Bonnie was barely holding it together. She was terrified of Jamie being in serious danger. These were uncertain times and her enemies were many. Jamie had left the house under his own power but anyone could snatch him off the street. What wouldn't she give to ensure her brother's safe return? She adored her little brother and had from the first time she held him. Bonnie had always wanted siblings because being an only child was lonely. Jamie hadn't fully filled the hole in her life since he lived with Abby. However, it didn't stop her from bonding with her little brother whenever they were together. She had watched him grow from an infant to a teen. Bonnie didn't want to consider what evil she would have to commit if anyone harmed as much as a hair on Jamie's head. Worse yet, Bonnie knew that she would enjoy it.
She wore a pensive expression while listening to Richard, Mason, and Gianni speak. The three men had taken responsibility for the search for Jamie. Cesare had given marching orders to the contingent of loyal Benedetto soldiers that had accompanied Big John to California. Her uncle was always well protected now that he had reached an advanced age. John was far too old to fight off an assassination attempt successfully. He had already made the decision to retire in the coming year. His eldest son, Gianni, would succeed him as head of the family. John's second born child, Giada, would become the family's consigliere.
Bonnie held onto the Saint Christopher's medal around her neck. Her family was doing everything humanly possible to locate Jamie but it wasn't good enough. Her brother had been missing for hours and there was no sign of him. Jamie was still a child. It wasn't as if he was capable of vanishing into thin air without help. Then again it was folly to ever underestimate a Benedetto. They were all stubborn and at times too clever for their own good. Bonnie assigned some blame in all of this to her mother. Abby had sheltered Jamie from the business all his life. He didn't realize what dangers could be waiting on him. Abby should have explained the perils of their life after moving to California to be closer to Alaric.
The young woman wouldn't dare speak those words to her mother now. Abby was understably distraught. Geneva and Big John were trying to keep her calm for the sake of the other children. Lexi had all the children upstairs in the master bedroom. They were watching movies to keep well away from the fray. Many men and women loyal to the Benedetto family were coming in and out of the house. Some came with updates on the search. Others came to offer their services and support. Bonnie was proud to see her organization rally around her family without being ordered to do so. Even the moles still hidden within the ranks of the Salvatore organization had reached out to offer assistance.
Abby had searched her son's room and found that his Christmas money was missing. Bonnie didn't want to think about why he had taken several hundred dollars with him. It also increased the number of places he could be. Maybe Jamie took a cab to one of his favorite hangouts. Perhaps he had gone to visit a friend that Abby didn't know about. Jamie was a popular kid at school and had dozens of friends that he talked to regularly. Gemma was running down all the contacts in Jamie's phone. Thus far, everyone they reached had been a bust.
Lucy walked into the room. She went straight to Bonnie and leaned down to speak into her ear. "Damon is here. He wants to talk to you."
Bonnie was in no mood to see her estranged husband. She didn't have any civility to spare right now. However, she knew there was a chance that Damon was there to offer his help. Zacharias had already spoken to Abby to confirm Jamie's disappearance. Bonnie wouldn't reject anyone's help at the moment. Frankly, she was tempted to call Klaus. Having a few Mikaelson eyes on the lookout wouldn't be the worst idea, but she didn't want to ask for too much in their newly formed alliance. Nevertheless, she could change her mind if Jamie was missing for much longer. She took a deep breath and stood up.
She looked at the men and said, "Continue without me for a few minutes. Damon is here. I want to see if he has anything useful to offer."
Cesare scoffed from his position on the couch but he did not say anything more. Everyone in the office shared the same opinion of the Salvatore family.
Bonnie nodded at her cousin and then followed Lucy out of the office. They walked into the living room where Damon was waiting with Victor. "Hi, Damon."
Damon left Victor sitting on the couch and crossed the room to greet Bonnie. He was struck by the expression on his wife's face. Bonnie's lips were smiling but her eyes were another story. The green gems that he had fallen in love with were devoid of any emotion. It sent a chill down his spine. The he noticed the Glock holstered on her hip. "I came as soon as Zacharias called me. We've got our guys looking for Jamie, too. Is there anything else I can do to help?"
Bonnie said, "Thank you for helping with the search, Damon. We can use as many eyes as we can. I just don't understand what Jamie was thinking by leaving without telling anyone. Mama says he's never done this before."
Damon nodded. Bonnie's voice had the right emotional tenor but she still seemed so cold. The contradiction was unnerving. He said, "Well, the kid has been on one hell of a rollercoaster ride lately. He probably just wanted to get some alone time. I'm sure it is hard to find that in a house packed with concerned relatives."
