Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Gideon
“Trick or treat!” Olivia shouted while Owen spoke much softer. We were walking the block, filling their bags with candy as one does on Halloween.
The streets were full of children, which was way better than a few years ago. People had been afraid to go outside at night. I’d brought this peace to them, and by crushing Benito I would keep it this way.
“Penny, can you carry my bag?” Owen lifted it slightly, clearly struggling with the weight of it.
“Okay, but it’ll cost you.” Penn took the sack and flung it over his shoulder.
“What will it cost me?”
“Pfft. Candy, of course.”
Owen chuckled. “Okay, Penny.”
“Oh, check out that house!” Olivia pointed to the lit-up house that was Nightmare Before Christmas themed.
“My feet hurt,” Owen grumbled.
“How about I go up to the house with Livy? I’ll take your bag with me and get candy. You stay here with your dad.”
Owen smiled. “Okay.” Owen reached up and took my hand.
I watched as Olivia and Penn climbed up the hill, my daughter talking a mile a minute, her butterfly wings sparkling under the decorative lights.
“Did you have fun, Spiderman?” I glanced at my son, who beamed.
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun.”
“What was your favorite—”
My words were cut off when two men in suits approached; neither of them worked for me. I tugged Owen behind me. I was sure that Danny and Toni would join me shortly—they were following in an SUV as Penn and I went door to door with the kids.
“Can I help you?”
“Mr. Calvern would like to talk to you,” the man on the left said. He was tall, muscular, and bald.
“That’s nice, I’m busy.”
“It’s not a suggestion.” The other guy stepped forward.
I chuckled darkly. “You approach me while I’m with my children, and you think I’m gonna just let that slide?
Let me make something very clear. I’m not coming with you.
Calvern can go fuck himself, and if you two don’t piss off in the next two seconds, I’ll make sure you have to eat food through a straw for the rest of your lives. ”
The two men side-eyed each other. I wasn’t a man who made false threats, and I was sure they knew that.
“We have our instructions. We’re to deliver you to him.” Baldy glanced at the children around him. “It’s best if you don’t make a scene.”
Okay, maybe these two are idiots and have no idea who they are dealing with. “Get the fuck out of my face.”
“What’s going on?” Penn stepped beside me.
“None of your business,” the other shitbag said.
“If it has to do with me, it is his business,” I hissed.
“You’re gonna be difficult, then.” The bald guy sighed. “Fine.”
I snorted. “You should have left the minute you had the chance.” I jerked my chin forward, and the two guys looked behind them to where Danny and Toni stood.
“Get in your car, drive away, and tell your boss to eat all the shit and die.” I grinned, and with Owen holding my hand and Livy with Penn, I walked away knowing Danny and Toni would make sure we were safe.
“Did he really think you’d just go?” Penn huffed.
“Who knows? Let’s just get the twins home.” I glanced at Owen. “You okay?”
He nodded. “You had it handled.”
I laughed at how seriously he’d said that. I tried very hard to keep the ugly parts of my life away from my kids. Every so often they trickled in, and I had to hope I wasn’t fucking up their lives.
“Livy, you okay?”
“Yeah, Penny and I got Butterfingers!” She wasn’t even fazed… Is that a good or a bad thing?
We didn’t talk about it on the way to the house, and once we got home both Olivia and Owen dumped their candy so Penn and I could check it all out.
“You can have either one big piece, or two small ones. Then it’s bedtime.”
They nodded and began deciding what they’d choose. Once selected, they ate and ran upstairs to get ready for bed.
“Gid,” Penn called, and I went over to where he was sitting on the couch, staring at his phone. “Benito is speaking in a few.”
That son of a bitch. I turned on the TV and sure enough, on the first news channel they were reporting that Benito would be saying a few words, likely addressing the video that Monica had made. It had hit pretty much every news circuit, and there wasn’t a single channel not talking about it.
The twins had just come back downstairs when Benito stepped up to the podium.
“Dad, can we read the new book I got?”
“Yeah, I just want to watch this real quick.”
Owen and Livy didn’t care and went off to the table to look at their books. I wasn’t sure what Benito was going to say, but I was damn curious.
“Good evening, everyone, and Happy Halloween. I’m sorry to break up whatever festivities you had planned but with elections coming in mere days, I wanted to set the record straight so that as everyone goes to the polls, they have a clear understanding.”
“What a douche,” Penn mumbled.
“By now everybody has seen the horrendous video my wife has released. I can’t tell you how shocked and appalled I was by her accusations.
Never, in all the years Monica and I were together have I ever laid a hand on her or our children in anger.
I love my family; they are the most important people in my life.
I don’t know who did those things to Monica, but I won’t rest until I find out.
I miss my family, and while I know Monica said nobody took her, I feel she’s under duress and with the help of Commissioner John Corbo—who as many may know is Monica’s cousin—we have launched an investigation and will bring my family home. ”
“Monica’s probably freaking out,” I said.
“You can call her after this.”
“I beg all of you not to believe what I am being accused of. I have always loved this great state and everyone in it and truly want to be your governor. So, as you cast your vote on November sixth, remember all the good I’ve done, say to yourself, ‘Is that the Benito I know?’ Thank you.”
He didn’t take any questions, just turned and left.
“I gotta get the twins to bed, can you call Monica?” I asked Penn.
“Sure. Go ahead.”
I felt bad that I wasn’t one hundred percent present while I read the story Owen begged me to read, but Livy nor Owen noticed. When I got downstairs Penn was sitting on the couch, an iced tea in his hand and a glass of bourbon for me resting on the table.
“Did you call her?” I sat beside him and sipped my drink.
“You know I did.”
“And?”
He chuckled. “She was shaken but said that she was going to call her cousin. She believes she can make him believe things were exactly as bad as she said. I told her to use the burner phone we left, and she said she would and we’d hear from her once they spoke.”
I nodded and relaxed against the cushions. “I can’t believe that son of a bitch had the nerve to demand I go talk to him.”
“He’s not gonna stop. I have a feeling it’s going to get a hell of a lot worse.”
I didn’t want to admit it out loud, but I had a feeling Penn was right.