"How'd you meet Ric?" Carly asked, changing the subject as she moved to another rack.
"He was living at Kelly's when he first came to town." She sighed. "Then he started working with Carly, getting the club going, and he did some legal stuff with Sonny."
"So you saw a lot of each other and just fell in love?"
Liz chuckled, suppressing a smile. "Something like that," she replied, putting the pink dress back. She flipped through a few other dresses. "We haven't been dating all that long, but he's difficult to resist."
Man, that girl was so delusional. "He does seem like a charmer," Carly said.
The brunette pulled another dress off the rack. "Hey, this would look great on you!"
The dress was sleeveless and a dark grayish/silver color. A definite possibility in Carly's mind.
The first thing she did when Liz handed the hanger to her was reach for the tag. No, she thought, stopping herself. She wasn't going to even look. Whatever it cost, she deserved a fabulous dress like this. Not like it was her money, anyway. Frisco would just have to get over it.
She smiled slowly. "I'm going to go try this on," she said, heading for the fitting room.
The second she zipped the dress up, she knew she had to buy it. She stepped out of the small room and walked to the three way mirror at the end of the fitting room. It fit her like a glove up to her chest, where a few rolls of fabric draped loosely at her neck. It draped low in the back and fell just below mid-thigh. This dress looked damn good on her. Sexy enough to turn some heads, but not too sexy for a family dinner. Appropriate enough for an evening out with her husband's two teenage daughters.
"I was right. It does look great."
She turned around at the sound of Liz's voice. The younger woman was smiling, holding a handful of hangers in her hands. "Thanks."
"I picked you up a few more," she said, handing her a set of hangers.
"Great," Carly replied, taking them back into the dressing room.
"Are you going to buy it?" Liz asked from the next room.
Carly looked at the other dresses. A couple black, one lavender. "I think I am."
"Good. It'll knock Frisco's socks off."
As if that was the look she was going for... "So, where is Ric taking you?"
"A charity art exhibit in the city some old friends of his family are having. There's supposed to be some really interested pieces."
"Hobnobbing with snobs all night, huh?"
"I'm only interested in the art on display and Ric knows that. These are more his father's kind of people, not his. Old money and all that."
"Old money?"
"His family is wealthy. Penthouse on the Upper East Side, house on Martha's Vineyard, annual trips to the Bahamas."
"Lucky you."
"I'm not into that and neither is Ric. He's spent years trying to get away from it."
"How?"
"Avoided his family, especially his father. Got mixed up with the wrong people, ended up in a jail cell in South America. He came here to start over when he got out to make a new life for himself."
Jail cell? Frisco hadn't said anything about a jail cell. Carly smiled. A new dress and a lead on Lansing. Her day was beginning to turn around.
Carly strolled into the loft, bags in hand. Frisco was half sitting, half laying on the sofa, his head resting on the back with his eyes closed.
"Hello, dear," he said wearily. He didn't move a muscle, not even to open his eyes.
She dropped her shopping bags in the chair and walked behind the sofa. She leaned over, her lips near his ear. "How much do you love me?" she asked softly, containing her excitement.
He looked over at her, still not moving. "Is this a trick question?"
She rolled her eyes and stood up. "Guess I won't tell you what I found out then." She caught a glimpse at the clock. He should still be "working". "Why aren't you at the club?"
"Luke started going on about the Cassadines. I left when Lucky showed up. Luke's fucking ranting gave me a headache."
"So there are advantages to being cut out of Luke's life," she snickered.
"Oh shut up."
"You first."
She grabbed the bags and took them back to the bed, stepping over his stretched out legs as she passed him.
Seeing the numerous Wyndam's bags, he sat up. "What the hell did you buy?"
"Clothes," she answered, starting to take items out of the bags. "You didn't really expect me to wear those old rags to the Grille, did you?"
He got off the sofa and walked up behind to her. "There is nothing wrong with the clothes you have."
"Take a look in your own bag and tell me that's what you want to wear to dinner with the girls."
"There is nothing wrong with my clothes."
"I guess it's a good thing I didn't get you anything."
