Alexis looked at Sam, noting the concerned look on her daughter's face.
"What do you need to tell me?"
Sam paused, her eyes darting around the restaurant. Dianne had wandered off to check out the hot new waiter, leaving them alone.
"Mom, have you talked with Molly lately?"
Alexis frowned.
"No…she's been avoiding my phone calls and she's living with Ric now at the MC. Why? Have you talked with her?"
Sam furrowed her brow, nodding slowly.
"I did a couple days ago. She wanted me to give her driving lessons since she got her permit."
Alexis knew that. Another sign that her youngest child was growing up right in front of her. Sometimes she didn't seem prepared to say goodbye to Molly next year before she left for a school preferably Ivy League though Molly had mentioned staying in PCU to be close to her boyfriend.
"I didn't know she'd gone to the DMV…I guess her father must have taken her."
Sam chewed her lower lip.
"I'm sure this is just a phases she's going through Mom. She'll remember which parent was truly there for her all of her life."
Alexis sighed.
"It's not that. I just miss her. And I just resent this rewriting of Ric's history into one where he's a saint…and I'm the sinner."
Sam shrugged.
"I get it. I don't like having to pretend to Molly that her father's not the man who tried to have me killed at the cemetery but if Molly ever knew the truth, what it'd do to her…"
Alexis nodded.
"It'd destroy her. Her whole world would be gone. I could never do that to her. I mean Ric has always tried to paint me as the bad, neglectful mother to score points with her…to make up for parenting by Skype but she still thinks he's the greatest father in the world."
Sam wanted to roll her eyes at the mention of Ric. She'd seethed underneath her skin when she'd been forced to make nice with that nasty slime ball but more importantly she didn't trust him. She knew that old habits die hard and that this routine of him being a redeemed father to Molly was just an act. But she had no proof, so she'd decided to keep an eye on him and his dealings in PC. So far there hadn't been much. He spent the typical five minutes with Molly each day and spent most of his time chasing Liz's tail around town.
Too bad Liz was deluded enough to believe that Ric had really changed and that her ethereal angelic routine had been an agent for that change.
She cleared her throat looking at her mother.
"I'll keep an eye on Molly. I'm supposed to meet her tonight at Kelly's to do sisters' night out. Though I thought she'd text me by now…"
Alexis frowned.
"I hadn't heard from here either but she's still in school. I know there's the SAT coming up again and Molly mentioned taking it again."
Sam sighed.
"Yeah mom…her scores kind of got messed up after you and Julian broke her and TJ up at the MC last year…"
Alexis felt her face flush remembering more of that evening before Rafe had arrived at the Lake House interrupting her and Julian while…anyway the two of them had stopped Molly and TJ just in time.
"She's had more time to study…with TJ keeping his distance so she'll spend more time studying…"
Sam chuckled.
"He's been good to her about her thinking about her future…Molly's got her whole life in front of her."
Alexis felt a pang of wistfulness, with her pride.
"I know…I just wish we were closer than we are right now…"
Sam touched her mother's arm.
"You know she really does love you…she's just going through being a teenager and Ric isn't making it any easier."
Alexis looked down at her hands.
"You don't believe Ric is really innocent do you?"
Sam paused a long moment, picking her words carefully, watching her mother's face.
"No I don't…I think he's working with Johnny Z. I mean how can that man control so much of the action in PC from behind bars?"
Alexis sighed.
"It is possible…that's what Sonny's doing."
"I know but Sonny's got help on the outside…loosely speaking anyway when you consider who his #2 and #3 are but still…for Johnny to be this successful, he's got to have a partner and who better than Ric?"
Alexis just looked at her daughter, reveling in how her mind worked. Qualities she'd inherited from her side of the family, with a dash of her father's side of course.
"I do remember that Ric defended Johnny on a murder charge…and he did show up in town out of nowhere. Molly had letters she sent to him returned to her and he did stop skyping during that whole water toxin mess. If he's fallen back with Johnny to go after Sonny, I'm going to break every bone in his miserable body."
