Darkness returned.
A click confirmed the door had been locked.
Liam began to sob.
Jillian nearly reached out a hand. It was something programmed deep down into the core of her being. She felt the urge to help other people. Jillian was one of the rare good people left in this dark and decaying world. Her fingers touched Liam’s arm, but he simply pulled away, snorted, and continued to cry in the corner.
‘Don’t give up. Don’t give up. Do what you have to in order to survive,’ she whispered to herself.
***
Marcus and Melissa sat either side of the conference table. This room was designed for meetings with corporate executives and businessmen looking to invest in North City. The room felt long and empty with just the two of them. In the middle of the table was a telephone. It was currently on loudspeaker so that they could both listen.
‘I want her head,’ said John Riggs, his voice was filled with hate and anger.
‘We are businessmen, father,’ reminded Marcus.
‘SHE KILLED MY SON!’ His voice roared out of the telephone.
Marcus Riggs clenched his teeth and sat back. Nobody spoke to him like that anymore.
‘I miss Vince as much as you,’ he lied. In truth, he didn’t. Marcus felt no love for his two brothers. His father had always loved them more than him. The favouritism created a distance between them and planted a field of resentment. ‘We came here to build a better future for North City. We did not come here to start a war.’
‘Jasmine Murdock started this war. I am going to finish it,’ explained John Riggs.
Marcus shook his head in disgust.
He wouldn’t have done it if his father could have seen him.
‘Father, we had money and power in South City. We came here to create a better future for your grandchild and your grandchildren’s children. Going to war with the Murdock Empire is going to cripple this city and set it back twenty years. We have made so much headway in the last twelve months.’
‘She killed my son.’
‘You told me you wanted to make a better world.’
‘That is impossible now.’
‘Father...’
‘Enough!’ John Riggs growled. ‘I want you to get JR.’
‘What?’ Marcus gasped.
Did he just he what he thought he heard?
Melissa looked equally as shocked.
‘I want you to get JR. He wouldn’t pussy foot around. I want him in charge.’
‘Marcus has done such great work in the city,’ said Melissa. ‘JR would destroy...’
‘Hold your tongue!’ This was the voice of Marcus’s mother. The woman hated Melissa with a passion. Melissa was the daughter of John Riggs mistress. The woman didn’t consider her a daughter. She considered her less than dirt. Melissa instantly recoiled. Years of verbal and emotional abuse caused her to shut her mouth and sit back.
‘Marcus,’ said his mother, ‘you are too kind. You are a businessman and a magnificent one at that, but things have changed. They killed Vince. We don’t need a businessman running North City; we need a General. We need someone to grant us victory in this war.’
Marcus glared at the phone.
How dare they do this to him?
Who did they think they were?
‘You are soft,’ continued John Riggs. ‘I want Jasmine Murdock’s head. I don’t care how you do it, but strike a deal with JR. I want him running North City. You can advise him, or you can leave. I want JR in charge by Friday. You have five days to sort it out, or I will get someone else to do it for me.’
The phone line went dead.
***
The hydraulic locks slammed into place, as the large vault-like door sealed up the store. River hugged his coat around him. He had never known North City to be this cold. A white mist was crystallising in the air with each breath he made. Snow crunched beneath his employee’s feet, as they all said their goodbyes and headed off to various cars or public transport location.
He surveyed the group.
What was he supposed to do?
Two were going to be fired, and four moved on to the new store.
He looked at Kerry. She had to be manager. She had earned it. It would be disappointing to lose such a good friend and such a great worker, but she deserved the job more than anyone. He turned his attention to the incredibly beautiful redhead Ashley. She wanted the transfer just as bad. Manager was the role she was after, but he knew she would take a team leader or deputy position if it meant getting out of North City. He didn’t want to lose her either. It didn’t help that he fancied the pants off of her.
What was he supposed to do?
Who should he let go?
How would he be able to run the store without them?
