Chapter 19
Team Storm
Remmi
Mom and Cindy spent the morning shopping in town.
Shopping local is a passion of mine. I know how hard it is to make a go of a small business, and so many of the stores in town are fighting to stay alive.
The bakery is always full, and so is the diner, but shops like Dina’s boutique have to compete with the big-box stores.
Dina carries quality clothes and is an in-house seamstress herself, to make sure the customer leaves happy.
She added a children’s selection a few months back, and that seems to have brought more traffic to the store.
Carly’s place was the first shop to carry my pottery.
When she called me a week later to tell me she’d sold every piece, I was so happy that I shouted for joy right in her ear.
She didn’t mind and told me to bring her more.
Since then, my business has expanded, and Carly’s shop is very popular. I make sure never to let Carly run low on stock.
Jackson opted out of shopping and stayed back with Wolfie and me.
He joins me in the workshop and watches me work, entranced by seeing a lump of clay turning into a serving tray.
He asks a million questions. “How do you know how much to use?” “Why do you put your hands inside?” And when the piece I was working on slanted and I had to start over, he said, “No one would have noticed.”
“Would you spend two hundred and fifty dollars on an uneven tray?” I ask with a giggle.
“No offense, Remmi, but I wouldn’t spend that on a lump of clay,” Jackson returned, looking a little guilty for saying what he thinks.
I wipe my hands clean and take him over to my finished products, which are glazed and ready to go.
He hasn’t seen this part yet, and when he does, his eyes light up.
“This is the finished product. You see, there’s a long process in getting a piece ready to sell.
” I jerk my head back to the pottery wheel.
“That’s stage one, and it’s much more involved than just shaping clay.
After that, the clay is fired and baked to make it strong and sturdy.
I worked hard on my first vase, but because there were air bubbles I didn’t know about, it burst in the kiln.
I was devastated that the work I’d put into it was gone just like that.
” I snap my fingers, then pick up a jewelry box I made, painted in the majolica technique.
“My favorite part is making them look pretty and knowing that I created something beautiful. This alone can take me hours.”
Jackson takes the jewelry box from my hands and feels the smooth lines of the surface. “It’s beautiful, Remmi. Thanks for reminding an old man how difficult it is to pour your heart and soul into your work and not get the recognition you deserve,” he says quietly.
“Hey, this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s cool.
I’m only telling you because I want you to know that I can take care of myself financially.
I created something I’m proud of, and I want you to know more about the person I am.
” I nudge his shoulder with my own. “Besides, most guys aren’t into this stuff anyway. ”
Jackson puts his arm around my shoulders. “You’re a good person. And very talented.”
I want to give him a big hug because I know he’s still feeling embarrassed, but the door opens, and Mom and Cindy come in to join us.
“Oh my God, look at this place!” Cindy exclaims with glee. “I saw some of your stuff in town, and I was blown away.” Cindy sees Jackson holding the jewelry box. “Honey, is that for me?”
“Sorry, Cindy. That piece is earmarked for an order I’m putting together. I was just showing Jackson around,” I say, letting Jackson off the hook.
Jackson adds, “I’m hoping Remmi will make one for you.”
“You don’t have to—”
“You put a lot of love in what you create. I never realized how much goes into making a gift like this. Thanks for explaining it to me,” he says. “Plus, I can’t say no to my wife.” He gives me a wink.
“If that’s the case, I’ll pick out a few more items,” Cindy jokes with a laugh.
I’m showing Cindy some of my work when my cell phone rings. “It’s Wire,” I tell them, then go off to the side to have a little privacy.
“Hi, honey, are you okay?” I ask.
“Hey, baby. I’m good. I wanted to check in. We came across a solid lead, and I’m going to be gone a few more days,” Wire responds. “Are you doing okay?”
“I’m fine. I was worried about you, and I’m glad you called. Your dad’s been with me today. He’s learning all there is to know about pottery,” I kid.
Wire chuckles. “I’ll bet he’s loving that.” His voice gets lower and more serious. “Phoenix, Rebel, and Bull are joining us. Phoenix doesn’t want Kailyn left alone. He’s going all daddy crazy on us, and the kid hasn’t even been born.”
“She can stay with us,” I say without hesitation.
