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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 27
Carly sat in Kelly's, just reading the paper. She'd come into town with Frisco, intending to pick his brain about the Alcazar files some more, but once they'd arrived at Luke's, that went out the window. Luke was still passed out, it was Lucky's day off and Frisco was left to run things. Again.
They only thing they knew was that father and son had had an argument, leading to Luke getting stinking drunk and harassing customers till the bartender pushed him upstairs. Frisco told her he'd call her when he got more information, but knowing Luke, she didn't expect a call.
Luckily, she wouldn't be the one stuck listening to her uncle's inevitable "ungrateful child" rant.
Ric passed through the diner, obviously looking for Liz. He spotted Carly and gave her a small wave as he headed for the club. He still creeped her out.
Carly was still staring at the stairs to the Cellar when Liz burst through the doors and took the seat across from her, a huge grin on her face.
"I've got a secret," Liz told her with a devious smile. "A good one."
"Oh yeah," Carly replied, raising a curious eyebrow as she put away the paper.
"Ric bought a house."
All traces of emotion left her face. That was about as anticlimactic as a secret got. "That's it?"
"No, that's not the secret. He took me by last night, to show it to me. And there, in the living room..." Liz paused, smiling happily. "He proposed!" She held out her left hand, the large diamond ring prominently visible on her finger.
Carly was stunned. "He proposed?"
"I know! He got down on one knee and everything. Can you believe it?" Liz said, gazing dreamily at her ring. "He wants to keep the whole thing hush-hush for the moment. But I couldn't help it, I had to tell someone!"
She opened her mouth, but Liz continued, cutting off any protest.
"And he bought the house for me! There's even a room that would be perfect for a studio. It really is a gorgeous house, Robin. You have to see it."
"Marriage, a house... Isn't this a little fast, don't you think?"
"This coming from someone that eloped in Atlantic City."
"Andy and I have been together for a long time. You've only known Ric for a few months."
"I feel like I've known him my whole life. He's so sweet and understanding and romantic..."
Carly wanted to throw up. A rape victim waxing poetic about a rapist with a deliriously happy grin on her face was sickening. But she couldn't bring herself to tell Liz the truth about Ric. Nor would she support this. She pulled out the only other card she had. "And working for the mob."
Liz was obviously coming down from her high. "He's just a lawyer."
"He's working for Sonny Corinthos."
"And your husband helped him."
Carly sighed. "My husband has a weak spot for damsels in distress. He only helped because Courtney showed up on our doorstep in tears and he had information Jason needed. Believe me, he won't be helping them again. But Ric works for them. Even as just a lawyer, he's in danger because of that. You will be, too."
Liz just glared at her.
"I'm concerned for you, okay?" Carly said. "I don't trust Ric and I don't want to see you get hurt because of him."
And it bugged the hell out of her that she was telling the truth. She hated Lansing for that. The disgusting bastard was making her feel sorry for Elizabeth Webber, of all people.
"Ric isn't going to hurt me," Liz shot back defiantly. "You're just like them!"
Carly didn't need to be told who "them" was. She knew. "I am not! I'm trying to look out for you! The guy is trouble and he's going to break your heart, if you're lucky!"
"And if I'm not lucky?"
"Good thing my husband likes damsels in distress. I'll have to send him to save you before you get killed."
Liz might as well have been shooting daggers from her eyes, the way she was looking at Carly. "I won't need rescuing," she said coldly. "Not from Ric."
Before Carly could get another word in, the petite brunette got up and left, going into the diner's kitchen. Carly felt absolutely sick at the idea of Liz marrying that psycho. Not that she cared much what happened to Little Miss Perfect, but she couldn't stand by and watch this train wreck. Not even Lizzie Webber deserved what was coming.
She glanced towards the stairs leading to The Cellar. If Liz wouldn't listen, maybe she could push Lansing's buttons. After all, she did have dirt on him.
Her mind set, she walked down to the club. She waited in the entrance and peered inside. Ric was talking to two bartenders, who almost immediately noticed her. He turned to see what they were looking at and smiled at her.
Ric dismissed them and waited until they had disappeared to speak. "If you're looking for Carly, she has taken some time off."
"I was looking for you," she replied icily, entering the club.
"Any particular reason?"
She took a few determined steps, closing the space between them. "I think you should stay away from Liz from now on," she said, her voice taking on a commanding tone reminiscent of Frisco.
Ric wasn't moved by the tone. He looked more curious than anything else. "Why should I do that?"
"She's my friend. I don't want to see her hurt."
"What makes you think I would do something like that?" he asked with an innocence that made Carly even more nauseous. "I love Elizabeth. The last thing I want to do is hurt her."
She raised an eyebrow, challenging him. "Did you tell her about Carly?"
Recognition and something else, something dangerous, flashed in his eyes. "What about Carly?"
"Did you tell Liz about that night in February, Ric? The night you raped the boss's wife?"
He shook his head, laughing off the accusation. "I don't know what she told you..."
"She didn't tell me anything," Carly shot back, raising her voice in irritation. She hated this game. "I heard it from your own mouth."
He didn't deny it. "You say you don't want Elizabeth hurt, but what will this do to her? It will only cause her undue pain."
"Better she be hurt by the truth than by whatever sick plan you've got in mind."
Ric turned very cold and whatever friendliness he had disappeared, replaced by a darkness Carly couldn't read. She swallowed nervously, trying to put on the stone face she'd seen on Frisco and Jason thousands of times, but she was in way over her head and she knew it.
