Damon frowned as he checked his watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. He was standing in a parking lot located about three blocks away from the warehouse where Oliver was holding Jamie hostage. Damon felt useless just standing around while others were mounting a rescue for a boy that shared his blood. When they arrived, Bonnie had reiterated her earlier warning. She had barred Damon and his organization from getting involved in the warehouse breach. The Benedettos and Lockwoods were running this operation jointly. They claimed that everything was under control and extra bodies would make the situation more chaotic.
He acknowledged that having opposing forces working together could cause problems. This was especially true when it came to deciding who was in charge of the situation. The Benedettos and Lockwoods knew how to work together seamlessly. They had over 30 years of trust and respect that would defuse any tense moments. Moreover, they all acknowledged that Bonnie was the boss. The final decision in any situation ultimately belonged to her. Not even Big John could override his young niece's decisions while in the United States. Damon wondered how Bonnie had gotten the members of her organization to respect her. It would surprise no one to learn that the mafia was rife with misogyny-it easily outpaced the high levels present in the general population.
The members of the Benedetto organization respected Sheila because she had earned it. Her mother, Miss Emily, had required her daughter to climb the ranks, as anyone else would have. She had spent years doing wetwork for the family and running her own crew. Sheila had expanded her organization's territory long before she ever became boss. Recently, Damon had learned from his great-uncles that Giuseppe had helped make that expansion possible. It left Damon to ponder if Sheila had ever loved his father. Perhaps he had been a mark from the very beginning. While he would not weep for his father, it also posed uncomfortable questions about his own marriage. Had the plan been for Bonnie to use Damon in the same way that Sheila had used Giuseppe? He couldn't help feeling as if he was missing a big piece to the puzzle.
Damon's mind circled back to what Bonnie could have possibly done to earn the respect of her people. He had listened to her fiery response to Oliver kidnapping her brother. He would concede that she certainly knew how to appeal to her family's bloodlust. Frankly, she had gotten his blood pumping, too. However, inspiring people wasn't the same as proving that you could crawl through the trenches with them. Damon had been doing wetwork for his family since he was a teenager. It was the only way to prove to those men that he was not a dilettante born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had shown them that he was as ruthless and calculating as his old man was. No matter how Damon rotated the circumstances in his mind, he just could not envision Bonnie doing the same thing.
Zacharias ended his phone call and walked over to Damon. He clapped a hand on his nephew's back and grimaced. He said, "I just talked to Zio Bruno…"
Damon frowned at his uncle. He could tell by the look on his face that he didn't have good news. Damon's blue eyes narrowed and he said, "Please, tell me that Ric isn't on his way here."
"No, they are keeping him confined to the study for now. I told Zio to shoot Ric somewhere fleshy if he tries to leave the house," Zach said in a serious voice.
The younger man nodded in agreement. "Better one of our uncles, than a member of Bonnie's family. Everyone is loaded for bear and tense as hell right now. They would definitely go for the killshot."
Zacharias was anxious to receive an update about his young nephew. He wanted to be able to give his brother some good news. Zach realized that Ric was on tenterhooks back at the manor. Unfortunately, the relationship with the Benedetto family was in a very precarious place. They could not afford for Ric to do something that would enrage Bonnie's family. Big John was already looking for a reason to end their alliance. It seemed that Bonnie was the only reason that the two families were still allies. Zacharias had a theory about the girl's true motivations, but he opted to keep it to himself for now. He couldn't gauge the reactions of his brother or nephew. Both men could become volatile when it came to matters of the heart.
"Can you blame them?" Zach asked.
Damon shook his head. He said, "Bonnie and Abby need better security around that house. I don't know how the fuck to bring that up without starting a major fight."
The older man huffed out a tired laugh. "It is going to be a tense conversation no matter when it happens. They don't trust our family…for good reason. My advice would be to broach the subject in a few days once the dust settles. We can offer to hire a private security firm for the job."
"It is probably better that way. Bonnie isn't going to agree if our guys are providing security. She would believe that they were reporting back to me," he conceded.
Zach chuckled quietly. He said, "They would be reporting back to you…"
"I have to find some way to get the upper hand in this situation, Zio. Bonnie has been pulling my strings for God knows how long," he muttered bitterly.
