The Compound
Three weeks later
Michael sits up on the second floor balcony of the compound
outside of his mother's room. His legs are hanging over the edge
with one of the posts between them. He'd gotten into the habit of
keeping an eye on things. Kinda like Mama would do with Uncle
Sonny, sitting on the top of the stairs back when they were in
Port Charles. Mama takes a siesta every afternoon now. The baby
makes her tired. And Mama wasn't too crazy about stairs either
and avoided them a lot of the time. A lot of the time she'd crash
on the couch down in the living room so she wouldn't have to be
on them. But that was okay cause whatever Mama needed, he could
get for her. Just like he could keep an ear and eye on things
while she was taking her nap.
Here comes Simon. He's an okay guy. Kinda like Johnny or Max.
Whenever Mama needed anything she'd ask Simon never wanting to
bug the Jefe. That's what everyone calls Mr. Alcazar, El Jefe.
Cept Mama. Mama called El Jefe Lorenzo, or Alcazar, or Mr. Alcazar
or words he wasn't allowed to say unless he wanted to be nibbling
on jabon. That's soap.
"Jefe." Simon gets Alcazar's attention from where he is
looking over information while sitting by the pool.
"What is it?"
"The buyer is in Caracas already and should be boarding the
plane to arrive this evening."
Alcazar looks at his watch. "Notify Carly after she wakes
from her siesta. If she doesn't want to run the dinner don't
press."
Simon nods. The Mamacita was getting close to her due date. Some
days she went 90 miles an hour. Other days she fell asleep at the
drop of the hat. El Jefe hadn't planned on having la Mamacita as
his hostess it had just ended up that way over the many months
Carly had been at the compound.
"The buyer is bringing someone with him."
Alcazar looks up at that. "Oh?"
"An Advisor." Simon nods at Alcazar. "That is what
the buyer said. Our sources says that he is WSB."
"Does the buyer know?" Wondering if it is a trap.
"No Se, Jefe." Simon shrugs.
"Take extra precautions." Alcazar frowns. "I want
to know exactly who this WSB is and why he is here."
Michael frowns too. He sits quietly waiting for the men to move
off but he considers what he's heard. There was going to be a
dinner. He never got to be at the dinners but instead ate early.
Uncle Sonny never had anyone over for business but El Jefe did
all the time. Simon had said WSB the way that Uncle Sonny used to
say FBI. Mama would want to know that the bad men were coming.
Maybe she shouldn't go to the dinner either.
While Michael is pondering and wondering what to do, Simon moves
off. Alcazar doesn't look up from his paperwork. "Michael?"
He calls out in a voice that carries.
"Sí Jefe?" Michael scrambles to his feet. He races
around the balcony to the stairs that go down into the courtyard.
"You heard?"
"Bad men are coming to dinner."
Alcazar looks at Michael questioningly. "Why do you say they
are bad?"
"The way that Mr. Simon said WSB. It's the same way Uncle
Jason says FBI. Uncle Jason didn't like them." Lorenzo nods.
Very observant on Michael's part. "I think Mama should have
dinner with me and stay away from the bad men." Michael
suggests.
"I will suggest it. But that is up to your mother. She is a
grown woman and makes her own decisions." and takes the
consequences of those decisions. Alcazar counters. But then
he nods. "You need to stay away from my guests. Even more
particularly with these. I think we should make them believe that
you aren't here at all. That means nothing of you in the
courtyard and no listening from the balcony."
"I'll be a secret."
It's a beautiful city, and not the worst he's been in, not by far.
The well built man in the prime of his life turns away from the
hotel window that looks over downtown Caracas and checks out the
hotel room. The more jaded might say that if you've seen one hotel room
you've seen them all. That would be a load of bull. An undercover WSB agent might luck into a five star hotel like this one. Or the
next assignment count blessings to get a flea infested blanket
under a roof that kept out most of the elements. This was one of
the lucky assignments: observer, advisor, a technical
noncombatant. Didn't mean that he didn't get to kick some ass if
it came his way. Just that he couldn't go looking for it. The man
cheers at that thought. It wasn't like the stories that his
father used to tell. The WSB isn't for the cowboys anymore.
Although that reminded him that he really did need to check in,
his father had left a message with the front desk to call home.
