Chapter Fourteen

Lulu pulled out of the kiss she started with Spinelli and whispered, "You're such a bastard."

"Yes, I am."

No one else would have thought that of him. To the world he was just a goofy genius. To her, he was passion and fury, and the one she was pretty damn sure was her soul mate. Though, at times, she hated knowing that little fact.

As she glared at him, loving and despising him in equal parts, he asked "You hate me now, huh?"

Lulu could not stand when he asked questions instead of giving her a straight answer. It reminded her that he was a con man at heart. Suddenly all the pain took over her desire and she wanted to rip him to pieces, for that is what he had done to her heart.

She exploded, "How could you choose my dad over me? How? HOW!"

Spinelli looked down, not able to meet her eyes. And in his sheepish posture she saw the boy she met when she was eighteen. And knew that, for better or worse, he would never be the one she thought would only make her laugh and feel good, never tear her very heart to shreds and walk away.

For lack of another way to make him hurt she stomped on his foot with all her might.

"Blonde One!' he protested.

The nickname made her ache even more. It was the first time he called her that since they broke up.

He rubbed his foot as he said, "Okay, okay, I know I messed up."

"You ass!" Lulu yelled at him.

He only nodded his head in response, bitterly agreeing with her assessment.

She ranted, "Was it worth it? Do you even know what you did to me, Damien? Do you know? Do you care? And for what? So you can bask in the shadow of the legendary Luke Spencer!"

"I know what I did hurt..."

She started hitting him. "Hell yeah it did!"

"Blonde One! Lulu! Come on. Stop." He grabbed her hands just as the people in the brownstone next door flipped on the porch and peered out.

"Sorry about that!" Spinelli called out to the neighbors.

Then in a softer voice told Lulu, "I am sorry, Spence. You will never know how sorry I am that I had to do that to you but...hey... we both know..."

Calmly she challenged, with him still holding her both her hands and his warmth infusing onto her skin, "What do we both know?"

"I can never be the guy you need. Not want, need. Whether I work with your Dad or not, I will never do 9-5 or straight laced. And after the way you grew up with your folks being on the road all the time, I know you want that. I know you need that."

"You don't know anything except how to break my heart."

She sniffled, though no tears fell, and jerked her hands away.

Then she stomped back to her car and drove away with squealing tires.

Spinelli slowly sunk down and sat on the steps of the porch, a moment later his head fell forward and he cursed, "Damn."

XXXXX

Now that she was set to marry Jason, cozing up to Sonny was enough to make Carly gag. But still she gave the mob boss those sickening sweet smiles, those help me eyes, and she worked him over.

Right now she sat in his living room while Lois was out getting her nails done.

"Those hustlers from Miami will be out of town by sundown," Sonny promised. "Count on it."

She cried, "But I them owe so much! I think I should take their deal. Go back to Florida and work it off. What they had in mind can't be that bad..."

"Never. I will not allow it." Sonny ordered. He paused, then touched her hand. "I will pay your debt."

"You are too good to me," Carly purred

He smiled. "For old time's sake."

"What about new times sake?" she asked, scooting close.

She would love to get upstairs and get a look around for where the painting could be stashed.

"You know I'm an engaged man," he answered

She gave him a sexy smile. "Not right now, you aren't. You are just the man I want to get to know better."

Sonny was eyeing her, up and down, when Johnny stepped in the room and said "You have a visitor, sir."

"Not now."

"Sir...it's her. Blair."

Sonny's head jerked up, away from Carly's cleavage. "You got to be kidding me? She had the nerve to come back here?"

"She's sort of bruised up. I didn't think I should send her away," Johnny said

Bruises, Carly thought hmmmm I should have went that far.

"I'm sorry," Sonny told her "But I should see my guest. Johnny will take you home and stay with you until this little situation is resolved."

"You are too generous, Sonny." Carly said with a forced smile.

XXXXXXXX

Carly walked into the foyer and gave Blair the once over. She had to do her best to not smirk. Carly could see a con a mile away, and this chick was working one. And a low rent half-assed one at that.