"Perhaps…but she obviously loved you, too."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
Zacharias lifted an eyebrow. "You are too fucking old for me to coddle you, Damon. I encouraged you on multiple occasions to treat that girl better. An arranged marriage is as good or bad as you make it. Meredith would not have been my first choice for a wife but I grew to love her. We made it work. You didn't try to make your marriage work because you didn't believe that you had to. Bonnie was your wife and she 'needed' you to protect her interests. Now you're playing catch up because Bonnie has demonstrated that she doesn't need you at all."
"Never did," he admitted with a heated glare.
Zach chuckled and said, "Bonnie stayed as long as she did because of her love for you. You have no one to blame but yourself."
Damon opened his mouth to reply but stopped short when he saw that Matt Donovan was approaching them. Matt was one of twenty Salvatore men that Zacharias had called to provide backup. Damon had agreed that he would not intervene unless it appeared that Bonnie and Jamie were in danger. Bonnie had not been thrilled with his demand but she agreed because it was the sensible thing to do. They had both been around the business long enough to know that even the best laid plans had the potential to go very wrong. She wasn't arrogant enough to put Jamie's life at risk.
"What's up?" he asked.
Matt said, "Bonnie wanted you to know that they took the warehouse without incident. She is ready to go over there now. She wants to know if you and Zach are riding with her…"
Damon was surprised that Bonnie was extending them an invitation to the warehouse. He had assumed that they would have to fight her tooth and nail. He glanced at his uncle and then nodded. "Yeah. We're going to ride with her. Make sure Senior keeps everyone in place until I say otherwise."
The younger man nodded and then jogged across the parking lot to where his grandfather stood.
Damon and Zach walked across the parking lot to the idling SUV. He noticed that Bonnie was talking on the phone but she still beckoned them into the car. Once inside, his eyes were drawn to the bulletproof vest that protected her chest and stomach. Damon was glad that she was taking safety precautions but it was just another reminder of how dangerous this situation was.
Bonnie ended the call and then looked at Cole in the rearview mirror. "We're ready to go, Cole."
He nodded and pulled out of the parking lot. He knew that she was anxious to see her brother in person. Bonnie had asked Cole to join them this afternoon for his medical expertise. He would provide medical support for anyone injured during the breach. He was also monitoring Bonnie's blood pressure. Everyone was concerned about how she and the twins were faring in this stressful situation. She complained every time he checked her blood pressure. The doctor wished that she wasn't so stubborn. However, Cole knew what he was getting into when he took Bonnie as a patient. He had known the girl her entire life and she had always been a handful.
Cole was also present for a more sinister reason. Bonnie wanted a trained physician on hand to make sure that Oliver lived until she had her fun with him. Cole rarely got his hands dirty but he always honored his duty to the Benedetto family. Fortunately, he trusted that Bonnie would not force him out of his comfort zone. She knew that he did not have the stomach for some of the bloodier aspects of the business. However, he also understood that Bonnie had to make an example out of Oliver and everyone that had been stupid enough to follow him. Someone making a move on the boss' family like this was unheard of in their world. Bonnie seemed certain that Oliver had only tried this because she was a woman.
Zacharias asked, "Did they have any trouble taking the warehouse?"
"Lucy said that there were a few minor scuffles but that everything is fine. Jamie is safe and none the wiser about what took place on the first floor," she explained.
Damon relaxed a little more. However, he wouldn't feel secure until he could evaluate the situation in person. He reached over and squeezed Bonnie's hand. "How are you feeling?"
"I am fine. I am just eager to see Jamie," she confessed.
In truth, Bonnie had been berating herself for allowing this to happen. She had been expecting some push back but nothing of this magnitude. Bonnie also came to the realization that she had been too lax about security. A larger estate was necessary now that she was the boss. Jamie wouldn't have been able to slip away from a place like the Salvatore Manor. Bonnie often felt like the Manor was a prison because it was in many ways. Security was always patrolling the grounds and monitoring the surveillance cameras. Bonnie could only do so much to secure Abby's house or even the beach house. She only hoped that her mother would be open to the idea of moving.
The young woman was certain that the Salvatores would offer to help with her security issues. However, accepting their help would come with strings attached. It would also make it easier for Damon to spy on Bonnie and her organization. Moreover, it would give her estranged husband justification to insinuate himself into her life. Bonnie wasn't grief stricken or enraged enough for him to pull the wool the over her eyes. She believed that Damon genuinely wanted to save Jamie. He cared for her little brother and Jamie was his first cousin. Besides, only a monster would stand by while a child was in danger. Nevertheless, Bonnie also recognized that he had ulterior motives. She had decided earlier to play the game for now because he might yet have some use.
