Miles Away (Carrion #1)

by Addison Kline

  Dustin never did try to hide his annoyance at his father’s antics or those of men around him. He had been outspoken since he was a kid, and nobody had ever been able to quiet him down. Not even Michael. Knox clucked his tongue as he stared at the men.

  “Don’t look at me, clean up the mess!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  MILES LEANED BACK in a kitchen chair as his right hand rested over his toned stomach. He had eaten too much, but Miles quickly decided that every forkful of Letty’s meal was worth it.

  “Dinner was good, Letty. I can’t remember the last time I ate so much,” Miles said as a smile creased his face.

  Juan had gone for seconds as well and had a mouthful of food as he nodded in agreement with Miles’s statement. G, who had quietly nibbled on his chicken, had since fallen asleep in his high chair.

  “The kid’s got the right idea,” Miles said with a laugh as he ran his hand over G’s dark brown curls.

  “Ain’t that the truth…” Juan replied with a mouth full of food.

  Letty rolled her eyes and said, “Abuelita would slap you sideways if she saw your table manners.”

  Juan continued to talk with his mouth open. Letty stared at her father having no idea what it was that he was trying to say.

  “Okay, well while you two digest,” Letty said, as she reached across the table for her father’s storage box. “I’m just going to get all of my letters out of here.”

  But as Letty pulled the box towards her, Miles reached his arm out to stop her. Placing a rough hand on the box, Miles met Letty’s gaze.

  “What? Why?” Letty asked with a look of confusion painted on her face.

  Miles smile at Letty warmly but in his eyes there was a warning. He clearly wanted her to wait.

  “We’ll read them later,” Miles said as he gave a look of caution towards Juan.

  Juan caught the exchange. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Juan gruffly said, “You wrote some fresh shit to my daughter, didn’t ya?”

  Juan glared at Miles with a charged glare. It didn’t faze Miles though, who looked at Juan with a smirk.

  “I wrote some personal shit. For her eyes only,” Miles quipped, giving the old man a wink.

  “You’re killing me, Capadonno!” Letty yelled. She couldn’t stay mad long because as Miles laughed, a smile crept across her face.

  Lifting an eyebrow at Letty, Miles replied, “You waited seventeen years. What’s a half hour more?”

  Letty shook her head as she stared at Miles. Pushing her chair out from the table, Letty began clearing off the table.

  “Hey, I wasn’t done with that!” Juan complained as Letty stole his plate out from in front of him.

  “Yes, you are! Your cholesterol is sky high from all those egg rolls you eat! Now, I made a whole bunch of chicken and rice. It’s boxed up in the fridge in moderate serving sizes. Don’t take no more than one serving size per meal!”

  Juan rolled his eyes like a petulant teenager. Letty caught his reaction and laughed. Tossing a dish towel Juan’s way, Letty said, “You, sir, have dish duty.”

  As Juan groveled, Letty kissed him on his cheek in farewell. As Miles collected G, Letty picked up the heavy storage box that contained Miles’s letters, and followed Miles and G out the front door.

  Miles walked down the garden path, preparing to unlock the door of his charger when Letty suggested that they take her car instead. Miles hated the idea of leaving Corina alone but when he saw the charged look in Letty’s eyes, Miles relented, trailing her to her bright red sedan.

  Letty lived just a short car ride from her father, so it only took about ten minutes to get home. As Letty went to unlock the front door, Miles carried G, who was still fast asleep in his arms, with a diaper bag slung over his shoulder.

  “You’re an old pro with kids, Miles,” Letty said with a smile as she watched Miles carefully handle her son.

  “I should be. All the brothers and sisters I have… I’ve always been comfortable with kids.”

  Letty didn’t say any more as she opened the front door of her house, leaving it open for Miles and G to enter the house.

  “Let’s put him straight to bed,” Letty said. “I can do it if you pass him to me.”

  “I’m okay, Letty… Just lead the way,” Miles said. “I don’t want him to wake up.”

  The self-assured look on Miles’s face told Letty all she needed to know. There was nothing about this situation that was uncomfortable for Miles. It just felt right. Miles fit into their little family perfectly—like a missing puzzle piece. In that moment, Letty Alves felt complete.