He stepped forward, invading her personal space. "You know nothing."
Carly took a step back. "I know what you did, you psycho!" she said firmly, holding her ground verbally, if not physically. "I will tell her if you don't end it. Now."
He again stepped forward, grasping her upper arms. His voice was calm and soft, in total contrast to the intended meaning of his words. "You will not say a word to Elizabeth."
"Or what?" she asked defiantly, trying to wriggle free from his tight hold.
He pushed her backwards until her back slammed hard into the wall. He held her up, his face only inches from hers. "You'll be the one who gets hurt."
Looking into his eyes chilled her to the bone. In that moment, she had no doubts he would make good on that promise. "I'll go to Jason," she said, her voice finally faltering. "You know as well as I do that he won't think twice about killing you. Not when it involves her."
He released her. He stepped back and composed himself. He was back to his usual smarmy, charming self, like he hadn't just threatened her.
"You won't get away with it," Carly told him, unable to make herself move. "Eventually the truth is going to come out. Liz will see who you really are and every hit man in the world is going to be after you."
Ric turned and walked towards the back room. "Remember what I said. I will not have you hurting Elizabeth with your... stories."
"Go to hell."
Frisco dialed a number and didn't wait for the voice on the other end. "We need to talk," he said gruffly.
"We don't have anything to talk about, Jones," Jason replied.
"I'm at Luke's. Be here in ten minutes."
"I told you, we have nothing to talk about."
"It wasn't a request, Morgan. Be here or I'll have your ass hauled into the PCPD."
Frisco closed the phone without another word. He took a bite of his burger and waited.
Carly was shaken, still trying not to show it. She left the club and walked up the stairs, where Courtney was waiting for her, obviously angry. "Courtney, what are you doing here?" she asked, glancing back down towards the club.
"I work here," the blonde sneered. "I'd ask you the same thing, but I already have my answer."
Carly sighed, quickly back down the stairs. "You heard."
"Whatever you think you know, forget it. Carly doesn't need you butting into her business."
Whatever. She wasn't in the mood to deal with this. "Then maybe you shouldn't be discussing it in public hallways for everyone to hear."
"What happened was private. It's none of your business."
"It was rape, Courtney, and last I checked, that was a crime."
Blondie rolled her eyes. "Stay out of it, Robin," she ordered.
Carly was sick of the attitude. "Hey, what did I do to deserve the cold shoulder, huh?" she asked, annoyed. "All I have done is be a friend and help both of you."
"Think I don't know about your past?"
Carly's heart jumped into her throat. Could Charlotte have confessed to Blondie and somehow turned all the details around?
"Or about your little plan to take Sonny and Jason away from the people that love them?"
The story Charlotte had told was now clear. She'd used Frisco's WSB job to her advantage.
"You are not going to use what happened to Carly against this family. We'll tell Sonny and Jason that you're lying to trap them."
Carly couldn't believe what she was hearing. "And let the psycho get away with rape? Are you completely nuts?"
"No, I'm loyal. Something you wouldn't know anything about."
She shook her head. This was insane. Protecting psycho Lansing, just to cover Charlotte's lying ass. "You don't have any idea what you're talking about, Courtney. I am loyal, to a fault. Whatever she told you, it's a big fat lie."
"Carly wouldn't lie to me," Courtney firmly said.
"Newsflash, Blondie! All Carly ever does is lie," Carly snapped. "Ask Bobbie if you don't believe me. She has a very long history of it, going all the way back to when she was sleeping with your husband."
"Right," Blondie snorted. "Like I'm going to trust anything you say. I'm done listening to you."
She stormed off, leaving Carly in shock.
Jason didn't wait to see if Frisco was alone to speak. The words were out of his mouth as soon as he slammed open the office door. "Who the hell do you think you are, Jones? You do not give me orders."
"Of course. That's Sonny's job," Frisco quipped, smirking.
"What do you want? I'm busy."
"I have some questions for you."
"About?"
"Alcazar." Frisco settled back in the chair. "How did you get involved with that bunch?"
Jason just looked at him silently, not giving away anything except his annoyance.
The agent groaned softly. He wasn't in the mood for the silent act. He had to give the younger man something if he had any hope of a reaction. "Look, Jason, something about this kidnapping mess never made sense to me," he said, looking Jason in the eye. "I know you kept me out of the information loop and I'm only working off half the details. But I know Lorenzo Alcazar. He had to have more of a reason to attack you than just a shipment. He could've gotten the drugs back on his own if that was all it was about."
"He would've never gotten past our guards," Jason said, shaking his head confidently.
"The guy has more federal agents in his pocket than he knows what to do with. He could've arranged for a raid and made sure the shipment disappeared." Frisco paused, watching the young man's face. "Believe me, if he wanted that shipment back, he would've just taken it and you wouldn't have gotten in his way."
"Whatever."
"Anyway, the one thing I keep going back to is why. What did you two get into that would've drawn Lorenzo's attention?"
"I told you before, I'm not going to discuss our business with you."
"He has to have a bigger plan. Kidnapping is just so..." He paused, as if he was searching for the right word. "Small for him."
That got Jason's attention. "Small? He kidnapped the most powerful man on the east coast."
The agent stifled a laugh. "The east coast is insignificant on the Alcazars' level. They are a global organization and they gross more a year from their foreign interests than Sonny can even imagine. You guys are just big fish in a little pond in comparison." He stopped, letting his words sink in. "So I ask again, what does a man with a small army want with your organization?"
"You know what he wanted," Jason repeated, although not as sure this time. "He wanted his shipment."
