Bonnie stared out the car's window as it cruised down the 405 freeway. She was on her way to Velocita's corporate offices located in Los Angeles. It was time for her to face Damon. Bonnie had successfully ignored all her husband's attempts to communicate with her for well over 24 hours. Fortunately, he had been smart enough to realize that showing up at Abby's house uninvited would be ill advised. The girl's cousins were still looking for a reason to whoop his disrespectful ass. Bonnie had convinced Cesare to give Damon a pass for his outburst at the club. However, she would not be able to hold off her cousins if he crossed the line with her a second time. She was still trying to figure out a way to keep her uncle from doing more than 'taxing' Damon for his duplicity while in Milazzo.
Bonnie glanced at her phone to check the time. It was just after 4 o'clock in the afternoon but she was already exhausted. Her day had started before dawn. Bonnie had flown to Mendocino County with a small group of family members and business associates. They had set up shop at the Lockwood Family's sprawling horse farm. After the show of force yesterday, Richard had been swamped with requests for sit down meetings with Bonnie. The young woman tried to accommodate as many requests as she could in a six-hour window. Bonnie had too many irons in the fire to stay away from home for too long. She thought that the meetings had been largely a success. The men had all addressed her with the deference befitting her position as boss. They wanted to reaffirm their allegiance to Bonnie and offer their assistance with apprehending Giuseppe. However, she politely declined their offers because that was already in the works.
While Bonnie was conducting business, Sarah and Lucy were exploring the property. The farm's manager, Derek, had acted as their tour guide and instructor. It was just a beginner's class. Sarah learned about the nature of horses and how to interact with them safely. She had soaked up all the information like a sponge. Over lunch, Sarah had excitedly relayed all the information she had learned. However, the true surprise came when Bonnie allowed the little girl to choose a horse as her Christmas gift. Bonnie ended up buying two Arabian mares. In a few days, one of Derek's most trusted farmhand's would drive the horses to a boarding facility near Bonnie's beach house.
They flew back to Los Angeles shortly after 1 o'clock because Bonnie wanted to meet with Damon before he left work. She figured a semi public location was the best place to reiterate her desire for a divorce. Bonnie had even contacted her legal team for the name of a mediator. She did not intend to follow through with the divorce proceedings. Bonnie and Damon were stronger while married even if she despised him now. The success of their business would always come before her happiness. Bonnie just needed the right ammunition to force Damon out of his position as CEO. She would string out the threat of divorce long enough to make him believe that she was serious. Then Bonnie would blindside him with a boardroom coup that would place Ayana in the company's top seat. She planned to secure his cooperation by promising to halt the divorce proceedings. It was manipulative. Some people might even accuse Bonnie of being cruel. The young woman didn't care what anyone thought of her as long as she received what she was owed.
She was not looking forward to having this conversation with Damon. The fire in her belly had died down since Saturday night. Now she just felt cold inside. Bonnie didn't have enough emotional capital available to enjoy hurting him. Her only desire was securing her children's future. They deserved a better life than she had. However, Bonnie wasn't naïve enough to believe that her plan would go off without a hitch. Damon was not the type of man that often had his desires denied. Whereas he had taken the separation in stride, he would most assuredly fight against the divorce. She was prepared for whatever his reaction might be.
In the beginning, she planned to take Matt as her sole bodyguard since he was on duty. However, Abby rejected that idea immediately. She feared that Damon's reaction would force Matthew to reveal his allegiance to the Benedetto Family. He would not stand by if the mob boss violently lashed out at Bonnie. The young woman did not believe that her husband would strike her but there was nothing to gain from taking an unnecessary risk. She had called her older cousin, Gemma, and asked if she would accompany her. She trusted Gemma to keep her safe if a dangerous situation arose. Men often discounted the curvaceous brunette because of her petite size and exotic beauty. Few would guess that Big John's granddaughter was also one of his most trusted assassins.