"Oh god, how much did you spend?"
"What do you care? It's not your money."
"The WSB did not give me a blank check for this operation. I have to account for our expenses. A shopping spree at Wyndam's is going to stand out."
Carly thought for a moment, trying to come up with an explanation in WSB-speak. "My wardrobe was unsuitable for our current circumstances."
"Yeah, my bosses are really going to believe that," he snorted.
"Aw, come on, Frisco! I've been a good girl!" He glared at her. "Mostly," she clarified. It was clear by the look on his face that he wasn't buying it. Time to push the F button. "You want me to look nice while I'm playing Mrs. Jones, don't you? If I didn't, it might just tip off Felicia..."
Resignation was written on his face. "Fine."
She smiled her victory as Frisco turned and went back to the sofa. She followed him, plopping down next to him. "Liz went with me to Wyndam's," she told him.
"I take it you found out something?"
She shook her head, thinking about the incident with Ric in Kelly's. "That girl is so delusional when it comes to Lansing. It's sick."
He shrugged. "So?"
"He was in jail in South America."
"I already knew that."
That pissed her off. They were supposed to be working together, but how could she do anything when he kept her in the dark? "Why the hell didn't you tell me?" she snapped angrily.
"Luis Alcazar had him arrested. He was in there for only a couple weeks before he talked his way out of the charges. It's not like he did any real time."
"You still should've told me."
He snickered. "You thought you got something big."
Carly refused to acknowledge that. "The guy's a creep," she grumbled. "And if Charlotte can be believed, he's a rapist, too."
Frisco looked at her in disbelief. "What?"
She could tell his interest was piqued, but couldn't tell if it was just as gossip or something really helpful. "I was in Kelly's today," she told him. "I saw Ric and Charlotte arguing. She said something about him raping her." She sighed. "It's Charlotte. I can't say if she's telling the truth. Considering she's living someone else's life, her credibility's in doubt. He didn't refute it, though. Then again, she was threatening to tell Sonny. Lord knows how he'd respond."
"Scream betrayal, kick her out and never really do anything about it."
"Excuse me if I don't take your word for it," she sneered. "Liz also said Ric had worked for Sonny."
He sighed. "That makes things a little more complicated."
"It just keeps going back to Sonny, doesn't it?"
Carly could practically see the gears turning in Frisco's head. "Yeah, it does."
Chapter 16
Author: speedy
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Expecting her second child and caught up in a mafia war, Carly Corinthos has a secret that will change the lives of everyone she knows.
Disclaimer: I'm not the Rat, so obviously the characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them for awhile.
Notes: Just moving this over from my now defunct website. This veers off canon right before the panic room fiasco in 2003.
Chapter 14
Carly walked into Kelly's, intending only to get a coffee to go and go back to the loft to wallow in her self pity. Elizabeth was sitting at the counter, looking quite tired. She was tempted to just leave, but Frisco's words echoed in her mind. Make friends with Elizabeth, he'd said after Luke forced her into a conversation with the snippy little brat. She could be useful. Yeah, right. Lizzie Webber was only good for one thing- screwing up her life.
But, as Frisco had repeatedly pointed out, Liz had information on Ric Lansing, information they needed. The previous conversation had put Carly in a position to find out what Liz knew about her new boyfriend.
Damn, she hated when Frisco had a point.
Reluctantly, Carly approached the younger woman and set her purse down on the counter next to her. By the lack of reaction from Liz, Carly assumed she hadn't heard. She craned her neck around, getting her face into Liz's view. "Hey," she said with a smile. "Tough day?"
Liz groaned, pushing her bangs from her face. "You have no idea. With Courtney gone, I've had to work extra shifts. By myself, I might add." She shrugged, her annoyance with Blondie quite apparent. "It's not liked she ever worked a full shift when she was here anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"She's at Jason's beck and call. When he needs something, or Carly, or Sonny, she drops everything and runs out of here without a single word. Lucas, Penny and I are always having to cover for her. It's like she doesn't realize we all have our own lives. I've had to take time away from my painting and break dates with Ric, Penny's had to cut classes and skip studying, Lucas has had to come in on days off. It's pathetic."
