by B. B. Hamel
These were our enemies. In war, you did things that were difficult, even questionable, because that was how you won. They would do this to us if given the chance; I was completely sure of that.
Our guns tore up the room. I avoided hitting the women, and they quickly dove out of the way, hiding and screaming.
It lasted two minutes. Finally, I held up my fist, and the gunshots slowly stopped.
“Get the cash,” I ordered.
The men fanned out. I combed through the people, ignoring the whimpering women. I finished off a few guys who might have survived.
Nobody was walking away from this. The women would tell the story of what had happened here, and maybe that would incite more terror in the ranks of the Russians.
Rafa came from the back room with a bag slung over his shoulder.
“Good haul,” he said.
“How much?”
“Not sure, but it’s a lot.”
“Good. Maybe this can cover some of our losses.”
“I think it will, boss,” he said, grinning.
My guys were busy rifling through the bodies, taking money from wallets, anything valuable.
I checked my watch. Five minutes had passed.
“Okay, roll out,” I said.
We turned and left back the way we’d come.
The two cars were sitting out front, engines running. We piled back into the cars and sped off.
We didn’t even hear sirens.
The feeling in the car was elation. Nobody had been hurt, and everyone in that room had been killed. It was a huge success, and we even made out with a ton of money.
It was a slaughter, but it was a necessary slaughter. Rafa was busy counting the cash, a big smile on his face.
But I felt something different.
Usually after a battle, I felt nothing but joy. I liked destroying my enemies, killing men who would otherwise kill me. I liked proving that I was faster and stronger than those bastards.
But for some reason, I had a nagging feeling. I realized that I was worried that someone from Kaley’s immediate family had been in there. I knew she had lots of cousins and uncles, all of who were members of the mob. It was very possible that one of them had died in that.
And I knew she would be very upset if that had happened, possibly never forgive me.
I couldn’t let that get to me. Kaley was important, but the war was more important. Once the war was finished, I could worry about what Kaley meant to me and what I wanted from her and Alexei. I could worry about being a father after I was finished being a fucking good soldier.
We headed back toward the compound, and I tried my best not to imagine Kaley’s face distraught from the news of her family’s murder.
29
Kaley
I was sore in the best way.
Vince was on my mind the next morning. After what had happened in his office, I went and got Alexei right away and stayed in my room all night, talking to him and taking care of him. But in the back of my mind was Vince, his strong arms holding me up, pinning me against the filing cabinet.
But for whatever reason, Alexei was fussy all night. We both got some sleep, but not nearly enough, and I was exhausted the next morning. I got my usual breakfast and sat with him, rocking him slightly in his little bouncy chair while I scrolled through my phone.
I was constantly looking for news about the war, but Facebook was oddly quiet about it. I had plenty of friends in the mob, but none of them were talking about it. Maybe they were instructed not to post about it, or maybe they were just blocking me, but either way there was an eerie silence about the whole thing.
You’d think that if two of the biggest, most badass mobs in the city went at each other, there would be news about it. But I saw and heard absolutely nothing. It was almost like it didn’t exist, although I knew it did.
I’d seen the guns. I’d heard the whispers in the hall.
When Sonya knocked on my door a few hours later, I didn’t even pretend to put up a fight. I was just too tired and sore from the day before to argue. I needed a break, plain and simple, and I was beginning to trust Sonya more and more. She took good care of Alexei, that was obvious, and if she was good enough for Nat, then she was good enough for me.
I shut the door to my room softly and went walking out into the hallway.
I was sick of sitting around in my room, cooped up. I was antsy and annoyed, frustrated and upset as I moved through the halls.
Nothing was resolved with Vince. Just because I wanted him to fuck me rough and take my body didn’t mean I felt okay with the war and the way they were using me. I didn’t want to be a part of that, but it seemed like I didn’t have much of a choice.
As I walked, I began to notice more and more people. The staff didn’t seem like they were shying away from me anymore. Actually, I began to notice people staring at me as I walked.
Which was strange. When I first got here, I could wander around the halls and basically see nobody, and everyone I did see completely ignored me. I was totally invisible.
Now, it was the opposite. It was almost like people were going out of their way to stare at me.
I shook my head. That was just stupid. I was being paranoid. I turned down a stairwell and headed downstairs. I went out the back door and walked out into the lovely spring day.
The sun was shining, and I felt good as I headed down toward the stables. I hadn’t taken a good look at the horses yet, and I wanted to see them at least once before I left the mansion for good.
I walked in through the back barn doors and headed down a thin path. There were stalls on either side, but I couldn’t see any actual horses.
Up ahead, I saw an older man reach into one of the stables with a handful of what looked like food.
“Excuse me?” I called out, not wanting to startle him.
He looked up. “Yes?”
I walked closer to him. “Hi. My name is Kaley. I’m new here. I was hoping I could see one of the horses.”
He eyed me. “You’re the new girl, huh?”
“Yes. Sorry to bother you. I just wanted to see one of the horses.”
“You said that.”
The man was probably in his sixties, with wrinkled skin and graying hair. He wore a light gray sweater over a white shirt tucked into brown slacks and big black boots. He frowned at me.
“No horses here,” he said.
“Oh, sorry. Which is the horse stable?”
“No horses,” he repeated.
Just then, I heard a snort.
A clearly horse-like snort.
I looked over the wall of the stall and saw a horse toward the back, eating.
I turned back toward him. “There’s one right in there,” I said, laughing.
“I don’t show my horses to Russian whores.”
I took a step back from him, shocked. I felt physically surprised by his sudden outburst.
“Uh,” I said, “okay. Sorry,” I stammered, not sure what else to do.