She meant it as she said that, feeling the familiar iciness fill her, courtesy of her father's side of her family tree. Sam blinked her eyes.
"Mom…we can deal with this if it's true. It's better that Ric not suspect anything until we're absolutely sure…"
Alexis's eyes hardened.
"I'm not going to let him use my daughter as part of his cover to continue his insane vendetta against his brother. That's not going to happen…"
Sam shrugged.
"I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure if Ric is trying to trick everyone with this innocent fall guy act, he'll slip up and…hopefully in a way that won't involve her."
Alexis clenched her jaw.
"Okay…because if it does…I meant what I said…"
Sam didn't doubt her knowing her mother had the body count to prove it.
Julian looked directly at Andreas who had just tried to threaten him. He didn't know the man, hadn't seen him before or heard his name anywhere. Yet he'd waltzed in his art gallery in an expensive tailored suit trying to lay the law down to him.
He leaned forward towards the man.
"What do you mean by that?"
Andreas smiled.
"I mean that I have an offer and as you Americans say it one you can't resist Mr. Jerome. When you hear it…"'
Julian put his hand up.
"I'm not interested. I'm running an art gallery here…"
The man snickered.
"We both know that's not all you're running…I know your boss. I know that you run a lucrative trade in coke laced with heroin…that you've made quite a profit."
Julian bristled. It hadn't been his idea after all…and he'd tried to cut a deal with his boss to dump the drugs. After all that's what he'd promised Sam…no more kids would die as Rafe had from his product.
"You'll have to talk to him about what we're running…I don't handle that part of the business."
Andreas chuckled, his eyes hard as ice. Black ice, the kind that proved most deadly.
"I see…but I don't deal in drugs at all…. I deal in other…product. One that's brought me an incredible wealth. One that isn't sold only once but many, many times…"
Julian narrowed his eyes.
"I'm not interested…in that product. I'm not Sonny Corinthoes. He dealt in that business for many years."
Andreas shook his head.
"He's in Pentonville making enemies there with his sob stories about how he's a poor misunderstood coffee importer."
Julian figured as much. Since his return to PC, he'd dealt with this pervasive image of Sonny being the kinder, more benevolent mobster, defender of his family and small animals.
"You could be joining him soon if you don't agree to my business proposition…"
Julian arched his brows.
"Which is…"
"You help me with a shipment of…product passing through PC on its way overseas and you'll get a generous cut of the action…you and your boss."
Julian folded his arms.
"I'm not sure I…or my boss is interested in your line of business Mr. Anosov so you'd better shop it elsewhere. You can try Duke Lavery or Shawn Butler who are Sonny's point people while he's at Pentonville.."
Andreas shook his head.
"No I'm bringing this deal to you Mr. Jerome. I'm in town on other business here including to reacquaint myself with certain past…associates but I'm interested in doing business with you. "
Julian didn't want anything to do with the man in front of him. He didn't know where the interests and loyalties of his boss lay but there was no way he'd get involved in Andreas' line of business.
Trafficking drugs was bad enough. But what Andreas did…no he was definitely not interested.
"I'm not going to do business with you but you can feel free to sell the same pitch to my boss…"
Andreas smiled widely, his eyes calculated.
"Oh I will Mr. Jerome and like I told you, I have several people to reconnect her with first…"
Julian watched as the man turned around and left his gallery carrying some of his malice with him.
Jax smiled at Alexis as she approached him in the hospital corridor. The business of GH bustled around him but she wrapped his arms around him and he felt better. She still held onto him looking at him closely.
"You okay? How are things going with Joss? What did Kevin say?"
Jax' face wore the stress of the day he'd spent trying to find out answers on his troubled daughter. Carly had still been MIA out at Pentonville no doubt visiting Sonny.
"I don't know Alexis. She's still under sedation and Kevin and his team of doctors aren't sure what's wrong with my daughter. They're doing another MRI tomorrow."
