Abby raced down the 405 like a woman possessed. She might not have struck the blows that bruised her little girl but she was certainly an accessory to the crime. Bonnie wouldn't even be married to Damon right now if not for Abby's choices. Sheila had allowed her only child to marry for love against her better judgment. Unfortunately, Abby chose a man that didn't love or respect her. After all this time, she wasn't even sure that Rudy had ever liked her. Her mother had been furious when after just three years of marriage Abby wanted to file for divorce. Sheila had given the young woman an ultimatum. She could divorce Rudy on the condition that she married Alaric. Otherwise, Sheila would cut her off financially. Abby had balked at the idea of trading one bad marriage for another just for the sake of business. At the time, Ric was a coked up womanizer with a violent streak that scared her. He used to take a little too much pleasure doing wet work for the family. Ric was a different man now but she couldn't have known that eighteen years ago.

Abby inhaled a steadying breath as she drove into the three-car garage. The 3,500 square foot house she shared with Alaric was located in one of Huntington Beach's most exclusive gated communities. The house was too large for their little family. However, Alaric insisted on the neighborhood because of the security. He wanted to know that his family was safe even when he couldn't be with them. Unfortunately, he was absent from their lives more often than not. Honestly, his work took him away from both of his families more than he liked. His duties had doubled when Damon began quietly consolidating his power.

She climbed out of the car with a hard set to her jaw. Abigail Bennett was a woman on a mission. She had let down her daughter too many times to count. She had her reasons for leaving Bonnie behind as a child. In hindsight, none of those reasons were good enough. Abby had acted selfishly and Bonnie was still paying the price for her poor decisions. Sheila wasn't there anymore to pick up the slack for her feckless daughter. Bonnie needed her mother to come through for her more than she ever had in the past.

Abby was glad that the children were out with the nanny for the afternoon. She needed to have this conversation with Ric in private and without interruptions. He was bound to put up some resistance in the beginning. He was old school and didn't like when Abby stuck her nose in his business. However, he couldn't dismiss her in the same way that Damon often dismissed Bonnie. Abby might have taken a hands-off approach to the business but at the end of the day, she was always a Benedetto.

Ric had hoped that the 40-minute drive would have helped calm her. However, those hopes were dashed the moment he saw the thunderous expression on her face. He started, "Baby…."

She stormed across the room and slapped him so hard that her hand stung from the impact. Abby winced in pain but her features remained hard as she glared at the man she loved. "I will take the kids and move to Milazzo if you ever keep something like this from me again, Alaric."

He clenched his jaw and set his glass of scotch on the fireplace's mantel. Ric knew from their brief phone conversation that Abby would be mad at him. However, threatening to leave with their kids was crossing a line for him. He wasn't a good partner but he tried to be a good father to his children. He said, "Don't threaten me, Abigail."

Abby stood tall in front of Ric with her shoulders squared and her eyes narrowed. She didn't like arguing with Alaric but it was the only way to make him take her seriously. "That wasn't a threat, it's a promise. Your sexual predator brother attacked my little girl and you didn't have the decency to tell me about it. How can you claim to love me while withholding something so serious about my child?"

"If Bonnie wanted you to know what happened, she would have told you. I didn't think that it was my place to get involved in your relationship. Perhaps if you hadn't spent her childhood gallivanting all over the world she would have thought to call you," he replied bitterly. Bonnie wasn't the only one that Abby abandoned while she traveled the world.

The truth hurt but she wasn't about to be distracted by her guilt. She wasn't the one in the wrong right now. Alaric knew that he screwed up and he was trying to deflect.

"Yes, I am a terrible mother to Bonnie. But you are a coward. Giuseppe lives despite the fact he has been terrorizing your family for years. How many of Zach and Damon's bones has he broken over the years? When exactly did Stefan feel safe enough to start sleeping in his own bed every night? Ten? Eleven? How many young women has your big brother beaten and raped while you turned a blind eye?"

Ric turned away from Abby because her words were cutting too deep. He knew that he was a coward for letting Giuseppe's reign of terror continue as long as it had. He could have put a stop to him years ago but didn't for one reason or another. The maniac was his big brother and he loved him. Alaric didn't know what it said about him that he was capable loving someone like Giuseppe.

"He's the boss."

Abby mocked him. "He's the boss. Is that all you have to say? No, you let him continue to live because you are a little bitch!"

He whirled around with fire in his eyes and advanced on Abby. He got right in her face and bellowed, "What did you just call me?"

