by Posey Parks
“Yeah, I know. Let’s tear Stephanie’s life a part.”
I sat at my laptop and pecked away. Sydney placed a plate piled high with turkey sausage links, scrambled eggs, and shrimp and grits, my favorite.
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
She grinned and returned to her seat.
“Your wife’s shrimp and grits are delicious. bro.”
“Thanks.”
“Zoey’s are awesome too.”
“Southern women and their cooking.” Jacob flattened his hand through the air. “It’s nothing like it.”
I slid a fork full of the goodness into my mouth. “Ain’t that the truth.”
We laughed.
“Guy’s I will start with Stephanie’s parents. Jacob start with her birth to age ten.” I glanced next to me.
“Brandon, eleven to twenty years of age.”
He nodded.
Many summers I’d gone sailing with the Porters. Gregson and his wife Sheila were always hospitable. Stephanie’s father was a Georgia congressman. He tried to persuade me to trade in my love of computers for a seat as a politician. I told him I respected him, but I’d stick with my love of computers. My father never tried to persuade me to do anything I didn’t want to. I loved him for respecting my wishes and allowing me to follow my dreams.
The deeper I dug into Stephanie’s father the more corrupt he became. He was also a bit of a lady’s man during the early years of Stephanie’s life. I uncovered several files of women he’d paid to keep quiet about their affair. Two women said they were pregnant with his child. One of the lady’s paternity test results were negative. The other woman disappeared.
Fingers pecking away at computer keys was all that could be heard. I looked up for the first time in what felt like hours. Sydney, Samantha, and the kids had vacated the kitchen. What time was it? The screen read three in the afternoon.
“Guy’s I’ve uncovered several dirty scandals in Congressman Porter’s life.”
“Well dish because I didn’t find anything in Stephanie’s younger years.”
“Ok, pull apart her life from twenty-one years of age until death.”
Jacob nodded.
“I think you’ll uncover intriguing finds in her adult life. I know I did.”
Brandon raised his laptop in the air. Jacob glared at the screen. “That’s her!” Jacob shouted.
“Yeah, this is a pic at a party on Stephanie’s school campus.”
“Ok, you guys can tackle those years together. Jacob see if they hung out off campus.” I pointed at Brandon. “We need a name.”
“On it.”
“Oh, how could I forget?” Their eyes fell on me at the same time.
“Gregson couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. Nor did he bother to wrap up.”
Brandon’s black brows rose.
“Two women said they were pregnant with his child. One child proved not to be his. The other…well I cannot find her. She vanished. Maybe there’s a connection.”
Jacob ran his hand over his dark stubble. “Let’s dig.”
He and Brandon turned to their screens. After an hour of searching the web, I uncovered the other woman’s whereabouts.
“I found the other woman.”
“Dude, we’re listening,” Brandon stated.
“Ok. She lived comfortably in Albany, GA. Her name was Edith Michaels. Home was bought and paid for in nineteen ninety-one. Her daughter was born April second nineteen ninety-two.”
“Did you find any pics of the daughter?”
I peered at Jacob. “Not yet.”
“Have either of you noticed the woman appear again?”
“Yes,” they stated in harmony.
Jacob leaned toward us. “Guys, I bet it’s the same girl.”
A chill shot up my spine. I still didn’t understand why.
“If it’s her. She’s got real daddy issues.” Jacob snickered.
“Jacob, before we jump to conclusions. Let Sebastian continue digging.” Brandon nodded my way.
The doorbell chimed.
“I hope that’s the pizza I ordered.” Brandon rubbed his hands together, exiting the kitchen.
“You do realize I have a staff who answers the door.” Jacob, yelled shaking his head.
“Zoey!” We heard from the atrium.
I glanced over my shoulder.
Brandon carried Addison, clutching Zoey’s hand as they walked into the kitchen.
“Hey guys.” She smiled.
“Zoey, happy you could join us.” Jacob grinned.
“Yeah, Samantha and Sydney asked about you.”
“I know, Sebastian. Sydney sent pics of them hanging out with the kids. So, I told my grandmother Brandon and our family needed me.”
His lips fell upon her curly hair. “I did.”
She caressed his arm. “I didn’t want to miss all the action so I’m here.”
“Good. Brandon take a break and get your family settled. Jacob and I can hold it down.”
His face lit up. “Thanks guys. I’ll be back in an hour.”
They disappeared out of the room.
“Don’t worry, I’ll send a box of pizza upstairs once it arrives.” Jacob’s deep vocals carried through the house still staring at the screen.
Screeching shot through the house penetrating our ears. Jacob and I stared at each other.
“I’d say the girls are thrilled to see Zoey.”
Jacob chuckled. “I’ll say.” He shoved his finger in his ear.
I peeked at Edith’s unsealed birth records on my screen. The father wasn’t listed. “Hey, the girl in the picture her name is Pippa Michaels? Check the DMV. Her birth date is April second nineteen ninety-two.”
