“Are you sure?” Joe asks what I’m sure we’re all thinking.
“Yes, then arrange with the guy you had out last night to change the rest of the locks in both premises. That way no one, not even the club managers, can access the clubs. This will buy me some time.”
“Buy time for what?” Giovanni asks, concern for his sister evident in his voice.
“To think about what I really want. I never asked for any of this. I never wanted to be involved in this. The girls in the club, the money laundering. I don’t want to be a part of it.”
“If only you had come to this decision years ago. Like the first time you went on a date with Tony fucking Fraser.”
“I can’t change the past, but I can choose which direction I want my future to follow. And if you have any feelings of love and respect for Lou, you should remember that no matter what Tony did, he was and will always be the brother she worshipped.” When she wants to voice her opinion, she doesn’t hold back. Not even with her brother who looks uncomfortable at her directness.
Joe shifts in his seat, uncomfortable at the current conversation. He’s not the only one. “I’ll go and get on with this. Do you need anything else?”
“No, thank you, but will you be coming back here to stay?” Maria asks.
“Yes,” he says and takes leave of the kitchen.
“So…” Maria looks ahead and I have a feeling she’s making sure we won’t be interrupted before continuing. “I’m sorry about my dinner with McGovern. I should’ve told you both about it.”
“You can tell us now,” I say.
“I’m not sure what he was playing at last night wanting dinner with me. You both know Tony had a deal with him to bring guns into the city. I haven’t hidden this from either of you. But I was taken aback with the quantity. The deal was worth two million.”
“Holy shit,” I say, leaning back in the chair. That’s a shit load of guns. I’m stunned, while Giovanni hasn’t even batted an eyelid at the amount. “Please tell me he isn’t still trying to hold you to the deal.”
“Well, that’s where it gets interesting.”
“How so?” Giovanni asks, resting his arms on the table and leaning forward, suddenly more interested in the conversation. I was fully invested at the two million, which I’m still struggling to come to terms with.
“Exquisite is worth one-point-five. He wants that.”
“In exchange for the guns?” I ask, concerned.
“No, he’ll keep the guns, but he does want to get rid of our mutual problem.”
“So he can sell them onto someone else? I don’t fucking think so. He’s the only person that wins out of a deal like this. Please tell me you haven’t agreed to this.”
“Of course she hasn’t. My sister isn’t that dumb,” Giovanni tells me, but his narrowing eyes are on Maria. “Do you have a plan?”
“No, I don’t, but I did tell him I wouldn’t consider a deal that left me with nothing. He made me feel uncomfortable as he addressed me as Tony’s widow. It was like he was trying to get one over on Tony. Something just didn’t sit right with me, but then something changed. He said he owes you a favour and would look out for me. So, my dearest brother, why does a man like McGovern owe you a favour?”
Giovanni sighs heavily, muttering to himself in Italian.
“English,” she scolds him.
“Fine, but don’t be hasty.”
I sit back in my chair and grab her hand because something tells me she’s not going to like what he says. As if me holding her hand is going to calm her down. The one thing I know about Maria is she doesn’t overreact. She usually listens before making judgement or a decision. But, as I look at Giovanni, he’s looking downward with his brows pulling tight together. He’s concerned and that has me on edge.
Just once it would be nice to get a story with a happy-ever-after, but I don’t see that happening any time soon.
“I’m not sure what you know or remember about the history between our families.” She shakes her head slowly and her fingers dig into my hand. I think I’m about to find out another missing part of the jigsaw. The part that my officers have dug deep into and come back with nothing.
“Please, you have to understand our parents never wanted you to know or be a part of the criminal life you’ve been surrounded in. They thought it was for the best.”
“Giovanni, just get on with it.”
“You know there’s bad blood between us and the Frasers, but you don’t know the reason. Our mother was beautiful, as you know. You are her image. Like you, she turned heads everywhere she went. Our dad was always so proud whenever she was on his arm. They were perfect together, but something happened that changed their lives forever.”
