Bonnie managed to stay 48 hours at the Salvatore Manor before beating a hasty retreat. Damon had been on his best behavior but the house set her nerves on edge. The massive fortress was a reminder of her former imprisonment. It felt as if Giuseppe's ghost still lurked around every corner. Abby and Jamie were anxious but for very different reasons. Ultimately, the young woman decided that the added security wasn't worth the added stress. Instead she retreated to the safety and comfort of her mother's home. A rotating crew of 10 armed men were stationed at the house day and night.
The hunt for the would-be assassins was going only marginally better. Mama Ruby came through with the address to an abandoned house the men might have been using to lay low. Apparently, one of her grandsons had been running a little side business under her nose. Unfortunately, two of the three men were already dead from heroin overdoses when Bonnie's people arrived. The third had suffered an overdose but Cole was able to resuscitate him. A quick search of the men's criminal records proved that they were only tangentially linked to the Dezerians. Once the survivor was lucid, he confessed to being hired through a third party. They were paid in cash and given their marching orders via burner phones. None of the men had ever met the person or persons that hired them. The only name he'd been able to provide was the underworld matchmaker that brokered the deal, Maksims.
Maksims was a well known figure in the criminal underworld. He lived a lavish life and had many friends. He operated independently and all the major organizations gave him a wide berth. Ultimately, people like Maksims were necessary in their world. Sometimes a boss needed to pull a high-risk job or a hit that would be disastrous if traced back to their organization. For a hefty sum, Maksims would hire the personnel necessary for the job and arrange all the minor details. He also passed along any important messages between the two parties. He had been operating in Southern California for over twenty years. However, that would all be coming to an end if he had been stupid enough to side against the Salvatore, Mikaelson, and Bennett organizations. Sadly, he wasn't stupid enough to stay in the country once everything went sideways. He had already cleared out of his place in Malibu by the time they arrived. He was in the wind for now but they were hot on his trail.
It had been nearly a week since the night of the shooting but everything was still in shambles. Family drama currently had the young woman on edge. Bonnie was not in favor of Jamie spending a single second with Alaric. She did not trust the drunken asshole. Alas, the decision was not in her hands. Honestly, Abby didn't feel as if she had very much choice in the matter either. The degenerate drunk had retained the services of a highly recommended family law attorney. The attorney had already filed a paternity suit in family court for each of Ric and Abby's children. Soon enough a judge would order Abby to provide DNA samples for Jamie, Cooper, and Savannah. Once Ric was determined to be their biological father, he would press to have his parental rights recognized by the state of California.
Ric promised to spare everyone the stress of a family court proceeding if Abby would agree to work out some sort of agreement. She agreed to meet him at the Rischard to talk. Hours later Abby returned defeated and withdrawn. She had agreed to weekly visits with all three children. She had reluctantly agreed after thinking about Jamie and Cooper having to testify in court. Jamie had been devastated by the news. He had no interest in having a relationship with Ric. He was afraid of his father's temper and no one could fault him for that. Jamie didn't understand why he had to see Ric but Josie and Lizzie could refuse visits with him. Unfortunately, the girls were a few years older than he was. A family court judge would take their wishes into consideration when weighing custody matters.
For the first visit, Ric decided to spend time alone with Jamie. He felt they needed to work out some of their conflict without Cooper and Savannah's presence. Before Ric arrived to pick up Jamie, Bonnie told him to call if he was ever afraid or just wanted to leave. She promised to pick him up no questions asked. She didn't feel good or even right in interfering in this contentious situation. However, her brother's well-being superseded everything else. She was perfectly fine with making Alaric go missing. It would be simple enough to do with tensions as high as they were. His death could be blamed on the persons that seemed bound and determined to torpedo the alliance that kept much of the West Coast within the grasp of the Salvatore, Mikaelson, and Bennett families.
Bonnie tried not to worry about her brother as she read to Sarah. She had chosen a favorite book from her own childhood, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, to read to her little girl. Sarah was as in love with the story as Bonnie had been at her age. What was supposed to be one chapter a night had turned into three. Soon she would have to buy the sequel, Super Fudge, because Sarah would certainly want to know what happened next.
Sarah stifled a yawn a placed a hand on Bonnie's arm. "I'm sleepy, Mama."
She smiled softly and marked their place in the book. She placed a kiss atop Sarah's head and said, "We'll start again tomorrow night. Sleep tight, bambolina. I'll see you in the morning. I love you."
