Written in 64 minutes.

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Kelly’s: Dining Room

Elizabeth leaned over cut-through window connecting the kitchen to the dining room. “Hey, DJ. After that last table, you can start clearing down. We’ve only got thirty to close.”

“Felt like it was never gonna slow down.” The cook flipped the patty, glanced over at her. “You looked tired, Lizzie.”

“Definitely looking forward to having tomorrow off.” She pushed away from the window with a hand against the shelf, then scanned the remaining diners.

Just her one table with two dinners on order, a coffee drinker and a teenager nursing the remains of the soda they’d ordered three hours earlier. She smiled softly. She remembered those days, hiding out in Kelly’s until the ice had melted, not wanting to go home to Sarah and Gram’s disappointed expressions.

She touched her belly, still half in denial that there was life growing inside. Not just any life but one she shared with Jason.

DJ set two dinner plates down, hit the bell. “Order’s up!”

Elizabeth delivered those final orders and glanced up when the door jingled, and Carly stepped in, one hand protectively curved over her own belly — not so different from the gesture Elizabeth had made earlier.

“Hey. You said near closing was better. Um—”

“Why don’t you take a table near the back? I just have to finish up a few things. Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

“Water.” Carly hung up her things and headed for a table. Elizabeth delivered the final checks, retrieved a glass of water and set it down in front of Carly, then she sat across.

“I was….surprised to hear from you,” Elizabeth said, folding her hands on the table. “You asked me not to call Jason—”

“I just didn’t want him to worry about me. I’m not fragile. I refuse—” Carly pressed her lips together, rubbed a temple. “I refuse to play victim anymore. I’ve been blind and I’m trying to find the anger. I do better when I’m angry. Well, not better,” she muttered. “That’s usually when I screw things—never mind. Never mind.”

Elizabeth hesitated. Carly didn’t sound angry at her and hadn’t on the phone, but she still wasn’t sure what Carly had to tell her that she couldn’t have told Jason.

“Um, I guess I should start with—” Carly paused. “I know. About you and Jason. The night Emily almost—I know.”

“Oh—”

“But that’s not why I’m here. I just—I wanted to lay it out on the table because it’s part of this. I thought  about just telling Jason. I’m sure you’re thinking why am I bothering with you—and it’s because—this isn’t about him. I mean, not really. It is, but—” She made a face. “I’m sorry. I feel really scattered, and I’m just—I can’t keep my thoughts straight.”

“It’s okay.” Elizabeth saw her teenager leaving. Down two tables. “Take your time.”

“I need you to answer a question for me, and not ask why. Okay? Just—has Ric been bothering you?”

“Oh.” Confused by that turn, Elizabeth nodded. “Yeah, but don’t worry—”

“I’m going to worry,” Carly interrupted. “How often?”

“I was working the opening when I came back to work. Ric came in nearly every morning. I switched shifts, to closing. And he came almost every night.”

“Opening and closing. Slow, fewer customers. Skeleton staff. It’s just you and the cook right now, right?”

“Yeah. DJ waits around when Ric’s here. Carly—”

“Anything could have happened to you. He wouldn’t have cared about some cook. He didn’t care about Michael, did he?” Carly sipped her water, her hand trembling. Water sloshed over the sides. “He didn’t care about you. Did you know he drugged you the night he kidnapped me?”

“I—”

“I got out of the panic room that first night. Ran around, nearly got away—” Her face was pale. “And you never stirred. I thought he’d killed you.”

Elizabeth rubbed her chest, feeling that familiar burn in her lungs, the horror of what she’d allowed in her life. “How did you find out about what Ric’s been doing?”

“I was late today. I guess that’s lucky for me. And I overheard Ric and Courtney. You know she was telling him your schedule. Jason told me that much.”

“He did. I’m sorry, Carly—”

“Me, too. Me, too, because I think maybe she really hates you, and I guess I get it. I mean, it’s not like I’ve ever been friendly with any woman who’s slept with Sonny. You and Jason—it was wrong, and I’m sure I’d have so many opinions about it if this were a normal situation. But it’s just not. Because Courtney—she knew something Jason didn’t. That you don’t.”

Elizabeth frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“She knew exactly how little Ric valued your life. I told her everything. Everything he did to you when you weren’t watching.”

Brownstone: Living Room

“This is a good list to start from. Thank you for putting it together so quickly,” Jason said, skimming over the names.

“Well, once I got started, I couldn’t stop. We can’t let this sit,” Bobbie said, taking a seat on the sofa, wrapping her cardigan around her more tightly. “Sonny’s only getting worse. What you told me about his going to Kelly’s and the way he focused on Elizabeth—I just hope he’ll accept the help.”

“I—I’m prepared for that. I might need to have it done with his consent. Going to the island or something.” He sighed. “I’m sorry—”

“No, that’s not uncommon, actually. Sonny’s hit rock bottom, he just isn’t lucid enough to see it. And this is the last thing Carly needs so close to delivery.”