  Breaking her gaze from Miles’s face, Letty turned on her heel and led the way up the stairs to the second floor. Climbing the stairs behind her, Miles followed, taking extra care not to wake up G. Miles’s eyes lingered on the walls as they climbed the stairway, his eyes carefully glancing at the photographs and decorative knickknacks that lined the walls. Letty had built a life for herself. Miles couldn’t help but wonder where he fit into her mosaic. That’s when he saw it. A collage frame with photographs of Letty and Miles together. She had framed their prom pictures and a snapshot of them leaning against Corina’s hood on a hot summer night. In the left corner of the frame was Letty’s favorite picture of them. It was taken in the summer of 1997 on the beach at Atlantic City’s Steel Pier. Letty smiled widely as she fell back on Miles’s chest as they lay in the sand. Miles smirked a little. It seemed that when it came to Letty, Miles didn’t need to wonder. Letty had clearly left a spot for him, she was just waiting for his return. Letty didn’t sit idly by, though. Letty wasn’t one to lay in wait. She had a career, a beautiful home, and a family. Miles stared up at Letty, an observant glint eyeing her up and down.

  Letty is a beautiful woman. There is no denying that. Other men saw what Miles saw in Letty. After all, Ruin is G’s father. Why is Letty still unattached after all this time?

  “Can I ask you a question, Letty?” Miles asked as he reached the top of the staircase.

  Letty turned around to face Miles, her eyes meeting his in the dark of the hallway. When she didn’t say anything, Miles continued.

  “Why me? You can do better than an ex-con.”

  Letty’s lips curled up just slightly as she placed a caring hand on Miles’s forearm.

  “I have earned the attention of many men in my life, Miles. Rich men. Successful men. Handsome men…” Letty said, her eyes lingering under the weight of Miles’s gaze. “One encounter with a man even blessed me with this angel,” Letty said as she placed her hand gently on G’s head, stroking his delicate, brown curls. “But you know what, Miles?”

  Letty paused giving Miles a chance to reply. When he didn’t say anything, Letty pressed on.

  Giving Miles a firm look, Letty replied, “None of them are you.”

  A wave of emotion struck Miles in that moment, though he didn’t dare to let it show.

  He relented, “You could do better than me.”

  Letty shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe. But maybe I don’t want an altar boy… and I sure as hell don’t want no thug. Something told me you weren’t going to be gone forever. I need a good man, not a saint. He needs to be quick on his toes, have a crack shot and not be afraid to pull my hair when I need it. You got me?”

  A shit-eating grin tugged at Miles’s lips. “So fucking sassy.”

  Letty had listened to her heart and it hadn’t steered her wrong. Miles didn’t believe in fate. He didn’t put much stock into pre-destined futures, but he knew since he was a kid, Letty was meant to be by his side. She was right. He was no saint, but Miles was more than happy to have her back and he’d do more than just tug her hair when she needed it. Biting her lower lip, Letty smiled at Miles as she walked off down the hallway.

  “Now come on. Let’s put lil’ man to bed. We have some catching up to do.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  DANTE SABATINO TUGGED his jacket closed as he walked down Merion Avenue with a limp. He heard through word of
mouth what had happened to Fish, and Dante knew that his head would be next on the chopping block. He knew his only chance at redemption was to make a move. He had to make a gesture. Something big. Something explosive. This is all Miles’s fault, Dante thought.

  “I’m gonna make that fucker pay. Just wait,” Dante promised as the cool autumn air turned his words to fog.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  MILES FOLLOWED LETTY’S silhouette down the dark hallway and watched as she opened the second door on the left. Still cradling G in his arms, Miles trailed her path into a cozy nursery. Letty quietly turned on a table lamp that was situated near G’s crib with a gentle flick of a knob. The light that emitted from the lamp cast the room in a warm glow. The walls were painted in a rich coffee hue, and the room was decorated simply. A plush cream rug lay underfoot and on the far side of the wall stood a mahogany crib with cute teddy bear sheets. On the wall above the crib, a large decorative G was painted in bold lettering.