"You are a lot of things Alaric, but you ain't hard of hearing. Come on Billy Badass put your hands on me. I'll burn your ass alive in this house while you sleep," Abby promised.

Ric tensed and just stared at her because he knew that Abby's threat wasn't idle. If Ric crossed the line, the hazel-eyed love of his life would make good on her promise. Moreover, he hadn't actually intended to hit her. He only wanted to intimidate Abby to make her drop the subject. It was uncomfortable to have a mirror held up against his years of inaction. However, he should have known better than testing Abby while she was in this state. "Abby, just let me explain."

"What is there to explain, Alaric? Your brother attacked my little girl. He tried to rape her! Maybe you were okay with him abusing your younger brother and nephews but I'm not you. I'm not cut from that type of cloth. I should have put my foot down the moment Mama told me that she was dying. I knew letting Bonnie marry into your family was a terrible idea. Giuseppe is a cancer that none of you seem willing to cut out!"

He scoffed, "That's big talk for a woman that had to ask her mother for permission to end her marriage."

Abby knew that it was time to toss out her trump card. She said, "Maybe it's time that I call home."

The threat in Abby's words was implicit. While Sheila had handed over control of the US side of the smuggling operation to Giuseppe before she died, Big John Benedetto still controlled the Italian side of the business. Reaching out to the Benedetto family would at best result in Giuseppe's death and at worse start a bloody mob war spanning two continents. Big John wouldn't stop until everything that once belonged to the Salvatore family was his.

Abby's family had split in two during the 40's. Her grandmother, Emily, stayed stateside to help her parents with their business. Abby's great-uncle, Daniel, moved to Italy to control the smuggling operation from the other side. He retained his father's last name, Benedetto. While in America, the family changed their name to Bennett during World War II because of anti-Italian sentiment. However, even after almost 80 years on two different continents the Benedetto family was still bonded by blood and tradition. They would never allow something like this to stand.

Ric stepped closer and pulled Abby into his arms. He hoped that he would be able to placate her. He kissed her softly. "You don't need to do anything as rash as that, Abby. Damon isn't going to let Giuseppe get away with what he's done. We are going to kill him but it has to be the right time. He has been working against us in the old country. We think he is attempting to split the family in two to prevent Damon from taking it from him. Damon and I have a trip planned for after Thanksgiving. We are going to go over and have a sit down with all of the capos. Zio Bruno is arranging everything. Once we know that Damon has their support, Giuseppe will be nothing more than a bad memory. I promise."

She scrutinized him closely as if looking for deception. However, she slowly relaxed when there didn't appear to be any. "I won't stand for him hurting my daughter again, Ric. I'll let you and Damon work your strategy but if Giuseppe even breathes on Bonnie again I will pull this whole thing down on your heads."

He stroked her back and said, "It won't come to that. Giuseppe won't show his face after what he's done. He has to know that's he's crossed a line. He's been in hiding since it went down. But if he does return, I will handle it. No questions asked, absolutely no hesitation."

"No regrets?" she asked. She understood how complicated family could be. Giuseppe had been like her father when she was a child. Her love for him had only dimmed when she learned that he was responsible for her actual father's murder. Abby had realized then that he was a two-faced monster not to be trusted.

"I promise that there will be absolutely no regrets when I kill Giuseppe. He's earned this a thousand times over." He took a breath and added, "He killed my dad."

Abby's hazel eyes widened to the size of saucers. She stared at Ric in silence for a beat. She finally uttered a confused, "What?"

"Giuseppe orchestrated the plane crash that killed my dad. Your mother recorded a conversation where he confessed to her. Sheila gave the recording to Bonnie before she died…"

Her eyes fluttered closed as she silently thanked her mother. She knew they were only considering killing Giuseppe because of that recording. When Abby's eyes reopened, she looked up at Alaric with sympathy. "I'm sorry, honey. He killed my dad, too. He's taken so much from the people he claims to love above all else. Are you okay? Is Zach?"

Ric leaned his forehead down against hers. "Zach is despondent. Even with the abuse, he always felt grateful that Giuseppe didn't allow him to go into the foster care system. Now he knows that our loving brother is the reason he was an orphan. He killed our father and then terrorized us for years."

"What about you?" she asked again.

"I'm always fine."

"We both know that is a lie. You don't have to pretend that you're not hurt by this. You remember what a wreck I was when I learned the truth. You knew your father much better than I knew mine."

Ric said, "I can't even say that I am surprised because I've always known that Giuseppe was faithless. I have watched him turn on men that have given our family years of loyal service for some perceived slight. It just never occurred to me that he would kill the man that gave us life. Our father had his flaws, as all men do, but he loved us. I can't remember our old man raising his voice at us, let alone hitting us."