Bonnie also chose Gemma because of her sensibilities. There was a certain talent required when managing an angry man. It was best to let men have their temper tantrums. Often they exhausted themselves by doing little more than hurling insults and making grave, but ultimately hollow, threats. The key was ensuring that the situation did not escalate beyond words. Bonnie knew without a doubt that bringing one of their male cousins would have been a recipe for disaster. They would not have cared one iota about witnesses or the fallout from their actions. The Benedettos no longer found Bonnie's marriage to Damon merely distasteful. Now they held a genuine concern for her safety. Cesare had made it clear that he thought a divorce was warranted. Giuseppe had violated one of the fundamental clauses in Damon and Bonnie's prenuptial agreement.
Matt entered the parking garage and drove up to the executive level. He drove around for a minute before finding a space near the elevator. After he turned off the car, the blonde mobster looked at Bonnie with concern. Matt and Tyler were both worried about her plan. In fact, his friend was on the verge of a nervous breakdown via text message. He asked, "Are you sure you want me wait outside Damon's office?"
Bonnie gave her make up one last look and then put away her compact. "Yes, I am sure. You and Gemma will be right outside the office if anything happens. My mother was right to be concerned about blowing your cover. I don't want Damon getting suspicious of you. Even if it didn't occur to him that you are disloyal to his family, he might think that you have some romantic interest in me. You don't need those kinds of problems. It is bad enough that he suspects Tyler."
He frowned and said, "For the record, I would just like to say that this makes me extremely uncomfortable."
Gemma pulled her long chocolate brown hair into a simple ponytail. Her dark brown eyes narrowed as she said, "I'm not worried. It is not as if you are about to walk into his office unarmed. Right?"
"The day I confront an angry man without a weapon is the day I fucking retire," she replied as she tugged at the material of her v-neck sweater dress. "I have a switchblade in my bra for emergencies."
The older woman smiled and said, "Then I am not worried. Besides, I have a pistola with me just in case Damon allows his emotions to get the better of him. I should think a slug to the fleshy part of his ass would calm him."
Bonnie looked at Matt and asked, "Do you feel any better?"
"No," he deadpanned.
She chuckled and patted his arm. "No risk, no reward, Mattie."
Matt shook his head but smiled wryly. "I just want you to know that Tyler is going to kick my ass if Damon so much as touches a hair on your head. He's been threatening me for the last 30 minutes."
The green-eyed girl bit her bottom lip as she thought about last night. After Sarah was asleep, Bonnie and Tyler had spent a couple hours curled up in bed together. They had only cuddled while binge watching a handful of Luke Cage episodes on Netflix. However, it had been just what the doctor ordered to put Damon out of her mind. She giggled and said, "I'll protect you from him."
Matt grumbled good-naturedly as he got out of the car. He opened Gemma's door first.
"Grazie," she said.
"Prego," he replied. Matt looked at her curiously because he didn't see where she could be stashing her gun.
Gemma smiled as if she had read his mind. She patted her thigh to draw his attention to her thigh holster. Then she walked over to the elevator.
His cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he closed her door. Then he walked around to the other side of the car and opened the door for Bonnie.
She climbed out of the SUV and said, "Thank you, Matt."
The two friends joined Gemma at the elevator just as the doors opened.
Bonnie slipped into the elevator car first and retrieved a security card from her purse. She swiped it over a card reader and a green light flashed in response. Then she selected the floor where the senior management's offices were located. She asked, "Do you know if he is almost done?"
She had entrusted Tyler with the task of framing Giuseppe for the four murders she ordered yesterday. She had instructed Richard to give his son whatever resources and men he deemed necessary to finish the job. In a few hours, Damon would receive a text message from a burner phone directing him to the staged dumpsite.
Matt nodded and said, "Nearly done. He's just waiting for nightfall."
Bonnie relaxed somewhat. She had full faith in Tyler. However, he had never supervised a job of this size. Tyler and his men had spent the better part of the morning scrubbing the four corpses to rid them of any DNA or trace evidence. Around lunchtime, they had transported the bodies to a safe house on the outskirts of San Diego. The final touch would be dousing the seldom-used structure with a high-grade accelerant. They needed something that would burn at an ungodly temperature. It would help eliminate the chance of forensics finding any evidence and it would prevent the firefighters from trying to enter the house to save men that were already dead. However, the most important part was linking this hit with the one Giuseppe had orchestrated in France.
While Tyler certainly played an important role, Matt's grandfather was responsible for the coup de grace. Robert, or Senior as he was known within the organization, was hot on Giuseppe's trail. He had been using a burner phone they found in Jacob's possessions after his death. The traitor had been instrumental in smuggling Giuseppe back into the United States. Moreover, he had arranged for a place where Giuseppe could hide out until he was ready to strike against Damon.
Senior and his crew went to San Diego to confirm that Giuseppe was hiding at a massage parlor. The Salvatore organization had used the establishment to launder a percentage of their money for over twenty years. The parlor always turned an impressive profit because of its proximity to the naval base. When Senior went to check out the parlor, he found a note on the door announcing that it would be closed until after Christmas. Senior felt certain that they had located Giuseppe. The plan was to abduct the old man tonight. However, Bonnie had given her blessing to kill the psychopath if they couldn't pry him out of the building without risking their own lives. She would not allow a repeat of the debacle in France to happen on her watch.
The young woman squared her shoulders as she walked out of the elevator and made a beeline for her husband's office. She stopped at his secretary's desk and flashed a pretty smile.
Dianne was a Black woman in her mid-50's with a close cropped afro. She had worked her way up the ladder at Velocita over the span of twenty-five years. Zacharias had handpicked her to be Damon's secretary when he became CEO. She was knowledgeable, trustworthy, and wouldn't even entertain the possibility of sleeping with his promiscuous nephew.
The older woman quickly hid her surprise when she saw Bonnie approaching her desk. She got to her feet and greeted her warmly, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Salvatore."
Bonnie said, "Good afternoon. I've told you on several occasions that you can use my first name, Ms. Dianne."
She smiled in response. "It is nice seeing you, Bonnie. It has been quite a while since I last saw you."
"Too long," the young woman agreed.
"Is Mr. Salvatore expecting a visit from you? I didn't see anything on his calendar but he so often forgets to keep me apprised of his personal appointments," she complained.
"No, I decided to drop by on a whim because I was in the area. Is he terribly busy today?" she asked.
"No. Actually, you caught him at a good time. He just finished a meeting with the elder Mr. Salvatore. I am sure that he will be pleased to see you. Just let me get him on the phone..."
Bonnie said, "Thank you."
Gemma nodded at her younger cousin and took a seat across from the secretary's desk. She picked up a glossy promotional booklet to occupy herself while Bonnie met with Damon. Gemma's dark eyes skimmed the grandiose blurb written on the front cover. Velocita was taking credit for the engines developed by Bonnie's great-grandfather. She hoped that the company would be under new management soon enough.
Matt sat in the chair beside Gemma. However, he would move closer to the door once Bonnie was inside the office. He needed to be able to hear if Bonnie needed their help.
Suddenly, Damon's office doors opened. He took a moment to appreciate Bonnie's appearance. She looked beautiful as usual but this felt different somehow. He grinned and said, "Well, this is a pleasant surprise."
Bonnie feigned a smile and said, "I hope I am not interrupting anything important."
"I always have time to see you, Bunny. I am glad that you are here." Damon looked at his secretary and said, "Hold all of my calls, Dianne."
"Yes, Mr. Salvatore."
Damon beckoned Bonnie into the office but his smile faltered when he saw Gemma sitting there. He knew it wasn't a coincidence that Bonnie had brought a cousin that specialized in wetwork for their family. He closed the doors once they were inside and motioned to the couch. "We will be more comfortable over here."
However, the truth was that he merely wanted to sit close to his wife. The comfortable leather chairs in front of his desk were placed too far apart for his liking. Damon had been driving himself crazy since Saturday night. More than once, Zach had prevented Damon from going to Abby's house. His uncle hadn't told him anything that he didn't already know. He just longed to see Bonnie. He needed to make things right with her. Damon was grateful to have the opportunity to do that now.
Bonnie nodded as she sat on the couch. She placed her purse on the table and crossed her legs. "I promise that I won't take up too much of your time, Damon. I am sure that you are busy. I know the end of the fiscal year is right around the corner for Velocita."
Damon sat beside Bonnie. His eyes lingered on the suede thigh high boots she was wearing. He longed to run his fingers over the smooth caramel skin exposed when her dress rode up. However, he wasn't egotistical enough to think that Bonnie would want to be touched by him after how he acted at the nightclub. "You can have as much of my time as you want. I don't usually have many appointments this close to quitting time. How are you feeling?"
She said, "I am doing better each day. The anti-nausea medication has been working like a charm. That is good news because I can't stop eating lately. It feels as if I am always hungry. Fortunately, Mama and the nutritionist have been working together to figure out a menu that considers my high blood pressure. Mama has actually started making prepared meals for me. That way I can grab a healthy meal or snack from the refrigerator whenever the mood strikes me."
"That's great news. I am glad that your health is improving. I have been worried about you and the babies. Is your appointment with Dr. Huerta on Wednesday still?" he asked.
Bonnie nodded. She had forgotten about inviting Damon last week. She really wished that she could rescind that invitation. Bonnie didn't want the bad vibes between them to ruin what should be an amazing moment for her. "Did you still want to come with me?"
He nodded. "Yes. I can pick you up from Abby's house if you'd like."
"No, that won't be necessary. I have plans after my appointment. My cousin Remy and his wife want my help house hunting," the girl explained.
Damon bit back an unkind retort. He wasn't thrilled to learn that Big John's grandchildren were putting down semi-permanent roots in Southern California. His hope of retaining possession of the smuggling operation was evaporating. Damon didn't think Bonnie would be capable of running the operation as a young mother of three. However, having her cousins to pick up the slack guaranteed she wouldn't need Damon's help.
"How is Sarah?"
She smiled. "Sarah is great. She is at home right now with my mother."
"Why didn't you bring her along? I would have loved to have seen Sarah today."
"Oh, I'm sorry. There is no way that I would have been able to pry her out of that house. Jamie and Cooper were in the middle of making the biggest blanket fort I have ever seen. Sarah decided to rename it Princess Sarah Alessandra's Castle."
He chuckled quietly and shook his head. "And Cooper didn't mind Sarah converting his fort into a castle?"
"My baby brother pretty much does whatever Sarah wants to do. He is a very good uncle despite only being a year and change older than his niece is. Anyway, she was a little too rambunctious to bring to your office this afternoon. She is over the moon because I bought a horse for her today."
He stared at Bonnie in disbelief for a second because he couldn't have possibly heard her right. He asked, "You bought Sarah a horse without talking to me first?"
"We've talked about letting her learn how to ride. I didn't think that you would mind, Damon," she explained.
"I know that we've talked about it. I just thought she would be a little older," he said.
Damon wasn't even sure that he was ready for Sarah to ride a bike without training wheels-let alone a horse. He didn't particularly like to think of his little girl growing up. As Sarah grew older, it would become more difficult to protect her from reality. Damon was dreading the day when his daughter realized what he really did for a living. He had witnessed Ric lie poorly when his girls asked about the rumors.
"Grams bought my first horse when I was six-years-old. Sarah's birthday is coming up in a few months. She has a lot to learn between now and then. I will make sure that she has proper instruction of course. I bought the horse now because I want them to form a bond first."
"Are you sure that she is ready for this?" he asked.
Bonnie smiled. "Sarah is definitely ready for riding lessons, Damon. However, if it will make you feel better, you can sit in on the interview process for her riding instructor."
Damon relaxed a little. "I would like that. Where did you even find horses for sale around here?"
"Sarah and I went up to the Lockwood's horse farm with Lexi. I bought two amazing Arabian mares. I want to start riding again after the twins are born."
He shook his head and then chuckled. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, I am serious. I grew up on a vineyard in the middle of nowhere. I miss riding," she replied with a laugh.
Damon smiled fondly at Bonnie and gently grasped her hand. "Sometimes I forget that I married a country girl."
Bonnie cleared her throat and slid her hand out of his grip. She said, "There is another reason that I didn't bring Sarah with me. I wanted to talk about what happened Saturday night at the club."
Damon licked his lips nervously. He had suspected that was the true reason behind Bonnie's visit. He had a full day to compose a worthy apology but nothing seemed adequate. Damon had decided sometime last night just to be honest with Bonnie. He said, "I am sorry for the way I behaved Saturday night. I was out of line and jealous. I also wasn't in a very good place at the time. I am not trying to make excuses for myself. But I would like an opportunity to explain what was going on with me that night."
It took a herculean effort not to sigh as Damon spewed absolute bullshit. In a tight voice, she said, "You and Stefan already told me that you were drunk."
He shook his head. "I was drunk but it was more than that, Bunny. By the time I made it to the Klaus' club, I had already done several lines of cocaine. Everything mixing in my system turned me into a complete and utter asshole. I would have never spoken to you that way if I weren't under the influence."
Bonnie's blood chilled in her veins when she heard his confession. The lighting in the club had been too dim for her to get a good look at Damon's eyes. However, his uncharacteristic outburst made more sense now. She didn't doubt that he meant his vicious insults but sober Damon would have tried to discourage her behavior with flattery and a gentle rebuke. He preferred to manipulate Bonnie rather than humiliate her.
The girl was bombarded with memories from the early days of their marriage. Damon would stumble in drunk or high but usually both. They would have some clumsy interlude that Damon surely thought was foreplay before he climbed on top of her. Bonnie would stare at him terrified that if she closed her eyes for even a moment that memories of Niklaus would resurface. She hadn't been able to cope and finally asked him to cut back on the cocaine. Bonnie hadn't understood it at the time but Damon's drug use was a trigger for her.
"You told me that you weren't doing that anymore. You promised," she declared in a shaky voice.
"I know that I promised I would quit and I did. You know that I did, but I have been under a lot of pressure with everything that is going on with Giuseppe. You and I have been having problems and it was easy to fall into old habits," he explained.
"So this is my fault?" she asked incredulously.
Damon shook his head. "No, that is not what I am saying, Bunny. No one is at fault but me. I made the decision to get high. I am the one that acted like an asshole. I just want you to understand what was really happening with me that night. I thought that you deserved the truth."
Bonnie stood up because she wanted to put space between the two of them. She had an overwhelming urge to use the decorative glass sphere on the coffee table to bash in his skull. "How many times has this happened, Damon? Don't tell me that this was a one-time occurrence because we both know that you can't stop at just once."
He took a deep breath and said, "It's been a few times. I have it under control. It won't happen again."
"How am I supposed to believe anything you say to me? You swore that you gave it up for Sarah and me. You said that we were worth more to you than a temporary high. I want a real answer, Damon! How long have you been using again?"
Damon stood up and said, "I meant every word. It was just after seeing what Giuseppe did to you. I couldn't cope. I relapsed during my trip to Milazzo. Recovery is a lifelong process. You are the one that told me that."
"Is that really your excuse, Damon? You couldn't cope with your father's attack on me. I am the one that he beat black and blue. I am the one that he tried to rape in our bedroom. For weeks, I had to look at the bruises his fingers left on my thighs when he pried them apart. I am the one that had nightmares about it. Somehow, I managed to survive without turning to drugs and alcohol," she spat out bitterly.
The raven-haired mobster felt like something at the bottom of someone's shoe. He couldn't even think of a worthwhile rebuttal.
Bonnie took a deep cleansing breath because she was at the end of her rope. She said, "I am tired of dealing with you, Damon. You and all of your bullshit exhaust me. I don't want to do this anymore. I came here to tell you that I was serious about wanting a divorce. It looks as if I made the right decision. I don't care why you relapsed. You can blame my trauma and me if it helps you sleep better at night. I just want you to promise not to use when Sarah visits you. If I find out that you are high around her, the shared custody idea goes out the window. I won't spend my time worrying about my daughter's safety when she is with you."
Damon felt as if his brain stopped working for a long moment as Bonnie ranted at him. He had hoped that the divorce talk would have blown over by now. The separation was hard enough on Damon. He didn't like waking up without Bonnie by his side. He had only agreed to the separation in hopes that he could win her back. However, a divorce would be the final nail in the coffin. "No," he said with an edge to his voice.
"Excuse me?"
"You aren't fucking hard of hearing, Bonnie. I am sorry for the relapse. You are right I am responsible for my own behavior and I will sort that shit out. I will talk to the counselor about it. But we are not getting a divorce. We are Catholic for God's sake. Isn't divorce a mortal sin?"
Bonnie placed a hand on her stomach and gave a hearty laugh. "You want to talk to me about mortal sins? How many women have you fucked since we have been married? Adultery is a mortal sin, too. So is murder. When is the last time that you even went to church or gave confession? I was there Sunday morning with our daughter. Where were you? Were you playing happy families with your mistress and your other daughter?"
