Fifteen minutes later, Caroline stepped out of the bathroom in her robe. Her hair was pulled back in a french roll and she wore little make-up. Jason was sprawled across her bed reading through a report and looked up casually,
"Plane's ready when you are. You taking Johnny?"
"I thought about that. With all this shit going down here you need people around you can trust."
"Yeah, but we don't want to risk anyone noticing you not traveling with a body guard. They'd suspect something's up. You traveling on different papers?"
She smirked and wiggled her finger at him.
"Yes. Caroline Spencer will remain in Port Charles as far as anyone knows while I make this pick up."
She grabbed a suit and some shoes then finished getting ready while they talked. They were so comfortable around each other and since all the hot and heavy nookie from the old days was long over, neither ever noticed when one got dressed in front of the other.
"Do we have time for you to fill me in on what you learned?"
"Some and if you don't mind, could you ride to the airport with me?"
"No problem."
"Thanks. Its 12 hours each way to Istanbul. I'm allowing 2 hours on the ground at each stop. Zurich adds another hour to the trip so I'm planning on being back in PC in 30 hours. Do not start a war or kill anyone that I might want to assist or watch die while I am gone."
Jason just laughed.
"And, use your own judgment with Lucas and Michael. If they have to go, I trust you to do what has to be done."
"Hey, you know I'm always going to look out for both of them. And, I'm not ready to go to war in the next 30 hours. I still gotta track the money. And, I need to get more bodies up here and outfit them. I don't want to fight this on my turf. But, since I don't know who the opposition is yet, I can't take it to them."
"What do you think is going on?"
He looked at her to see what was behind that question. Then shrugged.
"It's a set up. And its more than we think it is. Not just a war for my territory. Somebody's sitting back waiting for me to hit Moreno again in retaliation or start tearing up the place looking for Bobbie. That's the distraction. While I'm doing those things, the real stuff happens. They're confused as shit. They also can't understand why you haven't gone to the cops. You're supposed to be hysterical and all. So when I don't find Bobbie right away and with Luke gone so he can't help, you run to the cops and I walk right into whatever they already had waiting for me. Snatching Bobbie was also supposed to draw Luke out and send him a message. He put a guard on Lucas at summer camp but left his little sister wide open? Maybe they figure I got guards on Bobbie so he knew he didn't have to. But it doesn't matter because she's still gone.
I'm a problem and a liability. Sonny didn't do shit with the business. Not what it could have been. He was content the way things were. Most of the other bosses were fine with that. One less hassle and they knew he'd never try to expand. Something is not right in Puerto Rico. Sonny never watched Puerto Rico and let them do as they pleased. I made serious changes when I took over and that pissed of my capo down there. Nobody thought I was gonna be able to handle it. I'm brain damaged, remember...."
He didn't get the rest of that out before Caroline interrupted,
"We both know that isn't true!"
It really ticked her off when people thought that about Jason or made reference to it. He knows that's what people think and doesn't care. But the way she closed her eyes to try to get her temper in check meant it really upsets her so he won't make reference to it like that again if he can help it.
"Well, the part about me being unable to do the job because of the accident, yeah. That's not true."
She nodded and motioned for him to slide over on the bed while she sat down with a box. He knew what was in there and didn't find it the least bit strange.
"Go ahead and finish laying it out for me."
Saying this while she strapped on a shoulder holster and loaded her guns.
"Anyway, this was supposed to be the easiest take over in history. Sonny hands it off to me and goes to hide out on some island because he can't handle the life or doing what has to be done with Moreno. He hands it off to me and I don't last a month. Then they come in and take what they want."
"But it didn't happen like that."
"Nope. Still somebody is recruiting. They got to Benny and Carlos. That's fucked up. My primary money man and my freakin capo in the south."
He shakes his head in frustration and Caroline thinks about that for a minute.
"I don't know Carlos or any of the situation in Puerto Rico so I can't comment on that. I do know Benny and I know his type."
"His type?"
"You don't live as long as Benny has in the business without being careful and safe. Benny likes things nice and smooth. Until I showed up—hurricane headache—he probably thought you could be polished. Maybe he could mold you. And things would always be smooth. But two things fucked that up for him. One, you're a hell of a lot smarter than any fuckin body knows and you were gonna do this your way. You made changes, put your people in place and started turning a profit. Then you started making a name for yourself without even trying. And, you've successfully prevented any take over attempts. Hell, you're expanding the territory and that's not something anybody counted on including Benny. When you're a success, you're a target and that's when things aren't so nice and smooth.
Two, I'm not your woman. Sonny was your friend so I'm not gonna talk about him. Yeah, I'm gonna talk about him. He was as dysfunctional as it gets. I am a Spencer. The fact that I noticed and pointed that out should mean a great deal to you. But, I digress.