She brushed her lips against his and asked, "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

"Don't go," he whispered.

Abby felt guilty for threatening him earlier. However, it had been necessary. "I won't but you can't keep something like this from me, Ric. She's my little girl. What if our roles were reversed? You would never forgive me for keeping something like this from you about one of our kids."

He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry. I won't keep you in the dark again but you can't tell Bonnie any of what I just told you. Damon told her that he is going to force Giuseppe into early retirement. He doesn't want her knowing the things he's capable of doing."

"You are forgiven," she replied. "I won't say anything to her, Ric. Mama kept her away from the business for good reason."

The lies rolled off Abby's tongue so effortlessly. She loved Alaric but her allegiance would always be to her blood.

Ric visibly relaxed after Abby forgave him. He asked, "Where are the kids?"

"The boys had a half day at school today. Seline took them and Savannah to the aquarium and then the zoo."

Ric nodded. "Will they be home soon? I have a surprise for Jamie."

"They probably won't be home until around dinner time. What did you buy for Jamie now?" she asked with an amused smile.

"I picked up that first-person shooter game that Jamie has been wanting."

She frowned. "Do you mean the game that he's not really old enough to be playing?"

He tightened his hold on Abby's waist. "Come on. Let me be the good cop, please. I'm trying to make up a lot of ground here. I haven't really been a consistent part of his life until now. Parenting over Skype and phone calls wasn't easy. It's bad enough that I'm Uncle Ric."

Abby knew how much Alaric resented the choices she had made over the years. He hated that she had refused to marry him when they were younger. He hated that until very recently, she refused to live in the Los Angeles area so that he could be close to their children. Ric tried to be present in the kids' lives despite the distance. Before Abby moved to the area, he would fly cross-country to spend two weekends a month with them. Jamie turning 12 years old changed her mind about the situation. Her son needed a strong male role model in his life full-time.

However, their arrangement was like balancing on a knife's edge. Their kids didn't even know that Ric was their father. It was too much to ask children to keep such a big secret when they often spent time at the manor. One slip of the tongue and the entire family would know that Ric and Abby were having an affair. Of course, the relationship wasn't a secret to everyone. Giuseppe, Zach, Damon, and now Bonnie all knew the truth. However, everyone kept quiet on the matter for the sake of Jo and the twins.

"Jamie is going to be so excited about the game. And he'll have plenty of time to play it while he's out for Thanksgiving break."

"Thank you," he replied.

"Do you have to leave immediately? I know things must be crazy for you right now."

Ric shook his head. "No. I was thinking that I might stay the night here with you and the kids."

Abby smiled. "I would like that."

He asked, "Do you want to fool around while Savannah and the boys are out with Seline?"

She rolled her eyes but nodded. "I think that we could both use a little comfort right now. I just want to put this afternoon out of my mind, even if it is just for a couple hours. But you have to take a shower first because you are ripe."

Ric grinned and said, "I had just finished working out when I called to check in with you. I didn't expect all of this to follow."

Abby laughed and said, "Well, at least you're not planning to get flabby in your old age."

He bought his palm down against her backside with an audible crack. "Who are you calling old?"

She jumped and slapped his chest. "That hurt!"

Ric grinned and said, "Let me kiss it better."

Abby huffed and shoved his shoulder. "Go take your shower before I change my mind about having sex with you. I am going to call Seline to make sure that she doesn't bring the kids home early."

He kissed her cheek. "Good idea. I'll see you upstairs."

Abby walked into the kitchen and took out her phone. She typed a quick message to Seline.

Abby: Could you try to stay out until 5? If not, at least call before you come home.

She then took out the burner phone that Bonnie gave her and walked out by the pool. She called the number on the phone and waited patiently for her daughter to answer.

"Hello?" Bonnie asked.

"Hi, baby. I talked to Ric. He told me that Damon plans to kill Giuseppe but there's been a snag. Giuseppe has been trying to secure control of the family's presence in Italy. They are going to fly over next week to meet with the heavy hitters to make sure that doesn't happen. After that, Damon will give the green light to kill Giuseppe. Alaric is going to be the one to carry out the hit. I am going to pressure Ric to get it done faster. I don't like the idea of that monster on the loose."

"Well, that's good news. Really good news. Thank you for doing this, Mom."

Abby said, "You don't need to thank me. I'll start working on that other thing after the holiday. I don't want you to pay me for this, Bonnie. I am doing this because I love you. You can look at it that I am doing this because I owe you for all the times I've let you down in the past. Either way I don't want your money, baby girl."