Frisco smirked. It was clear that that thought hadn't crossed the young man's mind. He had acquired a portion of Corinthos' arrogance, the portion that wasn't capable of thinking beyond their own place in the criminal world until it had slapped them in the face. "Hardly. I told you the man is ruthless. He doesn't fear you. You saw for yourself how he reacted at the warehouse. I'm sure by now Sonny's told you what happened before we busted in. Whatever it is Alcazar wants, he is going to go after your territory to get it."
"Jones, he didn't get what he wanted," Jason insisted again. "We got Sonny back and the shipment is in the hands of the PCPD."
"Like he couldn't get the shipment out of the station," Frisco snorted, rolling his eyes. "He's still around, Morgan. His people are still in Port Charles."
"You don't know that."
"I do know that." He stopped short of telling the younger man about the flowers. "I also know the Alcazars..."
"There's only one Alcazar. The other's dead."
"The organization is far larger than just Lorenzo and Luis. Their influence extends into some very unexpected places. Believe me, they are far more powerful than Sonny. They have some of the world's most lethal contract killers. No petty mobsters are going to get in the way."
Jason turned to leave, shaking his head. "I don't know why I bothered coming here."
"Don't underestimate this man, Morgan," the agent warned. "He is very dangerous."
The younger man hesitated and glanced back for just a moment, then walked out. Frisco may not have gotten an actual answer, but he knew he'd gotten his point across. That was enough for the moment.
Frisco strolled into the office, cell phone glued to his ear. "That sounds great, sweetheart," he said. "Don't push her. Your sister has come around on her own. Give her time."
Carly was sitting behind the desk, her feet up. She just raised a curious eyebrow as he mouthed the word "Georgie".
"I appreciate you trying to mend fences, Georgie, I really do, but I can handle Maxie myself. Thank you... Georgie, princess, I've got to get back to work... I love you, I'll talk to you soon."
He closed the phone and sighed.
"Talking your ear off?" Carly asked knowingly.
He smiled, amused. "Yeah. She wants to throw us a housewarming party."
"And what did you say?"
"She didn't give me much of a choice. When she gets her mind set on something..." He shook his head. "She reminds me a lot of her mother."
"Nah, Georgie isn't so flighty."
"Flighty? Felicia is not flighty."
She rolled her eyes. Her husband was obviously clueless or just blind when it came to his ex-wife. The woman was a flake. "Whatever. Did Luke ever drag his ass out of bed?"
His smiled disappeared. "And as cranky as ever," he grumbled. "He's fired most of the staff twice now. I've got to find a better cover. I'm not going to get anything done as long as I'm doing his job."
"So I guess you were too busy to talk to Jason..."
"Actually, I did," he said, smirking as he plopped into one of the chairs across the desk.
Carly knew how tightlipped Jason was. He never talked to anyone he didn't trust and certainly wouldn't have trusted a law enforcement officer, even after everything Frisco had done. Curiosity overcame her. "What did he tell you?"
Frisco shrugged. "He's definitely the silent type."
Just as she'd suspected. "Nothing, in other words."
He smirked again, pointing smugly. "Silent does not always equal nothing, Carly."
Her tone was dubious. "What did his silence tell you?"
"That they are clueless and arrogant when it comes to the Alcazars. They have no idea who they are dealing with. They're treating this as a victory, as if it were any other mob enemy. It hadn't occurred to them that the kidnapping might've been a calculated move as part of a bigger agenda."
She knew he was good at reading people; it was part of what kept him alive. But she wondered what he'd said to Jason to get enough of a reaction to read it. It was unnerving to think Jason might've been snowed. He was usually good at seeing all the angles. "That doesn't sound so good."
"Not for them, anyway."
"What did you tell him?"
"Just what I thought about the kidnapping. That Alcazar wants something from them and he's more lethal and more connected than they are."
"Why'd you tell him that?"
Frisco looked amused and almost proud of himself. "I like playing with Borgie's head," he replied, only half joking. "I think it got him thinking though. He'll spill something eventually."
"Jason? Spill something? Come back down to Earth, sweetie."
"I have information he's eventually going to need. You've told me repeatedly that he's smart. I know Alcazar, much better than they do, and he knows that. He'll give me just enough to get his answers when the time comes. And from those bits, I'll be able to figure out what Alcazar wants."
"You really think he'll ever tell you anything?" she asked, disbelievingly.
"If he wants what I know, yes, I think he will."
She just shook her head. He was way too confident.
"Why don't you go back through Sonny's FBI file, figure out what they're into these days," he suggested, although it sounded more like an order. "We need to find the commonality between his business and Alcazar's."
"What about the WSB files?"
"If you want. But Sonny is your priority right now."
A slow smile spread across her face. This was something real, something significant. Actual work, investigative work. She couldn't help being a little excited about finally getting to do something. "I'll see what I can come up with."
One of the pictures on Luke's desk caught her attention momentarily. It was his and Laura's wedding photo from 1981. Laura's ring stood out and an image of Liz's ring flashed in Carly's mind. Liz. Ric. The club. The threat.
The whole incident in The Cellar had scared her. She had no doubt that Ric would make good on his promise and that he'd eventually physically hurt Liz. At least she was protected. She had a weapon and she had Frisco. Liz was going to be living with the guy and she was sure to piss him off at some point. Psychos like that didn't know how to love and when she was no longer a use to him, he'd probably kill her.