I wrap my free hand around Maria’s because I’m sensing something horrible is about to be unleashed. Family secrets that maybe should stay hidden. Her body tenses beside me and I’m not sure she’ll cope with whatever Giovanni tells us.
“If I remember correctly, you were only fourteen. Mum had been on a night out with friends; there was nothing unusual about that. What was unusual was that by two a.m., she still wasn’t home. Dad had been pacing around the house like a mad man when there was loud knocking at the front door. Two officers stood there and even I feared the worst. As I looked at Dad, I knew what he was thinking. His eyes were filled with tears and he was waiting for them to say she was dead. But that wasn’t what we were told. Mum was in hospital. She was found in a park by a couple of young lads. Her clothing was torn. She had been brutally raped.”
“No,” she cries out. Maria’s body shakes and all I can do is offer her comfort. Tears run freely down her cheeks. Giovanni stops talking, waiting to make sure Maria is okay. “G…go on.”
“Dad and I went to the hospital and the vision of her lying in the hospital bed still haunts me. Neither of us thought she would make it, but she was a fighter and pulled through. She was kept in hospital for a few weeks.”
Maria sniffs. “I remember her not being there, but I’m sure you told me she was on holiday.”
“Yes, I did. We thought it best to keep the truth from you. Anyway, Mum never gave the police any details of her attacker. She told them she never saw him. When she came home, she tried to pretend everything was okay, put on a brave face and carry on as though nothing had happened. But you saw her over the years. It changed her. All her confidence disappeared and we were left with the broken shell of a woman she once was.”
“What has this to do with the Fra….” She doesn’t finish the sentence as she realises at the same time as I do. “No, no. Please no.” Her cries are weak and, fuck, I wish Giovanni hadn’t decided to share this story with her. “What has this to do with McGovern?”
“I’ll get to that. One night, Mum was crying so hard, telling Dad she couldn’t live knowing he was walking free. Dad pleaded with her to give the name up, go back to the police, but she refused. His name finally fell from her lips and Dad and I both understood why she wouldn’t go to the police. Tony’s dad raped our mother.”
“But why would you keep this from me? Especially when I started dating him. You and Dad had the perfect opportunity to keep me away from him.”
“Dad wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. His dad had already been dealt with. He paid the price heavily for what he did to mama, with his life. You and Tony got serious quicker than we expected and then married.”
“But McGovern?”
“It was the night after you called me pleading for help. I had been out with our cousins. I was just getting ready to get in a taxi when I heard the muffled screams of a young girl coming from an alley. I asked the boys and the taxi driver to wait and I went to see who it was. And there behind the bins were Tony and Pete pulling at this young girl. I made my presence known straight away, pulling Tony from her. He landed on the other side of the alley. Pete being Pete pulled out his gun, only for Tony to tell him no. I tried to help the girl up, but she could barely stand. I gave her my jacket and I
carried her in my arms back up the alley toward the waiting taxi. I wanted to take her to the hospital, but she kept crying, ‘no hospital.’ She gave me an address and I took her there. She was Jimmy’s youngest sister. He feels indebted to me because I saved her life.”
“Had they…?”
“No. I interrupted them before they could.”
Maria sits beside me, her body still shaking uncontrollably, sobbing, and there’s nothing I can say or do to make any of this better for her.
Chapter Twenty-One
Maria
I don’t know what to say to my brother’s admission. There’s a deep, sinking feeling in my stomach and all I want to do is run. Run away. Jack has a firm grip of me and I’m sure he’s already thinking about my reaction. My body rocks back and forth on the chair and I can’t bring myself to look at my brother. I glance around the kitchen, my eyes drifting to the open doors. Lou, Mark, and the girls were out there, but I can’t hear them anymore.
