Poisoned Rose (Dark Roses #1) (4 page)

Six

             
Aurora sat with her fist in her mouth, staring at her house from where she was parked in the motor court.  Everything she’d said to her father after Mike’s funeral had been out of line.  Mike wasn’t dead because of her family’s business, he was dead because he had been engaged to her.  If she had rejected his marriage proposal and refused to use him, he would still be alive.  His death was on her head.

              She’d spent the last week trying to find the courage to apologize to her father.  Every night, as she made her way up the staircase to her room, she’d see him in his office and will herself to wish him good night.  Two nights earlier she’d found the courage to do it.  Two words, called out to him from between floors, before she put her head down and hurried away.  She’d heard him call back good night and she’d smiled, pausing for a moment on the second floor balcony before continuing to her room.  The following day, she’d decided to walk into his office.  She had planned to come straight out and admit that her behavior had been uncalled for, then ask for his forgiveness.  After that, she was going to ask to join the Family.

              Once she had accepted responsibility for Mike’s death, she’d realized that she had the power to do something about it.  She was in a position to avenge his death, and she planned to do just that.  But her father hadn’t been in his office.  It was a break in routine, given that as far as she knew he wasn’t out of the country, and it had left her feeling unsettled.  Still, she wasn’t about to ask her brothers where he was, so she’d gone to her room and waited for the next day.

              As she sat in her car, she thought about her morning.  She’d gone to visit Mike’s grave.  She’d said sorry to the white wooden cross, then explained who her family was and what she planned on doing.  She had no doubt that Mike would have argued with her.  Taking a deep breath, she climbed out of her convertible, grabbing the package addressed to Johnny that the security guard had handed her, after giving it the all clear.

              She set her keys on the table in the foyer and headed to her father’s office only to find it empty.  She cursed out loud as her heart kept racing.  Wasn’t it bad enough that she was terrified of the conversation without it being prolonged? Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she decided to head down to Johnny’s office and drop off his package.  Leaving it in the hallway just didn’t seem like an option.

              His office was on the lower ground floor, down a winding staircase.  The pool and the grounds at the back of the house were on her left, but she turned to the right and opened the door after a short knock.  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d set foot in the room; unlike her father, who’s door was always open, Johnny’s office was out of bounds.  There were lacquered, wood-paneled walls, plush red carpet, and a big oak desk, which Vince was leaning on.  Johnny was pacing between the two brown leather Chesterfields in front of the desk.

              ‘What’s going on?’

              Vince looked to Johnny, who shook his head and asked her to leave.  She narrowed her eyes, about to argue then realized she had a better idea.  She shrugged and turned to leave but Vince stopped her, pointing to the package.

              ‘What’s that?’

              ‘It’s for Johnny, but first tell me what’s going on.’

              She held the package out of reach as Johnny moved towards her and let out a low growl.  She was testing his patience and she was all too aware.  Vince tried to reason with Johnny, saying that they might as well tell her, she was going to realize soon enough and that maybe she could help.  Finally, Johnny gave in.

              ‘Dad and Dante have gone off the grid.’

              That wasn’t possible.  Dante she could believe, he was probably drying up at some whore’s place, trying to remember the night before and build an alibi for whatever stupid shit he’d gotten himself in to.  But her father? No way. To her surprise, Johnny continued.

              ‘Dante got himself kicked out of Hunter’s last night.  One of the bouncers called me and on my way out the door I called Dad.  He said he’d pick up Dante himself.  When I tried to argue he hung up.  We haven’t heard from either of them since.  Their phones are off, the GPS trackers on their cars are dead and there’s been no activity on any of their cards.’

              She wanted to suggest that maybe they were stressing for no reason, it hadn’t been twelve hours yet, but her mouth had gone dry and the package in her hands suddenly felt very heavy.  She looked down at the brown wrapping and found her hands were shaking.  She could feel Johnny and Vince’s eyes also on the package and she wanted to drop it.  But she couldn’t.  She wouldn’t.  She looked at Johnny and held out her hands.

              He took the package.  She thought he would ask her to leave again, but instead he asked if she was sure she wanted to stay.  She nodded, words failing her.  Johnny walked over to his desk and placed the package in the center as Vince turned and Aurora approached.  He took a knife out of his back pocket, flicked the blade and sliced through the masking tape.  Her brothers exchanged final glances before Johnny lifted the lid, letting out a rage filled roar and throwing it across the room, sending his chair flying after it.  Vince swore and kicked over one of the side tables beside the couches, running his hands through his hair and dropping down onto a Chesterfield.  She covered her mouth with both hands as tears sprung to her eyes.  It was her father’s Tom Ford blazer wrapped around a large fish.

