Days go by with me pounding the pavement and faces as I search for the people who are trying to hurt Murphy. It’s also been days since I’ve spoken to her or my family. I tried once to contact Murphy; of course, she didn’t respond. The rejection was enough that I didn’t try again. I might care for her, but I won’t be her bitch. If she doesn’t want me, then so be it. I just want to make sure our family interest in the casino is not put at risk. That’s what I keep telling myself when I actually know it’s because of her that I’m hunting for any trail that will take me to the people I need to kill.

The problem is, no one knows shit, or they’re not speaking. I have one more option. I need to speak to Mom and get her to agree to speak with the other bosses on my behalf. There is no way one of them doesn’t know something. I just can’t go alone without permission; it would show disrespect. Just like in business, everything goes through a chain of command; same in the mob. My mom is the highest of them all, her word will be final.   

I know today is family day at my mom’s, and I haven’t been by to visit in a long time, but this can’t wait anymore. I need her permission to go talk to the bosses.

I enter my mom’s and see her sitting in the living room with the girls. Immediately, she acts like she doesn’t want me there.

“Zander, what are you doing here?”

“Am I not allowed to come home for a visit, Mom?”

“No, no, son, that’s not what I mean. It’s just, it’s not a good time. I even canceled our dinner. Look, son, I would love to sit down and talk to you, but I can’t today, all right? I’ll call you.”

She’s almost frantic as she practically starts shoving me towards the door when Gabriel and Liam come around the corner. Liam speaks first.

“Hey, what’s going on here?”

I answer, “Seems like I might’ve crossed too many lines. Mom’s wanting me out.”

Gabriel shrugs his shoulders. “What did you expect, Zander? You practically declared war against us.”

“Fuck you, Gabriel. If I declared war against you, you wouldn’t be fucking standing there, now would you? I know, and you know you couldn’t stop me.”

Gabriel starts to buck up, raring to get at me, when Liam comes between us, holding him back. Then Vin comes from out of nowhere to stop us both.

Suddenly, Mom yells out, “That’s enough! This family is not going to war amongst ourselves. Do you all hear me? We are stronger than this. Control yourself, Gabriel, walk away. Now! Zander, I know we need to talk, but I need you to leave right now. We’ll talk later.”

“All I need from you right now is your permission to talk to the other bosses. Someone is trying to kill Murphy, and I am not about to let that happen. If you don’t give me the permission, I know the consequences, but I will talk to them one way or another.”

Before she can respond, the front door opens and Theo Trahan walks in. Mom looks panicked.

“No, Theo, not now!”

Theo looks pissed as he keeps walking forward. “Shut up, Catherine!”

I roar out in defense of my mother, “Fuck you! How dare you come in here like this?”

I notice my brothers are now by my side, all ready to defend our mother from none other than Theo.

Theo is one tough son of a bitch, so he doesn’t back down.

“Listen, son, I came here to tell you I know who has been after Murphy.”

That changes things. I relax my stance and ask, “Who?”

“It’s Forrest and his crew. They were paid by Judith Larussa to make her leave or end her.”

My mother shouts out, “Forrest? Why would he do that!?”

Theo shrugs his shoulders and says, “I don’t know, that’s for Zander to find out. I have him on ice for now.”

“Where is he? I need to get to him and make him answer my damn questions.”

Theo pushes his hands out. “Hold up, son. I have him secure, and his crew has been put on halt. We need to talk first.”

“No, Theo, stop! I want you to leave now!” We all turn back, looking at Mom as she shouts at Theo. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I don’t like it.

Theo shouts back, “Catherine, I told you by the end of the week, if you didn’t tell them, I would. Now I’m not fucking around anymore!”

Gabriel and Vin walk over to Theo and start to try and persuade him to leave, but he’s not having it. Gabriel might be the boss one day, but he has no power over Theo yet, so he knows better than to touch him.

Mom starts crying out, “Theo, please don’t do this. I’m begging you to stop, not now.”

A shouting Theo says, “If not now, Catherine, then when!? It’s been years of this shit. I’ve played it your way too long!”