The man puts his briefcase up on the desk. He closes the curtains
to the outside. Probably too much of a precaution but you only
needed to get burned once. He plugs into the modem that is
provided by the hotel and starts routing thru secure channels
until he finally connects with his boss, and his father. "Conner
Donnelly checking in as requested!" Con mocks a salute for
the webcam.
"You're looking good." Sean says pleasantly getting
settled into his chair in his home office up in the United States.
"Tiff worries. Wouldn't hurt to send her an email now and
then."
"Oh just take a vid capture and give it to her." Con
knows that his father is pulling his leg. His dad was the biggest
worrywart where his kids were concerned while his wife was the
one to jump in with both feet and then start to cha-cha. "So
what's up? I got the message to check in early. Everything is
copasetic here. Should be able to file my report and move on to
the next. Nothing is going to get moving until Diego gets the
second shipment of armaments he needs to really make a push."
"That's why I called. You remember me talking about Bobbie
Jones?"
"Sure. Frisco's ex sister in law. Tiff's nephew Lucas' mom.
I met her when I was in Port Charles." Con says confused by
the question. "Something happen to Lucas?"
"He's fine. It's Bobbie's daughter that is in trouble. Her
name is Caroline Corinthos. Bobbie thinks she and her son Michael
are being held hostage by Lorenzo Alcazar."
Con whistles. "Diego is meeting with him tonight."
"Yeah, I was hoping you'd pick up your messages. I thought
maybe Diego would head back to Alcazar for arms. Alcazar is the
guy for grassroots to mid level insurrections. Lorenzo Alcazar
has always been one to keep a low profile, not like his brother.
But lately he's been even more secretive." Sean shakes his
head and sends a quick document over the lines. "I'm sending
you a picture of Carly and her son Michael that I got from Bobbie.
I didn't say anything to her. What can you tell a mother when her
daughter has hooked up with an international arms dealer?!"
Con takes a second and opens up the message with the attached
picture. "She's pretty. Cute kid too."
"The picture was taken awhile ago. According to Bobbie,
Carly is about nine months pregnant right now. Due any day."
"Excuse me?! What exactly do you want me to do, Dad?"
Conner finally asks once the shock has worn off. He has the
single man's fear of childbirth.
"Bobbie says that Carly and her son are hostage to make sure
that Carly's husband a big import/export guy in the NE plays
along with whatever dealings that Alcazar has in that corner of
the world. Says that Alcazar has even let Sonny see Carly. But
she's got no clue where her kid and grandchild are or how to get
them back."
"You want me to pull a rescue on a kid and a due to give
birth any second woman?"
"Just intel, son. Just get me the info and don't run up any
flags. If you can find out if Alcazar has her and where,
that will be more news than Bobbie has had for awhile. Her son in
law is pretty well keeping her in the dark."
"What kinda priority are you putting on this, Dad?"
Conner asks seriously.
"The report on Diego and the situation is what you're
getting the big bucks for. But Bobbie is family, son. And I
haven't seen her this wrecked since... well not in a long time."
"If she's even there. What's the most recent you have on
Alcazar?"
"Sending now." Sean makes a few strokes on the keyboard.
"Be careful, Conner."
His son just grins at him. "Talk to you later, Dad."
Carly finishes putting on her makeup and makes a face in the
mirror. This was the last business dinner before her due date and
she wasn't going to give Alcazar any excuse to not have Sonny
here. For not letting her and her children go. "Too pregnant
to fly. HA!" Carly mutters to herself. She reaches for the
earrings that would go with this outfit. Earrings were easy. Make
up is easy although her skin looked like shit and she'd developed
an allergic reaction to her favorite perfume. Shoes, right hadn't
seen those while upright in quite a bit. Pantyhose? Yet another
instrument of Satan that she'd set aside until hell froze over.
On a day to day basis she didn't really care what she looked like.
Other than worrying about scaring Michael, every thing that down
played her looks was a plus in her book. Hair back in a pony
tail, flip flops or other flats. The doctor told her that she
could swim until she grew fins and gills. Even deliver the baby
under water if she wanted. But that would be going too darn far.
Although it would serve Alcazar right if she did deliver in his
pool and he had to have the whole thing drained.
"Mama?" Michael comes out from under the bed with all
the shoes that managed to get kicked under there. "Which
ones do you want?"