              Johnny had his arm against the wall, head buried in the crook of his elbow, his shoulders heaving up and down.  Vince was slumped against the armrest, his hand covering his eyes.  Not knowing what to do, she took a seat on the other couch

              ‘Is there any chance it’s just a warning?’

              Vince shook his head and moved his hand away from his face as she wiped at her tears.

              ‘It doesn’t work that way.  This is a message.  It’s been done.’

              Feeling the pain in her chest sharpen, she asked her next question.

              ‘What about Dante?’

              Vince avoided answering and she sniffed, unable to stop the tears and blocking her nose with the back of her hand.

              ‘We’re going to have to make funeral arrangements.  We can’t let this get out so we need to have a closed casket, and the less people who know about this message the better.  John, you’ve got to call Bo and Cross, let them know what’s happened.  Leave mom to me.  John, are you listening to me?’

              Johnny still had his head turned away but his shoulders had stopped moving.  She knew he was composing himself, the sudden need for him to step up overriding his desire to continue grieving.  She felt bad.  She was able to express her grief; her brothers had to attend to business first.  When Vince asked him a second time if he was listening, Johnny took a deep breath and turned around.  Vince stood up and walked over to him.             

              ‘You’re it now John.  As you know, you have the right to choose your top men and if you’ll still have me, I’d be happy to continue to serve as advisor…’

              Johnny interrupted the formalities by hugging Vince and before she knew what was happening, Aurora found herself on her feet making an announcement.

              ‘I want to join the Family.’

              Her brothers looked at her in silence.  She hadn’t expected the words to come out of her mouth.  When Johnny responded, he directed his words at Vince.

              ‘Well advisor, what do you think?’

              ‘She’s strong, smart and quick.  She can see the overall picture but she still pays attention to detail, plus she’s done well managing the books so far.  She’d make a good soldier, better than good, you and I have known that for years, and right now… we’re in no position to turn away good soldiers.  That’s my opinion, but the final decision is yours.’

              Johnny locked eyes with her.

              ‘If you join this Family, that’s it, there’s no turning back.  This is a lifetime commitment and the Family will always come first.’

              ‘I know John and I’ve thought about this for a long time.  This is what I want and I know I can do this.’

              She was prepared to argue her case, but she didn’t need to.

              ‘Well then, let’s do this the right way.’

              Her brothers walked out of the room and she followed them to her father’s office.  Johnny stood behind the desk and asked her to approach.  He opened the top drawer, took out a Beretta and a knife with the family crest etched into the gold handle, then paused.  The next objects he took out caused her to swallow a lump in her throat.  He placed a photo of her at the shooting range beside the weapons, then a card depicting Saint Joan of Arc.

              ‘Looks like Vince isn’t the only one who has faith in you.’

              She couldn’t believe it.  Her father had planned for her request, had even accepted and approved of it.  It meant more than she would ever be able to express.  Johnny asked her to hold out her hand.  He then sliced the tip of her right forefinger with the knife and dripped her blood onto the card of Saint Joan before placing it in her hand and lighting it with a match he pulled out from the drawer.  While she held the burning card, Vince stood beside her and Johnny spoke.

              ‘Aurora, with this initiation you will become a soldier in our Family.  From this moment on, the Family comes first, before your parents, your siblings, your future partner and children.  You must at all times act with class, respect, and honor.  Remember that your sponsor will also be held responsible for your actions and will be punished accordingly should you break any rules.  Keep your mouth shut and your ears open, and never admit the existence of the Family or the world we live in to outsiders.  Should you ever betray the Family, may your soul burn like that of the Saint in your hands.’

              She made sure not to flinch as the card turned to ash, the reality of the ceremony and the new life she was about to embark on beginning to sink in.  Once there was nothing left, Johnny stepped around the desk, held her by her shoulders and kissed both her cheeks.  Vince then did the same, hugging her afterwards.

              ‘Welcome to the Family, Soldier.’

Seven

              Hawk turned his face as blood spurted towards him, then wiped his forehead and continued hacking at the body.  He and Ty were leaning over the bathtub, Ty sawing at the hands and Hawk using a cleaver to decapitate the man.  It was one in the morning and the night hadn’t gone as planned.

              One of the detectives on their payroll owed the De Matteo Family two hundred thousand plus two and a half points of interest.  The Masons weren’t debt collectors but since the guy was one of theirs, Hawk had agreed to manage the situation.  The detective had paid the interest owed for a month, then disappeared.  For two weeks they’d searched for him and had tracked him down to Vegas, but when they’d arrived at the hotel, his room had been empty.  They’d set up surveillance on his house and a day later, half an hour after he’d walked through the front door to collect the rest of his belongings, Hawk and Ty had shown up.

