Miles Away (Carrion #1)

by Addison Kline

  Miles hadn’t realized that his mother had written her thoughts and experiences down on paper. Now he understood why his father wanted to get in the locker so desperately. Miles certainly intended to read his mother’s words, so he placed it gently back into the milk crate and moved it aside as he continued to search through the hovel. At the bottom of one stack he found a black chest with his father’s name on it.

  “Gotcha…” Miles said as he pulled the heavy chest out into the hallway.

  Lifting the lid of the chest, Miles stared down at his father’s old treasure trove of weapons. There were guns, ammo, scopes, a pair of brass knuckles filling up the chest. The lid of the chest was lined in satin in which two dozen sharp knives were secured with twine. Letting out a laugh as he slammed the lid down, Miles pulled the chest into the hallway. Miles found humor in the fact that he intended to use his father’s own gun against him. Die by the gun you live by. It was a code that the Capadonnos adhered to. Miles intended to give Michael a send-off fit for the Butcher, himself. Giving one last look around, Miles’s eyes fell upon an old photo album. Without even opening the cover, Miles swiped it and walked out of the storage locker. Slamming the door shut, Miles locked it securely and walked away with his hands full of his parents’ belongings. Walking to his car, Miles popped the trunk and loaded it up, but not before grabbing the vests and a few guns. With finality, Miles slammed the trunk shut. Opening Letty’s door, Miles held his hand out. Letty unstrapped quickly and gave Miles a nervous look but did as Miles wanted. Pulling Letty into his arms, Miles brought her into a tight embrace, wrapping his strong arms around her.

  He whispered into her ear, “No matter what happens, I have a plan. No matter what happens, I will come back for you. Even when it looks like all is lost. Remember that, Letty.”

  Letty looked up at Miles with a pair of glassy eyes. “Make sure you do,” Letty said as her voice quaked.

  “Make sure you remember that, Letty.”

  “Okay, Miles,” Letty said as dread swirled in her belly. She had a horrible feeling coursing through her heart.

  “There is something I need to do now. I need you and Landon to stay in the back seat.”

  “What do you need to do?”

  “My father is going to get what is coming to him, and we are going to go get G and your dad.”

  “But Miles—”

  “Letty, my father is using your child as collateral to get me up in Brooklyn. I’m putting a bullet in the old bastard’s brain. We’re going up to New York. We’re getting your son and your father back. Then, in a week, we’re leaving Carrion. I have a plan. You just need to trust me.”

  Thoughts raced through Letty’s brain as she looked up at Miles. No further words were spoken though as Miles rushed Letty’s lips with a desperate kiss.

  “I love you, Letty Alves. You’re going to be my wife. I’m going to give you babies. We just have to get through the next week. Everything will be all right. I promise.”

  “How can you promise that with all that we’re up against?”

  “I spent the last seventeen years plotting revenge. Do you really think I haven’t thought all this out?”

  Letty smiled faintly as Miles walked away. Opening up the car door, Miles faced Landon. Passing him two bulletproof vests and a gun, Miles gave his brother a serious look.

  “I don’t understand why I have to sit in the back seat, I’m a police officer, for Christ’s sake!” Landon barked.

  “Wait! He knows?!” Letty spat. “How?!”

  “Yeah, I know. The kid was the only one who bothered to visit me in the can. I figured it out shortly after he entered the academy,” Miles admitted.

  “Dude, again. I’m a cop. I’m not sitting back here while you go against the entire family!” Landon spouted.

  “An undercover one. Sit your ass back there and pipe down. Your job is to keep her calm,” Miles said as he motioned to Letty.

  “Miles, please!”

  “Letty, this is something that I have to do.”

  Hearing the seriousness in Miles’s voice, Letty withheld her protest, and remained silent as she sat down next to Landon in the back seat of the car.

  Miles continued, “Because if I do not take him out, he will take my life… and there will be no next week.”

  Miles settled into the driver’s seat.