She didn't know what to do and frankly she didn't want to discuss it here. "You ready to go home?" she asked nervously, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
He caught on to her changed mood. "No, I have to hang around here and make some calls," he told her, looking at her strangely. "What's wrong?"
She ignored his question. "Shouldn't you be making these calls in a secure environment? That is the reason we have a secure line at the house."
"It's nothing to do with work, thank god. Lucky had some bright idea, I told him I'd make some calls and try to use an old favor or two."
"Oh."
They fell into an awkward silence. She could feel his eyes on her, studying her. She looked everywhere in the small office, but avoided him.
"You going to tell me what's got you worried?" he asked.
"I'm not worried," she answered. A little too quickly she realized when Frisco simply raised a knowing brow in response. "Okay, so I am." She sighed. "I had a run-in with Ric Lansing today."
"What kind of run-in?"
"The threatening kind."
His expression turned very serious. "He threatened you?" he repeated, slowly and cautiously.
She looked down and twisted her shirt hem around a little more. "Yeah," she admitted softly, "but I provoked him."
"How?"
"The rape."
"Please, tell me you didn't confront him."
"I had to!" she told him, dropping her feet to the floor and sitting up in the chair defensively. "He proposed to Liz, bought her a house. She was going on about how wonderful he was. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."
"I thought you hated her."
Carly's eyes met his. He was trying to read her, she could tell, but no trace of his usual humor. "I do," she groaned. "But not even she deserves a psycho like him."
Frisco chuckled. "What's this?" he asked teasingly. "Did Hurricane Carly actually grow a conscience?"
"Yeah, yeah. Don't let it get out," she grumbled. "I really hate him for making me feel sorry for the bitch."
"So you threw out the only ace you had? Information, Carly. It's the best ammunition you can have."
"I know, it wasn't one of my brighter moments. Especially after he pushed me against the wall."
"What?"
"He implied in a very lawyer-like way that he'd hurt me if I told Liz about the rape. I told him to go to hell."
"Okay, Caroline," he said in a very business-like tone, "I can't protect you if you're running around pissing off psychos. Stay away from Ric Lansing if possible."
"What about Liz? The guy's a rapist, Frisco!"
He shrugged. "Then tell her. Blow the secret wide open." He grinned. "Borgie will do the dirty work and Lansing won't be an issue anymore."
It sounded good in principle, of course. The reality would be something else entirely. "Courtney will lie about it, I think."
"Courtney?" he asked, confused. "How did she come into this?"
"She overheard me and Ric. She told me if I spilled to Jason, she'd lie about the rape, just to stop my 'evil' plan."
"Evil plan?"
"To take Sonny and Jason away." She shakes her head. "Don't ask. Blonde is definitely the right hair color for her. It matches her brain capacity."
Frisco looked as shocked as she had. "She'd really let Lansing get away with rape just to spite you?"
Carly nodded.
"That must've been some story Charlotte spun."
"It was easy with your job. And Blondie bought it hook, line and sinker."
"Obviously if she's willing to go that far." He reached across the desk and picked a file, moving in front of her. "WSB sent some new information on Lansing."
She looked at the folder, then up at him. She didn't want to dig through the WSB-speak to get to the point. "Short version."
"Our guy on the inside doesn't think Lansing is operating on all eight cylinders," he told her. "No evidence to back that up though, just a general impression."
It was nice to have her feelings backed up by a professional. "Glad I'm not the only one."
Frisco continued. "While he was in jail in Venezuela, guess who was in the cell next to him?"
She wasn't in the mood for games either. "Did I suddenly become a mind reader?"
"Carly Corinthos and Jason Morgan."
"And Ric just happened to show up in Port Charles shortly after that?" she said dubiously.
"My gut says that it's not a coincidence. Especially not when he requested a meeting with Luis right after they were sprung and then he was inexplicably released."
"How does the time frame for his release relate to Brenda's rise from the grave?"
"Why do you think Jason and Charlotte ended up down there and in an Alcazar-controlled jail? Brenda was with Sonny, running from Luis." He sighed. "There's no evidence that Lansing's been in contact with anyone in the Alcazar organization in the meantime," he said, predicting her next question, "and our guy hasn't heard a word about him. Frankly, nothing Lansing's done here makes strategic sense. It's too obsessive."
Carly frowned. None of this was useful. She wanted something she could act on. "So we're still at square one."
"You have the ammunition to neutralize Lansing. It's your choice of how and when you use it."
She thought for a moment. Making choices wasn't something she was used to with him. Usually because she managed to screw them up somehow on the rare occasions she was presented with them. Her first instinct was to tell Jason, but she had no idea what she wanted to do. "What would you do?" she asked uncertainly.
"I'd expose him. Cuts off any play by Alcazar if he is in fact still working for them and gets an unknown variable out of the equation if he's not. And Liz would likely kick his ass to the curb like yesterday's garbage."
Her gut was screaming that Ric was unstable and would retaliate. Frisco wasn't at the club, he hadn't seen the look in Ric's eyes. "I think we need more information first."
His tone was decisive, with a half-smile on his lips, as if he approved of her decision. "Then we'll get it."
The growl of her empty stomach interrupted her response. She smiled embarrassedly. "I'm starving. I haven't eaten."
He waved toward the door. "Go to the kitchen and grab a cheeseburger. On the house."
"Luke's not going to like that. Usually quotes the 'no free lunch' line."
"Screw Luke," Frisco snorted in annoyance. "He left me in charge and I say dinner's on him."
Carly shrugged, a smile faintly visible at the corners of her mouth. "I'm not going to argue with that logic."
