Chapter Twenty-one

*Snake in the Grass*

Andrèsj walked Lesley Lu to Kelly's. They parted ways with a kiss. Their second kiss. He had decided to take their relationship slowly, but she obviously didn't agree. Caring for a Spencer came as a surprise. When he joined his family in Port Charles, he had no idea what to expect. He and Nikolas had grown up aware of Luke Spencer. The man's hatred became fodder for lectures. In Andrèsj's mind, Spencer represented true evil, a constant threat against his family.

How was it possible that the man's daughter captured his heart?

After leaving the diner, he headed to the dock. His ever-present bodyguard remained beside him. Arman rarely spoke. He didn't need to.

"Master Cassadine?" Arman said softly.

Drè looked past the large Russian to see Luke Spencer lurking in the shadows. What now? He knew that Stefan had instructed Arman to avoid a confrontation with Spencer as much as possible. Drè understood his father's reasoning, but with Stefan out of the country, Drè saw fit to do things his own way. Sooner or later, he'd have to deal with Luke Spencer on his own terms. His feelings for Lesley Lu far outweighed his dislike of her father.

"Do not worry," Drè said to his bodyguard, but loud enough for Luke to hear. "Spencer prefers to conduct his deceit in the dark. As we are in the light of day, he will not attempt a physical altercation."

Clap. Clap. Clap. "You sound more like Count Dracula everyday," Luke cackled. "That must be some education system they have back in Transylvania."

Arman slipped his hand inside his jacket. Drè touched the man's forearm and shook his head. "Allow us a moment."

"Yes, Boris. Give us a few precious moments." Luke bit into his cigar and spat. "The little Cassadine and I need to talk."

Andrèsj moved toward Luke, making sure not to stand downwind of him. "What is it, Spencer? You are aware that you only present yourself a fool when you behave this way?"

"A fool as in a dupe?" Spencer lit the cigar and inhaled. As he polluted the air with smoke, he added, "There's a fool here, but it isn't me."

Drè refused to take the bait. He simply stared at the older man.

"Steffin's taught you well, but that Vulcan staring shit doesn't work on me. Oh, yeah, you've been fooled alright. I bet you're wondering how."

Drè stifled a yawn and shrugged. He moved to walk away, but Luke's voice stopped him. "Or are you under the impression that a Spencer could ever truly fall for the likes of you, a Cassadine? My daughter has my blood running in her veins. She's not all Laura's. Lesley Lu is half mine. Think about it, Little Cassadine. You've been hoodwinked."

Drè willed his face to be void of expression until Luke left. Then, he rushed from the dock, determined to get to the heart of the matter.

~*~

"Hey, there." Zander stood in the doorway of the Cassadine hotel suite aka Command Central. He gave the beautiful mocha hued guest a warm smile. "Long time no see."

Dawn returned his smile. "Yeah, I've been in training."

"I know." He crossed to her. He lifted her arm and made her flex. "You've gain some muscles. Impressive."

"Thanks," she said, reclaiming her arm. "Have you seen Nikolas?"

"And here I thought you were here to see little ole me." Off her look, he said, "I don't know where he is, but we're all supposed to have dinner in an hour. You're welcome to wait. Hell, I guess you're here for the dinner."

"Yeah, Frisco gave me the night off." She glanced at her watch and frowned. "I thought I was supposed to meet Nikolas here. Maybe I'm early."

Zander patted her shoulder. He was the picture of indifference while inside excitement boiled. This was better than he planned. "I'm sure he wouldn't forget you. Something important must have come up."

Of course, he never mentioned Nikolas' message for her. That Laura asked her son to come over. After grabbing the message from the Front Desk, Zander conveniently threw it away.

"Would you like something to drink while you wait?" Zander moved behind the bar. "There's everything you can imagine back here. Name your pleasure."

"Cranberry juice would be nice." She took the glass from him. "Thanks. So how are things going? How's the adjustment?"

He sipped club soda. "What guy couldn't get used to the royal treatment? Learning centuries of history hasn't been a piece of cake. What about you? The WSB doesn't take lightweights. I'm proud to know you. I bet everyone tells you that. The gushing must get disgusting."

A troubled frown darkened her brow. She averted her gaze and shrugged.

"What? I find it hard to believe that anyone's giving you grief." He came around the bar to sit beside her on the sofa. "Your career choice is awesome. The WSB is like the real life Justice League." He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Don't let other people's insecurities get you down. You're part of the good guys."

She patted his hand. "Thanks, Zander."

Then, Zarek and Dara entered. While Dawn greeted her sister, Zander reported his success to his cousin.

~*~

Steve hated going back on his word to his wife. She made him promise not to interfere with Dara's problem with Mac. Zarek was their daughter's husband. The young couple should handle Mac together. Steve truly believed he could honor his wife's wishes, but that was until he saw Mac. Then, all bets were off.

He pulled his bike onto the Outback's parking lot. Mac stood on the loading dock. The roar of the hog's engine caught his attention. He waved and Steve sauntered over.

"Scorpio," he said, in what he hoped was an even tone. "Can we talk a minute?"

Mac set a clipboard onto a stack of boxes with liquor labels. "Sure. What's up?"

"I hear you're going into the greenhouse business," Steve said, his hands firmly planted on his lean hips.

Mac frowned. "The greenhouse business?" He laughed. "Jensen, someone's pulling your chain."

"Oh, yeah?" Steve shook his head. "I doubt it. Dara was pretty shaken up when she came to our place last night. I'm telling you once. Leave my daughter alone."

"Excuse me?" Mac gave him an incredulous look. "What's going on with Dara? I haven't been bothering her."

Anger ignited inside Steve's gut. "Listen, man, that's not what she told us--"

"I don't know what she told you, but somebody's got it all wrong. Dara and I are friends. That's all. Plus, she's married." Mac grabbed the clipboard and starting marking off items.

Steve watched him, trying to gauge the truth from a distance. Dara had never lied to him and Carrie before. But Mac presented a damn good defense. Steve had never known the man to be a liar or to involve himself with married women. His instincts dictated he whup ass first and ask questions later. Then, Carrie's promise came to mind. Understandably, he was torn.

His wife's words made his decision. But one last thing…

"Scorpio, whatever's going on, leave her alone." Steve straddled his bike and grabbed his helmet.

Mac gave him an affable smile. "No problem. Sounds like she needs help. She'll get no encouragement from me."