“Where are Lou and the girls?” I cry as panic and fear grip me. This whole situation, everything about it, is starting to get to me. I hope and pray she hasn’t heard any of that conversation. It would kill her knowing what her father did.
There’s only so much a person can take before it tips them over the edge, and something tells me that Lou is close. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have come to me, seeking Giovanni’s help.
“They’re fine.” It’s my brother’s voice, but I still can’t look at him. How could he keep all this from me? “They’ve probably gone for a walk. They’ll be safe.”
“You don’t know that!” I scream, finally looking into his sad eyes. “Please go and check on them.” I don’t want him near me. I don’t want to hear his excuses for keeping this a secret. Which I know he’ll make plenty of. He nods his head, and now Jack is urging him to go. He reluctantly gets up from the table and walks out the doors, leaving me with my darkest thoughts.
How could my family keep this from me for all these years?
If only I had known the truth.
“McGovern told me he owed Tony, but owed Giovanni more. Why would he say that? What did he mean?” I turn, facing Jack, and he still keeps a tight hold of my hand.
“I don’t know. We’d have to ask him. Maybe when he made the deal with Tony, he was seeking revenge. McGovern is much like Tony. He would do whatever it took, especially to someone hurting one of his, and now that he’s gone he feels obliged to repay his debt to Giovanni.”
“I suppose that would make sense. But wouldn’t he just tell me what Tony had done?”
Jack has a point. That would make sense, but something isn’t adding up. Or maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m starting to overthink everything.
Jack wipes away my tears. “I’m not so sure he would tell you. McGovern acts first and thinks later, or maybe in this instance he’s carefully thought out what he wanted to do. I’m going with the revenge angle. That might explain why you were feeling there was something odd about him. Look, this has been a lot for you to take in.”
“I feel as though so much of my life has been wasted, all because my family kept a secret from me. All the pain and suffering I’ve gone through needlessly. It could’ve all been avoided. My life could’ve been so different.”
“Yes, it could’ve, but then again, if it was, our paths would never have crossed,” he says, looking directly into my eyes, and all I can see is fear. “I would never have known you.”
I take a deep breath because reality has hit me hard. I can’t imagine not having Jack McKenzie in my life now and in the future. “I suppose keeping the truth from me has done us a huge favour, because I would have never known what it felt like to fall in love.” There, I’ve finally said it out loud. The smile grows on his face, but not enough to hide his tired features. “Jack, I love you.”
He places his hands on my cheeks, pulling my face to his. “Just as well I love you too.” His words are all but a whisper as his lips brush against mine. I drink in the sweetness of his kiss. A kiss to calm me. I wrap my arms around his neck as he holds my face in place, in an attempt to deepen the softness of the kiss.
He chuckles lightly, having none of it.
“Do you feel better?” he asks softly, pulling his lips from mine.
I can’t help but sigh. “Yes.”
“My job is done.”
Smiling, I look into his eyes, and he’s exhausted. He’s burning the candle at both ends and it’s only going to make him ill. “You look tired,” I finally say.
“Cheers. You look the picture of health yourself.” I laugh at his bluntness. “Seriously, Maria, you need to slow down. There’s so much going on around you and it’s going to have an effect on your health. It was only four weeks ago you were in hospital. I’m worried that’s where you’re going to end up, and not because someone has hurt you.”
“You shouldn’t be worried about me. I’ll be fine. I always am.” Thick skin. I’ve had to have it over the years, because I learnt quickly after my wedding that Tony would always put himself first.
“Don’t say it like that. I’m nothing like Tony. You’ll always be my first concern. Always.” How does he know what’s going through my head? “What Giovanni has told you is a lot to take in. You need time to process it all…”
I stop him. “Jack, yes, I’m hurt that my family kept that from me, but I can’t change it. If my parents were alive, I’m sure I’d have something to say to them. But I know I need to move on. Am I mad at my brother? Of course I am, but I can’t live in the past. The most important thing I’ve learned recently is that I need to live in the present because there are no guarantees in this life. And as for Giovanni, I won’t stay mad with him for long.”
