6. Colton

We met Connie at the door as she stormed through it. "Where the fuck is my husband? I know you have him here. I'm not fucking stupid. You're cleaning house, and he never came home." The bleached blonde Italian woman with daggers for nails only stood about five foot one, but she had always been one of the more terrifying wives.

"Hello to you too, Aunt Connie," Layla replied. "I did give them a chance to leave town." She was utterly unaffected by the woman's attitude.

"I'm sorry, where are my manners?" Connie replied briskly as she stepped forward before we could stop her and hugged Layla. "It's good to see you, Layla. I've often thought about you since you've been gone and hoped you were ok."

Well, that was unexpected, but if the show of affection had surprised Layla, she hadn't shown it. Of course, I forget that she had the opportunity to form a different relationship with the capo wives than we boys had. I looked at Drew to see how he was handling the reunion after discovering that Connie was essentially his stepmom. A casual observer would see him and assume he was fine. Knowing him for most of my life, I could see the nervousness hovering just under the surface.

Connie released Layla and looked at the rest of us. "I don't know you," she said to Sean.

"Connie, this is Sean, one of my men," Layla introduced.

Connie looked Sean up and down, then nodded in approval. "Good for you, Layla." She nodded in greeting to the rest of us before settling her sharp eyes on Drew. "I see the selfish son of a bitch told you," she stated.

"You knew, too?" Drew asked.

Connie nodded. With all her nodding, she was beginning to remind me of a bobblehead. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from smiling. When I met Zach's eyes over Connie's head, they were sparkling as he mimicked one, making me snort.

"Sorry," I apologized when everyone's eyes snapped to me. "Errant and unrelated thought."

"I knew," Connie responded when her focus returned to Drew. "Leo was not as stealthy as he thought he was. I didn't mind, though. As long as he had your mother, he left me alone. It wasn't hard to figure out he was the father when she got pregnant. I expected him to come to me about it, but he never did, opting not to claim you as his instead. I want you to know I never hated your mother for being the other woman. And I certainly never hated you. You didn't ask to be born into this mess, and I wish I had been able to invite you into my home as a rightful member of my family. Especially after your mother died and everything happened with your father and your sister. Perhaps we can change that going forward."

"Thank you," Drew replied hesitantly. I could tell he was unsure how to respond, and I couldn't blame him.

Connie turned to Layla. "Can I see him?"

"You can, but I have to warn you, it isn't pretty, and he isn't leaving," Layla replied gently, but firmly.

"Keep him," Connie replied. "Just make sure that the body is found so that I can claim the life insurance."

Connie followed us downstairs to the interrogation room. We watched as she approached Leo and took in his injuries. Leo's eyes lit up with relief when he saw his wife, and he tried to say something to her, but since he had no tongue, it just sounded like noise. Connie's eyes flicked to Layla. "You cut his tongue out?"

"We did," she replied.

"Good. That means for once you can't interrupt me," Connie said to Leo. "I told you. Didn't I tell you when you came home and told me you were fired and ordered to leave the city that we should leave? Now fucking look at you! This is what karma looks like, asshole. This right here." Connie paced a few steps away from him.

"And what the fuck am I supposed to tell your children?" she demanded, rushing back to him and punching him in the shoulder. "Sorry guys, Dad died because he was a greedy and disloyal bastard who was too stupid to take the lifeline he was handed."

Leo tried to respond, and Connie rolled her eyes. "Don't fucking bother. Even if you could speak, it wouldn't be anything valuable. And do you know what the worst part about this whole thing is? You couldn't just fucking die. You had to make sure Drew knew you were his father, too. You spent his entire life denying him, and now you decide to spill the beans?"

Connie scoffed at Leo's surprised look. "Yes, I knew about your affair and the love child that came out of it. I laughed for years at how you thought I didn't know. Connie Bonetti doesn't miss a fucking thing." She dug through her oversized handbag, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one. "Anyways, when you didn't come home, I knew what must have happened and came to say goodbye." Connie shrugged as her hand fell back into her purse. "Really, I just wanted to be able to tell you to rot in fucking hell, you bastard."

She pulled out a lipstick tube and pointed it at his face. It took a few seconds for me to register what was about to happen, and by the time I had jumped toward her, she had already pressed the button on the little one shooter. The bullet entered his eye, and the caliber was small enough that there wasn't an exit wound. The only outward indication that anything had happened was Leo slumping in his chair and my attempt to get to Connie.

She held her hands up as soon as I reached her. "I only had the lipstick gun and never planned to use it on anyone, but him."

I ripped the shooter from her hand and sighed as I glared at her.

"I won't apologize," she stated, taking a long drag on her cigarette. "I should have done that years ago."

Layla stepped forward and looked at Leo. She poked his head with her index finger, and his head flopped around. Her attention turned to Connie. "Dammit, Aunt Connie! I was planning on dragging his death out. He's the one who was poisoning Daddy!"

