Chapter 5: Lyon

There were a million f*cking kids on this island, but my little angel was in a basement reading a book, and this f*ck thought all was fine in the world, amateur. The men were already digging their teeth into the new case Mancini had thrown at them, but since I’m not much on grunt work, I stayed out of it.

If they needed someone to help this f*ck off these dirty motherfuckers then I’m all in, but I usually leave the hunt to my guys who liked nothing better than sticking their noses in other people’s sh*t . But something about the hits made me suspicious.

I walked over to Mancini, who was still sitting behind his desk, fiddling around with sh*t . Who knows whose business he was sticking his damn nose into now. I haven’t thought about the sh*t he’d revealed though my sons seemed to be getting a kick out of it. I let them have the sh*t to read over along with Todd the f*ck because it was giving me a headache.

I’ve never been one for organizations of any kind and have no interest. The closest I’ll ever get is organized chaos because that’s my f*cking game. If these f*cks are expecting me to sit at the head of the table handing out orders, they’re sh*t outta luck. There’ll be nothing but dead bodies spread out across this bitch if that day ever comes.

I didn’t think anything of it when Mancini called one of the twins over and handed him another folder, because I was thinking about my new suspicions. “Hey Hank, you don’t think ‘you know who’ is behind these kills do you?”

“No, because she and her family are already on their way here so she wouldn’t have had time to go down to DC and do the last job and get back in time to hop on the ride headed here. Besides, her thing is the bow, remember.”

It’s not even weird anymore that he knew exactly whom I was talking about. For someone who’s the complete opposite of my kind of guy, he and I seem to be more and more on the same page these days. As long as he doesn’t get up my ass about this elite group f*ckery we’ll be fine, and I see no reason for our newfound camaraderie to change.

“Yeah, but who uses a stiletto anymore? And most of these victims are men. I don’t see that many men letting another man get the jump on them without putting up a fight.” He smiled at me like I was a toddler who’d learned to use the bathroom for the first time. “Dafuq is wrong with you?” If he opens his mouth about that elite group sh*t again, I’ma pop him.

“You make a good point.” Yeah, I’m sure that’s not what you’re thinking about. Before I could pound his ass into dust, I heard one of the twins call out to me. Aiden and Quint, the only two kids I allowed their mother to name and the only two whose names did not start with a C like mine because Kat was going through a rebellious stage, are also the two who are going to get into the most sh*t …except for Mengele, that is.

Come to think of it, their sh*t I can deal with. When they’re not trying to tag-team some female in my damn house, they’re f*cking with engines and taking sh*t apart and putting it back together, all boy sh*t that I can somewhat handle. But the two of them look way too interested in this new sh*t .

I looked around to see Quint with a gleam in his eyes as he made his way towards me. His twin and brother in law stayed behind, but their expressions were hard to read. “What dafuq? What’s wrong with you?”

“Dad!” He said the one word before holding out the folder Mancini had just given to them.

The first thing I noticed was the family crest. I looked from it to Mancini, but that asshole just had a smarmy look on his face. Then I started reading through the sheaf of papers and got madder with each damn sentence. “Tell me you made this sh*t up.” He held his hand up.

“Scout’s honor.” By now, the others who had been alerted by my raised voice turned to look at us. “Out of all of us, you and the kid Track are the only ones who are actually descended from the nobility. He’s a little more royal than you, though.” Everyone was interested at this point but all I felt was numb. This sh*t has got to be some kind of cosmic joke. I hate those f*cks worse than poison.

I kept rereading the piece of paper that had my family lineage going back to some f*ck who had the misfortune to save some asshole British king way back when that sh*t meant something. The only thing is, this f*ck was French, and the guy he saved was English, and everyone knows those two can’t stand each other.

“Wait, this f*ck saved his enemy?”

“Apparently he didn’t agree with his country going to that particular war and decided to do his own thing. Sound familiar?”

“Eat sh*t , dafuq am I supposed to do with this sh*t ?” Something caught my attention, and I jumped on that sh*t like a lifesaver.