"I love you too, Mama," Sarah replied as she snuggled further into her bed.
Bonnie placed the book on Sarah's nightstand and then turned off the lamp. She quietly crept out the bedroom and headed downstairs to check on Abby. She was sure her mother was on pins and needles waiting for Jamie to come home.
She walked into the living room but frowned only seeing Lucy, Brady, and Tyler. She lifted an eyebrow at her cousin and asked, "Where is Mama?"
"Cris has her in the gym beating the hell out of that heavy bag. I forgot that Abby has hands. Remind me never to square up with her," Lucy said seriously.
Bonnie thought darkly that her father was partially responsible for Abby's 'hands'. Her mother had always been deadly with knives and guns. However, she didn't start learning to fight until after Rudy started abusing her.
She was about to make her way to the gym when her phone vibrated. Bonnie took it out of her pocket and read the new text message.
Jamie: 911.
Bonnie felt her blood run cold at the simple message. Her mind raced to a dozen horrible possibilities. However, she knew one thing for certain, if that son of a bitch had laid a hand on Jamie she was going to kill him. She would proudly tell Damon to kiss her black ass on the matter, too. His uncles might have sat around like cowards and let Giuseppe beat the shit out of him but she wasn't cut from that type of cloth.
Bonnie: Where r u?
Jamie: Idk
Jamie: A gym
Bonnie: I'm on my way. What happened?
Jamie: Something bad
She looked at Tyler and said, "We're leaving now."
Lucy tensed at the steel in her younger cousin's voice. "What's wrong?"
"This isn't business...it's personal. I'll handle it," Bonnie ground out.
Lucy immediately knew what she meant. She knew that Bonnie had told Jamie to reach out if there was trouble. Frankly, she had been concerned that Ric hadn't returned Jamie yet. Her dark eyes grew darker. "Oh fuck that. If that motherfucker has done anything to my cousin I'll cut his fucking heart out."
Bonnie said, "Well, let's go. I have a bad feeling, Luce. And I have all night."
Brady grunted as he stood up. His ribs were still killing him but he wasn't about to let two pissed off Bennett women ride off on their own. He knew that they were both willing and able to kill Ric. While he wouldn't be sad to see the drunk asshole die, it could cause problems when they were already on the precipice of war. Brady knew that he wasn't much of a peacemaker but he could call his older brother. Richard had an impressive level of self-control. How else had he been able to work side-by-side with Giuseppe for years without putting a bullet in his head?
Lucy asked, "Are we telling Abby what's happening?"
"Tell me what?" Abby asked. She was wiping sweat from her forehead. Her muscles ached from the exertion but it was temporarily masking the other pain plaguing her.
Bonnie frowned. "I don't want you to worry…"
She raised an eyebrow and said,"That's not the way to get me not to worry, baby girl. What's wrong?"
Tyler and Brady sidled out the room and headed to the car.
She said, "Earlier, I told Jamie to call me if he needed me. I just got a 911 text from him. I don't know what's happening but I'm going to pick him up. He said they were at a gym, I have to assume it's Peppe's."
Abby's heart began to race. She said, "Go get him. I am going to stay here and calm down. I should have just let that stupid son of a bitch take me to court. I never should have trusted him with Jamie."
Bonnie shook her head. "Don't you dare blame yourself for Ric's bullshit. You didn't want Jamie to have to get up in court and tell everyone that he witnessed his old man abusing you. You were trying to do the right thing for everyone."
Abby hugged her daughter but her words offered little comfort. "Go bring my baby home."
"It's going to be okay, Mama," she promised.
She nodded nervously.
Bonnie walked outside and climbed into the idling car. She said, "They're at Peppe's gym."
Brady nodded and peeled out of the driveway. "Maybe we should call my big brother."
Tyler glanced at his uncle in surprise. Brady was usually in favor of a good whacking. However, even he realized how precarious this situation was. He said, "Brady has a point…"
Bonnie asked, "You don't think that I can be diplomatic?"
Tyler took a deep breath and looked over the seat to meet her eyes. "About your brother? Not for a single moment and no one would expect you to be. There's nothing I wouldn't do for my sister."
She bit back a smile at Tyler's honesty. She was glad to have people in her life that wouldn't constantly blow smoke up her ass. Sometimes she needed someone to let her know that she was going off the deep end. She nodded, "Call Uncle Richie but I'm not waiting on him to show up."