"Mom…"she argued.

"No. I know that I haven't been a good mother for you. I can't change any of that now. What kind of gutter dweller would I be if I didn't do this out of the goodness of my heart? You're not going to change my mind about this. I will just return the money if you wire it into my account."

Bonnie relented. "Fine. Are you bringing the kids over for Thanksgiving? I roped Lucy into helping me cook. I gave Sophie the holiday off so I could use another set of hands."

Abby bit back a smile. "I'll be there. Your grams never gave you the secret ingredient to her sweet potato pies so yours never taste quite right."

The girl huffed out a laugh. "Whatever. At least I can make macaroni and cheese better than you do."

"That's true. You work magic with that mac and cheese casserole."

Bonnie asked, "Do you want to stay over tomorrow night? Lucy and I are going to start cooking the day before Thanksgiving."

"Sure. I'd like that. I should go before Ric finishes his shower. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye, baby."

Abby ended the call and then went back inside. She quickly climbed the stairs and was relieved to hear the shower still running. She ducked into her walk in closet and opened her floor safe. Abby tossed in the burner phone after turning it off. She wouldn't have to worry about Ric stumbling across the phone and asking any questions. He actually had the audacity to be the jealous type despite his own double life.

She stripped out of her clothes and walked into the bedroom just as Ric turned off the shower. However, just then his phone rang. Abby walked over to his nightstand and glanced at the phone to see who was calling.

She picked up the phone and walked into the bathroom. "Your nephew is calling you."

Ric stared at her body for a beat before taking the phone. He answered the call and said, "You have terrible timing, nipote."

Abby shook her head and said, "I'll leave you to it but I'm start without you if this call takes too long."

He groaned as he watched her swing her hips as she left the bathroom. "What do you want, Damon?"

"I love you too, Zio," he snarked. "Exactly what am I interrupting?"

"Don't be a little shit, Damon. What do you want?" Ric asked. He stepped out of the shower.

Damon laughed. "I get to poke a little fun at the fact that you are banging my mother-in-law. I mean she's hot so I get it."

"More like you married the daughter of my longtime girlfriend but we're splitting hairs here," he retorted.

"Touché. Anyway, I told you that Stefan asked to join us in Milazzo."

"Yeah. And you turned him down."

He said, "Well, he brought it up again. He really wants to make the trip over with us. I think he might be serious."

Alaric was dumbstruck by that idea. His younger nephew had always steered clear of the dirty side of the business. Ric and Zach had put their foot down when Stefan was a teenager. They refused to let Giuseppe force him into the business as he'd done with the rest of them. They wouldn't let him steal the boy's childhood that way. As a result, Stefan had always been more focused on the numbers and the family's revenue streams. "What brought this on?"

"Fuck if I know what goes on in Stefan's head. He just walked into my office and told me that it was time for him to step up. I told him that I would think about it."

Ric snorted. "And what you meant was that you would have me think about it."

"I am just trying to make sure that I don't permanently damage my delicate baby brother. You know he wasn't really meant for this thing of ours. I was never bitter about him avoiding the awful shit that we all had to do. He's the good one. He just might be the only one of us not going to hell."

The elder Salvatore definitely couldn't argue with Damon's point. Stefan was always the more sensitive brother. The kid had been soft spoken even after he went through puberty. "He can come with us and observe but nothing more than that. We need to ease him into this to make sure it's really what he wants."

"That sounds fair enough. I will let him know tonight. Are you coming over for dinner?' Damon asked.

"No. I'm going to stay out here with Abby and the boys,' he replied. He scowled when he heard a buzzing sound coming from the bedroom. "Is that it? Because she actually started without me."

Damon barked out a laugh. "I really didn't need that mental image. Yeah, that was all I needed. I'll talk to you later, Zio. Don't have a heart attack."

Ric rolled his eyes and said, "Later, kid."

He left his phone on the counter and grabbed a towel from the rack. Ric did a quick pass over his body to dry most of the moisture from his skin before walking out of the bathroom. He stood in the doorway and drank in Abby's appearance. "You've been a very bad girl."

She wasn't actually interested in having sex right now. However, the best way to manipulate Ric was to sate him with sex. After an orgasm or two, he would be putty in her hands. Abby wouldn't be satisfied until she knew everything. She could tell that Ric was holding something back. The time for being hands off with her daughter's life had come to an abrupt end that day.

Abby bit her bottom lip. "You took too long."

He licked his lips and said, "Well, don't let me interrupt you."