Chapter Seventy Four

Stephen

Benji and I stepped outside, and I was about to say something when he quickly raised his hand to silence me. A moment later, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I glanced at the screen.

Benji - (Text message) Don’t say anything. They’re recording everything here.

I gave him a nod to show I understood, and we headed back to his car. Once we were on the road, Benji finally broke the silence.

“Why didn’t you tell me the Chief was involved too, Chad?” he asked.

“I wasn’t sure, Benji,” Chad replied. “I had a hunch, but nothing concrete. I’m guessing you figured out what I was hinting at yesterday, judging by how you handled things back there.”

“I had a feeling there was more to it when you were so against going to him,” Benji said. “I just wasn’t sure what you were getting at.”

“Would it have mattered?” Chad asked. “I think we’re past the point of trust, aren’t we?”

“Well, for what it’s worth, it seems like your instincts were right,” Benji said. “He’s definitely involved.”

“To what extent, I don’t know,” I chimed in. “But he was definitely trying to bluff. Good thing you were prepared for that, Benji.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I talked to a friend at the FBI about what we have,” Benji explained. “He helped me come up with a plan. Officially, they hadn’t invited us to investigate yet, which I hinted at.”

I laughed. “You’re good, you sneaky bastard.”

Once we got back to the house, I called Clint and Mia and invited them over for dinner. Benji rushed off to pick up Maddie. I also called Dave and Flick. It was easier to get everyone together at once, rather than trying to fill them in one by one.

“Baby, I don’t have enough food to feed everyone, especially on such short notice,” Trinity said.

“Don’t worry about it, babe,” I reassured her. “I’ll order some Thai food. It’ll be easier, and we can all sit outside and watch the kids play.”

“I know Chad helped you guys today, babe,” Trinity said. “But I still don’t feel comfortable with him in my house. I mean, he knew Mike was willing to kill me if necessary, and he didn’t say a word to anyone.”

“I know, sweetheart,” I said, pulling her into a hug. “That’s why I had Sergio take him out back. You don’t need to feel bad for putting yourself first, baby. He’s a grown man and he made his own choices. Yes, he did the right thing by alerting Benji to a potential problem today, but for every good thing he’s done, I can think of half a dozen bad ones.”

“I love you,” Trinity said.

“And I love you,” I replied. “Come here, babe.”

We were in the middle of a cuddle when the kids came running inside, tormenting the poor dog.

“Livy, what have I told you?” I said. “Be gentle with him, baby. He’s not a toy, and if you pull his legs like that, you’ll hurt him.”

“Sorry, Daddy,” Olivia said.

“Just be gentle, boo,” I said.

We were standing at our bi-fold doors, watching the kids chase the dog around the backyard, when Benji came racing up the stairs. He barely knocked once before pushing through the front door, with a confused Maddie trailing behind him.

“It fucking worked, man!!!” Benji exclaimed. “It worked!”

“He called?” I asked.

“Liz called!” Benji said. “The chief agreed to the sting. He wants to see what we have first, but that’s not a problem. I knew he’d throw them under the bus to save his own ass when he found out how much we had.”

“I can’t believe it, baby,” I said, lifting my wife up in the air. “Your plan worked. You did it!”

“Fuck, you amaze me, babe!” I said, kissing her passionately. “You were right. Your plan, you little genius. This is all because of you.”

“Our plan, baby,” Trinity said. “Together. Always.”

“Always,” I agreed.

“Put my mommy down,” Nathaniel said.

“No way,” I replied. “She’s my wife.”

“My mommy, Daddy, not yours,” Olivia said.

“My wife, pea pod,” I said, sticking my tongue out at my kids. “I had her first.”

I was beyond happy. I couldn’t believe our plan had worked, and it felt like we were finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Benji called his friend at the FBI to confirm the evidence for the chief. They agreed to meet at the FBI Northern District Illinois field office at Roosevelt Road the next morning at eleven. Once they’d gone through the evidence, Benji would get confirmation for the sting to proceed, and Sergio and I would put our plan into action to get the stock from Phil and Eddie.

Everyone stayed for dinner, and for the first time in a long time, we all felt a little more relaxed. We enjoyed a few glasses of wine, a smoke, and plenty of laughs. The biggest laugh of all came when Benji dropped a bombshell on us.

“So, I figured you guys should probably know first,” Benji said.

“Let me guess, you’re a cocky asshole?” Clint said. “Oh wait, I already knew that.”

“And if it wasn’t for this cocky asshole, you would’ve been in juvie years ago instead of sitting here, married and expecting your second child,” Benji retorted.

We all laughed.

“Actually, what I was going to say is, I’m starting my own practice in the new year,” Benji said. “I figured with the retainer I get from you guys and all the shit you get into, I’ll be set for life.”

We all burst out laughing again, but congratulated him. It was long overdue.

“Which leads me to the reason why,” Benji continued. “I finally asked Maddie to marry me, and she said yes.”

“I KNEW IT!!” Trinity exclaimed. “I knew all this perpetual bachelor stuff was just a load of utter shit.”

“Hahaha, okay, little Miss Genius, just another notch for your belt,” Benji said.

“Thank you, thank you,” Trinity said, taking a bow.

We had a great night, and by the time we got to bed, I’m pretty sure we were asleep before our heads even hit the pillows.

Thankfully, Jay only woke up once during the night, so we managed to get a good night’s sleep. I was in the kitchen when my wife came upstairs from our basement gym, looking absolutely delicious.

“Got time for a quickie, momma?” I asked.

“Ewww, behave,” Trinity said. “I’m all sweaty and smelly.”

“I’m just going to get you more sweaty, so what’s the big deal?” I replied.

I’m hot on her heels, circling the dining table, my hands playfully reaching for her ass. Her laughter fills the room, a sound I can’t get enough of. The ring of my phone interrupts our fun. I glance at the screen—Benji’s name lights up. A quick check of the time shows it’s half past twelve. I tilt the screen towards Trin, and she saunters over, slipping into the circle of my arm.

“Hey, Benj,” I answer, my voice echoing through the phone.

“Hey, buddy,” Benji’s voice comes through the speaker. “It’s a go. Order the stock and get it ready for next Friday. Ten-thirty at the docks.”