Brady chuckled, "Dick will drive like a bat out of hell to beat us there. He's closer to Peppe's than we are anyway."
Tyler took out his phone and sent a text to his father and Mason for good measure. Mason had a good rapport with Ric. He had been the man's protege for years. Tyler hoped that some of the camaraderie still existed or Ric might die tonight.
Lucy sat beside Bonnie and squeezed her hand. "Jamie is going to be fine. We're going to get him home and smother him with love and affection. He's going to be sick of seeing our faces."
"You know that I've been thinking about this entire debacle. Maybe Grams had the right idea sending my father away. I mean he's obviously a different man than he was eighteen years ago. I couldn't imagine going through this as a child. It was enough putting up with Giuseppe. At least I felt safe in that situation. I trusted that Grams would keep me safe from him. And she did, Giuseppe never raised a hand to me until well after her death."
Lucy sighed because she hated how all this effected Bonnie. The girl had enough to weather without ghosts from Christmas past haunting her. Yet the parallels were too obvious to ignore. She said, "I was just a kid when Abby divorced Rudy. But she spent some time in Miami before going to home to Milazzo. She was...broken. I'd never seen my big cousin that way and I've never seen her that way since. I don't think we will ever know just what Rudy did to Abby but your Grams did right by you. A man that would savagely beat his own wife isn't the type of man that I would ever trust with a child."
"Do you think I made the wrong choice? He's been invaluable to me lately but…"
Lucy said, "You're a grown woman now. He's no danger to you. You're old enough to decide when and how you deal with Rudy. Besides, Abby was the one to call him out here because you needed him. My granny says that people are capable of changing, if given enough time. Rudy had eighteen years to work out his shit. You have to admit that he and Abby are getting along."
Bonnie hummed in agreement. She said, "I guess I am just thinking about what I'm asking Mama to sacrifice for me. I don't...I don't need her to put herself in a bad position for me like she had to for Jamie."
The older woman's eyebrows went up at that. "Just what did she have to sacrifice for Jamie?"
"I don't know. Mama was just so upset when she came home from meeting with Alaric. I...she wouldn't open her door to talk to me. Then she pretended as if everything was normal when she did come out her room. It has left me with an uneasy feeling for days, Lucy," she said softly.
Lucy was worried now, too. She hadn't been at the house when Abby returned from seeing Ric. She had been occupied with Klaus. He wanted to do a dry run to see how cleaning his money would work. Klaus had used the cash from Kol's poker game for the test run. Lucy had led him step by step through the process of how the money was cleaned. He had been pleased with the results but it had taken most of her day. When she returned, the mood in the house had been subdued. Lucy had assumed it was because Jamie was so upset about the outcome of Abby and Ric's meeting.
She squeezed her hand. "If you're really worried about Abby, I'll sic Uncle Gianni on her. You know they've always been as thick as thieves. If something is wrong he will sort her out."
"Maybe," Bonnie said softly.
Brady whipped into the mostly empty parking lot of Peppe's. Ric's car was the only one in the lot. It looked like his brother had not driven fast enough to meet them. He found a parking space and killed the engine. "Do we have a plan?"
Bonnie said, "Yes, we're going to go in there to get my brother. I am going to try really hard not to slit Alaric's fucking throat."
Tyler shrugged and said, "It's the best plan we have."
She climbed out the car and marched up to the gym's entrance. She tried the doors and found them unlocked despite the late hour. Bonnie walked into the gym and went in search of Jamie and Ric.
Lucy was hot on her cousin's heels. It took all her willpower to keep her gun holstered. Whacking Ric in front of Jamie would be traumatizing. She didn't want to cause the boy more pain and distress. His year was off to a terrible start.
Bonnie walked around a set of boxing rings and stuttered to a stop at the scene in front of her.
Alaric was sprawled out on the floor in a puddle of blood.
Jamie was standing beside him with a gun in his trembling hands. He was pointing it directly at Bonnie.
Tyler quickly moved in front of Bonnie to shield her. He didn't think Jamie would hurt her on purpose, but a gun could go off at anytime in untrained hands.
