She had to speed it up. As far as Cross knew, she had done one weights and one weapons session that day. He didn’t know about her five mile run, or that she’d done more weights after their morning sessions. It’d been a week since she’d thrown up at the interrogation and she’d been punishing herself since. She’d embarrassed herself and the Family, and she wasn’t planning on making that mistake again. But damn she was tired.
As she lowered the bar and pretended to adjust her grip again, buying herself more time to regain energy, she noticed Cross move away and a different body take his place. She didn’t have to look up to know she was in a shitload of trouble. She breathed out through her mouth, then grit her teeth again and pushed, letting out a harsh shout as she got to the top.
‘One.’
She locked eyes with Johnny and knew that he had found out about her extra training sessions. The punishment was just beginning. As the bar touched her chest she told herself that she could do it, only nine reps to go and if that was what Johnny wanted, she would deliver. Except before she could push, he stopped her, loaded an extra twenty pounds onto the barbell, and moved back to stand behind her. She’d never lifted that much, Cross had only moved her up to a hundred at the start of the week. She pushed, her arms wobbling so violently that the bar knocked the stand when she got to the top. She tried to stop herself from looking at Johnny but she couldn’t help it.
‘If you drop that bar, I won’t catch it.’
How could she have been stupid enough to think they wouldn’t find out? She looked like hell, with deep purple bags under her eyes, and she’d even caught herself slurring her words at breakfast. Of course they knew. She lowered the bar, only to have Johnny load up another ten pounds. He was standing above her with his arms crossed and she knew that he wasn’t joking. He would let the bar drop. She tried to push but her arms wouldn’t respond. She shook her head and whispered, afraid that Johnny would hear but needing him to at the same time.
‘I can’t.’
Her arms wobbled as she tried again, getting the bar a few inches up before resting. She was ashamed to find that tears were falling down the side of her face. She shook her head again and from the corner of her eye could see Cross watching.
‘I haven’t got all day Soldier.’
She pushed, telling herself that she could do it, that she was strong enough, but half way up, her arms gave out. She gasped as the bar dropped, heading straight for her neck before Johnny caught it and lifted it up onto its stand. She was still in shock when he grabbed the front of her tee and pulled her to a sitting position, his face inches from hers.
‘If I ever find out that you are overtraining yourself again, I will let that bar drop.’
She nodded, opening her mouth to apologize, but Johnny wasn’t finished.
‘You don’t have anything to prove. If I had a problem with the way you behaved at the interrogation, I would have said something. You do what I tell you to, no more, no less, do you understand me? You’re no good to me if you can’t function.’
‘Yes Boss.’
She used his title instead of his name, knowing it was the right thing to do and hoping that her tone would show him that she was grateful for his forgiveness. Johnny let go of her tee and walked over to talk to Cross. She stood up to go to the locker room, but Johnny stopped her and she noticed that Cross was finishing up a call.
‘We’ve got someone. Two minutes or we’re leaving without you.’
She peeled off her sweat soaked clothes, stepped under the water for thirty seconds and pulled on her blacks while her body was still wet. Five minutes later she was sitting in the back of one of the Hummers, speeding through the suburbs with her Beretta at the small of her back and her knives in her boots. Cross was driving and Johnny was drumming his fingers against his thigh. Both of them were armed and itching for a confrontation. She reminded herself not to throw up.
They ended up somewhere in the Angeles National Forest, where they found two of their soldiers. Roman was straddling a man from behind and had the guy’s hands trapped behind his back, pushing his head into the ground and squashing his face against the grass. Avery was leaning against a tree, the gun in his right hand aimed at their captive’s head. One of his eyes was swollen and as she approached, he turned his head to the side and spat out blood.
‘Good work boys.’
The soldiers had all of three seconds to register that it was Johnny who was talking. Avery straightened up and said a rough thank you, making sure to address Johnny as ‘Boss’, while Roman managed to grunt a quick ‘Sir’. Johnny turned to the captive.
‘Well, it looks like you got my boy Avery pretty good. What’s your name?’
He was standing right above the two men so that the captive could see nothing but his boots. She saw Avery try to hide a smile but the crinkles at the side of his eyes betrayed his joy at Johnny’s words.
