Chapter 15
15
RIOT
I read through the file on my laptop. It's late and I couldn't sleep. I left Halo in the bedroom with Cookie, choosing not to take work into the bedroom. I'm sitting at her island bench, studying the information Rock sent over.
Of course, if I hadn't been so busy pursuing Halo, I'd have taken a little more notice of the news.
Sure as fuck, it's been playing for the last few weeks.
They haven't caught the guy, and he's killed anyone associated with Mancini's demise. Of course, the feds claim that Mancini himself was taken down in a revenge attack; the trouble was, the asshole had so many enemies it couldn't be determined who it was who took his life. That's something I take quite a lot of pride in.
That may be something that's part of my past, but I'll never look back and have any regrets. They were bad people. My job served a purpose in more ways than one.
If there was a chance anyone would know who it was that took Mancini out, then it would be my handler, Carter. I keep reminding myself I'm in the clear. This is just some vigilante who probably got screwed over. If the rest of the Mancini family haven't found me in all these years, then I'm pretty sure I'm safe. The Russians finished what I started, so it isn't like the underworld hasn't been operating all this time. The Russians just do things a little differently.
Still, the results are in and it's damning.
An ex-colleague of Mancini who started up a rival business — I guess he had it coming. That's what you get when you want to conduct business in the underworld. Shit goes bad.
A rival gang member.
Mancini's old accountant.
Two unidentified men, whose names haven't been released, but are thought to have been working for Mancini, both gunned down in broad daylight.
I run my hands through my hair. I should be a little bit worried. Whoever's responsible for this is leaving no stone unturned, and when I get a text from Rock with a link to today's news, my mood plummets farther.
An associate of Dimitri Minkoff, the Bratva boss in Chicago, was gunned down at point blank range and left in an alleyway. It's all over the goddamn news.
I want to call Cash, but it's late and with a baby in the house, that wouldn't be cool. It can wait until tomorrow. Still, the feeling inside makes me a little jittery. Now that I'm back being a responsible citizen, and I've got people to live for, things have changed since I worked solo. I no longer ever want to live life on the run, so a part of me is being overly cautious by even reading this shit. It's irresponsible not to. I worked alone, and when Lars died, he was the only one who knew who I was. Even then, he didn't know the real me. I lived in the shadows. No face. No ID. Nothing concrete. It's why I'm still alive today, because I covered all my bases.
I run both hands over my face.
Nobody can be trusted in the type of business I used to be in, but I wouldn't put my club in danger. The other question is, why now? Eight years later. If someone really was holding a grudge, then why wait all this time to act?
I sigh. Not being able to sleep has always meant I've had a lot of free time to watch movies, surf the net or even read, but all I want to do is crawl back into bed and be near Halo.
I'm still pissed about earlier today. This Ian fuckface.
Who the hell does he think he is? I plan on making a trip up to his apartment to finish what we started. Even knowing Halo will be mad at me, doesn't make me want to stop. He has to know who he's dealing with, and that I'm serious when I told him to stay away from her. The asshole had his foot stuck in the door.
Before I shut the screen down, I tap out a reply to Rock, then ask him to get me access to the Penthouse suite. Fuck knows how he's gonna do that, but it ain't my issue. Even if I swiped Halo's fob, it wouldn't get me to the top floor… I already tried. But Ian fuckface Flannigan is gonna learn the hard way. Don't mess with me, and don't come near my girl.
It's a hard lesson to learn, especially beating him with my fists, but sometimes you just gotta jump in and remind people of their place. I don't care that he was wearing an expensive suit, drives a designer car and lives in the penthouse suite, conveniently located in my girl's apartment block; he owes her an apology. I'm starting to wonder what kind of family life she has at home if this is how her parents treat her; sending this asshole to spy on their daughter and try to bring her home. I'm not gonna stand for that shit. When Halo agreed to be mine, that meant that my job of protecting her from danger just got all the more real.
I don't trust him. He moved here for one reason, and one reason only, and I'm not gonna let him get in the way of me and my girl. I don't give a fuck who he thinks he is, or how much money he has. I have money too. Maybe not a new Bentley or a flashy suit and a three hundred dollar haircut, but I'm doing alright. I'm not gonna let the idea of him and Halo together derail me. She loves me. She said it. We both said it, and it may be early days but I know how I feel, and I'm nuts about her.
It's gonna take Heaven or high water to get me to ever abandon my post, so Ian either better get a goddamn canoe, or scuttle back to St Charles' Parish where he belongs.
He'll be lucky if I don't drag his ass downstairs to Halo's door to apologize. I guess it depends on what kind of mood I'm feeling in the morning.
Then again, I've never been a morning person.
Just keep holdin' on. Don't let go.