Chapter 29
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 27
Carly sat in Kelly's, just reading the paper. She'd come into town with Frisco, intending to pick his brain about the Alcazar files some more, but once they'd arrived at Luke's, that went out the window. Luke was still passed out, it was Lucky's day off and Frisco was left to run things. Again.
They only thing they knew was that father and son had had an argument, leading to Luke getting stinking drunk and harassing customers till the bartender pushed him upstairs. Frisco told her he'd call her when he got more information, but knowing Luke, she didn't expect a call.
Luckily, she wouldn't be the one stuck listening to her uncle's inevitable "ungrateful child" rant.
Ric passed through the diner, obviously looking for Liz. He spotted Carly and gave her a small wave as he headed for the club. He still creeped her out.
Carly was still staring at the stairs to the Cellar when Liz burst through the doors and took the seat across from her, a huge grin on her face.
"I've got a secret," Liz told her with a devious smile. "A good one."
"Oh yeah," Carly replied, raising a curious eyebrow as she put away the paper.
"Ric bought a house."
All traces of emotion left her face. That was about as anticlimactic as a secret got. "That's it?"
"No, that's not the secret. He took me by last night, to show it to me. And there, in the living room..." Liz paused, smiling happily. "He proposed!" She held out her left hand, the large diamond ring prominently visible on her finger.
Carly was stunned. "He proposed?"
"I know! He got down on one knee and everything. Can you believe it?" Liz said, gazing dreamily at her ring. "He wants to keep the whole thing hush-hush for the moment. But I couldn't help it, I had to tell someone!"
She opened her mouth, but Liz continued, cutting off any protest.
"And he bought the house for me! There's even a room that would be perfect for a studio. It really is a gorgeous house, Robin. You have to see it."
"Marriage, a house... Isn't this a little fast, don't you think?"
"This coming from someone that eloped in Atlantic City."
"Andy and I have been together for a long time. You've only known Ric for a few months."
"I feel like I've known him my whole life. He's so sweet and understanding and romantic..."
Carly wanted to throw up. A rape victim waxing poetic about a rapist with a deliriously happy grin on her face was sickening. But she couldn't bring herself to tell Liz the truth about Ric. Nor would she support this. She pulled out the only other card she had. "And working for the mob."
Liz was obviously coming down from her high. "He's just a lawyer."
"He's working for Sonny Corinthos."
"And your husband helped him."
Carly sighed. "My husband has a weak spot for damsels in distress. He only helped because Courtney showed up on our doorstep in tears and he had information Jason needed. Believe me, he won't be helping them again. But Ric works for them. Even as just a lawyer, he's in danger because of that. You will be, too."
Liz just glared at her.
"I'm concerned for you, okay?" Carly said. "I don't trust Ric and I don't want to see you get hurt because of him."
And it bugged the hell out of her that she was telling the truth. She hated Lansing for that. The disgusting bastard was making her feel sorry for Elizabeth Webber, of all people.
"Ric isn't going to hurt me," Liz shot back defiantly. "You're just like them!"
Carly didn't need to be told who "them" was. She knew. "I am not! I'm trying to look out for you! The guy is trouble and he's going to break your heart, if you're lucky!"
"And if I'm not lucky?"
"Good thing my husband likes damsels in distress. I'll have to send him to save you before you get killed."
Liz might as well have been shooting daggers from her eyes, the way she was looking at Carly. "I won't need rescuing," she said coldly. "Not from Ric."
Before Carly could get another word in, the petite brunette got up and left, going into the diner's kitchen. Carly felt absolutely sick at the idea of Liz marrying that psycho. Not that she cared much what happened to Little Miss Perfect, but she couldn't stand by and watch this train wreck. Not even Lizzie Webber deserved what was coming.
She glanced towards the stairs leading to The Cellar. If Liz wouldn't listen, maybe she could push Lansing's buttons. After all, she did have dirt on him.
Her mind set, she walked down to the club. She waited in the entrance and peered inside. Ric was talking to two bartenders, who almost immediately noticed her. He turned to see what they were looking at and smiled at her.
Ric dismissed them and waited until they had disappeared to speak. "If you're looking for Carly, she has taken some time off."
"I was looking for you," she replied icily, entering the club.
"Any particular reason?"
She took a few determined steps, closing the space between them. "I think you should stay away from Liz from now on," she said, her voice taking on a commanding tone reminiscent of Frisco.
Ric wasn't moved by the tone. He looked more curious than anything else. "Why should I do that?"
"She's my friend. I don't want to see her hurt."
"What makes you think I would do something like that?" he asked with an innocence that made Carly even more nauseous. "I love Elizabeth. The last thing I want to do is hurt her."
She raised an eyebrow, challenging him. "Did you tell her about Carly?"
Recognition and something else, something dangerous, flashed in his eyes. "What about Carly?"
"Did you tell Liz about that night in February, Ric? The night you raped the boss's wife?"
He shook his head, laughing off the accusation. "I don't know what she told you..."
"She didn't tell me anything," Carly shot back, raising her voice in irritation. She hated this game. "I heard it from your own mouth."
He didn't deny it. "You say you don't want Elizabeth hurt, but what will this do to her? It will only cause her undue pain."
"Better she be hurt by the truth than by whatever sick plan you've got in mind."
Ric turned very cold and whatever friendliness he had disappeared, replaced by a darkness Carly couldn't read. She swallowed nervously, trying to put on the stone face she'd seen on Frisco and Jason thousands of times, but she was in way over her head and she knew it.
