Chapter Thirteen

Stephen

Late on a Monday afternoon, I got a call from Benji. He wanted Trinity and me to meet him at his office the next morning at half-past ten. He also asked us to arrange childcare for the kids.

I rang Clint to see if they could help out and was surprised to learn that he and Mia had received the same call. Clint’s parents were coming over to watch Willie, and he didn’t think they’d mind looking after the twins as well.

We decided to take Jay with us since he’s still so young. But given the serious tone in Benji’s voice, I thought it best to check first.

Stephen - (Phone call) Hey, Benj. Quick question for you.

Benji - (Phone call) What’s up, mate?

Stephen - (Phone call) You sounded pretty serious when you called, so I wanted to check. We have the twins sorted for tomorrow, but is it okay if we bring Jay?

Benji - (Phone call) Nah, that’s fine, mate. I understand he’s still much younger than the other two.

Stephen - (Phone call) Well, that and Clint’s parents are watching the other three. We just felt it might be a bit much to put Jay on them as well. Plus, Trinity is still feeding him.

Benji - (Phone call) All good, mate. Don’t stress it.

Stephen - (Phone call) Thanks, see you tomorrow.

I hung up and headed into the kitchen where my wife and kids were.

Stephen - Is it bath time now, my little smellies?

Nathaniel - You smell.

Stephen - Hey! Who are you talking to like that, buddy?

Olivia - Leave Daddy alone.

Stephen - Yeah, you tell him, Livy.

Trinity - Of course, you would take Daddy’s side, missy. Can you watch them while I bathe Jay quickly? Then I can get dinner in the oven and feed up while you bathe those two.

Stephen - No problem, baby. All good. Come on, monkeys, let’s go play while Mommy gives Jay a bath.

Nathaniel - Bye, Mommy.

Olivia - Bye, Mommy.

I took the twins into the backyard where we played around with Shankly and kept them occupied while Trinity bathed Jay. After about twenty minutes, Trinity came back out.

Trinity - Ready to swap?

Stephen - Sure, Momma.

I gave my wife and youngest a kiss as I called out to the twins.

Stephen - Come on, B1 and B2, time to have a bath.

Olivia - Daddy, can Shankly have a bath too?

Stephen - Not tonight, princess, but we can bathe him out here tomorrow, okay?

Olivia - Please, Daddy.

She started to throw a tantrum, and I walked over and picked her up.

Stephen - Aghhh, just as I thought—crocodile tears.

I started tickling her, and she soon forgot about her tantrum. I got them upstairs, washed and changed, and back down for dinner.

After dinner, we sat down and let the twins watch their favorite show for half an hour before bed. I was holding Jay in one arm as he soothed himself to sleep and had my other arm wrapped around my wife as the twins sat on her lap.

I love these moments with my family when we can shut the entire outside world off and just be content in our own little bubble.

Soon, Jay had fallen asleep. We got the twins ready for bed, and I put him down in his crib in our room. We laid with the twins for half an hour, listening to their lullabies on their carousel before we turned the light off, put their night light on, and headed to bed ourselves.

Stephen - Night, baby. I love you.

Trinity - Love you, Daddy. Sweet dreams.

I held my wife close as we drifted off to sleep, making sure to get an early night so we would be prepared for whatever tomorrow brings.

I woke up to the blanket being pulled off me. I opened my eyes and saw Nate trying to climb up on our bed. I looked over at the alarm clock. Geez, this kid is getting up earlier and earlier each morning. It was only four o’clock.

I reached down and helped him up, putting him in between Trin and me.

Stephen - Come on, buddy, back to sleep. It’s a bit early yet.

Nathaniel - Sleep, Daddy.

Stephen - Yeah, buddy, Momma is still asleep. Come here.

I hugged my son into me and felt my wife wrap her arms around us both as we drifted back to sleep. When the alarm finally went off, I got up and noticed Trin wasn’t in bed anymore, and neither was Nate.

I went downstairs and found them in the kitchen. They were having breakfast while Trinity was having a cup of tea and feeding Jay. When she saw me, she turned on the coffee machine for me.

Stephen - Morning, beautiful Momma.

I leaned over, giving her a kiss, and then gave my son a kiss on the head. I turned to the twins and gave them both big kisses on their cheeks.

Stephen - Morning, my little babies.

Nathaniel - I’m not a baby, Dad. Jay’s a baby.

Stephen - Woah! Sorry, big man. Morning, buddy. Fist bumps.