However, Bonnie was having none of that. Her baby brother was terrified. She wasn't going to hide behind Tyler. She took a deep breath and stepped from behind him. She held her hand out and said, "Jamie, I need you to put the gun down, baby. Can you do that for me? Just put it on the floor so no one gets hurt. Okay?"
Lucy's heart was racing as she tried to make sense of what happened. Jamie was a child still. There was no way he could have murdered Alaric. Then again her eyes spotted a fresh bruise on his cheek. Maybe Ric had pushed her cousin too far. He was already afraid of his father, maybe he felt the need to protect himself.
Jamie's hand trembled but he slowly moved his finger away from the trigger. Then he placed the gun on the floor next to Ric.
Bonnie raced across the room and folded him into a hug. She glanced at Ric but couldn't tell if he was alive or dead. "It's okay. Sissy is here now. I'm right here."
Jamie buried his face against Bonnie and let out a ragged sob. His entire body shook and as cried.
Bonnie's heart broke into a million pieces hearing her brother cry. She felt helpless and off kilter. Bonnie didn't know how to help or comfort him. She didn't even understand what had happened here.
Brady walked to Ric and crouched beside him. He took his pulse and said, "He's still alive...barely."
Tyler and Lucy split up to search the rest of the gym with their guns drawn. They couldn't take the risk of being caught off guard.
Bonnie pulled back and looked into Jamie's hazel eyes. "What happened here, baby? You can tell me anything. Okay? I'll always protect you."
Jamie just looked at Bonnie helplessly and buried his face into her chest again. He shook his head unwilling to speak.
She closed her eyes and willed her heart to slow down. This was no time to panic. She needed to make decisive decisions not only for her brother but for her family. There was a chance her brother had shot Ric. It was also possible that he was merely a traumatized witness. Bonnie wouldn't know the truth of the matter until Jamie felt safe enough to talk.
Bonnie stepped back again and said, "Look at me."
Jamie looked up at Bonnie shakily.
"I need you to go take a shower. You scrub the best you've ever scrubbed in your life or I swear I'll send Lucy in after you. Do you understand me?"
He blinked but then nodded slowly.
"Go. Go do it now," Bonnie ordered. "I'll be waiting right here for you."
Jamie stumbled and tracked blood as he walked through the gym.
Tyler and Lucy returned. He said, "The gym is clear we're the only ones here."
Lucy asked, "What the fuck happened here?"
"I don't know. Jamie isn't talking and we need to get the fucking ball rolling before someone else learns what happened here. I want our best cleaners here. This entire place needs to be spotless when they are done. Nothing tying my brother to this shit can ever be found."
Brady stood up with a grunt. "I'm on it."
Lucy nodded at Ric's body.
"He's alive for now. Get Cole on the phone...we keep him alive for a little longer. At least until I figure out what the fuck to tell Damon," she replied.
Tyler took out his phone and called his cousin.
Bonnie looked at Lucy. "I need you to get into that office and find the security cameras. I don't think I've ever noticed any inside the gym. But I know they monitor the parking lot and entrances. I want a copy of the footage and then destroy the hard drive if it implicates Jamie in anyway."
Lucy squeezed her arm. "We're going to take care of this. It'll be like it never happened."
She watched Lucy walk away. "And clothes! Find some clothes for Jamie. I told him to go shower. He's going to need to put on something."
"They've got promotional shorts and t-shirts all over this place. I'll find something in his size. I'll do that first before tackling the surveillance footage."
Bonnie stood over Alaric's body and counted the bullet holes. She saw three poorly placed shots. Whoever did this was a rank amateur. However, the blood loss would probably kill Ric the quickest. She muttered, "Shit."
She grabbed some towels that were placed near the boxing ring and then kneeled on the floor. She started putting pressure on Ric's wounds to stem the blood flow.
Ric groaned in pain and his eyes flickered open. He stared up at her in confusion.
"Who did this to you?" Bonnie demanded roughly.
He licked his lips. "Wh-ere? Wh-ere is Jamie?"
She snapped, "Don't worry about my brother. He's fine. I need to know who tried to kill you." Bonnie tried to rein in her temper and asked, "Did Jamie do this? Did he shoot you? You're a shit father but you have to help me protect him."
Ric shook his head. "No. Jamie. No."
Bonnie didn't know if Ric was saying that Jamie hadn't shot him or if he was lying to protect him. She didn't care as long as he kept the same story.
Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door.
Brady said, "I've got it. It's Dick."
