Two Months Later

"And it's official. Sophia Rodriguez and her close staff have been charged with fraud. The state is filing a security charge." I leaned back in my chair with a smile.

"And the recordings were sent anonymously?" Xavier asked Erik, who was typing on his device.

"Yes, everything was kept free of any mention of us or Campbell, just like you requested, boss. There's no link to us or Lorenzo just yet. Rodriguez and her crew aren't going anywhere." Erik spoke and looked up at the screen where the news played the story.

"And that's exactly what I wanted to hear. Good work. Damon, did the twins update you on the agents?"

"They're still keeping an eye on the security guards. Since the party, they've been on the down low, staying in their hotel and only going out for essentials. Besides that, no one visits them. They have been making phone calls. We bugged the place, but they've been speaking in code. The twins haven't been able to decipher it."

"They were in the military together. All soldiers have their own codes and signs; these men aren't any different. But unless they tell us, we won't be able to know their next move," Xavier said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully and paced behind his desk. "We need to take one of them and get the intel."

"But won't they be on alert if we do? They'll report back and we lose an opportunity," I said with concern, looking at the profiles spread out on the large table. "It's risky."

"Not if we make it seem natural. We've watched them for weeks and gotten nothing. I've been holding off Campbell and he's getting restless because I'm dragging a potential partnership. We need to make a move or else we'll lose an opportunity. Which guard is the easiest target?"

"According to the files, Owen Donahue has past charges on harassment and drunk behavior. All charges were dropped." Erik responded, shoving his file to Xavier.

"There's a bar not too far from the building, but none of them have gone before." I read from a map.

"We need to lure him there. Think Jasmine will mind?" Xavier asked with a grin.

"Get the twins involved and I'm sure they'll have fun. They've been getting restless anyway." I smirked as I pulled out my phone to test them.

"Ask them to take Donahue to the shed by tomorrow. And make sure they don't leave a trail– the last thing I need is Benson to get a whiff of it." Xavier rolled his eyes.

I agreed with Xavier's comment. Since Benson started working with the feds, he'd been trying to follow our trail.

Lucky for us, we'd been able to misdirect him, giving him leads to track down other criminals that weren't connected to us but that we'd been keeping our eyes on. While our primary focus was this case, we still had an organization and company to run. Benson inadvertently helped us make sure we didn't spread too thin, and the distractions kept him off our back.

Unfortunately, giving Benson some criminals was giving him a reputation. It was a win some, lose some situation. While the bad guys were being taken down, he was taking credit for our work and intel. I hoped that it didn't bite us in the ass, something I was sure Xavier was worried about as well.

"Agent Benson is in Maryland looking into a drug ring. He thinks we have an 'associate' there. That guy will nip at anything mentioning you two." Erik said in disbelief.

"I think we all knew he was delusional before that," Xavier argued. "I knew since high school but Maria thought I was being petty or some shit like that."

"I don't know why we didn't just use our resources to get him back at the police department." I muttered.

"It would look too suspicious. We can't give him anymore ammunition. We already contacted the FBI about harassment, and they agreed that Benson shouldn't be around us. But if he makes one wrong move, we will get Benson out of the equation for good. Who knows, maybe deep down, he will want to do good for other people and lose his fixation on us. That was Maria's request."

I gave him a skeptical look.

And he is supposed to be the mastermind.

"Don't give me that look. I know, but whether Maria will admit it or not, she still has a soft spot for him–a really tiny spot. It's the least I can do."

My phone beeped and I read the message.

"Jasmine and the twins are in, although the twins are complaining that they can't cause real harm. They said to give them until nightfall."

Xavier clapped his hands in satisfaction. His office phone rang and he checked the ID. My best friend groaned.

"It's Campbell. I doubt that I can hold him off any longer. Erik, record the call and locate where he is."

"On it, boss." Erik nodded and started tapping away.

Xavier put his finger to his lips before answering the call, putting it on speaker.

"Mr. Campbell. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Xavier said smoothly, no trace of the disgust or anger that I had no doubt he was feeling for the man.

"Mr. Monroe, I'm calling so we can finally arrange that dinner we talked about a couple weeks back. While we have chatted the last couple of months, I would like to sit down and discuss the future of our companies."

Campbell laughed and I glared at the phone, wishing the man on the other end would rot in hell.

