Memphis closed the door behind him and studied Delaney, as she lay sprawled across his bed, crying her heart out. He went over to the bed, gathered her in his arms, and let her sob into his chest. When she finally stopped crying he lifted her chin and asked her, “What’s wrong, baby?”
Delaney looked up at him and with red tear filled eyes, she told him what she overheard, “Grandpa told Leon that he thinks my dad would have arranged an accident that would have killed him just so he could inherit this place if grandpa hadn’t sold it.”
“And that upset you?” he asked her.
Delaney shook her head slightly.
“Then why are you sobbing like your world just ended?” Memphis was frowning.
“Because my dad never felt love like other normal people. Only for what they could do for him. It was hard for me to face that when I became old enough to see it. I vowed that I would never be like him. All I have is my grandpa. Him and I have been a team since I can remember really. But I refused to hate my dad, so I wouldn’t be like him, but I do now. And it makes me sad. I tried to get away from that truth about him. But he would have done just that. Killed grandpa to get the house. Thank God, he was in jail all this time. He doesn’t care that grandpa was his own father and he doesn’t care how callous it would be. But that’s my dad isn’t it? Everything in his world revolved around him and him alone. If it didn’t he didn’t want to be around it. My grandpa and hell… even me never mattered to him. He could ignore us because we didn’t fit into his world. We wouldn’t break the law for him and so we never mattered in the long run. Only he and his boys mattered.”
Memphis shrugged. “Well, he can’t and won’t be doing that anymore now will he?”
Delaney nodded. “But you don’t understand something here. My father is a real bastard. He will come here and take what he wants and he won’t care that you guys live here, that you guys own this place. In his mind, his father didn’t have the right to sell this place. He is convinced that it is his. And he won’t care who or what he has to do to claim it.”
“Well, he can’t claim something that he doesn’t own.” Memphis snarled. “We bought this place at a fair market value and we’ve been living here for over seven years now.” He paused, then had to ask her, “Is that what’s really bothering you or is it something more?”
Delaney shrugged. “I guess it was just the idea that grandpa knew what was going to happen, that he knew his own son was so heartless.” She paused then added, “He knows his own son wouldn’t worry about ending his life, that’s just so cold, you know?”
Memphis didn’t say a word but he hugged her a little tighter. “Aww honey, sometimes family just sucks and all you can do is hang on and do what you know is right. We won’t let your dad or your brothers get close to you or your grandpa. They won’t win. I promise.”
Meanwhile, in the main room, Leon motioned Calderone over, when he joined them, Leon told him, “Get one or two of the armored trucks back here. We’ll take this haul back with us as well.” He looked at Alfredo then at Zeus.
Alfredo nodded at him.
Zeus joined them and he had no objections either. “I just want it all gone. Me and my men can’t be doing time for this shit.” He looked over at Click and asked, “How many men have we got out there now?”
“Just the same two douchebags who tried to run the gates,” Click assured him.
Zeus turned back to Leon and said, “Well, if your trucks can make it back here and get loaded before anyone else comes along, we should be fine.”
Leon nodded.
Calderone made the call. When he hung up, he looked over at his father. “We caught them in time, they just got the gold loaded on the plane and were going to take off.”
Leon gave him a nod. “Bene, when they get here do the same plan as before, all the trucks leave at the same time, all in different directions and get this stuff loaded on the plane then get the plane out of here.”
Calderone nodded. “A second plane is on its way here with more foot soldiers on it.”
Leon gave him a nod. “Si, questo è buono. I am surprised they never tried for the gold. I suppose they lost too many men already. And that was good for us. I have a feeling this Barrett loser isn’t going to wait for an engraved invitation once he does get here.”
Twenty minutes later, the trucks arrived back and the men wasted little time in loading them with the stuff they found in the tank. It took two full trucks to get the items loaded and ready to go. Then as before, all five trucks took off.