Carly's vindictive side cheered. So Blondie wasn't the sweet little thing she pretended to be. "Why does she still have a job?" she asked, a faint smirk on her lips.
Liz laughed bitterly. "We need the help too much to fire her, unfortunately." She glanced down at her watch. "Lucas should be getting out of school. He's supposed to be relieving me soon. I can't wait to get out of here."
Carly slumped on the next stool. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the disks she'd gotten from Sonny sticking out of her purse. Reminders of the job for Jason she was supposed to get to back to. "I know the feeling," she grumbled. "I've got work to do and I don't really want to do it."
"Still working on that computer problem?"
"Unfortunately," she grumbled.
"I feel for you, Robin. I don't really want to be doing this either." Liz sighed. "Plus, I have a date with Ric and I need to go shopping, but I'm stuck here working..."
Shopping, another she needed to do. She didn't have anything good enough for dinner with Frisco's daughters. "That makes two of us."
"You have a date with my boyfriend too?" Liz joked wearily.
Carly chuckled. "I have a date with my husband and his daughters."
Liz leaned closer to her, smiling conspiratorially. "You know what we need?" A crash at one of the tables interrupted them. The brunette sighed, reaching over the counter for a rag. "I better got take care of that," she said, leaving Carly alone at the counter.
Movement by the cellar stairs caught Carly's attention. Charlotte stormed up the stairs, Ric on her heels. Carly couldn't make out what they were saying, but it was clear they were arguing. He grabbed Charlotte's arm, pulling her back to him. He said something to her, rage taking over her face as he spoke.
"Stay away from me and stay away from my husband, you sick freak!" Charlotte screeched at him, freeing her arm. She took a few more steps towards the counter, but froze when she spotted Carly.
The two women stared at each other in surprise, Charlotte's jaw open. For once, she looked at a loss for words.
Ric spun the petite blonde around again, breaking their momentary connection. "I can ruin your marriage, Carly."
"Go ahead, try it!" she sneered at him, dropping her voice, but not low enough that Carly couldn't hear her. "I'll tell him how you raped me, then blackmailed me with it. Let's see how long you live after that!"
Giving Carly a nasty glare, Charlotte stomped out of the diner, pushing Liz put of her way. The doors slammed behind her.
Ric stared at the doors swaying in her wake. He glanced around, finally noticing Carly watching him from the counter. He swaggered over to her, an anxious smile on his face. "I'm sorry you had to witness that," he told her apologetically. "Carly tends to go off the deep end when she's angry."
"Does she?" Carly replied dubiously.
Something about Ric Lansing made Carly uneasy, put her immediately on edge. His smooth demeanor, trying to charm her as a way to blow off Charlotte's accusations, the odd look in his eyes that something just wasn't right. Everything in her gut screamed that this was not a man to be trusted.
"God, what's is her problem? Carly's bitchier than usual today," Liz said to them, walking around the counter. She dropped the dishes in her hands and the rag into a bin underneath the counter and shook her head. She gestured to the window, where Charlotte was outside with Lucas. "She's even going off on her brother."
"We had a bit of a disagreement," Ric replied, almost dismissively.
"Whatever it was, I'm sure it wasn't your fault."
Disagreement, Carly thought. That was one way of putting it. The way Liz was smiling flirtatiously at him and buying his excuse made her sick. If Charlotte was even remotely telling the truth, Liz was just setting herself up for a big fall. She was completely clueless about this man. It must've been a cold day in hell, because Carly actually felt sorry for her.
"Oh! Ric, this is Robin. She's the other bride from the reception at The Cellar," Liz told him. "Robin, this is Ric Lansing."
Ric held out his hand to Carly. "Congratulations on the new marriage... Mrs. Jones, wasn't it?"
"Yes," she answered coolly, trying to sound polite. "Robin Jones."
He leaned on the back of a seat casually. "Your husband looks familiar. What does he do, may I ask?"
"He's in law enforcement."
"Here in Port Charles?"
