by Laurèn Lee
Cranberry Lane
Laurèn Lee
Copyright © 2017 by Laurèn Lee
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction, and any similarity to other persons alive or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN-10: 1974029875
ISBN-13: 978-1974029877
ASIN: B075VWN38T
Created with Vellum
For Emily and Brielle—
Never grow up and never give up on your dreams
Contents
Prologue
1. Wayne
2. Serenity
3. Wayne
4. Serenity
5. Wayne
6. Serenity
7. Wayne
8. Serenity
9. Wayne
10. Serenity
11. Wayne
12. Serenity
13. Wayne
14. Serenity
15. Wayne
16. Serenity
17. Wayne
18. Serenity
19. Wayne
20. Serenity
21. Wayne
22. Serenity
23. Wayne
24. Serenity
25. Wayne
26. Serenity
27. Wayne
28. Serenity
29. Wayne
30. Serenity
31. Wayne
32. Serenity
33. Wayne
34. Serenity
35. Wayne
36. Serenity
37. Wayne
38. Serenity
39. Wayne
40. Serenity
41. Wayne
42. Serenity
43. Wayne
44. Serenity
45. Wayne
46. Serenity
47. Wayne
48. Serenity
49. Wayne
50. Serenity
51. Wayne
52. Serenity
53. Wayne
54. Serenity
55. Wayne
56. Serenity
57. Wayne
58. Serenity
59. Wayne
60. Serenity
61. Wayne
62. Serenity
63. Wayne
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Laurèn Lee
When Houses Burn
Chapter 1
Charlotte’s Pact
Chapter 1
Prologue
Even in the dead of night, Cranberry Lane alluded to signs of voracious life which electrified the air. Glasses shattered against the pavement, promises of abandonment and violence echoed between the apartments painted in squalor. Even the animals stuck around after dark to witness the show.
Children never had bedtimes and adults rarely slept. Lovers made it in the alleyways and gangsters didn’t care about a single thing except for money and guns.
Darkness harnessed the powerful temptation of mediocrity and instilled the fear that if the sun were to rise, it’d illuminate all which was sordid and heinous. Those wanting to hide from reality sought comfort under the black sky and relished the solace in the emptiness of the world.
Street lamps flickered in sync with the fireflies and the owls hooted happily together every single night.
Everyone who lived on Cranberry Lane stayed until the morgue had to carry their bodies, lifeless and cold out of their decrepit homes. Once you lived on the lane, you never left. Well, you never willingly left.
1
Wayne
I crouched onto the abandoned rooftop with my military-grade sniper rifle locked, loaded, and ready for action.
I rested my chin against the scope and saw my target in the crosshairs, pacing in his office across the street. Will Jacobsen, the CEO of Energy Tech Incorporated, had pissed off nearly his entire board of investors by embezzling all their financial contributions.
I couldn’t imagine the balls on this guy. How could you be so powerful and yet so god damned stupid? What would he even need the extra money for? Word on the street was the guy was worth millions if not billions, but he needed a little extra dough? Doesn’t make a lick of sense, but at the end of the day, I’m just here to follow orders.
Jacobsen paced his office, comprised of all windows, with his phone in hand and I could nearly see the wrinkles invading the skin under his eyes. The guy had taken off more than he could chew, but now he was about to choke.
I took a deep breath and put my finger on the trigger. Smooth as ice. The calm before the storm. Focused. Determined. Lethal.
Another more deep breath and I focused in one last time.
Ready, aim, fire. Jacobsen dropped before he’d even known what hit him.
Today was like any other day. I am a hitman and this is what I do.
2
Serenity
Bile rose in my throat and I felt as though I’d get sick directly into my hands. I rolled over and moaned; the clock read seven in the morning. Flashes from last night raced throughout my mind and wove between my blacked-out moments. I barely remembered everything that happened, but I recalled those lines of coke in the bathroom and taking a few shots too many at the bar.
How did I get home?
I whipped the covers off me and let out a huge sigh of relief once I saw my jeans still sitting snuggly below my bony hips. That meant Joey didn’t sleep over. Sometimes, he’d crash if I was too passed out to notice, or care. And, sometimes, he’d try to make a move.
The sudden movement from a moment ago, jerked my stomach and I lunged out of bed to the bathroom. I’d barely made it before vomit lurched from my mouth and into the toilet. It was times like this I promised myself I’d drink again, but I knew it would be a lie. I’d be back at the bar later tonight to waste away my youth on cheap whiskey and stale soda. And, being about one hundred fifteen pounds soaking wet didn’t always help with my tolerance to alcohol.
“Serenity!” my mother called from the kitchen. Our apartment barely covered nine hundred square feet. We could hear each other no matter which room we were in.