He stepped forward, invading her personal space. "You know nothing."
Carly took a step back. "I know what you did, you psycho!" she said firmly, holding her ground verbally, if not physically. "I will tell her if you don't end it. Now."
He again stepped forward, grasping her upper arms. His voice was calm and soft, in total contrast to the intended meaning of his words. "You will not say a word to Elizabeth."
"Or what?" she asked defiantly, trying to wriggle free from his tight hold.
He pushed her backwards until her back slammed hard into the wall. He held her up, his face only inches from hers. "You'll be the one who gets hurt."
Looking into his eyes chilled her to the bone. In that moment, she had no doubts he would make good on that promise. "I'll go to Jason," she said, her voice finally faltering. "You know as well as I do that he won't think twice about killing you. Not when it involves her."
He released her. He stepped back and composed himself. He was back to his usual smarmy, charming self, like he hadn't just threatened her.
"You won't get away with it," Carly told him, unable to make herself move. "Eventually the truth is going to come out. Liz will see who you really are and every hit man in the world is going to be after you."
Ric turned and walked towards the back room. "Remember what I said. I will not have you hurting Elizabeth with your... stories."
"Go to hell."
Frisco dialed a number and didn't wait for the voice on the other end. "We need to talk," he said gruffly.
"We don't have anything to talk about, Jones," Jason replied.
"I'm at Luke's. Be here in ten minutes."
"I told you, we have nothing to talk about."
"It wasn't a request, Morgan. Be here or I'll have your ass hauled into the PCPD."
Frisco closed the phone without another word. He took a bite of his burger and waited.
Carly was shaken, still trying not to show it. She left the club and walked up the stairs, where Courtney was waiting for her, obviously angry. "Courtney, what are you doing here?" she asked, glancing back down towards the club.
"I work here," the blonde sneered. "I'd ask you the same thing, but I already have my answer."
Carly sighed, quickly back down the stairs. "You heard."
"Whatever you think you know, forget it. Carly doesn't need you butting into her business."
Whatever. She wasn't in the mood to deal with this. "Then maybe you shouldn't be discussing it in public hallways for everyone to hear."
"What happened was private. It's none of your business."
"It was rape, Courtney, and last I checked, that was a crime."
Blondie rolled her eyes. "Stay out of it, Robin," she ordered.
Carly was sick of the attitude. "Hey, what did I do to deserve the cold shoulder, huh?" she asked, annoyed. "All I have done is be a friend and help both of you."
"Think I don't know about your past?"
Carly's heart jumped into her throat. Could Charlotte have confessed to Blondie and somehow turned all the details around?
"Or about your little plan to take Sonny and Jason away from the people that love them?"
The story Charlotte had told was now clear. She'd used Frisco's WSB job to her advantage.
"You are not going to use what happened to Carly against this family. We'll tell Sonny and Jason that you're lying to trap them."
Carly couldn't believe what she was hearing. "And let the psycho get away with rape? Are you completely nuts?"
"No, I'm loyal. Something you wouldn't know anything about."
She shook her head. This was insane. Protecting psycho Lansing, just to cover Charlotte's lying ass. "You don't have any idea what you're talking about, Courtney. I am loyal, to a fault. Whatever she told you, it's a big fat lie."
"Carly wouldn't lie to me," Courtney firmly said.
"Newsflash, Blondie! All Carly ever does is lie," Carly snapped. "Ask Bobbie if you don't believe me. She has a very long history of it, going all the way back to when she was sleeping with your husband."
"Right," Blondie snorted. "Like I'm going to trust anything you say. I'm done listening to you."
She stormed off, leaving Carly in shock.
Jason didn't wait to see if Frisco was alone to speak. The words were out of his mouth as soon as he slammed open the office door. "Who the hell do you think you are, Jones? You do not give me orders."
"Of course. That's Sonny's job," Frisco quipped, smirking.
"What do you want? I'm busy."
"I have some questions for you."
"About?"
"Alcazar." Frisco settled back in the chair. "How did you get involved with that bunch?"
Jason just looked at him silently, not giving away anything except his annoyance.
The agent groaned softly. He wasn't in the mood for the silent act. He had to give the younger man something if he had any hope of a reaction. "Look, Jason, something about this kidnapping mess never made sense to me," he said, looking Jason in the eye. "I know you kept me out of the information loop and I'm only working off half the details. But I know Lorenzo Alcazar. He had to have more of a reason to attack you than just a shipment. He could've gotten the drugs back on his own if that was all it was about."
"He would've never gotten past our guards," Jason said, shaking his head confidently.
"The guy has more federal agents in his pocket than he knows what to do with. He could've arranged for a raid and made sure the shipment disappeared." Frisco paused, watching the young man's face. "Believe me, if he wanted that shipment back, he would've just taken it and you wouldn't have gotten in his way."
"Whatever."
"Anyway, the one thing I keep going back to is why. What did you two get into that would've drawn Lorenzo's attention?"
"I told you before, I'm not going to discuss our business with you."
"He has to have a bigger plan. Kidnapping is just so..." He paused, as if he was searching for the right word. "Small for him."
That got Jason's attention. "Small? He kidnapped the most powerful man on the east coast."
The agent stifled a laugh. "The east coast is insignificant on the Alcazars' level. They are a global organization and they gross more a year from their foreign interests than Sonny can even imagine. You guys are just big fish in a little pond in comparison." He stopped, letting his words sink in. "So I ask again, what does a man with a small army want with your organization?"
"You know what he wanted," Jason repeated, although not as sure this time. "He wanted his shipment."
