Lyon's Family (The Lyon #5) (10 page)

Lyon

***

“How much do your women know about this little situation we’re dealing with?”

“Nothing why?” Logan turned to look in the same direction I was, a direct view into the great room where the women had gathered.

“Look at them in there. I haven’t heard any laughter coming from in there, no one’s pulling anyone’s hair so they’re not fighting, but they’re all very engrossed in whatever’s going on. And look there, the body language just changed as soon as my wife noticed me looking.”

“There’s no way they know.” I had everyone’s attention now for a different reason. We’d all been kicking around ideas about the best move to make and getting nowhere because the SEALs were on some waiting shit. Now we had another problem on our hands.

“I know a way to find out what they know.” I twisted my lips and made the call I use on special occasions, it’s a call only one person knows. She came running a few seconds later, all smiles and innocence. Her mother had put a bow in her hair and done some shit to her curls that made them shine in the moonlight. She looked like a fairytale or some fuck, but I know better.

“Come here Catalina.” She was a little shy with all the men around but she came. “What’s your mother up to in there?” Yes I know it’s fucked that I use my kid this way, but she’s better than some of the guys on my payroll at this shit. She gave me a suspicious look at first, like she thought I was trying to trap her since I’ve been telling her forever about listening in at doors and shit. I guess she decided I was on the up and up, fucking kid.

She looked around at the others before crooking her finger at me. I walked a few steps away until we were out of earshot. “I didn’t hear everything because I had to lose the others.” Who the fuck is this kid? “But they were saying something about the traffic and some of the ladies got into trouble for going to the water and the bad man almost got them.” She took a breath and creased her brow in concentration.

“One of the pretty ladies got work from Stockton, oh and Micini whoever that is.” She looked up at me in expectation the little sneak. I could only look at her in amazement. It was on the tip of my tongue to scold her for listening to other people’s shit again but that would be hypocritical. I also knew there was no point in telling her not to do that shit because she wouldn’t listen no how, just like her damn mother. “Catalina why were you listening in on their conversation?”

“Nobody tells me anything.” Like she’s a hundred years old. “Go play with the others and no more snooping or I’ll ground you again.” She rolled her eyes because she knew I was full of shit, we have the weirdest fucking relationship. I’m sure some shrink would have a field day with it, but it works for us.

“Daddy did you remember to tell Santa about my chemistry set?” Here comes the shakedown, maybe she’d become a politician and save my ass bond money because sure as fuck she’s gonna be a danger to society.

“Yeah I told the fat fu…er, yeah he knows.” She skipped her little ass back inside and I went back to the guys.

“They know.”

“What do you mean they know, who told them? They can’t know. We’ve been very careful about that. Davey did you let anything slip to your sister?” Logan turned to the kid that was always in their shadow. He shook his head with a frown on his face.

“How can I tell her anything when you guys keep me pretty much outta the loop?” I would feel sorry for him, if I hadn’t caught him eyeing my Caitie bear earlier when they first arrived. She didn’t even so much as blink in his direction thank fuck, I’d hate to have to hurt the kid. Then again her reaction posed another problem. She was so caught up in Todd the fuck, she didn’t even see other boys when they were standing in front of her giving off signals. That’s for another time though, right now I have to figure out what my wife and her new friends were up to.

“How much do you think they know, and how does your kid know?”

“My kid would outdo any Russian spy, she’s female, she’s young and adorable so most people don’t pay too much mind to her, that’s part of her ammo. The other part is listening in at doors and shit, that’s why I said no talking shop, you never know when she’s around with her shit.”

The SEALs looked after the door where she’d disappeared like they were thinking of recruiting her. Crazy fucks. “Damn I wonder if baby Zak is gonna do shit like that.”

“With her mother’s genes she’d probably be worst Ty. Lyon what did your kid say, how much do they know?” Zak asked me the question again.

“Well, they know about the trafficking, and they have the name Mancini.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about Kat knowing about this shit, at least Caitie bear’s name hadn’t come up; if it had Catalina would’ve told me. Still they knew more than enough to make trouble for my ass, because women always want to be in the mix, I know mine does. If she has reinforcements, women feeding her shit I want kept secret, who knows.

“This doesn’t make sense, how can they know?”

“They’re comparing notes.” Cord had his eyes glued to the youngest one in the fold. “What notes, how can they know anything? Dana Sue spent the last month or so puking up her guts every hour on the hour, when did she have time to be getting into my shit? Kyle it’s your damn wife, she’s the only one who’d snoop into this shit.”

“Hold it, don’t forget Ginger, she does that snooping shit for a living, and Brand your woman might’ve heard some shit while she was up there with her people, or her mother could’ve told her.” Now we were the ones trying to figure shit out.

“It doesn’t matter, the cat’s out of the bag, now we do damage control. Who’s gonna go in there and put the fear in them? I don’t know about yours, but mine don’t listen for shit and if she thinks she can help me with this she’d try. That is not gonna happen.” Fucking Kat couldn’t give me one day of peace.

“Well Lyon, since it’s your house I say you get to do the honors.” Connor grinned but I could tell he wasn’t too pleased by this turn of events either. From what I gathered, all the women in there except mine and the youngest one were breeding. If these boys were anything like me, and I was beginning to suspect they were when it came to their women at least, that wasn’t gonna go over too well. A man would go to any lengths to protect his woman and unborn child.

“Scared of them are you?”

“You have no idea.” He clapped me on the shoulder as we made our way towards the house. My boys, the ones who go on certain runs with me, had been brought up to speed. Tomorrow Mallory would be here if his kid was doing better and I’ll let him in on whatever he didn’t already know.

***

Inside the talk had turned to babies, but the tension was still thick in the air. “Kat, what were you talking about earlier? And before you answer, your daughter already told me.”

