She screamed for her father and she screamed for Mike. She screamed for her mother, who would never be the same. She screamed for Dante, she wanted him home where he was supposed to be, and beneath all of that, she screamed for herself, for Johnny, for Vince. For what was torn from them and what they might become when everything was over. After a while, she calmed herself enough to stop crying. She closed her eyes to collect herself and took deep breaths. Then she stood up and dusted off her dress, but before she stepped into her bedroom, she looked back up to the sky.
‘I’m sorry dad. I didn’t mean it. I’m going to make you proud.’
Nine
Hawk opened the back door to the Mason Family five-star restaurant Angel and greeted Johnny and Vince. It was filled to capacity and they didn’t bother talking as they made their way up the marble steps to the second floor. To the left was a private dining room, but he turned right and ushered them into his father’s office. Mario walked around his desk to greet them. He hugged Johnny and Vince and invited them to sit on the two black leather armchairs facing his desk. As they took their seats, Hawk closed the door and pulled over a seat from the corner of the room, fighting the urge to curl his lip at his father’s close proximity.
Mario let out a dark laugh.
‘I never thought I would outlive my best friend. Your father was always the more careful of the two of us. How are your mother and sister coping?’
Hawk waited for Johnny’s response. Would he get defensive and interpret the question as a way for Mario to identify any weaknesses, or would he take it as genuine concern. He could never be sure of his father’s intentions and if the circumstances were different, he would have gone with option one. But this was Tony’s death they were discussing.
‘It’s hardest on our mother. I don’t think she knows what to do with herself now that he’s gone.’
Johnny had gone with option two. Mario’s turquoise eyes stared back at Johnny with what looked like sympathy and understanding.
‘I was the same when Fae died. One moment she was there, the next… It made me realize how little time we have with the ones we love and how we should cherish every moment.’
It was those moments, when his father acted all warm and gentle and like he actually cared that he wanted to hurt him the most. The man who had never taught his children to love, who had never soothed them when they were hurt, and who had never taught them anything that didn’t serve his own purposes, was talking about how you should make the most of the time you had with those you loved. Hypocritical son of a bitch. Then again, Mario had never led them to believe that he loved them, so perhaps it wasn’t hypocritical after all.
‘She’s a strong woman, and so is Aurora. They’ll be fine.’
Vince interjected, staying true to his role of advisor and attempting to lead the conversation to its purpose. Hawk cleared his throat at the mention of Aurora, as if the action could push the knot that had been in his chest since the funeral out of his body. He’d told himself that he wouldn’t feel anything when he saw her, but his palms were sweaty before he’d even left the house. He’d spent the ceremony distracted and on edge, earning him an elbow in the ribs from Honor. He’d realized then that he wasn’t the only one who was uncomfortable, and that Aurora’s presence wasn’t the only source of his discomfort.
They’d spent their childhood in Tony’s home, and had experienced kindness and compassion. Tony and Santina had shown them the affection their father never had, and that had been ripped from them with their mother’s death. They may not have been able to show their emotions, but he knew that his sisters were struggling with their pain, trying to find an outlet that didn’t result in a loss of face. When they’d moved to the cemetery, it had taken every ounce of self-control he possessed not to go to Aurora, his efforts resulting in an expression which he was sure made him look like an insensitive bastard.
Mario smiled, ‘Of course they’ll be fine, they’re Hannams. Now, I hate to have to talk business today but I need you both to be aware of what events will soon unfold. Your brother’s disappearance… Some people are going to start talking.’
Johnny cocked an eyebrow and leant back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
‘And these people, what exactly are they going to say?’
‘John, you’re a boss now and your father trained you well so what I’m about to say should come as no surprise. Tony and Dante went off the grid. Tony died and Dante disappeared. You don’t think people are going to wonder if Dante played a role in your father’s death? The other Families will be calling for a Formal Sit Down soon.’
Johnny narrowed his eyes.
‘My brother is innocent.’
‘I’m not the one you have to convince. I’ve always considered you and your siblings as family. So, maybe we head different Families but the Masons and the Hannams have always looked out for one another and as far as I am concerned, we will continue to do so. But please, correct me if I’m wrong.’
It was a question. Did Johnny think of Mario as an ally or did he perceive him as an enemy now that Tony was dead. The tension in the air was palpable, then Johnny relaxed.
‘Just making sure we’re on the same page.’
Mario nodded.
‘Of course. So tell me what happened that night.’
Johnny explained how the events of the night had unfolded, starting with Dante being kicked out of Hunters for fighting with Nik Romanov and ending with Tony hanging up when questioned about his decision to collect Dante. He then went on to explain the issues they had been having with Dante’s attitude, which surprised Hawk and was a clear sign of trust on Johnny’s behalf. He stated that Dante had been offended by the fact there were captains who weren’t Hannams by blood, and he resented having to work as hard as other soldiers without receiving the same respect as senior men.
