by S. Ferguson
The next few days pass too slowly. Still no word from Tony which makes me decide we need to go ahead and prepare for war. I’m not going to sit idly while he makes plans and eventually catches us unprepared. My nights are spent making sure the guys are armed, calling in reinforcements and scheduling hourly patrols of Keegan’s and Bree’s apartment building. I couldn’t spare the manpower for guarding my place too, so I forced Kella to move into the apartments above Keegan’s again.
She wasn’t happy, acting like we threw her back in prison. Now I’m staring at her barred window and wondering if she isn’t wrong.
“You want me to work, let me work,” Kella says, looking past me to the open doorway. I know she’s been going stir crazy sitting in that bare room. Bree has come to keep her company a few times, but I know Kella is a wild animal at heart. She’s meant to roam. Some women are just wild, you can’t tame them.
It’s the most she’s said to me since the night she listened to my phone call and I’m such a fucking asshole, I relish it.
“Fine, you can come hang out in the bar with the guys.” She gives me an annoyed look. “It’s the best offer I’ve got.” I shrug.
“Fine.” She crosses her arms across her chest, her lips forming a pout I want nothing more than to kiss off her face.
Time to walk away, I think to myself as I follow her back down to the bar.
“Kella!” Bree shouts as a greeting when we emerge from the kitchen.
“Hey,” Kella says softly, sitting down at the bar after a few awkward attempts to get on the bar stool. Her shoulder has healed for the most part but she still can’t use it fully.
I feel my phone buzz and know that means Lexi is coming. She feels the need to give me every single update, in person, now that she’s helping me. Fuck. Talk about the worst possible timing.
Jake flags me down and I walk over to him, grateful for a distraction from the impending shit storm.
“I think I owe her an apology,” Jake mumbles, looking at the bar wistfully.
I know sometimes he struggles with his sobriety and I imagine all the shit lately has only amplified that.
“You can try that at your own risk.” I chuckle, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m no bitch. I just don’t wanna deal with one,” he growls, looking at Greg who gives him a cheesy thumbs-up sign.
Those two crack me up. Their relationship contradicts everything you would think about them. Two enforcers, two of the toughest men I know, and yet they show their love with no hesitation. I know it took them a while to get there, but I’m happy for them. And a little jealous if I’m being honest with myself. Who knew the very thing life is all about could happen between two killers?
Sure as shit, Lexi struts in a few minutes later. She’s really stepping up her game now, clearly taking my asking her for help as a sign of interest. She’s wearing jeans that look like they were painted on today, probably because of the extra weight she’s gaining. Her stomach is bulging over the top of her jeans despite her best efforts to wear a loose shirt, it’s still visible. I almost wonder if she’s pregnant, but the thought leaves as soon as it comes. Not my problem.
I see Kella’s posture stiffen at the bar, intentionally moving her eyes away from Lexi and I as we walk into my office.
Lexi’s wearing a triumphant grin and I feel like I just dug another foot into the hole I’ve put myself in. I’m going to ignore the fact that the very thing I wanted to happen, shouldn’t be pissing me off as it happens.
“Oh, baby I’m so happy to see you today,” Lexi coos, as soon as I shut the office door, reaching out to hug me.
I carefully grab her wrists and lay her arms back at her sides. “You’re not here for that,” I growl in warning.
“Fine. But you’ll wish you hadn’t passed this up one day,” Lexi whines, taking a seat and digging through her gigantic purse.
“My new best friend, Elizabeth, has finally invited me to her house,” Lexi says, holding out a piece of paper.
I grab it, looking at an address on the nicer side of town, written in all too familiar script.
“I’ll love you forever.” “Look at our beautiful daughter, look at her!” “How can you just toss us aside? For what? For your crime and a bunch of thugs who don’t give a shit about you?” “Don’t ever contact me again. Don’t ever try to find us.”
