A/N – Thanks for the comments and your understanding. Will definitely post on Monday, the 31st. Wishing everyone a happy holiday!

NC-17

Chapter 45

Vinny Scalero leaned on the table. "I think we would have appreciated it if you had come to us first with your concerns."

"My father has come to you many times and got permission to run Crimson Pointe. I sat back and waited for months as Sonny made one bad decision after another. Would you have honestly heard me out? Would you have considered the fact that Sonny has squandered most of his fortune due to his big ego and your profits are hurting because of it? How long were you planning on letting him screw everyone over?"

Sal's hand smashed onto the table. "Don't be disrespectful."

"It is you who has disrespected us, not the other way around. I didn't take him down when I could have. You knew what he was up to and did nothing to fix it and then he hired that piece of shit Ronnie Dimesco who raped my sister."

The other men flinched.

"He was totally playing Sonny and took off to God knows where. As much respect as I do have for you, my family comes first. No one fucks with my family and walks away."

The men are surprised by Francis's tone considering he's been known for being calmer than his father.

It is all part of Francis's plan to throw them off guard. He has to assert himself and let them know that he is just as formidable as his dad.

"Did you kill Scully too?"

"Do you really care?"

Dominic Tagliani smirked. "You've been really busy."

"I've been really smart. I want permission to run Sonny's operation. When I'm done, you'll see more profits and the region will be stable again."

"Will you be running it?" Sal asked.

"I'll oversee it, but Johnny O'Brien will take the lead and Jason will be his enforcer."

The men glance at each other, a few whispering before giving Francis their attention.

"Will you excuse us for a moment?" Dominic asked.

Francis waited in a room a few doors down.

"I'm not a fan of all his methods, but he's a step up from Sonny," Vinny said.

"I don't completely trust them. They have been busy undermining everyone in the area," Sal said.

"It was well played. Sonny was an idiot and let greed and power go to his head. Francis is more stable."

"He'll go after Ronnie," Dominic said.

"And that prick will go down for what he did."

They turned their attention to Paulie who hadn't said a lot. "What do you think?" His silence is normal considering he is a thinker.

"He has cojones coming in here talking to us like that. The alternative would be chaos and I don't think we want that." Another name had been thrown into the ring at one point, but clearly, that is off the table.

Tommy Giarrella, who had also been quiet, spoke up. "We don't need a war."

"Let's take a vote," Dominic said.

They voted and then called Francis back into the room.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

For several long moments, Jason stood across from Sonny and said nothing as Johnny, who had joined him at Francis's request waited for the tension to break.

Sonny is tied to a chair and for the most part, hasn't been touched. His leg wound was tended to by a doctor to make sure he'd be well enough for whatever Jason comes up with.

"I could ask you a lot of questions, but I don't think I'd like the answers."

Sonny rolled his eyes.

"I could beat the shit out of you and while that would feel great, you wouldn't be able to handle it for long."

"Just shoot me and get it over with."

"No. Part of me wants to know what the fuck you think I did to you that I deserved to be raped and framed for something I didn't do."

"You disrespected me."

"Because I didn't say how high when you told me to jump?"

Sonny shrugged. "No one wanted to be around you after the accident. You were fucked up and angry and mad at the world. I gave you what you needed, someone to listen and not want you to be someone else."

"You want a fucking medal?"

Johnny chuckled.

"I gave you everything."

"No, you took everything you could and I let you because I really didn't care about the money or Carly. Loyalty was my issue with you. It was something you expected but didn't give back."

"Carly would have eaten you alive."

"So you think you saved me, don't you?"

"I know I did. Look at her now? She couldn't even keep custody of Michael." Sonny grinned. "That's what this is, right? You hate that I got to keep him when he was supposed to be yours—that I could to be his father."

"Michael was never mine no matter how much I wanted the opposite. He isn't even yours, but you knew what he meant to me and just had to have him. You treated him like a possession, not a person."

"He loves me."

