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The Quintessential Q
Chapter Eighty Nine
Chicks Coming to Roost
Lucky is already rocking to the throbbing beat before he hits the front door of the club. Glancing over his shoulder at Nik, he grins. Nik just rolls his eyes. This kind of primal music is in the Spencer bones. Something a Cassadine might appreciate but it wasn't deep in his soul. AJ and Jerry are right behind them. Coming into the club, AJ finds his wife and sister and makes his way over. "Well Hello Sweet Thing. Feel like dancing with a married man?" AJ leers at the shapely blonde at the table.
"Oh my favorite kind." Carly perks right up holding a hand out to AJ.
Jerry slides into Carly's seat next to Em. "Howzit going, kid?"
"I thought you guys were playing poker." Em leans in to talk.
"Well yes but after we cleaned out AJ and Taggart the rest of us called for a break."
"Taggart?" Maddy had just arrived at the table and reaches for her drink.
"Yes, My wife's daughter sought to cause trouble by informing the good lieutenant that there was an illegal gambling operation going on at the Brownstone."
Maddy spews back into her drink. Nik who'd just arrived after picking up drinks from the bar slaps her on the back. "She didn't."
"Oh she did." Nik quips. "He's kidsitting Lucas now so Bobbie can come out to play after work."
"Carly's going to love that one." Em laughs.
"So have you gotten out on the floor?" Nik asks Em.
"A couple of times." Em says over the music. "I've been sticking to the slow songs."
"Well this sounds like a slow song to me." Nik holds out a hand. Em takes it and joins Lucky and Liz on the dance floor. The slow bluesy tune just requires a gentle rocking back and forth.
"I hardly got to talk to you after last week." Jerry starts chatting up Maddy. "Every time we run into each other it's brief. At the PCPD or airport."
Maddy grins. "It is always an adventure. Shall we do introductions?"
"Oh by all means. Jerrald Jacks."
"Madeleine Reynolds."
"I hear a hint of ... New Orleans." Jerry tilts his head to the side as he ID's her accent.
"And I think I hear more than a hint of ... Australia." Maddy quips back.
"Never seem to be able to get rid of it." Jerry laments. "No matter how long I've been here in the states. So shall we?"
"I'd love to." Maddy nods taking Jerry's hand. The guy might be old but she could listen to him read the phone book all night long. Jerry isn't as good a dancer as Luke but few are. She relaxes into the tune glancing around Jerry to where Nik and Em are basically oblivious to the music as are Lucky and Liz. Ah young love. Carly and AJ disappear into the back room where Carly had told her Luke keeps his pool table. The song comes to a close and Maddy thanks Jerry for the dance and is about to head back to the table when the door opens and a familiar face enters. "Poppi!"
Pete grins at her and crooks a finger in his direction. Maddy shakes her head and crooks her finger right back at him. He opens his arms wide and shrugs. "Eh Chere."
Maddy laughs and launches herself at him. "What are you doing here?"
"Lookin' for you. You never call; you never write. Let me look at you." Pete sets her at arms length and tsks. "You're gonna catch your death."
"Not if I keep moving. Gawd it's good to see you. How's Mama?"
"Eh." Pete snorts. "Nothing changes."
Maddy winces. "I've been trying to take care of things long distance. I've got some things going here."
"What else is new? You always have something going."
The two are so busy catching up that they almost don't hear a throat clearing behind them. Maddy notices first. "Pete Robideaux, this is Nikolas Cassadine. One of my clients. Nikolas Cassadine, this is Pete Robideaux an old friend from New Orleans."
Nik takes in at a glance the presence of Sonny Corinthos, Jason Morgan and a variety of muscle and remembers the story Maddy told about how she got started in business as a child. "Granny Rosa's son?"
"Yes." Maddy nods.
"It's a pleasure. Maddy's told me a bit about you." Nikolas extends his hand and Pete shakes it. The handshake is firm but not macho, businesslike.
"But not too much, eh chere?" Pete rebukes Maddy.
"Not too much. Just about Granny. Where are you staying?"
"The Port Charles Hotel."
"I'm having brunch there tomorrow but I can cancel and we can go out." Maddy suggests.
"It's business?"
"Some." Maddy admits. This wasn't the place to go into things.
"Come see me after your meeting. We'll talk. Things you need to know." Pete grows serious.
"Do you want to talk now?" Maddy grows concerned. "Is it Lisette?"
"Non, it is not necessary. Enjoy your friends. We'll talk tomorrow." Pete brings her hand to his lips and kisses the back. "Be good."
"Always." Maddy grins.
"Ha. I know you too well for that, Madeleine." Pete makes a motion to his crew and exits the club. Sonny and Jason go over to the bar. Their guards hang back by the door of the club.
Maddy laughs and shakes her head. Sure Johnny had called and let her know Poppi was in town but it was just too weird that he'd shown up. Nik escorts over to the tables they are monopolizing. "Well that was interesting."
"That was the guy that Johnny called about?" Em asks.