Elizabeth’s harsh last words to me flood through my mind, and I shake my head trying to clear them away. I left Bree’s mother when she gave me an ultimatum. I did choose this life over my family. At the time, I believed they were better off for it. I always sent money to Elizabeth and tried to keep tabs on Bree. What was reported back was far from the truth. My spies saw the public persona Elizabeth had, they didn’t know the fucking hell she was putting my little girl through. One day the checks started coming back in the mail, she no longer lived at the same address. Elizabeth and Bree were gone until my scared, half-starved daughter was dragged in here by that fuckwad Alex. I’ll never forget the day she came in.
“Wait, Alex. This place is Ron’s. This isn’t a good idea,” I heard the girl Alex was dragging in behind him protest. She tried to fight him but he just jerked her forward, using his size to his advantage.
“Come on, we don’t want to be late and risk them getting mad or changing their minds,” he hissed at her.
I couldn’t see her face, but I knew from seeing her small size she was younger than he had promised. I knew our deal wasn’t going to work anymore. Instead of kicking them out, something told me I needed to at least speak to her.
I turned my back on them, giving Greg instructions to be ready to take that asshole out if he tried anything.
“Hey man, I brought her like I said I would,” Alex said loudly, strutting in the bar like he had a right to be here. Like he had permission to speak to me.
Jake took care of that pretty quickly, wrapping his hand around Alex’s throat and cutting off his air.
“You don’t speak to Boss without permission. You stand there and wait until he’s good and damn ready to talk to you. Got me?” Jake ordered, sparing a glance at the girl. His eyes went wide momentarily, but he quickly put his focus back on Alex’s blue face.
“What the fuck, man? She’s too damn young. She’s skinny as fuck, too. You been feeding her?” he asked Alex, who couldn’t even get enough air to answer.
“I’m sixteen,” A little voice says, clearly thinking she’s helping. Now I know for sure she wasn’t aware of the bargain Alex and I made.
Alex lets out what I think is meant to be a frustrated groan.
“Jesus fucking Christ. Are you shitting me?” Jake said, releasing his hold on Alex. He knows this meeting is over with before it really began.
“You said you were sixteen?” I ask while Alex bends over, gasping and struggling to catch his breath.
“Yes, sir,” she answers in a quiet voice, molding herself to Alex’s side.
“That changes things.” I stared a hole into Alex’s face. Then turn to look at the girl. My heart freezes, all the air leaves my body. She’s here. She’s starving to death in my own fuckin’ city and she’s fuckin’ here. I dig my nails into the palms of my hands trying to keep from grabbing her. I want to know why she’s been on the streets, what her business with this douche is, where her mother is. My mind floods with questions.
“Wait—” Alex started to protest, but I cut him off. I don’t give a fuck about anything he has to say.
“The job …” I say looking into her eyes, my eyes, for the first time. “Isn’t for someone as young as you, but I can see you need some help. Can you clean?” I say the first random task that comes to mind. “You can help Greg behind the bar, keep him stocked on clean glasses, and keep the floor and shit clean tonight. If you do a good enough job, we’ll make it a regular thing.” I sigh as I ask her a question I’m afraid to hear the answer to, “When was the last time you ate?”
“Yesterday,” she answers, looking at the floor. I swear
I feel another crack form in my heart at her words. It’s quickly replaced by another way I plan to hurt Alex before I’m done with him.
Quinn walked over when I summoned him.
“Get,” I paused, committing to my plan of pretending I don’t know who she is. I’m both relieved and sad she doesn’t seem to recognize me. “What’s your name, darlin’?”
“Bree,” she whispers, tears forming in her eyes for some reason. For a moment, I’m afraid she does know who I am, but the moment passes quickly.
“Get Bree something to eat, but nothing heavy, because she’ll get sick as shit if she’s been starving all day. You,” I pointed at Alex, “and me are going to have a conversation in my office. A conversation you will not enjoy.”
Alex followed me into my office and to a long over-due beating, gladly handed out by Jake, who was all but overjoyed, smirking and cracking his knuckles.