Moments later, Richard and Mason rushed over.
Mason crouched beside Bonnie and said, "Let me do this while you talk to my brother. Go on."
She slowly got up and walked over to Richard.
"What the fuck happened here?" he asked simply.
"I don't know. Jamie isn't talking. Ric isn't making much sense when he tries to talk. I sent Lucy to look at the surveillance footage...maybe someone else was here and fled. But for now all I know is that Jamie was standing over Ric's body with a gun when we got here. He had a bruise on his face that wasn't there when he left home."
Richard scrubbed at his face. "Shit…"
Bonnie said, "All I care about is protecting my brother. If that means putting a bullet in Ric's head right now...I'll do it myself. Jamie isn't going to carry the weight on this…"
Richard realized that Bonnie was shaken even if her appearance was calm. He rested both hands on her shoulders and said, "If Jamie did this and that is a very big if...the Salvatores aren't going to start a war over it. Jamie is as much their blood as Ric is. This is something we can settle privately and quietly. Our biggest concern is making sure there weren't any other witnesses that need to disappear."
Bonnie took a deep breath. "The gym was empty when we arrived. Tyler and Lucy swept the entire place to make sure of that. And Cole is on his way to help us keep Ric alive."
"Good. We can work around this, Bonnie. Jamie will be protected at all costs."
She nodded shakily. "It never should have gotten this far. I should have done something sooner."
Richard said, "There was nothing to do short of killing him. You were trying to keep the peace. Unfortunately, peace always comes at a price."
"This price is too high and Jamie shouldn't be the one paying it," she muttered softly.
He looked into her weary eyes and said, "He's a Benedetto. Death was always going to be part of his life. It's unfortunate it happened this way, but this is the path we're on now."
She huffed out a bitter laugh. "It's never going to stop. Each generation bleeding itself drier for the empire our ancestors built. I chose this...to be this. Jamie hasn't been given a chance to choose. The kidnapping and now this shit. Fuck! What am I going to tell Mama?"
Richard pressed a kiss to her forehead. She was his boss, but he had also watched her grow up. He was her uncle in all but blood. He said, "I'll take care of Abby. Your focus needs to be on Jamie. You've been where he is right now. Whether he just took his first life or saw his first gangland shooting...you know exactly where he's standing. Use that experience to make this easier for him. He trusts you more than anyone else lately."
Bonnie nodded. "You're right. I've got to make this easier for him somehow. I should go see if he's done showering. We need to get rid of his clothes."
"Get them to me. I'll make sure the cleaners dispose of them with everything else that has to go," he said
She took a deep breath and ventured to the men's locker room. She covered her eyes and then walked into the tiled room. "Jamie, it's me. I've got my eyes covered. I just wanted to know if you were done showering."
"Yes," he replied somewhere off to the left.
Bonnie was relieved to hear his voice. "Are you decent? Can I uncover my eyes?"
"Yes."
She slowly uncovered her eyes and saw Jamie standing nervously. He was wearing black shorts, a matching tank top, and a pair of socks. His clothes and shoes had been stuffed into a bag that Lucy provided. Bonnie was glad that Lucy had thought of everything. "I'm sure you're pretty shaken up but...we need to talk."
Jamie nodded slowly and sat down on a bench.
Bonnie sat down too and said, "I need to know what happened here. I need to know the truth. No matter what happened, you're not going to be in any trouble. I promise."
He looked down at the floor. "I didn't want to be here. I don't want...I don't want him to be my dad. He was going to hurt Mama in the driveway that day. I know it."
"I get that. My dad used to hurt our mom, too. I don't remember it like you do because I was really little. But just knowing about it makes a relationship with him difficult," she replied.
Jamie looked at his sister a moment. He was glad that someone understood why he wanted nothing to do with Ric. Abby was his mother and the only parent he'd ever had. Ric had been part of his life but only as an uncle. If he had to choose between them, it was no contest. He said, "He knew I was angry at him so he said we should spar. He said it would make me feel better."
Bonnie shook her head at Ric's stupidity. His son was terrified of his violent behavior and his solution was more violence. "Is that how you got that bruise on your cheek?"
He nodded and lightly prodded at the red spot. He hissed in pain. "I kept dropping my hand. He apologized when it happened. Then he told me I could go play on the computer in his office because a friend of his was dropping by. I was watching videos on YouTube when I heard arguing downstairs. Then I heard gunshots. I hid under the desk for awhile and sent that text to you. I kept waiting for him to come upstairs to check on me but he didn't. So I went downstairs and found him like that. I picked up the gun because I didn't know if...those people were going to come back."