  “Well, I know who sleeps here…” Miles said with a smile. Letty lowered the rail of the crib so Miles could lay G down.

  Letty was worried the child would wake up upon impact with the mattress, but Miles had transferred G from his arms to the bed with gentle ease. Letty stared at Miles as he released G, biting down softly on her bottom lip. Her thoughts going haywire in the intensity of the moment, Letty wondered, What is it about a hot guy with a baby that made him even hotter? Oh, my God, I need to open a window. It’s getting stuffy in here.

  As Letty began to fan herself with her hands, she caught the bewildered expression that was growing like wildfire across Miles’s face.

  “What?” Letty said in defense. “It’s hot in here!” Letty said, playing off her embarrassment.

  “Mmmmmhmmmm…..” Miles said with a laugh.

  “C’mon,” Letty said, quickly changing the subject. “We’ve got letters to read.”

  “Oh, frig… I barely remember what I wrote last week, let alone seventeen years ago,” Miles said, his brow furrowing, giving his face a serious look.

  “Yeah, right…” Letty said, clearly not believing a word he said. “You’ve got the memory of an elephant.”

  Picking up the metal box with one hand, Miles grabbed Letty’s hand with the other, letting her lead him to her bedroom.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  THE WHEELS IN LANDON’S head churned as he maneuvered through the streets of Carrion. It bothered him that Dustin had banished him from the house like that.

  Obviously, something had just gone down, and Dust was just trying to protect me, but fuck… To be a fly on the wall for that conversation! Landon thought.

  Landon pulled at the steering wheel as he turned the corner of Merion Avenue. The street lights flickered overhead and there was hardly anyone else on the road as Landon whipped the car smoothly through the streets of Carrion. Curling around the corner of Mulberry Terrace, Landon spotted a man in a tan jacket walking up the sidewalk with his hands tucked deep inside his pockets. Landon thought nothing of it until the man stopped, looked from side to side, and darted into the driveway of 201 Mulberry Terrace. Stalling in the middle of the street, Landon quietly pulled into an empty parking spot a few houses down. In the darkness, Landon cut the engine, lying in wait. Under the dim street lights, Landon could barely make out the man’s figure as he stared at something in the driveway. There was a parked car in the driveway. Landon couldn’t identify the make and model of the vehicle in the darkness, but it definitely had the man’s attention.

  “Must be some car,” Landon said as he watched how the car seemed to mesmerize the man.

  Starting up the car again, Landon watched as the man jumped. He was clearly startled by the sound of Landon’s revving engine. Landon allowed the engine to roar a few more times as he waited for the man’s reaction. A moment later, the man was gone, fleeing into the darkness, vanishing from Landon’s line of sight. Landon, peering at the number on the mailbox, had a confused look upon his face. 201 Mulberry Terrace. The address was so familiar to him. Pulling a folded up piece of paper from his coat pocket, Landon’s eyes read the almost indecipherable scrawl. Quickly, he realized whose house he was looking up at. The property belonged to Juan Alves, Letty’s father.

  “Oh, shit…”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  LETTY SLID A SILVER KEY into the rusted lock of her father’s storage box. After a moment of coercion, Letty was able to twist the key, effectively unlocking the box with a clang.

  “Moment of truth,” Miles said as he walked into Letty’s bedroom with a faint smile on his face. He stood there with a pair of cold Coronas, leaning against the doorframe casually.

  Letty peered up at Miles from the edge of her bed with a look of unmuted expectation. Miles took a swig of his beer, sighing softly as the beverage slid down his throat. Patting the mattress three times, Letty cued for Miles to sit down.

  “Come join me,” Letty said. “It’s high time we got caught up.”

  A flash of trepidation crossed Miles’s face as he took a seat across from Letty on the bed. Passing Letty a beer, they clinked their bottles together and drank to each other; to their history, to their future, and whatever they would face together.

  “Crack it open…” Miles insisted as Letty’s fingers lingered on the metal handle of the storage box.

  Miles watched as Letty appeared to be sizing him up with her eyes. Her gaze was searching for something in Miles’s face. What it was, Miles didn’t know.