A muffled ‘fuck you’ earned the guy a nice kick in the ribs.
‘I’ll ask you again, and I have a feeling you may wanna show a little respect this time. What’s your name?’
‘Marcush,’ was the best the guy could do given half his mouth was kissing dirt.
Johnny lifted up his palm and Roman let go of Marcus’s head, sliding back until he was in a kneeling position on Marcus’s legs. Then he yanked him up, pulled his torso back against his own chest and held his forearm to Marcus’s throat. She took the opportunity to look Marcus up and down. He was in his thirties, neither attractive nor unattractive, but he was fit. Maybe not soldier fit, but fit.
‘Now tell me why you were bragging about being involved in the death of, how’d you put it again? A real life Boss?’
‘I don’t know shit.’
That got him a head butt from Roman and an eye roll from Cross.
‘Maybe you wanna rephrase that?’ Johnny offered.
‘Look, if I tell you what I know they’re gonna kill me.’
‘I thought you’d be more worried about us killing you now.’
Roman pulled his forearm tighter against Marcus’s throat and Marcus started to choke.
‘A’right already! Can you tell Van Damme here to lay off a bit on the pipes? Can’t talk if I can’t breathe.’
A slight nod from Johnny and Roman loosened his grip. After a few gasps, Johnny grew impatient and motioned for Marcus to hurry up.
‘The guys you’re after? If they’re part of the Five Families, they ain’t high up. I’ve never seen ‘em on any news program.’
She winced at his mention of the programs that followed the bosses and top soldiers around in the hope something would happen. Well, something besides the camera man copping a beating.
‘What else?’
‘Last I heard your brother’s still alive.’
All eyes turned to Johnny.
‘How do you know?’
Marcus sniggered, ‘They got no reason to kill one of their own.’
Johnny punched Marcus in the face and broke his nose and eye socket with audible cracks.
‘Stop playing fucking games and tell me where he is!’
‘Even if I knew I’m not stupid enough to tell you. You’ll break my neck and bury me here!’
Blood was pouring from Marcus’s nose into his mouth and he was spitting as he spoke. The bastard had a point, but she knew the possibility that he was lying about not knowing Dante’s location couldn’t be passed. Johnny leant down, about to say something to Marcus when she heard police sirens. Cross grabbed Johnny’s arm but Johnny ripped it out of his grip.
‘I’m not done with him yet.’
‘Then bring him with us John. The Masons aren’t here, if the cops show up it’s gonna waste a lot of time and cost a lot of money. So knock him out and let’s haul his ass out of here.’
The sirens were so loud that she was half expecting the cars to burst through the trees at any moment. Johnny straightened up, snapped his fingers and pointed to the Hummer. Roman hauled Marcus up but Marcus spun out of his g
rip and grabbed the knife from Roman’s hip. He then slashed the soldier open from right hip to left shoulder, before taking off into the trees. Roman looked down at his chest in shock as blood began to weep from his wounds. Johnny looked like he couldn’t decide whether to yell at Roman or help him.
Cross rushed forward and lifted Roman up over his shoulder, before catching the car keys that a terrified Avery threw in his direction. Johnny grabbed Avery by the back of his neck and threw him into the back seat of the Hummer. He jumped in the driver’s seat as Aurora helped Cross slide Roman into the back seat of a silver Impala. She then launched herself into the passenger seat of the Hummer as Cross took the driver’s seat of the Impala. As both cars ripped out of the forest and took different paths, the sirens became no more than a memory.
Eighteen
The music was loud and Hawk was in a bad mood, so when the guy at the bar stood up too fast, he got more than he bargained for. Hawk grabbed him by the collar with both hands and yanked him off his feet. He was about to send him flying across the bar when Ty stepped in and pulled him out of his grasp. He pushed the guy towards the door and clicked his fingers to get another soldier’s attention.
‘Get this guy out of here before Hawk kills him.’