Sonny had woman trouble before he took over the business. A string of them. Please don't think I haven't tapped my sources for all the info on him and all the fucked up ways he let his personal life fuck with and up the business. When I showed up, dripping wet, pregnant and loudly interrupting your meeting, Benny must have figured the shit was really gonna get bad now 'cause at least Sonny's women never got knocked up. I don't think he started shopping then. I think he just held back and watched. Michael—my fuck up again—getting kidnaped was personal shit in the business. I think that's when he started listening to whomever tried to make a deal with him long ago. I think he was waiting to see how things would play out with you in the beginning when someone else was whispering in his ear.
We're cool, you've been working and I haven't been a liability to you. I haven't strapped on any wires lately or tried to make a deal with the Feds to bring you down quietly. Now its looking like I might not fuck up the business as much has he thought I would. But by the time Benny realized there was no repeat of that Sonny shit it was too late. He already sold out. So I figure for the last 7 months someone was recruiting from the inside and probably putting pressure on the outside. Maybe with your shipping lines or trucking routes, maybe with some of the local tables or the casinos. I don't know but they're being real subtle about it. If they got your capo and your money man, they probably figure they don't need anyone else. No soldiers, not yet."
The entire time she was talking randomly while strapping on her weapons and buttoning her jacket, not really paying much attention to the rest of the room. When she looked up Jason was smiling at her.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Ok, tell me the rest of how this works. I'm not getting the bottom line of the Spencer connection. What I went after in Miami led me to you. That should not have happened. And through some of the files I took, I was able to trace shit back to Benny."
Then she reached under the bed and pulled out the briefcase she stole in Miami along with the files and disks. She pulled out some folders and handed them to Jason.
"This is all I worked through on Benny. Those disks there aren't finished but its more than enough to piss you off."
He nodded thanks and took the files but his expression was hard and cold. She didn't blame him.
"I'm gonna kill him myself."
"I figured."
"Ok, get back to what you were saying."
Yeah. Learning about Tracy and Soleto was a fucking accident through something one of the people I...extracted information from said that didn't make any sense til I got back here and started checking up on a few things. I figure some of the answers or way to get answers is in that stuff aunt Laura is sending me to get. And please don't point out that I have a family that actually prepared documentation for a situation like this."
"Em said it. Luke's twisted but he's thorough. He wouldn't have lasted this long in the business if he wasn't.
That's probably scaring some people too. Its no secret that Luke and I are friends. He gave me a job parking cars at his club when no one else would. Scared of old man Quartermanine who was trying to keep me trapped in that house and tied to that family."
She laughed.
"That was probably incentive enough for him to offer you a job. Anything to piss off Edward."
"Yeah, well I think they figured he might have been helping me out. Which he did in the beginning. He gave me some sound advice when I first took over. You know Luke, can't help but give his opinion whenever the mood strikes. But, he wasn't involved and I'm thinking some people weren't sure one way or the other for a couple of months because I didn't fuck it up. Until Benny came on board and confirmed things for them they didn't know enough to make a move.
They were planning on taking me out and grabbing the territory when they saw I wasn't gonna run it into the ground or give it away. Moreno isn't in a position to come after me now. Nobody expected for me to hit him let alone so hard. Now, they're all thinking I'm probably gonna move in and finish him off. Which I am, but not til after we're done with this shit. One damn war at a time. That wasn't in their game plan. I'm expanding and that's not good. I'm making enemies, some I don't even know who they are yet. But they know me. Whoever Luke is hunting isn't the one pulling the strings or setting things up to cash in and take over the territory. But, they could probably lead us to that one. They're the one who sold us all out. Gave up the inside information and cut themselves some kind of really good deal. But it has to be more than that. Some personal angle. Its like you said, this is old Spencer shit coming back to bite us in the ass. Someone who knows something or thinks they know something. And, its about you too. You're a Spencer. You're Bobbie's daughter and some of that old shit is hers. My son's connected to your family. I think somebody's thinking they got the perfect way to clear the slate and get rid of all of us."
If she ever forgot how tight the man was, times like these reminded her. Caroline could do nothing but smile at him. She grabbed the aluminum briefcase from inside the closet and followed Jason out the door. Just in case. She didn't know what she might be walking into. They'd head to the airport and finish the discussion in the car. When they came down the steps Rey and Johnny were working at the dining table and looked up at them. Rey looked Caroline over and offered a nervous smile. It was hard getting used to her like this. Especially after he read the reports coming out of Miami. She was one cold woman. Then it finally hit him and he understood how she and Jason could get along so well. Johnny just looked at her pointedly.
"I'm not going anywhere."
"I know. I figured you'd be pissed anyway."
He softened at that and kinda felt bad if she wasn't going to have back up and needed it.
"Nah. If you need me, you know I'll come."
"I know, but you gotta to be here. I do need you for about ½ as a cover though."
"Huh?"
"You're riding to the airport with us so people see me leave the building with a guard. How you get back in unnoticed is not my problem."
"Well, I could always use a laundry cart."
"Shut the fuck up and let's go."
All three of them cracked up laughing and headed out the door.