My mother is hysterically crying now, and just watching her cry brings back so many bad memories. I haven’t seen her cry since my bastard of a father died. I’m becoming enraged with seeing her like this all over again.

Theo pushes past Gabriel and Vin. We all watch as he walks over to Mom and holds her in his arms. Everyone is on pins and needles as we hear him tell her, “I love you, Katie. I have to do this, even if it destroys us.”

The girls and everyone look back and forth between each other, trying to figure out what’s going on. Although I notice Vin is just standing with his head down. It makes me think he knows exactly what’s going on; if anyone does, it’s definitely him.

Gabriel questions them, breaking their embrace, “What the hell is going on? Someone needs to start talking.”

Theo turns around with Mom behind him and begins. “Your mother and I have been in love for many years. She thought it was best to keep it from you all until you were older. But then by the time you were, she thought none of you would understand or accept our relationship.”

Liam starts to chuckle. “I knew something was going on between the two of you. Sorry, guys, but I can’t believe none of you noticed.”

I look at him, pissed. “Then why didn’t you tell us, Liam?”

“Because for one, I wasn’t sure, and two, it’s none of my damn business. If Theo makes Mom happy, I don’t care, and neither should any of you.”

I tell Theo, “Well, I sure care. How the hell do you think I would be all right with you dating my mom?”

Theo stands taller and bucks up. “You don’t get to have an opinion, Zander, or any of you. I’ve been waiting my whole life to be out in the open with how I feel about this woman. You can either get used to it, or we’ll have a problem.”

I laugh. “You love my mother so much that you offered to help me go to war with her. That speaks volumes, doesn’t it?”

“It sure in the fuck does. I did that for you, Zander.”

“Why would you choose me over the woman you supposedly love?”

Mom moves in front of Theo, crying, “Enough, please, let’s stop it here. Everyone knows about us now, that’s enough for right now.”

Theo grabs my mom’s arms and tells her, “No, Catherine, all of it comes out today!” He then looks back to me and says, “I would do it for you, Zander, because I love you, too, son.”

“What the fuck, man, you love me? Why? And quit fucking calling me son.”

“See, that’s it, Zander, I love you because you are my son. Not William’s, but mine!”

I see red as I rush him and tackle him to the floor. I punch him as hard as I can in his face before my brothers jump on my back and pull me off. Screaming for them to get the fuck off me, I see Mom and Vin rush to Theo’s side. Vin helps him up, and that’s when I yell at Vin, “You knew! You fucking knew this whole time, didn’t you!?”

Vin turns to me and says, “No, man, I knew about their relationship, but I didn’t know that you were his.”

“Fuck you, Vin, and fuck you, Theo. Where were you all the years we were living here with that fucking asshole? Where were you every time he hurt her? Where were you?”

Liam yells out, “Avery, Fallon, get the baby and get out of here.”

I push back at my brothers. “Get the fuck off me now!”

Liam says, “Then calm down!”

I growl towards him, and his face goes pale; he knows he best not fuck with me. But then I hear Theo tell them, “Let him go!”

Slowly, they let me go but stay near, ready to grab me again.

Theo begins to shout at me, “If you ever fucking hit me again in front of my woman, I will forget you’re my son. I made you, and I can take you down. Do you hear me, boy!?”

I go after him again, but my brothers grab me. Theo turns and tells my mother to sit down because she can barely stand now. Then he turns his attention back towards me.

“I was here, son. I’ve been right here through it all. I tried my hardest to get your mother away from him. She wouldn’t leave. So over the years, I protected all of you the best I could. You need to let me explain.”

“I don’t need to hear any of your explanations, you failed if you didn’t think he wasn’t hurting any of us. Vin knows what he did, just like I do. You didn’t see all the bruises we carried from that monster. The nights and days I hid from Mom because I didn’t want her to come to my rescue, knowing it would mean more pain for her. Did he know I wasn’t his? You know what, it’s obvious he did because he never went after Gabriel or Liam. Fuck you! I didn’t need you then, and I don’t need you now!”

He comes closer to me, and I shake my head, letting him know not to try it. I storm out of the house like it’s on fire.