22. Dax #2
All of this was setting me on edge. So much of this came down to relying on others that weren’t my people. It had me second-guessing everything. A hand reached up and grabbed mine, tugging it away from my teeth.
“Don’t be so mean to yourself, little rebel.
We’ll handle whatever comes our way. The eight of us are a strong unit, and with the triplets added in, I don’t see much getting in our way,” Sprocket murmured, kissing the back of the hand he held.
“I know giving up this much control is hard, but you’re not in this alone.
The victory or the failure will be ours to share.
Just keep your eye on the prize. We’re almost done with this whole thing. ”
Letting out a heavy sigh, I leaned into him, allowing him to hold me, giving me his confidence in this that I was lacking.
This wasn’t who I was. Dax Blackmore was a woman who stabbed first and asked questions later.
Now here I was asking all the questions, afraid to make the wrong move.
Then again, it had just been Wes and me.
Now, I was suddenly the quote-unquote mockingjay heralding in the change of the criminal world as we know it.
As Eagle turned into a subdivision, I sat up again, looking around utterly confused. What the hell was he doing making a base here? Children rode bikes up the street, and there was even a playground with kids and mothers chatting as they played.
“Is he mad?” I demanded no one in particular. “Who the fuck thinks having a base of operations in the middle of happy hometown suburbia was a good plan?”
Cam looked at me from the front seat. “If he wanted to make sure that if someone figured out where he was, they’d think twice before doing massive damage. It's rather brilliant. I’m not saying I agree with him, but in a way, it’s incredibly cunning. Who would even consider him being here?”
I grunted as Eagle pulled into the driveway of a house at the end of a cul-de-sac that had a large field behind it and a baseball mound set up.
At least he didn’t have innocent people all the way around him.
Magnus parked beside us, his face telling me he felt the same way I did about all this.
Tommaso might be smart, but he played on the edge of being someone I might need to take out.
If he couldn’t see the lives he was putting in danger, I might have to reconsider my plan altogether.
“Don’t pass judgment yet,” Wes warned me as he settled his hands on my shoulders. “Let's see what’s going on first. Then we can make a judgment call.”
If anyone understood how much I hated bringing innocents into our fight, it was Wes.
Criminals could kill, maim, and blow each other up all they wanted.
Bringing it into a situation like this where people who had no place in our fight were casualties, I couldn’t stand for that.
Wes pushed me forward, guiding us to the front door, where he reached past me and rang the doorbell.
Betta was the one who opened it, looking like hell. She had a massive black eye, split lip, and even more bruising around her neck like someone had been choking her. Her eyes were hard and full of rage when she met my gaze.
“Keep that,” I told her. “You’re going to need it until this is over. The first taste of the reality of this world is a bitch and a half, but chances are you’ll never let it happen again.”
She didn’t answer, only nodded and stepped out of the way, letting us in. In the front sitting room, I found Francois sipping coffee, reading a book like it was just a normal Friday afternoon. He glanced up and smiled, gesturing for us to come in and join him.
“Please sit. I’m sure Tommaso will join us in a moment,” Francois said as he set aside his book. “We are quite eager to hear what sort of plan you’ve cooked up for us, Miss Blackmore.”
“We’ll see if you’re still excited after I’ve told you what it is,” I answered, flopping down only to stand right back up. “Wait, is there more coffee somewhere?”
“I believe you should be able to find some in the kitchen,” Francois offered.
Waving everyone else to stay seated, I headed deeper into the house.
If it was like any other typical American home, where they would keep the kitchen as the center of the house.
Sure enough, I was right, but what I also found was it connected to the living room, and there were four men watching some trash soap opera.
They looked up at me but didn’t seem at all worried, turning back to the show.
It didn’t take me long to find the mugs and pour some coffee into one.
Just when I was about to head back, a woman holding a toddler came out of a room off to the side.
She spotted me and came to a halt, eyes wide with fear.
Glancing at the guys watching television, she noticed they didn’t seem bothered and approached.
“Hello there, can I help you find something?” she asked.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this house was actually someone’s home. I assumed Tommaso was just using it as a front,” I said as I reached out a hand. “Dax Blackmore, and there is a group of us in the front room with Francois, just so you’re not surprised… again.”
She shook my hand tentatively, giving me an odd look. “Cynthia, Tommaso’s wife. It seems it slipped his mind to tell me we were having guests.”
Even though I tried to keep the absolute shock off my face, it was impossible. “I’m sorry, did you say wife?”
“Yes, we’ve been married a year now,” she answered. “In order to keep me safe, we live apart during the week, and he comes to spend the weekend with little Michele and me. He told me about you, said that you were what he needed to pull this off so we can be a family for real.”
Holy fucking shit, how many other surprises was I going to get with this guy?
Tommaso came down the stairs looking at something on his phone but came to a halt when he saw the two of us talking. “Oh, ah…”
“Don’t worry, we’ve already introduced ourselves to each other,” I said, giving him a disapproving look.
“Good, that’s good,” he stammered, unsure of what to do next. “The others here with you?”
“They're in the front room with Francois,” I answered. “Was there a better place you wanted to talk?”
“Yes, I’ll grab them, and we can head downstairs. Leonardo, gather the others and meet down in the prep room,” Tommaso ordered before he went to get my guys.
Taking a sip of my coffee, I glanced at Cynthia. “So you know everything?”
“There are no secrets between us, Two Tricks,” she answered sharply.
“Hey now, no need to get territorial. I have seven of my own men to deal with. There’s no way I want to add another.
Besides, I'm not the other-woman type,” I reassured her.
“I know his father was talking about some bullshit marriage, but trust me, I don’t want any of it.
What I’m interested in is helping your husband get into power and being someone I can have to watch my back while I deal with the asshole gunning for us all. ”
Cynthia took a deep breath and hugged her son tightly.
“Sorry, I’ve been a secret for so long, I forget that not everyone is trying to steal what’s mine.
People see him as unattached, and to protect us, he can’t let anyone know.
All that’s going to change, though, with your help.
I’ll finally be able to come out of the shadows and be by his side as a wife should. ”
Tommaso returned with my crew following after him down into the basement. With one more glance at Cynthia, I sighed. “Be careful what you wish for. This is a hard life for anyone to survive in. Keep those you trust with your life close and those you don’t closer.”
Leaving her with those parting words, I joined the others.