"That's what kids do unless you give them a reason not to."

"Is there a point to this conversation?"

Jason glanced at Johnny and nodded. The door opened and a man moved towards them and then pulled a huge syringe out of his pocket.

"What is that?"

He is ignored as the man stabs his leg.

"What the fuck?"

He moved away and Jason stepped forward.

"You know, I thought long and hard about what to do with you." Jason hit Sonny so hard in the jaw, that he knocked a few teeth loose.

Sonny spit out some blood as his ears rang.

"That felt good, but I think I'll just let the drug do its thing. By the way, it can't be reversed." Over the next few days, it will get worse and worse, trapping him in his nightmares.

Sonny starts to panic, breathing heavier.

"For a while, your mood will be all over the place and then bam, you're going to be on one seriously bad trip for as long as you live. Remember what it was like in that closet when you were a kid?"

Sonny's head jerks because he thinks he sees something that isn't there.

"That will look like a picnic. You're going to be in a paranoia state twenty-four seven where Deke and all your enemies will haunt the shit out of you."

Jason's face morphs into Deke and Sonny starts to sweat.

"You've been a bad boy, Sonny. It's time to pay."

"No! I swear! I didn't do it."

Johnny is impressed. "Where did you find that doctor?"

"Francis knew some people who like to experiment. They've used it one other time and the guy ended up killing himself."

"How are you going to keep him alive?"

"Sonny is going to end up in a mental hospital drooling on his pillow. He's going to be arrested soon, for not only shooting Manny, but Joe Scully's body will be found in one of his warehouses tomorrow. It's well known that Scully has been attacking him."

Johnny grinned. "Francis can be scary."

Jason slightly smiled as he watched Sonny in full panic mode, thinking something is attacking him.

"I'm surprised that you didn't want to beat him senseless."

"He's already senseless and the more Francis talked about doing something different the more it appealed to me. Death is too easy and final, but that the drug is forever. He wanted to trap me in Pentonville and now he is trapped in his mind and a mental institution will be his new home. He wanted me to lose everything and now he will." The initial plan had been to kill him after a few months, but he had received a text from Francis as he entered the building.

"That's called karma."

"He stays here until tomorrow and then we'll let him go inside the warehouse. The police will get an anonymous call and will find him ranting and raving."

"Suppose they shoot him?"

"They'll know what they are dealing with beforehand and Taggert has been dying to arrest us for years. I guess he saw Deke as a mentor and blames Sonny for his death."

"Idiot."

"Taggert won't kill him because he wants to see him get punished." They leave the room. "Do you have any leads on Ronnie?"

"I think he headed to Canada. I'll find him soon. He's not as clever as he thinks he is and scum like him always return to the scene of the crime."

"And then what?"

Sonny starts screaming and they glance at the door for a second and then resume talking.

"I'm going to hunt him down and take his body apart piece by piece."

"Let me know if you need any help."

"I will. Was Nicole at the hospital?"

"Yes. I'm sure they have gone home by now."

"Then I'll go say goodbye because I'll be undercover starting tomorrow."

"What about Sonny's territory?"

Johnny sighed. "Do you think you can handle it?"

"The next week or so will be about cleaning house, so yes."

"Thank you."

They left to go back to Crimson Pointe.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Earlier

When Francis came back, the men looked pretty serious and he wondered if they had opted to not back him.

Vinny spoke first. "How are you going to deal with Sonny?"

"He's going to go a little crazy for a few months and then he won't be heard from again."

"Francis, it wasn't unanimous, but we agreed to let you take over the territory, but there is one condition."

"What?"

"You find another way to deal with Sonny. If you let him go crazy, that's fine, but we are forbidding you to end his life." It would be different if Sonny had killed someone important to Francis, but he hadn't. Being an asshole is not cause for death in most cases.

"Fine." Francis texted Jason the change in plan. "It's done."

They continued to talk business until the meeting is adjourned.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Elizabeth cracks up. Blackie is one of a kind. He is making faces at the baby who Nicole is trying to get back to sleep.