Carly watched his reaction as she answered, slowly and deliberately. "No. International."
That seemed to have an effort on him. He stiffened, became cold and distant toward her. "I should be getting back to work. It was nice to meet you."
She didn't know if maybe he recognized Frisco's name from his time with the Alcazars or if he had something to hide. Whatever it was, it made her smile smugly. "Nice to meet you too."
Liz watched him leave, going back down the stairs to the club. She turned back to Carly. "Why didn't you just tell him Frisco's in the WSB?" she asked guardedly.
Carly sighed. She couldn't tell her the truth, not until she had something more than a gut instinct a suspicious statement by someone who couldn't be counted on for honesty. "It's supposed to be secret, although that's impossible with his past in this town. Everyone here knows what he does."
Liz relaxed, seemingly accepting that response. She smiled and waved to the young man that had finally entered. She leaned over, resting her elbows on the counter. "I have a great idea. Since Lucas is here now, why don't we go shopping together?" she suggested. "Blow some hard earned cash on overpriced clothes for our dates?"
Shopping. A shopping spree was exactly what she needed, even if it was with Lizzie.
Carly returned the brunette's smile. "Let's blow this joint."
Carly flipped through the clearance rack, looking for something good. Spending money on clothes was something she rarely did anymore. Frisco had always tried to spend the least amount of money possible on unnecessary items like, so shopping at a department store was a happy change for her.
Unfortunately, Wyndam's clearance rack was reminding her of the consignment stores she'd shopped in Europe. Nothing worth even picking up.
"How about this?" Liz asked, holding a pink dress against her.
Carly shrugged, barely looking at it. "It's cute."
She walked over to the mirror, almost examining the dress. She made a face. "I don't think I like it."
"How'd you meet Ric?" Carly asked, changing the subject as she moved to another rack.
"He was living at Kelly's when he first came to town." She sighed. "Then he started working with Carly, getting the club going, and he did some legal stuff with Sonny."
"So you saw a lot of each other and just fell in love?"
Liz chuckled, suppressing a smile. "Something like that," she replied, putting the pink dress back. She flipped through a few other dresses. "We haven't been dating all that long, but he's difficult to resist."
Man, that girl was so delusional. "He does seem like a charmer," Carly said.
The brunette pulled another dress off the rack. "Hey, this would look great on you!"
The dress was sleeveless and a dark grayish/silver color. A definite possibility in Carly's mind.
The first thing she did when Liz handed the hanger to her was reach for the tag. No, she thought, stopping herself. She wasn't going to even look. Whatever it cost, she deserved a fabulous dress like this. Not like it was her money, anyway. Frisco would just have to get over it.
She smiled slowly. "I'm going to go try this on," she said, heading for the fitting room.
The second she zipped the dress up, she knew she had to buy it. She stepped out of the small room and walked to the three way mirror at the end of the fitting room. It fit her like a glove up to her chest, where a few rolls of fabric draped loosely at her neck. It draped low in the back and fell just below mid-thigh. This dress looked damn good on her. Sexy enough to turn some heads, but not too sexy for a family dinner. Appropriate enough for an evening out with her husband's two teenage daughters.
"I was right. It does look great."
She turned around at the sound of Liz's voice. The younger woman was smiling, holding a handful of hangers in her hands. "Thanks."
"I picked you up a few more," she said, handing her a set of hangers.
"Great," Carly replied, taking them back into the dressing room.
"Are you going to buy it?" Liz asked from the next room.
Carly looked at the other dresses. A couple black, one lavender. "I think I am."
"Good. It'll knock Frisco's socks off."
As if that was the look she was going for... "So, where is Ric taking you?"
"A charity art exhibit in the city some old friends of his family are having. There's supposed to be some really interested pieces."
"Hobnobbing with snobs all night, huh?"
"I'm only interested in the art on display and Ric knows that. These are more his father's kind of people, not his. Old money and all that."
"Old money?"
"His family is wealthy. Penthouse on the Upper East Side, house on Martha's Vineyard, annual trips to the Bahamas."
"Lucky you."