“What, Ma?”
“I’m makin’ some bacon. You want any?”
“Kinda sick right now!” I called back.
“Oh hell, Serenity. When I was your age, I’d wake up after a night of partyin’ and go for a run. What’s wrong with ya?”
“Sorry, Ma. Not everyone has a steel stomach like you.” I wiped the bile from my mouth with my forearm. I cringed before I flushed the toilet.
“Some bacon and coffee will do ya good. C’mon.”
I dredged out of the bathroom and walked the ten feet or so into the kitchen.
“Well, don’t you look like the bright ray o’sunshine today. Mickey’s?”
“Yeah. They had two for one shots last night. Ladies’ night or somethin’.”
“I remember those days,” my mom reminisced and looked off in the distance. “Although, back in my day, I was as skinny as you, if not a little leaner.” She rubbed her belly and looked down distastefully. Serenity knew her mother had once been the talk of the town. She’d seen pictures of when she was her age and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know she’d been a knockout. However, the years weren’t exactly kind to Regina. Too much stress and ill health. Her beauty had faded with the setting of the sun.
“I can barely remember ‘em.” I rubbed my hazel eyes.
My mom poured me a cup of black coffee and put a healthy helping of bacon and scrambled eggs on a plate in f
ront of me.
“You work today?”
“Nah. Not until Tuesday.”
“Serenity,” she warned.
“I know, Ma. I know.”
“We need that money. We’ve got bills to pay.” As she motioned around the apartment, I looked to see how our living space had evolved over the past year or so. After my dad left us a few years ago, Ma barely made enough from disability to buy groceries. It’d been up to me to bring in money for rent and utilities.
After her fall down the apartment building’s stairs, she could barely walk let alone work. And, it’s not like my deadbeat Dad who left to escape the card sharks sent us cash in a Christmas card or something. Nope, the bastard never once contacted us after he ran. Not even on my birthday.
I had a part-time job at a small record store across town near the Richie Rich’s and yuppies. Mostly, though, I took advantage of the town drunks at Mickey’s and sold them overpriced coke on weeknights when I wasn’t working.
“I’m getting some more shipment in this week. Then I’ll be able to push it and pay rent. I promise.”
“Serenity, you know I don’t like you doin’ that shit.”
“You’ve mentioned it before.”
“It’s dangerous!”
“Ma, we live in one of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods in the county. Everything and everywhere around here is dangerous. Besides, how else do you expect me to bring back as much money as I do sittin’ at a desk, or working a stupid temp job?”
She scoffed. “Well, I just don’t want nothing to happen to ya is all.”
“Thanks. I appreciate your concern.” I rolled my eyes once she’d looked away. She’d always been on my back about dealing, but the complaining usually stopped when I’d be able to pay our rent on time, in cold, hard cash.
She sat across from me and we sipped our coffee in silence. A few cats fought outside, and the screeching would wake up the rest of the building. A tin garbage can lid smashed to the ground and the hissing continued.
“Girl, what is that on your shoulder?”
Instinctively, I covered my newest tattoo with my hand. “Nothin’.”
She reached across the table to grab my arm and pulled it away to reveal my fresh ink.
“Jesus Christ, Serenity.”
“What? You don’t like it?” I smiled sweetly.
“How are you ever going to get a real job, now?”
I laughed loudly. “I have a real job now and they’re fine with it. Kids at a record store don’t notice that kind of stuff. You worry too much.”
“What is it anyway?” she sneered.
Last week, I’d gone to my friend Ricky at the local tattoo shop just down the block and he hooked me up. He’d done about every tattoo I had since I turned thirteen. I’d lost count how many I had by now.
“It’s a lion.”
“I see that, but why did you get a lion? You don’t even like cats and now you got the biggest kind right on your body!”
“It stands for loyalty,” I said.
“Loyalty, huh?”
“Yeah, Ma. You know, if anyone touches us or hurts us, if anyone breaks that loyalty, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing they do.”
“Tough guy, huh?”
“Someone’s gotta protect us,” I shrugged.
I saw the hurt in her dull cerulean eyes; she’d still not gotten over my dad leaving us. I don’t think she ever would. Although, I think she’d gotten Graduation Goggles because Dad never helped much when he was home. She just missed him is all and conveniently forgot what an asshole he’d been to both of us.
I finished off my plate, grabbed my mom’s plate, and walked over to the sink.
“You can leave ‘em. I’ll do the dishes later,” she said as she swiped away a piece of graying auburn hair out of her face.
“I don’t mind.”
“If you say so,” she replied as she walked toward her bedroom with her red and black flannel robe swaying with every step. “I’m going to go watch my programs. You need anything else?”
