by Ali Vali
“Get Mike and Phil in here,” he said to Tracy as he stripped off his jacket. Mike Walker and Phil King were both over six feet tall, with such blond hair they appeared to be twins. Unlike his father, he hired for killing skill instead of who their Italian grandmothers were.
“How’d it go, boss?” Mike asked a few minutes later.
“Like shit,” he said, pouring himself another drink. “Phil, head down and see if the wannabe surfer is still down there. If he is, try to keep an eye on him.” He took a swallow. “Tracy, go with him and point the bastard out, but don’t hang around too long.”
“Anything you want from me?” Mike asked when they were alone.
“Yeah.” He paused to finish the Scotch he’d poured. “Pack a bag and head to Mississippi. The damn place is still rebuilding, but there’s enough open for you to make some contacts. Start anywhere but the Gemini and put feelers out about a big buy.”
“Think any of the guys you dealt with before are still around?” Mike asked, sitting at the edge of the sofa. “Might be a good place to start.”
“I’ll give you all the contacts I had, but there’s something else.” He unscrewed the bottle again but decided against a fourth drink. After Kim and Junior’s deaths the bottle was the only place he found peace, but it was time to regain control. “Ask around about this Mitch Surpass and his shy boss.”
“Anything in particular you want to know?”
“Whatever you find, call me, but the most important thing is what the fallout will be when I rip out Surpass’s heart.”
*
“What’s going on, Mom?” Tanith sat next to Aubrey, clutching her school bag to her chest like it would stop the bullets she seemed sure were imminent.
They were parked across the street from the drugstore Wiley had told her to go to, and Aubrey hadn’t lifted her forehead off the steering wheel since she put the car in park and shut off the ignition. The paralyzing fear from listening to Maria get killed made her feel like she’d sat for hours with every muscle in her body clenched. She was exhausted and should be consoling Tanith, but she couldn’t find the energy to move.
“Please answer me.” Tanith’s voice cracked from what she recognized was the beginning of tears. Tanith didn’t cry often.
“I’m so sorry.” She took a deep breath and turned her head so she could at least look at Tanith as she spoke. “What happened didn’t have anything to do with us.”
“Maria’s dead, isn’t she?”
She nodded and started to cry. Their partnership might not have been a fairy-tale romance, but Maria hadn’t deserved to die that way. The sound of the chain saw, or whatever it was, would haunt her the rest of her life. Maria had suffered, her screams had confirmed that, but through it all she hadn’t given them up. Their time together was over, and she’d been so angry, but this wasn’t how she’d imagined it would end.
Hearing Maria die was almost as surreal as seeing Wiley standing at the bottom of her attic ladder, assuring them it was okay to come down and leave the house.
“Who were those people?” Tanith seemed to have a ready list of questions.
“I think the less you know about that, the better off you’ll be, baby.”
“That’s all you’re going to say?” Tanith raised her voice enough to make her close her eyes. Because she had, the knock on the window made her jump. She whipped her head around, expecting another group of assassins, but seeing Wiley made her heart rate slow.
“Leave some space between us and follow me,” Wiley said before heading back to the bike that held as many memories for her as Wiley did.
They headed toward downtown, and Tanith sat silently next to her as Wiley led them into the French Quarter and the parking lot next to the shopping center that had once been the Jax Brewery. She pulled in and parked after Wiley motioned for her to do so, and got out with only her wallet and Tanith.
“You want me to leave my car here?” she asked once Wiley approached them. “I will, but it won’t be safe for all three of us to ride on your bike.”
“Where were you today?” Wiley asked, walking toward the most crowded section of the lot until she found two vans parked side by side. Aubrey gave her a rundown of her itinerary, keeping her arm around Tanith. “We’re going to keep this simple so when it comes to facing a police interrogation you won’t have problems.”
“My mom didn’t do anything wrong,” Tanith said, with venom.
“She was involved in something to land up at the other end of that talk those guys wanted to have, kid. Sorry to be blunt, but we don’t have time for sugarcoating.”
“She meant me, Wiley,” Aubrey said, kissing Tanith on the head. “Maria wasn’t into parenting, as she put it.”
“Sorry.” Wiley looked at Tanith again. “What happened to you tonight isn’t an anomaly. Those guys wanted something, and Maria either had it or knew who does.”
Aubrey smiled at the patience Wiley showed, and how Tanith listened and nodded. The lines of respect had been drawn without her input or help. “Wiley isn’t our enemy, and I called her because I trust her.”
“The two of you went for a chocolate freeze to discuss leaving Maria, you went home to put away groceries, and Maria was still there,” Wiley said, giving her a CliffsNotes version of her explanation.
“That’s what happened before she left, and Mom got us in the attic before those guys got upstairs,” Tanith said.
“The end of your explanation is,” Wiley looked at both of them, but Aubrey knew this was her story for the cops, “you and Maria argued, so you took Tanith out for a sandwich. After that you took Tanith home to your parents’, where you planned to join her later. You took her there in case Maria was still in a fighting mood when you went back to pack.”
