by Jen Davis
“Now that she is back,” Christopher said, “you’re going to have to get over it. She is in charge and you will give her the respect she has earned.”
Crescent laughed. “Earned? She hasn’t earned anything. Everything she has, and everything she is, she has because she is the bastard child of—”
“Don’t finish that thought, Mr. Crescent,” David said in a warning tone. “No matter your place in this Family, you will not slander my son or her mother. You’re forgetting that Matthew made the choice—”
Crescent wheeled on David, his eyes as black as night. “He had no choice. The doctor made the choice for him and you reinforced it.”
Chloe’s grip on Christopher’s arm slowly tightened the more Crescent spoke. She wanted nothing more than to reach over to the weapons table to find a way to stop him talking for good.
David circled in front of Crescent. “I run this Family as I see fit. Are you questioning my judgment and decisions?”
“I have been questioning them since the day her slut mother got pregnant by your whore mongering son.”
Chloe gasped. David’s fist connected with Crescent’s jaw, making Crescent plant his foot behind him to keep from losing his balance.
Too late, Christopher broke the grip Chloe had on his arm when he saw Crescent raise his arm to reciprocate David’s punch. In the two steps it took Christopher to reach him, David had been hit so hard that he lost his balance and stumbled into the weapons table, knocking its contents to the floor.
Mr. Crescent’s fate was sealed.
As Chloe tended to a dazed David, Christopher exchanged blows with Crescent, who was determined to put Christopher back in his grave for good. As David slowly came to, Chloe moved him to a chair.
Christopher ducked Crescent’s arm and delivered a blow to his ribs, then grabbed him around the waist to throw him to the ground. Crescent’s head hit the floor with a crack and Christopher leaned over him, fist poised above his head.
Crescent began to laugh. “Do you really think my death will matter?”
“It will matter to her,” Christopher said.
“Yours will mean more than mine.”
Christopher cast a quick glance at Chloe, his eyes almost asking her permission. Chloe simply gave a short nod. But in those few precious seconds, Crescent reached above his head, grabbing a knife that had fallen from the weapons table. Christopher brought his fist down to stop him, but Crescent was faster, burying the knife in Christopher’s neck, only to pull it out and do it again until Christopher collapsed, lifeless, on the floor.
Blinded by rage, Chloe grabbed the first thing she could reach. She threw it as hard as she could and heard a low grunt escape Crescent as he began to stand up. The handle of the hatchet was almost flush with his arm while the head was buried in his shoulder, pooling with blood, and set just below the scar Chloe had left him years earlier.
Unaffected, Crescent took the knife from Christopher’s neck and began to approach Chloe. The gunshot almost deafened her as it echoed in the room. Her eyes still focused on Crescent, she saw a small hole in the middle of his forehead begin to slowly seep blood and brain matter, then watched him fall to the floor. David sat in his chair, the barrel of his gun smoking, and gave Chloe a mixed look of relief and despair. It was then that the events of the last few minutes came to reality in her mind and she made her way over the Christopher, once again holding him as she laid his head in her lap and stroked his hair. This time, however, there were no words of apology or goodbye, just an overwhelming feeling of loss knowing he would not be coming back from the dead. There were no tears, only certainty and shock.
David put a hand on Chloe’s shoulder. Knowing they still had business to attend so, Chloe gently laid Christopher’s head on the floor and followed David out of the room.
Chapter 64
Outside the conference room doors, Chloe had a strange and unexpected confidence regarding the certainty of where her life would go from here. She would grieve Christopher, once again, in her own way and in her own time, but her new life would be falling into place.
“Are you ready?” David asked.
“They won’t accept a woman in the role.”
“They will,” David assured her. “They have always known you would be Matthew’s successor because you’re his daughter.”
“But I’m not his daughter,” Chloe said harshly.
“They don’t know that,” David pointed out.
“They should,” Chloe said. “They deserve to know the truth.”
David smiled, obviously not wanting to broach that subject just yet. “I have complete faith in your abilities and they will too. You may have to prove yourself for a little while, but you have already demonstrated that you are willing to do whatever it takes to protect yourself and your Family. Right now, you just have to believe in yourself.”
Chloe thought back to the reunion conversation where she reminded Matthew that one day his throne would be hers and she would take power with more grace and tolerance than he ever had. She nodded her head and squared her shoulders.
The chatter in the conference room turned to greeting as David and Chloe entered. The visiting underbosses had welcoming smiles on their faces, some genuine and some forced, but as handshakes and hugs were exchanged, curiosity most likely filled more than one mind as eyes wandered to the patches of blood adorning her evening gown.
“Gentlemen, thank you all for being here,” David said as he took his seat, Chloe sitting on his right and the others returning to their respective seats.
David began the meeting with a detailed account of what had happened in the Red Room, no apology or sense of loss over Matthew. More than a few of the men were surprised when they heard about Crescent and Christopher. David requested they all be present for Christopher’s burial, but as for Matthew, his overwhelmed and grieving public would be all he would need. Chloe knew not one of the men in the room cared that Matthew was no longer among the living.