“There’s something I should probably update you on because she was really upset. You should check on her tomorrow.” Jason briefly related the conversation Carly had overheard and watched Bobbie’s eyes go flat. “Yeah, it’s not exactly  great news.”

“I can’t believe that girl would do this—to turn to a psycho who’s already proved he’ll go beyond the pale to get what he wants.” Bobbie surged to her feet, paced towards the window. “I know my daughter isn’t exactly great at inspiring loyalty, but she did nothing to deserve this from Courtney—” She paused. “Have you thought about what Ric might do when he finds out Elizabeth’s pregnant, that you’re the father?”

“I haven’t spent a lot of time worrying about anything but Elizabeth and Sonny,” Jason admitted. “But yeah, now that you’re bringing it up, I can’t imagine it’s going to be a good reaction. We’re going to try to keep it quiet. Only you and Emily know.”

“Well, the secret’s safe with me.” Bobbie touched his arm. “And if I didn’t get to say it earlier, Jason, I’m so happy for you. Both of you, of course, but especially you. You’re so good with Michael. You deserve a family of your own. You guys are going to be great at this.”

“Thank you.” Jason squeezed her in response. “When things are calmer, I’m looking forward to just focusing on Elizabeth and the future.” He saw the clock on the table behind her. “I have to head over to pick her up in a little while, but maybe you can tell me which doctors you think I should start with.”

Kelly’s: Dining Room

“The night he kidnapped me, he gave you some pretty hard core drugs to knock you out.” Carly kept her eyes on the water glass. “I told you that. I don’t know if you remember that.”

“No. No, I just remember waking up without—” Elizabeth pressed her lips together, looked down at her hands.

“Yeah. I didn’t tell Jason. I couldn’t. Because this is…it happened to you. It wasn’t just those drugs—when you got sick from the lemonade. He was in the panic room with me,” Carly said. “He watched Faith poison the lemonade—”

“F-faith—he watched Faith poison it—”

“He could have stopped you,” Carly said. She lifted her eyes finally. “If he’d opened that door, you’d have found out, but you never would have drank the lemonade. You nearly died. He waited for you to pass out.”

She exhaled slowly, her vision blurred from tears. “The embolism. I knew he did something. But I could never—you know, don’t you?”

“Birth control pills so you wouldn’t get pregnant and not want my baby,” Carly confessed. Elizabeth covered her mouth, swallowed the sob, tasted bile as it rose in her throat.

God. God. It was so much worse than she’d ever imagined. All of it. Poison. Birth control pills. Sedatives so strong she didn’t remember Carly trying to escape. She didn’t remember sleeping with her own husband—

She turned her face away, drew in a shaky breath. “I can’t—I can’t—you told Courtney this?”

“I—I made up my mind that I’d tell you if you looked like you were getting back together with Ric. I know how manipulative he can be, a-nd they weren’t pressing charges. I just thought if you didn’t need to live with it, why should I tell you? But he’s not going away, and Courtney knew—she knew everything he’d done, and she’s working with him anyway.”

Behind Carly, her coffee drinker tossed some money down and left. The late dinner table was finishing up, their plates nearly clean. Elizabeth focused on these details until she could breathe again.

“I know she did this because she thought Ric would use it to keep you away from Jason. I understand, I do. A-and if she’d been working with Lucky or Zander, someone who just—who isn’t evil, maybe I could just let it go. I could, I think, because I don’t know if I like you or the idea of you back with Jason, and I know that’s none of my business, but—” Carly closed her eyes. “I could have forgiven her so many things, but not Ric. Not him. I’ve done some terrible things in my life, but Ric is a monster who keeps slithering free. He always seems to have one more card to play.”

Elizabeth’s lips trembled, her hand shook as she laid them on the table. “I—I don’t know what to do with any of this.”

“I mean, you could tell Jason and we won’t have a problem tomorrow. My vote is that,” Carly muttered. “But you could also tell your lawyer. I’ll—I’ll tell them, too. I’ll testify or write an affidavit. Whatever I have to do.”

Oh.” Elizabeth blinked. “Right. Thank you. No, thank you,” she repeated when Carly just shook her head. “I know you’re going through it right now. Sonny came by last night,” she said with a sigh. “And he wasn’t having a good night.”

“And Jason talks to you,” Carly said. Her smile was faint. “Just like he always did. Well, then I don’t have to tell you that I didn’t need to find out my supposed best friend was working with the man who did this to Sonny. Whatever Sonny’s issues, we were handling them until Ric came along and ruined everything, you know? But Ric destroyed it all. And she knew that. God, how could she do this to us? She kept telling me how much she and Jason loved us, how they’d be there for us, and the second she could, she stabbed us in the back—what kind of person does that?”

The couple left, the last set of diners. Elizabeth rose to her feet and locked the door so that no one could come in. “DJ,” she called. “You can head out whenever you want. I got the closing.”

DJ stuck his head into view. “You got a ride, Lizzie? Or—”

“Jason’s coming to pick me up. He’ll be here any minute. I locked the doors, so we’re good here.”

