Tanner got a very good idea of just how far Nico would go to protect him on the last day of school. He also got quite an insight into what his uncles and dads did for a living.

“Are you ready, Juliet?” Tanner was holding her book bag.

“Yes, I’m looking for my favorite pencil.”

“Why? We’re out of school, remember?” Tanner chuckled.

“If you must know, it was the first pencil Dad ever bought me for school and I have it with me all the time.”

Tanner looked up and down the hallway; they were the only ones left and Juliet was still going through her locker.

“Juliet.”

“I found it!” Juliet pulled the pencil out and held it up triumphantly. It was almost all the way down to the eraser and it had little hearts on it.

The door opened behind him and Tanner turned around; the men who came through it did not look nice and they were coming straight for them.

“Run!” Tanner grabbed her hand and they headed down the hall, only to be caught while trying to go slip down another one. Tanner struggled and Juliet let out a loud scream.

“Take them to the car and shut them up!”

 

The rest of the kids were in the parking lot waiting for them by the security limo. Damon was talking to Conner when he felt his pulse begin to race.

“Something’s wrong with Tanner.”

“What is it?” Katarina demanded.

Damon ran back into the school with the rest following; when they made it to the hallway where their lockers were, they saw Juliet’s locker wide open. Conner went over and picked up a pencil on the floor.

“This is hers; she would never leave it behind.”

“Call Grandpa Stefan. Something’s wrong,” Landon said, his voice strained.

 

Stefan hung up the phone and turned to face Jordan. “We have a problem.”

They called Damon and Tyler first, and then Reece and Lorenzo. They were at the house in minutes and Lorenzo went straight to the deck and held onto the railing.

“I will kill them.”

Reece took his hand. “We’ll get her back.”

Nico was pacing the kitchen floor and looking at the men assembled; his grandfather had called everyone.

“Why haven’t they called? What do they want them for?” Nico’s voice was frantic.

They didn’t have to wait long before Nico’s cell phone rang. Lorenzo hurried into the house at the sound of the phone.

“Hello, my son.”

“Who is this?” Nico put his phone on speaker.

“You have forgotten your father?”

Nico looked at Caleb and Heath. “No, I see them right here. What do you want?”

“Vengeance. I know you are there, Lorenzo.”

“Give me back my daughter,” Lorenzo hissed.

“How does it feel to have your child taken from you, eh?”

“Why Tanner?” Nico demanded.

“I took what you hold most dear. He is very adorable.”

“Don’t you touch him!” Tyler shouted. “I’m going to fucking kill you, do you hear me?”

“It is not wise to threaten me, Mr. Santorno — I’m sorry, Mr. Youngblood. You are all filthy Santornos as far as I am concerned. I know you are there as well, Stefano, and I know it was on your father’s orders that Lorenzo took my son from me all those years ago!”

“Your life is over as you know it, Mr. Rossi.” Stefan’s voice was made of steel.

“Ah, Stefano, so nice to hear you. This is the deal — Lorenzo Costa will come for his daughter. He will trade his life for hers. Do you understand, Lorenzo? And Nico, you will come to your real father and stay with me and I will let your precious Tanner go. If not —”

There was a loud noise and then they heard Juliet screaming, then Tanner’s loud screams echoed through the phone. Nico had taken the phone and was yelling into it.

“Hang it up!” Stefan snatched the phone and ended the call.

“What are you doing?” Lorenzo looked at Stefano as though he were crazy.

“He had an audience. He would have kept going because we were listening. You’re not thinking straight, Lorenzo.” Stefan took his hands.

“Oh my God, they’re hurting our daughter!” Reece sobbed and Lorenzo grabbed him and had to hold him up.

Tyler asked Stefan, “Where are the weapons?”

“Our room, wall safe.”

“Come up with a plan. We leave now.” Damon took Tyler’s hand and they headed for the bedroom.

“I’m going with you.” Nico grabbed Lorenzo’s arm.

“Nico —” Caleb started before Nico interrupted him.

“I can’t just sit here! You didn’t train me to sit on my ass!”

