It hadn't been easy for Bonnie to choose two people to take to the meeting with Elijah and Damon. Her family, both blood and otherwise, didn't trust the Mikaelsons or the Salvatores. However, everyone could agree that the violence visited upon them last night came from outside forces. Elijah could be a cold bastard but he would have never put one of his own brothers in an assassin's crosshairs just to avoid suspicion. Likewise, Damon would be foolish to arrange a drive by shooting to kill Tyler when they were standing next to each other. He certainly wouldn't have sanctioned the use of firearms with such a wide spray pattern. Damon had been lucky to escape the ordeal with only a few cuts from broken glass.

It would surprise no one to know that Tyler wanted to accompany Bonnie. He was still worried about her emotional state. He knew better than most that Bonnie was still in a odd place even after making peace with Damon. However, Tyler knew that he didn't hold a high enough position in the organization to warrant an invitation. Moreover, he was in more pain than he was willing to admit. Ultimately, Bonnie chose Richard and Mason to accompany her. Richard was her consigliere and he had a long history of dealing with both the Salvatore and Mikaelson organizations. Meanwhile, Mason was Bonnie's underboss and he knew the Salvatore organization like the back of his hand. Alaric had been training him to be his eventual replacement.

The meeting was being held at the same restaurant where Bonnie and Elijah had met just yesterday. He had worked out a deal with the owner to close the restaurant to the public for two hours. It gave them enough time to sweep the location for security threats and listening devices. The kitchen staff prepared a modest breakfast buffet and then vacated the restaurant for the duration of the meeting. Guards from their organizations were protecting the building from outside. Elijah wasn't leaving anything to chance. He knew that law enforcement would be watching all three organizations closely for more bloodshed.

In the private dining area, several tables had been pushed together to create one large seating area. Damon had opted to bring Zacharias and Stefan. He would have liked Alaric to be there but he had gotten blackout drunk after leaving the manor. He was just grateful to know that the alcoholic bastard was safe. Ric was being guarded by loyal Salvatore soldiers while he slept off his drunkenness in Lilly's suite. However, that didn't mean Damon was happy that his uncle kept seeking comfort from his estranged mother. Ric kept claiming it was platonic but his nephew knew better. At the end of the day, Ric was a man and worse yet a Salvatore. They took comfort in booze and sex. Ric could get booze anywhere so there was only one explanation for his insistence on seeing Lilly.

Elijah had chosen to bring Vincent and Niklaus to the meeting. Vincent was his outgoing second-in-command. His brother was slowly getting acclimated to the job. However, this was not the time to throw Niklaus into the deep end of the pool. Elijah had enough to worry about with Bonnie joining the meeting. He was worried that Niklaus wouldn't be able to disguise his affection for the young woman. It wasn't so long ago that Damon and Niklaus fought over his inappropriate interest in Bonnie. Fortunately, Damon didn't know just how deep that interest ran for Niklaus. Frankly, it felt as if they were all balancing atop a powder keg while holding sparklers.

Bonnie would have preferred to be flanked by Richard and Mason. It would have made communication easier. However, Damon had suggested that they show a united front by sitting together. She saw the wisdom in the idea and agreed. Bonnie was glad that they had established some sort of fragile truce earlier. She desperately wanted to trust Damon, but he had shown himself to be untrustworthy repeatedly. His only saving grace was his business acumen. Whatever Giuseppe might have been as a man and a father, he was a damn good boss. In turn, he had groomed Damon well to take his place one day. Unfortunately, that day had come sooner than the old man would have liked.

Klaus had been eying Bonnie discreetly from the moment she walked into the room. Despite the fact that no one had gotten any sleep last night, her skin appeared dewy. He also appreciated the light blue camisole that was cut just low enough to be tantalizing without being excessive. She had paired it with a black suit jacket and slacks that had obviously been tailored to fit her like a glove. He had enjoyed seeing the way the tailored slacks hugged her ass as she made her way through the buffet.