Connie's eyes widened in shock, and my lips twitched as they filled with fear. Contrary to what she may have thought, Leo's life didn't belong to her. "Shit, Layla. I'm sorry," she said quickly. "If I had known that, I wouldn't have shot him in the head."

Layla sighed, more disappointed than angry. "What's done is done," she said, waving her hand. The look of relief on Connie's face was almost comical.

"Can I still cut him up and feed him to the sharks?" Zach asked. Connie shuddered as she glanced behind her.

"As long as you leave an identifiable body, I don't see why you can't chop off a few more chunks," Layla replied, smiling. "They have to eat, too. Connie, we'll make sure that the body is handled and properly reported so you can claim the life insurance."

"Thank you," Connie replied. "I should probably get out of here. Sorry again for ruining your fun." Sean escorted her out while Zach started hacking away at Leo's body.

"I guess we should get back to discussing shelter business," Layla told Tyler. We left Zach to his fun and went back upstairs.

"Layla, can I talk to you about my ideas for destroying the warehouse before you do?" Drew asked.

I broke away from them and went to my office. Whatever it was, if I needed to know, I'd find out later. I had my own work to do. I knew we were getting close to moving on Anton's warehouse, and I needed to ensure we had a solid strike plan. The next shipment was in two days, and I had a feeling Layla wouldn't want to wait for the next one. She'd have to if I didn't feel confident in our plan. I wasn't about to follow her into a situation without knowing I'd accounted for every possible scenario so she wouldn't get hurt.

My mind drifted as I sat at my desk. Finding out Layla had been pregnant had been terrifying and heartbreaking. I knew it was ultimately for the best, but it still saddened me. I couldn't wait until we had kids. The idea of a pregnant Layla, round with my child, spoke to me in a way I hadn't expected. My phone rang, and I pushed thoughts of our future away as I looked at the screen.

"Dad, thanks for calling me back," I said when I accepted the call.

"I always have time for you, my boy. Besides, I needed to leave my poker game early. Tempers were rising." I shook my head. They were probably rising because he was cheating and taking all of their money. No one could read cards like my old man. "What can I do for you?"

"I was calling to pick your brain. When Layla was kidnapped, she got the impression from Anton and Tommy that they might be working with someone. I wanted to see if you could recall anyone they might be working with. Maybe from the old days?" We hadn't found anything indicating a third party, and Tyler had poured over the electronic records until his eyes had crossed.

"What do you mean Layla was kidnapped?" Dad demanded.

Shit. "I told you about that, didn't I?" I totally hadn't.

"You most certainly did not! How could you forget to tell me something so important? When did it happen?" my irate father asked.

"I want to say a little over a month ago now. They didn't have her long, only a few hours or so," I replied like it hadn't been a big deal. I didn't mention the brief pregnancy. That would really set my dad off.

"A MONTH AGO!" he exclaimed. "Do I need to move into that house and keep an eye on that girl for you? You would think with five men at her beck and call on top of an entire army at her disposal that a couple of fuck nuts like Anton and Tommy wouldn't be able to touch her."

"It was an ambush while she was in transit, Dad. We've got it handled," I replied. I didn't need him making me feel even worse about what happened. "Can we get back to my question, please?"

"Fine," the old man huffed. "I can't think of anyone that Joe or Anton ever worked with that his son or Tommy might be working with now. Furthermore, I haven't heard anything about anyone else being involved in the city underground. If they are working with someone, there hasn't been any talk about it."

"Damn. Ok, Dad, thanks," I replied. Hitting this dead end brought me back to square one. I trusted Layla hadn't misheard or misunderstood what they had said. Someone had insisted they didn't hurt her, but who? Who is the mysterious person doing deals with them? I had an uneasy feeling that I wouldn't find out until it was too late. Their silent partner was too quiet.

"Sorry that I couldn't help more, son," he replied.

"Don't be. It was a long shot, to begin with," I assured him. "Why don't you come to the house for dinner sometime this week? Cordy is back, and I know you always enjoyed her cooking."

"I enjoyed more than that back in the day," he chuckled. Gross. That was an image I did not need in my head.

"On that note, Pops, I'm going to go," I replied. "Stop cheating at cards before your buddies organize and string you up by your toes."

His laugh was unapologetic. "Let them try."

I rolled my eyes. "Bye, Dad." I ended the call and tossed my phone onto my desk. Well, that was a bust. I would have to accept that I might not figure this out any time soon. I didn't like moving forward, knowing a mysterious person was lurking in the shadows who could toss a wrench into our plans at any moment, but I'd have to get used to it and try to plan for the unplannable.

There was a sharp knock on my door before it opened, and Sean entered. "Did you hear back from your dad?" he asked as he sat.

"Yeah. He didn't have any ideas either," I replied.

"Shit. I don't like it," Sean replied.

"Neither do I," I sighed, rubbing my hands down my face in frustration.

"How will we protect her from someone if we don't know who they are?" Sean asked. If I thought I had control issues, they were nothing compared to Sean's. The man was constantly balancing on the edge of becoming completely unhinged.