“You do not have enough training with a weapon,” Lorenzo argued, shaking his head.

“Yes, he does,” Justin corrected quietly. “He’s good.”

“Please, Dads.” Nico begged Caleb and Heath.

Heath looked to Justin, who nodded.

“Fine, but we’re going with you.” Heath took his hand.

“Well. Let’s do what we do best,” Jordan stated.

Tanner was trying to get free when Nico’s biological father came back in and crouched in front of Juliet, tilting up her face.

“Look what they did to your pretty face.”

“Don’t touch me,” Juliet spat.

“You are like your father. You look very much like him.”

“You took the wroooong kids,” Tanner warned.

“I have been watching you for a long time. You and my son. He has very strong feelings for you.”

“Yeah? Have you met my dads yet?” Tanner asked.

“No.”

“You will.”

 

Tyler and Damon had their other son with them; they were watching him like a hawk.

“He’s scared, but I don’t think they are hurting him right now,” Damon Jr. said. He and Tanner shared the twin bond that allowed them to sense what the other was feeling in times of stress.

“Signal is coming through strong.” Stefan checked the GPS unit.

“Good, I am going to kill him this time.” Lorenzo turned to Nico. “I am sorry.”

“Don’t be. That animal was never my father. Fathers don’t beat and abuse their children.” Nico stood up and put on his bulletproof vest.

 

Using Tanner and Juliet’s tracking bracelets, they located the house within hours and had it surrounded. Nico went in with Lorenzo; Tyler and Damon and Caleb and Heath went through the ventilation shafts and the rest of them took up positions at the corners of the house. Justin was motioning Alex to take Roman another way when they ran into the first resistance. Dimitri took a man out on his side, and Jake and Parker were at the back of the house with Dante and Kyle. Jay and Greg were on the roof and Greg was setting up his sniper rifle.

“Hey.” Josh came up and over the edge and Jay smiled.

“It’s about time.”

“It was Jason’s fault.”

“Pfftt.” Jason set up the radio. “We have a visual.”

“God, I love it when you’re technical baby,” Josh whispered.

Dylan huddled with Brandon, Damon Jr., Brett, and Reece in their command center providing constant information. Tanner and Juliet’s bracelets were providing their exact coordinates in the building.

“Two hundred meters, baby, then take a right down that hall and watch your back.” Reece was monitoring his husband and Nico creeping through the building.

“You’re about to run into resistance.” Dylan watched two men coming from the opposite direction.

“Silencers. You stay behind me,” Lorenzo instructed Nico.

Dylan watched as Lorenzo and Nico took out everyone they came into contact with. Nico was truly a Santorno but Dylan was beginning to think he was Vince’s son. The thought made him chuckle and Brett and Brandon stared at him.

“What? I was just thinking Nico is a lot like Vince.”

“What do you mean?” Brandon asked.

Dylan turned the computer around and they all got a good look at Nico and Lorenzo moving down the hall; Nico fired without even looking, he shot one after another and the look on his face was pure hatred.

“Jesus,” Brandon whispered.

Lorenzo stood on one side of the door with Nico on the other. They knew Tanner and Juliet were inside the room. Lorenzo motioned to Nico and he nodded. Lorenzo kicked down the door and entered first. There were shots fired and Lorenzo went down; someone knocked the gun from Nico’s hand and he ended up across the room.

Then his father came into view.

“I knew you would come.”

“Give me my daughter,” Lorenzo demanded.

Back in the surveillance center Dylan was shouting into the radios. “Lorenzo is down!”

“Oh, God, baby — get up,” Reece whispered.

 

Tanner and Nico’s eyes met and Nico realized his father was going to shoot Tanner and Juliet as well as Lorenzo.

“I have waited for this day for a long time, Lorenzo Costa.”

A shot went off and Lorenzo watched Rossi as blood oozed from his chest and he collapsed. Nico had managed to retrieve his gun; his eyes traveled the room and he saw another man aiming at Tanner and Juliet.

Everything went into slow motion for Tanner. His eyes widened as one of the men who had beaten them charged at them with a gun. He pushed Juliet’s chair over and then Nico was flying in front of him. Another shot went off and the man went down.