“As you have all already deduced, as his daughter, Renee will succeed to his position and take over where he left off. Let me assure each and every one of you that I have the utmost confidence that she will turn New England around and right his wrongs. I welcome any comments, questions, or objections any of you may have.”
Denver stood and addressed Chloe. “First, let me say that I have no objections to the appointment. I do, however, have a question. You have been gone for many years, and before you left, you were simply a madam. Are you sure you’re ready?”
There was a confidence in her that was different than she had ever felt before. “It’s true that before I left I was simply a madam, but look at what I accomplished in all those years. The companions were bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars weekly. With the exception of one unfortunate incident, none of them were unhappy or mistreated under my command. During that time, I made it my business to learn all I could. Before I left, I knew all of the inner workings of the business, including books, management, collections, construction, and loans.”
“For reasons that I simply cannot even begin to understand, he gave away a casino in Atlantic City to Madeline Frost,” said Paddy.
“Madeline used her knowledge of where to find me to get the casino. Make no mistake, gentlemen, I will get that casino back and I will get it back tonight.”
The tone of her voice and the sternness of her look told all that she was steadfast in her resolve and she would prove to them that she would be a respected and successful colleague.
As Denver sat down, Chloe stood up. “Gentlemen, I will be the first to admit that I don’t have the experience you do, but it is important for you to know that I am not my father. This business is a business, and it will be treated as such. I do not seek to solely benefit myself; we do what we do for the benefit of the Family that has provided for us all these years. I ask that you don’t judge me based on my father’s actions, judge me based on mine.”
Salt Lake City stood. “We have all heard
rumors and stories about the reasons for your disappearance, and, to be honest, were more than surprised when we saw your dead fiancé at the party tonight. While I am not seeking specific answers, I feel the need to ask if there is a chance you will disappear again.”
“That’s not even a worry to lose sleep over,” Tempest said as he stood and extended his hand to Chloe. “You will be a pleasant and welcome addition to the administration of this Family.”
Chloe smiled at him and took his hand as the other men in the room stood to applaud Chloe’s succession. David could do nothing but smile. Chloe knew David now had his Family exactly as he wanted it and nothing would be changing that fact in the near future.
Chloe looked to Jack and he gave her a knowing smile. “There is one thing I would like to make clear. The circumstances of my disappearance are my own and I appreciate you all allowing me to keep that private. While I was gone, I had a new life and was finally my own person. For the past eight years I have been known as Chloe Riggs, and from this moment on, that distinctiveness remains. I have no problem with any of you remembering me as Renee, but I ask that you try to remember that I now go by a different name.”
“May I ask why?” Denver asked.
“Because I want as little personal connection to Matthew Parnell as possible. I don’t want the name any more than I want to admit he was my father.”
Understanding crossed all of their faces as a quick knock came at the door and a young man poked his head in, nodded at David, and closed the door.
“Gentlemen, please excuse us,” David said, and turned to Chloe. “We have a task to attend to.”
Chloe stopped at the door and turned back to her colleagues. “If anyone would like to watch me get the casino back, you are welcome to join us. Mr. Parsons, you may find our errand of particular interest.”
Chapter 65
After leaving the conference room, Chloe stepped into Matthew’s office to take a few minutes for herself before she joined David and the others for the next leg of their journey. Her eyes scanned the office and hovered on the chair in the corner, remembering all of the times as a child she would sit and pretend not to listen to Matthew conduct business as if she were invisible. But now that chair was hers, along with everything else in the office.
She gently ran her fingers along the edge of the desk, staring at his plush leather chair, wondering if she should, or even wanted to, sit in it. She decided she didn’t. The desk was neatly organized with everything in its place the way he always liked it—his brandy glass empty and clean next to his telephone and his humidor in the top left corner, full of his favorite cigars. She stared at the humidor with uncontrollable resentment and felt a fire beginning to burn in her gut. She slowly lifted the lid and removed a cigar, running it under her nose, inhaling the sweet scent that reminded her of her childhood, and wondered if she truly was ready for this awesome responsibility she had inherited. She put the cigar in her bag and turned off the lights before she left. She would soon find out.
***
The vacant warehouse her father used to store products upon import and preparation for export was located six blocks from the crematorium. The warehouse was remote enough and, for all intents and purposes, more convenient than the Red Room.
Chloe’s senses were heightened and she was keenly aware of her surroundings. Every sensation she could possibly feel was driving through her body and she found she was no longer numb—she was now determined. Chloe waited until David, Denver, Mr. Parsons from Las Vegas, and Miami entered the warehouse, stopping and exchanging silent greetings with the four associates standing guard, then silently observing what was being guarded. Staring back with pleading in their eyes, both Garafola brothers and Madeline Frost sat before them, tied to their chairs, and each of them with terror in their eyes. It wasn’t until a few heartbeats later that Madeline gasped at the sound of heels clicking slowly toward them on the cement floor.
The three guests watched as Chloe crossed the room with complete indifference and approached the large metal table against the wall that held various weapons. Chloe carefully considered which would suit her immediate needs until she spotted exactly what she wanted. She smiled as she picked up the Louisville Slugger and took her place in front of the confused and nervous guests.