Frisco smirked. It was clear that that thought hadn't crossed the young man's mind. He had acquired a portion of Corinthos' arrogance, the portion that wasn't capable of thinking beyond their own place in the criminal world until it had slapped them in the face. "Hardly. I told you the man is ruthless. He doesn't fear you. You saw for yourself how he reacted at the warehouse. I'm sure by now Sonny's told you what happened before we busted in. Whatever it is Alcazar wants, he is going to go after your territory to get it."
"Jones, he didn't get what he wanted," Jason insisted again. "We got Sonny back and the shipment is in the hands of the PCPD."
"Like he couldn't get the shipment out of the station," Frisco snorted, rolling his eyes. "He's still around, Morgan. His people are still in Port Charles."
"You don't know that."
"I do know that." He stopped short of telling the younger man about the flowers. "I also know the Alcazars..."
"There's only one Alcazar. The other's dead."
"The organization is far larger than just Lorenzo and Luis. Their influence extends into some very unexpected places. Believe me, they are far more powerful than Sonny. They have some of the world's most lethal contract killers. No petty mobsters are going to get in the way."
Jason turned to leave, shaking his head. "I don't know why I bothered coming here."
"Don't underestimate this man, Morgan," the agent warned. "He is very dangerous."
The younger man hesitated and glanced back for just a moment, then walked out. Frisco may not have gotten an actual answer, but he knew he'd gotten his point across. That was enough for the moment.
Frisco strolled into the office, cell phone glued to his ear. "That sounds great, sweetheart," he said. "Don't push her. Your sister has come around on her own. Give her time."
Carly was sitting behind the desk, her feet up. She just raised a curious eyebrow as he mouthed the word "Georgie".
"I appreciate you trying to mend fences, Georgie, I really do, but I can handle Maxie myself. Thank you... Georgie, princess, I've got to get back to work... I love you, I'll talk to you soon."
He closed the phone and sighed.
"Talking your ear off?" Carly asked knowingly.
He smiled, amused. "Yeah. She wants to throw us a housewarming party."
"And what did you say?"
"She didn't give me much of a choice. When she gets her mind set on something..." He shook his head. "She reminds me a lot of her mother."
"Nah, Georgie isn't so flighty."
"Flighty? Felicia is not flighty."
She rolled her eyes. Her husband was obviously clueless or just blind when it came to his ex-wife. The woman was a flake. "Whatever. Did Luke ever drag his ass out of bed?"
His smiled disappeared. "And as cranky as ever," he grumbled. "He's fired most of the staff twice now. I've got to find a better cover. I'm not going to get anything done as long as I'm doing his job."
"So I guess you were too busy to talk to Jason..."
"Actually, I did," he said, smirking as he plopped into one of the chairs across the desk.
Carly knew how tightlipped Jason was. He never talked to anyone he didn't trust and certainly wouldn't have trusted a law enforcement officer, even after everything Frisco had done. Curiosity overcame her. "What did he tell you?"
Frisco shrugged. "He's definitely the silent type."
Just as she'd suspected. "Nothing, in other words."
He smirked again, pointing smugly. "Silent does not always equal nothing, Carly."
Her tone was dubious. "What did his silence tell you?"
"That they are clueless and arrogant when it comes to the Alcazars. They have no idea who they are dealing with. They're treating this as a victory, as if it were any other mob enemy. It hadn't occurred to them that the kidnapping might've been a calculated move as part of a bigger agenda."
She knew he was good at reading people; it was part of what kept him alive. But she wondered what he'd said to Jason to get enough of a reaction to read it. It was unnerving to think Jason might've been snowed. He was usually good at seeing all the angles. "That doesn't sound so good."
"Not for them, anyway."
"What did you tell him?"
"Just what I thought about the kidnapping. That Alcazar wants something from them and he's more lethal and more connected than they are."
"Why'd you tell him that?"
Frisco looked amused and almost proud of himself. "I like playing with Borgie's head," he replied, only half joking. "I think it got him thinking though. He'll spill something eventually."
"Jason? Spill something? Come back down to Earth, sweetie."
"I have information he's eventually going to need. You've told me repeatedly that he's smart. I know Alcazar, much better than they do, and he knows that. He'll give me just enough to get his answers when the time comes. And from those bits, I'll be able to figure out what Alcazar wants."
"You really think he'll ever tell you anything?" she asked, disbelievingly.
"If he wants what I know, yes, I think he will."
She just shook her head. He was way too confident.
"Why don't you go back through Sonny's FBI file, figure out what they're into these days," he suggested, although it sounded more like an order. "We need to find the commonality between his business and Alcazar's."
"What about the WSB files?"
"If you want. But Sonny is your priority right now."
A slow smile spread across her face. This was something real, something significant. Actual work, investigative work. She couldn't help being a little excited about finally getting to do something. "I'll see what I can come up with."
One of the pictures on Luke's desk caught her attention momentarily. It was his and Laura's wedding photo from 1981. Laura's ring stood out and an image of Liz's ring flashed in Carly's mind. Liz. Ric. The club. The threat.
The whole incident in The Cellar had scared her. She had no doubt that Ric would make good on his promise and that he'd eventually physically hurt Liz. At least she was protected. She had a weapon and she had Frisco. Liz was going to be living with the guy and she was sure to piss him off at some point. Psychos like that didn't know how to love and when she was no longer a use to him, he'd probably kill her.