“You always manage to surprise me. So, this present that you’re living for… what is it?”
“You and me and happiness. That’s all I want.”
“Sounds perfect.” He pulls me close to him. The warmth of his hand gliding up and down my back is light yet teasing. I close my eyes, taking all the comfort he has to offer, and my body instantly relaxes. He always has that effect on me.
The not so discreet buzzing of his phone in his trouser pocket has me sighing, our moment of bliss interrupted. “Sorry,” he says, pulling from my hold and answering the call. “McKenzie… What do you mean his next of kin haven’t been notified yet? This needs to be dealt with today… No, I hadn’t planned on coming in… Craig, you know who I’m with…What about Crave…” I hate only hearing one side of the conversation. I’ve tried not to listen, but at the mention of Crave, I’m suddenly invested. “No, Crave and Exquisite will both be closed today and maybe tomorrow…To give Maria a chance to think without having to deal with the shit that always happens when they’re both open… If I have to make my relationship common knowledge, I will. I have nothing to hide… Look, call me if anything else comes up.”
He ends the call to Craig, sighing heavily and looking toward the ceiling.
“You should be at work,” I tell him.
“No. You need me more today. Unless something happens, my team is more than capable of dealing with everything. I told you, in my heart, you will always come first.”
He knows what to say and always at the right moment. I do need him today.
“Crave and next of kin?”
“Craig is going over the statements from last night and the body from Lou’s house is your manager.”
“Well shit. That explains him not showing for his shift. This is a disaster.”
“Try not to worry about it. Let’s take today for us. To forget all the drama going on around us. Now, do you want something to eat?” he asks.
“We could go exploring and take a picnic with us.”
Teressa, Giovanni’s housekeeper, appears out of the blue. “Ti render qualcosa di speciale. Sorry.” Her eyes dart to Jack and I know she’s apologising to him for the Italian. “I’ll make you both something special to take and, Miss Maria, it’s lovely having a full house.” Her vo
ice is warm and sincere.
“Teressa, thank you, and just make sure that the girls don’t give you a hard time. I know how demanding they can be.”
“Nonsense, they are perfect. I’ve promised them we can make some cakes this afternoon. You know me; I like to stay busy.”
I smile. Teressa is a lovely woman. Very efficient, and I suppose it must be nice for her to have others to fuss over instead of just Giovanni and his security. Although, it’s now got me wondering why he has all the security here. He’s always had security, but even though I’ve not seen many men, I know my brother, and this place will be like Fort Knox.
“Give me five minutes then I’ll be ready to go,” Jack says, kissing my head.
“Can you bring me shoes? Trainers if you packed them.” He nods before leaving the kitchen. I have to give him credit; he packed up everything I had at his house and brought it here. I stay in the kitchen, talking to Teressa and watching her as she quickly puts together enough food for a small army.
“Teressa, you do know we’re only going for a stroll?”
“Yes, but you both look like you need fattening up. Only a little,” she says with her sweet smile that, in return, makes me smile. “Your man, he’s a good one this time.”
“I sure hope so.”
“You’re in love with him.”
“Yes.”
“And I can see he loves you. Yes?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then I’m sure everything will work out. He and Giovanni will keep you safe, fino a quando Pete non e stato eliminato.”
“Teressa!”
“It’s true. I see it. One of those men will kill him.”
“Kill who?” Jack asks, returning to the kitchen. His eyes dart between me and Teressa as he hands me my Converse.
“That Pete Jamieson. He’s a bad one,” Teressa says.
“That he is. You’ll get no argument from me.”
“Now, here you go,” Teressa says, handing over a picnic basket.
Jack takes a look inside. “Wow, you’ve thought of everything. Thank you,” he says, kissing her on the cheek and taking my hand.
Love and Truth Page 12