They pulled into the warehouse parking lot moments later. Bonnie took a moment to survey her surroundings as she climbed out the car. The outside of the metal building gave away nothing about what was happening inside. It seemed that the breach had been as simple as Tyler had promised. Earlier, Brady and Tyler had allowed themselves to be discovered while casing the warehouse. They had quickly learned that there was a friend within the rogue group. Tyler and Brady took a calculated risk so that they could see the inside of the warehouse. They needed to know how many people were with Ollie and what sort of firepower was available. Bonnie planned to reward her boyfriend well for his heroism. They would just have to be mindful of his bruised ribs.
Damon climbed out of the car and follow Bonnie up to the warehouse. He rested a hand on the gun holstered on his hip out of habit.
Bonnie knocked on the warehouse's heavy metal door and waited for someone to answer.
Moment's later Lucy opened the door with a smile. She had a bloody nose but otherwise looked as healthy as always.
The younger woman frowned. "Who did that to your face?"
Lucy rolled her eyes and said, "Ronnie headbutted me like the little bitch that he is, but I am fine."
Bonnie asked, "How is everyone else doing?
Lucy said, "Everyone is alive and well...including Ollie and his crew. The six idiots are being held in the loading bay out of sight for now. We didn't want Jamie to have to see them as he leaves the warehouse. He's been through enough today."
"Glad to hear it," Bonnie replied. "Where is Jamie?"
"He's still upstairs in the office. Mason is keeping an eye on him for now," Lucy explained.
Bonnie nodded and walked into the warehouse. She said, "Give me your gun, Luce."
Lucy raised an eyebrow but handed her cousin the gun. She wondered what Bonnie had in mind. She knew that her cousin wouldn't show Oliver mercy by giving him a swift death.
Bonnie made sure the gun had a silencer on it. She had ordered everyone to use silencers since Jamie was present. Bonnie hadn't wanted the ordeal to be more terrifying for him. She marched through the warehouse and went straight to the loading bay. Their prisoners were all handcuffed to chairs.
Oliver growled, "Fucking Bitch! I should have killed you when I had the chance!"
Damon was ready to choke the life out of the son of a bitch. However, Tyler moved first.
Tyler punched Oliver in the face. "Shut the fuck up, Dumbass."
Bonnie laughed softly. "Let him yell into the wind, Ty. I like watching my prey struggle in the trap."
Brady chuckled in agreement.
Oliver spat blood onto the ground. "Fuck you, bitch! Did you really believe that anyone would follow you? You're a child...worse yet a woman. Sheila was respected but you...everyone is just waiting to see you fall on your face."
Damon gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe that this bastard was openly disrespecting Bonnie. He hadn't even allowed his uncle to speak to her that way. However, he noticed that no one else seemed concerned by Oliver's outbursts.
Richard chuckled darkly. He had watched this girl grow into a capable young woman. He knew how hot her blood boiled even when she maintained a mask of tranquility. Oliver would regret every insult he hurled at her.
Bonnie didn't even dignify Oliver's outburst with a response. Instead, she glanced at Lucy's gun for a long moment. Then she returned the gun to her cousin and removed a knife from her purse.
Lucy took Bonnie's purse because he knew what was about to happen.
The girl's green eyes narrowed as she walked behind Ronnie's chair. She grabbed his dark brown hair and wrenched his head back to expose his neck. Bonnie watched the way his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously.
Damon wondered what Bonnie was planning.
She pressed the knife against Ronnie's throat hard enough to draw blood.
Oliver swallowed thickly but he refused to plead for mercy.
Meanwhile, Ronnie was too afraid to speak.
She stared into Oliver's eyes with a small smirk. "If done properly someone can die quickly from having their throat cut. The trick is a very sharp knife to sever the jugular vein and carotid artery. The person bleeds out and it is all over in a matter of minutes. If not done properly, the person dies slowly as he chokes on his own blood. It is ghastly and a bit cruel if I am being honest. However, I have always enjoyed option number two. It is fascinating to watch someone die slowly. I mean you really see that last glimmer of hope in their eyes slowly burn out. I have to tell you it's almost as good as sex."
A few chuckles could be heard around the room.
Tyler lifted an eyebrow at Bonnie and smirked. He was glad that she said it was almost as good as sex. Otherwise he would be forced to step up his game in the bedroom.
Zacharias didn't know what to make of the young woman he saw in front of him. This was not the same girl that would crawl into Stefan's bed because she was afraid of the dark.