"You are right. We wouldn't be in such a panic if Jamie had taken his phone with him. At least then we could track his movements. We're flying blind right now," she replied.
Damon realized that he couldn't take Sarah and abandon Bonnie while she was in need. He took her hand and said, "We'll find him, Bonnie. Do you mind if I stick around? He's my family, too."
Bonnie was surprised that Damon cared enough about Jamie to stay. She nodded. "Your uncle isn't welcome here. Not now...everyone is already on edge. One misstep and I won't be able to talk everyone down."
He looked pointedly at the gun holstered on her hip. "I understand. He's still at home with my great-uncles. I made sure of that on my way over here. Zach will keep him updated on the search for Jamie."
"Thank you."
Damon nodded. He said, "I am going to get on the phone and see what I can find out."
Bonnie smiled at him. "You can take Victor upstairs if you want. The other kids are up there watching movies. He'd probably like that better than being stuck down here."
"That'd be great actually."
Lucy said, "I'll show you the way."
He picked up Victor and followed Lucy upstairs to the master bedroom. Damon hadn't realized that Lexi and Cesare's kids would be there, too.
Sarah smiled when she saw Damon. She rushed over. "Hi, Daddy!"
He returned her smile. He was glad to see that she wasn't upset. He said, "Hi, bambolina. Can you do a favor for me?"
She nodded.
"Can you look after Victor for me?"
"Okay, Daddy. I'll take good care of him. I promise."
Damon kissed the top of her head and then placed Victor on the floor. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."
Sarah took Victor's hand. "Come on. We're watchin Despicable Me."
Victor toddled after Sarah. The pair sat down on one of the bean bag chairs spread around the room.
Damon nodded at Lexi in greeting and then followed Lucy back downstairs.
Lucy answered her phone when it started ringing. She walked out of the room as she talked to the caller.
Damon was prepared to go outside to make his call but stopped upon seeing Bonnie. She seemed to be staring at absolutely nothing. Damon sat on the couch and took her hand. "Bunny…"
Bonnie snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Damon. She blinked a couple times and asked, "Yes?"
"I know this is going to sound ridiculous but you have to relax. All of this stress isn't good for the babies. You won't be doing Abby or Jamie any good if you wind up in the hospital," he said in a soothing voice.
She heaved a tired sigh and nodded. "You're right. But everytime I sit still for too long I started thinking about the worst case scenarios."
"Don't do that to yourself," he murmured. Damon rubbed Bonnie's back.
Bonnie said, "I can't help it, Damon. Maybe my brother is safe and having the time of his life. Or maybe one of my enemies snatched him up as a way to get back at me."
"Can you think of any likely suspects?"
She huffed out a bitter laugh. "If I had a suspect in mind, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you. There have been some minor conflicts but nothing that would rise to the occasion of taking my little brother. I have outmaneuvered a few people on some business deals."
Damon puzzled over it, "Kidnapping Jamie would be a severe overreaction to losing out on a business deal. The blowback wouldn't be worth it. Well, Zach is looking into our enemies, too. Jamie might have mentioned to friends that Ric was his old man."
Bonnie froze. "I hadn't thought about that. But I would know if anyone had that sort of beef with your organization. The only people that want Ric dead are in this house."
He huffed out a surprised laugh. "Don't hold back, Bunny."
"Now isn't the time for hand holding or niceties. You know my uncle would whack yours if I wasn't standing in the way."
"Thank you for standing in the way. Ric is a son of a bitch but he's my uncle and I love him," he replied with a pained expression.
She nodded. "I get it. By all rights, my grandmother should have whacked my old man. She left him alive for me. She didn't want my father's blood on her hands. I feel the same way about my siblings. For better or worse, Ric is their father. Besides, he isn't always a gaping asshole."
Damon chuckled. "That is a vivid description but fairly accurate lately."
Gemma walked into the room and shook her head. "I've contacted every person in Jamie's phone. No one has seen or heard from him today. I'm sorry, cugin."
She smiled sadly. "I knew it was a long shot, Gem."
Gemma said, "Abby gave me a list of places in L.A. that Jamie likes. I am going to ride out there with Cesare and see if we can find him."
"Thank you," Bonnie replied.
Gemma nodded and said, "Continua a sperare…"
"Lo faro," Bonnie said.
Gemma ducked out the room to tell Cesare it was time to go.
Damon had noticed that Bonnie spoke more Italian around her family. He was the same way. It seemed natural to slip into his family's native tongue when they were all together. He asked, "Can I get you anything?"