“I am checking. And yes, I got a hit. She received her driver’s license at sixteen and never renewed it. She vanished.”
I rushed over to his side of the counter. “That’s a younger version of her.” I stepped back clutching my head. “She did change her name. What other search can we run?”
“I’ll run the pic Brandon found of her and Stephanie and see if a name pops up.”
I nodded. “Good.”
Edith’s home was paid for in cash. There wasn’t a deposit for the cost of the house around the date it was purchased from the Porters account. I hacked Gregson’s Cayman accounts and found two large transfers. One on the date the home was taken off the market. The other to Edith’s account. Scrolling through his attorney’s records, my eyebrows rose at what I uncovered.
“Fuck, Jacob.”
“What?” he ran over.
“He opened a trust for Pippa when she was born. She couldn’t make a withdrawal until she was twenty-one.”
“Did she?”
I clicked on transactions.
Jacob pointed at my screen. “She did.” He rubbed his hands together.
“Show us the trail, Pippa.”
“Look at that. She transferred money to a Swiss account. Wait.” I clicked enter. “Whoa, she made multiple transactions to Luna Prince.”
“Yes!” He slammed his fists in the air. “We got her ass.”
I clapped my hands. “Fuck yeah!” Glancing at the table, I stood. “Did you know the pizza arrived?”
“No.” We stepped over, opening the boxes.
The pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, and green peppers dangled under my nose. I placed my hand over my growling stomach.
“I heard that.”
“What? I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.”
I peeked at Jacob’s workstation littered with bags of twizzlers and potato chips.
“Hey, I always have snacks. I know how to eat and work. Shit, I am on vacation after all.”
We laughed.
Jacob tapped the intercom button. “Pizza’s here.”
Feet pounded the steps, sounding like a stampede.
Sydney appeared at my side. Caden anchored on her hip. “Give me a bite please?”
She opened her mouth and Caden snatched the warm pizz
a with his hand crushing, raising it to his open mouth.
“No, Caden.”
Everyone laughed.
“Daddy, will cut up a slice for you.”
Sydney placed him in the high chair.
My cell buzzed. I answered.
“Good evening, sir, the Johansen’s, the Latters, and the Poseys are here.”
“Direct them to Mr. Latters. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Johansen.”
I slid my cell back into my pocket as I strolled to the sink. “Guys, we have company coming,” I shouted.
Everyone halted, meeting my gaze.
I washed and dried my hands.
“Who?” Jacob asked.
“You and Samantha’s parents and mine.”
“What?” he roared.
Samantha placed her hand on his chest. “Calm down, I called our parents. We need them. They have the experience to protect the children while we are away.”
His tight face softened. “Fine.”
“I’ll have the staff assist with their luggage.” Samantha scurried off.
Sydney stepped closer. “And what is your excuse?” Arms crossing her chest, a scowl consumed her beautiful features.
“You met my mother. And you know what she’s capable of. She has no problem, decapitating anyone who’d cause harm to Caden.”
Her face fell against my muscled chest. I held her tight.
“I understand, Sebastian.”
“Sweetheart, I need to feed Caden.”
I ran over and tore a pepperoni into pieces then placed tiny bits in his mouth. His green eyes brightened.
“You’re greedy, Caden.” I kissed his forehead.
He shook his arms in the air.
Sydney ran her hand over his curly mane, smiling. “Say, I’m just hungry Daddy,” she babbled.
“Hello, good to see you again.” I heard my mother at the door.
Footsteps inched closer at my back. “Caden.” Joy sparked her voice.
I turned on my heels. “Mom, Dad. Good to see you both.”
I wrapped my arms around them.
Dad’s heavy hand smacked my back. I stepped back gazing into their faces.
“Murder, Caden?” Dad grimaced.
“How did you beat a murder charge?” Mom’s hands landed on her hips.
I smirked. “We haven’t eaten in hours. If you’re hungry join us.” I ignored her question.
They scanned the kitchen.
“Ok, Caden.” Mom shot me a questionable look.
We exchanged greetings and reacquainted our parents. Sitting amongst each other in the formal dining room, we joked and enjoyed each others company. Our parents couldn’t get enough of the babies.
Thank god the mansion could accommodate visitors.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SEBASTIAN
After we put the kids down for the night, we reconvened in the living room. We spilled every gory detail of what had happened and what we were facing.
My mother paced, arms crossing her chest. Her eyes shifted between me and dad. “You don’t think you need your uncles help?”
My father’s features darkened. “No, he doesn’t,” he growled.
“Dad, it’s ok.” I shoved my hand in my jeans pocket.
Sydney sat on the arm of the chair beside me.
“Uncle Serg just got Dillon back in his life. We are more than capable of handling this situation. They are assassins.”
“You don’t go around telling everyone what we’re capable of.” James warned, stalking to the middle of the room. Samantha jumped in front of her dad.
“Dad, it’s not like that. I promise.”