"Normally, I try to be as humane as possible. It is what my grandmother taught me. Grams always said that there was value in mercy." She paused for a moment and her eyes grew darker, "This is not one of those times."
Damon watched as Bonnie slowly slit Ronnie's throat. The precision of the cut spoke to her skill. He wondered how many lives his wife had taken this way. Blood rushed forth from the wound and the man began to struggle against the handcuffs.
Bonnie walked around and watched as Ronnie choked on his blood. There was no mistaking the terror in his eyes. Bonnie merely smiled as she watched his life slip away. It was as gruesome as she had promised.
The room was eerily silent as everyone stared at the scene before them. Oliver's face paled as he watched his friend die.
Damon and Zacharias exchanged a loaded look. Neither man had truly believed that Bonnie handled her family's wetwork personally. However, it seemed that they were both mistaken. Damon thought back to when Bonnie had threatened to dice Katherine into little pieces if anything happened to Tyler. He now understood that his wife would gladly do the carving personally.
Oliver swallowed thickly.
Bonnie grinned at the man as she handed Brady the knife. She cleaned the blood from her hands and said, "You don't need to worry, Oliver. You aren't going to die right now. I have something much better planned for you. I killed Ronnie right now because he was stupid enough to lay hands on my cousin and draw blood."
"Bonnie, I made a mistake."
She smiled at him. "Now I'm Bonnie? I was a stupid bitch just minutes ago. Keep that same energy, Ollie. I certainly will."
Damon studied the look on his wife's face. Gone was the hollow expression from Abby's house. Her green eyes sparkled with life. She was enjoying herself.
Bonnie looked at Richard and said, "You can cut Graham loose, Uncle Richie."
The older man nodded and freed Graham from his handcuffs.
Oliver was shocked. His eyes narrowed at his cousin. "You betrayed me, cugine?"
Graham scoffed. "I would have never come to the warehouse if I knew you had taken the boss' brother hostage. You are my blood but you went too far. Even Jacob would say that you have gone too far."
Oliver was fuming but a small part of him knew that Graham was right. He had acted recklessly by kidnapping Jamie. He didn't even have a real plan. "Jacob can't say anything because that bitch killed him!"
"The boss whacked Jacob because he betrayed her. You just had to go and up the ante you stupid fuck. I'm just glad that you didn't take me down with you," he raged.
"You're free to go, Graham," she said.
He turned to Bonnie and kissed her hand. He said, "Thank you."
Bonnie turned on her heels and said, "Come with me, Cole. I want you to get a look at Jamie before we send him home to my mother."
Cole stepped around the blood pooling on the floor and followed Bonnie.
Damon asked, "Can I join you? I'd like to be able to tell Ric that I saw his son with my own eyes."
Zach cleared his throat and said, "I'd like to see my nephew, too."
"Okay," she agreed. Bonnie figured it was the least that she could do. Zacharias had showed up with twenty Salvatore soldiers. Their help was not needed but she appreciated it all the same.
She trudged up the metal staircase and walked into the office.
Mason was sitting on the desk speaking quietly to Jamie. His hand rested on the boy's shoulder.
Jamie wasn't injured but he looked scared. However, his expression changed when Bonnie walked into the office. He breathed, "Sissy…"
Bonnie was across the room in seconds. She pulled Jamie into her arms and peppered his face with kisses. Then she squeezed him as tight as she dared. "We have been so worried about you."
"I'm sorry," he whispered sincerely.
"What were you thinking...running off like that?" Bonnie asked as tears filled her eyes.
Jamie hugged Bonnie tighter. He hated seeing his older sister cry. He said, "I just...I was so mad. I wanted to do something but I didn't know what to do. I don't know how to protect Mama. I can't even protect myself."
Bonnie pulled back and cradled Jamie's face in both her hands. "You don't need to worry about protecting Mama. I will protect her. I promise. It's my job to protect all of you. I am so sorry that I haven't done a very good job of that lately."
Zacharias felt the urge to kick the shit out of his older brother.
Damon cleared his throat. "We're all glad that you are safe, Jamie."
The boy realized for the first time that Bonnie wasn't alone. He clung to his sister tighter if possible. He asked, "Is Ric with you?"
Damon inched closer and shook his head. "No, Ric is going to keep his distance for awhile. He knows how badly he messed up. He's sorry for scaring you."
"He was going to hurt my mama," Jamie said.
