Grave Digger – Brothers At Arms #4

Alfredo sat down at the table and picked up his father’s book. He began to read. His father’s own words made him shake his head. He read for about an hour then gasped in horror. Slowly, he looked up at Leon and paled as he shook his head. Then he swore softly in Italian, “Cazzo, non ci posso credere.”

Leon frowned. “What did your father do?” he asked softly but firmly.

Alfredo pushed the book toward him and waited for the backlash.

Leon took a minute to read the passage and he didn’t disappoint him. “Cazzo, that would be impossible to do. He’s lying.”

“Dad? What is going on?” Calderone asked, looking from one man to the other.

“ Son, it is preposterous,” Leon replied. “I need to make a call about this, something isn’t right here. I would have known about this if it happened before Alfonzo died. Someone would have told me long before now.” He stood from the table and went down the hall to call the Council.

“What is it, Grandpa?” Delaney asked.

 “My father apparently robbed the Council the last time he went to Boston. He had written that he cleared an entire safe and simply walked out of the building. He didn’t know who the safe belonged to but he couldn’t believe his luck when he stumbled into a guard’s only section and the safe was open. My Lord, that man was crazier than we ever really knew. He could have been shot just for being in that room.” Alfredo shook his head.

“That must be what Dad and the boys want to get in here for,” Delaney stated as she sank down in the chair closest to her. She swung her gaze over at Zeus. “Any idea where the money could be hidden?”

Zeus sighed as he ran his hands over the back of his head. “Fuck no. There shouldn’t be any safes left. We only found one safe and that held the money he’d robbed from banks fifty years ago.”

Grave Digger listened to the latest reaction from Alfonzo’s games. He shook his head and rose up to slip down the hallway. He needed to check on Emily and Anthony. When he opened the door, he found Emily packing what little belongings had brought with her.

Looking up at him, she had tears in her eyes.

“Are you going somewhere?” he finally asked her.

“I’m sorry but I can’t stay here. Not with that monster being in the same building,” she murmured as she wiped the tears from her face. “I can’t risk Anthony’s life as he knows it.”

“You can’t exactly leave either. Romano’s dad, his brother and their men are waiting on the other side of the fence and they will catch you. And if they find out who Anthony’s dad is, they will take him from you.” He paused then asked, “Is that what you want? To lose Anthony? Because the Raggetti’s will grab him, right out of your arms and then leave you in the dirt when they storm this place.”

Emily stopped packing and stood still for a minute. Then with a heavy sigh, she sat down on the bed. Looking defeated, she glanced over at her sleeping son and shook her head. “I love this child so much. I loved him from the day I knew he was growing inside me. We’ve been through hell and high water, him and me but I never once turned my back on him. Never once have I ever thought about leaving him behind. I prayed that his father would never find out about him. His father is a dirtbag and he doesn’t deserve to know his son.” She paused as more tears slid down her face. “I named him after my dad, you know. My dad was named Vincent Anthony Serano.” Shaking her head she said, “I have to protect my son even from his father.”

Grave Digger walked over to her. Grabbing her shoulders, he dragged her to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her close. “You need to stay calm and remember that I won’t allow them to take anything more from you.” He set her back and gazed into her eyes then he leaned over and kissed her.

 After a little hesitation, Emily reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and actually kissed him back. He grabbed her ass and hauled her closer in his arms and the kiss took on another kind of feeling as they explored each other’s mouths.

Finally, Grave Digger broke the kiss and just stared down into her face.

Emily looked up at him in shock. “What the hell was that?” she whispered.

“I have no idea but I want more…” He leaned in to kiss her again and this time, it was gentler and so much more. When he broke this kiss, his mouth dropped down to her jaw and to her neck as he spread soft kisses along her skin. “I don’t want to stop. If you do, you’re going to have to say the words. Tell me to stop.”

“I can’t, I want you,” she whispered. “But we can’t, not here and not now. But Lord help me, I want more of you.”

“Then stay,” Grave Digger whispered as he gazed into her eyes. “I want you to stay with me. I need to keep you and him safe.”

Pausing, she now looked him in the eyes. “This isn’t pity, is it?” she had to ask. “I don’t want your pity.”

“God woman…” He groaned as he ground his hardness against her body. “Does this feel like pity? Ever since I found you, I’ve wanted you. I’m a man that knows what he wants and I want you.”

“Anthony and I come as a set, you know that, right?”

Grave Digger smiled. “Yeah, I know that. I hope he doesn’t mind being a biker’s kid.”

She stared at him and asked, “And your brothers won’t mind? After all, they know who his dad is.”

Grave Digger shook his head. “If they did, it wouldn’t make a difference for me. But I don’t think they’ll care. After all, Memphis is already with Delaney.”

“I need you to know something here before we take this any further,” she told him.

Grave Digger cocked his head and looked at her. “And what would that be?”

“I’m not just doing this to get your help. I don’t want you to ever think that. You told me you wanted me from the moment you met me? Well, I wanted you too, but I’ve never wanted a man before and I just never thought you would turn out to be such a good man. When I told you and the others what happened, I saw pity in their eyes but I didn’t see any in yours. That meant something to me. When you kissed me, I knew I wanted you too. You are the kindest, most caring guy I have ever known. I want you and only you. But there is so much going on, that what I want has to take a back burner until I know Anthony is safe.”