I wake with a start; Charles' words in replay from when I was a kid. For a second, I don't know where I am.
Then I feel it. Something's licking me… I smile, snuggling into the wet, sloppy tongue on my neck and murmur, "Mornin', sleepy head."
The licks continue. "Nice way to wake up." I roll onto my back, then when I peek one eye open, I jolt upright. Cookie is slobbering all over me with a big goofy grin on his face.
"Oh my God!" Halo laughs as I glance up. She's carrying two mugs of steaming coffee into the bedroom, but came to a halt probably when I was getting off to the dog licking me. Jesus.
"In my defense, my eyes were closed," I start.
She rolls her lips as I scruff Cookie behind the ears. Halo's bed is low, so Cookie likely got up easily — not that he should be doing that with his leg the way it is.
"Uh huh."
"They were!"
"Yep, and now I have a tongue that resembles a dog's." She's got an amused look on her face as she moves toward me in her cute little PJ set.
"I was asleep."
"You keep telling yourself that." She hands me the mug as I sit up.
"You know, if you were in my place, you'd be handing that mug to me naked."
Her eyes dart to me and her cheeks do that cute little thing they do when she pretends to be shy. After the places we've been, there's no need to be shy.
"I think my vagina may need a little break from Godzilla." She pats me on the arm.
I snort. "You're namin' my penis Godzilla? I guess that could be worse."
"It's a fantastic name for a penis. It's manly."
I smile, taking a sip from the mug. Goodman, this woman can brew coffee.
Cookie lies still, then all of a sudden he lets out a giant snore. My eyes meet Halo's and we both laugh.
"I'd say he's comfortable." I glance down at him. "After his mornin' lickin' session, that is."
"That means he loves you. He also rolls onto his back for us, which means he completely trusts us, though he didn't like Ian." She sits next to me, folding herself under the comforter.
"That makes two of us."
"It isn't like I knew he was coming here. It was as much a shock to me."
"Did your parents call yet?"
She looks down at her hands and I know the answer. "I had three missed calls last night, and I've not quite gotten around to calling them back."
"Don't know what they're thinkin' with that douchebag. He's not your type."
She turns on her side to face me. "What is my type, Myles? "
I turn and grin down at her. "Me."
She rolls her eyes. "I already know that. I'm just annoyed that they'd stoop to these lengths, and that Ian would go along with it. Has he no shame?"
"He must really be head over heels." Even the idea makes me wanna punch a hole through the wall. "Pity he's not gettin' what I'm gettin'. If I run into him in the elevator, all bets are off." I could get around what I'm gonna do quite easily.
I don't like lying, but if it's to protect Halo, then I'll stretch the truth a little if I have to.
But he's not gonna get away with trying to intimidate her like that. If he's here, then he's after her. He probably told her parents he'll come and persuade her to come back home. Like Halo doesn't have a mind of her own.
"Don't do anything that will put you in danger," she says. "I don't want you going to prison for beating him."
"Well then, he should've thought about that before he came knockin' on your door."
She sighs. "I'm going to call my parents later today, find out what the hell is going on and if they knew he was up to something."
"Sounds like they put him up to it. What else is in it for him aside from you?"
She chews on her lip. "Money. He already has a lot, but he's greedy. My dad would've offered him some kind of deal in the family business. In my family, women are to be seen and not heard, if you get my drift. Even my brother is turning out to be exactly like my dad."
"Let's hope he stays in the Parish then," I mutter. I don't need another asshole to deal with, but if it comes down to it, I'll do what's necessary. Family or not.
"He's my dad's puppet. I doubt he'll ever stick up for me. Antoine runs his own company, but it's an offshoot of Parish Construction. I think my dad thinks he'll be gaining another son if Ian comes on board. He has the right name, and he's already wealthy; the only things my parents care about."
"Were they always like this?"
She shrugs. "I guess. I just didn't feel the pressure as much because I didn't know any different. It was only when I showed no signs of getting married or starting a family that all this pressure started. I used to be so close to my mom, but now I just feel like she betrayed me."
Tears well in her eyes and I reach over Cookie to stroke her cheek. "Don't be upset. Clearly it's their loss if they don't wanna accept that you're a grown woman who can make her own choices."
"I'm sure your parents never put you through this shit." She wipes a stray tear. Clearly this is upsetting her greatly and I might have to do something about getting through to her parents if this keeps up.
"You know how I told you about my mom dying? Well… both my parents are dead," I blurt out before I can stop the words.
Her face drops and a strange sensation throbs deep in my chest. I feel my heart rate accelerate and my throat thickens. She needs to know some of my history.
She lays a hand on my arm. "I'm so sorry."
Oh, God. I can't tell her what I did… She'll think I'm a monster. I haven't even told her I'm an ex-sniper yet.