Zach really wished that he could tell the boy that Ric wouldn't do that. However, his brother had admitted just how close he had come to doing something unforgivable.
Bonnie kissed the top of Jamie's head despite the fact he was nearly her height. She said, "You don't worry about him. Sometimes adults make mistakes but Mama is safe. She's at home right now waiting on you. She misses you so much, Jamie."
"I missed her, too. I didn't know if they were gonna let me go," Jamie whispered to his sister.
She felt her heart break a little more. She wiped away his tears. "Did they treat you okay?"
He shrugged.
Bonnie searched his eyes. "Tell me the truth, Jamie. I need to know if anyone hurt you."
"Ollie hurt my arm and he said mean stuff about you. But Graham was really nice. He ordered a pizza and let me watch TV."
She saw red upon hearing that Oliver had hurt her brother's arm. Bonnie smiled to put him at ease. "Why don't you sit down? Cole is with me. He can take a look at your arm."
Cole asked, "Can I have the room? I'd really like the chance to talk to Jamie. And he's going to need to take off his shirt."
Bonnie balked at the idea. "Everyone else can leave but I am staying."
Jamie looked sheepish. "I don't wanna take off my shirt in front of everyone."
Mason chuckled softly and said, "He's not a little boy anymore, Bon. We should give him a little privacy."
She frowned but sighed deeply. Bonnie remembered when she grew to the age where she didn't like changing clothes in front of her grandmother. Her body had been maturing and she felt self-conscience about it. She said, "I will be just outside. You just say the word and I will come back in. Okay?"
Jamie nodded.
Bonnie left the office and slowly exhaled. She couldn't believe Ollie had the audacity to hurt her brother. He was a bigger idiot than she originally thought. She was going to take an uncomfortable amount of pleasure from what came next.
Damon placed a hand on Bonnie's arm. "Are you okay?"
Zacharias was practically fuming. Things were going to have to change. His nephew could have been murdered today and he barely knew him. Zach vowed to change that situation.
Bonnie looked to Mason. "Go break Ollie's fucking arm for me, Mase."
Mason smiled at her. "Gladly."
She glanced at her estranged husband. "I feel a little better now."
Damon had to admit the thought of that prick with a broken arm certainly made him feel better, too. "What now?"
Bonnie said, "I am going to have Mason and Cristian take Jamie home."
"I meant what are you going to do about Oliver and his crew…"
"That's not really your concern, Damon. Jamie is safe. As you can see, I'm no worse for wear. I believe that this is where we part ways for the evening," she replied calmly.
Damon noted the hard set to his wife's jaw. However, he would not be so easily deterred. "Bunny…"
Bonnie cut off whatever pandering response Damon was about to spout at her. She snapped, "My family has a debt to settle. It will be bloody and it is best we handle it without outsiders present."
His blue eyes narrowed when his wife reminded him that their families were separate. It seemed as if she didn't care that their families were connected through blood, marriage, and business. The Benedetto family had been constructing a wall between their organizations for years. However, Damon had no intention of letting it continue that way. Bonnie was his wife and mother of his children. Her half-siblings were his first cousins. They were family whether she liked it or not. This day had shown Damon that repairing the relationship between the families had to be a priority.
"Yours is not the only family owed a debt. Whatever the state of Ric and Abby's relationship, Jamie is my blood. He is a Salvatore as much as he is a Benedetto. I want to see justice served."
Bonnie's eyes flashed dangerously. She said, "Jamie is a Benedetto. If Ric wanted some claim over his first born son, he should have sacked up and put his name on the fucking birth certificate."
Damon's jaw clenched in response. "I think we can agree that Ric took the coward's way out. I would never deny my own flesh and blood the way that he did. However, I would say that Ric is paying for his mistake now."
"My brother is the only one truly paying for the way his parents handled everything. Ric seemed more distraught about Mama's involvement with my father than he is about his son's pain. In fact, the tantrum he threw yesterday only added to Jamie's pain. Or didn't you hear him say why he left the house on his own today?"
Zach stepped forward to intervene before Damon and Bonnie dug their heels in any further. They both had valid points but neither seemed willing to concede any ground. He said, "I heard what Jamie said and it made me sick to my stomach, Bonnie. I never want my nephew to ever be in that position again. We will ship Ric to rehab if it becomes necessary."
Bonnie felt like lashing out but Zacharias was being so damn reasonable. She couldn't dismiss him because she felt the sincerity in his words. She grudgingly replied, "Thank you."