"Of course. This has been held off for far too long. How about sometime next week?"

"I am unfortunately traveling on a business trip. I was hoping to see if you were available tonight, even though it's last minute?"

Xavier stayed silent for a few moments, his mind calculating a solution. I stayed silent, trusting his judgment as the boss.

"That will be fine. How about you come to my property this evening? We can have dinner, then talk in my office."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan. Does seven work for you? Could I also bring a couple guests as well?" Campbell asked and I could hear him failing to repress the joy from his voice.

Xavier agreed and gave him the address before ending the call.

I raised a brow in his direction. "You are letting that piece of scum onto the property? This is supposed to be a safe place for both Maria and Rosaline."

"And it will be. I'll move them to the secure part of the property with John and Marco. The rest of us will be on the lookout. You're right, it is a risky move, but being on our territory gives us some leverage. We can go through his things and give him more bugs. If he is also bringing guests then we can track them as well. Campbell loves to brag about himself so much that it will be easy to get intel from him. Bringing him here will also bring him a false sense of security and trust. Erik, can you get people to coordinate dinner in a few hours?"

Erik, who had been listening to the exchange, nodded before leaving the room.

"I don't like this, Xavier. We can't get too cocky or else we will make mistakes." I told him firmly.

"I don't like it either, but this move speeds things up. We can't calculate for everything, but let's pray it's in our favor," Xavier stood and we both walked out of the room. "Now let's get out for a bit. I pissed my wife off for breathing loudly this morning– I can only imagine the uproar when I tell her that she's going to be hiding in her own home tonight."

"You are a loud breather. And you were the one who got her pregnant, I'm glad she is directing her hormones at you, mostly."

"She was there too for the conceivement, Asshole! And she wasn't complaining when I–" I smacked him on the back of the head before he could finish.

"Shut up, idiot. Let's get you things to help you grovel to Maria." I shuddered at the thought of the two of them being intimate. They were practically my siblings.

"Oh, come on," Xavier laughed as we got in the car to leave the property. "Like you and Ro-Ro haven't done anything in the bedroom department."

I shook my head.

"Bedroom department? Who even says that?"

"Says I! And, please. You show obvious signs of primal male satisfaction. You're making yourself taller by straightening your back. Your neck is also extended, lifting your head higher. Your facial expressions have been more relaxed than I had seen for weeks, meaning you've lost a lot of the sexual frustration and tension you've been dealing with. You are also way looser in your body language– you were more tied up than a pretzel.

"Based on these deductions and seeing Ro turn into a tomato and ditzy around you, I say you either did the deed or you had been constipated for months and finally relieved yourself. Hope you didn't destroy our plumbing."

"Hahaha," I said dryly but I couldn't stop the small smile that escaped me. It was impossible to hide anything from Xavier. "Not that it's any of your business, but Rosaline and I have moved forward with our relationship."

"You totally fuck–"

"That's none of your concern. Besides, I know you don't really want the deep and intricate details. You just want to fuck with me."

Xavier gasped and held his chest in mock horror.

"I would never. I am appalled that you think I would annoy you in such a way."

"Yeah, yeah. You're so full of shit sometimes."

~*~

Xavier made me stop at a small flower store. It wasn't far from the city, but it was in a small business area. Xavier immediately climbed out of the car so he could find flowers for his very pregnant wife.

I followed him into the store, wandering around and examining the flowers, stopping when I spotted an array of red and pink roses. Without hesitation, I grabbed some and went to the cash register. An older lady helped arrange the flowers before tying them together. I thanked her and put some money in the tip jar.

Xavier stumbled over, his arms filled with different flowers. He dropped them off at the register before going back to get more. After three more trips, I was trapped in a mini garden.

"What the hell?" I asked as I saw the woman eye all the flowers Xavier plopped onto the counter, her eyes filled with shock and amusement.

"The poor boy doesn't know which flowers to choose. Tell me, young man, are you trying to woo someone?" The lady asked kindly as Xavier eyed his purchase.

"I'm apologizing to my pregnant wife for breathing too loudly and about to give her some bad news...I don't know what to do." Xavier shrugged a bit helplessly.

It was funny seeing Xavier so out of his element. Even with all the baby books he had read, he still had no idea how to deal with a pregnant Maria.

"Will all of this even fit into the truck?" I asked as I calculated how much room we had.