“I have to go back?” Aubrey was terrified at the thought.
“Ask your dad to go with you, and I’ll be there watching. You’ll be fine, but the truth of the night stays with the three of us. Peter’s reaction has to be as genuine as yours when you call nine-one-one,” Wiley said. “Understood?”
She and Tanith nodded and didn’t look back at Wiley when she told them to head to Maespero’s for dinner. It would take a miracle to keep food down, but Wiley said it was important for the waitress to remember them for the drink she’d asked Tanith to accidentally spill. They couldn’t be nervous, or cry, only look relieved that they were putting a bad relationship behind them.
The line for the popular restaurant wasn’t too long and they scored a table by an open French door. Wiley’s presence four tables over helped calm any jitters Aubrey felt.
“That’s her, isn’t it?” Tanith asked, after she put her menu down. “You used to talk about her when I was little, but you stopped when you thought I’d start understanding.”
“Understanding what?” She decided on the same burger Tanith had picked.
“How much you loved her. That part I got even though I was five, but Maria never did.”
“I explained to Maria often enough that she understood where I stood on the subject of our being together. A relationship of convenience isn’t the example I wanted to give you, but I wanted you to have the same foundation my parents provided me. Since I’d decided to raise you alone, I thought I’d have to work twice as hard to do a halfway decent job.” Tanith’s question made her smile, and when she did a bit of the horrid night faded.
“But it doesn’t explain the stuff you gave up.” Tanith leaned forward and whispered. “You know, her.”
To Aubrey’s relief, Tanith didn’t point in Wiley’s direction. She came close to laughing, wondering what Wiley would’ve done if Tanith had, because even though Wiley didn’t appear to be watching, she knew better. When they dated, it often bothered her that she never truly had one hundred percent of Wiley’s attention, but pushing her on the subject was like asking her to stop her heart from beating. The training was too engrained, but while annoying, it’d also kept Wiley alive, which was her other reason to not complain.
Tanith seemed appeased by her promise, so they lapsed into silence as they ate. The quiet allowed her to study Wiley as well as she could from her peripheral vision. All the things she’d admired about Wiley were still there, as far as she could see: the straight posture that always made her uniform look so good, the short, shiny jet hair, and the gentle calm no matter the situation. The rest, like she’d told Tanith, would have to wait until they were alone, but her heart clenched. She’d never stopped loving or wanting Wiley, but no plea had brought Wiley back from her self-imposed banishment.
*
The muffaletta sandwich Wiley always ordered when she ate here tasted like sawdust, but she forced herself to eat it. All those fantasies she’d had while she and Aubrey were apart had shattered like a bullet hitting a target when she saw that kid staring down at her from the attic opening. She’d wanted Aubrey to have a chance at happiness, but she couldn’t bring herself to think of Aubrey with someone else. Honor had made her leave, but it hadn’t made her forget.
She’d tried for months afterward and had taken as many assignments as she could complete. Losing Aubrey had ripped holes in her that’d been as painful as if a weapon had inflicted them. Walking into that house, though, had made her doubt herself and the Aubrey she’d known.
Had Aubrey even given her a thought when she replaced her and moved into the storybook house and decorated a nursery?
She’d called Aubrey back, so she was stuck until this situation played out. Only an asshole would leave Aubrey and the kid in the open to be finished off, and she wasn’t an asshole. She, along with everyone close by, looked toward Aubrey’s table when her daughter spilled her drink into Aubrey’s plate. She had to give the kid credit for executing it perfectly. When the cops came asking questions, and they would, someone here would remember Aubrey and Tanith. After Aubrey called in the crime scene, the police would have to clear her before they widened the scope of their investigation.
“The number I called you on is registered to an employment agency,” she told Aubrey after they’d finished dinner and were back in the parking lot. “In this case that’ll fit the rest of your story tonight, but remember to keep it simple. You want the cops to put you under the microscope, then move on.”
“What about the rest?” Aubrey asked.
“Worry about what’s important right now. If you try to get ahead of yourself, the police will take their time clearing you, especially if they think you’re either hiding something or involved.” They stood between the vans again, but Wiley still felt too exposed. “Nothing’s going to happen to you, but don’t let your guard down. Don’t trust anyone until you know all there is to know about tonight.”
“Thanks, Wiley.” Aubrey took her hand. “This isn’t how I imagined seeing you again, but I’m glad you came.”
“No stops until you get to your parents’.” Wiley took a step back. She wanted Aubrey’s touch still, but now wasn’t the time to indulge. “Are they still in the same place?” Aubrey nodded. “Warn them you’re coming, and let your dad know you want company when you go back for your stuff.”
“When will I see you again?” Aubrey closed the gap between them but didn’t touch her this time. She still smelled the same.
“I’ll never be too far away.”
“You said we were going to your place tonight,” Tanith said.
“Eventually you might have to, but your grandparents’ place makes more sense.”
“What if those guys go after us again?”
Wiley could hear and see the fear in Tanith. Living through something so horrific at this age could damage the kid’s future. “They’ll have to get past me, and that’s not going to happen.”