Mom returned her attention to me and inched closer. “I Magarelli sono la tua famiglia.” She pointed her finger into my chest. “La mafia è la tua famiglia.”
My mother said the Magarelli’s are my family. She just had to stress the mafia was my family also.
“The mafia?” Jake’s eyebrows wrinkled.
Jacob shushed his father.
Dad gently grabbed mom’s arm. “I took you away from that life. You can’t keep running to them every time there is trouble.”
I widened my arms. “Mom, Dad. Those in this room are my family too. Not just the mafia.”
“Dad.” I placed my hand on his shoulder, meeting his gaze. “If my mafia family needs me. I will help. I have helped. That’s what family does. We help each other.”
“But they are trouble.”
Sydney intertwined our fingers, standing at my side. “They are our family. We won’t turn our backs on them. But Sebastian is right. We can and we will handle our own fight. You...” She glanced around the room. “…you all are here to watch over your grandchildren while we end this sick and twisted game once and for all.”
Samantha and Jacob’s fathers mumbled under their breath.
“We’ll make our move tomorrow night at twenty-one hundred hours. We have plenty of fire power.”
“Fire power,” Mom chuckled. “I brought my own.”
Dad’s mouth dropped open.
“No, one will step foot into this house without permission.” Her brown eyes flashed evil. “I will end them.” She dragged out the last word through gritted teeth.
Sydney beamed at my side. “I know you will, Violet.” She threw her arms around Mom’s neck. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“I know.”
Mom pulled back holding Sydney at arm’s length. “What don’t we have for the wicked?”
“Nessuna pieta.”
A devilish grin curled my mother’s red lips. “Good job my sweet.”
She leaned into her ear. “Falli soffrire.”
Faintly I heard make them suffer.
Still hard to fathom my mother was the princess of the mafia underworld. Had a taste for making liars and thieves pay with their lives.
Dad’s brow wrinkled and his face turned red.
“James, Dad. We need you guys to guard the house while we are away. Mom, and Sharon can look after the kids.” Jacob glanced at their mother’s sitting on the white sofa.
“Now darlin you know that won’t be a problem,” Rebecca’s gray eyes brightened.
Sharon rolled her brown eyes at Jacob. “That’s why we are here to look after our grandbabies.” She sat back and shot Samantha a look. There appeared to be love lost between Jacob and Sharon.
“Denise,” Samantha yelled, sitting on the opposite sofa from their mothers. Brandon sat in the corner holding Zoey in his lap. A slight smirk crossed his lips. He was humored by our family’s dysfunction.
“Yes, Mrs. Latters.” Denise stood in the large archway; hands clutched in front of her.
“Please show our guests to their rooms.”
“At once.” Her long hair fell over her shoulders.
“The bowling alley, game room, bar you know the drill. This isn’t your first rodeo.” She smirked at their parents.
James stepped forward kissing Samantha on top of her head. “Jake, after we settle in how does a game of pool sound?”
“Fantastic.” His brown brow arched. “I’ll bring the bourbon.”
James patted my dad’s shoulder. “Would you like to join us?”
He smirked. “Why not.”
Our parents followed Denise.
I scanned the room. “Brandon and Jacob. We have a few more stones to overturn tonight. Tomorrow morning at ten I need everyone in the kitchen. We’ll go over the plan.”
“Sounds good,” Samantha stated.
She and Sydney walked upstairs.
Five minutes later, the guys and I sat at our computers.
“Sebastian, get this. Pippa or whatever her name is deals in military weapons trading.”
I sat back. “That would make the CIA director really happy if I can gain her contacts.”
His gray eyes brightened. “Say no more. I’ll send you the list on an encrypted file.”
“Great work.”
“Oh, Jacob remember y
ou said Pippa has daddy issues?”
“Yup.”
“She and Gregson has had contact over the years.”
“Do you think Stephanie knew Pippa was her sister all of her life?” Brandon peeked at me.
“I doubt it. She never mentioned a sister to me. Then again, I’d never seen that picture of her and Pippa. In the meantime, I’ll run texts and calls between Gregson and Pippa. Find out if there was a connection between them.”
They nodded and hovered over their keyboards.
~
The moonlight cascaded through the window across Sydney’s beautiful soft brown skin. Staring at the ceiling, I caressed her leg draped over my cock. Her wild dark hair tickled my neck. She moaned in her slumber each time my hand swept across her skin. Her hand rested on my hairy chest as it rose and fell. Clutching her tight, I exhaled deeply. The pressure was mounting. Tomorrow I could lose everything. My wife, any of our friends putting their lives on the line not to mention my own. This was my fight. My problem. I’d die before I allowed any of them to be harmed because of my ongoing nuisance. Stephanie. Even in death she found a way to impel pestilence into my life. This had to end tomorrow once and for all.
∞
Suited in black camo gear and strapped with fire power our team stood around the kitchen counter ready for direction.
The heavy scent of maple syrup still lingered in the air after breakfast a few moments ago.
“Brandon, you have the floor.” I nodded.