Klaus idly moved the food around his plate as he contemplated speaking to Bonnie. However, he didn't know how to do it without arousing suspicion. It wouldn't be good if anyone suspected anything improper about their friendship. He abandoned the idea as Bonnie began speaking to Richard Lockwood as she ate breakfast.

Once everyone was seated at the table, Damon spoke first. "How is Kol doing, Elijah?"

Elijah's expression darkened at the mention of his younger brother. He had so much rage building inside him, but no suitable targets to release it. He said, "One of Kol's kidneys and his spleen had to be removed. His condition is touch and go for now. The surgeon said that the next 48 hours will be crucial."

Bonnie's expression was somber. "I plan to stop by the church after we leave here. I'll be sure to light a candle for Kol."

"Thank you," Elijah said with a nod of his head. He never put much stock in religious ceremony. However, divine intervention might be the only thing to save his younger brother's life.

Klaus made eye contact with Bonnie and asked, "And how is Tyler doing?"

Damon reached for Bonnie's hand under the table and gave it a comforting squeeze. He knew that she was still concerned for Tyler. He was coping with the situation as best as he could.

Bonnie said, "He's in some pain but it's nothing serious."

Elijah nodded in Richard's direction. "At least there is some good news to be had this morning."

The older man nodded somberly. His heart had nearly stopped when he received the call that Tyler had been shot. He knew it was a hazard that came along with the job but it didn't make the reality any easier. He had lost his father and uncle to gangland violence. Their family still hadn't fully recovered from losing Alonzo. At this point, he didn't know if they ever would recover. His father had been a larger than life presence even while serving time in prison.

Damon said, "I believe that it goes without saying that Bonnie and I are not responsible for the attack on Kol."

The head of the Mikaelson family offered a wry smile. "Just as you can rest assured that my organization played no part on the drive by shooting that injured young Tyler Lockwood. Our organizations and families have been allied for too long to resort to this sort of violence without some sort of attempt at mediation."

Zacharias nodded in agreement. "Now that we've established that none of us would be reckless and stupid enough to do something like this...we should discuss who might decide to strike against us."

Elijah said, "Well, the Dezerians are certainly good candidates. We have been involved with squirmises with them since early December. And the body found near the crime scene was a known associate."

Vincent added, "However, the Dezerians do not have the manpower to take over the territory that our organizations' possess. They also do not have powerful enough allies to protect them from the blowback of these failed hits."

Bonnie nodded in agreement. "Arman is still in charge and he has always been a cautious man. He is also a smart man. If he truly wanted to debilitate our organizations, he would have chosen more high value targets. I mean no offense, Elijah…"

Damon was inclined to agree with Bonnie's assessment of Arman. However, he wondered how she even knew that about him. Was it information she had received from Richard or had she actually met Arman previously?

He smiled at the girl and replied, "None was taken, Bonnie. You're right. Kol isn't exactly a high value target. He is the fourth born son and does not occupy a particularly important position in our organization."

"The same can be said for Tyler. My obvious affection for him aside, he's only just took the helm of his own crew. And while I don't doubt Damon's reflexes, it doesn't seem as if he was the target. There are more efficient ways to whack him," she said.

Zacharias added, "However, that does bring to mind a question that has been bothering me. How did the shooters know where to find Tyler and Damon? Under normal circumstances they would have been home under heavy guard. They were only at the hospital because Katherine overdosed. We have our best people pulling surveillance from the Rischard to see if anyone suspicious was caught on camera. There is also the chance that Damon could have a tail that our security failed to detect."

The young woman pursed her lips because she had pursued that same line of thought with Lucy. Currently, they had people keeping an eye on Katherine's ICU room. Someone could have tricked or forced her into taking an overdose. Or she could be in cahoots with some outside force. If Damon was telling the truth, she couldn't be pleased with his continued rejections. Desperate people could be pushed to extreme measures.

