"Angie, you here?" Caroline called as she walked through the large barn looking around, piled hay and equipment.

"Back here," the voice called from a doorway leading from the back of the barn, "watch your step."

Caroline slowed as she came to the doorway; leaning on the frame, she looked inside. Pottery clay lay on plastic sheets on the cement floor. Sweeping the room with her observant gaze, she found the voice's owner with her back to her, working at a pottery wheel.

"What you making?" Caroline asked, carefully stepping around the puddles of oozing clay.

"Today ... a plate," Angie said, focusing on the item being made.

Caroline felt the foreboding rise in her chest. She had seen this kind of focus before in her best friend. It resulted from trying to even the scales of good and evil.

"What happened, Angie?" Caroline asked, "The last we chatted, you were about to help your mother's cousin's daughter move into her new apartment."

"Yeah, I went into the city, spent the day with Jane," she said, distractedly picking up a tool to finish her plate with, "helped her move in and hang her curtains, unpack boxes, ordered pizza, etc. It was a great day ... she was insistent on walking me to my car," Angie sighed, "coming out, this guy was waiting for her ..." Angie sighed, "there was a tussle, and we got away."

"What kind of a tussle?" Caroline asked, leaning against an extended wooden workbench scattered with various pottery creations in different stages of completion.

"One that included punches, shoves, pushes and ultimately some random military guy intervening and knocking out the attacker," Angie said, switching off the wheel, finishing and detaching the items carefully, placing the plate on an elevated stone drying area, wiping her hands on a cloth as she spun the stool to face Caroline, "as you can see I didn't come off unscathed. But Jane is okay ... bit shaken from it all ... but unharmed."

Caroline inhaled sharply at the sight of Angie's swollen right eye and cheekbone, "Is it broken? Have you seen a doctor?"

"Relax, Caro ..." Angie said, slowly standing, "Chester was waiting to collect me and saw the whole thing. While the military guy was attending to Jane and trussing up the attacker, he quickly got me out. He brought me home via a weird series of transportation vehicles ..." Angie shook her head, "by the time we got home, the Doc was waiting on the front steps and attended to my various injuries."

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked concern in her gaze.

"Yeah ..." Angie whispered, shaking her head, "I forgot how much the facial punches hurt."

Caroline's worry turned into a sympathetic frown, "I'm so sorry, Angie. Who do you think was behind it all?"

Angie tossed the cloth on the table before looking at Caroline, "My father's family."

"You sure?" Caroline asked, her mind racing, "What makes you think so?"

"The area, the way Jane was approached, everything about it screamed Calderone hit," Angie said, meeting Caroline's gaze, "don't ask me if I'm sure about that ..." Angie said, painfully pushing up off the stool and holding her ribs with a gentle supporting hand, "I lived with that family long enough to know their ways, how they do things and what their object is."

"Angie, do you think you were the target or Jane?" Caroline asked.

"Both of us," Angie said, drinking from her water bottle, "if Chester had his way, he would have me hiding in the cabin in bed while he waited on me hand and foot."

"Where are your girls?" Caroline asked.

"They're on a canoeing trip with Suds and Sadie for the entire week," Angie said, "Ches checked in with them, and they're fine. He told Suds what happened, so security protocols are being placed already ... you don't have to worry."

Nodding, Caroline sighed, "Do you know who the man was that attacked you?"

"No, but I got a few photos of him and a video when he was talking," Angie said, scooping up her phone and finding the relevant shots before handing it to Caroline.

"I don't know him either," Caroline said, "I wonder if the kids might know?"

"Do you think it's connected to all the trouble Jason's been having with that bad apple of an employee?" Angie asked, leading the way out of the pottery shed.

"It may be," Caroline said, inhaling as they came out into the damp fresh air, "he had to fire someone recently, but I" ve never met the employee that has been giving him so much trouble."

"I'll send you the photos and the video," Angie said, working quickly on her phone, "you can send them on ..." looking up as her name was called, she chuckled, "...there is Chester. Come inside for something to drink; we can discuss anything else but last night."

