by Jon Mills
Jason was tugging up his jeans.
“What are you doing here?”
“I should ask you the same thing,” Jack replied.
‘You’re not gonna tell my mother about this, are you?” he said as he slipped into his plaid shirt and pulled at his boots.
“That depends.”
Jack grabbed him and pushed up his shirt sleeve.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Jason asked.
There were no marks.
“You think I’m that stupid?” he continued.
Jack then reached for Jason’s jacket and tossed it to him. A large white rock fell out and rolled across the floor.
“Then what are you doing with that?” Jack asked
“It’s none of your business,” he replied.
Jason scooped it up and pocketed it.
“You selling this shit?”
“Like I said.”
Jack grabbed hold of him, took out the rock and tossed it.
“Get the fuck off. You’re not my father.”
“You want to end up like your old man?”
“Who cares?”
“Your mother. Me.”
“Right. Like you’ve been around lately.”
He stormed out and Jack followed after.
“I’ve been busy with work.”
“Yeah, I heard you showed up at Danny’s. What’s my mother think about that?”
They trudged their way around stoned teens.
“Don’t spin this back on me. Your mother gives a shit about you. You get caught up in all this and you are liable to end up dead.”
Jason spun around and came back at Jack.
“You don’t get it, do you? These people. Danny and the others, they…”
“Give you a sense of belonging?” Jack cut him off. “I get it. I was drawn to the same shit when I was young. But this isn’t the way, kid. These people don’t care about you. The moment you stop being of use to them, they will dispose of you. And if they don’t, whoever is feeding them this crack, will.”
Jason stared intently at him before shaking his head and exiting the condo. Outside he got into Jack’s truck. Jack eyed him as he came around to the driver’s side. A few minutes later as they made their way back to Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse, Jason broke the silence.
“Why did you show up?”
“Because your mother’s worried. She’s got enough on her plate without having to deal with this,” Jack replied.
“How did you know I was there?”
“Do you really expect me to answer that?”
Jason gazed out the window.
“This ain’t you, Jason. What is going on?”
“Nothing.”
“Your mother thinks it’s about your father.”
“It’s nothing to do with him. I just need money.”
“I can relate to that. But there’s other ways of earning it.”
“What, like beating on guys like Danny?”
Jack leaned his head to one side. He had to see the irony in it all.
“You know how much I’m bringing in with this?” he paused. “One grand a week. Tell me. Where can I earn that kind of money?” Jason asked.
Jack shook his head. “That’s how they pull you in, Jason. The money. It all looks good, until you see a friend with a bullet in his head.”
“They don’t go looking for trouble,” Jason spat back.
Jack swerved the truck over. “Trouble finds you. All it takes is one deal to go wrong and someone to rob you. And it’s over.”
“That ain’t gonna happen.”
Jack chuckled at his response.
“Because I’ve got this,” Jason said.
Jason reached into his jacket and pulled out a 9mm. Jack had it off him before he could point it. He slipped out the magazine.
“Where did you get this?” Jack asked.
“Where do you think?”
Jack rolled his window down and tossed out the gun without the mag into a bunch of brambles.
Jason knit his brow together. “What the hell, Jack? That’s the only one I’ve got,” he yelled.
“And that’s the last one. You are only sixteen.”
Jason was about to jump out to retrieve the gun when Jack locked all the doors and pulled away. Again there was silence for the remainder of the journey back to the house. When they pulled up Jason tugged on the door.
“You gonna let me out?”
“Listen, I’m sorry, Jason, about not being around lately or for embarrassing you in front of that girl. But there is a lot of nasty shit going on and I don’t want to see you get caught up in it.”
“Yeah, well. You won’t have to worry about that soon.”
“Why?”
“My mother’s thinking of moving.”
Jack’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What?”
“Will you let me out?” he asked again.
“Yeah.” Jack unlocked the door and Jason jumped out. He strolled over to the house while Jack contemplated what he’d just told him.
3
Orderlies dressed in white were going about their duties of helping patients at the East Star Behavioral Treatment Center when Vito’s men rolled up in a dark SUV. Vito had sent Dominick Morello and Anthony Lombardo to take care of Jack Winchester while he and Leo Carlone made plans for distributing a new line of narcotics. The DEA were getting better at stopping their shipments. They needed to find shipping areas that weren’t known for having loads checked.
Leo was going to send a few of his own men along but Dominick assured him it wouldn’t be necessary. This wasn’t going to take long and the fewer people who showed up the better. They didn’t want to give anyone a reason to call the cops. Not that the cops were an issue. Leo had four of them on payroll that even included someone in the FBI. It was the reason they had managed to stay out of jail for so long.
Dominick and Anthony were in their early thirties. They had grown up in the Mafia. Like many others, they didn’t choose to get into it, they were a part of it because their fathers held prominent positions. It was the way it was. From father to son, the work was passed down. However, these two didn’t excel in areas of business. They were thugs. The ones who got their hands bloody. By all accounts they kept to themselves and only came in when a person had to disappear or pay.