Damon motioned for his younger brother to speak. He had debated if it was wise to bring Stefan. The younger man had no experience in meetings like this. However, Stefan had been looking for a way to step up for months. Since Alaric was going around the bend, this was the perfect time to test Stefan's mettle.

Stefan was shocked that Damon was actually going to let him contribute. He quickly said, "Our sources in the police department found the car used in the shooting about an hour ago. It's little more than a burned out husk now. They're not optimistic about pulling anything of value from it. However, we have our tech people hacking surveillance footage all over the city. They're trying to piece together the car's route. It's slow work but so far we know they came out of Ladera Heights. That is where they stole the car for the driveby."

Vincent said, "We have a similar situation with the attack at Kol's poker game. The car was stolen from Ladera Heights."

Bonnie's eyes widened at that. "The Dezerians wouldn't have any friends in Ladera Heights. They certainly wouldn't want to risk getting caught out there."

Damon snorted and said, "I don't even have any friends in Ladera Heights."

Elijah agreed, "Nor I…"

Bonnie said, "But I do. I'll reach out to Mama Ruby and see if she knows anything about the Dezerians or anyone unfamiliar lurking within the borders of her territory."

Klaus raised an eyebrow as he scrutinized Bonnie. She looked beautiful as always. However, he could see the exhaustion she was trying to mask. "You're acquainted with the Queen of the Heights?"

"She and my grandmother were good friends. In fact, it was Grams' intervention that stopped Mikael and Giuseppe from taking control of the Heights when they were carving up Southern California thirty years ago."

Klaus snorted and said, "That seems incredibly benevolent and unlike either of our fathers. The Heights' proximity to LA makes it a prime location. I can't imagine either of them surrendering that area without proper compensation."

Elijah agreed wholeheartedly with his brother. He had been fairly young during the mob war that had eventually set the current boundaries for their territories. He never knew how Ruby Hayes managed to keep her slice of the pie. When he came of age, Mikael had only told him to leave the old 'bitch' alone. Their organization stayed out of the Heights where they were not welcome.

Damon looked at his wife pointedly. He had come to learn that Sheila had exerted a great deal of power over Giuseppe. His father had been in love with her despite the disturbing abuse in their relationship. He had never been blind to her machinations, even if he didn't know the true depth of her deception. However, he didn't understand why Mikael would have agreed to such an arrangement. He had always respected the Bennett matriarch but he wouldn't have bent to her whims as easily as Giuseppe did.

"Grams knew that Mama Ruby wouldn't take kindly to two white boys trying to control her territory. She certainly wouldn't have been willing to kick up to them. Your fathers would have had to pry the Heights from her cold dead hands...and they would have. She wouldn't have been the only person to resist them after the war ended. Mama Ruby was just fortunate to have a good friend in the right place at the right time."

Richard nodded and suppressed his proud smile. He was glad that Bonnie had been a dutiful student of their organization's history. Grudges and loyalty ran deep in their business. It was always best to know who you were dealing with. He said, "Giuseppe and Mikael owed Sheila's family a debt of gratitude. At the two-year mark, the war looked like it might never end. All sides were taking heavy losses and the feds were breathing down everyone's neck. It might have dragged on even longer if the car bombing hadn't occurred. Sheila and Abby were almost killed by that explosion. Sheila's cousin had enough of the war at that point and flew over from Milazzo to end it."

Damon's eyebrows rose to his hairline. He said, "The hit after Banner's funeral. That was Big John?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Wrong cousin...it was my aunt, Fiammetta. The move crippled your enemies and helped spark a swift end to the war. Grams suggested her cut of the territory should be bigger since our organization ended the stalemate. They agreed to give her Ladera Heights and a few other desirable areas. It was her discretion what to do with the territories. She let Mama Ruby keep control of the Heights as a gesture of friendship. The point is...Mama Ruby will be receptive to meeting with me. I'll let everyone know what I learn."

Klaus smirked as he realized that Bonnie had learned her tactics from Sheila. He was certain that this friendship with Mama Ruby entailed more than she was revealing.