Ty gave him a questioning look which he ignored as he headed towards the manager’s office. He felt like he was losing his mind. It wasn’t bad enough that he already had trouble sleeping, his mind was now obsessing over Aurora. He’d woken up at three the night before, shooting straight up in bed in a cold sweat. He’d washed his face and decided to head to the theatre room, where he’d found Honor asleep in a recliner and the credits of some action flick rolling. His siblings all shared the same nightmares, the events of the Carter Mason War forever haunting them. He had slumped on another recliner, scrolled through a list of saved movies and pressed play just as Halo had padded in. They’d ended up falling asleep while watching the movie in silence. It was one of the few situations where they understood each other.
His cell phone rang as he opened the door to the office and Ty followed him in. He checked the caller ID but didn’t recognize the number.
‘Mr. Mason, this is Captain Johnson from the L.A.P.D. We’ve just received a call about a disturbance in Angeles National Forest. A group of teenagers saw two men holding a third down on the ground. One of the members of the group moved to approach, but as he got closer, Johnny Hannam showed up.’
Hawk motioned for the manager, who was counting the money owed to the Mason Family, to leave it and get out of the office. Ty shut the door behind the other man and blocked it with his body.
‘Are you sure it was Johnny Hannam?’
‘Kids said they recognized him from the news. They said he was with another man and a woman. Thought it was best I call you and ask what story you want us to run with.’
He ran a hand over his face and moved the phone away so he could curse. Ty frowned and he put the phone back against his ear.
‘Say that the kids were high, makes them unreliable witnesses. Question them separately and twist their answers so that nobody says the same thing. Spin it so that they believe they saw a fight between a group of guys heading home drunk from a party.’
He promised to put in a good word with the Police Chief and hung up knowing that the man on the other end had a big ass grin on his face. Whatever, the guy could pat himself on the back as much as he wanted, he was the last thing on Hawk’s mind. He speed dialed Johnny, who answered on the second ring.
‘Why didn’t you call me?’
He could hear the Hummer’s loud growl in the background and knew he was on speaker.
‘Fuck you Hawk! The world doesn’t revolve around your ass.’
‘No but the cops do.’
‘Trust me if I had time to call you, I would have.’
‘What happened?’
Johnny explained what had happened at the forest and the events that his soldier had told him led to the capture. If Dante was still alive, it was possible Dallas was also. Hawk had to stop himself from asking about Aurora. Instead he asked if they were all ok. He thought Johnny was going to rip his head off but instead he snapped back a quick confirmation that they were all fine and hung up in. He shook his head to get rid of the thought of something happening to Aurora. He motioned for Ty to let the manager back in and Ty threw the door open. There was no small talk, just an exchange of money for the previous night, and he was out of there. Ty flanked him and on their way out they were approached by a brunette.
The woman played with a strand of her hair and batted her eyelashes at him, asking something along the lines of why he was leaving so soon. She stepped forward and pressed herself against him. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away, stopping himself from saying something nasty. He stalked past and Ty followed him out the front door. They walked to their car in silence and Ty took the driver’s seat, bringing the Escalade to life. Hawk slammed his door shut and scowled, slumping in his seat.
‘Everything alright?’
Ty had been his second ever since he was promoted to captain, and he trusted him with his life. He let out a long sigh and looked out the window, deciding it was time to say something about his situation.
‘Have you ever been so caught up in something that you can’t think straight?’
‘Every day.’
He looked at Ty, with his toothpaste commercial teeth, blond hair and green eyes. The guy was Grade-A Hollywood material. He cocked his head, his focus shifting from Aurora to finding out what Ty was hiding.
‘Do you have someone I don’t know about?’
‘Nope, still have that bunny boiler though.’
He’d passed his answer off as a joke, the words carefree, but Hawk knew him better than that. When he asked Ty why he’d never taken up any offers that came his way, and all of them were from bombshells, Ty cleared his throat. It was dark in the car but that didn’t stop him from noticing the blush that crept into Ty’s cheeks.
‘Not really my thing, you know that.’
‘Yeah but why isn’t it?’