"I'm not into that and neither is Ric. He's spent years trying to get away from it."
"How?"
"Avoided his family, especially his father. Got mixed up with the wrong people, ended up in a jail cell in South America. He came here to start over when he got out to make a new life for himself."
Jail cell? Frisco hadn't said anything about a jail cell. Carly smiled. A new dress and a lead on Lansing. Her day was beginning to turn around.
Carly strolled into the loft, bags in hand. Frisco was half sitting, half laying on the sofa, his head resting on the back with his eyes closed.
"Hello, dear," he said wearily. He didn't move a muscle, not even to open his eyes.
She dropped her shopping bags in the chair and walked behind the sofa. She leaned over, her lips near his ear. "How much do you love me?" she asked softly, containing her excitement.
He looked over at her, still not moving. "Is this a trick question?"
She rolled her eyes and stood up. "Guess I won't tell you what I found out then." She caught a glimpse at the clock. He should still be "working". "Why aren't you at the club?"
"Luke started going on about the Cassadines. I left when Lucky showed up. Luke's fucking ranting gave me a headache."
"So there are advantages to being cut out of Luke's life," she snickered.
"Oh shut up."
"You first."
She grabbed the bags and took them back to the bed, stepping over his stretched out legs as she passed him.
Seeing the numerous Wyndam's bags, he sat up. "What the hell did you buy?"
"Clothes," she answered, starting to take items out of the bags. "You didn't really expect me to wear those old rags to the Grille, did you?"
He got off the sofa and walked up behind to her. "There is nothing wrong with the clothes you have."
"Take a look in your own bag and tell me that's what you want to wear to dinner with the girls."
"There is nothing wrong with my clothes."
"I guess it's a good thing I didn't get you anything."
"Oh god, how much did you spend?"
"What do you care? It's not your money."
"The WSB did not give me a blank check for this operation. I have to account for our expenses. A shopping spree at Wyndam's is going to stand out."
Carly thought for a moment, trying to come up with an explanation in WSB-speak. "My wardrobe was unsuitable for our current circumstances."
"Yeah, my bosses are really going to believe that," he snorted.
"Aw, come on, Frisco! I've been a good girl!" He glared at her. "Mostly," she clarified. It was clear by the look on his face that he wasn't buying it. Time to push the F button. "You want me to look nice while I'm playing Mrs. Jones, don't you? If I didn't, it might just tip off Felicia..."
Resignation was written on his face. "Fine."
She smiled her victory as Frisco turned and went back to the sofa. She followed him, plopping down next to him. "Liz went with me to Wyndam's," she told him.
"I take it you found out something?"
She shook her head, thinking about the incident with Ric in Kelly's. "That girl is so delusional when it comes to Lansing. It's sick."
He shrugged. "So?"
"He was in jail in South America."
"I already knew that."
That pissed her off. They were supposed to be working together, but how could she do anything when he kept her in the dark? "Why the hell didn't you tell me?" she snapped angrily.
"Luis Alcazar had him arrested. He was in there for only a couple weeks before he talked his way out of the charges. It's not like he did any real time."
"You still should've told me."
He snickered. "You thought you got something big."
Carly refused to acknowledge that. "The guy's a creep," she grumbled. "And if Charlotte can be believed, he's a rapist, too."
Frisco looked at her in disbelief. "What?"
She could tell his interest was piqued, but couldn't tell if it was just as gossip or something really helpful. "I was in Kelly's today," she told him. "I saw Ric and Charlotte arguing. She said something about him raping her." She sighed. "It's Charlotte. I can't say if she's telling the truth. Considering she's living someone else's life, her credibility's in doubt. He didn't refute it, though. Then again, she was threatening to tell Sonny. Lord knows how he'd respond."
"Scream betrayal, kick her out and never really do anything about it."
"Excuse me if I don't take your word for it," she sneered. "Liz also said Ric had worked for Sonny."
He sighed. "That makes things a little more complicated."
"It just keeps going back to Sonny, doesn't it?"
Carly could practically see the gears turning in Frisco's head. "Yeah, it does."
Chapter 16
◾ Tags:
