Abby's house descended into chaos after the volatile altercation with Alaric. The Benedetto clan flocked to the house with malice in their hearts and fire in their veins. In particular, Big John was baying for Alaric's blood. The elder statesman had never liked his niece's significant other and this debacle gave credence to his many arguments. Bonnie shared in her uncle's outrage but she was not ready to spill Alaric's blood—yet. Any fondness she held for her uncle-in-law died when he threatened to murder her mother and father. However, she did not know how to kill Alaric and still maintain their relationship with the Salvatore family. Damon despised his father but he genuinely loved his uncle. He would certainly retaliate if she had Alaric whacked. Bonnie trusted that Damon would not try to harm her but she was responsible for the safety of the men and women that worked for her.

It had taken nearly three hours for Bonnie to calm down her family. They had come to a tentative agreement on how to handle Alaric. Bonnie would meet with Damon tonight to issue a lone warning. This would be his only opportunity to get his uncle under control. Alaric committing another act of violence against Abby would be as good as signing his own death certificate. It was Damon's job as boss to keep the members of his family in line. Bonnie did not envy his position. She knew the growing pains that her husband would experience as he took the reins. Bonnie was going through similar pains. Bonnie did not relish pulling Big John aside to remind him that while in the United States he must follow her lead. She had been respectful but firm while expressing that sentiment. Bonnie hoped that she would not have to remind her uncle again.

After calming her family, Bonnie texted Damon. He agreed to meet with her in person but it would have to be later in the evening because he was busy. Furthermore, Damon insisted that they meet at Peppe's. She was surprised that he was at his family's boxing gym rather than preparing for a night of debauchery and hedonism. New Year's Eve was one of Damon's favorite holidays. Bonnie was anxious to speak with him. However, the delay meant there was time enough for Zari and Gabi to finish her hair and make-up. Alaric's antics aside, Bonnie still had to make an appearance at Klaus' club tonight.

It was nearly 6 o'clock when Bonnie walked through the boxing gym's glass doors. She wrinkled her nose in disgust because the smell of perspiration permeated the air. The expensive air filtration system installed earlier in the year did little to eliminate the pungent aromas. Her green eyes scanned the sparsely populated gym until they fell onto her estranged husband. He was in a boxing ring sparring with Zacharias. Under different circumstances, Bonnie might have taken a moment to admire Damon's toned physique and skilled footwork. She had always delighted in his skill as a pugilist. However, the young woman had more pressing concerns on her mind.

Bonnie stopped beside the ring. She yelled to be heard over the loud music, "Damon!"

The blue-eyed mobster paused his sparring and looked at his wife. Damon was pleased to see Bonnie even if he was still furious with her for the stunt she pulled. He had to admit that she looked gorgeous in the gold velour tracksuit. Bonnie's new shoulder-length bob hairdo also had his attention. Her hair was ombre with the top portion being jet black and the lower half a shade of green that complemented her eyes well. However, his happiness dimmed upon seeing that Mason, Lucy, and Gemma were with her. He knew from the wording of the text messages that this was not a social call. Now he understood that it was a business matter because Bonnie had brought heavy hitters with her. He took off his boxing gloves and grabbed a towel to dry the sweat from his body.

Damon hopped out the ring and stood in front of Bonnie. "What's wrong?"

Zacharias followed suit because he did not think Damon should confront Bonnie alone. He knew his nephew was still bitter about her power play.

"I think it would be wise for us to have this conversation in private, Damon," she suggested. Bonnie gave a pointed looked to the gym's other patrons. Some were members of the Salvatore organization while others were just civilians.

He nodded. "We can move this into the office. No one is in there at the moment."

Everyone walked up to the office located on the second floor.

Damon took a seat behind the desk that was covered in paperwork. He rolled his eyes in exasperation because the office was always in shambles.

Zacharias moved to stand behind his nephew. He could not glean anything from the steely looks on everyone's faces.

Bonnie and Lucy sat in the two chairs in front of the desk. Meanwhile, Mason and Gemma stood behind them.

Damon asked, "What can I do for you?"

"Since you do not have the foggiest idea why I have asked to meet, I can only assume that you have not spoken with your uncle," Bonnie opined.

Damon leaned over and grabbed a t-shirt from a stack. He pulled on the shirt and said, "No, I haven't spoken to Ric since last night. Why?"

Zach had a bad feeling about this. When he last spoke to his older brother, he was ranting about Jo and Abby getting his children together for a meal. He was not invited.

Bonnie said, "Your uncle came to my mother's house and behaved horridly today."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "That is putting what happened mildly."

Zach's 'bad feeling' had just been confirmed. He only hoped that he and Damon could assuage the fiery young woman in front of them. He sat atop a short file cabinet behind the desk.

Damon sighed deeply. "I am sorry for whatever Ric has done now. However, I cannot dictate his personal relationships, Bunny. Abby knew what she was getting into when she struck up a relationship with my uncle. She knows his vices and flaws better than most. Also, I agreed to meet with you, not to be glared at by your cousins and your lapdog. You are my wife but I think you can understand why I am no mood to do any favors for you."

Mason grunted in disapproval but did not speak.

"I would not be here if this was about some small lovers' quarrel, Damon. I have no interest in meddling in my mother's relationship, but Alaric crossed a line today that he can never cross again. My family wants him dead for what he did. However, I don't want to start an endless cycle of violence when we have only just established some semblance of peace. I will admit that I was sorely tempted to do something dramatic like burn down one of your warehouses. After all, Molotov happens to be my favorite cocktail. Nevertheless, I decided to behave rationally in coming here to talk to you. Do not make me regret that decision by being flippant and disrespectful," Bonnie explained in a measured tone.

Damon stared into his wife's eyes and saw the truth in her words. He could add possible arsonist to his lovely wife's attributes. Damon tried mightily to ignore the ember of desire that ignited. He said, "I am sorry. I did not realize it was as serious as that. What happened?"

Bonnie took out her phone and pulled up a photo album. She flicked through four pictures that showed bruising on Abby's face and arms. She said, "This is how my mother looked just before I left her house. In 24 hours, those bruises will be much darker and my uncle will be much angrier. It was no easy feat cooling him down."

Zacharias and Damon both gawked at the pictures. The elder of the two spoke first. He asked, "My brother did this to Abby? I have never known him to behave so violently with a woman."

Lucy grounded her teeth. She asked, "Are you calling my cousin a liar?"

He quickly shook his head. "Of course not, Lucy. I can tell that you are all rightfully upset. I am just trying to get some clarification. This is out of character for my brother and I just want to understand…"

"You're asking if Abby deserved it?" Mason asked in a near snarl.

Bonnie looked over her shoulder and gave Mason a reassuring smile. She whispered, "Calmati…"

Zach said, "I would never suggest that a woman deserved to be injured. I jumped all over Damon when he decided it was wise to grab you after Midnight Mass, Bonnie. I have no doubt that my brother is in the wrong here. I am merely asking for context."

The tension in the room seemed to dissipate somewhat.

The young woman nodded and said, "That is a fair request. He showed up to the house stinking of booze and raising hell. When I walked outside Ric and my mother were screaming at each other. It was in poor taste because the children were in the house but couples argue. My mom was concerned about me so she tried to end the fight by going into the house. It is as if Ric snapped. He grabbed my mother violently and then threatened to kill her and my father. They argued more, he grabbed her face, and tried to make her leave with him. I will admit that my mother slapped and shoved Ric during all of this but he was still holding her and would not let go."

Zach felt nauseous as he listened to Bonnie recount the incident. Ric had certainly crossed a line that he should not with any woman. However, crossing that line with Abby Bennett was unwise for a multitude of reasons. First, Ric had put Damon in an untenable position. Second, he had put a target on his own back. He was lucky that Bonnie was able to corral Big John for now. Third, Abby was dangerous in her own right. Everyone knew that she had attempted to kill Rudy using rat poison. Abby had been in her early 20's at the time. He shuddered to think what a far older, wiser, and more efficient woman would to do to rid herself of a troublesome lover.

Damon put his head into his hands and heaved a sigh. He did not feel like dealing with this but there was no other choice. He said, "I am sorry, Bunny. My uncle is under a lot of strain and he obviously is not handling it well. But I will not make excuses for him. I will track Ric down and talk to him."

"It needs to be more than just a talk, Damon. It is one thing for Ric to put his hands on my mother. It pisses me off but I know that she is more than capable of taking care of herself. My real concern is that the fight only ended because my 12-year-old brother came outside with a fucking bat. You should have seen the fear in his eyes. I could have ripped out Alaric's heart with my bare hands for putting my brother in that position. You know now the things I watched your father do to my grandmother. Just as I know the things that you watched him do to your mother. I will not allow my brothers and sister to grow up in the same hell. They were all terrified and inconsolable. Sarah asked if Ric was as mean as Giuseppe was," Bonnie explained tearfully. She angrily wiped away her tears. She did not like crying in front of Damon because he was her adversary as much as he was her husband.

Damon's eyes darkened with anger when he heard about Jamie's role. No child should ever be placed in that situation. However, his blood began to boil when he heard about Sarah's reaction. He had not considered that their daughter had witnessed Ric's tantrum. He stared at Bonnie and saw the same brokenness that lived inside of him. They shared a knowledge only gained by growing up in a violent household. His voice was rough with emotion, he asked, "Are the children okay?"

"Cooper and Sarah were napping when I left the house. All the commotion and tears wore them out. Savannah is of course fine because she has no clue what is happening. Jamie is another matter altogether. He locked himself in his room and wouldn't come out," she replied in a shaky voice.

Zach said, "We will handle Ric. You need not concern yourself with him. Is there anything we can do for Jamie? Perhaps Damon or I could speak to him. I would say we are both uniquely qualified to offer support and advice in this situation."

Bonnie was surprised by Zach's offer. She nodded. "I'll have to talk to Mama about it but I am sure she would agree that Jamie could use all the love and support he can get."

Damon glanced at his uncle. He ordered through gritted teeth, "Find him…"

Zach nodded and took out his phone. "I am going to step out to make the call."

Damon looked at Bonnie. "Could I speak to you alone for a moment, Bunny?"

Bonnie nodded. She looked at Lucy. "I will be out in a minute."

Everyone slowly filed out of the office. Zach closed the door behind him.

Damon walked around the desk and sat in the chair beside his wife. He took Bonnie's hands into his and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I am fine…"

He smiled sadly. "I think we both know that isn't true. Today must have brought up some bad memories for you."

She nodded and said, "It did but I have survived much worse than your uncle acting like an asshole."

"I know," he replied. "I am sorry, Bonnie. I knew that Ric was having a rough go of it but I did not realize that things were this bad."

"It isn't your fault, Damon. I hope you don't think I am here blaming you for his behavior. Ric is a grown man and he made his own stupid decisions."

Damon said, "He is my responsibility because he is my uncle. If he was going off the deep end, then I should have noticed. I am old enough to remember how he responded the last time Abby rejected him. Giuseppe had to put him on wet work as a way to channel his anger…it was a bloody period for my uncle. I guess I just didn't realize that Ric and Abby's relationship was over…"

"Well, I do not know if it was truly over before today but it certainly is now. Ric should be incredibly wary if my mother was to welcome him back into her life with open arms. Anyway, you cannot blame yourself for this Damon. You have been occupied with other things…namely me," she replied.

He smiled wryly. "Yes, you have taken up a considerable amount of my time. I appreciate you coming to me about this instead of letting Big John take matters into his own hands."

Bonnie shook her head. "It was an easy decision to make. No one wants violence and bloodshed over a domestic incident. Besides, I know how much you love your uncle. I wouldn't want to take him from you unless it was absolutely necessary."

Damon squeezed her hand. "Maybe I could stop by later to see Sarah? I just want to check on her."

"I think that would be great, Damon. She needs all the love and reassurance that she can get. I won't be there but you are welcome at my mother's house when it concerns Sarah," Bonnie explained.

"Oh?"

She nodded. "I am headed to a hotel when I leave here. I am going to a nightclub for New Year's Eve. It didn't make sense to drive back to my mother's house when I am so close to Los Angeles now. Mama will be home with the kids. Aunt Geneva, Gianni, and Maurizio will be there, too."

Damon was not happy about Bonnie going out for New Years' Eve. However, he knew that now was not the time to complain. She had been through enough emotional turmoil for one day. He forced a smile and said, "Well, be safe tonight. You know people love any excuse to drive drunk."

"Oh, I will," she replied.

Damon shifted to a safer topic and something that held genuine interest for him. He asked, "How are the babies today?"

"They have been active today. I had a check up with Cole yesterday. Everything was within acceptable levels."

"That's good," he said. "Lilly has been bugging me for your phone number. I keep putting her off but I can't guarantee that she won't find another way to contact you."

Bonnie looked surprised. "Why would Lilly want to talk to me?"

"She gave me some bullshit answer about getting to know her daughter-in-law but she knows you aren't even living at the Manor. My guess is that she is hoping you will let her see Sarah," he replied bitterly.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Well, that's out of the question."

Damon lifted an eyebrow. He asked, "Really?"

Bonnie nodded. "You have made it clear that you don't want Lilly having contact with Sarah or Nadia. I fully back your decision. The place where we will always be in agreement is about our daughter."

"You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that…"

She said, "Sarah loves both of us. She gains nothing if we are fighting over her. I want to give our daughter the very best because it is what she deserves. We can only do that if we are on the same page."

Damon cupped Bonnie's cheek and said, "One of the best things I ever did was letting you adopt Sarah. You are a good mother to her."

"And you are a good father," she replied.

He groaned and sat back in his chair. "I am not as good as I would like to be. I haven't spent enough time with her."

Bonnie said, "You can change that, Damon. Things are crazy now but the dust will settle soon enough. Then you can devote more time to your daughters."

Damon hoped that Bonnie was right but it did not feel as if the dust was settling. It seemed as if a dust storm was slowly rolling into town. "Perhaps…"

Bonnie stood up and said, "I should really get going. This mess with Alaric has thrown my entire day off schedule."

Damon stood with Bonnie and walked out of the office with her. "Well, you don't need to worry about Ric anymore. I will handle him."

She smiled at her husband and said, "Good. Because if Alaric lays a hand on my mother again I will slit his fucking throat and leave him in front of the Manor like the sack of trash he is."

The mobster's blue eyes widened because he had not been expecting Bonnie's parting threat.

Bonnie leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Happy New Year, Damon."

"Happy New Year, Bunny," he murmured.

Zach watched as Bonnie descended the stairs to join Mason and her cousins. He overheard the girl's threat on his brother's life and fully believed her.

Damon leaned against the railing and said, "Tell me that you have a location on that son of a bitch. We need to find Zio for his own safety and well-being at this point."

He said, "I called Jo first and she hasn't heard from him. I've sent a couple guys over to Lilly's hotel, Seline's house, and a few of his favorite watering holes."

The younger man scowled at the mention of his mother.

Zacharias shrugged his shoulders. "Ric has to be in a bad way after what he did at Abby's house. He is either going to fall into a bottle or wind up between some woman's legs."

Damon could not argue with his uncle's wisdom.

"How was your private conversation with Bonnie?" he asked.

He said, "We managed to be civil despite the circumstances."

Zach clapped him on the back. "I am proud of you, nipote."

"It wasn't easy. I wanted to bring up that bullshit Bonnie pulled on me about Velocita but I knew it would be a bad idea. I am not going to change her mind and we would only end up fighting. We will fight for Velocita in the boardroom."

"I am glad to hear you are finally thinking rationally," he replied.

Damon shook his head and smiled wryly. "It took some time for me to wrap my head around my new reality. Bonnie had a hell of a head start on me. Her family has been running a long con on ours for decades. However, I am finally ready to play the game now that I understand the rules that Bonnie has established. My sweet wife might think I am useless but she is going to get a rude awakening."

Zach shook his head. "You do know that this is not meant to be foreplay?"

Devilment blazed in his blue eyes. He asked, "Who made up that stupid rule? I can definitely secure our family's position within Velocita while seducing my wife."

He huffed out a laugh. "Let's not get over our skis on this thing, Damon."

"Save your worries for your older brother. What the fuck are we going to do about him anyway? I mean other than kicking his ass. I am definitely going to kick his ass. He went over there knowing that my kid was in the house. Zio knows that Sarah couldn't even stay an entire night at the Manor because of what Giuseppe did to Bonnie."

Zach shook his head. "If we did not need Ric here, I would suggest sending him to Milazzo with our uncles."

"But we do need the drunken son of a bitch. He is my underboss and I need him almost as much as I need you right now. I don't even have a clear successor in mind because it was supposed to be Mason 'Fucking-Traitor' Lockwood. Angelo is top of my list but he doesn't have the years of experience that Mason had as essentially Ric's apprentice. I have been thinking that we might ask Zio Bruno and Zio Jackie to stay stateside for a few months. They're both old as shit but it wasn't so long ago that they acted as Giuseppe's right and left hands."

Zach nodded in agreement. "I had considered suggesting exactly that to you. I am even more certain we need their help now. They will be able to help us keep a leash on Ric. He has always had a close relationship with Zio Bruno. I do not plan to lose a second brother in as many weeks."

Damon clapped his uncle on the back. "I am not going to let Ric get himself killed. I am going to grab a shower and get dressed. I want to be able to leave here as soon as we have a location for him."

"That's a good idea. I am going to put out a few more feelers and then I will hit the showers, too," he replied.

The younger man nodded and then headed downstairs to the locker room.

Zach walked into the office and sat down at the desk. He started typing texts with more possible locations for Ric. Once Zach was finished, he went to the locker room to shower.

By the time both men showered and got dressed in street clothes Zach's phone was ringing. He stopped walking to his car so that he could answer the phone. He said, "Tell me you have something for me, Kai."

Damon stopped walking and looked at his uncle expectantly.

Zach put the phone on speaker so that Damon could hear what was being said.

"I found Ric. He was in the first place that I looked," Kai explained in a disappointed voice. "He's holed up here at the Rischard."

Damon rolled his eyes because of course Ric had run straight to Lilly. He was starting to think he should have let Zach whack the meddlesome bitch. He snapped, "Keep him there. I don't care if you have to knock him the fuck out to do it."

Kai said, "You got it, boss."

Zach said, "We'll be there as soon as we can but traffic is going to be a monster."

"Okay."

Zach ended the call and tucked the phone into his pocket. "Let's go."

Damon followed him over to the SUV and climbed into the passenger side. He said, "I have my own habits so I am not in a position to judge. But are you fucking kidding me?"

Zach shook his head while putting on his seatbelt. "Maybe he went to Lilly for a sympathetic ear."

He glared at his uncle for his bullshit response. "I am seriously considering breaking my rule on prayer."

"What are you going to pray for?" Zach asked as he sped out the parking lot.

"I am praying that Lilly has gone through fucking menopause because I don't need the headache of a sister/brother/cousin. I don't want to hear any bullshit about fucking change of life babies," he ranted.

Zach glanced at his nephew and couldn't help but laugh.

"I am not fucking joking here," he snapped.

"Oh, I know that you are not joking, nipote. The absurdity of all this is what is hilarious."

Damon grumbled, "Even with Giuseppe dead there are fucking ripple effects. Shit he did to us that we can't just shed because he is dead. I am this close to suggesting family counseling."

Zach looked at Damon and realized that he was serious. "It might not be the worst idea. We all have a lot to get off our chests about Giuseppe and each other."

"Each other?" he asked.

He said, "You have been holding in some serious resentment about the way Ric and I left for college. We should have done more to protect you from Giuseppe, Damon. I'm sorry…"

Damon shrugged his shoulders. "No one protected you and Ric from him. I just got my helping of shit from the old man."

"But it is more than that and you know it. You took Stefan's helping, too. It never should have come to that. We could have and should have done more to protect you."

Damon grunted and rolled his eyes. "Do you really think this is the wisest conversation to have on the way to the hotel? I already want to break Ric's fucking ribs. I don't need any extra motivation. I get having it out with your old lady. We have all been there and done that but he left bruises on Abby. He also knew the kids were in the house—his and mine. He scared the hell out of them. How far would he have taken things if Jamie had not gotten involved?"

Zach shook his head as he thought about his young nephew. He did not have a close relationship with the boy because his paternity had been kept secret until recently. However, he planned to change that if Abby would allow it. "I don't think I want to know."

"Neither do I," he grumbled.

Zach pulled into the parking garage and found an empty space. He turned off the car and then headed up to Lilly's suite.

Damon scrubbed at his face. "Since I am here, I should drop in to see Nadia before we leave."

The older man nodded. "Do you want me to tag along for that?"

"You can if you want," Damon replied.

The two men stepped off the elevator and walked to the suite's door.

Kai was standing outside playing a game on his phone. He looked up when Zach and Damon approached. He said, "He is fall down drunk but he is in there."

Damon shook Kai's hand. "Thank you. You can get out of here."

The younger man nodded and headed for the elevator.

Zach knocked on the door.

A few moments later, Lilly opened the door. Her eyes widened in fear and she gathered her robe tighter. "Zacharias…"

He rolled his eyes. "I am here for my brother. Where is he?"

She moved to let them into the suite. Lilly said, "He is passed out on the sofa."

Damon walked into the suite and wrinkled his nose. "Just like old times, huh?"

Lilly looked down at her robe and closed the door. "Nothing happened between us, Damon. I was having a lazy Saturday when Alaric showed up. He was in bad shape. I couldn't just turn him away."

"Yeah," Damon replied skeptically. He picked up a pitcher of water from the coffee table and dumped it over Ric's head.

Ric sputtered as he woke up with a start. He blinked blearily at his nephew. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I just had a cheerful little visit from my wife," he sneered.

Ric's expression darkened. He slowly sat up on the couch and pulled off his soaked shirt. "I fucked up…"

"Understatement of the year!" Damon barked.

Zach looked at Lilly and said, "Give us the room."

She looked uncertain but ultimately disappeared into the bedroom.

Ric groaned and rubbed at his temples. He wondered if it was possible to have a hangover while still being drunk.

Zach sat down on the coffee table so that he could look Alaric in the eye. "What the fuck, Ric? You are roughing up women and scaring children. This isn't you."

He grumbled and reached for the half-empty bottle of vodka by the couch. He took a healthy swig and asked, "Who else would it be?"

Damon said, "This isn't a fucking joke to me, Ric! My daughter was terrified after your temper tantrum. She asked Bonnie if you were mean like Giuseppe was. Do you understand how far over the edge you have gone?"

Ric winced at the mention of his great-niece. He had not even considered the other children in the house. He had been too focused on his son. Ric had failed the boy in too many ways to count. At the top of the list, had to be refusing to put his name on Jamie's birth certificate. He muttered, "Shit. Are the kids okay?"

"What the fuck do you think?" Damon snapped.

Zach took the bottle of vodka out of his hands. "Enough of that. What started all of this? You have your demons but this isn't you, Ric."

The older man's shoulders slumped in obvious defeat. "Jo served me with divorce papers yesterday. Then last night Abby went out to coffee with Rudy of all people."

Zach was shocked that Jo decided to pull the trigger on divorcing his brother. However, he did not blame his sister-in-law for that decision. "I am sorry, Ric."

"I get Jo wanting to divorce me. I deserve it. I've been fucking around on her for years. I've got three kids from another relationship. I was going to tell Abby that we could finally be together and then I saw her with Rudy. I was tempted to kill that fucker on the spot but it was too public. I can't believe that she is even talking to that asshole. Abby hates him."

Damon said, "Bonnie told me that they struck a truce after Giuseppe hurt her. Rudy came stateside to keep her safe. Maybe he will leave in the coming weeks."

Ric glared, "Not fucking likely. It took some time but I found out he's working on some big drug deal with Klaus. He's not going to make a deal like that and then go back to London."

The younger man looked concerned. "Are you sure about that? Bonnie told me that Rudy was staying in town to help her with some business deal…"

Zach frowned because this didn't make sense to him. He interjected, "That can't be right. The Benedetto family has always made a point to stay out of the drug trade. It was an edict that came down from the original matriarch."

Ric agreed with his brother, "Abby told me that her great-grandmother said that drugs corrupted the soul and stripped away free will. She had seen the ravages of opium in the old days and wanted no part of it. There is no way that Abby would stand by while Bonnie walked that path. All I know is that Klaus and Rudy are meeting tonight at his club to finalize the deal."

The wheels in Damon's head began turning. He exclaimed, "Son of a bitch! Bonnie just told me that she was going clubbing for New Year's Eve. The last time my sweet wife was at Klaus' club she had John Gilbert whacked."

Ric laughed dryly, "The bastard is trying to move in on Abby and he's turning your wife into a drug dealer. I say we kill the fucker and cut our losses."

Damon rolled his eyes. "My wife is not so easily led. She certainly wouldn't be bamboozled by Rudy. No, if Bonnie is involved it is of her own volition."

"I am just trying to understand the angle," Zach added.

"She is probably looking for a foothold into the Mikaelson organization. She needs a way to solidify the alliance with them even if we are no longer together. Klaus is just out of prison and needs to reestablish his connections. He is about to become Elijah's second-in-command. He recently took over a huge swath of territory. We all know the Mikaelson organization has no qualms about moving drugs. Targeting him is the smart play," Damon observed.

Zach frowned. "Rudy's stay might not be temporary."