Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Penn
It was late. The party had ended an hour ago, and the cleanup crew was outside getting things in order. Gideon had called us all into the living room once the twins and Matteo were asleep upstairs. Because, he’d explained, Benito had threatened his family and he wanted to speak to everyone.
“Yolanda Hale not being at the gala tonight, I don’t think was coincidence.” Alex was reading off a tablet. “Turns out she announced this afternoon that she will be going forward with the charges against Amy Jackson.”
“Do we think Benito got to the state’s attorney and threatened her to do his bidding, or is there actual evidence?” Gideon sat behind his desk, unlit cigar in hand.
“There is evidence. How much is planted and whose hands were greased is anybody’s guess.” Alex placed the tablet in front of Gideon.
He glanced at it briefly before his eyes scanned the room.
“Benito told me tonight that while I was fighting Lorcan, he was watching me. This leaves me with a serious blind spot. I need to know what and who he has at his disposal. He said the new commissioner starts Monday. I want to know who that is and what their affiliation is with Calvern.” He directed that order to Toni.
“Yes, Boss.”
Gideon regarded Danny. “Call Yolanda, arrange a meeting with her this weekend. Then call the chief; I want to talk to him, too. I need to know everything they know.”
“You got it,” Danny answered.
“Did Benito threaten anyone in particular, or our whole family?” Dean sat on the couch with Rita beside him.
“When I met him at the front, he said he was looking forward to meeting Gideon and Rita,” I interjected. “But he never did talk to her.”
“I don’t know who Benito was threatening, but he knows my weakness. I can only hope his is the same.” Gideon sighed and dropped the unlit cigar on the desk. “I don’t know his end game.”
“To take everything you have?” Rita shrugged.
“You’re the most powerful man—not just here but maybe all of New England.
Maybe he wants to use you as a puppet…or thinks he can.
Most likely he knows he can’t, especially if he’s been observing you for so long, so getting rid of you would give him the leverage he needs after he wins as governor to seek an even higher office. ”
Rita had a very good point. “Only thing is, why threaten Gideon’s family if all he wants is to take Gideon out?” Toni asked.
I knew exactly why. “Because Gideon is well loved in this state and beyond. While a lot of people vaguely know the gray things he does, it gives them prosperity. Gideon isn’t cruel for the sake of being cruel.
He doesn’t lord over the citizens. In order for Benito to destroy Gideon, he has to break him apart first.”
“And then what?” Dean raked his fingers through his hair.
“Then—and I’m only guessing here—he shows the people who love him so much the gray areas.” I locked eyes with Gideon. “Benito may seem predictable, but he’s not. I don’t know if I’m right, I just know he’s dangerous. Maybe the most dangerous you’ve encountered.”
“It’s summer; we have a couple of months before school starts. Rita, Dean, what if you take the kids on a vacation for a few weeks? Just so I can figure out what’s going on,” Gideon said.
“What?” Rita stood. “Are you insane? Leave you?”
“I won’t be alone.” Gideon waved his hand airily at everyone. “I have a lot of people.”
“A vacation without you?” Dean cocked his head. “The twins will hate that.”
“It’s just a few weeks—until the end of July; I’ll make it up to them.” Gideon got up and walked over to where Rita was standing angrily. “Let me try and sort this out and if you’re away from all of this, I won’t be distracted for a little while.”
“And what if this goes on for longer, Gid? Elections are in November. Anything can happen in that time.” Rita lost some of her anger, and worry marred her features. “You can’t keep the kids and us away forever.”
Gideon placed his hands on her shoulders. “I know. But for a few weeks, if I can focus on this, it will make all the difference.” He turned to Dean. “Please.”
Dean and Rita shared a look. “Okay, Gid, we’ll get it sorted today.” Dean smiled softly.
“I’ll have people with you just to be on the safe side.”
They nodded, and the rest of the evening was comprised of strategizing everything going ahead; planning the vacation for Dean, Rita, and the kids’ and what the rest of the month’s goals were.
We were quite blind going into this, and Benito had one hell of an advantage. We just had to hope it wasn’t so much that we wouldn’t be able to walk away from this.
It was a few days later that Rita, Dean, Olivia, Owen, and Matteo were heading out. The kids were sad they’d be going without Gideon and me but were happy that after they returned, summer camp would begin.
Gideon had opted for them to travel via his yacht. They’d go to Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and down the shoreline, making port in Florida for the remainder of the time. It would keep them busy for the month and let us focus on trying to stop Benito before he sunk his fingers in any deeper.
Toni was unable to get the state’s attorney nor the chief to meet with Gideon prior to the new commissioner starting, so by the time the end of the week came and we were all sitting in one of Gideon’s safe houses a state over, he was angry.
“Have I not lined both of your pockets with more money than you’ve ever dreamed? Have I not secured your jobs, kept your families safe?”
“You have, Mr. Hendrix,” Kevin Williams, the chief, said.
“You don’t know how impossible it’s been to get away,” Yolanda argued. “Benito is watching everything.”
“How do you know that?” I leaned forward.
“We need to know everything from how you know he’s so knowledgeable, to why any of these charges on Amy have stuck.
Toni told us what they were and that there’s damning evidence.
Amy said she’s never and would never sell drugs to anyone, let alone a kid. So, what’s going on?”
When Kevin and Yolanda looked at Gideon—probably because I wasn’t one to generally speak to these people; I tended to stay with the kids and away from adults because they sucked—Gideon just lifted a brow.
“Answer him.”
Yolanda swallowed loudly. “A few weeks ago, I was approached at the park. I was watching my children play, and a man sat on the bench beside me. Told me charges against the commissioner were going to be brought to my desk and I was to prosecute. It was explained to me that the evidence would be solid, and that if I told you anything my children, husband, and mother, would suffer the consequences.” Her eyes welled up.
“I couldn’t take the chance, and after I saw the proof that Amy sold to underage kids, I believed it enough to simply do my job and save my kids. ”
Gideon didn’t say anything to her; he focused on Kevin. “And what about you, why didn’t you tell me what was going on or who the new commissioner was before they took office?”
Kevin was sweating. Gideon had that effect on people. “I…I didn’t know until the new commissioner walked in. It was all hush-hush.”
Gideon nodded. “I see. And what do we know about this new commissioner? Because Toni’s been digging and can’t find much.”
Kevin appeared even more nervous about that question. I didn’t think we’d like the answer, and I was right.
“What I know about Commissioner Corbo is that he’s Monica Calvern’s cousin on her mother’s side.”
Gideon’s nostrils flared. “So, he’s making it a family affair, is he?” He slammed his fist on the table. “I’ve had enough!”