***
‘I will see you tomorrow?’ asked Karl.
‘I would like that,’ Ariel grinned, like some drunk.
Karl was stood in the corridor outside of her apartment while she stood in the doorway. His eyes were firmly glued to the points of her erect nipples, as they poked out through the fabric of her top. Ariel licked her lips. She was transfixed by the bulge protruding from his pants. Unconsciously, she reached out and teased the peak of his throbbing organ over the top of his trousers. Karl gave out a deep erotic groan.
‘Naughty girl, you told me that we are not allowed to touch,’ he said, with a smile.
‘Whoops,’ she pulled her hand back. ‘I forgot.’
‘You are so naughty.’
‘You make me naughty,’ she giggled, but that giggle quickly turned into a defeated sigh. ‘You should go. He will be back soon.’
‘Okay,’ replied Karl, ‘I will be back tomorrow.’
‘Goodnight, my naughty man.’
The front door was closed, as Karl began to walk back to his apartment. It was finally happening. Ariel was losing what little self-control she had left. The lust dust was unbelievable. Tomorrow he would finally have her. When her boyfriend is at work, he will finally make his move.
***
The door bounced off the wall, as Marcus marched into his V.I.P suite. Anger, hatred and unadulterated rage were carved into his facial features. He was spitting fire. His chest heaved, as he clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white.
‘Weak!’ He shouted the word. ‘I’m weak?’
A vase smashed against the wall.
‘I’m soft?’
The dressing table was thrown to the floor, smashing bottles and an expensive mirror.
‘I can’t lead this crew!’
He kicked in the bedroom door. Predator like eyes focused in on his wife. She was sitting on the edge of the bed. A tie was wrapped around her arm, as she was partway through injecting a needle into her skin. She looked sick, skinny and not at all with it. Something inside Marcus Riggs snapped. A strong hand connected with the side of her face. She cried out, as she fell backwards onto the bed. He was on her in a shot. Fist after fist came crashing down on the defenceless woman. She was off her head so much that she didn’t even attempt to put up her hands in self-defence.
‘I’M NOT WEAK!’ He screamed at her.
‘I AM STRONG!’ He hit her again.
‘I AM A LEADER!’ Blood covered his fists, as she spat teeth onto the quilt.
‘THIS IS MY CITY!’ A bone-crunching snap filled the room.
***
Beers cans were tossed across the room. The welcoming hiss of a freshly opened beverage brought smiles to their faces. JR sank back into his leather chair; feet firmly propped up on the wooden surface of the desk, as he downed his drink. Brown eyes surveyed the three men and one woman in the room with him. This was it. This was his army.
‘We just have to hold out until Friday,’ he told them.
‘Will he break?’ asked Link.
‘He is a fucking pussy,’ laughed JR, ‘the money grabber will give us every last penny to save his life. The money we get from him will fund our army. Friday morning we ha
ve two hundred soldiers coming to join our cause. We have more than enough weapons and vehicles to kill my brother and remove the Murdock Empire. This will be our city. We will become gods of a new world. A world ran by fear, and we will be at the top.’
They all laughed.
‘To us,’ said JR, toasting the air with his can.
‘To us,’ they agreed.
***
Hateful eyes looked out across the cityscape. A single car was parked on the outskirts of town. A rusty old play park was decaying nearby. Once upon a time there would have been trees and grass, but all that remained was cracked dried up earth. Danny gripped the steering wheel as tight as he could. Tears were running from his eyes. A fire of pure anger roared from the depths of his belly.
‘You killed my father,’ he announced to the world. ‘They will all pay. Mum, Elizabeth, Travis and the Riggs Crew. They will all die. I will make them pay for what they did to you father. I will make them pay. I will burn this fucking city to the ground.’