“Now, I know you’re full of sh*t . It says here this f*ck’s name was Lyon, but you said my ancestor who was part of this elite sh*t was on my mother’s side…” I stopped talking at the look on his face.

“About that, didn’t your parents ever tell you that they’re distant relatives?” I think I’m going to throw up.

Elena and the doc were on the island because no way was I leaving them behind when I thought we were coming here to be quarantined. I could go ask them, but I don’t think he’d lie to me about that. It’s odd that I never asked about mom’s maiden name before, but since we’ve never been close to any of my parents’ extended family, it just never came up.

I guess I just always assumed that their families were living elsewhere, and since our grandparents were already gone, it just never seemed that important to me. I need cousins and sh*t like a hole in the f*cking head.

“How distant?”

“It’s legal, and it’s also something your ancestors and their kind did back then to keep the bloodline pure. You know how you noble types are.” This sh*t just keeps getting worst. “You gonna stop saying that sh*t ?” My kids were eating this sh*t up while I was trying to figure out a way to keep it from leaving this room.

“Your kid is on the move.” I thought Law was trying to distract me because of everyone in the room except for my guys; he’d be the one to notice the signs that I was about to lose my sh*t . But when I looked at the monitor, I saw Mengele hop down from the stool she’d been sitting on and go running for the stairs that led up from the basement.

Seconds later, the door to the office opened, and one of Mancini’s men stood there. “The Flanagans just landed.” Mancini just nodded and sat back in his chair with a half worried look on his face, something I’ve never seen before. The crease in his forehead only seemed to grow deeper the longer I looked at him.

Then he cleared his throat and seemed to come to his senses. “Listen up all of you.” Each man in the room turned from what he was doing and gave Mancini their full attention. “There might be a situation here in a little bit.”

“What sort of situation?” Logan, who hadn’t said much of anything since we got here which was new for him, was the one to ask.

“Arianna Rossi…uh, Flanagan is a wild card. Her mother was one of us. Arianna was made to believe that her mother was murdered because of her dad’s connection to the mob, but the truth is she was a high-level member of our group. She’s going to find that out today. Hopefully, her husband can contain her, but…”

He left it hanging there, but if she was the one responsible for leaving that asshole pinned to the wall with an arrow through his neck, then I’m thinking he’s sugarcoating this sh*t .

“But what?” It was Connor’s turn to jump in.

“She’s one of us, as time goes on and the more I reveal to you about who we are, you’ll know what that means. For now, just know that she’s our responsibility. Do not make the mistake of treating her like one of your wives; she’s not.”

“Incoming boss.” The same guy opened the door again just as the Flanagans entered the room. On the monitor, I watched as my kid met theirs for the first time. The two little girls hugged like long lost friends before mine took the other’s hand and dragged her to the house. I’m not sure about that alliance, but no one else seemed too worried. Then again, they don’t know my kid like I do, and I’m not sure about this Lily-Anna. If she’s anything like her mom, then we’re f*cked.

Chapter 5: Kat

“The men seem kind of distracted to you?”

“When are they not distracted? If you ask me, it works perfectly with what we have to do.”

“I’m not sure Ginger-Lee; it seems a bit risky right now, don’t you think?”

“What’s risky, Illyana? Look, now is the perfect time. Look, who’s not pregnant among us has just given birth, what exactly are you afraid they’ll do to us?”

“She’s got a point, and besides, I told you, your dad is throwing his hat in the ring to run for president. If we don’t do this now, it might be another four or eight years before you get the chance again. Do you really want to wait that long?” Illyana looked down at her baby girl and kissed her curly hair.

“No, I really don’t, I’d like him to meet her. I didn’t have him in my life; I’m not even sure he’d want me, want us, but…”

My heart was breaking for her. It seems every time we get close to a solution where her dad was concerned, something else cropped up. This latest pebble might be the biggest obstacle we’ve faced so far, though.

