“You’ve got babies. Havoc and Barron have babies. Kiernan and Shaun have babies. What are y’all going to do, leave your babies with your mates every night to guard my mate and babies who don’t even know who we are yet?”
“Yeah,” Brandt said indignantly.
“They don’t have babies anymore. They are all bored out of their minds and wandering around the shelter looking for something to do. They’re thrilled to be helping and it doesn’t take any of you away from your families. They’re all taking turns so nobody’s really over burdened.”
“Except you because you won’t get any rest, because you’re there despite the fact that they’re there.”
“I have been, though. I hate not being there and feel guilty when I even try to lie down to sleep, but at least I’m able to get some rest.”
“I understand.”
“I just wanted to update you. I’d have called you by now, but with school and watching over Giada and trying to force myself to sleep, I just lost track.”
“It’s not a problem. Just try to update me sooner in the future.”
“I will.”
“And it might be nice if you’d explain why you feel like she needs protecting,” Brandt said.
“Oh, yeah. That might help.”
“Might be important,” Brandt agreed.
“Sorry. I’m just off since I got home. I feel like I’m on edge and cant’ stop fidgeting. Nervous, you know?”
“I hate that feeling.”
“Me, too. Anyway, she ran from a very abusive situation. A situation in which she was physically and emotionally abused and controlled. Given to her husband and his family when she was sixteen to settle a debt owed by her father. Then the kids arrived and the husband resented them. He was jealous of his own kids. What the fuck kind of man is that? But she ran the first chance she got. She doesn’t even enroll them in school because she’s afraid they’ll be found.”
“How long has she been on the run?”
“I’m not sure exactly, but about five or six years, I know that.”
“She really thinks he might still be looking for her?”
“She said that if he finds them she has no doubt he’ll kill the kids first so she’ll have to watch, then he’ll start on her.”
“Who the fuck is this psycho?” Brandt asked.
“You heard of the DiCaviatoppi family?”
“Have I?” Brandt asked.
“Crime family out of Chicago…”
“Oh, fuck! Yes! I know who they are. Well, from the media and shit. Damn!”
“Yeah, so, she’s never let down her guard and never told anyone who she really is until me. She’s worried because of the similarities between us and that family, so she asked for some time.”
Brandt thought about it. “I was prepared to be defensive on behalf of us all, but I can actually see that. We all live in family communities. We all work for the family. We all move in a family circle and keep outsiders out. We come together in a heartbeat for whatever is going on, bad or good.”
“I tried to tell her it’s not like that for us. We’re nothing like his family, and I think she wants to believe me, but is gun shy.”
“You blame her?”
“Not in the least. I even said that people like that don’t scare us, and that we’d protect her from anything.”
“Doesn’t help the case you’re pleading,” Brandt said.
