by Sam Crescent
EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2017 Sam Crescent
ISBN: 978-1-77339-138-0
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ASHAMED
The Family, 3
Sam Cresscent
Copyright © 2017
Prologue
Seven years ago
Luiz Barone’s heart was racing. At seventeen years old he’d seen so much crap that even though he was young, he didn’t feel like it. He felt old, and right now, his very future was on the line. Rushing into his secret girlfriend’s home, he saw the bodies of her parents across the dining room.
“No, let me go!” Lora’s scream drew him to the back of the house, and he had his gun raised and ready.
Fuck. Lora was a civilian. She was under his protection, and nothing should have happened to her. He should have known his father would try to screw him over. No Barone was going to have a bastard out of wedlock, and that was exactly what Luiz had done. Christie, his little girl, was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he couldn’t let anything happen to her, or to his love, Lora.
Rushing toward the kitchen, he watched as the man slammed her face against the tiled counter and pushed her away. Luiz drew his gun, pointed, and shot. The man, whom Luiz didn’t even recognize, looked completely shocked.
“Luiz,” Lora said, gasping.
Firing the gun again and again into the man that had tried to take his new family away from him, Luiz didn’t stop until his bullets ran out. Dropping the gun, he rushed to Lora’s side and saw the blood pooling out of her stomach.
“No, no, no, no.” Covering the wound, he tried to put pressure on it, but it just seemed to be constantly leaking.
“We … were … not meant to be.”
“Shut up, Lora.”
“You have … to go.”
“No.”
“Yes. Christie.”
“Did those bastards get to her?”
“She’s with Raine.”
Luiz closed his eyes. Raine was Lora’s younger sister. She was fifteen but too damn mature for her age.
“I can’t.”
“You’re going to have to. I’m … dying.”
“No.”
“Face it, Luiz. We were not meant to be.” She released a cough, gasping. “Love her … for me. Let her know I’ll always love her.”
In his arms, Luiz experienced his first taste of unimaginable grief. Lora was his girl. She had driven away the darkness. The moment he was in her arms, he’d finally felt that he could live a normal life. A life away from danger, away from the threat of death.
Lora faded away, and he couldn’t grieve. Not a single one of his friends knew the truth. He had kept it from them in the hope of protecting Lora and Christie for the rest of their lives. That wasn’t going to happen now.
“I’ll always love you.”
Getting to his feet, he ignored the blood and the death that surrounded him. Going upstairs, he passed Lora’s bedroom, and went straight for Raine. When he didn’t see her in the bedroom, he opened the bathroom door, and saw her outline in the shower curtain.
“You can come out now, Raine.”
He saw the curtain shake a little as she opened it, drawing it back to reveal her. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Her glasses perched on the bridge of her nose as she looked back at him. In her arms, she protected his baby girl.
“I wouldn’t let them hurt her.”
“I … er … I need you to come with me.”
“Lora’s out there. We need to get her.”
“She’s gone, Raine.”
“What?”
“She’s dead.” He hated how damn hard it was for him to get those words out, but he did it. “I need to get you and Christie to a safe place.”
“I’m only fifteen.”
“I’ll deal with that. I’ve got a friend who can keep an eye on you. You’ll be safe with him, I promise.”
****
Raine had always been a little afraid of his sister’s boyfriend. Luiz might have been seventeen, but if you stared him in the eyes long enough, she was sure you’d see the devil. She loved her sister, and her sister loved Luiz, so Raine helped. When Lora came home pregnant, Raine was happy for her. She’d finally be an aunt, and she would spoil her niece terribly. She’d loved Christie even before she first saw her.
Of course, her parents weren’t too happy, but with Luiz paying them for the inconvenience, no one said anything.
“Xander will take care of you,” Luiz said. “He’s got the details. You can go to the local high school, and here are all your new IDs.”
She took the card he held out to her. It was still so surreal that three days ago she’d woken up to gunfire. Lora had given her Christie and told her to be quiet.
“What do I do?” she asked.
“Go to school. Have a life. You don’t have to worry about money. All I ask is that you take care of Christie.”
“Of course I will. You don’t need to question that.”
She saw the pain in his eyes. For once he no longer looked like the devil but broken, rough around the edges.
“I’m going to be around a lot, or as much as I can.”
“Will anyone else be coming to visit?” she asked.
“No. I’ve made it look like everyone in that house died.”
“Oh.”
“You can’t go back, Raine. Not ever. If it ever got out, they will hurt you. I promised Lora I’d protect you.”
“I’m a big girl. I don’t need protecting.”
“You do.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets, and she watched as he made his way toward the crib that Xander had set up for her when they first got there. Christie had a chew toy in her hands and was shaking it around. “Hey, baby girl, it’s Dadda.”
She smiled, and slowly moved away from the room, giving him his moment.