There’s a good chance that with her dad, who doesn’t even know she exists running for office, security around him will be tighter than it was when he was just a senator. It’s hard enough trying to get to him now even by phone, but if he should run and win, it might be damn near impossible.

I feel kind of guilty since I’m the one more or less who has been keeping them back from going forward with their plans, but I know my husband and, by extension, his friends. If we don’t do this right, there’d be hell to pay. Not to mention we stand the chance of screwing over the senator if things don’t go as planned.

It’s times like these I wish my husband were less… just less than he is. The man hasn’t changed one bit in all the years we’ve been married. No, that’s not quite accurate. He’s changed, alright but for the worst. I’ve never seen anyone so set in his ways. He claims that the reason he dragged me, our kids, and both sets of parents here along with Cy is because of the pandemic, but we were all perfectly safe at home, so I’m not buying it.

Add the fact that he’s been shut up behind closed doors with his pals since the minute we got here, and I’m doubly sure something else is going on. I can’t ask Catalina to spy on them again because they’re onto her tricks, and Colt threatened to tan my hide the next time I do it, so there’s that.

“I don’t think we have to worry about them for the next little while.” We all looked at Cierra, who was feeding her baby daughter. She didn’t look like someone who’d given birth not too long ago.

Her body was almost back to its original shape, her skin glowed with health, and her hair and nails looked like she’d just walked out of a salon. Colton wouldn’t hear of me going to get anything done, not even when they loosened up and let some places open in our town.

“Why do you say that?” Illyana asked as she put her own daughter over her shoulder to burp.

“I gave Hank something to sink his teeth in just before you all arrived. I’m pretty sure he and the guys will be too busy to worry about us and what we’re getting into. As long as we all keep our cool and not give anything away.”

All eyes went to Dana-Sue, who squirmed in her seat. “I don’t know why you guys are looking at me? It’s best if you don’t tell me anything because Law always finds a way to get it out of me.” From the way her cheeks reddened, I’m thinking we all knew his modus operandi.

Poor thing, I can’t help her there because Colt is pretty much the same. “But you should be safe; you just had the kid.” Melissa, her sister in law, piped up as she rubbed her tummy.

“Yeah, but my six weeks ended yesterday,

and he’s already been dropping hints.”

“Oh sh*t !” That was Susie, Cord’s wife’s take on the situation.

The whole room erupted in laughter, and even Danielle, the most reserved of the bunch, was nodding her head in understanding. It’s a shame that all these grown women, myself included, were victims of the same thing—asshole husbands with way too much testosterone.

***

Jason

“I’m gonna go check on Ash and the kids.” My brother pulled his phone from his pocket and pulled up the screen where we could see my sister through the little device in her wedding ring. It wasn’t a clear image, just the outline of her body heat, and I knew he could press another button to hear what was going on around her, but we were in a strange place surrounded by strangers.

“They’re fine, stop worrying about them. She’s been talking to these women on the phone and online for a while now, and we’ve vetted everyone here at least ten times. Besides, you think I’d lead my wife and kids into danger?” He had a point, but still, old habits are hard to break.

For the past ten years, my life has been one that I never could’ve imagined when I was living on the streets, not knowing where my next meal was going to come from. Enduring cold in the winter and fall and unbearable heat in the summer, there were days when I thought my life was going to end on a park bench somewhere. Life on the streets isn’t easy for anyone, not even a boy who’d thought himself tough enough to face anything.

The man standing beside me had changed all that. Just because of my childhood friendship with his wife, and the fact that I’d ended up in my desolate condition because I’d been trying to help her, he’d gone way beyond what anyone else has ever done and made my life damn near princely.

In the first year after I came to them, he’d adopted me and given me his name, making me a legitimate member of his family. But I was always more brother than son, even with the trust fund he’d set up for me on my eighteenth birthday. I thought for sure after I killed my asshole sperm donor that he’d want to get me as far away from his wife as possible, now that I had blood on my hands, but nothing could be further from the truth.