“I was able to identify number five of the Original Seven, thanks to Syphers gut feeling,” she said, clicking away on her laptop. “On the big screen, you will find Edward Allworth Lyons Jr. He is the son of Edward Allworth Lyons Sr and Julia Benoit. Now, from what I found, Junior had a normal upbringing. High-class society shit, you name it. During the Vietnam War, he served in the Army and was part of William’s unit. After the war, he returned home and married a woman named Abigail Brentwood. The happy couple had one daughter, Linda Brentwood-Lyons, who married Gary Hughes.”
“Now, the Lyons family comes from old money. Like from the kings of Europe old. In fact, the Lyons family can be traced back to King Edward the II of England. As for the Brentwood side, well, that family came over on the Mayflower. I am talking deep roots here, Reaper. This family has ties to Europe, royalty, and everything that goes with that.
“Now, from what I found, Linda’s daddy, Edward Junior, has his hands in everything, and I mean everything, from politics to what latest pharmaceutical drug gets released. The man is a fucking billionaire and then some.”
“Is he dirty?” Ghost asked.
“Dirtier than a dish rag in Massacre’s auto-shop. The man has been linked to several Ponzi schemes, insider trading, election fraud, and lately to the sexual misconduct of several minors. But nothing has ever gone to trial.”
“He pays them off,” Viper said as several brothers nodded.
“Agreed,” Phantom continued. “I found several payments to different people around the world. He is getting away with this shit because he has enough money to keep everyone quiet.”
“How is he connected to Diablo?”
“That is what I haven’t figured out yet. But something strange did pop up when I was searching. After Gary Hughes married Linda, I found medical reports of where she miscarried several times. It was later determined that she could not carry a child because of some rare medical condition she has.”
“Okay?” Reaper dead panned.
“She has three kids,” Phantom stated, carefully looking at me.
When her eyes locked on mine, I knew she was about to say something I wouldn’t like. “Well?” I said, hanging on to what little thread of sanity I had left.
“That brings me to the real issue. Chaos, would you please get Catarina and Luciano?” Phantom asked as I looked at Reaper, who just held up his hand, asking me to settle down.
I couldn’t.
This was my kid we were about to discuss.
How the fuck was my kid involved in all this shit?
He was just a fucking baby.
None of it made sense.
Fuck! I still couldn’t believe I was a father. I should have been there with her. Helping her in every way I could. Instead, where was I? living it up in California, without a fucking care in the world.
“Don’t, Player,” Reaper said as the church door opened. “You didn’t know. I need you to get your head clear. You hear me. Because when we go get your son, he will need you.”
“I got it,” I muttered as I saw Catarina walk in. Standing instantly, I motioned for her to come to me. I was happy she did immediately. Hugging her, I sat back down and placed her in my lap. The room was full already as Reaper rose to grab another chair for Luciano.
“I asked the both of you in here because this concerns your family too. Luciano, since Giovanni can’t be reached at the moment, can I assume you will speak for him and the family?”
“Sure,” my cousin said, looking at me. “If it doesn’t concern anything important. If it does, I will need to discuss it with Gio, though.”
“Fair enough,” Reaper nodded, then turned to Catarina. “Sweetheart, we think we may have found Colin. But I don’t want you to get your hopes up, okay. This is only preliminary, and until we can verify his identity, I want you to keep the faith. We are doing everything we can to move heaven and earth to reunite you with your boy. Trust us, we are very good at doing this.”
“Okay,” Catarina whispered as a tear fell down her face. Holding her tighter to me, I leaned over and kissed her tear away. She was shaking uncontrollably. I knew her nerves were shot. Hell, with everything she’d been through, I was shocked she wasn’t losing her damn mind.
“Go ahead, Phantom,” Reaper ordered.
“First off, I want to say what a pleasure it is to meet you, Catarina. I can’t wait to get to know you better. Player, you fuck with her, I will fuck with you, got me,” Phantom threatened with a smile.
I grimaced, then gulped. “Yeah. I got you.”
Smiling brightly, Phantom said, “Good, now down to business. The man and woman on the screen are Gary Hughes and his wife, Linda. As some of you know, Gary is the district attorney for the greater D.C. area. He is sharp, witty, and on the fast track for a supreme court appointment. In all reality, they are the perfect loving couple with a townhouse in D.C. and a summer home in Bridgeport, Maine. Both are active in many charities in and around D.C., but mainly they host parties for Senators and all things vile in Washington. Now, they are also parents to three kids, Henry Michael, who is nine, Elizabeth Marie, who is six. And Charles Edward, three.
“Now, here is where the fun starts,” Phantom said as a picture popped up on the screen of a young boy. “There is no record, no picture, no social media, no tabloid, nothing of Linda ever being pregnant. She would disappear to Maine for months each time, only to return with a baby. The first picture ever of Henry Michael was taken when he was about four months old.”