Entering the kitchen, she looked over at Xander, who was pouring himself a coffee. “Am I going to have issues with you?” he asked.
“Issues?”
“Girl shit. Boys, and that kind of crap?”
“No.”
“You going to be joy riding? Taking drugs?”
“Can it, Xander. She’s not that kind of girl. You give her shit, and I’ll make you pay, understand?” Luiz asked, coming up behind her.
“I told you. I don’t like trouble, and girls tend to find it without even looking.” Xander stared at her.
“It’s fine. I’m not going to be any trouble. I promise.”
****
Luiz stood at the back, allowing all the parents to take front and center. He didn’t even know why he was here. The last time he’d visited Christie, Xander had taken him aside and asked if he’d be coming to Raine’s graduation. He’d not cared about his own graduation. Sure, he’d been there, but it wasn’t exactly something he would rave about either. Luiz had also given Xander a warning as well. He’d watched the way Raine and Xander were together, and there was an intimacy between the two that he really hadn’t liked. Of course, he’d been wrong. Xander had told him he didn’t fuck little girls, even if Raine was getting to the age that meant she wasn’t so little
anymore. His friend saw Raine as a daughter, nothing else.
“She has no one, Luiz. No one, and she’s going to be there without any of us.”
So, instead of staying well away, he’d come to see Raine graduate. She was a beautiful woman, no denying that. In the past three years she’d matured in ways he didn’t think was possible. Xander adored her, and they were standing together with Christie in between them watching as Raine walked up the steps. Luiz wished there had been a better future for her. One where she didn’t have to take care of his little girl but in his world right now, he didn’t have that luxury. There were more pressing problems.
“She’s worked so hard for this,” Xander said, leaning in close to whisper.
“She didn’t have to do this. I could have made sure she passed.”
“Nah, Raine isn’t the kind that cheats. She loves to do everything properly. For the last year she’s barely slept so that she can graduate today.”
“Any boys you’ve had to worry about?” Luiz asked. He had expected Xander to complain a lot more about her.
“None. I’m a little worried actually.”
“Why?”
“Well, she’s a girl heading into a woman. I expected some kissing, or some sneaking around. Nothing. I’ve even tried to make her date.”
“Make her?”
“You know, arrange for her to go on dates.”
Luiz didn’t like that. In fact, he found it really annoying. Why was he even worried about Xander being a problem when he was more worried about her being with someone else? “Did I ask you to make her date? She’s got a job to do, and it’s not screwing random guys.”
“You wonder why you’ve got a problem with her dating?” Xander asked, raising a brow.
Luiz glared and picked his daughter into his arms. Another ten minutes and the ceremony was over. Raine made her way toward them.
“Auntie!” Christie squealed.
“Hello, sweetie, did you see me? I’ve finally got it.”
Christie giggled and slapped Raine’s hand. Christie tried to pull out of his arms, so Luiz let her go into Raine’s arms.
“She stopped her from calling her ‘Mom’,” Xander said.
Luiz frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“Christie kept trying to call her mom, but she wouldn’t let her. There have been moments when it has been hard without … Lora.”
“I can imagine.”
“Erm, Raine?”
They all turned around at the question.
Raine turned, and the smile on her face was like a kick to Luiz’s gut. “Todd, hey, congratulations.”
“Thank you, and to you.”
“This is Christie, my niece,” Raine said.
Luiz was getting angry. Did she really want this fucking loser?
“She’s beautiful.”
“Of course. So was my sister.” The smile disappeared from her face, and the reality came in.
“We’ve got to head out,” Luiz said.
“Right,” Raine said.
“Wait, I was wondering if you’d like to go to dinner with me?” Todd asked. “You know, to celebrate.”
Before Luiz could shut him down, he listened to Raine do it.
“I’m really sorry, Todd. I can’t. I’ve got to get going, and I’m sure the invite doesn’t extend to Christie, so I’ve got to go.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Maybe another time?” she asked.
“I’ll keep you to that.”
Raine still held his daughter as they made their way toward the car.
“You could have gone with him,” Xander said.
“No, it’s not possible for me to.”
“Why not? You’ve got a life, too.”
“No, I don’t. I’ve got to take care of Christie. It’s what my sister would have wanted.”
Luiz didn’t say anything. He used the mirror to stare at Raine. She stared out of the window, and he recognized the yearning in her eyes. He wished that he knew what was going on in her head.
Later that night while Raine was having a bath, and Luiz was playing with Christie, Xander sat on the chair.
“What?” Luiz asked. Xander’s gaze was full of judgment.
“Are you going to let her go through life always passing up opportunities?”
“She doesn’t need to go on dates and shit like that. They’re a waste of space.”