"Can I ask you a question?" Liz said.

"Shoot," Blackie said.

"Why are you so calm about all this crazy family stuff?"

"It has always been crazy for me so it doesn't faze me anymore."

"Are you mad at mom?" Nicole asked.

"Yes and no. I mean, who's to say it wouldn't have been worse if I was around her more. It's not like you guys had it good for the most part. I like having siblings and knowing I'm not alone anymore. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't exist." He shrugged. "Maybe it's easier for me because I didn't know her at all."

"It wasn't all bad. She had a lot of manic swings and even though I can remember us having good times, the bad just overshadows everything," Liz said.

"I just wish her saving her sanity wasn't at our expense," Nicole said.

"What is Sarah like?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "She's a bit pretentious and a man-eater, but she's not a total bitch. Wait until she finds out all of this."

"I can't wait to meet her too. Francis and I are out-numbered."

"Girl power!" Nicole said.

Alaina clapped which meant so did everyone else.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

An exhausted Francis strode into Piph's house. "Baby?" She had texted him to come over.

"I'm in the bedroom."

"Okay."

He stopped and used the bathroom and then headed inside, grinning when he spots her dressed in a long, sexy black negligee. "Is that for me?"

"It's all for you. Go take a quick shower and I'll be waiting."

He dashed to the bathroom, making her laugh and took the fastest shower ever. When he was finished, he wrapped the towel around his hips and moved into the other room.

Piph's eyes narrow. "Nice…"

"I was hoping that you'd unwrap me."

"I'm going to do more than that."

He reached her in a few strides and then kissed her torridly as she moaned and slid her hands down his chest.

"You are so beautiful inside and out. Thank you for giving me a chance," he said lovingly.

"I don't think I've ever felt the way you make me feel. Thank you for accepting all of me."

He kissed her again until they were both moaning and then eased her onto the bed. For the next half hour, he teased her body until she was begging for him to take her and when he finally slid home, they both were lost in each other, wanting to make the moment last. He started out slow and then Piph flipped them over and began to bounce on his dick and Francis thought he was going to lose his mind.

"Baby, you need to come."

She smirked. He is long and thick and fills her perfectly. "Not without you."

He stroked her clit, making her move faster and soon, they both come undone.

For several minutes, they just held each other.

"You were worth the wait," Piph said.

"So were you. Sadly, we did not break the bed."

She giggled. "We broke it in, so that is close enough."

"For now…"

"I think we're going to get along in this department just fine."

"Me too."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Jason slipped into Elizabeth's bed and she immediately turned into him.

"You okay?" Her sleepy eyes tried to focus as she stretched.

"Yeah. It's done."

"Is he dead?"

"No."

Deciding that it's probably best she doesn't know, she changes the subject. "My brother is sleeping down the hall."

"How did it go with him?"

"Fine. I like him and so does Emily."

Jason groaned.

"You'll just have to put up with it. He's harmless."

"Seriously? He's a guy and guys are never harmless."

"And Emily is a big girl."

He tugged her closer. "I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

"I'm sure you do. He deserved whatever you did."

"I'm worried about Johnny."

"Why?"

"He's not going to be very available until he takes down Ronnie."

"I'll be there for her. We all will."

"How's Manny."

"He's still stable. He got lucky."

Jason rubbed her back. "We all were lucky." With all the bullets that were flying around, it could have turned out much worse.

"I'm going to go talk to my parents tomorrow."

"Are you sure that you're ready?"

'No, but I just want to get it over with."

"I'll be there if you need me."

"Thanks." As much as she would love for him to be there, it's something she needs to do on her own.

"Rest, baby."

She slightly smiled. "Now that I have my pillow, I will."

He kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad I can help. You'll need some sleep for what I'm planning to do to you in the shower."

Her body shuddered. "It's going to be a long night."

He grinned as he shut his eyes thinking that he has never looked so forward to taking a shower.