  Is she looking for fear? Panic? Is Letty afraid of what it is that she would find in my letters? Miles wondered, his thoughts racing as he stared back at Letty. As Miles finished his thoughts, Letty snapped her eyes from his face and gently lifted the lid of the box. Filled to the brim with unopened envelopes, the security box contained nothing but the unanswered correspondence of one Mr. Miles Capadonno, Prisoner #27163972, to Miss Leticia Alves. As Letty flicked through the hundreds of envelopes, she gasped, not knowing what to say or where to begin. Miles watched Letty’s face morph from anticipation to sadness. Rising from the bed with a knowing expression on his face, Miles sat behind Letty, curling his arm across her chest. He pulled her back against him, planting a kiss on her forehead. Dumping out the contents of the box, Miles found the oldest letters and passed them to Letty. Miles felt a single teardrop fall onto his arm, quickly rolling off his sleeve tattoo.

  “None of that,” Miles said as he stroked the tears from Letty’s face.

  “I feel terrible, Miles,” Letty sobbed. The sound wrecked Miles’s cool.

  “You didn’t know. It’s better this way,” Miles assured her with a faint smile. With his index finger, Miles gently caressed Letty’s cheek.

  “It is?” Letty asked, confusion written all over her face.

  “Yes. Now start here…” Miles said as he passed her a letter that was postmarked May 20, 1998.

  May 20, 1998

  Miles Capadonno

  Prisoner #27163972

  Pennsylvania Corrections

  Franklin Correctional Facility

  1022 Race Street

  Philadelphia, PA 19106

  Letty,

  I tried calling your house, but the number has been disconnected. Are you okay? I need to see you. Visiting hours are from 3-7 on Saturdays. I just want to hear your voice. I’m doing all right. I’m holding my own. You know me. The only guys that really mess with me are my father’s buddies. Did you go straight home like I said? Do you still have the keys to my car?

  Please do me a favor and stay away from my family, especially my brothers and my father. Just keep yourself safe. I have a lawyer that’s working on my appeal. I’ll come back for you, Letty. I swear. I’ll make this right. I’ll give you the life you deserve.

  Write back as soon as you can. I love you, Letty.

  -Miles

  Letty swept her tears away with a quick swipe of her hand. As she reached for the next envelope, she exhaled, not even realizing that she had been holding her breath the en
tire time.

  “I’m going to need therapy after reading all these, Miles,” Letty said with a sniff.

  A chuckle ripped from Miles’s throat. “You already need therapy!” Miles quipped with a sarcastic smirk.

  Letty slapped Miles hard on his thigh. Clearly not fazing him, Miles said, “I’m kidding! C’mon, read the next one.”

  Miles passed Letty another letter. Carefully, she opened it.

  May 25, 1998

  Miles Capadonno

  Prisoner #27163972

  Pennsylvania Corrections

  Franklin Correctional Facility

  1022 Race Street

  Philadelphia, PA 19106

  Letty,

  I don’t know if mail is slow or if you’re just not writing back to me. Please call me, write, visit, whatever. I need to hear from you. I need to know that you’re okay. I understand if you don’t want to come to the prison. I don’t want to be here either. I need you to reach out to me. I’m so worried that something happened to you. I feel helpless in here, and I feel like I’m talking to a wall. I just want to know that you’re okay.

  -Miles

  Don’t forget about me.

  Letty’s hands quaked with rage as she read the last sentence that was scrawled across the page. She was furious with herself for thinking that Miles had ever forgotten about her. Miles glided his hand gently across Letty’s back as she reacted to the letter. Not saying a word, Miles passed Letty another unopened envelope. Seeing all his words laid out on the bed—all his pain, all his hope, his frustrations and his love, Miles was affected, too. Taking a deep breath, he squashed his worry down deep, keeping any emotions from roaming unchecked. Michael Capadonno’s voice rung out loud and clear:

  “Be a good soldier. Never show weakness. Never show fear. Emotions are for sissies. Your enemies will sniff out your fear. A Capadonno is never weak. Stick out your chin, boy! Learn to take a hit like a man.”