Tyler and Damon dropped from the ceiling and Tyler shot him again.

“Asshole.” Tyler spat on him.

“Daddieeee!” Juliet saw her father on the floor bleeding and was desperately trying to get loose.

Reece was running frantically through the building. He didn’t know if it was secure and he didn’t care; his husband was down and he was going to be there with him. Nico got Juliet loose and she ran to her father.

“Daddy!” Juliet put her arms around him.

“I am all right, my lovely.” Lorenzo held her to him and cried. “I was so worried for you.”

“Oh, God, Lorenzo!” Reece ran to his husband and kneeled down in front of him.

“I am all right; it is not life threatening.” Lorenzo cupped his husband’s face. “You are not supposed to come into the building.”

“You are not supposed to get shot.” Reece kissed him softly before gathering their daughter into his arms and checking her injuries.

 

“You would shoot me? Your own father?” Rossi implored Nico.

Nico stared at the man bleeding on the floor — the man who had beaten him relentlessly night after night for no reason.

“You are not my father.” The only emotion Nico had for him was hatred.

Tyler was busy untying his son from the chair and Tanner fell into his arms. Tyler pulled his face up and nearly wept at the massive bruising.

“Oh, my God!” Tyler held his son to him and Damon grabbed them both in his arms.

“Nico!” Caleb and Heath  grabbed their son and held him as close as they could.

Stefan and Jordan entered and took in the scene. They eyed Rossi with disgust and Stefan crouched down to look at him.

“Nico’s got good aim.” Stefan pulled the man’s shirt open.

“Everybody clear out. We’ll meet up with you,” Jordan ordered.

Tyler and Heath stopped as they were leaving the room and Heath pointed. “What about him?”

“He’s not going to last much longer.” Stefan looked around the room. The sight of Nico holding Tanner in his arms made him smile.

“Oh, God.” Nico held Tanner to him, reveling in the feel of his heartbeat against his chest. “If I had lost you…”

“I was so scared,” Tanner whispered.

“You are safe now.” Nico kissed his eyes.

“You could have gotten shot.” Tanner looked into Nico’s eyes.

“I would die for you, Tanner. You know that.”

Tyler had his hand over his mouth as the tears began. He looked at Damon and knew he had also heard what Nico had said to their son.

“Come on, guys.” Caleb started everyone moving. “It’s time to head home.”

Lorenzo picked up his daughter and held her close. “You were very brave.”

“I’m a Costa,” Juliet explained.

“Yes, you are.”

 

As soon as Damon saw his brother, he was all over him hugging him and kissing him. The twin bond between them was strong and Damon had held back information from his fathers. He could feel Tanner’s terror, felt the pain, knew when they were hitting him. He could feel it.

“I missed you!” Damon held him tight. “Are you okay?”

Tanner smiled at his brother. “I am now.”

Nico was watching Tanner with all the kids and he smiled. He felt someone’s hand on his shoulder, and he looked way up to find Lorenzo looking at him.

“You did well. I am sorry you had to shoot him.”

“I’m not. He was never my father.”

“I am very proud of you, Nico.”

“I know you wanted me to be your son when I was younger.”

“I wanted you to be happy and have a normal life. It is what I have always wanted for you.” Lorenzo cupped his face. He had thought about it when Nico was smaller; Nico had been almost six when he had rescued him from his father. Nico had been old enough to remember what he had endured and had opened up to him right away. If Lorenzo could have adopted him, he would have. But he wanted Nico to have a family. When Heath and Caleb fell in love with the boy during a visit to Malta, he couldn’t have been happier. Little did he know he would marry one day and finally have his own family.

“You would have been an awesome dad to me.”

“It would have been my honor.” Lorenzo hugged him.

Heath watched his son with Lorenzo and smiled. Nico had turned out to be quite a force of nature, and very loving.

Nico felt someone’s arms go around him and smiled.

“You did a good job.” Stefan smiled at his grandson.

“He’s a Santorno,” Heath replied.

“Yes, he is.”