She smiled at him, caressing his stubbly face.
"Kevin's the best and he'll find out what's going on with Joss. Then they'll come up with a treatment plan for her."
He sighed.
"I hope so…she's still in some state of catatonia and given that Carly still hasn't shown up…it's left me with the decisions to make…"
She saw the conflict on his face At least Joss had one parent in her corner. As for Carly she should have been sterilized long ago. She wasn't fit to be a mother. She chose the man who shot two of his own children not to mention her, over and over. Alexis wondered if that bullet to her head with his name on it had given her a lobotomy of sorts. But then she had her own problems to worry about now.
"I know you'll do the right thing Jax. With or without Carly…"
Patrick walked up to both of them, looking a bit harried. He'd been dating her daughter Sam so Alexis smiled at him.
"Hi Patrick…good to see you."
He nodded but his face still looked serious.
"I'm not sure you will be glad to see you when you hear my news…It's about Joss. Her initial exams came back and the scans showed she had increased activity to her frontal lobes."
Jax frowned, while Alexis tightened her hold on him.
"What does that mean exactly? Is something seriously wrong with her? Will she need surgery?"
Patrick held up a hand to calm him down.
"Jax…it just means she's undergoing serious emotional turmoil that's stimulating that part of her brain. She will likely need an intense regimen of drugs and psychiatric treatment…we need to address this condition before it progresses."
Alexis saw her favorite ex blanch.
"What do you mean worsens? If you saw her the other day before she was brought here? She was almost…possessed. She thinks she's an ear of corn."
Patrick hedged.
"Not exactly…she thinks she's a disciple of something called "He who walks among the rows" which I don't really understand but…"
Jax interjected.
"It's a line from a movie that her mother let her watch far too many times unsupervised while she sexed up that deranged ex of hers, Franco in the same house…"
Alexis arched a brow at that revelation not that it was any surprise to her. Patrick looked confused for a moment but recovered.
"Look we're trying the best we can to assess her condition and formulate a treatment plan for her. But it's going to take time…and more tests."
Jax sighed.
"All right I understand that. Do your tests. Do whatever it is that will help you find out what's wrong with my daughter and treat her."
Alexis heard the angst in his words and she slid her arm to interlink with his own.
"Come on….I'll take you to the cafeteria and buy you some truly awful food to keep you busy while we wait to hear back from the doctors…okay?"
He nodded and she smiled at Patrick and they left him to head to the elevator.
Ric left Liz in her blissful state over his plans to renovate her…their house and took a phone call on his cell in the foyer.
"Look I told you not to contact me here," he said, "As far as this town's concerned I'm the new and improved Ric Lansing…wrongly accused and unjustly treated by the legal system and unfairly separated from my…daughter…"
An annoyed voice interrupted him.
"Listen Mr. Lansing. You are not fulfilling your role in the arrangement. We told you what the terms were and what the cost would be…"
Ric sighed dramatically.
"Listen…I'm on the same page as you…really…I want to do what I promised but Liz…she's so angelic and she was so excited to see me alive again and I'm formulating adoption proceedings for Cameron and…"
The voice cut him off again.
"We don't care about your twisted Harlequin style romance with this flaky twit. All we care about is that you do as you promised. Since you've been dragging your feet…we took measures. Unfortunate measures but ones that were necessary…you do understand."
Ric's slick snake oil salesman smile dropped off his face.
"You mean…no you didn't…"
"Oh we did…we will call you later with the terms of our new arrangement. So stay close to your phone…"
Ric groaned.
"My ex-wife…she will kill me…"
"That's your problem…one of several. As instructed you'd better stay close to your phone Mr. Lansing…"
Ric heard the phone on the other end being clicked dismissively. Ice cold fear filled him for the first time.. He heard Liz bustling in the kitchen preparing him a home cooked meal like a dutiful future wife…but he barely heard her.
He knew that through no fault of his own of course there was going to be hell to pay.