‘I should have followed my father that night.’
Mario sighed, ‘This doesn’t look good. We’re going to have to find a lead as soon as possible if we want to clear Dante’s name.’
He paused for a moment before adding, ‘We have some information that might bring us one step closer to finding the bastards. Hawk?’
So his father was going to make him give them the news instead of telling them himself or waiting for Halo, who should have been the one doing it. The man was all kinds of sadistic. Hawk turned to look Johnny in the eye.
‘We both know that your dad’s murder and Dante’s disappearance are tied to each other. We also both know that Michael’s execution was a warning of what was to come. But what we know, and you don’t, is that the kid was being stalked before he was killed.’
Vince grabbed Johnny’s arm, but he shook it free.
‘Look, I don’t need to know how you knew, but what I do want to know is if you knew it was Mikey they wanted to kill.’
He wanted to growl at the use of the nickname. The kid was going to be their brother-in-law, of course they would have shown him some level of affection. They had accepted him as part of their family and Hawk couldn’t control his jealousy. He could however control whether or not it was evident.
‘No, we didn’t know who he was.’
Johnny and Vince both let out long breaths and Vince rubbed the back of his neck. Hawk waited for them to say something before he continued. He needed to know where they stood on the matter. Vince was the first to speak.
‘We understand why you didn’t tell us and there are no hard feelings. It was just business. He was a good kid though.’
Hawk went on, ‘The night he died, there was a Chrysler waiting outside of the club they were in. I got a good look at the driver and I noted down the plates. We’ll put the word out so that our soldiers are on the lookout for the driver and the car. I assume you’ll want to do the same.’
Johnny and Vince thanked him for the information.
‘At least we’ve got something to run with.’
Mario agreed with Johnny and concluded the meeting, mov
ing to the front of his desk as everyone stood and patting Vince on the back.
‘You’re father would be proud of you. Now, do you want to grab something to eat before you go? Sergio’s new creation is this thing called a lobster Alaska, I don’t know what the kid puts in it but it’s a masterpiece.’
‘Thanks, but we should be getting home. We mean no disrespect.’
Johnny responded and Mario nodded.
‘None taken. We’ll talk soon.’
They all shook hands and the Hannam brothers left. Hawk ached to go with them, to sleep beside Aurora and hold her through the night, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. It wasn’t going to happen ever.
Ten
Aurora had been right in thinking her training regime would be hardcore. She trained twice a day on weights, once a day on weapons, and cardio every second day. Yet by the time she had clocked a fortnight’s training, there were still no leads on Dante’s whereabouts or her father’s murder. Determined not to be left out when something was uncovered, she found herself in the Family’s training center early one morning for almost the fortieth time since the start of her training.
‘C’mon Roar move it, you’ve got three more to go!’
Cross clapped as she squatted under a hundred and fifty pound barbell. She was dripping with sweat, her hair was plastered to the back of her neck, and her muscles were burning.
‘Done, drop it and straight into chin ups!’
Down crashed the barbell and she hoisted herself up onto the chin up bar as Cross continued clapping and told her to move faster. She stole a glance in his direction as she moved up and down, her legs crossed at the ankles, her shoulders and arms on fire. He was one of Johnny’s captains and was as tall as her brothers, with a broad back, biceps the size of her head, and thighs that were thick and roped. His head was shaved, his eyes were black, and he had tattoos running up both arms and around his neck.
‘And we’re done! Good work, hit the showers and I’ll see you at seven tonight.’
He slapped her on the back and walked away. She sat on the mats trying to catch her breath and waited until he was spotting another soldier before standing and making her way to the steps that led to the other floors of the training centre.
She had wanted to ask Vince about female soldiers since they’d agreed to let her join the Family. She was half way up the steps that separated the cardio floor from the weapons floor when she froze. A man she had glimpsed from across the gym was stalking down the steps. She hadn’t been looking forward to meeting him, not because she was afraid but, if she was being honest with herself, she was more than intimidated. With Johnny’s ascension to boss, Bo had become the second captain, but she knew that at twenty eight he had been in training for fifteen years, almost as long as Johnny. Bo looked straight into her eyes and she felt like she was being sized up by the Cheshire cat.
‘Well look at you. Now I see why they gave you to Cross.’
He didn’t bother introducing himself, confident enough to expect her to know who he was. His eyes were a dark blue almost navy color but they had a sinful shine to them that made them look metallic. His hair was black and messy but not quite long enough to tuck behind his ears, and his left eyebrow and lower lip were pierced. He was shirtless and wearing black karate pants, a dagger tucked into his waistband with the onyx handle hooked over his right hip bone. Meeting him face to face, she could also see why they had given her to Cross. He continued.
‘I’ve heard a lot about you. Now that we’ve met maybe I’ll give you some lessons myself.’