"Sure," Caroline smiled, hugging Angie, "let's see what Chester has cooked up. I hope it's something good for this weather."

"Oh, you know it," Angie said as they jogged toward the cabin, "it's always good ... no matter the weather."

Jason stood at the window, watching the puddles grow in the sandy drive and walkway; looking further out onto the river, the falling showers shattered the surface of the flowing water; he sighed as he watched the river bank disappear as the water rose. The buzzing in his side pocket drew his gaze to his leg. Dipping into the deep side pocket, he drew out his phone, opened the message and stared at a face he never wanted to see again.

"Ah, guys ..." he called, reading his mother's message, "there's been a development."

Bevis moved toward him, "What's going on?"

He looked up, returning the smile, "My mother sent a text and attachments," he said, taking his refilled wine glass she held out and taking a snack from the plate of food, biting into the morsel and washing it down with a large glug of wine.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Heavens Jason, take it easy," Bevis said, grinning as he continued drinking and emptied the wine glass, "what is it that has you needing that kind of sustenance?"

"Another glass, please," Jason asked, waiting while Bevis filled it up again; nodding his thanks, he cleared his throat and shook his head, "We may need another bottle of wine with this news."

"Is it that bad?" Bevis asked, frowning with worry.

"It may be," Jason said, "I'll wait while you get another one."

Bevis frowned but left the room to retrieve another bottle of wine. Jason watched her go as he moved toward Chelsea and Jake. The two had their heads together over the laptop and an impressive array of papers that had appeared surprisingly quickly. Jake looked up, watching Jason approach them; Chelsea nudged him, pointing at the computer but followed his gaze when she got no response.

"What is going on?" she asked, looking from one brother to the other.

"In a minute," Jason said, glancing over his shoulder as Bevis returned to the room with another open bottle of wine.

"Another one, Bev," Chelsea said, looking at the empty bottles lining up on the mantelpiece.

"Jason asked for it," Bevis said, looking at Jason, "what is going on?"

"Mom sent me a text..." he said, opening the text and reading, "... checked on Angie, and she is beaten up; she took photos of this man and a video ..." he sighed before showing the attached photos to the room, "... do you know him?"

"Oh my ..." Bevis said, backing away from the photo, "that's Brad."

"Yes," Jason said, "this is the video."

The voice was distorted, but they could clearly hear Brad speaking. Chelsea's fingers flew over the keyboard as Jason shut off the video. Bevis sank to the nearest chair, drinking deeply from her wine glass.

"How ... where ..." her thoughts and words jumbled through her mind sticking together as she tried to get them out, "he ... she ... they ..."

Jason knelt in front of her, "Breathe and exhale," he waited as she followed his instructions, "he cannot get to you here... both of you are safe. You're going to be okay."

Nodding, Bevis glanced past him as Chelsea muttered from her laptop. Jason turned to see what was going on, frowning as Chelsea muttered inaudibly before giving an exclamation of triumph.

"What's going on, Chels?" Bevis asked, keeping her voice friendly while her expression seemed to wait until everything died down before she gave a judgement call.

"Oh ... nothing much," she smiled at Bevis, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"What did you do?" Bevis asked, narrowing her eyes at her friend.

"I found Brad ..." Chelsea smiled, "there was no police report ..." she began chuckling as she read further down, "because he attacked the military guy who helped, he was arrested by the military police."

"Does the Calderone family have anyone in the military?" Jake asked as Chelsea's fingers flew.

"Not that I can see," she said, "it's going to be amazing if he gets released."

"He'll have to escape," Jason said, "I've never known anyone in the military to take kindly to one of their own being attacked."

"What happened with the guy who helped?" Bevis asked, "How is he?"

"Apparently, he was stabbed, but it's not fatal," Chelsea said, "and he defended everyone by punching Brad ..." she scanned the report before nodding, "rendering him unconscious and ..." she chuckled, "... tying him up with a nearby roll of packing tape."

"Inventive," Jason said, grinning.

"Is there anything we can find linking the Calderone family to Brad?" Jake asked.