"It is the least that we can do. It should have never gotten this far. I don't know what is going on in my brother's head but he is our responsibility. We will sort him out. However, I am asking that you put yourself in our position. If the shoe were on the other foot, I can't imagine that your family would relish being shut out," he opined.
She stopped just short of sighing. She wanted to be a hardass and send the Salvatore family packing. However, she knew her family would be raising hell if the roles were reversed. The Benedettos wouldn't trust anyone else to dole out adequate punishment. "What exactly are you asking for?"
Damon suppressed a smirk. He didn't want to rile up Bonnie again. His uncle was certainly worth his weight in gold. Zach had a way of putting people at ease. Besides, Bonnie didn't harbor any animosity against his uncle. Damon knew that his misdeeds were never far from the surface whenever they interacted.
Zacharias explained, "We only want to be present to see that justice is done. I want to be able to tell Ric that I watched the man that kidnapped his son take his last breath. We have no interest in interfering with your affairs. Damon, Angelo, and I would observe and then go our own way once the deed is done."
Bonnie considered rejecting Zach's request...afterall it was only a request. She was under no obligation to accommodate the Salvatores anymore than she already had today. Nevertheless, being inflexible in the moment would be unwise. It would cost her nothing to allow them to observe. Moreover, Bonnie could remind Damon of her benevolence at a later date. She feigned a friendly smile and kissed Zach's cheek. "I think that is reasonable enough, Zio. Although, I would warn you that Oliver has a long night ahead of him. I will not allow him to go easily."
"Nor should you," Zacharias agreed.
She patted his hand. "I will have Uncle Richie give you the address to the safe house."
Cole stepped out the office and beckoned Bonnie forward.
Bonnie slipped past the two Salvatores and asked, "How is he?"
He said, "Jamie has some mild bruising on his upper arm. Other than that, he is in good health. Emotionally...he is a little shaky. I am not exactly sure what he overheard while he was held here. However, he had some questions that I didn't feel comfortable answering."
Bonnie couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her hand sought out the Saint Christopher's medal. "What sort of questions?"
Cole squeezed Bonnie's arm. "I promised that I wouldn't tell you what Jamie asked. But I think maybe you and Abby should sit him down later."
She sucked in a deep breath and nodded. Bonnie wanted to demand answers from Cole. However, she had been in Jamie's position before. She had been offered confidentiality and then the counselor promptly told Grams everything. The move had broken Bonnie's trust and she had never confided in the woman again. Bonnie wouldn't violate her brother's trust that way. "Thank you, Cole."
"Anytime...you know that," he replied softly.
Bonnie looked over her shoulder at Damon and Zach. "I would like to speak to my brother alone."
Damon nodded. "Of course, Bunny…"
She slipped into the office and closed the door. She smiled at Jamie. "Hey, kiddo."
Jamie returned his sister's smile. He rushed across the room and hugged her. "Are you mad?"
"Why would I be mad?" she asked while tightening her arms around him.
"Because I wanted to talk to Cole alone…"
She smiled and said, "Nah. You're old enough to see a doctor alone. Mason was right...you're not a baby anymore. How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay," he said. "When can I see Mama?"
Bonnie smoothed his curly hair away from his face. "Mason and Cristian are going to take you home soon."
"You're not coming with us?" he asked with wide eyes. He sounded almost panicked.
She shook her head. "I have some stuff that I need to do but I will be home later. I promise."
"Please, I don't want to go home without you. Something bad might happen," he begged.
Bonnie looked at the unshed tears in his hazel eyes. She swallowed thickly and relented. Bonnie knew that her people could carry on without her presence. Besides, Oliver would be the last to die. She would join everyone at the safehouse once Jamie was settled. "Okay. I will go home with you."
Jamie murmured, "Thank you, Sissy."
"I love you,"she whispered into his hair.
"I love you, too," he replied.
Bonnie tried to stifle the urge to cry. Jamie was still clinging to her as if he was afraid to let go. Bonnie wished that he was smaller so that she could hold him. She tensed when Jamie's body shuddered as he began crying in silence.
She whispered, "It's okay. I am here. Everything is going to be okay."
Bonnie began humming Amazing Grace. Sheila would sing that song whenever she was scared or had trouble sleeping. It had comforted her more than anything else did. She hoped that it would do the same for Jamie.
Damon opened the door but didn't walk into the office. He watched as Bonnie swayed and hummed to comfort her brother. He slowly backed out of the office to avoid disturbing them.