Bonnie had never been so relieved in her life. Ric might need killing, but her baby brother shouldn't have to do the killing. Bonnie kissed the top of his head. "I'm really sorry that you had to be here for this."
"This is what our family does. We kill people, right?" he asked looking up at Bonnie.
She frowned and said, "It's more complicated than that, Jamie. Anyway, I think that's a conversation we should have with Mama."
He argued, "She's not going to tell me anything. Mama still thinks I am a baby."
Bonnie smoothed his wet hair away from his face and said, "You are so young and none of this is right or good. She wants you to have a childhood. You should not be worried about guns or people being killed. I need to ask you another question. Do you have any idea what friend might have been meeting with Ric?"
"I don't know...it sounded like a lady. She wasn't talking in English. I...thought it might have been Italian at first but it was different," he murmured.
She nodded and tightened her arm around him. "Okay. That's good. That's really good. Thank you, Jamie."
Lucy walked into the locker room. "I need to see you for a minute, Bon."
She kissed the top of his head. "I'll be right back."
"Kay…"
Bonnie made her way over to Lucy. "What do we know?"
"Shit. The stupid son of a bitch disabled the cameras. Did you get anywhere with Jamie?"
She nodded. "He didn't pull the trigger."
Lucy did the sign of the cross in silent thanks.
Bonnie agreed wholeheartedly with her sense of relief. "Ric invited a lady 'friend' over and they argued. Jamie was upstairs in the office and didn't see anything. He didn't even understand the argument because there weren't speaking English or Italian. But he thought it sounded similar in some ways...so another Romance language. Spanish or maybe French…"
"I am going to see if I can find Ric's phone. If this woman knew to meet him here, they had to be in communication. Maybe that can helps us figure out what the fuck happened here," she sighed.
Damon didn't know what to think when he received a call from Richard Lockwood. The older man asked for Damon and Zacharias to meet him at an off the books clinic deep in Ladera Heights. Richard didn't offer many details. He only said that it was a critical matter that required delicate handling between the two organizations. It was obvious that Richard was worried that this new issue would add fuel to the already burning flames. Someone seemed dead set on sparking a war between the three biggest organizations in California.
At first, the location made Damon worry that Bonnie was sick. However, he quickly realized that wasn't likely. She would have gone to the hospital instead of some run down clinic in the middle in the Heights. Still he had texted Bonnie to ensure that she was safe and sound. He hadn't been thrilled when she left the Salvatore Manor but he understood her reasons. There were moments when the ghosts of his past haunted him, too. It made living in the manor difficult at times but it was his home. Damon had been born in the Salvator Manor and he prayed that he would die there in his old age.
He had been trying to reach his uncle since Richard's call to no avail. Damon really wanted Ric to accompany them on this trip to the Heights. However, he had been distant for the last couple days. Damon assumed it had something to do with his new agreement with Abby. He still didn't know how his uncle had convinced her to allow visitation with Jamie. It seemed like an extreme reversal even with the threat of a court battle. Nevertheless, he was happy that Ric would get to spend time with his son. He hoped that it would be one less thing for him to worry about for now.
Damon was already stressed beyond belief. He didn't really need something else on his plate. Katherine had regained consciousness a few days ago. She denied trying to kill herself but Damon didn't believe her. He had known Katherine long enough to tell when she was holding back from him. Enzo had spent some time with her and came to the same conclusion. Damon had Rose arrange a three-week stay at an upscale recovery center. Katherine was reluctant to go but Damon was intractable on the idea. She had overdosed while their daughter was in the penthouse and he was incensed. Katherine had to get some sort of help or he would never trust her alone with Nadia again.
The car pulled around the back of the run-down clinic. There were four very expensive cars in the parking lot and three armed guards protecting the building. Damon was back to feeling uneasy about this situation. He was about 80% sure that Bonnie wouldn't whack him. He was 100% sure that she wouldn't whack Stefan. However, he was glad that Zach insisted on bringing a few armed guards for back up. The Heights was not a place where the Salvatores were welcome. However, they had been extended a pass by the queen of the Heights for this occasion. Damon wondered at the necessity of somewhat neutral territory.