He tensed because that was exactly where he had spent his Sunday morning. Once again, it felt as if his wife had him equipped with GPS. He was beginning to think that it might be a good idea to have Enzo look into the situation. Damon walked up to Bonnie so that they were face to face. He cupped her cheek. "I know that you are angry. I know that I have done many things to hurt you. I can't take any of them back but I can work on being better. You can't expect me to just give up on our family."
"You are only talking about being better because I don't want to deal with you anymore. Maybe I was wrong for never speaking up about how you made me feel. But Saturday night really opened my eyes. If I don't do exactly what you want then you call me a slut and a whore. What comes next? Are you going to slap me around like your old man? We can repeat the fucked up history of my grandmother and your father. He would backhand her and she would pick up the closest thing to whack him over the head. Or there's the time that he shoved her down the fucking stairs and she almost landed on me. She grabbed a knife and sliced his arm open like a sausage. Is that what you want for our kids? Do you want to them to see mommy and daddy trying to kill each other? Because that's where this is headed. I refuse to raise our children in an environment where our daughters learn to be punching bags and our sons become abusers."
He swallowed thickly and shook his head. Last week, Damon had overheard Abby and Bonnie talking about the violence they had witnessed in their respective childhoods. However, she had never been this honest with him about her past. It was jarring to see just how broken Bonnie was underneath the mask she had perfected. He had this uncomfortable feeling that this was only the surface. "Jesus. They were really like that with each other?"
She nodded. "Giuseppe and Grams loved each other just as much as they hated each other. They were insane. They forced me to watch their insanity. I don't want that for our kids."
"I would never hit you, Bonnie," he swore.
Bonnie gave a broken laugh. "How am I supposed to believe anything that comes out of your mouth? I only asked you for one thing in our marriage. I asked you to stop doing cocaine because I hated it. I hated what it did to you. I hated the person you became when you were high. I couldn't stomach the idea of another drunken drugged up asshole crawling on top of me to take what didn't belong to them."
He swallowed thickly as he tried to parse out Bonnie's last sentence. It felt as if Damon's heart plummeted into the pit of his stomach. He asked, "Are you saying that I have done that to you?"
The girl realized that she had said too much in anger. She said, "I am done with this conversation, Damon. I am done with you. Being married to you is going to drive me insane."
He moved in front of Bonnie as she tried to leave the office. "Are you saying that I have forced you in the past while I was high?"
"Get out of my way," she ordered in a hardened voice.
Damon said, "Not until you answer my fucking question. Did I hurt you?"
"I don't owe you anything! I certainly don't owe you this. I am not here to assuage your fears. Stop being a fucking alcoholic cokehead and you wouldn't need to ask if you've ever raped your wife. You would know," Bonnie sneered.
She used her shoulder to force a stunned Damon out of her way as she stormed out of his office. Her heart was racing. She had gotten so close to mentioning Klaus' name. Damon had thrown her for a loop by admitting to using cocaine again.
Gemma and Matt fell into step behind Bonnie as she walked to the elevator with a sense of urgency.
She wanted to get as far away from Damon as possible. Bonnie jabbed her finger against the elevator call button rapidly until the doors opened.
Everyone remained perfectly quiet as the elevator returned to the parking garage. Matt led the way to the car and opened Bonnie's door for her.
Gemma turned to face the younger girl once everyone was safely in the car. "What happened?"
"I fucked up," Bonnie muttered.
Matt swallowed thickly from the front seat. "What's the damage, Bon? What do we need to do to fix this?"
She looked up at their worried faces and shook her head. "It's nothing that will blowback on anyone but me. I can spin this somehow. I'll handle it."
Gemma noticed that both of Bonnie's hands were shaking. She scooted closer to Bonnie and gently took her hands. "Take a deep breath for me."
Bonnie shook her head. "I'm fine…"
"You are about to hyperventilate," Gemma murmured softly.
The girl clenched her fists as tight as she could to dig her nails into the palms of her hands. Bonnie focused on that fresh wave of pain to ground her.
Matt decided it was time to get the hell away from Velocita before Damon came looking for Bonnie. He started the car and hightailed it out of the parking garage.