Leon made a call home and told John what to expect when the plane arrived, how to unload it and get the items into his vault. “John, I have a full plane coming your way and I do mean full. Almost to the point of being overloaded. It’s got gold and diamonds like you knew of, but a bunch of other things will be on the second plane and I need you there waiting for the pickup. It took five loaded armored cars to get the stuff to the plane and it will take that much and maybe more to get it unloaded and to the estate. You’d better clear the biggest safe in the basement because this stuff needs a place to go. I want it in there and locked up until I can get back home.”
“Just what the hell did you find out there, sir?” John asked.
“More than I ever planned on, I can tell you that my friend. It is all trouble as well. Old and very bad trouble. Which is why Calderone and I aren’t coming back just yet. We have to deal with this here.”
“I figured that when Calderone ordered more soldiers to come out there. Is everything okay?” John asked. “I’m usually with your main guard and I don’t like the sound of this.”
“We are safe. I still have Sal, Jacko, Hudson and Marco here. I hope everything will be decided soon.”
“Good luck, sir. Are you sure that I shouldn’t be there? The women are asking me questions about your safety. You know how they can be.”
Leon chuckled a bit. “Si, I know. We are safe. I need you to represent the Vincinti’s in this endeavor,” he told his son in law. “The gold and antiques have to be placed into protection.”
“Yes, sir…” John paused then spoke up, “I also needed to give you a message. It is from the Council. They had a request about accepting an old member back into the family.”
“Oh, really?” Leon then growled into the phone, “Do not tell me…”
“I don’t want to but yes, it was Barrett Raggetti,” John replied. “He’s fresh out of prison and he wants the backing of the family.”
Leon huffed. “Oh, I don’t think so. We know what he is after. He wants to claim all that has been found here. And you wouldn’t believe what all we have found. It’s like a fun house here with treasures all over the property, hidden in odd places. However, now Barrett’s a little too late. And I for one hope we found everything Alfonzo Raggetti left for his family.”
“Well, you and Calderone be safe while you deal with this pissant. He isn’t going to take no, very well when he’s denied entry back into the family.”
“You know I almost hope he doesn’t take it well. I’m so pissed right now it wouldn’t take much to push me to the edge of my temper.”
John paused. “Well, this means someone there is about to… what is it you always say?”
“Someone is about to make that mistake, cross that line of no return and there is no refund on your life.”
Calderone shook his head when he heard his father say this.
“Yeah, that one.” John chuckled. “It’s right up next to the other line I’ve heard you say, I’ll plant you right next to the daisies.”
It was almost midnight when Grave Digger looked at the screens and rubbed his eyes. It had been a busy day after they found the tank and emptied it then got everything out and on Leon’s plane. Only when the plane took off safely did anyone release a breath of relief.
Leon was notified a few hours later of the plane’s safe return to Boston and he had his own guards standing by as it was all unloaded and taken to his estate under the same eyes of his guards. At least that much had gone right today.
Leon’s second plane of soldiers had arrived and now the club had some backup for when Barrett and his older sons would arrive. They hadn’t gotten here yet and no one knew what the holdup was but tensions were growing and tempers were reaching snapping points.
Click had gone to bed for a much needed rest and Grave Digger had volunteered to watch the cameras for the first shift tonight.
So far, all was quiet and he noticed that even the two men watching them had to sleep. He shook his head as he saw them laid out on the ground. He went over to the monitor and began running through the rest of the camera spots. He wasn’t really expecting to see anything as most of the cameras were inside the new fence line and as far as they knew, that hadn’t been breached, yet.
He was about to move on to the next camera when something flickered in the camera lens. Grave Digger watched for a moment and when he didn’t see anything else moving, he was going to move on again when the camera lens showed the same flicker. He waited and watched and soon he caught movement again. He tried to angle the camera closer and finally it focused on something.
He zoomed in and found himself looking at a woman coming out of the garage on the far end of the property. The same garage at the end of the tunnel where they found the tank earlier today. He zoomed in even closer and this time he could see her face. She looked to be in her mid-twenties. She also appeared to be scared to death.