Bonnie shook her head. "No, I'm as well as I can be. You don't need to worry about the babies, Damon. Cole knows what is happening. He sent one of his nurses over to check my blood pressure. I am handling the stress remarkably. She will return in a few hours to give me another check-up."
Damon relaxed somewhat. "I am glad that you thought to call Cole. Better to be safe than sorry where your health is concerned."
Bonnie nodded. "Actually, Tyler is the one that called Cole. He was worried about me. I've had something of a one track mind since Jamie has been missing."
His jaw clenched in response.
She chuckled quietly. "You're going to have to get used to Tyler being around, Damon. Even if we aren't dating, he will always be part of my life."
He hoped Elena would help him change that. It wasn't enough to break up the relationship, he needed to crack the very foundation of their friendship. Damon would never win Bonnie back if Tyler was in her ear. The opposition from her family would be a big enough obstacle.
Damon's eyes moved to the Saint Christopher's medal hanging around her neck. "Yes, I see that."
Bonnie looked down and realized what had caught his attention. Her eyes narrowed a little. "Let me guess, Stefan is the one that told you that Tyler gave this to me."
"Don't be mad at Stefan for that. I was trying to figure out how serious you were about Tyler and vice versa. He explained the importance of that Saint Christopher's medal. That is a very special family heirloom."
"It is," she agreed. "I couldn't believe that Tyler was willing to part with it. He gave it to me the night that Giuseppe attacked me. Tyler was the first place I went after I left the Manor. It was the only place in California I felt safe."
Damon couldn't have felt smaller if he tried. His wife had been wounded and terrified. She knew that he was staying at the Rischard with Katherine. However, she had turned to her best friend for safety. It really put everything into perspective. It wasn't just that Bonnie loved Tyler. He was her safe place. "I'm sorry you felt that you couldn't come to me."
Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. "Water under the bridge as far as I am concerned."
Damon smiled wryly. "That doesn't feel true. You want to get along with me but I can tell that you haven't forgiven me."
"And I will never forgive you. Forgiveness is not in my nature...vengeance is. You hurt me for four years. You don't want to know the things I'd have to do to you in order to feel vindicated," she said in a matter of fact way.
He was taken aback by Bonnie's response. He was reminded of the time that Tyler had said the same thing. The boy certainly knew Bonnie well. He asked, "What would it take? Territory? Money?"
"I have plenty of territory and money. The only way I would ever be made whole is with blood. Sangue per sangue. Dolore per il dolore."
Damon repeated, "Blood for blood and pain for pain?"
"Money and territory are petty things, Damon. These things I have taken are things that already belonged to me. The things you have will one day belong to our son. There is nothing you have that I do not have or will not have one day. The only way for the slate to ever be clean would be for you to bleed for me," she replied easily.
The older man looked at his wife somewhere between awe and disbelief. How did he sleep beside this woman every night and not truly see her? He had been blind to her pain, suffering, and simmering rage.
She smiled and patted his hand. "Better that we are friends and co-parents, Damon. You would not want to pay the price to have my heart again."
Damon swallowed thickly. He chuckled and asked, "How much blood are we talking?"
"More than you have to give."
Damon believed her but he wasn't deterred. Bonnie's heart wasn't as hard as she wanted it to be. He looked at the album on her lap. "What do you have there?"
"Mama dug out the albums earlier. She wanted to find some baby pictures of me for the baby books she's making for the twins. I was going to ask you for a couple pictures of you, too."
Damon asked, "Can I take a look?"
Bonnie nodded and handed him the album.
Damon flipped through the pages with a smile. Many of the moments captured were with the Salvatore family.
"Grams must have sent Mama hundreds of pictures over the years. She kept them all. This is one of a dozen albums dedicated to me."
"She's always loved you," he replied.
Bonnie smiled a little. "I used to doubt it."
He spotted a picture of Bonnie and Stefan. "I would recognize my brother's brooding expression anywhere. He loved you from the moment Abby brought you for a visit. He always wanted to hold you and give you kisses. You were just as bad once you were mobile. You would follow Stefan everywhere like a second shadow."
"Stefan was one of my first friends. I love him."
"He misses you. Caroline does,too," he admitted.
She sighed softly. "I miss them, too."
Damon said, "I don't want what's happening between us to affect your relationship with Stefan and Caroline. They shouldn't be punished or given the cold shoulder because I'm an asshole."
"This distance isn't intentional. I have just been busy lately. I am sure things will calm down soon. I plan to spend time with them," she promised.