"Thanks, Mister Man." Carly hangs on to the post and
slides into a pair of shoes by feel alone. "Just shove the
rest of them back underneath."
"I think that you should stay with me. We could lock the
door and be really quiet. Jefe wouldn't mind. And he'll make the
bad men go away."
"Michael? What on Earth?" Carly looks at her son. She
sits down on the bed. "What brought this on? You've been
like this ever since your dinner."
"Mr. Simon told Jefe that one of the men is lying to him.
That he is really WSB trying to trick the Jefe. That's like the
FBI." Michael explains.
Carly winces. "Yeah, you're definitely not getting anywhere
near that table, Mister." Who knows what could go wrong. If
there was some plan to take down Alcazar then the farther away
Michael was the safer he'd be.
Michael nods. "Jefe says I'm a secret. I've already picked
up all my stuff. And I'm going to lock everything up and
I got a spot all picked out where I can have a flashlight on and
not be seen from the outside."
Oh my gosh he's a Spencer! Carly caresses her son's face
and brushes his hair down combing thru it with her fingers. She
presses a kiss to Michael's temple. "You are so smart,
Mister Man."
"You could stay with me, Mama. And then the WSB won't see
you either. Jefe will get rid of them."
"The thing is, Michael, the WSB man is probably expecting to
see me. So I have to be there. Otherwise he will stick around
looking for me. So I'll make sure that he sees me and there is
nothing keeping him from going along his way."
Alcazar stands out on the balcony listening to the whole
conversation between Carly and Michael. Pregnancy had never
stopped Carly from fighting her captivity. And he'd never allowed
his guard to drop. The woman that Ric Lansing had caged and
tethered deserved his respect. Once he'd gotten Carly away from
Port Charles it had become increasingly clear how she'd managed
to play both him and Lansing against each other almost
successfully on a number of occasions. Not that Lansing had been
difficult. For awhile there it seemed her pregnancy made her even
more impulsive. She'd slowed down some but never so much as when
Michael had come to stay with his mother. In the interest of
making everything appear normal for her son, Carly had begun to
cooperate with him. Even swear at him less often although there
were still moments when her control slipped. Lorenzo reaches out
and knocks on the frame of the louvered wooden door. "May I?"
Carly doesn't answer but Michael comes over and opens the door
wider. "Mama says she is going to the dinner."
"I suspected as much." Lorenzo looks from Michael to
Carly. He shakes his head. He could already see it. Carly was
going to use this opportunity to pass some kind of message.
"The plane is on it's way. Why don't you take a look in the
courtyard to make sure none of your towels or toys are by the
pool."
Michael nods and goes running past Alcazar and down the stairs to
the courtyard.
"Talk fast." Carly uses the poster of the bed to get to
her feet ignoring the hand that Alcazar extends to her. "Michael
said he already got all of his things this afternoon. He won't be
long." Carly goes over to the mirror and fusses with her hair
even though it doesn't need it. Keeping her distance from Alcazar.
"I'm sure I don't have to remind you of your situation."
Lorenzo reminds. "It is unlikely that this WSB agent is here
for you. For Diego, or for me but a little housewife from Port
Charles? Lorenzo comes up behind Carly looking at her in the
mirror. He takes a diamond choker from out of his jacket pocket
and holds it up so that Carly can see it in the mirror. Then he
puts the necklace around her neck and fastens it. He rests his
hands on her shoulders. "And depending on the agenda of this
WSB, even if you appeared at the table in shackles with bruises
on your face, they will do nothing. Diego wants his weapons. And
this WSB..." Lorenzo shrugs. "Either he wants Diego to
have these weapons or he doesn't."
"I get it. I'm the window dressing." Carly says thru
gritted teeth but she doesn't shrug out from under Lorenzo's
hands. "Keep things moving. That's the only reason I'm going
to this thing. Cause the General might be all about the weapons
but he'd ask questions if I didn't show up, since I was there
last time. That might waste a few seconds of your precious time."
"I don't think he'd ask. But it is a possibility."
Lorenzo toys with a lock of hair that had come loose from the
fancy ponytail that Carly is wearing at the nape of her neck.
"I'll make sure that absolutely nothing goes wrong with this
dinner."
"And..."
"I want Sonny, I need Sonny here."
"Dinner first."