              They hadn’t bothered ringing the bell; instead they’d smashed through the back door.  The man had tried to run but they had been faster, shooting him in the thigh and sending him crashing down to the floorboards.  He’d crawled to a side table and grabbed a gun from the drawer, clipping Ty in the bicep before Hawk had shot him in the shoulder.  They’d tied him up and searched the place, finding money hidden around the house and taking anything of value.  They’d beaten him but he had untied himself and tackled Hawk.  A short brawl later, Hawk had smashed the man’s head against the corner of the coffee table.  They’d had no choice but to dispose of the body and destroy the evidence.

              Hawk was pissed off.  Any night that ended with a body disposal wore him out.  They’d dragged the body into the bathroom, dumped it in the bathtub and used knives from the kitchen to do their thing.  They planned on wrapping the body in garbage bags, weighing it down with weights and dumping it in the ocean.  Then they’d drive out to one of the Family farms and bury the head and hands.  Ty winced and checked his bicep, the blood seeping through his makeshift bandage.

              ‘Son of a bitch.’

              ‘I’ll change your bandage after we clean up.  No point doing it now.’

              Ty agreed and they hacked through the flesh, muscle and bone, Hawk sitting back on his haunches when he was done and shoving the head into a garbage bag, then a duffle bag.  He stood up to find towels and start the cleanup, flicking on the shower head as he went so the blood would wash away.  He was emptying the linen closet when his phone rang.  He rubbed his hand on his pants before reaching into his pocket to pull out his cell, leaving a streak of blood down his leg.

              ‘Tony Hannam’s been murdered.’

              He dropped his phone.  He could hear Honor’s voice asking him if he was ok and he groaned, rubbing his hand over his face before picking the phone back up.

              ‘What happened?’

              ‘I don’t have specifics but Dante’s also gone missing.  I thought you should know.’

              Her voice was cracking.  Out of everyone who could have been killed, why did it have to be Tony? But that was the way their lives went; anyone they got close to died.  He cleared his throat.

              ‘Thanks.’

              He hung up and walked back into the bathroom, tossing the towels on the ground and helping Ty haul the body out of the bathtub.  They wrapped it up and started cleaning but he was distracted, thinking about how he was feeling and imagining how much worse it would be for the Hannam family.  For Aurora.  He wished things were different between them but knew they never could be.

              Their age difference was what had caused the drift.  She had been five when his mother had died and eight when he had had his first kill.  Both events had changed him, hardened him towards the world.  By the time she was thirteen and had developed feelings for him, he was eighteen and a made man, with more kills under his belt than many twice his age.  She was innocent and each time they came face to face she would blush as she spoke to him.  When she’d turned seventeen, he’d wanted to approach her, but the thought of bringing her into his world had stopped him.  Tony had kept her out of the Hannam Family, so what right did he have to drag her in to his own?

              He had been divided, part of him wanting so bad to be with her and the other part urging him to stay away, to give her a chance of escaping their world and living a life that didn’t revolve around crime and death.  A few months later, Angelina had been kidnapped and his decision had been made for him.  After that night, he could no longer bring himself to approach her.  He and his siblings were cursed to live with those memories and the consequences of their actions.  Aurora deserved to find someone better than him, someone who wasn’t vicious and brutal.  Someone who wouldn’t even contemplate doing the things he had done.

              Then she had turned eighteen and started dating Michael.  Hawk’s heart had been destroyed and he’d spent months in a fit of rage, taking it out on anyone who crossed his path.  He had taken all the calls that he knew would end in murder and had spent time in different states with his uncles, carrying out the worst of the worst and earning himself the title ‘The Executioner.’  He became a hitman for hire, carrying out cold blooded slayings for the other Families.  Every time he’d come home he’d see the hope in her eyes, the search for any feelings he might have towards her, and he would take off again to New York or Chicago or Texas, whoever was experiencing the most problems at the time.  He’d spent a year that way and would have continued if his father hadn’t made him Captain and put an end to his travels.  It killed him, but he had made his decision.

              ‘You ok?’

              Ty’s voice broke through his thoughts.

              ‘Yeah… Tony Hannam’s dead.’

              They were carrying the body to the car and Ty almost dropped the legs, catching them before they hit the ground and wincing as he regained his grip.  Once they’d thrown the body into the boot and were headed to their docked boat at Venice Beach, Ty spoke.

              ‘I’m sorry.’

              Hawk nodded.

              ‘Thanks man.’

              There was nothing else to say.  By the time they’d dumped the body and buried the duffel bag it was seven in the morning.  Hawk drove Ty home and crashed in the spare room after taking a shower.  He’d sleep until eleven then make his way home.  Then over the next few days, he would try to prepare for Tony’s funeral.