Blair wasn't as good at hiding her emotions. Her flashpoint was low and seeing Carly, a blonde in a hot little black dress in the mansion Blair used to live in, pissed her off.

With a glare, Blair bumped into Carly's shoulder and strutted past her.

"Oh, Sonny!" Carly heard her cry in a little girl's voice.

Johnny stood by the door. "Ready to head home?"

"Could I use the bathroom first?" Carly asked

"Sure, it's right upstairs. I'll show you."

"No, I've been here before," she lied and let her eyes drop slightly, as if the affair that she alluded to embarrassed her. "I'll be five minutes. Promise."

She peeked into every room until she found the master bedroom. She didn't go to the bookcase Ned told them held the secret button that led to the safe room, just confirmed it was there with a quick dart of her eyes in that direction, in case camera's were on her. Then she moved to Sonny's bathroom.

When she walked back out of the Master bathroom three guards were waiting in the hall, standing behind Johnny.

As Carly suspected they saw her enter Sonny's bedroom on their surveillance. The night of the heist something would have to be done to distract them.

"Hey, boys," she gave them a innocent smile "is there a problem?"

"Not at all," Johnny said as shot a dirty look at the other guards for suspecting Carly was up to no good. "I'll get you home now, alright?"

"Of course. What would I do without you?"

Johnny simply smiled as she walked past him and back down stairs, swinging her hips in a way that made the other three guards and Johnny forget their own names, let alone what room she had been in.

XXXXXX

Sonny wasn't buying Blair's story. After listening to her tale of how Todd stalked, kidnapped, and held her captive for months, Sonny rolled his eyes.

"You took me for $500,000 already. How much you think you're due this time?" he asked

"I never stole from you!"

"No, you worked for every penny of it." he leered at her.

Her eyes flashed with anger but her voice stayed pleading, "I have nothing now. I escaped Todd and came straight here. My Aunt has my kids but I can't take care of them myself till I get back on my feet. I bet Jack would love to see you again, his Daddy Sonny."

"You are a piece of work. Get the hell out of my house."

"Wha? I can't understand why you would treat me this way."

"Because I'm no longer a sucker. And the woman who loves me now cares about more than my bank account. Go back to Todd or don't. I don't care where you go but you can not stay here, not for one second longer. Hank!"

The guard walked into the room.

"Get her out of my sight," Sonny said.

Blair walked up to him and hissed, " You'll rue this day."

Though it didn't show in his eyes, a cold chill ran down Sonny's spine.

Blair stormed out with Hank racing behind her to make sure she left the property.

XXXXXXX

Anna walked out the back door of the lake house and found Mac sitting in his favorite chair on the deck.

"Our client is getting antsy," she said "We'll have to go in soon."

"Well there's only one place the painting can be, according to the blue prints. There's unaccounted for space right off of Sonny's bedroom. The prints read it's a walk- in closet but Stan says he's never seen one there, just a bookcase in front of where it should be."

"So make me a bomb, Bomber. Nothing flashy. We'll try to bypass his alarm first and if it doesn't work, we'll do it the old fashioned way. Then out the window before the guards know what happened."

Mac gave her a skeptical look. "It's more than a two man job."

She leaned against the deck and crossed her arms in front of her. " We are back to this?"

"Your pride is going to get us both pinched. And I am too pretty to go to prison."

"Again," she said

"Again," he agreed.

"Do you trust me?"

"With my life," Mac said

She smiled. "I figured since Robert is going after the same thing anyway, he could help us. Without him knowing, of course. We'll let him distract the guards, pop the circuit breakers, tranq the dogs- all that dirty work that you know I hate- and then you and I will cruise in a minute before Scorpio's Eight and take the prize."

"So now we have to get by a mansion full of security and the old crew too?" Mac asked, shaking his head.

"You got a problem with that? Are you scared? I never thought I would see the day..."

"That tactic only works on your husband."

"Ex-husband," she corrected.

"You think if you beat him at his own con you can finally forgive him for choosing the life over you?"

After a long measured look, she whispered "Some things are unforgivable."

But Anna knew, whether she wanted to or not, she loved Robert, and one day she would have to go back home.