The three Salvatore men walked to the back door and it opened automatically.
The armed man was one of Bonnie's. He nodded respectfully and let them into the clinic.
The interior was a stark contrast from the delipidated exterior. Inside the clinic was clean, modern, and looked state of the art. They were led through the corridors to a waiting room where Bonnie was sitting with Jamie at her side.
The boy was clutching his older sister's hand. He looked terrified by their arrival.
Damon noticed his bruised cheek and silently cursed Ric.
Bonnie pressed a kiss to the crown of his head and then motioned Cesare forward. She said, "Take my brother to the break room. There has to be something in there that will interest him."
"I'm not hungry," he whispered.
"Try for me, please. I want to be able to tell Mama that you've eaten something, hmm," Bonnie asked softly.
He nodded reluctantly.
Cesare put his arm around Jamie's shoulders and whispered quietly to him.
Damon eyed Bonnie and asked, "What's going on, Bunny?"
Bonnie slowly stood up. "There is no easy way to say this...Alaric was shot tonight while Jamie was with him."
Zacharias sucked in a breath. However, his gaze hardened. He ground out, "Why is my brother here instead of the hospital?"
Damon stared at Bonnie waiting on an answer. He didn't want to react or overreact until he had the facts, but his blood was boiling. Ric was a son of a bitch but he was his uncle. He wouldn't and couldn't ignore an attempt on his life, even if the culprit was his loving wife.
"Decisions had to be made and we were lacking time and information. I got a 911 text from my brother. I went to the gym and found Alaric lying in a pool of his own blood. Jamie had the fucking gun in his hand and I...he's my brother, Damon. I thought he was the one that shot Ric. And he wasn't talking. He was scared silent. He wouldn't answer my questions and Ric was unconscious. I had to protect my brother. I decided to keep your uncle alive but I planned to wipe the scene clean. No one would ever know my brother was there," she said in a firm voice.
Stefan felt his knees go a little weak. He had come close to killing Ric himself a few weeks ago. Damon had been able to talk him off the ledge but Jamie was just a kid.
Zacharias looked horrified. He glanced back towards where Jamie had disappeared.
Damon licked his lips. "You said that you 'thought' Jamie shot Ric. Has something changed your mind?"
She nodded slowly. "Jamie started talking again once he had a shower. I guess the initial shock had worn off and he felt safe again. He told me that Ric sent him up to his office so that he could meet with someone in private. An argument ensued and then gunshots followed. Jamie texted me for help and then went to investigate. He found Ric with his gun next to him...bleeding out. He only picked up the gun because he thought the gun woman might come back."
Zacharias' fists clenched at his side. He understood why Bonnie had chosen to protect Jamie. He would have done the same in her position. He asked, "Gun woman?"
Bonnie said, "That's what Jamie told us. He heard a woman yelling at Ric in a foreign language. It might have been French or Spanish...definitely wasn't Italian. He's fluent and would have understood the conversation. I have an inkling about who this woman is because Lucy went through Ric's phone for clues. I…"
Damon moved closer to Bonnie. "Who did this to my uncle?"
"He's been sexting with a woman but there's no name for her in the phone. It's just a number. I could be way off base but my people assure me Lilly is the only woman Ric has been visiting since everything went to shit with my mother."
Zacharias gave an almost inhuman roar. "I should have killed that treacherous bitch when I had the chance! The night she had the audacity to show her fucking face at the Manor, I should have shot her in the fucking head that night! But I stayed my hand for the two of you! If she's responsible for shooting my brother...she's dead. Do you both understand me?!"
Stefan dropped into a chair because he felt faint. "No. Mother wouldn't do that. She's not a violent person."
"You don't fucking know her! That's what I've been trying to tell you from the start. You see her as a little wounded bird but she's anything but," he snapped.
Damon said, "Enough. Where is my uncle?"
Bonnie motioned for them to follow her. She led them down the hall to an operating theater. Through the windows they could see doctors working on Ric. "He is getting the best care that money can buy. The surgeon working on him works at Buena Vista. He is deeply in debt to my family right now. I cleared his debt on the condition that he haul his ass out to the Heights to save Ric's life."
Zacharias asked, "How bad is it?"
"The biggest issue is blood loss. The shooter was a poor shot and missed most of his vital organs."
Stefan asked, "Does he need donations? I think we're the same blood type."