“It’ll be a full house, babe. Maya and Sadie—”
“We’ll make it work. It’ll be like a slumber party,” I tell him. “Maybe even Gertie can stay.”
“Gertie’s going to visit her son for the week. But next time for sure,” Wire responds. “I need to talk with Dad for a second. Can you give him the phone?”
“I love you,” I whisper.
“Me too, Remmi,” he returns. “Be back as soon as I can. Promise.”
“Holding you to that,” I respond. I walk over to Jackson and hold the phone out to him. “Wire needs to speak with you.
“Hey, son, all good?” There’s a lengthy pause while Wire explains the situation.
“I’ve got this covered. I’ll be the rooster in the hen house,” he says with a laugh.
“Wolfie hasn’t left her side. I’m not sure who the dog loves more, you or her,” he replies after another pause.
“Just come home safe. Love you, Colton. And I’m proud of you. ”
When he hangs up, I see tears in his eyes. Without saying a word, I wrap my arms around his middle and squeeze. Instantly, Jackson hugs me back. No words are necessary, because we’re silently communicating our love for Colton and taking care of one another.
“Does someone want to fill in the moms?” Cindy jumps in.
As I clean up, Wolfie at my heel the entire time, Jackson tells Cindy and my mother the plan for the next couple of days. Mom offers to stay and help, but as lovely as Wire’s place is, we’ve only got three bedrooms, and one is mainly for storage.
Phoenix arrives last to drop off Kailyn. He struggles to let her go, but he has a job to do. We set up Sadie and Maya in the extra room; Kailyn is staying with me, and Wire’s parents will remain in the guest room.
The girls are embracing girls’ night in, and I force myself to relax. Wire says he’ll be home soon, and I believe him.
Wire
We get word from Phoenix that they’re on their way. The fastest way to get to us is through a cargo plane that happens to land a half hour out at a small private airport. Falcon and I have already discussed the easiest way to reach Atilio.
With help from Luke, we’ve developed a drawing of Atilio’s home and his office. He rarely visits the garage, and with Nick not arriving as expected, Atilio is on high alert, so he won’t show up unless he has a good reason to be there.
Falcon thought about using Nick as bait to see if we could lure Atilio out, but based on what Luke’s told us, Atilio has a small army. Any one of his hired goons could show up and take care of business, killing Nick with a single bullet.
We need Atilio in order to end the threat against Maria and Franco. He’s the one with the information, and we need to destroy the file he’s got on Maria. Maria is going to need reinvention, but that’s the second part of the plan. First, we need to deal with Atilio.
Falcon and I take turns sleeping. We’ve got father and son cuffed, but we’re not taking any chances.
I take the first shift. I spend the time on the computer looking for any easy access routes to and from Atilio’s house to see if we can find a vantage point where we might be able to get him alone.
There are a couple of side roads that could work for us.
I mark those on the map, then do the same with the route to his office.
Next, I pull up all the photos I can find of Atilio and search for his bodyguards.
Luke knows of a couple, but I want to confirm their faces and match them to the names Luke’s given us.
What I find is that Atilio is a small fish trying to play in a big pond.
His connection to Vito would have elevated his status with the mob.
When Vito cut him off, that severed many business ties.
Vito’s the big fish, and nobody wants to get on Vito’s bad side.
Atilio is planning on punishing Vito by murdering Maria and his illegitimate son. He wants Vito to suffer. But Vito has no ties to Maria or Franco, and even if he did, he’d never show weakness by bartering for their lives. It would start a war that would end with Atilio’s death.
That outcome doesn’t bother me in the least, but using two innocents to get to that inevitable end is a problem for me. Falcon, the team, and I have seen too many useless deaths to sit by and do nothing.
Falcon awakens, sits up at the side of the bed, and runs a hand over his face to shake the sleep off. “What are you working on?” he asks.
“Checking the weak points for a snatch and grab,” I tell him, then hand over the map I marked up.
“We need to do a drive-by to check these out. If you’re okay for another hour, I can get that done.”
“If you like, but we’d just have to do it all over again. You know Rebel and Bull will want to check it out too. I’m thinking Phoenix is going to be the guy to force the detour, making Atilio go onto the roads we want. He’s going to have to check this all out.”
He puts his elbows on his knees. He’s never been one to sit still for too long on a mission. “Yeah, you’re right.” He sighs.