***
Stillness flowed throughout the house. The girls were finally asleep. It might be the first night that Cassie got some decent sleep. A fire popped and cracked in the old fireplace. The flickering flames kept the darkness at bay. The living room door was open so that the heat could spread throughout the entire house. Chelsea sank into the corner of her couch. She was wearing her beautiful black dressing gown and fluffy slippers. A deep sigh escaped her lips, as she placed a nice cup of hot chocolate down on the arm of the chair. An A4 folder sat on her lap. It was the one she stole from the Riggs Hotel. The folder contained all the information from that night. Finally, she would learn the truth. She would learn what really happened to Riley. Chelsea turned the first page.
***
Her smile was full of pride. Kerry knew she was not a good cook. It didn’t matter how many cookbooks she read, or how many re-runs of the old cooking shows she watched, she just wasn’t a good cook. It was a concentration thing. Her brain seemed to go on a nice long walk through a forest of thoughts, and it returned in time to watch the food get burnt. She was just easily distracted. It was difficult to shut her brain off, which was why she was so proud of tonight’s meal. It looked delicious. It smelt delicious. She just hoped it tasted nice, too. It was a beautiful chicken curry with soft white rice and Naan bread as a little extra treat.
Samantha walked into the kitchen.
Her shoulders sagged, and she refused to make eye contact.
‘What do you think? Looks pretty good, right?’ asked Kerry.
‘Yeah, I guess...’ Samantha sighed. It was like talking was too much for her.
Samantha picked up her dish and headed for the door.
Kerry could feel her heart break.
‘Where are you going?’
‘I’m going to my room.’
‘Why don’t you eat with me?’ Kerry followed her down the hallway.
‘No. I’m okay,’ replied Samantha.
‘Please, I miss having dinner with you.’
Samantha rushed up the stairs.
‘I got things to do.’
‘Like what? Come and eat dinner with me.’
Samantha slammed her bedroom door shut. Loud music kicked into life a moment later. Kerry’s prideful smile fell from her lips and landed with a splat on the floor. Her relationship with her daughter was disintegrating day by day. It was all Travis’s fault. Things had been perfect before he got back. Now her own daughter hardly wants to talk to her. This simply couldn’t go on. Travis was a negative influence on Samantha. Kerry needed to get as much distance from the man as possible. She needed this transfer.
***
Silence had never felt so uncomfortable.
River could hear himself chewing, as they sat around the dinner table. Ariel was sat opposite him. She was holding up her head with the palm of her hand. She hadn’t touched her dinner. Her fork just pushed the food around her plate. It was like her brain was on another planet. Alisha was sleeping peacefully. River prayed she woke up and started crying, as he needed to do something. This was soul destroying.
‘Did you have a good day?’ he asked.
It was rubbish. He knew it was, but it was all he could think to say.
‘What?’
‘How was your day?’
‘Okay,’ she replied, with a shrug of her shoulders.
‘Did you get out?’
‘No.’
‘So, you stayed in?’
‘I guess so. I had some friends over.’
‘Oh? Who was it?’
‘It was no one special.’
‘So, it was the landlord then?’ He decided not to voice that part. River knew all too well about Ariel’s unusual friendship with the landlord. He wanted that pot head away from Ariel, but it was hard to keep an eye on her when he was at work. The depression after Alisha’s birth had caused them both problems for their relationship, but Ariel’s drug use was the reason he had to fire her from work. She had been clean for three months and was looking to go back to work, but all that changed after she became friends with the landlord. They had met at the group counselling sessions, which had been a healthy step forward and River had supported her. The problem was that he didn’t trust the landlord. Ariel was a rare beauty. River worried about the motives of their friendship. Maybe he was just jealous, but he felt like Ariel was slipping away again.
The silence returned.
The gap between them grew bigger.