The shop owner chuckled before walking over to pat Xavier on the arm.

"While this is very sweet, I think it may be too much. If you buy out my whole store, there won't be any left for other customers. How about we make her a very nice floral arrangement? Do you know her favorite colors and flowers?"

The old lady pulled Xavier away as he began to talk about Maria's preferences when I saw a car pull up to our car. My eyes narrowed as two figures got out, one that I recognized immediately.

I went outside, not bothering to call out for Xavier.

"I just need to file the harassment claim since you don't think we take those threats seriously. How did you even find us?" I growled, not bothering to hide my distaste for the man looking way too smug.

"That's classified information. Besides, we're only stopping by to get my partner some flowers for his wife," Benson gestured to the man next to him. "There's no need for a harassment claim just because we happen to be in the same place."

Benson wants to flaunt his new status. Too bad that speeding ticket didn't stick.

I ignored Benson's contradictory statements and turned to the other man.

The man next to him was taller than Benson. He stood there calmly, watching our interaction. Analyzing us.

"Mr. Cohen, my name is Special Agent David Adlai. I was assigned to be a part of a case with Agent Benson," the man introduced himself.

I noted that he didn't call Benson his partner, something Garrett noticed as well if the annoyed tic in his jaw indicated anything.

"And I am sorry to barge in on your personal outing, but you have been dodging our phone calls and visits to your property."

I held back my smirk. Xavier mostly did it to piss off the FBI and it seemed to work.

"You can't blame us for not wanting any contact with you. Your assigned partner has been following us around. We talked to the Bureau about this, but it seems we need to make another call if Benson can sniff whenever we leave our home."

Benson sneered at my response. Before he could make another remark, Agent Adlai cut him off.

"Which is why I am now involved in Agent Benson's cases. The FBI doesn't believe that he should go about unsupervised. However, he has a good reputation and standing with the FBI."

"And what is this 'reputation'? Trying to claim we are bad people? We run a security organization that protects thousands of people all over the world. We do good work." I argued.

I knew Benson's mission was to take down our organization, but I had to show face to the other agent.

"And that is classified. You don't need to know unless we need you to know." Benson stated smugly.

Agent Adlai gave him a quelling look before turning to me.

"We actually came to talk to you about something else. I wanted to know if you knew the whereabouts of Rosaline Sinclair. We wanted to question her about her time in Los Angeles. We suspect that she's a witness to a case and may be able to identify someone. While we have some evidence, we don't have enough to convict and we think Rosaline is the key."

"And so much more." Benson added with a gleam in his eye.

I gritted my teeth, ready to snap until someone put their hand on my shoulder.

"Ah, if it isn't our favorite little detective. I'm sorry– we haven't been introduced?" Xavier asked in an innocent voice, keeping a grip on my shoulder.

"Special Agent David Adlai. Nice to meet you," They both shook hands. Xavier pulled back, seeming somewhat impressed. "We wanted to know if we could talk to Rosaline Sinclair. She could be a witness in an important case. She could help us get the men responsible and bring them to justice."

"I don't know if Rosaline would have the answers you need. I haven't seen her in a while." Xavier said easily with a shrug.

"The last time she was spotted, it was with you. Tell us or I will arrest you for interfering with an investigation." Benson snapped.

"Oh stop. You don't care about that. You care about something else. Don't try to claim otherwise when all you can focus on is us. How is Angelo's case by the way? Or is that our fault as well?" Xavier said, losing his happy tone.

"You say that you're doing all this good, solving cases, when all you want is to go up the ladder to try to take down me and my company. If you aren't going to arrest me or my team, I don't want to see you. This is your final warning."

I knew Xavier was calling bullshit on his claims of Benson changing earlier.

"I do want to solve the damn LA case! The footage–"

"Enough. Agent Benson, why don't you wait in the car while I talk to these gentlemen?" Adlai snapped, clearly angry that Benson was so willing to repeat classified information.

Benson gritted his teeth, giving Xavier and me a sharp glare before storming back to the car.

"I am sorry for my partner's behavior. I don't condone his actions and will report to my superiors about this." Adlai said before rubbing his face in frustration.

"We have had a bad history with Benson since high school. Believe me, this behavior is nothing new." Xavier said.

"Look, I know you guys know you and your company are under investigation. With Benson running his mouth, you'd have to be deaf not to know that. Just know that we are watching you. But I'm not here for that bullshit.