She didn't know what to do and frankly she didn't want to discuss it here. "You ready to go home?" she asked nervously, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
He caught on to her changed mood. "No, I have to hang around here and make some calls," he told her, looking at her strangely. "What's wrong?"
She ignored his question. "Shouldn't you be making these calls in a secure environment? That is the reason we have a secure line at the house."
"It's nothing to do with work, thank god. Lucky had some bright idea, I told him I'd make some calls and try to use an old favor or two."
"Oh."
They fell into an awkward silence. She could feel his eyes on her, studying her. She looked everywhere in the small office, but avoided him.
"You going to tell me what's got you worried?" he asked.
"I'm not worried," she answered. A little too quickly she realized when Frisco simply raised a knowing brow in response. "Okay, so I am." She sighed. "I had a run-in with Ric Lansing today."
"What kind of run-in?"
"The threatening kind."
His expression turned very serious. "He threatened you?" he repeated, slowly and cautiously.
She looked down and twisted her shirt hem around a little more. "Yeah," she admitted softly, "but I provoked him."
"How?"
"The rape."
"Please, tell me you didn't confront him."
"I had to!" she told him, dropping her feet to the floor and sitting up in the chair defensively. "He proposed to Liz, bought her a house. She was going on about how wonderful he was. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."
"I thought you hated her."
Carly's eyes met his. He was trying to read her, she could tell, but no trace of his usual humor. "I do," she groaned. "But not even she deserves a psycho like him."
Frisco chuckled. "What's this?" he asked teasingly. "Did Hurricane Carly actually grow a conscience?"
"Yeah, yeah. Don't let it get out," she grumbled. "I really hate him for making me feel sorry for the bitch."
"So you threw out the only ace you had? Information, Carly. It's the best ammunition you can have."
"I know, it wasn't one of my brighter moments. Especially after he pushed me against the wall."
"What?"
"He implied in a very lawyer-like way that he'd hurt me if I told Liz about the rape. I told him to go to hell."
"Okay, Caroline," he said in a very business-like tone, "I can't protect you if you're running around pissing off psychos. Stay away from Ric Lansing if possible."
"What about Liz? The guy's a rapist, Frisco!"
He shrugged. "Then tell her. Blow the secret wide open." He grinned. "Borgie will do the dirty work and Lansing won't be an issue anymore."
It sounded good in principle, of course. The reality would be something else entirely. "Courtney will lie about it, I think."
"Courtney?" he asked, confused. "How did she come into this?"
"She overheard me and Ric. She told me if I spilled to Jason, she'd lie about the rape, just to stop my 'evil' plan."
"Evil plan?"
"To take Sonny and Jason away." She shakes her head. "Don't ask. Blonde is definitely the right hair color for her. It matches her brain capacity."
Frisco looked as shocked as she had. "She'd really let Lansing get away with rape just to spite you?"
Carly nodded.
"That must've been some story Charlotte spun."
"It was easy with your job. And Blondie bought it hook, line and sinker."
"Obviously if she's willing to go that far." He reached across the desk and picked a file, moving in front of her. "WSB sent some new information on Lansing."
She looked at the folder, then up at him. She didn't want to dig through the WSB-speak to get to the point. "Short version."
"Our guy on the inside doesn't think Lansing is operating on all eight cylinders," he told her. "No evidence to back that up though, just a general impression."
It was nice to have her feelings backed up by a professional. "Glad I'm not the only one."
Frisco continued. "While he was in jail in Venezuela, guess who was in the cell next to him?"
She wasn't in the mood for games either. "Did I suddenly become a mind reader?"
"Carly Corinthos and Jason Morgan."
"And Ric just happened to show up in Port Charles shortly after that?" she said dubiously.
"My gut says that it's not a coincidence. Especially not when he requested a meeting with Luis right after they were sprung and then he was inexplicably released."
"How does the time frame for his release relate to Brenda's rise from the grave?"
"Why do you think Jason and Charlotte ended up down there and in an Alcazar-controlled jail? Brenda was with Sonny, running from Luis." He sighed. "There's no evidence that Lansing's been in contact with anyone in the Alcazar organization in the meantime," he said, predicting her next question, "and our guy hasn't heard a word about him. Frankly, nothing Lansing's done here makes strategic sense. It's too obsessive."
Carly frowned. None of this was useful. She wanted something she could act on. "So we're still at square one."
"You have the ammunition to neutralize Lansing. It's your choice of how and when you use it."
She thought for a moment. Making choices wasn't something she was used to with him. Usually because she managed to screw them up somehow on the rare occasions she was presented with them. Her first instinct was to tell Jason, but she had no idea what she wanted to do. "What would you do?" she asked uncertainly.
"I'd expose him. Cuts off any play by Alcazar if he is in fact still working for them and gets an unknown variable out of the equation if he's not. And Liz would likely kick his ass to the curb like yesterday's garbage."
Her gut was screaming that Ric was unstable and would retaliate. Frisco wasn't at the club, he hadn't seen the look in Ric's eyes. "I think we need more information first."
His tone was decisive, with a half-smile on his lips, as if he approved of her decision. "Then we'll get it."
The growl of her empty stomach interrupted her response. She smiled embarrassedly. "I'm starving. I haven't eaten."
He waved toward the door. "Go to the kitchen and grab a cheeseburger. On the house."
"Luke's not going to like that. Usually quotes the 'no free lunch' line."
"Screw Luke," Frisco snorted in annoyance. "He left me in charge and I say dinner's on him."
Carly shrugged, a smile faintly visible at the corners of her mouth. "I'm not going to argue with that logic."
Chapter 29
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