Suddenly, the front door opened loudly. Tyler and Brady staggered into the living room moment's later. They both looked beat to hell and she could smell gun powder on them.
Bonnie's eyes widened and she was on her feet moments later. She went to Tyler first because he had obviously taken the worst of it. Bonnie cradled his bloody face in her hands. "What happened?"
Cristian walked into the room and bellowed. "Everyone get down here!"
"We followed a hunch. We know who took Jamie," Brady said in a hardened voice.
Bonnie felt her heart drop. This was her worst nightmare come to life. She asked, "Who did this? Who took my brother?"
Tyler steered Bonnie to the couch. He was worried for her health despite his own injuries. Tyler was certain that he had a couple fractured ribs. He said, "I was watching the surveillance from the last couple days. I wanted to see if there were any cars watching the house. I spotted a sedan down the block a few times. I got a look at the driver and recognized him as being from Jacob Molinari's crew."
Bonnie instantly thought back to when she had killed the man in a room full of people. He deserved death for his betrayal but now she would have to face the consequences.
All the adults, except for Lexi piled into the room to hear what Tyler and Brady had to say.
Abby was sobbing against Big John's shoulder. In her heart, she'd known that Jamie was in danger. However, hearing the truth destroyed her.
"Brady and I went to check it out and got this for our trouble. Jacob's brother has Jamie. He wants the crew's walking papers for Jamie's life," Tyler explained.
Brady said, "Oliver is a stupid prick that is in over his head. He kidnapped Jamie as a spur of the moment thing. He saw Jamie leave the house alone and followed him for a few blocks. Now he's running scared. He just wants to get a deal done. He realizes that he's fucked up."
Abby wailed when she heard the news.
Big John looked at his son. "Take her upstairs."
"No, I'm not leaving!" Abby spat angrily. "I want them all dead. Do you hear me, Bonnie? Morto!"
"Yes, Mama," Bonnie replied softly. She felt a fire burning deep within her.
Gianni walked over to Abby and pulled her into a hug. He whispered soothing words in her ear.
Tyler squeezed Bonnie's hand. "Jamie was okay when I saw him, Bonnie. Not a bruise on him. They want to meet at the warehouse, you know the one, in an hour."
Damon asked, "Why would he take such drastic measures? This feels like overkill."
Bonnie laughed bitterly. "Because this isn't about breaking away from the family. I killed his brother. This is Ollie's way of getting back at me. Fucking coward. He targets a child instead of coming at me head on! I severed his brother's carotid artery for being a traitor but I am going to take Ollie's head right off his fucking shoulders! That will be after I kill every last son of a bitch that was stupid enough to join him. I promised that the next person that betrayed me would pray for something as sweet as death and I fucking meant it. It is time to show them that I am a woman of my word. I want to crush that entire family. Do hear me, Uncle Richie. You leave them fucking penniless!"
Richard was seething with anger. Not only because his son and brother had been injured by these mongrels, but because they had moved against Bonnie in such a cowardly way. He walked over to the couch and pressed a kiss to her cheek. He swore, "When I am done there won't even be a pot for them to piss in."
Bonnie said, "Get eyes on that fucking warehouse. I want our best guys ready to move at a moment's notice. Get the place we used for our other friend ready. I am going to take my time with Ollie and his sycophants. I don't want to be disturbed."
Richie's eyes darkened because he knew exactly what she was asking. "It will be done within the hour."
Bonnie said, "You are the best, but are you well enough to participate, Brady?"
Brady gave a crooked smile, "I am ready, willing, and able to take them all apart limb by limb."
Maurizio said, "I am going, too."
Gemma nodded. "Me, too. I haven't had the pleasure lately. It's one of the drawbacks of being upper management but I can't wait to get bloody."
"Nor can I," Bonnie replied. She looked at Lucy. "Call my father. He wants to prove his loyalty to me. He does it today!"
Lucy nodded.
Bonnie got to her feet and walked over to Abby.
Everyone began breaking apart to start their preparations.
Abby hugged her daughter fiercely.
"I'm sorry, Mama. I will make this right."
Abby took her daughter's face in her hands. "You have nothing to apologize for. These savages took a little boy to force your hand. You make them suffer. Do you hear me? You do what Zia Fiammetta taught you...what she taught all of us."
Bonnie kissed her mother's cheek. "It will be done, Mama."
John said, "Take her upstairs now, Gianni."
Bonnie shook her head. "Take her to my room. I don't want to disturb the children."
Gianni guided Abby out of the room.
Bonnie turned to Tyler. "You need to get over to Cole's place so that he can patch you up."