Quinn took care of Bree as promised, and the gratitude made her face light up. It made her look happy for the first time I suspected in far too long.
15
Ron
I grip the paper with Elizabeth’s address that Lexi gave me tightly in my fist. My mind was being flooded with memories, with thoughts I had worked hard to shove down. Things I didn’t want to remember. I truly had loved Elizabeth. I’ve stayed so far away from relationships since then for many reasons, but a main one being a broken heart. Elizabeth had been so beautiful, so smart. I never thought I could do better than that. I also never knew what a fucking monster she was. Evil comes in all forms, but it’s never so dangerous as when it’s wrapped in beauty.
I clench my eyes shut. The pain from Elizabeth’s ultimatum, from the decision I was forced to make, pales in comparison to the pain of Bree’s suffering. I open my eyes, my face a mask of determination. It’s time. Tonight, Elizabeth pays for her sins.
The house, a simple colonial surrounded by rose bushes, is dark when I walk up. I was smart enough to park down the block, I didn’t want any neighbors recognizing my car. I wasn’t sure if anyone this far from the city would be as silent as the usual witnesses we dealt with. The farther from the city I get, the less connected I am with law enforcement.
I make short work of cutting the power off and severing the phone line. Don’t need her calling anyone or drawing attention with her lights on in the middle of the night. I’m sure she has a cell phone, but she’ll have to reach it first.
Breaking into the house is a piece of cake. Elizabeth was always so vain, making sure she had a beautiful front door, despite it having shit for locks. You would think having been married to a man like me she would be smarter about these things.
Once I’m inside I take my time, strolling silently through the downstairs. She has no pictures of Bree anywhere. There is absolutely no sign that she has a daughter in the house. The rage inside me rises as adrenaline courses through my veins. I take a steadying breath to calm myself, I am seeing red, which will only lead to mistakes. Tonight, I needed calm precision. This must be handled slowly, she had years to torment Bree, and she’s going to pay for it even longer. This must be done right.
I slowly make my way up her stairs, thankful for the carpeting and new construction helping me stay silent. It doesn’t take long to spot her room at the end of the hall, but I stop and open the first bedroom door finding a home office. I close it behind me and go to the second door. What I see stops me in my tracks.
There were no signs of Bree anywhere else, but this room was clearly meant for her. Elizabeth moved here after Bree ran away, so she must have brought everything and set it up for some reason. Did she think Bree would come back? She never searched for Bree that anyone knows of. She never went to the police, never gave a missing person report. I checked when Bree came to me. It’s the only reason I didn’t know Bree was out on the streets, that she was fighting for her life. That my daughter needed me and I wasn’t there.
The room is sparse. The walls painted a muted color that’s hard to make out in the moonlight. The mattress is on a plain metal frame with no sheets and a pillow as thin as a blanket thrown on top of it. Clearly, Elizabeth had no intention of changing her treatment of Bree. I see what looks like a stack of photos on a simple metal desk pushed against one wall. I make a mental note to go back and grab them when I’m finished.
Finally, I think as I approach the double doors of the master bedroom. I turn the knob slowly, letting the anger surge back through me. I let Bree’s haunted eyes, the eyes she pleaded with when Alex brought her to me, flow through my mind. Her gaunt frame, the way she hated herself, the way she was programmed to feel worthless.
The door eases open and I gently shut it behind me. Elizabeth has a sound maker, creating a gentle white noise and her curtains are drawn wide open, flooding the room with light from the moon and street lamps. It’s like she’s asking for a break-in.
My eyes quickly scan the bed and room, making sure she’s there and she’s alone. I can handle anyone she could possibly have with her, but I don’t want to be caught off guard. She’s lying on her side, her chest gently rising and lowering as she breathes. There’s an empty bottle of liquor on her nightstand. I see a prescription bottle thrown haphazardly next to it, the lid only partially screwed on. Ah, even the monster has demons to fight.