After taking a minute to assess her victims, Chloe moved to stand in front of Lawrence Garafola, the man she knew to be the one who put two bullets in her biological father’s head and liked it. She wasn’t sure if either brother knew why they were brought here, but they remained quiet and still as their eyes pleaded with their boss for some kind of reprieve from their punishment. Mr. Parsons hadn’t been told why his two best captains were being held tonight, but it was no secret there was nothing he could say or do to help them. If David Lundy brought them there to be on the wrong side of punishment, they more than likely deserved it.
Chloe spun the bat in her hand and cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at Lawrence. “I know you and your brother are usually on this side of the room during these situations, and just like the people in your current position, I’m sure you’ll want to get this over with as quickly as possible.”
She turned to James and asked if he knew who she was and why he was brought here. When James shook his head, she turned to Lawrence and asked him. While Lawrence emphatically shook his head in answer, Madeline let out a whimper of fear, then a muffled scream of pain when Chloe swung the bat as hard as she could, connecting with her right tibia.
Chloe leaned into Madeline and hissed, “You will suffer in silence. I don’t want to hear another sound out of you. Am I understood?”
Wide-eyed and breathing heavily through her nose, Madeline nodded vigorously, tears streaming down her face as she desperately tried not to make a sound.
From behind her, David said, “One of the reasons women are feared by men is because they are unpredictable, especially when they are pissed.”
The others gave muffled laughs at David’s accurate explanation.
Chloe internally smiled as she turned her deadly stare from Madeline to the brothers. “Twenty-eight years ago, Matthew Parnell hired you to do a job, a job you had no right to accept or carry out without the explicit consent from your boss. I know you were paid well to ignore protocol. By deciding to take this job, you irreparably affected many, but none more so than Mr. Lundy. You have no idea the pain, anguish, and sickness you not only brought down on yourselves, but the entire Family. Your actions broke a chain in this Family. Now, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn’t know this at the time, but Mr. Parnell knew and asked you to do it anyway. I can see from the look on your faces that you know exactly what I’m talking about. At this time, I will ask if you have anything to say in your defense.”
“Mr. Parsons, Mr. Lundy, please,” James pleaded. “We were young and stupid. He was offering a lot of money and we were greedy.”
“Do you have any idea who it was you murdered for Mr. Parnell?” Chloe asked.
James and Lawrence exchanged uncertain looks and it was obvious they had no idea who their victim had been.
James looked back at Chloe, begging for forgiveness. “You gotta understand, we didn’t—”
A sudden and explosive report echoed through the room as David fired one round into the center of James’s forehead. Lawrence let out his first panicked cry as he watched his brother’s head go limp, and Madeline couldn’t keep herself from screaming. Chloe threw the Slugger on the ground, walked over to the table, and picked up the first knife she could lay a hand on. She looked Madeline dead in the eye as she drove the knife into the top of her thigh.
“I said not another sound,” Chloe spat through clenched teeth, and turned from Madeline, this time letting her wail and cry in pain.
David approached Lawrence, resting the barrel of his gun against the side of his head, and Chloe continued. “Mr. Lundy fits into this story twofold. One, you and your brother executed a job from somebody other than your boss. Two, th
e man you so willingly killed for Mr. Parnell, apparently enjoying every minute of it, was Mr. Lundy’s son, Wyatt.”
Mr. Parsons, Denver, and Miami were shocked by this revelation. This had to have been the last thing any of them were expecting to hear, especially Mr. Parsons, who had given everything he could to David for years, trying to find the person responsible for his son’s death.
Lawrence desperately tried to save his own life. “I swear! We didn’t know who it was! He never told us! You’ve gotta believe—”
“Two in the head,” David said as he pulled the trigger twice, the force of the blow knocking Lawrence to the floor, the blood quickly pooling underneath him.
Chloe turned to a terrified, hysterical, and pain riddled Madeline as David stepped back. This one belonged to Chloe, and Chloe alone.
“You and I need to talk, and I won’t tolerate crying or screaming.”
Somehow, Madeline was able to calm her hysteria somewhat, but squeezed her eyes tightly at the immense pain and terror running through her body.
“Renee, please!”
“Madeline, you know very well that isn’t my name anymore. In fact, you know more than anybody could have imagined. Then you thought about what you could get from my father when you decided to turn my life upside down and destroy it again in a matter of weeks.”
“Renee…” Madeline’s words were replaced with a cry of pain as Chloe pulled the blade from Madeline’s thigh and forced it into her arm.
“You told him who I was, you told him where I was, you told him who I was dating, and you told him where to find me. I lost a love, the closest friend I ever had, and a six-year-old child died because of you.”
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea—”
“You knew exactly what you were doing.”
Chloe could see Madeline was desperately trying to think of the right thing to say, while simultaneously trying to fight the pain and stay alive. Chloe turned to look at her colleagues, who each silently told her if she was going to do something, she had to make sure she was doing it for the right reasons. Being partly responsible for the death of a six-year-old child was reason enough for all of them. Chloe reached a hand out to David and he gently set his gun in her hand.