Grave Digger sighed. “You are a strong woman, you’ve had to be, but I am a patient man. I want you too, but I can wait for us to happen. I just hope it all ends soon.”

Emily nodded. “It’s been a roller coaster ride ever since they killed my dad and I don’t know if I’m coming or going most days, but you calm the crazy, you know? I so want to get off this insane ride but I’m afraid. I can’t lose Anthony, not to his own father, that bastard is just plain crazy…” She paused and met his eyes again. “But when you kissed me, you sparked something inside me that I didn’t know was even there. I have a feeling it would be all too easy to lose myself in your arms. You take away my fears and make me feel things I’ve never felt before. But my son always comes first. This is also something you need to realize.”

“That is as it should be, woman. I will protect both you and Anthony,” he assured her. “I got your back and the brothers around here got mine. But you have to stay here, Emily. We can’t protect you and Anthony outside the walls of the compound.”

“Yes, I know and you’re right,” she said. “I just panicked. When it comes to my child, I tend to do that. I’ll stay as long as Romano is behind bars. And as long as he doesn’t find out about Anthony, I’ll stay.”

They both paused when voices were raised in the main room.

 Grave Digger shook his head. “I’d better go see what this is all about. You stay here with Anthony and I’ll be back.” He leaned in and placed his lips gently onto hers. Again, they both were lost in the feeling it gave them.. When he broke the kiss, he turned suddenly and walked out the door.

Emily sat back down on the bed and stared at the empty doorway as she raised her hand to her lips.

When Grave Digger entered the main room, he saw Leon standing there looking more pissed off than ever before.

“I called the Council,” he stated angrily. “And they checked the records. Your father did indeed rob one of the safes, all those years ago. The theft was never solved. That money was supposed to be there as a backup for the family it was being held for. That’s what those safes are used for. It happened before I officially took over, so I never really knew about it. My predecessor never said a word as maybe he felt it was far too late to recover it. This is outrageous. Your father was either the bravest man I have ever heard of or he was the dumbest. His actions left a deficit that had to be covered by other means. I hold your father responsible. We need to find that money.”

Alfredo nodded. “I know.”

“I had them check the books and apparently, he stole ten million dollars from that safe then closed the door behind him. No one realized the door had been left open.” Leon growled.

Alfredo nodded. “Yes, in his journal, my father brags about how easy it was to take the money. He claims he took a wrong turn and ended up in the safe room, he checked the handles on the safes and found one hadn’t been locked yet. He says he opened it and found the money just sitting there. And he wasted no time in loading the bag he took and walking out of the room. He found a back entrance and just walked through it. He boasted that it was his biggest job yet and that it had been so easy.” Alfredo sighed in exasperation. “The idiot thought he would never be caught because he knew those safes were emergency use only. He said they weren’t to be opened unless the family who owned them was going under and he knew that would never happen, so he felt he got away with robbing the Family. The fool.”

Delaney shook her head. “And now my father thinks he can just walk through the door and claim what great grandpa stole.”

Alfredo snorted. “Your father is just like my dad. He’s too fucking lazy to do an honest day’s work and take pride in earning his own way. My father always had a saying that most people don’t know what they had under their own roof, sometimes it’s a shitload of money and sometimes it’s nothing but dust and lost dreams. My Barrett always repeated those words and every time he did, he laughed like he was crazy.”

Delaney paused at his words then she looked up at the ceiling and thought about the roof overhead. That was a flat roof. She remembered looking at it as they often made their way to the still room before they were found by Memphis.

She remembered her dad doing exactly as grandpa said and now she had to wonder why her dad always laughed when he repeated his grandfather’s words. When she swung her gaze back down, she looked over at her grandpa. The poor man just received shock after shock. It wasn’t good for him at his age. She walked over to him and knelt beside him, “I thought these surprises were over. I’m so sorry, Grandpa.”

Alfredo patted her arm. “I know child, so am I. My dad was a thief and an idiot. How he thought for one moment he could do what he did to the Family still astounds me. Plus, the fact he got away with his deeds for years must have tickled his funny bone for a long time. But he died before his dirtiest deeds could come to light and now he’s safe in his grave while leaving the blame to be taken by others. He lived a good long life because he kept most of his secrets to himself.”

Delaney shook her head, “But not this one, he told my dad about it. And all he had to do was wait until he could come in and get what your dad told him was waiting for him.” She hung her head in shame. “We can’t let him get it. We have to stop him. We have to.”

“And we will.” Leon snarled. “Ho chiuso con questo gioco. I’ve about had it with Barrett’s greed and I’ve about had it with Alfonzo’s games as he taunts us even from his fucking grave. He has thumbed his nose at us for the last time. He may be safe in that grave but the man who’s still living while he thinks he will rob from the Family is gonna be placed right beside him soon.”

Alfredo looked over at him. “What do you plan to do?”

“La punizione è a portata di mano.” Retribution is at hand. “Your son wants a war?” Leon growled. “I will give him one, one he cannot win, one where the hunter becomes the hunted. Barrett had better have a damned good plan, because there isn’t a rock big enough for his sorry ass to hide behind.”