"They are digging," Chelsea said, distracted, "wow, they are digging deep ..." she leaned back, shaking her head, "they are digging deeper than I can even go ... why is that? Oh, here we go ... he has a lot of aliases, owns warehouses, houses, apartments ...." she gasped, "here is the link ... and I think they've got him."

"What is the link?" Jason asked.

"Brad's real name is ..." she paused, inhaling before continuing, "....Frank Zini ..." she looked at the others "... from a European Crime Family."

"Zini?" Bevis whispered, "It sounds like a food product."

Chelsea chuckled, "Yeah, but these guys are not tasty and nice ..." she sighed, shaking her head, "... hold on ..." she shuffled through the papers she pulled out a picture, "... we have our connection. They are running all the lists of missing people, known associates ... yeah, there is another connection ... Frank's mother is married to a Calderone ... oh, what a wonderful family."

Handing the sheet of paper to Jake, Chelsea continued watching the screen as he looked at the picture and the screen turning it over, his brow puckered in between.

"How did she get from her home town here to ..." he looked at the map Chelsea had pinned her picture to, "Romania?"

"Something just happened, and we've been left out of the discovery," Bevis said, sighing as she glanced at Jason; she winked, "I feel abandoned ... what about you, Jason?"

Grinning, he returned the wink and replied, "So left out ..." he turned his gaze to see Chelsea and Jake glaring at them, "... so abandoned."

Chelsea stared at them, chuckling, "Fine, we'll fill you in."

"Why?" Jake whispered, "Do they even have clearance?"

Chelsea glanced at him, surprise in her eyes, "I'm not sure," she whispered, joining in the fun, "we'll have to run them."

"Oh, that's it," Bevis said, "no more wine for them."

"Yep, cut off," Jason said, barely straight-faced, "and no more snacks or foodstuffs either."

"Okay, you win," Jake said, laughing, "I don't know about you, Chels, but I can't live without my food."

"Food? I can't live without my wine," she smiled, "we'll have to cave."

Nodding together, they turned to Jason and Bevis, "You win," they smiled in unison.

"If we're going to keep you updated randomly," Jake said, "you're going to have to sit with us." He waited until the pair were seated before continuing, turning the picture toward them, "This woman is one of Brads ... Frank Zini's "girlfriends" three months ago," Jake said, glancing at Chelsea, who nodded and continued,

"She is not only one of the missing persons, but she was spotted in Romania not five hours ago," Chelsea said, "the police apprehended her ..." sighing, she shook her head, " ... according to the police report, she was carrying a large number of packaged drugs in a cardboard box in her backpack."

"Oh no," Bevis whispered, "is she doing it willingly?"

Chelsea shook her head, "Apparently, those making her toe the line are holding her younger sister and mother ... the only family she has left in the world."

"This is getting to be more than simply why they want our lands and waterways," Jason said, his eyes widening before frowning, "where are their headquarters?"

"We don't know," Jake said, "when we think we're close, the pieces shift again."

"What's on your mind?" Bevis asked.

"It has been decades since the Calderone family started targeting our family," Jason said, "even before Mom and Angie arrived," Jason grimaced, "I found Dad's and Grandpa's diaries and read them last night. I couldn't be around you anymore, Jake."

"Sorry," Jake whispered, "what did you find?"

"The Calderone family have wanted our lineage out of the way for decades," Jason said, "all going back to a "difference between friends" but I couldn't find out what that difference is."

Chelsea leant forward, her fingers flying over the keys, "Oh .... wow."

"What? Chels?" Bevis asked.

"This is huge and does go back to a time when your Great Grandfather and Cynthia Calderone were dating," Chelsea said, glancing at the two surprised men, "according to records, her elder brother was running the family business back then, and your Great Grandfather discovered what he was into and reported him to the ..." she paused, blinking quickly before continuing, "federal authorities."

"Is there a name of whom he reported it to?" Jake asked, frowning at Chelsea's reaction to the information.

She nodded, swallowed hard and glanced at him, "My grandfather and Uncle."

"What?" Jake, Bevis and Jason said in unison.