He gave me a fist bump as Livy tried to get out of her chair to come to me.

Stephen - Morning, princess. Finish your breakfast, then we can have cuddles.

I got my coffee and stood with my wife, pulling her into my chest as I cradled her from behind. I enjoyed my cup of coffee and watched my wife feed our son.

Stephen - You should have woken me, babe. I would have helped.

Trinity - I got it, baby. You’re good. I heard you up at four with Nate.

Trinity finished feeding Jay, and I took him from her as she got the twins moving so we could get ready and head off.

We arrived at Clint and Mia’s at ten to drop the twins off and thank Clint’s parents.

Stephen - You guys riding with us or taking your own car?

Clint - I’ll follow you, bro. Might be a bit cramped in the back for Mia at the moment.

Mia - Did you just call me fat?

Clint - Do I look stupid?

Trinity - Hahaha, you look beautiful, Momma-to-be.

Mia - I feel beached.

Trinity - I feel your pain, gorgeous.

Stephen - I am not commenting. I have been trained better than that.

Mia - Hahaha, smart man. Let’s go.

We got in our cars and drove downtown to Benji’s office. After parking, we made our way to reception so they could let Benji know we were here. We only waited for about five to ten minutes when his secretary came out.

Secretary - Good morning, I am Mary, Mr. Ramirez’s secretary. If you would all like to follow me to the boardroom, Mr. Ramirez will meet you there.

She led us through, and we all took a seat. I reached over, taking Trinity’s hand in mine for comfort. She looked a bit nervous about what was to come next.

Mary brought in a coffee pot, sugar, and milk, and poured each of us a cup as Benji walked in with Maddie and another gentleman I had never seen before.

Benji - Guys, how are you all?

Clint - Good, mate. You?

Benji - I’m okay. You lot are keeping me busy.

Stephen - And employed.

Benji chuckled, “Yeah, okay, your retainer just went up for that.”

Stephen joined in, “Since when did you need an excuse?”

Benji shot back, “True, we both already know I’m that good.”

Trinity laughed, “Did we just come here to inflate your ego again?”

Lachie chimed in, “You inflate it anymore and it’s likely to burst, right?”

Clint laughed along, “Well, fuck, I knew there was a reason I had never introduced you all before. Guys, I’d like you to meet an old friend and colleague of mine, Lachie Gendle. Lachie, these are two of my best mates, Stephen and his wife Trinity, and Clint and his wife Mia.”

Lachie nodded, “I’ve heard quite a bit about you all, very nice to finally meet you.”

Stephen raised an eyebrow, “Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing having Benji speak about us.”

Lachie laughed, “At least you know he’s earning his retainer, right?”

Clint joined in, “True. Nice to meet you.”

Lachie responded, “Likewise.”

Benji gestured to the seats, “Let’s all have a seat, hey.”

We all sat back down, waiting for Benji to speak.

“So, I guess you’re all wondering why we’re here,” Benji began.

Stephen leaned forward, “Well, I’m assuming considering the last time we spoke you mentioned you were going to speak to an old friend of yours, and Lachie being here mustn’t be a coincidence, so you found something, did you?”

Lachie nodded, “We’ve found a lot, actually. It appears your case and a case I’m working have crossed lines.”

Stephen frowned, “How so?”

Lachie slid his badge across the desk to Stephen, “So, you’re the FBI agent Benji has referred to in the past.”

“That would be me,” Lachie confirmed. “It appears you’ve walked smack bang into the middle of a corruption case I’ve been investigating for some time. And it would also appear your case has exposed the corruption higher than I anticipated it to go.”

Stephen leaned back, “Okay, so you’ll be assisting from here in?”

“The Bureau will be taking the case over in its entirety from here in,” Lachie explained. “Of course, we’ll still be liaising with Benji and working with him actively as he’ll still be handling your representation for future hearings. Which brings me to the point of calling you all here.”

Clint asked, “Why’s that then?”

“We’re moving you all from Chicago for your own protection,” Lachie revealed. “I need you to get your affairs in order and be ready to leave by the end of the week.”

Stephen looked shocked, “What? Why?”

Lachie looked serious, “You’ve walked into a very dangerous case, Mr. Gotti, and to be brutally honest with you so you understand the gravity of the implications to your family, we already have a body count on this case higher than Daniel Rodriguez or Mike Suarez, whichever you prefer to call him. From here, I need you to listen to my instructions and I need you to follow them.”