Maximus

The full moon shone over the shipping yard, the light the only one in the large container sea. We headed over to where our containers are, signs of a fight evident in blood trails and gun casings that were currently being picked up by my men.

I crack my neck, hoping that I get some good answers on the fight tonight and possibly Carnellio's whereabouts.

"Shaw." I greeted the man coming out of a shipping container. "Good to see you are as good as you said."

The man gave a cheeky grin stepping forward to take my hand. "Well I thought I would give my new friend the best treatment."

I looked around the shipping containers. "Where are they?"

Shaw motioned with his head, Vinzo and I following him to a few containers down the row. "When I took over, I thought that I would use your old containers and fake deliveries to them. A bait and trap."

Chuckling darkly, I walked into a container, two men in their young twenties strapped to chairs with blood dripping down their face. "You are worth every penny Shaw. Who do we have here?"

Shaw walked over them, slapping their faces. "Dipshit one and Dipshit two. No Id's, no markings of loyalty and no matches on fingerprints."

Vinzo smirked. "You have your own fingerprint ID database to run?"

Shaw didn't even glance over. "That really a question?"

I opened my suit jacket, looking over the two bloodied men. "Not talking Dipshit one and Dipshit two?" The two looked at each other and looked away, anywhere but at us. "Alright, we gave you the chance."

Shaw chuckled. "Well they aren't as smart as they want to appear, they couldn't remember a set of numbers for payment." Taking out two wallets, Shaw brought out two small pieces of paper. "They kept the routing and account number of whoever is going to pay them."

I smirk at their shocked faces, the two men now looking at me. "How considerate. Since we have that information what use do the dipshits have? Message I suppose, kill whoever try to steal from us."

"Wait!" One of them yelled, his throat swallowing hard. "You don't need to kill us, we didn't steal anything. There wasn't anything to take!"

Vinzo snorted. "You want to be free because you feel into a trap. Your intension was to steal but because it was empty you aren't guilty?"

Dipshit one shrugged. "Well, yeah."

Dipshit two growled. "Shut the fuck up."

My patience for tonight ended. I had an appointment with Stella and our child tonight, one where I could have heard our child's heartbeat. Being in a shipping container with two young idiots isn't something worth missing that.

If they want this to be over, I need real information and I need it now.

"You see this man beside me." I start motioning my head to Vinzo. "He can tear your body apart very slowly and I will let him. I got places to be and real information to gather. So, talk and do it fast. Whoever hired you isn't going to come save you from us."

Dipshit two shifted. "It was a mistake, won't happen again. You let us go and you will never see us again."

"Talk." Nothing... Well. Fuck. This. "Vinzo, start with their ears. Maybe cutting the cartilage will help them hear my orders better."

"Alright!" Dipshit One yelled. "We got hired, don't know by who but he said that he will pay us both 2Gs to break into shipping container S33 and S45. We figured they weren't owned anymore and would be easy. Like storage wars ya know."

I scoffed. "You thought you would get paid two grand to go into a storage unit that no one owned anymore? That didn't raise any alarms and make you wonder who owned the storage unit and why someone would pay you that much money to go into a unit?"

Dipshit one shifted. "Well when you say it like that..."

"I am saying it how you said it." I grumble. "Now give me all the fucking information or Vinzo will tear you apart."

Dipshit Two gulped. "As he said, we don't know the person who hired us. A man came up to us and offered money to break into the shipping containers yesterday. He was white and I don't remember anything else, he wore sunglasses, a hat and a turtleneck."

The shirt hid his alliance marker on his neck... dammit. At least that means it is someone from a mafia family, we have a long list of mafia families but it's a list we have available.

"And?" I pushed when he didn't go on.

Dipshit one continued. "They said if we found anything to put it in our car and go back to the Lucky Pig bar, they would see us and send the money while we left the van there for them."

"Right... just like that two grand and not a bullet for your involvement...Vinzo see if they are hiding anything." I ordered.

"Wait! We can work the streets!" Dipshit two shouted. "We'll ask around and if we find anything out we'll let you know. Or we can place an empty van at the bar and you can take them!"

Dipshit one nodded. "Yeah, Yeah! We can be informants."

The room went silent, Vinzo looking for my signal to push them for more information. But looking at the two I knew that whatever information they had, they have shared. It's a pathetic amount of information but it's something.

Question is, can we dangle them for more. If we had them go to this 'Lucky Pig', who would show?

Walking over to me, Shaw passed me the two bank information papers he had mentioned, who knows if they are even real. "What you want me to do with them?"

I looked to Shaw. "Go with your judgement. You want them dead, do it. Think they will make good moles, do it."