He shook his head. "I'm fine, Bon. My place is with you."
She took his hand. "I need you with me and that can't happen if you keel over. I need to know that you are okay. I also need Brady in top form."
Tyler sighed. He pecked her lips and said, "Getting Brady to go along with this will be easier said than done."
"Take Lucy with you. She can be persuasive," Bonnie replied with a half-smile.
Tyler nodded. He glanced at Damon and then walked out the room.
Damon was glad that the room had cleared out because he needed to speak to his wife. However, he didn't enjoy seeing Tyler kiss Bonnie. He asked, "Are you actually planning on going to the warehouse?"
Bonnie turned to look at Damon. She had almost forgotten that he was there. She was blinded by her rage. Her brother was being held by people that had very little to lose. She said, "Yes, I am going to the warehouse. I am the boss of this family and they have kidnapped my brother."
"I don't want to be that guy, but you're pregnant," he pointed out the obvious.
She rested a hand on her baby bump and said, "No shit, Sherlock. Those sons of bitches kidnapped my brother. If you were in my position, there is no way that you would sit this out."
"The difference is that you are taking my children into what could be a trap. I wouldn't be happy about you risking your own life, but I won't stand by and watch you risk the lives of our children."
Bonnie said, "First, you don't run shit here, Damon Salvatore. Second, I have protected myself and the lives growing inside of me better than you ever have. Third, I am not a moron. I am not going to walk into a trap. I will stay back until the warehouse has been secured by my people. But I will deal with Ollie personally because it is the only way. I stood in front of my people and promised to rain hellfire down on the next person that dared betray me. This motherfucker responds by kidnapping my brother. If there are any people left in this organization that doubt me, I will turn them into believers today."
"Then I am coming with you and I am bringing some of my people with me."
She shrugged her shoulders. "Just don't get in my way, Damon. I won't warn you a second time."
He held up his hands in mock surrender. "You won't hear a word out of me. I'll just be there for back up."
Bonnie nodded. She said, "Okay."
Damon walked over to Bonnie and hugged her. "We'll get him home safely."
She huffed out a bitter laugh. "Jamie has been put through the wringer because of his parents' fucked up relationship. Now he was kidnapped because of his sister's business dealings. I would be surprised if he ever spoke to me again."
Damon tucked a strand of hair behind Bonnie's ear. "This is our reality, Bunny. He was going to learn the truth sooner or later. Jamie's been living his life like a civilian. Now he knows that isn't the case. You and Stefan learned that at a young age. You both nearly died while playing outside a church."
Bonnie's breath got caught in her throat. Damon had invoked a tragedy that her family still mourned. The day that Paul and Alonzo were killed was still the darkest day in her family's storied history. Bonnie's early memories were hazy but she remembered that day. She remembered being covered in her uncle's blood. She remembered feeling suffocated under the weight of Paul's body as he shielded her from the gunfire. Bonnie's hand hesitantly went to the back of her head. She still had a scar on her scalp from her head bouncing off the cobblestone street.
Damon watched her carefully.
Bonnie's hand fell to her side. "Mama wanted to protect him from all of this. In a way, I wanted that for him, too."
He said, "I had a similar conversation with Stefan about a month ago. I tried so hard to protect him from all the bad shit in our lives, but he saw it all anyway. Stefan was smart. Jamie is smart, too. How did Sheila tell you about all this?"
Bonnie chuckled sadly. "I found a dead body in our house."
"Shit." He asked, "Are you being serious right now?"
She nodded.
"Shit," he reiterated. "How old were you?"
"Not much older than Jamie is now," she replied.
Lucy walked into the room. She scowled at the closeness of Bonnie and Damon but didn't speak on it. She said, "Brady is being a pain in the ass. I'm going to drive him and Tyler over to Cole's place. I figured I could raid his cabinets for some goodies."
Bonnie hugged her cousin. "Thank you. I figured you'd be able to talk sense into him. Grab some epinephrine while you are there."
Lucy grinned. "Great minds think alike."
The younger woman said, "I should go check on, Mama."
"She needs you right now," Lucy agreed.
Damon watched Bonnie leave the room.
Lucy pointed at Damon. "Don't you dare make a move on Bonnie while she is this vulnerable. Once she is thinking clearly, she will feel like you played her."
"I'm just offering support. Jamie is my family, too."
"You heard what I said, Damon. Listen to me now, believe me later," she replied and stalked out of the room.
Damon didn't intend to listen to Lucy. If he could use this situation to get his foot in the door, then he would do it.
Lucy said, "Move your ass, Brady!"