Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Gideon
“Here’s what I don’t understand,” Penn said later that night while we were in bed.
“No one came forward to tell you that Benito was trying to get them to move to his side because the MC threatened Benito and he left town. Then why, after they saw him running for governor and trying to move into Northchester, didn’t they come to you? ”
It was something I’d wondered too. “Danny thinks that by this point they all think I know, but Alex and a few of the guys are going to talk to some of the business owners and see what they have to say about it.”
Penn’s green eyes were serious; I could see him thinking, strategizing. “What’s the plan now that you know all this, Gid?”
“I want to see what happens when he realizes Elijah is gone. He’s never going to find the body, so pinning it on me won’t fly.”
“And what if his retaliation is to make one of your guys disappear? He’s not above murder. Look what he did to Nathanial and what he was willing to do to Matteo and Owen.”
I sighed and rubbed my eyes—exhaustion was creeping in. I hadn’t slept well the night before, and the day had been long. “I have as many eyes on him as I can. Once he can’t find Elijah, I’m sure we’ll see something happen; that’s when I’ll know the best place to strike.”
Penn leaned closer and pressed his lips to mine. “Sleep now, we’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
“M’kay. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
“Is Penn outside putting Halloween decorations up by himself?” I snapped as I stormed down the stairs. “I don’t want him getting injured!”
“He said he needed to be alone to decide the layout. There are like ten of us that’ll be out there with him once he says he’s ready,” Danny was quick to answer.
I looked out the window to where Penn was walking around the yard. The driveway, which was huge, was covered in decorations.
“Did he carry those out on his own?”
“No.”
I nodded. “Good, okay.”
Danny chuckled. “You know if he hears you saying this shit, you’ll be sleeping in the guest room.”
I huffed. “No I wouldn’t, and if he went into the guest room to get away from me, I’d just follow him there.”
Danny cackled, grabbed a bottle of water, and went outside. I watched as he approached Penn. This was Penn’s favorite holiday, and he’d never really gotten to decorate for it in his life until he moved here. He pointed to spots, and Danny was nodding and likely making suggestions.
“Boss.” I turned when Alex entered the room.
“Yeah?”
“I talked to a few people, asked them if Benito approached them a couple of years ago. It’s like Elijah said, and they all agreed they thought it was fine once the MC got him to back off.”
“And the reason no one has come to me since?”
Alex grimaced. “They said Benito hasn’t bothered them, figured it wasn’t their problem.”
“Did they, now?”
“Don’t worry I made sure they understood how upset getting this news was and if it’s any consolation, some felt bad and others a little terrified.”
What was I gonna do? It was in the past. “You told them if Benito comes to them to tell me.”
“Of course. And they will.” Alex jerked his chin. “Penn decorating?”
I glanced out the window, where there were now several people all helping him make his Halloween dreams come true. “He sure is.”
“Matteo’s birthday party this weekend at Dean and Rita’s; how do you want to handle security?”
“Fucking tight!”
“That’s vague, but I can work with that.”
“Matteo wrote a list of who he invited, right?”
Alex moved next to me and we watched as the lawn turned into a Halloweenfest. “Yeah, but it’s like, Mike, Lee, Joe.” He laughed.
“Dean and Rita will know who the kids are and their parents. Make sure as people arrive they get cleared by them.”
“You got it.”
“I got news.” Toni rushed into the room, his tablet at his side.
“Is it news that’ll piss me off?”
Toni shrugged. “Hard to say, really, but I don’t think so.” He hit something on his tablet and handed it to me.
It was a missing persons report issued by Elijah’s girlfriend. It was a few towns over in New Lyme where Elijah lived, but these went out through all the departments usually.
“Benito either knows or is about to, then. That was fast.”
“Yeah, I spoke with someone at the department in New Lyme. They said she came in frantic. She found his car abandoned, his phone still in it. She was adamant that he was abducted.”
I rolled my eyes. “Dramatic.”
Toni cocked his head. “I mean, sure, but also true. He was abducted.”
I handed him the tablet. “Semantics.”
Penn chose that moment to walk into the house. “Hey.” He looked at Alex. “Did you take the nylon rope from the shed?”
“Uh, no. Why would I do that?”
“I dunno, for murder things.”
Alex glanced at me, and I had to bite back a laugh.
“No, Penn, I didn’t use the nylon rope in the shed for murder things. But I can get someone to run to the store for some.”
Penn waved him off. “No, I’ll go. It’s a specific kind, and the color can’t be bright pink or some shit.”
“Take guys with you,” I said as he was heading out the door.
“He takes this decorating thing very seriously.” Toni watched Penn out the window as he got into an SUV with Danny and two other guys.
“That he does. I find it best to stay out of his way.”
Alex and Toni hummed in agreement.
“Anyway.” I turned to Toni. “Get eyes on the girlfriend. She might reach out to Benito or do something stupid. Also, look into her. The more we know about her, the more we’ll know the best way to deal with it if she becomes a problem.”
“On it.” Toni left, and Alex and I were alone again.
“How’s the wedding planning going?”
Alex made an expression that was part excitement, part grimace. “I can’t wait to marry her, but I also can’t wait for it to be over.”
I chuckled. “Ella was a bridezilla. I hid as often as I could.”
Alex had started working for me after Ella and I had married, so he hadn’t really known her until the twins were born.
“I keep buying her chocolate, and wines, flowers, everything I can because I know she’s stressed.”
I smirked. “And how’s that working out for you?”
He shook his head, his eyes wide. “Bad. If I bring her anything she can ingest, she accuses me of wanting to make her fat so she can’t fit into her dress.”
Laughing, I patted him on the shoulder. “Sounds about right. No matter how nice the woman, the bride is a different beast.”
“That’s for sure.”
“It’s going to be a beautiful wedding.”
He looked at me and smiled. “I know it will be.”
“Then the honeymoon, and if Mila is anything like Ella, she will make all the suffering very well worth it.”
He lit up. “Now, that I’m excited about.”