"It was a long time ago."
"I'm really sorry. Do you miss them?"
She thinks that it was some accident. It's another thing I love about her innocent mind. She'd never suspect what really went down.
"I miss my mom."
She smiles. "You said she was an angel."
Tell her. Tell her and get it over with.
"Yes, she was…she was angelic and had a good heart."
Her eyes soften. "And your dad? You didn't get along?"
I swallow the lump in my throat. "There's somethin' you should know, before we go any further and before you agree to be my ol' lady for real."
Her eyes widen, startled a little, but she just nods softly. "Okay."
I take another breath, feeling like my heart is going to race out of my chest. "If you hate me afterward?—"
"I could never hate you."
I look down at my mug, unable to set it on the side table because I need to distract my hands.
"My father shot my mother in cold blood one night on a drunken, drugged out rampage. He also shot my sister Lace…" Already, Halo's hands cover her mouth, leaving her eyes gaping. "I found them… and I…" Tell her. "I shot my father dead before he turned the gun on me."
Silence falls between us and when I have the courage to glance up, tears pour down her face. "Oh, Myles!" She leans toward me and I finally set my mug down, wanting her comfort. "I'm so sorry, that's… that's horrific."
"Our neighbor, Charles, found me that night. He saved Lace. We got an ambulance in time and by some miracle, she lived. She's survived a lot, but you'd never know it. She's always happy-go-lucky with a smile for everyone. A lot of my mom lives on in her."
She presses her forehead to mine. "I'm sorry you went through that. How old were you?"
"Fifteen."
"So young."
"Old enough to know how a rifle works," I mutter. "Want to know the worst part? I enjoyed killin' that motherfucker." It's why I went on to kill lots of other bad people without any mercy. "But I'll always have that memory of my sweet mom, covered in blood in her bed. Her eyes were never dull until that day."
She kisses my forehead, then my nose, then my eyes and finally my lips. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I know she's in a better place than this world."
"I'm glad you did what you did to that monster."
I blink in surprise. "You are?"
She frowns. "Of course. An eye for an eye, right? You had no choice. It was kill or be killed. He deserved to be put in the ground."
"I like to tell myself that. After all the years of abuse we all suffered, Lord knows he had it comin'. But it's what happened later…"
"What happened later?"
"Lots of things. I did bad shit. Went to jail. I cleaned my shit up when I joined the MC. It was the first time I'd had any sense of brotherhood. Don't get me wrong, Charles wasn't awful, he saved us. Gave us a place to live, clothed and fed us without complaint. I owe him a debt no amount of money could ever repay, but he's not much of a talker." I can't help but chuckle.
"He sounds like a great man. I'd love to meet him one day, like you said."
I glance at her. "I'd like that and so would he."
She strokes the side of my face. "You're a good man. You have a good heart."
"My mom used to say that very thing to me when I was small and I'd have a bad dream."
"Well, she was obviously speaking from the heart."
I can't meet her gaze. "I went on to do even worse shit." My voice is barely audible.
"Riot? I know you were a sniper."
I blink in surprise. "Wait, what?"
"I was in Mississippi."
"Yeah, but nobody mentioned anythin' about me…" I trail off. "Let me guess, Star?"
"Pillow talk with ol' ladies and their man isn't a rumor. How do you think most women in the club know about club business before most of the members even do?"
I frown. "Is that true?"
She rolls her lips. "Star was worried I didn't know what I was getting myself into. When she mentioned your previous job, I just assumed it was in the military."
"It was at first, briefly, but then I went off on my own."
"As in, you were an assassin?"
"If you wanna put it like that, then I guess I was. But I didn't just take any job. I only agreed to takin' out the trash. I was in an anger-fueled rage in most of my twenties. I told myself I was avengin' my mom and what she'd suffered, but that was just an excuse to behave badly. When I ran out of excuses, and hung up my rifle one last time, I knew that I'd made the right decision. I didn't wanna end up dead, or back in prison. I also wasn't doin' much to make Mom, Charles or my sister proud at that point."
She's soft when she speaks. "I'm sure you did what you had to do. I don't judge you for that."
Relief escapes me. "I thought you'd think I'm a monster, like my…"
"You're nothing like him," she says when I can't finish. "Nothing, you hear me?"
"Even if I enjoyed my time bein' a sniper?"
"You were keeping people safe. I know there's not a mean or bad bone in your body, so you can't tell me otherwise."
I press a kiss to her button nose. "You put a lot of faith in me that I'm not sure I deserve."
"You deserve it, you just need to be reminded every now and then."
"Maybe that's not a bad thing."
She lays her head on my shoulder and I enjoy the warmth and comfort. "It's definitely not."