Xander sighed. “She’s eighteen years old. Other girls her age are out dating, messing around. She’s taking care of her niece, and she’s losing every chance she can.”
Luiz didn’t want to think of Raine dating someone else, or worrying about that shit. “She’s not missing out.”
“You’re blind, and for whatever reason, you’re determined not to see.”
Raine came into the sitting room an hour later. Her brown hair was curled, and her face was nice and red.
“Are you heading out soon?” she asked.
“Yes.” He watched as she took a seat across from him. Christie wriggled away, and sat between Raine’s thighs, picking up toys, and shaking.
“I don’t want you to bring boys back here,” Luiz said.
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“Good. I expect you to put Christie first in everything.”
“I do, Luiz. You don’t have to worry. I’ll always protect Christie. She will always come first.”
Guilt swamped him, and he hated this. He didn’t want to take from her, and yet he didn’t want her to find someone else.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Okay. Christie always loves it when you visit.”
“I love coming here.” He took hold of Christie’s hand, trying not to say the next words, but he couldn’t hold back. “What about you? Are you happy to see me visit?”
He looked into her eyes.
“Yeah, I like you visiting.”
“There’s something I want to tell you.”
“What is it?” Raine asked.
“I don’t want any of your boyfriends around Christie. The last thing I want is for her to feel confused by it.”
“Luiz, it’s the last thing you have to worry about right now. I’ll not let anything happen to her. I promised my sister, and I will continue to promise you. In my world, in my life, Christie will always come first.”
Chapter One
Present day
“What are you saying?” Luiz asked.
“I’m saying that we were fools to think that we could clean up this mess and walk away.” Donnie threw his pen on his desk, and rubbed his eyes.
“But this is what we agreed. The Family doesn’t have to rule this city, Donnie.” Tonio was pacing, and every now and again stopping.
“It’s what I hoped. You don’t think I didn’t have a plan for myself, for Paige, and for my future? Fuck. I didn’t want this. I never wanted to be some fucking ruler, or the head of this fucked up family.”
“You are, and there’s nothing you can do about that,” Jake said. Jake sat in the corner of the office. His fingers were pressed together as he leaned back, staring at all of them. “Together we can do this.”
“This isn’t about us doing this,” Luiz said. “Our plan should have worked.”
“It didn’t.”
“Where did we fail?” Tonio asked.
“We failed in the fact that we didn’t take into account the importance of The Family.”
“Huh?” This came from Tonio.
Luiz understood instantly. “When there is one family at the top, they are the rulers of all others. Take away one family, another will rise up, and it may not exactly be the best decision for the city or even the country.” He moved toward the window, rubbing at his eyes. He was so damn tired. Between this work, and trying to see his kid, he was just exhausted. In the beginning he had believed it was possible to be part of something bigger, something better. That belief was rapidly running away from him, and any hope he had of bringing Christie and Raine closer to him was fading fast.
/> “So that’s it. We fucked up, and now we’re screwed?” Tonio asked. “I’ve got George to think about, and Zara’s pregnant again. I can’t do this. I’m not going to allow my son to become what we were. What my father made me.”
Luiz stopped and went to his friend. They were all friends. Putting his hand on Tonio’s shoulder, he tried to offer him the comfort and strength he needed. “You will never be the monster that your father was. Believe me.” Tonio’s father demanded that he rape and kill for films. For sick bastards who wanted to get off on that kind of shit.
“I just, I can’t. We all agreed that The Family had to cease to exist.”
“I know. Even though we were mature for our ages, we didn’t see the full truth. We can still turn this around.”
“How?” Tonio asked. “We stay with The Family, keep it up and running. We’re practically begging for death. Bullets, threats, our very lives will be at stake.”
Donnie stood and rounded the desk. He leaned against it. “What about if we walk away? Do you think any family would let us four live? They would hunt us down and kill us. I can’t have that. Not for George, not for Petal, and not for my little sister either. I can’t do it.”
Luiz didn’t speak up. His friends didn’t know that he had fathered a child. They didn’t know about the hit his father had placed on Lora, on his kid, or that he’d kept her hidden for so long now. Too long. She was nearly seven years old, and asking questions all the time. He’d hoped to bring her back to him, to have a life away from the danger, away from the risk of death.
“What do we do?” Luiz asked.
“We have to make a choice.”
“You’re saying that we’ve got a choice?” Jake asked.
“It’s a choice I’m granting each of you. I can’t walk away. I know that now, and I accept it. Paige is pissed. Of course she is, but I’ll deal with it. I’ll deal with everything that comes our way, and I will protect our families the best way I can. I’m giving you the chance to walk away.” Donnie reached onto his desk with an envelope. “Here are three passports, with different identities. I’ve not looked at them, to save you all. If you want out, and I know you do, take them, and start a new life. I don’t want to know where, who, or why. Just start over.”