“You buy what Leo said about this guy?”
“He’s a man, Anthony, not a machine. I’ve seen his type before.”
“But he killed some of their best.”
Dominick stopped walking and turned to him.
“They obviously weren’t the best. Now grow some balls.”
“Yeah, that’s what you said with that guy in Catania. Look how that turned out.”
The Sicilian Mafia were set up in cities throughout Italy. They faced the same challenges that their associates did in New York. They had their hands in every kind of racket and criminal activity: sex trafficking, offshore Internet gambling, narcotics, extortion, money laundering, and prostitution. It was all up for grabs.
The Mafia in Catania had suffered their own setbacks when one of them had turned the tables on them and become a rat. The problem was he was the best at what he did. Which was killing. Dominick and Anthony had been sent in to find him and end it. What should have been a few days turned into weeks as they found themselves chasing a ghost. He always remained one step ahead of them.
When they eventually caught up with him, they nearly lost their lives in the process. Anthony was stabbed, and Dominick shot. Regardless, they finally brought him down. That’s what they were paid to do. Kill. For the past eight years they had lost track of the number of people they had shot, stabbed, decapitated, and buried. The mobster from Catania, however, was one kill they couldn’t forget. It had been one of the hardest fights of their lives. The guy was as tough as nails. Anthony hadn’t been able to shake the memory of that day. The scar across his face, and the wound in his side served as a constant reminder. Anthony was now ca
utious, whereas Dominick charged ahead into a situation with little thought to how it would end.
“It will be different this time.”
They had learned a lot from Catania.
Inside the treatment center, a few of the staff looked over at the men. A look of fear, perhaps worry gripped them. At the front desk a lady punched keys while glaring at her computer screen. She looked as if she hated her job. The years had taken a toll on her. Grey hair was spreading throughout what was once lush black hair. She glanced up at the men.
“Can I help you?”
“We’re here to see Milly Winchester.”
“You are?”
“Relatives.”
Her eyes darted back and forth between them. She spun in her seat and tapped away on another computer.
“What did you say your names were?”
When she turned back they were gone. Two officers were now in their place. She widened her eyes and cast a glance down the hall.
“Ma’am?”
“Did you just see two men?” she asked.
“No,” the officers replied, casting a glance down the corridor.
“Huh,” she said.
Dominick had spotted the officers come in. Until they knew which ones were working for Leo they weren’t taking any chances. They had slipped around the corner and ducked into a washroom. With the door cracked they could hear the conversation. Once the coast was clear they slipped out unnoticed and left. They would return later. Everything they did was precise. They kept out of sight from police. They were mindful of how they spent their time. They left little trace that they had been there. That’s why Vito paid them well. Dominick made a note to grab the security footage.
The next morning Jack was heading out to the lighthouse. He hadn’t been able to sleep much that night. He kept mulling over what Jason had said about them moving. Why hadn’t Dana said anything? Sure, they had some differences. He knew she wasn’t keen on him doing any kind of work that resembled his life before Rockland Cove, but moving without telling him?
Jack rolled out of bed. His body ached. It felt as if he had pulled a muscle. He wasn’t getting any younger and now he was starting to feel it, even if he was only thirty-eight.
He tossed yesterday’s coffee grounds into the garbage and tossed in a few scoops. As he was putting some toast on, his phone began vibrating on the table. He ambled over. The caller ID read, Eddie Carmine. He tapped accept and left it on speaker while he continued preparing breakfast.
“Eddie. A bit early for you, isn’t it?”
He chuckled on the other end. “Eight isn’t early. I’ve been up for four hours.”
“That’s what a weak bladder will do for you.”
He laughed.
“So are you going to make it down?”
“I don’t know. Something’s come up.”
“Jack. C’mon. She’s been waiting to see you. It’s New Year’s Eve. You can’t miss this.”
“I know. How’s she doing?”
“She’s doing good. I picked her up this morning.”
“How long’s she out?”
“Just the weekend,” Eddie replied.
He breathed in deeply before bringing the cup to his lips and letting the caffeine kick start his senses.
“I’ll get back to you today,” Jack said.
“It’s Dana, isn’t it?”
Jack took another swig.
“Her son. And yeah, Dana.”
“Why not bring them down? You know. Give me a chance to meet this woman?”
“Maybe. I’m really not sure where I stand with her right now.”
“What do you mean?” Eddie asked.
“Some days are good. Others I’m really not sure.”
“What’s the issue?”
“My life.”
“But you left it all behind for her.”
“Sort of.”
“Jack?”
“Listen, you got to pay the bills, right?”
“Please tell me you have not gone back to collecting.”
“It’s not like in New York. These are simple jobs. Just favors really.”
