Layla took Don Victor’s death hard. Besides her brother, Don Victor was her only family. I still hadn’t broached the subject of her uncle yet. Honestly, I didn’t even know how to begin. I knew eventually I would have to tell her, but not right now.
Layla was still healing from her ordeal and still suffered from nightmares on occasion. Roxy told me she always would. That they would never really go away. We both thought it best that Layla spoke to a licensed therapist to help her through her trauma. Layla refused at first but was now seeing her therapist twice a week.
Since our return from Italy, Carmine, Dario, and I had been juggling both families. It was Don Victor’s wish that Layla would eventually take over the Capribella family, and until she was willing, the three of us handled everything. Dario stayed in Italy, while Carmine refused to leave Layla’s side. I thought it odd at first since the man was so hostile to her at the beginning, but now the two of them were good friends. Everywhere Layla went, Carmine would follow.
Mattia also stayed in Chicago. He received the worst of the wounds that day and was still healing. When I offered to send him back home, he politely shook his head and said wherever Layla was, was home. I didn’t ask him again.
The house was full once again, with both Capribella and Valentinetti members each working together to protect the family. The merger still hadn’t taken place, but we all knew it would when Layla was well enough to walk down the aisle. No one said anything, as we were all just giving her time.
She had been through too much. No human being should have to go through what she and so many others had or were currently going through. Life was precious, not a commodity. The only thing that worried me was that Massacre was unable to identify Diablo. There were several burned bodies found, but so far, none of them matched Diablo. Though I was sure putting twenty-four bullets into him should have killed him, I refused to rest easy until he was identified.
Only time would tell.
All that was left to settle was figuring out a way to help Reggie and Catarina. Which at the moment was becoming very problematic.
“No,” Reaper growled. “Antonio and Vicious have thought of several different legal ways to rectify the situation, but so far, every time they file the paperwork, a judge immediately dismisses it. The fuckers know they’re in trouble too. Word is slowly spreading in DC that Gary Hughes isn’t as clean cut as he seems. It’s causing trouble for him and his family.”
“Anything I can do?”
“No. This is a fucking logistical nightmare. Reggie seems to be taking everything in stride, but I know he is simmering below the surface. Luciano keeps him busy, but it’s Catarina we’re all worried about. She gets her hopes up every time, and when nothing happens, she disappears to their room and doesn’t come out for days. I still think we need to go in and let the chips fall where they lay.”
I was starting to agree with Reaper on that, myself.
This had gone on long enough.
Reggie and Catarina’s situation needed to be resolved and fast. The longer this took, the harder it would be for everyone involved. None of us really knew what Gary or Linda Hughes would do. Add in who Linda’s father was, and it was anyone’s guess.
Edward Allworth Lyons Jr was as dirty as they came. Even from my own investigation, the man had been linked to some of the most unscrupulous moments in history. Though nothing ever really pinpointed his involvement in anything, money didn’t lie. There were numerous money trails linked to several business dealings, political campaigns, and much more.
“What if I agreed with you, and we took matters into our own hands. What is your estimate?”
“A fucking nightmare. If we go in without the law backing us, we would have not only the FEDs on us but every local and state official at our doors. It’s not so much Hughes that worries us. It’s the wife’s family. Her father is a big fish swimming in a big pond. The man has connections. He could make our lives a living hell. Then again, I really don’t give a fuck. I say fuck the consequences. Possession is nine-tenths of the law, right?”
I smiled at that.
“Gio?” a soft knock at the door had me looking up as Illyria walked in.
“Yes,Bambina?”
“This arrived for you,” she said, placing a large manila envelope on my desk.
“Thank you.”
Waiting till she left, I opened the envelope and pulled out several eight by ten black and white pictures. There were ten in total, and each one was worse than the other. I knew what I was looking at. It was a hard pill to swallow, and I wasn’t above blackmail. Knowing what to do, I said, “Reaper, I need to call you back.”
Not waiting for him to reply, I hung up the line and called Antonio.
“Yes.”
“How soon can you get home?”
“Kind of busy here, Giovanni. I’ve got a lot of briefs I need to finish before I can leave.”
“Have your paralegal do them. I need you home.” I stated, disconnecting the call. Getting up from my chair, I walked out of my office in search of the only two people on the planet capable of doing what I needed. Spotting Illyria, I motioned for her to follow me.
I found who I was looking for in the living room, griping and complaining to each other as they played some video game.
Children. I worked with children.