He moved a stray lock of her hair over her ear but she knew it was a test. She grabbed his wrist, pushed his arm out of the way and attempted to land a punch to his jaw. She never had a chance. He grabbed her fist and spun her around, pinning her arm behind her back and tripping her up the steps. She used her other hand to brace herself, anticipating a follow up move, but instead Bo laughed and helped her up.
‘Not bad. You need to work on your speed, but otherwise, you’re doing well.’
He continued on his way as if nothing had happened and she was grateful again that her brothers had assigned Cross to train her. She reached the third floor and made her way to the office, where she found Vince sorting through papers. He looked up when she entered and smiled.
‘How was your session?’
‘Got my ass handed to me.’
Vince laughed and invited her to sit down as he took the seat behind Cross’s desk. She dropped into one of the leather seats in front of the desk and cleared her throat before getting straight to the point.
‘Are there many other women soldiers?’
Vince replied without hesitation.
‘In terms of our Family, you are the only female. Within the other Families, I don’t have an approximate number but there are many. They’re known as ‘Roses’ and they all have a rose tattoo somewhere on their body, the color dependant on the Family they come from. Also, you should know that they are not all standard soldiers. Xenia Romanov is an advisor in her uncle’s Family, as is Maggie De Matteo to her father Jackson. Mario has assigned Halo as his advisor and Honor as one of his captains. All four are brutal and they have no pity, but you couldn’t tell by looking at them. Don’t get me wrong, I mean this as a compliment, but even though they look like models, they’re crazy.’
Vince tapped his right temple to emphasis his statement. The knowledge sent a shiver of excitement through her body. The women held senior positions within their Families and listening to the way Vince spoke about them, they were respected throughout the underworld, not just because of their surnames. They had built their fearsome reputations for being who they were, and even though their beauty was acknowledged, they were not looked down upon because of it. She hoped that she could build a name for herself the same way they had.
‘While you’re here, let me give you a lay out of the land. The main thing I think you should know is that each Family is specialized. Our Family controls weapons. The Mason Family controls law enforcement and authority, the Da Silva’s control drugs, the Romanov’s control prostitution and smuggling, and the De Matteo’s control gambling, loan sharking and heists.’
Vince ticked the Families and their trades off on his fingers before continuing.
‘You don’t need to remember right now who controls what, but just know that the Five Families control every facet of crime in L.A and nobody sets foot in another Family’s business.’
‘What’s the catch?’
‘Our world is a never ending Cold War. I’m sure by now you’ve noticed just how large our Family is. You should know that the other Families have just as many numbers, we all train our soldiers hard, and we are all ready to go to war at anytime. You should consider every soldier from every Family armed and dangerous. If a Family is perceived as weak their empire will be taken over. Never leave the house unarmed and never trust anyone outside the Family. Nobody is your friend, they’re associates, and any situation has the potential to turn hostile.’
She nodded and Vince lounged back in his chair.
‘Any questions?’
She had wondered if the constant training and need to carry weapons was overkill but after Vince’s explanation, she felt naive. She contemplated how she should feel about all the new information and realized that she just accepted it for what it was. Reality.
‘No further questions your Honor.’
Vince rolled his eyes and sat forward again, reaching for a pen and dismissing her with a wave and a smile.
‘Very funny. Now go take a shower, you stink.’
Eleven
It didn’t take long for the other Families to call a Formal Sit Down, but finding a day when all the bosses were in the same country took longer. First the Da Silvas were in Colombia, then the De Matteos were in Thailand, then the Hannams got called to France. All in all it took twenty one days until Hawk found himself in one of his Family’s warehouses sitting at his father’s far right. The circular tab
le that could seat twenty was cedar wood dressed in a heavy red table cloth with red upholstered chairs to match. In front of each Family was a bottle of Macallan 55-Year-Old and four crystal tumblers. The bosses sat with their advisor and one captain on their right, and their other captain on their left. Once everyone was seated, Mario rose to his feet.
‘Welcome everyone, I wish I could say it’s a pleasure to have you here but the circumstances are far from favorable. We’re here today at the request of the Romanov, Da Silva and De Matteo Families to discuss the murder of Tony Hannam and the possible involvement of his youngest son Dante. Everyone will get a chance to speak but with respect to the Hannam Family I request Johnny go first.’
Johnny shrugged, ‘My brother is innocent.’
‘So you say,’ Jackson De Matteo scoffed.
Jackson was the boss of the De Matteo Family, a second generation Italian American whose grandfather, rumor had it, had been a Don in Sicily. His captains were his sons, and his daughter served as his advisor. Hawk had expected Jackson to take the offensive, the other man’s pigheadedness always interfering with his potential to be a great boss, in Hawk’s opinion anyway.
‘Your brother got kicked out of a club and your father went to pick him up. Next thing he’s dead and your brother is nowhere to be found. You expect us to believe that it wasn’t a set up?’
Poisoned Rose (Dark Roses #1) Page 5