“Favors?”
“Yeah. Small issues. No one gets injured.”
“Really?”
Jack let out a small laugh.
“You know your problem, Jack, is you need to decide what you are fighting for.”
“I wish it was as easy as that.”
“Listen, give me a call later. Let me know either way.”
“Sure thing.”
Once he hung up, he sat down with his coffee and toast and gazed out the window. His view of the harbor was blocked by numerous boats. He thought back to when he was young. Eddie was always trying to teach him lessons. In between showing him how to defend himself, Eddie always came up with these analogies about life that he could never quite figure out.
“There’s a lesson in everything, Jack,” Eddie had said.
“I don’t get it,” he had responded.
“Neither do most. They spend their lives living on the surface. Just seeing the obvious. But I want you to look below the surface. Think about why you do things. Think about the situations that you walk into. Think about an exit strategy. You need to look below the surface. See what others don’t. There is always something going on. Small things teach us a lot about people. What they are capable of, what they are hiding, what they are planning on doing before they do it. The battle isn’t always won by the toughest in the room, but by the smartest. Sometimes you will walk away, other times you must fight.”
Jack chuckled to himself over the memory as he continued his breakfast. So many years had gone by. He wouldn’t want to relive his youth, but Eddie had been a lifeline in the worst storm of his life. He’d taught him how to survive. How to stay calm in tight situations. To never give up until you took that last breath.
One hour later, as he rolled around the corner that brought him onto Lighthouse Road, a car shot by; Danny’s red Pontiac. It had to have been traveling at over seventy miles an hour. It was going in the opposite direction. Heading towards town.
Another ten minutes and he was killing the engine outside the house. He got out and hustled over to the door. The wind was howling and snow was coming down heavy. It was just after nine in the morning. After he knocked on the door and waited briefly, Dana opened up. She had tears in her eyes. Her face looked red as if she had been crying for a while.
“What’s up?”
Jack immediately stepped inside.
“Nothing. I…”
“Dana.”
She shook her head. “I had a big argument with Jason this morning. He just blew up in my face.”
“About moving?”
“How do you know about that?”
Jack closed the door behind him.
“Come on. I’ll make you a coffee,” Jack said.
Inside you could hear the sound of the ocean. A few windows were partly open, letting in a freezing cold breeze.
“You hot or something?” he asked.
He pressed them closed and it went silent.
“I just needed to get some air.”
Jack took down two mugs. He ground up some fresh coffee beans, put them in the coffee maker, and wiped down the counter while he looked at Dana. He had only seen her cry a few times. On each occasion it tore him up. Dana curled up on one of her lounge chairs while he prepared the drinks.
A few minutes passed, he brought her cup in and handed it to her.
“I found a bunch of drug paraphernalia in his closet. Along with some drugs. I don’t know what’s going on with him but this crowd he’s going around with, I’m sure they’re responsible. Where did you find him last night?”
Jack took a sip of his drink, wondering if she should tell her. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“At a condo in town.”
“Where?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Jack,” she said.
“Keith rents
out condos. Seems the crowd he’s running around with are into drugs. Distributing.”
“Oh God. I suck at being a mother.”
“Listen, it’s not your fault. You can’t watch him every moment of the day. The kid is growing up and he’ll tell you one thing and do another.”
“I knew it though. The way he covered up his face. He’s using, isn’t he? My sixteen-year-old is using drugs.”
“I’m not sure about that. I checked his arms.”
“His arms!” Her voice rose. She placed a hand over her face as tears streamed down.
“What happened this morning? Why didn’t you tell me you were thinking of moving?”
“Because I knew that you would react and I’m just so tired of dealing with confrontations.”
“What? Were you just going to take off without telling me?”
“Jack. We’re not together. I’m sure I made that clear.”
Jack sighed. “If I was doing something else for a living. Just the boats or something else, would that change your mind?”
“But that’s not you, is it?”
“Who’s to say that’s not me?”
“Jack. I applaud your attempt to try and change things. To try and walk away from who you are. But look at what you’re doing now. It’s what you do.”
Jack groaned.
“That’s why I want to get out of this town. There’s just too many bad memories. I’m always wondering if someone else is going to show up.”
“But…” Jack tried to cut in.
“I know you said that no one will but that doesn’t reassure me. And with all the stuff that Jason is going through, it just seems the right thing to do. We all need a fresh start.”
“So where will you go?”
“I don’t know. I need to be close to here for my work, but even that. I’ve told Sophie I might find another job. Start again elsewhere.”
“So you’ve already made up your mind?”
She shook her head. “Yes. No. I don’t know what I want.”
There was a pause while she caught her breath and wiped away the tears.
“Why don’t you come with me to New York?”
“What?”
Jack put his mug down and came over to her.
“New Year’s Eve is coming. Eddie phoned and invited me down. It would give you a chance to meet my sister. Think it over.”