Elijah nodded in her direction. "Thank you. Anything we can find out about the shooters is important. Our objective has to be locating them before the police do."

Damon said, "We also need to speak to all agree that he isn't a likely culprit but someone obviously wants to push us in that direction. Could be someone in his own organization or a rival that wants to weaken him."

"He won't leave his territory. He has to know by now that we suspect him. He's very plugged into everything happening down here. It's the reason he started making moves once Giuseppe was on the run," Bonnie commented.

Klaus grinned viciously. "I'd love to pay him a visit."

She returned his grin because she understood the impulse. She wanted someone to pay for hurting Tyler. Making someone suffer would be satisfying right now. Bonnie said, "I'm sure you would, Nik. But you've killed quite a few of his men recently for infringing on your territory. I doubt Arman would be receptive to meeting with you."

Stefan's eyes volleyed between Klaus and Bonnie. Something in their interaction discomfited him. Klaus' eyes seemed to linger on her but that wasn't unusual. He had gotten used to men admiring Bonnie's beauty years ago. There was a familiarity there that didn't seem to make sense to him. However, that familiarity seemed to be mutual. Stefan had been around the Mikaelson family enough to know his nickname was reserved for them. He supposed it was possible that Niklaus had insisted that Bonnie call him 'Nik' once they struck up a business partnership.

Zacharias said, "We've been occupied with other things as of late and you've handled the issues up north. We can send a couple people up there to speak with Arman. He might be more willing to speak with us. If he isn't actively trying to murder us...let's not give him a reason to change his mind."

Elijah and Vincent conferred for a few minutes and then agreed. "We can agree to that."

Damon looked at his uncle. "Do you have any suggestions? And don't suggest yourself because I'm not sending my consigliere into the lion's den."

Zacharias smiled at his nephew. "No, I was thinking that we would send Senior and his crew."

The younger man took a moment to consider his uncle's suggestion. The Donovans had been proving their worth lately. They were the ones that captured Giuseppe and brought Victor home safely. They were also rising in the organization to fill the positions once held by the traitorous Lockwood family.

He nodded at his uncle and said, "Call him as soon as we leave here. Tell him to take the jet. I want him in front of Arman before lunch. We need to clear the Dezerians so that we can move on to more promising suspects."

Bonnie and Richard exchanged a brief look. The Donovans were one of their few assets that remained embedded in the Salvatore organization. Damon wasn't likely to suspect them of treachery. Afterall, they were relatives. However, Domenico had alienated their cousins long ago and Giuseppe had done little to repair the damage. It also helped that Bonnie was pregnant with the heir to the Salvatore organization. In a few months, she would be giving birth to their cousin and future boss.

Zacharias said, "I think that leads us to the next thing on the agenda...our enemies. If the Dezerians are being used as pawns, then we need to figure out who is controlling the board. Have we had trouble with our other rivals recently?"

Bonnie shook her head. "We've had a few flare ups near our borders but nothing that would rise to this. Things have heated up with the Trujillos since my deal with Nik but this isn't their style."

Klaus' expression twisted into something ugly. "I've known Esai a long time. He knows that I would disembowel him for getting in my way."

Elijah went tense after hearing the intensity in his brother's voice. He knew it was because someone, however indirectly, posed a threat to Bonnie. His affection for the girl was too close to the surface.

Vincent hummed and said, "The Trujillos haven't been pleased that you will be washing Niklaus' money. However, I've had several productive conversations with Esai and Gael. I have assured them that Elijah will still have need of their laundering services. But it wouldn't hurt to touch base with them again. I'll see to it personally."

"And I will join you," Klaus said.

Vincent nodded in acceptance. Niklaus would be taking his job soon enough. It was time to stop holding him back or he would never be truly ready for the position.

Damon said, "Markos and his crew have been quieter than normal. It might be a good idea to see what's going on with him."

Zacharias said, "We'll get eyes on his place this afternoon."