***
Information was pouring into her mind. The documents held times, locations, casualty lists, eyewitness reports and photographic evidence of the night Riley died. Chelsea turned the pages, as she sat in the glow of the candle light. It had been a trap. The Riggs Crew had an informant working for the Murdock Empire. The woman was called Elizabeth. Elizabeth had several pages dedicated to her, as she turned out to be one of the captains working for Jasmine Murdock. At the time the Riggs Crew believed Elizabeth was working for them. Elizabeth gave the signal that all the principal players of the Murdock crew were inside a club. One hundred soldiers of the Riggs Crew, led by Vince Riggs, charged the club. It was an attempt to remove the Murdock Empire from the map and disrupt the alliance of the twelve families, but it was all a trap. The club had been rigged with explosives. Vince Riggs and over sixty-two soldiers were killed. The surviving members had to fight their way out of that section of the city. Only sixteen people managed to make it back to Riggs Crew territory. Three later died of their wounds. Riley, the Hand of God, never made it off the roof he was on. Riley had taken up a position on a rooftop several blocks away. He was the sniper and on overwatch. Riley was found on his knees with a bullet in his head. He had been executed.
Chelsea had cried for a long time after reading this.
She could only imagine how scared he must have been.
She continued to read on with red raw eyes.
The principal players of the Murdock Empire were Jasmine Murdock, Danny Murdock, an assassin known as Leon, Elizabeth and Travis. These were the most important people. Chelsea had read, re-read and triple checked all the reports. On the night of the trap she knew were Elizabeth, Jasmine Murdock, Danny Murdock and Leon were, but the man known as Travis was missing. He had to be the one that killed Riley. The issue was that the profile information of this Travis was limited. It didn’t even have a photograph, but Chelsea knew the truth deep down in the depths of her stomach. Kerry’s ex-boyfriend was back in the city and doing well for himself. Her best friend’s ex-boyfriend must be working for the Murdock Empire. Travis had to be the one that killed Riley. It wasn’t like it was a common name.
Doubt reared its ugly head.
It was all conjecture.
There was one way to find out.
Chelsea had to confront Travis. She had to know the truth. Did he kill her lover?
***
A troubled mind meant for no sleep. Kerry stared up at the dark ceiling above her bed. She exhaled a deep sigh, as her troubles bou
nced around her brain.
‘I need the job,’ she told the world in general. ‘I have to get out of this godforsaken city. Travis has gone back to his old ways. He never comes home. He fucks everything that walks. He doesn’t care about me. He is corrupting my daughter. Everything has turned bad since he returned.’ That was one mental tick off the checklist in her mind. ‘Malcolm is gone. I lost the man that I loved.’ It felt wrong to mourn Malcolm. She had cheated on him when he was away in South City. He had died down there. Malcolm didn’t know of the affair, but she would have left him when he returned from the south. She would not have been able to spend her life with him. ‘Samantha is everything to me. I need to get her away from Travis and this city. I need this transfer. I will get more money and better security. It will be the fresh start Samantha, and I need.’
Suddenly, a sound reached her ears.
It was the front door lock being opened.
He was home.
Travis had returned for the first time in months.
Kerry rolled onto her side and pulled her quilt up to her chin.
Her mind was made up. She was leaving North City, and she was taking her daughter with her.
Travis could die for all she cared.
***
Danny paced back and forth. It wouldn’t be long until he started to wear down the carpet. Fiona closed the door and unzipped her thick winter coat. Thankfully, the room was nice and warm, which would make defrosting a little easier. All her joints felt frozen to the core. Danny paused every so often and peeked through the blinds of his office window. They could overlook the courtyard of the makeshift palace, or fortress, or whatever the hell it was his mother was building.
‘I will kill them,’ he told her.
‘I know,’ Fiona replied, ‘I am going to help you. You don’t have to do this alone. Together we can get revenge. I would do anything for you, Danny.’
Danny stopped pacing.
He turned to face her.
‘I know you would,’ a smile finally broke through.
‘You’re my hero,’ she told him, with a cute little blush.
‘Take off your clothes.’ It was not a request.
She smiled.
She really would do anything for him.
Blood for Blood Page 5