Lyon
Chapter 157

“Uh, am I the only one who’s confused?”

“No Law, I think we’re all in the dark on this one.” Smooth motherfucker, he might’ve pissed me off coming into my place the way he did, but I had to give him his due.

“That’s Mancini, I’m surprised he even showed up here.” Creed looked after the door where he’d disappeared.

“This other guy Thorpe, what the f**k is he like?”

“I don’t think he’s as hard core as that one, Law but he’s no light weight either.”

What the f**k did I get myself into? The guy is good, the way he came in, had I not had my place rigged he would’ve blown past my security. My guys hadn’t seen him, but I was warned just before the phone rang and that’s what tipped me off.

“So what just happened here?” Quinn, one of the least heard from SEALs spoke up. “He just appeared, said some shit that we already knew and left, what was the purpose?”

“Just what he said, taking our measure; I get the feeling he knows more about us than we do him.” I wasn’t sure how to feel about that shit.

“I think he did a little bit more than that, I think he just warned us about what we’re really dealing with here. What was that crack about the commander? He said it almost as if he knows something. He said ‘he knew more than what we’ve found.”

“What I wanna know is how the f**k he knows what we found Cord. Until Lyon mentioned this guy I never heard of him. We’ve looked since he came up and all we found was the billionaire bullshit. That’s no mere billionaire that just left this room.”

“You’re right Dev, this guy whatever, whoever he is, he’s under deep, but I still say he was giving us a hint. And he knows who killed the CO I want that information. Then I want to go after the fuckers one at a time and skin the flesh from their bodies.”

“You and me both brother, looks like we have shit to do, f**k.” Logan paced the room deep in thought. I could only imagine what these boys were feeling. I’d heard some of what had been going on with them, had heard about the old man who’d taken them all under his wing. I couldn’t imagine anyone f*****g with Daniel so I felt their pain.

“We need to get this shit together boys, there’re too many things going on at once. We can’t do this now with a house full of people, but we need to get this shit sorted and soon. Everyone seems to agree on one point, this desert f**k isn’t coming here because of the trafficking, we need to replace out why he’s coming. Seems to me that’s the most important thing at this point. We replace that we may be able to get in front of this thing.”

“Lyon’s right, in the meantime, Susie was in that book and I need to know why. She wasn’t mine when that picture was taken so how did Khalil know and why her? I think we know.” He looked at his brothers as he spoke. “We need the targets, let’s go through that book again and take another look at the girls in there, maybe something in there will lead us to something.”

“Wait what did I miss? You know why she was in there?”

“We think we do but it’s not something we can discuss until we’ve spoken to the parties involved, believe me it’s nothing that will hurt this.”

“The f**k, you spook types take lessons from each other? I replace it strange that I’m about the only one who doesn’t have shit to hide. I know why my kid was in there, the Porters. Law your girl was in there why?”

“The fucker that paid her father off killed my family or had them killed, I don’t know why she was in the book, other than that he wanted a Stepford wife or some f**k.”

“And you Creed?”

“Her f****d up aunt sold her out.”

I studied the room, there was something there but what the f**k that was I couldn’t put my finger on it. I watched each man in turn, the way they stood, almost at attention. The way their eyes were directed one way but I could tell they were very aware of everything that was going on in the room.

“I think I’ve got it. You boys were all in some branch of the military at some point weren’t you? Any chance all of you worked for this commander at some point?” The room came alive then, everyone started talking at once.

“I’m guessing that’s right?” They all nodded but there was nothing else forthcoming, I guess that was top-secret shit too. “Fine, so maybe whatever this f**k is after has something to do with the commander. What did spook boy say, he knew more than you’ve found? Where have you been looking?”

“Well f**k, we’ve got to head back.”

“Not today Lo. We promised these girls a good holiday away from the bullshit and this is baby Zak’s first Xmas and that f**k don’t get to mess with that f**k no.”

“Ty what is it with you and that kid?”

“What do you mean?” He looked at me like I was the crazy one.

“Nothing, nothing at all.” Well he was gone.

“Right, let’s go salvage what we can of the rest of the day before these women revolt.” We’d only been gone an hour or so but it felt much longer. We each got glares and rolled eyes from our women but no one said anything.

“Good afternoon Mr. Lyon I’d like you to meet my parents.” Fucker ambushed me as soon as I came out the room. It was on the tip of my tongue to rip into his dad for not keeping his a*s home and away from my kid, but the rational part of my brain, the part that Kat and her kids hadn’t f****d up, knew that was an a*****e way to think.

So I outstretched my hand and played nice. Turns out, the dad is some hotshot engineer and the mom’s a medical researcher. They seemed cool enough and the mother Doreen seemed fond of my kid. “So, I hear you’re moving soon.” The kid walked away after making the introductions. Probably off to go sniffing around my daughter.

“Tomorrow to be exact, Todd wanted to spend one last Xmas with our girl before he left and we couldn’t deny him.” What the f**k?

“Our girl?”

“Oh yes, Caitlin, we’re very fond of her, very bright, sweet, disciplined. Just the kind of girl we would’ve chosen for Todd had he not had the foresight to replace her himself.”

Did this f**k even know how close he was to taking a header out the nearest f*****g window? “You talking about my fifteen year old daughter?” He didn’t exactly smirk but there was some kind of look on his face that wasn’t gonna last long.

“Don’t misunderstand Colton, I may call you Colton correct? Look we understand your position, if Todd was any other kid we would be having the same issue, but our son is a very well rounded kid with a good head on his shoulder. We’ve already spoken to him about the dangers of going too far at their age, things like that.”

“You talked about my daughter having s*x?” this f**k was two steps away from a pine box. What the f**k was it about this holiday and people f*****g with me? “Not exactly, but I did have a talk with my son about his responsibility to your daughter. Look, Todd knows you don’t approve of him, all I’m saying is that I get it, but you don’t have anything to worry about.”

I studied him. His words sounded like textbook bullshit to me, but the man had every right to talk to his son. The fact that he was full of shit was another matter. “Look, you can spout all the crap you want, but we both know kids are gonna do whatever the f**k they want in the end. You’re right, I’m not happy with the relationship, but my kid thinks she’s in love. The fact that you’re moving might’ve saved your kid. I don’t dislike Todd, but I don’t want my daughter that deeply involved with anyone until she’s thirty.”

“You have to know that’s not realistic.” He smiled while his wife started to look nervous. “What I know is that it’s good your kid is leaving, no disrespect but you seem to be all gung-ho about this shit, I’m not. And she’s nobody’s girl but mine.” I walked away from them just a little more pissed than I’d already been.