Elijah scowled because perhaps that was the key. Maybe they shouldn't be looking for suspects that were outwardly agitated. The culprits could be those that had been waiting quietly in the shadows for the perfect time to strike. He said, "The Martels have been similarly quiet. I expected some pushback when Klaus took over the territory bordering their area. Afterall Tristan and Klaus despise each other."

Klaus scowled at the mention of Tristan.

Elijah looked at Vincent and said, "It might be wise to speak with the Martels, too."

Damon lifted an eyebrow. The Martels couldn't he happy that Klaus was out of prison. Giuseppe had used Klaus' predicament as a cautionary tale. As if Damon didn't have a box a condoms with him at all times. He certainly wouldn't have made that particular mistake with the daughter of a powerful man like Anton de Martel. "Didn't Klaus knock up Aurora?"

Klaus shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Their families had kept the situation quiet. However, it seemed that they hadn't kept it quiet enough for his liking. He chanced a glance at Bonnie. He had told her about his failed relationship with Aurora. "That was a very long time ago…"

Bonnie shot him a sympathetic look. Aurora's parents had forced her to get an abortion. She knew Niklaus was haunted by the abortion. It made learning about Hope's true paternity hurt even more. Mikael had cruelly told Klaus that no one would be willing to bear his children. Certainly, no one would ever allow him to raise a child for fear he or she would turn out like him. Those words had cut Klaus to his core because he believed them.

Elijah glanced at his brother to check on him. He was glad to see that Klaus seemed to be in control of his emotions.

Zacharias tried to defuse the situation quickly. He said, "We'd be here all day if we start listing the enemies you've made with your cock, Nipote."

It should have come to no one's surprise that Bonnie and the Lockwoods were the only people in the room that didn't find Zach's barb amusing. In fact, Mason openly glared at him and Damon.

Damon clutched Bonnie's hand tighter beneath the table in silent apology. He knew Zach only made the joke to cover for Damon putting his foot in his mouth. He and Klaus had an adversarial relationship. This was hardly the time to provoke the foul tempered man. He had not realized that Aurora would be a sore subject for Klaus.

"We could be here for days if we started listing Damon's conquests, I'm pretty sure he fucked at least one of my nannies," Bonnie added with a smirk.

Everyone chuckled again because it was certainly believable. It was also a fairly common offense in their world.

Klaus stared at Bonnie's eyes and realized the smirk was disingenuous.

Damon shifted in his seat because of course he had fucked Bonnie's nanny. He had fucked a couple of Stefan's nannies, too. The age gap between the brothers meant that Damon was sexually active for years before Stefan stopped needing a full-time caretaker. No one sane would think that Damon would have been able to resist the allure of young beautiful women.

Elijah smiled and said, "Now that we've established that my brother and Damon spent their misbegotten youth bedding beautiful women...is there anything else that we need to address?"

All the major players consulted with their subordinates before deciding that they were done for now.

Damon said, "I'm sure it goes without saying that we will keep each other in the loop during our inquiries."

Elijah nodded and said, "Of course. We're in this together as we have been for the last thirty years, Damon. And I am grateful that my organization's ties to yours have recently been strengthened, Bonnie. I look forward to working with you both for years to come."

Everyone stood from their seats and shook hands. There would be peace between them but someone would soon regret attracting their collective ire. There was a reason people said it was best to not to awaken a sleeping giant.

Bonnie caught Klaus' eye and they stepped away from the group. "I talked to my father. This situation doesn't affect your first shipment unless you need a few days to regroup…"

He shook his head. "No, I have everything in place. I don't want to delay getting the product out on the street. There are more eyes on me but I know how to be cautious."

"Truly? I didn't think cautious was in your repertoire." Bonnie went quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry about Damon's joke. He didn't realize how in poor taste it was…"

Klaus said, "You don't need to apologize for his stupid comments. Anyway, Damon had no way of knowing it would be such a sore spot for me. His comments weren't malicious. How are you? I am sure Zach's attempt to smooth things over didn't feel good."