Shaw scratched his jaw., ignoring the two dipshits saying they will be moles. "I'll give them a few tests."

I turn to Vinzo, trusting Shaw to gather more information. "Call the car upfront, we're done for tonight." He nodded talking on his coms. "Shaw, pleasure as always. Keep me updated."

Shaw bowed his head.

The car came up stopping in front of us. Opening the door, I slid in, my eyes hurting from sleep deprivation. "Call Luka, have him look into the bank accounts. Put a tracker on it but make sure he doesn't alert whoever owns the account."

Vinzo nodded taking the bank information from me, his phone out to call Luka.

Reaching over I grab one of the books I have started to keep with me, allowing any free second to be spent reading it.

"A Pregnancy and Parenting book?" Looking up from my book Vinzo dropped in the seat beside me, his un-burnt side of his face full of amusement. "Now that is something I never thought you would read."

Rolling my eyes, I look back to my book reading about twins and any dangers it has to the mothers. "That because no one loves that icy exterior of yours? I'm sure you could get a dog, basically parenting."

He rolled his eyes. "I was talking about you."

The car started to move, pulling away from the shipyard. "Everyone is talking about me." I couldn't help the grumble escape my lips.

Taking out my phone I check my message, a smile forming at one. "Alek, drop me off at my apartment."

"Si Signore." He responded changing course.

Flipping a page of a book I glance over to Vinzo, the scared part of his face dark besides the occasional lights of a passing car showing it. "Yes?"

He looked away. "Don't fuck it up."

Chuckling I went back to reading. "Think I would be reading this type of book if I had any intention to?"

He rolled his eyes. "How are you going to make up missing her first appointment?"

I tilted my head. "She understood."

Vinzo gave a light chuckle. "Your screwed."

Thinking for a moment I groaned in agreement.

His only respond was a chuckle. The rest of the ride was silent, the perfect ride for me to make up the time to catch up on reading. It wasn't the most riveting book to read but I wasn't going to be a Dad who didn't know shit.

As I flipped into a new chapter the car came to a stop in front of my apartment building. "Good work tonight boys, sleep in tomorrow."

They gave me their goodbyes, my hand opening the door stepping out. Keeping the book open I read while I walked into the building and pressed the elevator button to the penthouse.

Hearing a ding I close the book and step out onto my floor, stopping to quickly put in the security code, video confirmation and key that led me in.

Stepping into my apartment, I set it down on the counter closing the door behind me and ensured the security is up and running.

I need Stella to choose from a list of places for us to move into, a home that can have far more security then my apartment has to offer. And a home is far better for raising children in a family then a penthouse.

Walking by the kitchen I find Stella sitting on the counter eating a sandwich watching something on her laptop. "What are you still doing up?"

She looked up from eating. "Hungry and needed Baby Yoda. What do you think of the name Grogu?"

I stopped walking to give her a pointed look. "We are not naming our child after a star wars alien."

Stella gasped putting her hand on her chest. "Star wars alien? He is not just a little alien he is cute and dangerous with his perfect father Mando."

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. "Stella, I have no idea what you're talking about, never seen that show. Either way, not naming our child 'Grogu", they would hate us for the rest of their life. You can name a dog or a cat that if we get one."

"How have you not seen it?" She scrunched her nose shrugging. "Your no fun, it was worth a shot though. So, how was your night."

I walked over to her, leaning against the counter across from her. "Eventful and possibly informative. How was the appointment? Are you and the baby okay? Did you find out what we are having?"

Finishing her midnight snack, she put her hand up to silence me. "Take a breath, we are perfectly healthy."

I blew out a relived breath and leaned over kissing her forehead. "Good."

Getting up she kissed my cheek. "As for the third question, I didn't find out the gender or hear the heartbeat without you. Instead I blasted Hamilton while they checked me out."

I tilted my head in shock. "You didn't want to know?"

She slowly shrugged. "I guess I'd love to know but we are in this together; if you aren't there then I won't learn anything without you."

I hated that I wasn't there and I also hated that I was slightly happy she waited to find out about our child till I was there. "Stella, you shouldn't have felt like you needed to wait."

Stella rolled her eyes. "Well I did so don't pout. If you want to know, go see if Esperenza will tell you. She listened to the heartbeat and found out the gender of our child."

Watching her walk away it hit me. Esperenza. "Wait Esperenza knows! She's going to be holding that against me non-stop and won't say anything about what I want to know. Wait Stella! Is this punishment?"

Stella looked over her shoulder and shrugged. "Punishment? Whatever for?"

She turned her back and began walking back to the bedroom. Vinzo's mocking laugh reached me making me groan.