"Yeah, guy from the old neighborhood."
Jerry is strangely silent. He drains his beer and raises it to the group to explain his absence goes up to the bar. He stands at the bar waiting patiently for Claude's attention to turn in his direction. Sonny and Jason are in quiet conversation but fall silent at Jerry's interjection. "What the hell is he doing here?!"
Sonny quirks a brow. "Someone you used to do business with, Jacks?"
It seemed like it was never going to happen but things finally wind down at the restaurant. Rita slumps in a chair at the family table back in the kitchen. She pulls her tips out of her pocket and counts them quickly. What eleven year old girl could go home with $75 bucks in her pocket? That whole thing about wanting the best table was really profitable. She's only 20 bucks away from a new pair of riding boots. Cookie complained teasingly she was growing like a weed, and it was foolish to spend that much money on boots that would be outgrown in three months. Course Rita had her stepmother's number. If she didn't have the money by Christmas then she'd find the boots under the tree for sure. And it wasn't like the boots she had didn't still fit. Em had called and wanted to go shopping next week. Rita told her it wasn't necessary but Em insisted. A promise is a promise. Em owes her a leather jacket. Rita hears the sound of a chair being pulled out and looks up. Her brother takes a seat across from her. The Uh Oh alarms start going off. "What did I do?"
"Maddy Reynolds is a friend of yours right?"
Rita frowns. "She's nice to me, and I like her, but she's really more friends with Emily. Why?"
"Cause you could have gotten her hurt bad tonight."
"What? No." Rita shakes her head.
"Yes." Johnny says seriously. "You never met that guy before in your life and you were telling him Maddy's business. Showing off. What if he had been a bad guy? What if he were here in Port Charles stalking her, harassing her? You were going to tell him exactly where she was and if you didn't know you put him right on Ms. Benson and Emily's trail. If he was a bad guy you pointed him right in their direction to track Maddy down."
Rita swallows hard, tears starting to trail down her face but offers no excuses. Looking at it from that angle she'd screwed up badly. She could have hurt her best friends. "Is everything okay?" Her voice trembles.
"For now. I called Maddy and verified she knew the guy and it was okay to tell him where to find her. But I still didn't tell him where she lived. That is up to Maddy to do. Rita, you are amazing at finding out things and figuring things out. You need to know that about yourself and not feel like you have to prove it."
"What should I have done?" Rita wipes at her face.
"When you get an inkling that a stranger is coming at a friend of yours, of ours, then you come to me, to your dad... to someone you trust and let them know."
"So if I could do it over again, I should have just given Mr. Robideaux his cake and then come tell you he was looking for Maddy?"
"Yep. And I still probably would have jumped all over you for listening in, 'cause I always do, but I would have called Maddy and let her know what the score was. Em and Ms. Benson would probably have never been mentioned by Sonny or Jason. They aren't tight with Maddy but they wouldn't put this guy on a path that would lead through people they are sworn to protect."
Rita nods. "Okay. I screwed up. I'll do better."
"Come here." Johnny extends an arm. Rita comes around the table and hugs him around the neck. Johnny gives her a good squeeze. "You do alright, baby. You just got to learn that, that Barney guy is full of sh... stuffing. Every stranger is not a friend."
Rita laughs and pats Johnny on the back comfortingly. "That's just what Carly says too."
The ladies room at Luke's is getting kind of crowded. Em is there with Maddy, Liz and there is a knock on the door and Carly crowds in too. "Well the ladies night out thing was a bust."
"It was good while it lasted." Liz laughs. "And I really don't mind Lucky showing up. I figured he would. Oh and he thanks you by the way for sending Taggart to the poker party."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, he and your hubby were the big losers tonight."
"AJ, AJ, AJ! What am I going to do with that man? He told me he used to play all the time back in boarding school."
"Yeah but I get the feeling that those prep school guys didn't play cards the way that Jerry and Lucky play cards." Em nods.
"True." Carly nods. "And I bet Lucas did okay probably broke even. He's been influenced by those two. What about Nikolas?"
"Lost big time for the first half of the evening and was pulling even when they quit."
"Oh?" Maddy perks up. "What's that all about?"
"He'd never played before. Knew the rules but had never actually played." Em admits.
"How in the hell did that happen? Nevermind." Maddy rolls her eyes. "Okay who is for ditching these guys and going back to the mansion for munchies? We can't let them get away with crashing the party. It sets a bad precedent."
"Oh I don't know." Liz bites her lip.
"Be strong, sister. She's right. You let them get away with this and they'll be running your life. You see Lucky every damn day. How often to we get to do this?" Carly insists. "Everyone have their purse and coats?" All have their purses but they are short a few coats. "Oh well let the guys worry about that. And we'll stick them with the bill too."
"Elizabeth, Check to see if the coast is clear." Em suggests.
Liz ducks her head out. "Yeah, they're busy talking and you can't see this hallway through the people on the dance floor."
"Let's go." Maddy pulls out her keys and takes the lead. Em is right behind her with Carly and Liz.