  “Put those vests on, and stay back there no matter what. Corina has bulletproof windows. You’ll be safe inside,” Miles said gravely. “Landon, let me see your cell phone for a sec.”

  Landon did as he was told, passing the phone to his brother. Miles dialed a few digits and put the phone up to his ear. As he revved his engine, Miles spoke, “It’s time.” Quickly, Miles ended the call and slammed on the gas pedal.

  “Talk to me,” Knox said into his cell phone as he leaned against the wall of the War Room in the Capadonno mansion.

  “It’s time,” Miles said in a growl.

  Ending the call as his eyebrows raised in interest, Knox gave Dustin a dark look and said, “He’s coming. Rally ’em up.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  THE RED DUSK SKY burned fierce over Carrion as a vintage black Dodge Charger ripped through the Town Center. Its engine purred as it cut through Carrion like a bullet with its target set on the illustrious and seemingly untouchable Capadonno mansion. The sun dropped below the horizon, its final rays gleaming off of the glossy paint of Corina’s hood. Miles Capadonno clenched the wheel with a calm look upon his face, calm all except for his eyes which were drilled on the road before him. His dark brown eyes appeared black and emotionless as he drove towards the estate he once called home. This wasn’t business anymore. This was personal. Michael Capadonno had crossed Miles for the last time.

  A screeching whistle cried from Dustin’s lips as he caught everyone’s attention in the War Room.

  “Listen up!” Dustin yelled.

  Suddenly, everyone’s eyes weren’t on Dustin. Sitting behind his regal walnut desk, Michael Capadonno had a strange smile on his face.

  “How you wanna do this, Butch?” Big Bang asked Michael.

  There was a gleam in the old man’s eye, a hint of excitement, a spark of hysteria. In a bark, Michael replied, “Old School. Let’s go meet the prodigal son at the gates.”

  Miles revved his engine at the gates of the Capadonno compound as the fading light of day sunk below the horizon. Miles had a lethal edge to his stare. With her high beams on, Corina lit a narrow path upon the driveway of the Capadonno estate. Huddled masses moved within the shadows of the forest. Miles could hear them coming closer, but he couldn’t yet identify any of them.

  From the darkness, Michael Capadonno stepped into the trail of light being emitted by Corina’s high beams. Flanked by his sons, Knox and Dustin, Michael stood in the light looking gaunt and malevolent as his eyes stared at Miles’s face behind the wheel. Holding his father’s gaze for a moment, Miles didn’t flinch or look away from his father’s eyes. In his heart, Miles truly believed he was looking into the eyes of the devil.

  Opening the car door, Miles stepped out.

  “Miles, no!” Letty screamed.

  She fought to get out of the backseat of the car but Miles had made some customizations to the car. The back doors wouldn’t open from the inside. Letty tried to climb over the front seat but Landon held her back. Bucking and breaking against him, Letty fought to get to Miles. But as scrawny as Landon looked, he was a strong kid.

  “Stop! Be still and be quiet! You heard what he said. Miles has a plan.”

  But Letty didn’t calm down. She only became more agitated as Landon tried to keep her from chasing after Miles.

  “They’re gonna kill him!” Letty pleaded as she clenched Landon’s shirt in her hands. Landon grabbed Letty’s hands, trying to calm her down. Holding his hands over hers, Landon looked into Letty’s face with a sincere look on his face.

  “No, they will not,” Landon said calmly and assuredly.

  “How do you know?” Lett
y asked Landon becoming more annoyed by the second.

  Landon laughed darkly, “They won’t kill their own acting boss.”

  Letty’s mouth gaped open. “What?”

  “Miles doesn’t need to worry about getting hit by the Capadonnos anymore. It’s New York that has a target on his head. My father got the target off his own head and put it on Miles. The boss of New York is the one behind the kidnapping of your son and your father.”

  Letty took in a sharp breath as she watched Miles confront his family. Miles stood with his arms spread wide in the bright glare of the headlights.

  “Quite the family reunion you’ve got here, Pops,” Miles said facetiously as he glared at his father.