Bonnie laughed softly. "What Damon does with his cock is hardly my concern."

He nodded but knew that she was lying to him. Klaus only hoped that she wasn't lying to herself, too.

She said, "If you need anything...don't hesitate to reach out, Nik. I mean it."

"I was just going to the say the same to you," he replied. His eyes flickered over to Damon for a moment.

"I'll keep that in mind," Bonnie replied. "I'll see you around, Nik."

Damon looked up as Bonnie made her way over to him. He took her hand and walked out the restaurant. He said, "I was hoping you would ride back to the Manor with me."

She glanced at Richard and could see that he was vehemently against the idea. She smiled and said, "I need you to call Mama Ruby. I need to meet with her as soon as possible, Uncle Richie."

He walked over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'll get it done."

"Also, make sure the farm is ready just in case we need to get our families out of the city," Bonnie advised him quietly.

"It's already in the works," he replied with a small smile.

Mason pulled Bonnie's purse from the car and handed it to her. She left it behind during the meeting.

"Thanks, Mason." Bonnie followed Damon over to his car and they both climbed into the back.

Zacharias and Stefan climbed into the front seat and soon they were on the road. Zach turned on the radio to give the couple some privacy.

Damon looked at Bonnie and asked, "Are we okay?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" she asked.

He sighed and said, "I thought we were turning over a new leaf. Let's not beat around the bush. You were upset. You returned Zach's serve with gusto."

She said, "In my defense, you did fuck my nanny. If we're being honest, it's probably more than just the one that I know about. As for my reply, either you're in on the joke or you are the joke. I was in no mood to be the butt of a joke about your promiscuous nature."

He smiled wryly. "So you reminded everyone that I was an unrepentant whore before we got married."

She smiled in return. "Now you've got it."

Damon's curiosity got the best of him. He asked, "How'd you even know that I slept with one of your nannies? That can't be the sort of thing that your grams would have told you."

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. "I was a nosey kid that loved listening to conversations that weren't any of my business. I overheard Grams firing Ramona. And she wasn't the first or last nanny to abruptly leave my family's employ."

He looked chagrined at his past behavior. "I had a very active libido."

"Had?" she asked with a snort of disbelief.

"I have been celibate for well over a month," he huffed.

Bonnie shook her. "I still don't know why you're doing that. You know that I'm with Tyler. And even if I weren't...we're never getting back together."

"Who said this had anything to do with you? I have enough going on in my life. I don't need to add to it by fucking someone. It's come to my attention that casual sex relationships aren't as casual as I thought they were."

She huffed out a laugh. "You can't believe that Katherine was anything resembling casual."

He had to agree with Bonnie there. "I wasn't talking about her."

"Oh? Did the weather girl not take it well when you ended things?" she asked.

Damon winced and said, "Andi is an anchor. But, no, she did not take the news well. She called me a string of things that would get her fined by the FCC if said them on the air."

She awkwardly patted him on the arm and said, "Sorry, buddy."

He saw that she was trying to hold in a laugh. "Go ahead...yuck it up. I could have a real problem. I could be a sex addict!"

"You're an alcoholic for sure. You're a former cokehead. But you are not a sex addict. You're just a whore. God gave you two hands and the internet. You'll survive somehow."

"Fuck you," he said jokingly.

Bonnie lifted an eyebrow at him and said, "Never again."

Damon eyed her a moment and said, "They say that you should never say never."

"Well, they lied," she said with a chuckle. "Is Ric a sex addict, too?"

"What? Why would you ask that?"

"Just trying to figure out what his excuse is for fucking your mother," Bonnie said with innocent wide eyes.

Damon groaned and asked, "How do you know that?"

"I have my people keeping tabs on Ric. I like to know when he is anywhere near my mother or siblings. Apparently, he's been seen going to Lilly's hotel a lot…"

Zach caught his nephew's eyes in the rearview mirror.

Damon shook his head. "No, I think he's just self-destructive."