Jerry nurses his beer waiting for Bobbie to arrive from GH. Robideaux in town was bad news for someone. He'd never actually done the guy's laundry but it was a small world, a damn small one. What there must be about 6 billion people on the planet and he had to run into Robideaux. Keeping his game face on he plays it cool. Nik and Lucky are talking and Jerry interjects himself into the conversation. "So it looked like you knew that guy. The one getting all smoochie with Madeleine."
"Never seen him before. Maddy mentioned a guy who'd smoothed her path when she was a kid but never by name."
"So she's not his daughter?" Jason had stealthily snuck up on the table.
"No." Nik denies. "Maddy was friends with his grandmother. Why?"
"He calls her his little girl and he believes it."
"Look at the guy Jase, anyone would be little next to him. She's a girl. The his thing is kind of interesting though. Wonder if Maddy feels like she is his too?" Lucky quips.
"She did call him Poppi." Jerry adds taking another sip of beer. "But that might not be a big deal. I bet most of the women call him that or some form of Daddy."
Nik looks at Lucky significantly and then glances over in Jerry's direction. There was something going on there. "Where are the girls? They've been gone for awhile. How long does it take to powder a nose or four?"
"Oh you don't think..." Lucky snorts already knowing the answer.
AJ comes up to the table. "It's confirmed, guys. They ditched us. Claude just handed me the bill. Not as bad as it could have been though. I think they were only charged for their first round of drinks."
"Well I know I'm in the clear." Maddy laughs as she dishes up from the tray of sandwiches that Reggie had left in the front room along with sodas on ice. "How much trouble are you guys in?"
"Well I'm home by curfew so I'm cool." Em says cheerfully as she turns to the committed members of their crew.
"Lucky will know that you guys kidnapped me. Whoops sorry but you know what I mean." Liz grimaces at the slip of the tongue.
"Oh yeah we twisted your arm." Carly waves a hand dismissively. "Lucky will blame it all on me he always does anyway. It's a Spencer guy thing."
"Will AJ be torqued?"
"Nah. He's out with guys I'm cool with that as long as there are no hookers, strippers, cheap sluts or Victoria Porters. What can he complain about I'm with you guys? Okay change of subject. Who was that honey you were huggin' on? Spill!" Carly demands of Maddy. "I told you all about beating the tar out of Vikki Porter."
"His name is Pete Robideaux, and I used to take care of his Grandmother down in New Orleans." Maddy curls up in one of the chairs with a can of soda drinking it right out of the can which would have given Reggie fits.
"And Nik knows him?" Liz asks. "I mean he seemed to know him the way he went right up to the guy." She munches on the veggie tray that had been left with the sandwiches.
Maddy licks her lips and winces this was going to have to be finessed. "Candy was giving me a ration one night, well actually, I was giving him one about some of us having to work for a living. And he got all dismissive about how long could I possibly have been working seeing as how I'm only seventeen. He ticked me off so I told him."
"How does Poppi come into this?" Carly prompts taking a bite of the turkey sandwich she'd added cranberry sauce and horseradish to.
"Like I said I was taking care of his Grandmother. My bike got stolen, Pete had someone get it back for me. He got me a pager and then a cell phone so he could check up on his grandmother."
"How old were you?" Em asks.
"Seven." Maddy says quietly.
Carly chokes on the sandwich and then swallows hard. "So this guy has been minding your business for ten years? You're never going to get rid of him. Jason still thinks he can tell me what to do and I'm married to AJ. You've never had sex with this guy?"
"Eww. No. He's Poppi." Maddy shudders. "Granny Rosa would rise from her grave and switch us both bloody. Poppi was old when I met him."
"So Nik basically thought you were BSing him until this guy walked into the bar." Liz decides.
"Yeah, probably."
"Honey, he ain't that old." Carly tells her. "And what was he doing with Jason and Sonny." There is a long quiet pause. "Oh hell don't answer that I do not want to know."
"We should probably get home." Maddy rises from her chair. "I'm going to have to cancel on Mr. Q tomorrow, Em. I need to find out what Poppi is doing in town. He didn't want to talk at the club."
"Well drop me off first." Carly insists. "I'm wiped."
"No problem."
"I'll call you tomorrow." Liz tells Em. She goes over and gives Em a hug. The three leave. Em leans back against the chair. It had been a good night.
There is a gruff voice from behind her. "So should I be checking out this Robideaux fellow? Is he going to cause Maddy problems?"
Em doesn't open her eyes. "I don't think so, Grandfather. I think he is her problem solver. He kind of reminds me of Jason-- you know dangerous 99.9% of the time and .1% marshmallow for the people he cares about."
"What is he doing in town?"
"Maddy didn't check in as often as he wanted. So he showed up. Kinda like what you do for me."
"Well you need to get to bed, young lady. My old bones can't take these late hours."
"I'm just going to straighten up abit."
Edward hesitates wanting to protest that Reginald would get it in the morning but fights the instinct. "Don't forget to set the alarm."