“You’ll be there?”
“As soon as I’m done with your mom and grandfather, I’ll be there.”
Her explanation seemed enough to make Tanith nod, so Wiley left it there. The rest of the night and how it played out was up to Aubrey, and she couldn’t help her with that. Their ride across the lake was uneventful, and Wiley followed them back only after she was convinced no one was tailing them.
She wasn’t ready to call Don for help. The situation was complicated enough without adding to it, but depending on how motivated these people were, he’d remain her first choice for backup. For the moment she had no choice but to leave Karen and Tanith vulnerable while she watched over Aubrey and Peter. Not that Karen Tarver couldn’t take care of herself and her granddaughter, but this was beyond the scope of her usual threatening, mother-hen, protective streak.
The traffic was light on the return trip, and she almost enjoyed the twenty-four-mile stretch over the lake. She’d meant what she’d said to Tanith about being okay, and in a way she’d also promised herself to take care of Aubrey and her child to the best of her ability so she could finally make peace with what she’d had to do.
As horrific as the night had been, it presented her with the key to freedom from her past, and she planned to take it.
*
Mitch waited until Nunzio and his bitch were in the elevator before he made the call that would get his ass handed to him. His boss Emray Gillis was a man of few words until you fucked with his plan, and Mitch had managed a huge deviation from it.
It had taken three months of negotiation for both Emray and Nunzio to agree to all the terms, and it had been a problem for the impatient Nunzio. Emray loved moving slow, with Mitch serving as his middleman, but Mitch had just cut the line of the biggest fish they had hooked so far. Now they might not get Nunzio’s money but might have to waste another three or so months on meetings. That wasn’t what Emray had expected.
“When’s the exchange?” he asked, and Mitch could hear a car horn blaring in the background. He’d ridden with Emray a few times and tried to avoid it if he could.
“We hit a snag tonight, but with a little finesse we’ll be back on track.” He got the confession out as quick as he could manage, and a slew of protesting horns close to Emray indicated his reaction.
“What the fuck?”
“He insisted that you two meet before he committed to the deal, and I gave him some lip about it. The greaser got pissed and walked.”
“Get with the times, Mitch,” Emray said, obviously having arrived at his destination since Mitch heard him slam his door. “Nobody says ‘greaser’ anymore, and you’d better have some idea about how to get Nunzio back that you’re dying to share. Did you think we had a lot of free time when you gave Nunzio lip?”
“I told you everything else’s being taken care of,” he said, blowing the waitress a kiss when she delivered another beer. “You’ll not only have all the pieces in place from this deal, but later on I’ll deliver what you’re missing.”
“I didn’t misplace anything, I was fucking robbed.”
Mitch rolled his eyes. His plans for the night were about to derail. The waitress who’d been pouring his beers had promised an unforgettable midnight swim in the hotel’s pool if he brought enough blow.
“The guys are recovering your property, and I’d give Luca the night to think about it. His need to do business with us is bigger than his ego, so he’ll call.”
“You’d fucking better hope so,” Emray said, laughing, “because if you screw up my schedule, I’ll take you out myself.”
Chapter Five
The house was quiet and still when Aubrey and Peter Tarver turned into the driveway. All the cars that had been there earlier were still there, so whoever they had to report to wasn’t missing them yet. Everything and everyone inside was exactly like they’d left it, and Wiley had waited until she heard the Tarvers open the back door to scale down the side of the house.
; She’d been too concerned with getting Aubrey and Tanith away from the carnage to do a proper sweep, so she’d lost Aubrey as soon as they were in the vicinity of her house. She hadn’t done her usual neat cleanup, but every bullet casing her guns had ejected and every slug was in the plastic baggie in her pocket. The coroner wouldn’t have a hard time reporting what the causes of deaths were, but would only be able to speculate what type of weapon was used.
Lights were starting to come on as she imagined Aubrey making her way through the house, so she quickly scaled the magnolia tree growing in the across-the-street neighbor’s yard. The small earpiece she’d inserted allowed her to hear the conversation Aubrey and Peter were having as they moved about. She’d planted enough low-tech listening devices to monitor not only for any surprise visits before the police arrived, but also to hear Aubrey’s police interrogation. Keeping it simple sounded easy until you faced the detectives who’d assume this was a better, faster, and cheaper alternative to a nasty breakup. Division of assets wasn’t a problem when the person you had to share with was dead.
Wiley wanted to hear firsthand every answer Aubrey gave, since nerves would make any recap either Tarver gave useless. They’d deal with any deviation Aubrey made, but knowing what they were would make it easier.
“The argument got this out of control with Tanith in the house?” Wiley heard Peter ask, along with some shuffling noises as if he was straightening furniture.
Aubrey watched her dad try to put everything in order. They’d never discussed the decisions she’d made after Wiley again because, as he put it, he’d said his piece and didn’t see any reason to rehash the mistakes he felt she’d made. He treated Tanith like the center of his universe, but Maria was at the top of the list of things he’d never agree with.