“Okay.”

“I should get going,” Carly got to her feet, headed for the hooks by the door. “The last thing I need is from Jason is a lecture about resting.”

“Well, let me go get your guard to help you to the car. Is he in the courtyard—” Elizabeth craned her neck, trying to see out the windows.

“There’s no guard. Don’t look at me that way,” Carly said when Elizabeth looked at her with wide eyes. “Okay? You’d do the same thing. The guards work for Sonny. He doesn’t know where I’m staying. And not enough of them know what’s going on. He picks up a phone—”

“Oh. Well, okay, that makes sense, but then just wait for Jason—”

But Carly was already pulling open the door, heading for the parking lot. “It’s fine. I’m an adult. I can take care of myself—”

“Right, but then Jason’s going to wonder why I let you leave—”

“And you remind him that I’m an adult who can do what she wants,” Carly snapped. She whirled around in the courtyard, her eyes snapping. “I’ve spent months listening to everyone else and what did it get me? No where! I’m done!”

“Okay. I’m sorry. I was—I appreciated you coming by, and I felt bad just letting you leave when you’re upset.”

“Well, you’re not going to fix it, okay? I’m not in the market for a new friend. Not when the old one just screwed me over—” Carly closed her eyes. “It’s what I’ve done to Jason, isn’t it? The irony—”

“Well, I don’t know about that—”

“Karma. It always comes back.” Carly sighed. “Look, tell Jason you couldn’t stop me. He’ll understand. He could never stop me either—”

“Well, isn’t this just my lucky night?”

Even before Elizabeth completely registered the owner of the voice, her body knew. She whirled around, standing in front of Carly as Ric sauntered through the arched entrance to the street.

“Good evening, ladies. Fancy seeing you both together.”

Brownstone: Foyer

“So, I’ll start with Dr. Winters tomorrow,” Jason said as Bobbie walked him to the front door. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“I’d appreciate that—” Bobbie paused when his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just—hey, Max, what’s up?”

“Uh, I don’t mean to alarm you or anything,” the guard began, a thread of nerves laced through his tone. “But it’s just Sonny isn’t in his room or anywhere else in the penthouse.”

“What? Damn it.”

“I had to deal with a security thing, and I locked the door but—I’m sorry.”

“Stay there. Keep looking. Find out of if he left the building.”

“Jason, what’s wrong?” Bobbie demanded when Jason hung up with Max, then dialed another number.

“Sonny’s not at the penthouse. Yeah, Rocco. Tell Carly to stay put—what? She’s not there? How the hell did she get out without you?” Jason dragged a hand down his face. “Great. Thanks.” He clicked the phone shut. “Carly’s not there.”

“Where—”

“I don’t know. But Sonny might have headed for Kelly’s. I’m going to go pick her up—”

“I’m coming with you,” Bobbie said grimly, snatching her coat from the hook. “And then I’m never letting my daughter out of my sight again.”

Kelly’s: Courtyard

“What did Jason tell you about showing up here again?” Elizabeth demanded, angling herself in front of Carly. Her heart pounded. She’d only sent DJ home sure that Carly’s guards were here. She never went anywhere without them.

But now it was just the three of them in this courtyard—and despite being outnumbered, Ric was never out for long.

“It’s a public space. I can go where I like—”

“Jason’s on his way,” Elizabeth cut in. “You need to leave because he knows Courtney’s been talking to you.”

“That’s Courtney’s problem,” Ric said with a shrug.

“What’s the plan?” Carly demanded on a rush of shaky breath. “Why are you here?”

Ric came closer, and Elizabeth backed up, directly in Carly. “Because I can. We’re due in court next week,” he told Elizabeth. “You need to know that I’m not going anywhere. So you can either sit down to mediation—”

“I will never as long as I live listen to another word you say. Get away from me, and stay away.”

“If you just gave me a chance—” Ric took another step and Elizabeth stepped back, pushing Carly with her.

“Oh, you idiot, I’m not important to him anymore. He’s here for you—” Carly shoved Elizabeth out of the way. “So maybe you stand behind me, because if anything happens to you, Jason will kill me for letting it happen—”

“Well, this is sweet. No wonder Courtney was so eager to work together. Were you already replacing her in Carly’s life, too?”

“Last chance,” Carly said. “Or I’m calling for my guard—”

Ric just laughed, and Elizabeth’s blood ran cold. “Oh, Carly, if you had any guards, they’d already be here. I just came to talk, but you know this is a little fun—”  He faked lunging at them, and Carly yelped, backing up.

“Get away from her!” The roar barely registered in Elizabeth’s brain before she heard footsteps and then seconds later, gunshots ripped through the night. Carly screamed, and they both shoved at each other, tripping—Carly went to the ground hard, and Elizabeth cried out when something burned her shoulder. She fell back, and then hit her head hard, her last memory was falling to the ground, seeing Carly’s closed eyes, blood seeping from her forehead.

And it all went black.

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