  “Indeed, Miles,” Michael said in a cold voice. A slithering smile tugged at Michael’s lips. “It’s all for you, son.”

  “For me, huh?” Miles said feigning amusement. “A homecoming party for me? You shouldn’t have.”

  “Anything for you, Boss,” Knox said slyly as a cool grin slipped across his face.

  “Last time I checked,” Miles said as he pointed to his father, “that old fucker was Boss. Not me.”

  Dustin laughed dryly. “I think it’s time you brushed up on your current events, bro.”

  Miles stared at his father and his brothers with a hard gaze.

  “Care to fucking elaborate?” Miles spat, his arms splayed wide as he baited his family for a fight.

  “Oh, Miles. You’re my firstborn son,” Michael said, sounding nostalgic. “My baby boy and the heir to my throne.”

  Miles’s jaw clenched as his father spoke. It wasn’t possible for a son to hate his father more than Miles hated Michael. The fury within Miles rose with every word his father spoke.

  “I’m not a well man, Miles. And before I fade into the afterlife, I want to ensure that my constituents have a just leader. A king of the Capadonno names. You are that man, Miles,” Michael explained with a mischievous expression painted across his face.

  “You stupid son of a bitch!” Miles growled.

  “Actually, the plan is fucking brilliant,” Knox admitted. “He got the target off of his own head by not only stepping down, but also by reminding Nunzio Rigatti that you killed his grandson.”

  “Brilliant is not the word that I would use,” Dustin admitted, “but obviously the old man’s plan worked. “

  “Looks like you’re shit out of luck, brother,” Knox quipped with a smug expression on his face.

  But instead of glowering at Knox like he expected, Miles did something unexpected. An amused smile broke from Miles’s lips, showing off his set of straight teeth.

  “Well played, old man,” Miles said as he clapped his hands together. “There’s just one tiny little thing you forgot about…”

  Knox scoffed as he pointed at Miles. “You believe this joker? Thinks we forgot something.”

  Dustin crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you insinuating that you bested the Butcher?”

  “That’d be the day, right?” Knox said as he elbowed his father playfully.

  Miles rolled his eyes at the shit show.

  Clearing his throat, Michael glowered at Miles.

  “What is it that I have forgotten?” Michael asked in a stern tone of voice.

  Pulling his gun out of the waistband of his jeans, Miles took the safety off of the gun, holding it behind his back. Taking three long strides forward, Miles pressed the gun to his father’s temple.

  “Nobody fucks with a Capadonno!” Miles yelled.

  Bang!

  The shot echoed into the night scaring off a flock of crows from the treetops. Michael had a stunned look upon his face as blood oozed down his face from the gaping wound Miles had left in his forehead. After a few excruciatingly long seconds, Michael fell to the ground, his skull cracking against the slate pathway. The men huddled in the dark outside the Capadonno mansion whispered to each other, their collective thoughts raising to a moderate hum. Holding his gun in the air, Miles walked through the crowd brazenly looking each of the men in their faces.

  “Anybody else got a problem with me?” Miles shouted.

  Despite the hostile glares he was receiving from each of the men, no one dared to utter a sound. Then one did. Clearing his thought, Knox said loudly, “Seeing as how you stripped the life of our dying father, I’d say I have a big fucking problem.”

  “Do us all a favor, Knox, and shut the fuck up!” Miles screamed. “Now… Who had the contract on my head?”

  No one said a word. But as Miles began to pace through the crowd, Miles asked again, “Who was given the orders to kill me?”

  Eddie “The Landlord” Torrento stepped out of the crowd. Nodding at Miles, Eddie stared at the new boss of the Capadonno crime family with a stubborn look upon his face. Miles smirked as he looked into Eddie’s face. Shaking his head, Miles lifted his gun and shot twice. Eddie shrieked in pain as two bullets shattered his knee caps.

  When Miles turned around, Knox was standing just inches from him with his gun drawn.