"I don't know," I replied honestly. "All we can do is try. The good news is that I think we're almost ready. We'll have everyone available when we hit the warehouse, and Layla knows how to take care of herself."

"Do you think there is any chance at all that she'd be willing to wait? I know she won't sit out, but maybe we can postpone it. I don't like the idea of constantly poking at Anton," Sean admitted.

"That's not going to happen," I replied. Layla leads from the front. She isn't going to sit back and let someone else handle her business. It was one of the things that I loved most about her. Unfortunately, it was also one of the most frustrating for those who loved her.

Our phones buzzed, and I checked it to see Tyler had sent a message to our group chat. They had finished discussing shelter business, and Layla wanted to discuss our raid.

"Times up," Sean sighed as he stood.

"Yep. Let's go and finalize our plans," I replied, following Sean out of my office.

And let's hope our shadow man isn't watching us.

We stood in the foyer with the men assigned to Layla as we geared up. I handed out coms to everyone. The other men were getting ready elsewhere and would meet us at the rendezvous point. I slipped the earwig into Layla's ear as she checked over her weapons. She was strapped down, and it was probably my favorite get-up. I loved the sexy dresses, but there was something about seeing her in tight pants and a corset, guns and knives strategically tucked around her body that got me going. She was lethal, and it was fucking sexy.

"Ok," Layla announced, "everyone knows what they need to do. We hit them hard, and we hit them fast. We will take out any guards while Kyle and Stephan's men come behind us to rescue the prisoners. Once we're clear, the priority is to get them out, so help where you can. Drew's pyro brigade will be working on rigging the warehouse to go up quickly. Once we have everyone out, clear out quickly. I don't want anyone caught in the fire."

"Where are we taking the prisoners once we've rescued them?" one of the men asked her.

"That's need to know," I replied sharply, "and you don't need to." I eyed him suspiciously. I didn't have anything against curiosity, but I was on the lookout for a potential wrench. Asking where we were taking the prisoners when it wasn't something he needed to know to do his job added him to my list of people to look deeper into.

"Let's move," Layla ordered. She turned to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. "You good? You were a little short with Trent, there."

"I don't like knowing another player is unaccounted for," I replied. "It makes me itchy, especially when someone asks about things they don't need to know."

"Ok, well, these are our most trusted men. Try not to bite their heads off until they do something that questions that trust. And before you say anything, asking where we're taking the people we're rescuing isn't that." Layla kissed me, whistled for Dash and Dire, and left the house. I followed behind her and supervised everyone getting into their respective vehicles. Once everyone was loaded up, I nodded at the lead driver and climbed into our car.

"Make sure you stick to one of us, Hellcat," I reminded Layla. "No running off on your own."

"I know, Colt," she sassed.

"Stick with me, LG," Zach said, grinning as he threw his arm around her shoulder. "I bet I kill more people than you."

"This isn't a game," Sean growled.

"That doesn't mean we can't still have fun, Groucho," Layla laughed.

When we arrived at the rendezvous point, we exited the car and entered the small shop we commandeered. "Everyone ready?" I asked Johnny.

"We're all set," he replied, "though my guys tell me that there are more guards inside today than normal."

"Do you think they know we're coming?" I asked. Layla wouldn't be happy if we had to postpone, but if we've lost the element of surprise, it might be wiser to call it off.

Johnny shook his head. "I don't think so. My guy reported that a larger shipment than usual was delivered last night. More assets means more to protect. I'm sure the increase in security is due to that."

I nodded. It made sense. I looked around, ensuring everyone was accounted for and ready. We had five box trucks to load the prisoners into to carry them to safety. I knew we had an old church to use as a safehouse to take them all to ready and waiting. Drew's flatbeds with forklifts and fuel barrels were also ready to roll. There wasn't anything left to prepare. It was go-time.

"Ok. Let's move as planned. Danny, your men follow us in. Kyle and Stephan, you're following them. You know what to do. Johnny, hold your men back to secure the perimeter in case more of Anton and Tommy's men show up. Stay off the coms unless it's important so we don't get bogged down with unnecessary chatter and miss something important." The men nodded at me. I knew they already knew what to do, so I appreciated that they humored me instead of pointing that out.

We loaded back up and convoyed the short distance to the warehouse Anton had been forced to move to. There wasn't a gate blocking our entrance, and Johnny's men, who were already in position, took care of any outdoor security on our way so that when we burst through the doors, the guards inside hadn't been ready. Unfortunately, Johnny hadn't said how many more men were inside, and I'd have to talk to him about details. There was easily twice the number of men than usual, and they quickly recovered from their initial surprise.

The building quickly filled with the sounds of prisoners screaming and bullets flying as I dove behind a couch for cover. I peeked over the arm and saw Layla and Zach pushing further into the fray, moving like a well-practiced team. As they moved forward, I forced myself to hang back to defend the cages closer to the doors so our men could work without worrying about getting jumped. I'd move forward once we had this part of the building secured.

They had a job, and so did I.