"I don't think so. This clinic had plenty of blood on hand but we should consult Cole. He's running point over this," she said.
She tapped on the window and motioned for Cole to come out.
He walked out of the operating room and pulled down his mask.
"How is he?" Damon asked.
Cole said, "He's going to survive barring any unforeseen complications. The bullet to the leg is giving Dr. Holland the most trouble. It's lodged in Ric's tibia. The other bullets have been removed and the wounds dressed. He's responding well to anesthesia and we're transfusing whole blood right now to keep him stable."
Bonnie said, "Stefan wanted to know if you need blood donations?"
He said, "It is always good to have more on hand. Are any of you his blood type?"
Zacharias cleared his throat and said, "Stefan and I both share his blood type. We'd like to donate blood."
Cole said, "I'll get a nurse to see you in a couple minutes then. In the meantime, I want to get back in there in case Dr. Holland needs a hand."
Bonnie nodded and said, "Thank you, Cole."
He offered as small smile before putting on his mask and entering the operating room.
Bonnie looked at the three men. "I am sorry it went down this way."
Damon pulled Bonnie into a hug and said, "It's fine. Thank you for trying to save his life."
"He's your family even if he's been terrorizing mine lately. I know you love him. You've always been closest to him," she replied softly.
"What happened to Jamie's face? Did Ric hurt him?" he asked quietly.
She said, "The fucking idiot hit him in the boxing ring. I guess it was meant to be a bonding thing but it just made Jamie more afraid."
Zach winced and said, "I don't know what the fuck he was thinking."
"Probably some macho bullshit about facing fears or being a man," she said bitterly.
A nurse emerged from the operating room and said, "I will be handling the blood donation. If the donors could follow me down the hall."
Zach and Stefan nodded and followed the woman.
Damon leaned against the wall. "Do you really think it was Lilly?"
"I don't know, Damon. A woman speaking possibly French that Ric's been sexting? Does Ric have many French whores?" she asked genuinely.
He huffed out a laugh. "He has a few women he sees from time to time but my mother is the only French one to my knowledge."
Bonnie said, "I could be wrong. I'll hand the phone over so that your people can do a deep dive. The surveillance footage was zero help at the gym. He turned it off before his guest arrived."
"What the fuck was he thinking?"
She said, "I haven't a clue. He obviously trusted this woman… a lot."
"Too much," he added. "If my mother is responsible, you know what I will have to do. There won't be any alternatives."
Bonnie said, "It doesn't have to be you that pulls the trigger."
"I killed my old man. Why not make it an even pair?" he said and scrubbed a hand over his face. "I never believed that she was here for us but part of me hoped."
She moved beside Damon and took his hand. "We were both royally fucked in the parental lottery."
He kissed her hand. "Yes, we were. I'm trying not to connect dots where there aren't any…"
"I've been doing the same thing. But I don't believe in coincidences, Damon. Lilly shows up and then everything goes to shit in a matter of weeks. But your mother doesn't have the intelligence or resources to pull this off. I suppose someone could be pulling her strings," she mused.
Damon closed his eyes and said, "It could be anyone."
"Not anyone...someone that she knows. Someone that she would trust enough to take such a big risk by following."
He laughed hollowly as something occurred to him. "The stupid bitch tried to have me killed."
Bonnie's eyes darkened at the prospect. "If anyone is going to kill you, it'll be me. Where the fuck does she get off thinking she can jump the line?"
Damon glanced at his wife to see if she was joking. He shook his head with a wry smile. "Still thinking about killing me."
"No, but the point stands. The only person allowed to kill you is me. That includes your certifiable mother," she snapped.
He kissed her forehead. "Stop it. You're making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, Bunny."
She rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do?"
"I am going to take the advice you gave me after Giuseppe's funeral. It's time to put eyes on my mother. I want to know her every move," he hissed.
"You should have her suite bugged, too. Get someone onto the cleaning staff for easy access," Bonnie suggested.
He lifted an eyebrow. "Did you ever bug my penthouse?"
"So that I could hear you fucking your whores? Not likely," she said with a wrinkle of her nose.
Damon decided that was a fair point. He asked, "Is everything at the gym taken care of?"
"My people are there now. There won't be any hint of what happened at the gym tonight," she promised.
"Good…I'm sorry that Jamie was there," he murmured.
"Me, too," she said softly.