He paused. What the hell?” He backed off the zoom a bit and he could see her in real size but then he knew she was a small woman. As he watched, she moved over behind the trees. She was only out of sight for a few moments and when she came back, she was buttoning her pants.
When she paused and stretched her arms, she looked around the area then she turned to face the new fence line and shook her head. She moved out of sight when she ducked back into the garage.
Grave Digger groaned and muttered, “Fuck!”
This woke Click up as he had been sleeping in an easy chair he had Diabolus bring in earlier. “What’s up?”
“We got company inside the fence,” Grave Digger told him.
“That’s not possible.” Click woke up fast at his words.
“It shouldn’t be but it is,” Grave Digger assured him.
Just then, Scout joined them to take his turn at the cameras. “What’s happening?”
“Grave Digger says we got company inside the fence,” Click told him.
Grave Digger got up and then checked at his back waist for his weapon. “You and I are gonna check it out while Click keeps track of everything.”
“Where is this, Digger?” Scout asked.
“She’s inside that old garage and I think she’s alone but I can’t be sure. I only saw her, but there could be more. How the fucking hell she got in there is anybody’s guess but I won’t be sticking around here when she’s out there.”
“If you see anything out of the ordinary, send Zeus and the other boys out to get us back,” Scout told Click then he slapped Grave Digger’s arm. “Come on, let’s go find out who’s out there and what they want.”
Grave Digger just grunted and looked over at Click. “Watch out for us.”
Click nodded.
Scout looked over at Grave Digger. “I don’t suppose we can take the bikes?”
Grave Digger shook his head. “It would be better if we walked, less noise if we want the element of surprise on our side.”
Scout sighed hard. “Well, it’s a fair piece to walk, so let’s hope you can keep up.”
“Fuck you,” Grave Digger said as he chuckled.
They both set off in the direction of the garage on the far side of the property. It took them forty minutes to walk the distance. When they got close, they slowed down and had a good look around before they moved in.
Both men drew their weapons.
Grave Digger motioned for Scout to go around the building and come in from the other side.
Scout nodded and disappeared into the shadows.
Grave Digger stepped in closer and peeked into the broken windows but it was so dark he really couldn’t see much. He moved over to the door and slipped inside. His eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room as he finally saw her.
She was under the window he tried to peek in before and when he moved toward her, he saw another figure sleeping next to her.
Grave Digger paused, as the other figure looked smaller than he figured it should be unless it was a child or a midget and he didn’t think it was a midget. He wondered what the hell she was doing here with a kid?
When he knelt beside her, the woman woke up. She stared up into his eyes.
Now he felt something poking him in the gut and when he looked down, he saw a knife blade.
“What the hell do you want here?” She snarled.
“Wondering the same thing about you, sweetheart. What the hell are you doing here and how did you get past our fence?”
“Hush you damn fool. My son just fell asleep. He hasn’t been feeling well. If you need to know everything, we’ve been here a couple of days already. I guess we got inside before the fence went up.”
Scout came through the door as he tripped on something and made a racket when he tried to stop himself from falling.
The kid woke up with a scream and began crying.
The woman dropped the knife on the floor and reached for her son. “Oh baby, it’s all right.”
Grave Digger looked into the kid’s eyes and saw two things there…fear and a fever.
“Are they gonna hurt us mama?” the little boy whispered.
“I hope not, baby. I really hope not.”
“We aren’t gonna hurt you,” Grave Digger stated. The longer he stared at the kid the more he knew the boy was sick. Looking over at the mother he asked, “What’s wrong with him?”
Scout finally got to his feet as he switched on the light on his phone and shined it around the room. “Only the two of you here?” he asked.
The woman nodded. She looked over at Grave Digger and said, “I think he has the flu but I’ve got no medicine to give him and he’s been miserable. I’m sorry we trespassed but we had nowhere else to go.”
Grave Digger sighed and looked over at Scout. “Better touch base with Click and get a vehicle out here to take them back with us. We sure as hell can’t leave them here on their own.”
“Man, Zeus is so not gonna like this, no way.” Scout took out his phone.