"The FBI branch in LA is requesting Ms. Sinclair's cooperation. She was identified at the shooting and hasn't stepped forward. We need her help. I want this to be done and over with. Many families are suffering and want justice served."

We didn't respond, watching the agent to see how genuine he was. He pulled out a card from his jacket. "If you do happen to see her– which I am almost positive you will– please have her give me a call. I won't tell Benson if she does."

"And why would you do that? He is also a fellow agent, wouldn't you want to tell your assigned partner?" I asked, emphasizing the word 'assigned'.

Adlai rolled his eyes. "Because I also think he is full of shit and I don't trust him. How's that for honesty? Benson and the FBI are a bunch of classified crap that I got sucked into. I just want to clear everything and make things right."

I was a bit shocked at his response, unable to help the building respect I felt toward the guy. Xavier outright smiled at the man. Nodding, I accepted the card.

"Nice meeting you two. I will try to keep Benson away from you, but with his reputation for solving big cases, the FBI may let him off with another warning. They'd rather get more cases done than do it the ethical way sometimes."

We watched Agent Adlai walk away before returning to our vehicle with our purchases.

"What are you thinking?" I asked Xavier as we pulled away.

"That Benson may be a bigger problem than anticipated. Granted, Adlai can't seem to stand him. He seems willing to see the gray, not just black and white. But, he's not willing to go too far away from the justice system unless it's necessary. He also cares, which is a nice quality compared to a lot of other officers. You're gonna give the card to Ro?" Xavier asked.

I thought about it. Rosaline is the key witness on the shooting, no doubt about that.

But she had also stumbled on something bigger, something that can easily be swept under the rug if left to the authorities.

Lorenzo and his men had already evaded the authorities for months, getting rid of evidence and using their resources to make sure nothing popped up. Our method of going about things was the only way to stop them.

But I also knew that there were people who were just like Rosaline, wanting justice but afraid and suffering. I knew Rosaline would want to do what she could to help.

"I think I should, but she should talk to them when the time is right. It would be too soon to talk to Adlai now if we are grabbing Donahue and having dinner with Campbell."

Xavier nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of time, dinner is already in an hour. Let's get the girls ready."

~*~

"Flowers! Awe, you shouldn't have!" Maria cooed as she grabbed the arrangement, looking dreamily at Xavier. Such a one-eighty from the furious woman who opened the door.

We were in Xavier's office, where we found Maria eating Xavier's stash of snacks while Rosaline stayed with her. I had been making batches of pastries just to keep her happy.

Food really is the key to calming her down.

"Only for you, Sugar. But I need to talk to you about something..."

Not wanting to face Maria's wrath, I went to my Flower, who was absorbed in a book. I put the roses I bought her behind my back and prodded her gently. She jumped before looking up to see me.

She gave me a smile and greeted me with a kiss.

I read the title of the book she was reading and held back a groan. It was one of the erotic romance books I bought her a few days ago. I had slowly integrated more romance novels onto her shelf, just in case she got bored.

It was just a way of taking care of my girlfriend.

Keep telling yourself that, Damon.

After our first night together, it felt like I had no control over my body– or the blood flow that had a habit of going south whenever I saw her. I was acting like a goddamn teenager with no control over their hormones. I hated the lack of control, but at the same time, I couldn't help but love it.

It was very distracting and made it hard not to just tie her to the bed so I could have fulfilled whatever fantasy her books showed her.

It didn't help that while she was normally shy and stumbled, she became a demanding sex goddess in the bedroom. She didn't hesitate to ask for what she wanted. The looks of pleasure on her face while she was underneath me was forever ingrained in my mind.

Note to self: buy more books for her collection.

I cleared my throat so I could focus.

"I got you something," I said, offering the roses. Her cheeks turned slightly pink as she grabbed them.

"Thank you, Damon. You didn't have to do that."

"I drove Xavier to the store so he could get her flowers. But I saw these and they reminded me of you." I said and Rosaline laughed.

"I don't blame him. Maria's been crying on and off. Jasmine and I were comforting her during dance lessons because she couldn't see her feet. It happens to the best of us," she giggled before getting up to give me a hug.

I held her for a few moments before pulling back.

"You're putting me where? No, no, don't you 'Sugar' me, sir!"

