Protected By the Monster

She was going to get hurt. She was going to suffer for my mistakes.

The thought sent chills rolling down my spine in waves.

“We already have a lead,” he said.

“Really?” I blinked rapidly as the tears dropped down my cheeks.

He reached out and wiped them away. “Really,” he said. “There’s a competing cartel in the city and they have a real vested interest in finding your mother and ending this little war once and for all.”

“What do they know?”

“They think they know where the Jalisco are stockpiling their weapons,” he said. “And I’d bet anything your mother’s there.”

“You think we can just, what, go there and get her back?”

He shook his head. “We can check the place out first,” he said. “Watch it for a day or two, see if there are any cracks in their armor.”

“Then we exploit any weaknesses.”

“Exactly.” He smiled and pulled me against him again. “It’s a start, at least. Just something to think about.”

“Yeah.” I felt the words come out a whisper. “That’s right, it’s something.”

“You can do this.” He let me go again and stepped back. “You can see this through.”

“I can do this,” I repeated.

“Stay with me, Clair. Stay with me and we’ll make sure we make it to the end.”

“I will.”

He nodded and took a deep breath. “Come on. We’re going to get something to eat then head out.”

“Where are we going?”

“We’ve got meetings to attend,” he said with a grin. “And work to do.” He reached his hand out and I took it.

I let him lead me into the kitchen where I drank more coffee and helped Colleen clean up breakfast.22LucaDiego sat cross-legged on a bright blue blanket in the grass of Clark Park. The trees were tall, in bloom, rustled in the light breeze. College kids threw a frisbee, laughed at each other. Girls on roller skates glided past, turning slow smooth circles.

“The whole block burned,” Diego said, leaning back on his hands.

“The fucking bastards,” Vincent said, his eyes narrowed. I could see a hint of the Don in him, in the way he held himself, in the slope of his nose, the slant of his eyes.

Vincent was a hard man, just like a Don. Maybe even more dangerous, at least in his own way.

“Torched. Everything.” Diego grunted, and shook his head. “A real damn shame. I saw the house. It was beautiful.”

“You have no clue,” Vincent said. “I lived there for a while. Those were good days.”

“It’s gone now,” I said. “Doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“Guess not,” Vincent said.

“Problem right now is your dad,” Steven said. “We need to find the Don and find him quick, or else the Jalisco might find him first.”

“I doubt that,” Vincent said. “My old man is a slippery little eel.”

“That’s true,” Steven said.

I glanced at Clair, saw her fidget at the edge of the blanket. She looked at the men around her and I could tell she wanted to scream about her mom, but she kept it locked deep down inside. I nodded when I caught her eye, and I hoped she understood that I was on her side, that I was going to make sure her mother didn’t get lost in all this.

“I believe I know where the Don is,” Diego said.

We all stared at him, Clair included.

“Why the fuck didn’t you start with that?” Vincent asked.

“I thought you all knew,” he said. “I didn’t know it was some big secret.”

“He’s been missing since last night,” I said. “Disappeared in the fight. Nobody’s heard from him.”

“We heard,” Diego said. “He sent word early this morning.”

“And?” Vincent pressed. “Where’s my father now?”

“Hiding,” Diego said. “Safe house, somewhere in the city. He said there’s a bowling alley. That’s all he’d tell me.”

I frowned and looked at Steven. “You know where that is?” I asked.

“No clue,” Steven said. “Vince?”

“Yeah, I know,” Vincent said. “I know exactly where that is.” He laughed and stretched his neck. “I’ll make contact with him as soon as we’re done here.”

“Good,” I said. “In the meantime, we need to discuss Clair’s mother.”

She looked relieved to hear me bring her up.

“The Jalisco won’t be kind,” Diego said.

“No kidding,” Vincent said. “They caught one of my boys a few months back. Cut off his—”

“We don’t need details,” I said, interrupting, and gestured at Clair. “For her fucking sake, you asshole.”

“Right,” Vincent said. “My bad.”

“Look, they’re not just going to give her back,” Steven said. “We all want to get your mom back, Clair, but we need to be realistic.”

“He’s right,” Vincent said. “I know it’s messed up and she’s your mom, but she’s a low priority. The Jalisco hit us hard and hurt us bad, and we need to be ready to hit them back.”

“The mother, she is no concern,” Diego said, waving a hand.

I watched as Clair’s face drained of color. “There has to be something we can do,” I said. “We can’t just leave her mom in their hands. That’s fucked up, even for us.”