Ty’s ex-girlfriend had started stalking him after he’d dumped her the year before, but she wasn’t a real issue. He’d never loved her, Hawk wasn’t even sure if he’d liked her all that much, but he hadn’t seen Ty with anyone since. He wondered if he already knew the reason. Ty was in love with someone he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, ever be with, and Hawk thought he might know who. But when Ty shrugged in response he decided to let it go. He squeezed his shoulder and gave him a small shake. Ty would tell him when he was ready and when that happened, Hawk would support him the same way he knew he would be supported when he opened up about Aurora.
Nineteen
A week after Marcus got away, Aurora got home from the gym and started getting ready to go out. It was Johnny’s thirty first birthday and despite the climate, Vince had made reservations for Belle’s, the three Michelin star restaurant with a spectacular view of Venice Beach. She found it almost amusing that if the horrific events of the previous months hadn’t happened, she would have been meeting Bo and Cross for the first time. She dressed in a red bodycon dress with a pair of crystal encrusted stilettos, curled her hair, applied her make-up, and took extra care choosing her jewelry. Finally she stuffed a pocket pistol into her clutch before heading down to the foyer. Vince let out an appreciative whistle as she made a show of strutting down the right staircase.
‘Are we ready?’
Johnny came around the corner and she was taken aback. Like Vince, he was dressed in black Tom Ford with the family signet ring, but his appearance wasn’t what surprised her. Johnny was smiling.
‘Hell yes! It’s not every day your brother turns thirty one!’
Johnny rolled his eyes at Vince and walked towards the front door, but as soon as he opened it he froze. Parked in front of the house was a brand new Mercedes. He turned back and she and Vince both smiled as Vince tossed him the keys.
‘Happy Birthday John. This is wher
e you say thanks.’
Johnny punched him in the arm then gave him what was more a slap on the back than a hug. He then pulled her in for a real hug. In that moment, the world was a safe place. But it didn’t last long. As they drove, Johnny tested the power of the coupe, him and Vince hollering in excitement as she dug her nails into the leather seating. They pulled up in front of Belle’s and Johnny handed the keys to the valet. He took Aurora’s hand in his arm and together with Vince they walked into the restaurant. In a modern twist on Parisian chic, the restaurant was lit by candles and crystal chandeliers. There were glass tables and high backed leather chairs, and the walls were covered in fleur-de-lis wallpaper.
Vince flashed the hostess his winning smile and she blushed as she led them to where Bo and Cross were seated. All eyes were on their table as the captains stood and gave Johnny slaps on the back, wishing him a happy birthday and smiling. Their world was dark and vicious, where you had to watch your back at all times and live with the reality that everyone could be trying to kill you. To see them all smile was a gift.
When they were done with the back slapping, Vince pulled her seat out but she spotted a familiar face on the other side of the restaurant and her breath caught in her throat. Hawk was seated at a private table, with his suit jacket on the back of his chair and the top two buttons of his fitted shirt undone. She could make out each sculpted muscle of his torso and felt her body temperature rise as he leant forward, deep in discussion with his dinner partner.
The woman had black hair in a pixie cut with purple streaks. She was wearing elbow length gloves and a backless gown that showed off the angel wing tattoos that covered her back. Her ears were pierced from top to bottom and she had a diamond stud in her nose. When she looked up, her eyes were amethyst. Aurora tried to turn away, but Hawk’s mismatched eyes locked on hers. His expression was intense, but he quickly broke eye contact, turning his attention back to his date.
Vince cleared his throat and she forced herself to smile and sit down. The entrée arrived with a bottle of Krug Clos d’Ambonnay 1995, delivered by the restaurant’s owner. Once Johnny had approved the champagne, the owner filled their glasses, whispered something into Johnny’s ear and left the bottle in a sterling silver ice bucket. Johnny picked up his glass and toasted the table behind her head. She didn’t need to turn to see who he was toasting but she did anyway. Hawk had his glass of champagne up, staring past her as if she wasn’t there. His date flashed Johnny a dazzling smile and Aurora lost what appetite she’d had left. When the entrées were finished, the mains were brought out along with a bottle of 1971 Leroy Mazis Chambertin. Johnny looked to his captains and Bo slid a box across the table. Inside was a Rolex Platinum.
Poisoned Rose (Dark Roses #1) Page 9