Following a hunch, I open her nightstand drawer and am rewarded with the glint of a pistol in the dim light. I take it out before shoving it into the waistband of my pants. Then I turn back to face a still sleeping Elizabeth. I have a feeling I could throw a party and the bitch wouldn’t budge.
I clench my fists at my sides, both in disbelief that this moment is finally here and conflicted on what to do. I need to keep my head and be patient. I’ve won the war, this is checkmate, it’s just time to move the pieces into place.
Raising my hand, I do the one thing I never thought I would, hit a woman, and slap her as hard as I can across the side of her face. I take a step back as she lurches awake, one hand flying to her chest, the other clumsily searching for the gun I’ve already removed. I smirk, waiting for her to become fully awake.
She stills the moment she spots me, I can tell by the arrogant rage on her face she hasn’t realized it’s me yet.
“What do you want?” she says, her voice sounding weak and vulnerable despite the look on her face. I know better, Elizabeth is a cunning bitch, she won’t give in so easily, at least the old Elizabeth wouldn’t have.
“I want to talk about our daughter,” I say, folding my arms across my chest.
“Ro-Ron?” Her voice is shrill, filled with panic.
“In the flesh,” I say, watching her raise herself to a sitting position, one hand rubbing her cheek. She’s probably going to have a nice bruise. She’ll just love that, her precious beauty marred.
“She’s … she’s off at college,” Elizabeth says, looking around the room frantically.
She’s probably trying to figure out if I’m alone or not. Not that it makes a difference. I broke my agreement with Jake and came alone tonight. He’ll have his part soon, but I wanted to set my plan in motion. The longer I can delay Declan knowing, the better anyway, he can’t keep shit from Bree. With a frustrated sigh at her answer, I slap her again, though I hold back some strength this time.
“Try again,” I bark, backing away from her again.
“Why … God, why are you doing this?” Elizabeth cries, tears falling down her face giving me a sick sense of satisfaction.
“Where is our fuckin’ daughter, Elizabeth?” I keep my voice calm, my tone even.
“I don’t know, okay? She took off,” Elizabeth says. She gives up on trying to soothe her stinging face, lowering both her hands to her lap.
“And why did she take off, Elizabeth?” Part of me is wishing she’ll lie again.
“I don’t know …” She starts to speak but I cut her off, raising my hand again.
“Jesus, God don’t hit me again. She wasn’t happy okay? I don’t know why, something to do with her boyfriend,
she was dating a coworker’s son. Some kid named Alex.” She raises both her hands in defense. As if that could possibly stop me. Her reminder of Alex, that piece of shit who tried to sell me my own daughter after making her live on the street for a fuckin’ year.
I don’t strike her again, instead choosing to stare at her so hard there should be a hole in her head. Is she that far in denial? That even now she can’t admit the truth.
“She wasn’t happy?” I hiss. “Wasn’t happy? With what? With being starved? With being beaten? With being neglected and told she was nothing more than a thorn in your side? Which part wasn’t she happy with, Elizabeth? Tell me,” I growl, my hands twitching with the need to strangle her. God, the idea of wrapping my hands around her throat, it makes me want to smile.
Elizabeth’s eyes widen in horror as she realizes I know. Her transgressions have finally come to light.
“Now you’re catching on.” I give her a wicked smile. “My daughter came to me. She came to me, Elizabeth. She came to me starving, homeless, with a piece of shit that tried to sell her to me.”
Elizabeth doesn’t even flinch when I describe the desperate state Bree was in. I almost think I see her smirk. Even now she gets some twisted sadistic pleasure from Bree’s suffering.
“I guess you’re here to avenge her now?” Elizabeth’s face contorts in disgust. “Here to somehow make it all better? Like all those years you abandoned her won’t count if Daddy swoops in now to make it all better.”
Her words make me want to flinch, but I hold back. God, do I feel guilty for the years I left Bree with this woman. I know there is nothing that can be done to take it back. But I can be damn sure that Bree never suffers a day in her life from now on. And I can make damn sure Elizabeth pays for it. I made a mistake that will never be repeated.