“Dammit Colton you put her up to it.” She wasn’t looking too happy the little sneak. Her friends had looks of confusion on their faces until I told them what had happened.

“We know nothing, just girls sitting around getting to know each other.” The one named Gabriella sat back and crossed her legs and arms with the most innocent look on her face. Logan walked over and leaned over to whisper something in her ear that made her twitchy.

“Quit it Logan we weren’t doing anything wrong.”

“Who told you about the trafficking?” He stood back and folded his arms like a general but the look she gave him said she wasn’t scared. “Duh, there were rumors around town before you guys showed up, and you spend an awful lot of time down there snooping around, and let’s not forget Dani and Nessa and I…”

“Yes I remember, and I would hope that that one experience would’ve taught you to stay out of it. How many times must I tell you?” She was out of her chair and in his face before he could get the words out. “Listen you, these fools whoever they are-are interfering with the most important day of my life. I can’t even go get my nails done anymore because you have me under lock and key. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out something is going on Logan, and unless you think I’m a brainless twit it only stands to reason I’m gonna go searching for answers…”

“Sit down.” She pouted but found her ass in her chair. I wonder if he’d teach me that trick. Fifteen years and counting and I still can’t bring Kat’s little ass to heel. He walked around the room with his arms behind his back and a look on his face. I see why the others let him take point he has leader pouring off him in spades.

I held my peace for now. I’ll deal with Kat’s ass later behind closed doors. I guess I can’t fault her, or any of them for wanting to know what was taking up so much of their man’s time, but I didn’t want her anywhere near this shit. Not because I didn’t want her knowing what I’d done in the desert all those years ago, but because I’d made a promise, a promise to her. That nothing like this would ever touch her again, and I mean to keep that promise.

The room looked like a standoff, men on one side, women on the other and these girls looked ready to throw down. I guess they were shoring each other up, strength in numbers or some shit. Whatever Logan was coming with had better be good.

“Fine, so you all know some but not all of what’s going on, what do you plan to do with this knowledge?”  Their eyes opened wide and the Georgia peaches looked at each other like ‘what the fuck?’ I wasn’t sure myself, but if these men were anything like me when it came to dealing with my nosy ass hardheaded woman, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“No one?” Damn, he does leashed cool like a pro.

“Well since you’re asking, we’d like to know more about why our lives have been turned upside down. If we’re in some kind of danger it’s only fair that we know what’s going on.” Dani spoke up but she kept taking sneak peeks at Connor, sweet, she’s making sure she doesn’t overstep.

I took each one’s measure as they spoke their piece, gauging how much they knew beyond what my little spy had told me. Logan had the floor. The others just stood back and listened as he grilled them like a paid interrogator. They teach these boys some serious shit in the navy because he was good.

“I guess there’s no point in telling you lot to stay out of this, you’ve proven that you don’t listen worth shit.” He glared at his woman who pursed her lips and looked away. “So here’s the deal and I’m sure every man here will back me up. Gabriella, you don’t drop this shit I will march your little ass down to the courthouse and put my ring on your finger, there goes your big to-do.”

She huffed and opened her mouth but he cut her off. I hope Kat was seeing this shit and taking notes hardheaded fuck. “Don’t say one more word. I brought you here for a change of pace, to have a nice holiday with new friends. This man invited us into his home and what do you do? You bring this shit here, to these women.”

“Hold it, she didn’t bring anything to my home. If you’ll excuse me, we don’t know each other but I’ve been married to your twin for the better part of almost sixteen years and I know when I’m being played. We’re not backing down, we wanna know what’s going on, why all the secrecy and high security.” That’s my wife she’s been taking lessons from fucking Elena again.

Logan shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. “Well boys I tried.” Dammit that means I still had work to do, fucking Kat. There were more glares going around the room being ignored before we headed back out. “Dude they played you in there, those women are not easy. I guess they have to be that way to put up with you goons huh.”

Jared the ass always has something smart to say. I guess he expects us all to leave our balls at home with the wife like he does. “No, they didn’t. We now know what they know and it’s not much. The trafficking thing like my delightful fiancé said, was a rumor long before we came on the scene. They’ve been playing the guessing game since we nabbed the two assholes on the waterfront and we have to surmise that Vanessa told them about grabbing Dani’s ex employee. Other than that they know nothing.” Damn Logan’s good.

“You’re forgetting one thing, they got Mancini’s name according to the kid.”

“Yeah but Creed said no one knows much about him Law.”

“Vanessa might, she had clearance; if this guy is on anyone’s radar she might’ve heard something.”

“Well fuck Zak.”

“No need to panic Ty, that just means we stem the flow.”

“And how do you propose we do that Con?”

“By talking to our women and letting them know the consequences if they disobey us on this shit, by letting them know that this is not child’s play and it is definitely nothing for women to get mixed up in.”

“Good luck with that shit, if they’re anything like my bloodhound, then they won’t quit until they get what they want and from the looks of them, they’ve banded together. So unless you plan on monitoring their every move I suggest you come up with another plan.” And tomorrow we have Elena and fucking Char coming, more reinforcements.

“Seriously, what the fuck are you all on? Since when do we let women dictate to us?”

“What’s your big suggestion Creed?”

“Well Law, I just tell Babygirl how shit’s gonna be and that’s that, she better not be getting mixed up in this shit, I don’t want her knowing anything about that fucking book.”

“You fucks are all newbies.” I shook my head as they turned to look at me. “You have only two options when it comes to dealing with these women, you give them fucked up info or you make damn sure they stay put. It’s getting late and I have to go deal with my pain in the ass and see how much she got from yours because I know for damn sure she didn’t get anything from me.”