She chuckled, "Well, he's doing a great job of it." Bonnie went quiet for a minute and then said, "All joking aside. If you're doing this celibate thing to get your shit together, then I support you 100%. But if you are holding out some sort of hope for a reconciliation...don't. I love you and we're always going to be family, but that's all."

He confessed. "It's a little of both. I'm not willing to give up hope, Bunny. I still refuse to believe that there is anyone in the world more right for you than I am."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You're a stubborn son of a bitch, Damon Salvatore. I could have used some of this desire when I actually wanted to be your wife."

"I know...my timing is a little fucked up," he muttered against her hair.

"A little?"

"Okay...a lot," he replied. "I don't know how to stop loving you or wanting you. The more I get to know you the more I want you."

Bonnie snorted and said, "You want me now that you realize that I am this close to being completely unhinged."

Damon hissed, "Yes. It's nice knowing that you are walking as fine a line as I am every fucking day. Do you know how hard I have to work to avoid turning into Giuseppe? It is a war I've been fighting every day of my adult life...hell probably even before that. My natural instinct is to destroy every fucking thing around me."

She closed her eyes a moment because that was her instinct, too. She whispered, "Me, too. It's why I go to church so often. I know I'm going to hell but I need something to keep me from going over the edge. Something to stop me from being a thing I couldn't stand to live as…"

He kissed the top of her head because he understood the impulse. Church never worked for him but drinking, drugs, and fucking had. It kept the beast quiet more often than not. "I know the smart thing to do is to have a nice calm conversation with Arman. But I really want to beat him to death with my bare hands. Not because I think he's guilty but because I need an outlet and he's fucking expendable."

She hummed in agreement. "I think I'd go serrated knife to the gut. Let him bleed out slowly. There is something cathartic about witnessing someone else's agony."

Damon licked his lips and tried to ignore how much he really liked her cruel streak. He said, "You really have an affinity for knives, huh?"

"Grams said if you can't feel your enemies' blood on your hands you're doing something wrong. She taught me how to use a knife before I learned to use a gun," she admitted.

"When did she start teaching you how to use knives?"

"I was about 12 years old. It wasn't long after I found a dead body in our house. That was pretty much the end of my childhood as I knew it."

Damon said, "This is in no way meant to be disrespectful to your grandmother but I don't want our kids learning how to kill that early in life."

"Grams didn't start off teaching me to kill. It was self-defense. We lived in a dangerous world and she wanted to know I wouldn't be helpless. You can make every attempt to keep your kids safe but...there are no guarantees. If I had followed my grandmother's advice, I could have gutted Giuseppe like a fish when he came after me. Since that night, I'm never without a blade of some kind. Well, the meeting we just left being the exception."

He closed his eyes for a moment as he thought about what Giuseppe had done to Bonnie. "I want you to know that he suffered. I made him suffer for all of us."

"Good. If anyone deserved to suffer it was Giuseppe Salvatore," she replied softly.

He nodded.

Bonnie said, "You know my dad told me that Mama used to help him with some of his jobs when they were first married."

His eyebrows rose at that. "Hell of a way to bond with your new bride…"

She chuckled softly, "My parents are...unconventional."

"That's one way to describe them. Are you suggesting that we kill someone together to bond?"

"No. I don't….maybe," she replied.

Damon hummed in thought. "Arman?"

She laughed and said, "Not Arman, unless he's responsible for this debacle. However, I doubt he had any involvement in this. Arman is not what I would call an ambitious man."

"Maybe that weaselly fuck cousin of his."

"Davit?" she asked.

He nodded. "Davit is a jealous bastard that thinks he'd be better suited to the role of boss. If I was Arman, I would have already whacked him."

Bonnie said, "I would, too. Maybe we'll get to call Davit."

"Do you want to go to the shooting range?" he asked.

She asked, "Are pregnant women allowed to go to the shooting range?"

"I don't know...I didn't think that idea through," he said with a frown.

"I'll call Cole and ask him," Bonnie said. She took out her phone and called her concierge doctor.