Falling For The Mob

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Addy

"Let me see if I understood you correctly, in spite of my warnings to play nice, Sam had Henry Walsh taken out of police custody, tortured him, then went as far as to kill him. How do you expect me to accept this? You said that she is doing better."

"She was, she is." I know his frustrations come from his fear, we all know how Sam can get if she goes off the rails.

"Why did she do this? If her loathing of the man was enough, he would have been killed months ago." He stops his pacing, suddenly very curious.

I clear my throat as I choose my words. "You're right, it was not her only reason. For months, Henry has been harassing Zoë and accusing her of taking the project away from him. The day of the opening, Sam found out that he redirected the finances of the pediatrics department to get back at her, so she had me release the files we found on him. We did try keeping our hands clean, Uncle Jack."

He impatiently crosses his arms over his chest and frowns, his thick eyebrows furrowing. "There was enough evidence for the hospital to immediately fire him so that night he went to her office and attacked her. She is now on ordered bed rest."

"You are referring to Dr. Zoë DeLuca?" His posture immediately softens and a slight smile appears.

"Yes..." I answer, a bit distraught by his sudden mood shift. "I know you're worried about Sam, and I in no way think that murder should regularly be used as a solution, but maybe try not to be too hard on her about this. At least not this time."

He visibly waves it off as he walks over to his bar. "There is no need, Addison, I understand the situation perfectly."

"Well, I don't. I was under the impression that you would be upset." I sit up, studying him. I was prepared for the scolding of a lifetime.

He chuckles as he leans against the table. "Sam does not have friends, my dear, she makes sure of that. So it would take someone extremely stubborn or manipulative to force their way past her barriers, and Zoë DeLuca does not come across as either."

Jack may be retired, but the man is as sharp as ever. I should have known that he would figure it out, after all, she isn't being very subtle. For years, Jack has been hoping that something will crack Sam's exterior. She would kill me if she finds out what we have been discussing, but I'm actually relieved to finally have someone to talk to about this.

~~~

"So I finally told my mom."

I finish burping Mason and place him on the couch next to her while I walk to the kitchen to clean up. "And how did it go?"

"Exactly like I expected, she cried for ten minutes, then began yelling at me about how the city isn't safe and that I should move back."

I stiffen, stifling my laugh.

"I mean, I get that she feels terrible, but the constant pushing for me to move back can get exhausting. She then began insisting that I come back home to recuperate, and that led to a whole other fight."

"Well, why don't you go stay with them next week?" My back is facing her, but as the silence sets in, I quickly realize the problem.

"Henry isn't coming back, you're safe." Shaking her head, her red eyes avoid my gaze. "Zo, there are a lot of people looking for him, not just the police. The only sane thing for him to do is never come back to the city."

Our intel states that they have found the body already, but Cyrus Walsh is pressuring them not to make it known publicly until they find who did it. The cleaners we work with have a solid track record, I have no doubt that they have wiped all traces. Sam won't get caught, but I just hate that Zoë has to keep living with this doubt.