  “Big Bad Miles getting his revenge. I bet you want to kill me, don’t you?” Knox asked with a cruel look upon his face.

  A cocky smirk grew across Miles’s face. “Kill you? It’s fun having you around,” Miles said.

  Before Knox could reply, Miles had cut into his step sending a brutal upper cut to Knox’s face. The familiar sound of Knox’s nose crunching brought a smile to Miles’s face as his brother howled in pain.

  “What the fuck!” Knox screamed.

  As blood gushed from Knox’s nose, Miles walked away slowly back to Corina. He reached his arm out to open the driver’s side door as the sound of a gun went off. The bullet hit the ground just inches from Miles’s feet, as he looked up, Dustin was rushing at him with his gun out. Knox had his gun drawn too and was rushing towards Corina. Miles wasn’t sticking around, though. Ripping open the car door, Miles jumped in the car and slammed the door shut as bullets ricocheted off of the bulletproof glass of the windshield. As Miles let out a heavy breath, Letty assaulted him from behind, hitting him on his shoulders and arms and chest.

  “Don’t you ever do that to me again! Ever!”

  Holding Letty still with his strong hands, Miles gave Letty a gentle gaze. She kissed him on his lips softly and as their lips parted, Miles said, “Strap in. We’re Brooklyn-bound.”

  As Miles slammed his foot of the gas, Corina sped backwards out of the driveway of the Capadonno compound. Knox and Dustin ran towards their cars, as the other members of the crime family loaded into their vehicles in chase of Miles. With the full roster of the Capadonno crime family hot on his heels, Miles pushed his car as fast as it could go, its motor roaring as it sped across the Carrion border.

  Juan Alves struggled against the ropes that bound him to a rickety wooden chair. Tethered to the legs of the chair was his visibly upset grandson, Gabriel, who was also bound tightly and had a gruesome gash in his forehead.

  “Let us go!” Juan demanded, his face badly mottled with bruises and abrasions. He fought to break free of his binds, but the rough edges of the rope cut against his flesh, rubbing his skin raw.

  A man in a grey suit gave Juan an amused smile.

  “Quit struggling. As soon as the big guy gets here, you can go back to the pimple on God’s ass called Carrion, New Jersey. ’Til then, sit fucking tight.”

  Juan was stubborn though, and he kept thrashing against his binds. The man laughed as he watched Juan struggle. Bringing a cigarette to his lips, he lit the tip and gave Juan a sarcastic smile.

  “Don’t hurt yourself there, Pops.”

  Corina charged up the New Jersey turnpike with ferocious determination. With Miles gripping the wheel, and Landon and Letty sitting quiet and nervous in the back seat, Corina catapulted them through Jersey City. The silhouette of the Manhattan skyline rose in the darkness, the skyscrapers lit up brilliantly in bright lights. Miles wasn’t in the least bit interested in the glitz and glamour of the Big Apple though. All he could think a
bout was G. Miles was concerned for Juan, too, but knowing that they had taken Letty’s baby in an attempt to lure Miles out and kill him was absolutely the depth of human depravity in Miles’s mind. These men didn’t care about the consequences of their actions. These men didn’t care who got hurt. Miles knew walking into this that he would have to throw out his own humanity going up against them if he were to have a fighting chance. You can’t fight a fair fight with snakes, thieves and murderers. Miles was a man of principle. A man of integrity. But walking into this fight, he’d have to lay down everything that Andie Cormack had taught him and accept the lessons that Michael Capadonno had drilled into his head as a child. Strike first. Kill fast. Take no shit and make no promises. But Miles had already broken one of Michael’s rules. Miles had made a promise to himself. He would get Letty’s son back even if it killed him. As Corina dipped into the bright lights of the Lincoln Tunnel, Miles unleashed his temper and embraced the animal inside.

  Knox Capadonno sat tense behind the wheel of his Mercedes as he trailed Miles to New York all the way from Carrion. Riding shotgun, Dustin sat beside Knox with an ill-favored look on his face.