“No, thanks. I’m going to head to the market after this. Anything specific I need to get?”
“Yeah, we’re out of eggs. And, I wouldn’t mind some more Pepsi and smokes.”
Honestly, the woman complained about my vices, but drank a two liter of Pepsi a day and smoked way more than a pack during the same amount of time.
We tried our best to take care of each other, though even when it was hard and even when we could barely take care of ourselves, we made sure to always be there for each other. Unfortunately, I ended up taking care of Ma more than she could take care of me. Sure, she was always there to lend a shoulder when I needed to vent, but when it came to the tough stuff, when it came to being a parent, she was conveniently absent. It was almost as if I’d lost both parents, instead of just the one.
3
Wayne
“Hey, uh, Wayne.”
“What is it, Sam?”
“How was last night?”
“I told ya, little bro. I don’t discuss my jobs.”
“But, I really want to know what happened!”
“I know ya do, but I ain’t peepin’.”
“Did you use a thirty-eight? A glock?”
“Sammy,” I warned.
“All right. All right. It’s just not everyday your brother is a hit man, ya know?”
“What did I tell ya about calling me that? Huh?”
“Sorry, Wayne.”
I thought back to last night’s job and smiled; it had gone perfectly. I’d been hired to kill a pervert who’d been convicted of sex with a minor. He’d just moved into a quiet neighborhood outside of town and it’s no surprise, most of the community wasn’t happy about it. My boss’s secretary lived on the street and told him about their little problem. Then, he called me to take care of it. He asked that I take out the trash.
It only took me about ten minutes before the bastard had been shot dead. Clean hit, too. Only needed one bullet. They say I’m the best for a reason: it’s because I am. That kill had been my fiftieth perfect target. I needed a plaque or something.
“It’s okay.” I ruffled my Sammy’s hair. Even though I’d nearly lived almost three and a half decades on Earth, Sammy’d just gotten his license. He could keep his air of innocence and curiosity a little longer.
While I barely made it to six feet, Sammy easily towered over me. I had more muscle mass, though, while Sammy made up for his lack of strength in school. He’d been on the honor roll his entire life. I envied the kid; he grew up in a shit neighborhood with even worse parents, but he still managed to keep it together and excel in school. I may be street smart, but Sammy is a hell of a lot smarter than I.
Two years ago, I legally adopted Sammy and I vowed to stop at nothing to take care of him. Our parents were loose and fast with their money and couldn’t afford the necessities to stock a household. You know, like with food and toilet paper. And so, I took him in and never looked back.
My apartment wasn’t much, but it was a roof over our heads. Mostly, my jobs paid for everything from bills to food, including a college fund for Sammy. I only worked at a neighborhood garage to save face for the Feds and what not. Had to make sure I looked legit. I wanted to protect Sammy, though, and so I made sure to never let him become involved or know anything about my jobs. I’d done a pretty damn good job of it, too, until one day he answered a call from one of my burners and couldn’t figure out why the guy on the other end, who’d called me by name, asked if the traitorous bitch was dead yet.
Sure, I could have lied my way out of it, but I knew Sammy wouldn’t buy it. He was a smart kid, really quick that one. He’d sense the lie a mile away. I told him the bare minimum of what I did for a living, because he also promised to keep his trap shut. Another wonderful lesson learned in the hood.
I ran my fingers through my premature salt and pepper hair and took a hammer to my newest burner phone. The pieces flung in various directions. I’d have to sweep the
m up later. That’s how my life went these days, though. Get a burner taped to the mailbox, wait for the call and the details, prepare, fulfill my duties, destroy the burner, and repeat.
“What are you doing tomorrow night, Wayne?”
“Not sure yet. What’s up?”
“I have a football game. We’re playing West. Can you come?”
“You know I’ll be there if I don’t have to work,” I promised. His shoulders sagged and defeat washed over his face. “I promise I’ll try, okay?”
“Yeah, all right,” he said and went back to his room to finish his homework.
I hated disappointing him. I wanted to be the one person who wouldn’t ever disappoint him, but it didn’t always work out like that. I thought back to my childhood and all the football games I had played and how I’d spend the entire game waiting to see my parents in the stands only to come home to see them wasted and passed out on the living room floor instead.
At first, it shattered me to be constantly disappointed, and then it made me stronger. My skin is thick, now. It’s thicker than steel and sharper than it, too. I don’t let no one get me down. I don’t let nobody hurt me. Even if that means living a lonely life, the solace comes as a comfort knowing I’m impenetrable. And love? Fuck that shit. I don’t need some broad telling me what to do, where to go and when to do what she asks of me.