The Life - Rebirth (The Life 4)
LYON
Eloise had disappeared when we were ready to leave, only to return with a white ball of fluff in her arms. “Here, take him; if it’s really Gia, they’ll recognize each other.” I stepped back out of the way with a scowl on my face, but she continued, “Gabe gave it to her as a gift. When she left, she left him behind. Gabe sent him to me a couple of days ago, and the poor thing only just stopped crying.”
I took the thing from her hands begrudgingly and ignored the disrespectful snorts from the men. Since acquiring Mengele’s horse that masquerades itself as a dog, these little things scare the crap outta me. It’s like the difference between holding one of Kat’s newborns compared to the dainty princesses other people’s wives give birth to. Her tiny ass can breed some big ‘uns, just saying.
“Please find her, and thank you. Elena, you must come back. You too, Daniel, it was so good to see you both. I hate to see you leave so soon again.” There were hugs and kisses all around between those three, and Elena took the mutt because I don’t trust overgrown rats with diamond collars. I’ve learned from Mengele that dogs can be used as spies. I’m not trusting shit.
I looked at Ty once we left the house and indicated the collar. “You can’t be serious.”
“Damn straight, check the mutt.” They all had a good laugh, but in the end, he did once we made it back to the plane and strapped in.
“It’s clean, but these diamonds are real.”
“I’m not surprised. The boy must have good taste.”
“Wait, there’s something written here. Someone get me a magnifier.” Tyler unhooked the collar and tried reading it under the light. “Amor aeternus, Gabriel.”
“What’s that mean? The only Latin I know is Semper Fortis.”
“It means love always, you plebian.”
“Lyon, seriously, I’m beginning to wonder where your kid gets it from. You’re always blaming your wife, but….”
“Are you calling me crazy?”
“You’re the only one here who thinks your kid is crazy.”
“Okay, you two, sheesh, it’s like middle school all over again.”
“Stuff it, Logan.”
“Hmm, so he did give it to her.” Mancini looked over the collar that Tyler tossed to him.
“Didn’t the father say he sent her away to protect her?” Law asked when it was his turn with the diamond collar.
“Yeah, he did.”
“Which means he really does have feelings for her, right, so if we find her, he’ll come back and….”
“That’s not enough, Ty. For one, if she could’ve kept him here, he wouldn’t have sent her away in the first place, and two, she’s my blood, he has to pay before he plays.”
“Shit, you don’t even know her.”
“How many of the women and children we save do we know?”
“Points to you!”
“What’re you thinking, Colt?” Mancini asked while leaning forward.
“I’m thinking, no matter how much of a genius he is, there’s one thing all men understand and become victim to.”
“What’s that? I don’t follow.”
“Jealousy.”
“I still don’t get it.” Tyler petted the dog. Elena and the pothead had disappeared for their afternoon nap. No doubt one or the both of them were suffering withdrawals from their ganja intake. It had been hours since we left the island, after all.
“He sent her away once; who’s to say that even though he and his family have been looking for her, that her sudden appearance would draw him back?”
“So, you’re going to lure him with jealousy?”
“Yeah, who do we have? We can’t use any of the squad members cause we’re all married, and our wives are not exactly the sanest in the bunch, and I’m not dealing with any of their shit. Davey’s going to be gone for a while, can’t call him in, so we need new blood because we don’t have time to waste. It has to be someone we can trust.”
“My little brother might work.”
“I didn’t know you had a little brother Flanagan.”
“Well, he’s… I don’t know what the fuck he is. Poppy brought him home when I was a teen, and he’s been there ever since.”
“Tell us more. Who is he? What’s his name? What’s he like?”
“Who Jimmy, Jimmy’s a fuck-up, but he’d do in a pinch.”
“Where is he right now?”
“Mouth would know; the two of them are thick as thieves. I’ll ask her when we land.”
GABRIEL
The whole place was somber the next morning when I went down to breakfast, so I adjusted my mood accordingly. There was no sound other than the din of cutlery against dishes or the occasional clink of ice settling in a glass. Alonzo gazed off into space as he nibbled on a triangle of toast, and both his children looked like Children of the Corn rejects with dark circles under their eyes and a look of being lost in their gazes.
Still, as bad as I felt for them, maybe, I had a job to do. Once breakfast was coming to a close, I retrieved the envelope Pop had given me the day before from beneath my shirt and slid it over to Sal, who was sitting back sipping his coffee. “What’s this niputi?” He kept his voice low, so I leaned in to whisper close to his ear.