"And that's why we got her the flowers. We hoped it would sweeten her up for the bad news." I explained to Flower.

She raised a brow.

"I don't think it worked. What's going on?"

I sighed before grabbing her hands.

"We're having a business dinner here with a man named Campbell, a person who was involved with the bombing in your apartment."

Rosaline's eyes widened.

"And you want to have dinner with this man?"

"Yes, because we want any information he has and would like him to give it to us willingly. He's under the ruse that we are creating a partnership. Then we can take him down."

"Okay, okay. So you are doing good guy stuff against the man that plotted to kill me. Plus side, you know who it is. What should I do?" Rosaline bit her lip nervously.

I felt a bit of guilt for keeping her out of the loop. While I told Rosaline a bit of information on what was going on the case, I wasn't as forthcoming as I could be.

Including telling her the person who made her apartment explode.

I should probably keep her up to date better. I even promised I would tell her stuff that involved her.

"You and Maria are going into a safe house on the property. We wanted to take precautions since these aren't good people. We think this will help with our plans. Two reasons why we are hiding you though. One, so no one knows you're here. Two, because Maria is pregnant."

Rosaline winced. "Those reasons are pretty valid, but I don't think Maria is going to see it that way."

As we watched Maria rant at Xavier, I had to agree with her. Maria's face was even turning red. I worried that by the end of the conversation, Xavier would lose his ability to have anymore kids.

"Don't worry, she'll cave– hopefully."

Rosaline rubbed her hand up her arm, and her wrist got caught in her sleeve. She pulled and then gasped when her rose bracelet broke, charms going everywhere.

"Shit!" Flower said before dropping down to gather them up.

I got down to help her. As we collected them, I saw a tear escape her eye.

"Hey, we'll get another chain. A new chain doesn't change the symbolism of that bracelet." I gave her a kiss on the forehead before standing up.

Rosaline sniffed.

"You're right, my reaction was a bit over the top. Sorry about that." Rosaline said awkwardly before hiding her face in my chest.

"You never need to be sorry. You know that." I rested my head on top of hers, rubbing her back soothingly. "Also think that's one of the few times I heard you curse."

"You know I'm not a cursing type of gal. Also, force of habit to apologize. You'll have to remind me." Flower mumbled.

We stood there, blocking out Xavier and Maria's argument and just enjoyed being with each other. I nuzzled her hair, breathing in her scent and the warmth that she always exuded.

I'm a lucky son of a bitch.

"Damon, we need to get the girls settled. John and Marco are ready for them."

I pulled back from Rosaline, brushing a piece of hair away from her eye.

"I made sure we put you in a place where you can oversee everything. But if it becomes too much, I'll have John and Marco turn it off."

Rosaline shook her head with a small smile before turning serious.

"Be careful, all right? I know I tell you this all the time, but I just feel the need to–"

I gave her a kiss on the lips. "Campbell and his guests will be screened before they enter, but I'll be super careful for you, Flower."

"Why, thank you. I would be very angry if you got hurt over dinner. Hope you save some for us." Rosaline tsked before giving me a wink.

She kissed me on the cheek one more time before walking away and grabbing the roses from her chair.

"Wait, don't forget your charms." I said and put the two I found in her palm. She smiled gratefully before following a put-out Maria.

"I take it you handled it well?" I asked Xavier.

"I mean, she didn't punch me. I call that a win," Xavier laughed. "Both my wife and baby are secure. Let's go greet our guests. It'll be you, me, Erik, and hopefully Jasmine. I'll have Erik message Jasmine to see how long it will take her and the twins to grab the guard."

We headed to the entrance, Xavier instructed some of the men to spread out and stay hidden.

"Ready for this?" I asked, and Xavier scoffed.

"Of course I am. I'm well prepared for any situation."

Xavier opened the door to greet Campbell, but we froze as we spotted our guests. We quickly recovered, not wanting to give anything away.

But my heart was racing fast as I did all I could to keep my composure. I kept my cool, remembering the women were in the safe house already.

"Mr. Monroe, thank you for inviting us. This is my wife Rebecca and a close friend of mine Lorenzo Diablo."

Dark, soulless eyes met mine as Lorenzo gave us a polite smile. The man who murdered Angelo and is after my Flower.

"Mr. Monroe. I've heard so much about you from Mr. Campbell. It is good to finally meet you."