“Get out of here, you dirty Russian whore,” he said. “Go back to where you came from. Good men died because of you.”
I took a few steps backward and then turned and ran out of there.
I couldn’t believe it. Ever since I’d gotten to the compound, people had been nothing but polite to me. This man was the first person who genuinely made me feel like an outsider. More than that, he made me feel like I was somehow unsafe.
I stopped running and felt like a child. Since when did grown women run away from rude old men?
But then again, not many grown women were stuck in the middle of a hostile household surrounded by violent men.
My position suddenly felt completely insecure. I walked quickly back toward the house, totally aware of the eyes that could have been looking down from the house.
I went in through one of the many back doors and headed up the steps quickly. I heard someone coming down toward me from above, and so I quickly hopped off the stairwell, heading onto the
wrong floor.
I didn’t recognize anything as I walked, but I noticed the eyes. People were staring at me, whispering to each other. I felt like I was in a horror movie or something.
Suddenly, a guy stepped into my path. He was tall with broad shoulders and was wearing a suit.
“Are you lost?” he asked.
“Yes, I am,” I said, nervous.
He was clearly a security man. “If you’re looking for your floor, you’re going the wrong way.”
“Oh, okay. Where should I go?”
“Turn around. Head up the stairs another floor. Make a left out that door.”
“Okay.”
He stared at me. “Don’t wander around alone anymore,” he said.
“I’m not allowed to walk around?”
“Not anymore,” he said.
I quickly turned and walked away from him.
My heart was pounding in my chest. I had no clue what had happened to make people treat me this way, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. My family was likely killing their friends, and I was the poster child for the whole damn thing. As far as they were concerned, it was all my fault.
I quickly followed his instructions and went up to my floor, but instead of going to my door, I stopped at another one. Without really thinking, I knocked.
And he answered. I was a little surprised when Vince pulled open the door, looking tired.
“I thought I’d see you again, Princess,” Vince said.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.” He turned aside and I went in. He shut the door behind me.
“People hate me,” I said.
“What?”
I sat down on the couch. “People hate me here now, Vince.”
He sighed. “What happened?”
“Some old guy down at the stables called me a whore. And a security guy told me not to wander around anymore.”
He shook his head. “The guy at the stables is just some old kook we keep around to take care of the horses. Ignore him.”
“What about the people staring at me? Whispering?”
“What do you want me to say?” Vince grunted.
“Am I in danger here?”
He thought about that for a second. “Shit,” he said softly. “I wish I could say no.”
“Is my child in danger? Our child?”
“No,” he said more forcefully. “We’re assholes, but we don’t hurt kids.”
“What am I supposed to do, stay hidden in my room?”
“Might be for the best.”
“I should leave.”
He shook his head. “No, you shouldn’t.”
“If I’m not safe anymore, I’m leaving.”
“Listen to me, Kaley,” he said. “Arturo wants you alive and unharmed. You’ll be fine.”
“What happens when I’m not useful anymore?”
“Let me deal with that.”
“Will you deal with it, Vince?” I asked him seriously. “Will you go against your own people to save me if you have to?”
He stared at me, clearly surprised by the question.
“Don’t ask me that again,” he said slowly. “Don’t ever ask me to betray my people again.”
“Okay,” I said softly, feeling my heart sink.
“Listen to me.” He sat next to me. “I won’t let anyone bother you, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll put the word out that you’re not to be bothered, and if anyone says anything to you, tell me.”
“Fine.”
He frowned at me, but I looked away.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“I’m sure it is.” I stood up. “I should go get Alexei and head back to my room.”
“Sure. Okay.”
I gave him another look and then turned and walked away. I pushed open the door and headed out into the hallway, walking back toward my room.
I didn’t feel better. I believed him when he said he’d do what he could to protect me, but I was afraid that if his people ordered him to hurt me or to get rid of Alexei, he’d listen.
I didn’t want to put him in that position, but I also didn’t want Alexei to be stolen from me. I couldn’t ask him to betray his people, and I wouldn’t.
If it ever came to that, I’d run away. That was my last option. I still had some money, though not much. I could get to California, change my name, get a job, start a new life.
Maybe I should do that anyway.
What had once felt like a refuge from the terrors of my family was quickly starting to feel like another oppressive force. I was less and less welcome in the Barone family mansion with every passing day, and I knew it.
I needed to start making a plan, or else risk getting left behind.
30
Vince
I was half awake when Kaley showed up at my door talking about Jacque the crazy horse guy.
I hadn’t noticed before, but she was right. The atmosphere in the house for her was definitely getting more and more dangerous. I’d warned her that it would, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.
I got changed and checked my phone. I had a message from Lucas, which I quickly pulled up and listened to.
“Vince, Russians hit back already this morning. Lost a few guys down at the docks. Come to Arturo’s study when you get this.”
I cursed and checked the time. That message had come in an hour ago. I quickly left my room and headed toward Arturo’s study.
This probably explained why Kaley had felt a shift in the house. If the Russians had started killing back already, people were going to start blaming her for their deaths. If I had known about it, I would have warned her.
As it stood, I was more or less the only person who gave a shit about her. The other captains would use Kaley in their war faster than I could spit. Lucas and Natalie might be on my side, but only so far.
No, Kaley was my responsibility. I’d let her into the house knowing that it might be a bad idea, and so I had to protect her.
But I was torn between her and the mob. I couldn’t just lie to her and tell her that I’d do anything to keep her safe, because there were lines I wouldn’t cross.
I’d grown up in the mob. I didn’t have a family and had no clue how to handle that sort of responsibility. I didn’t know what it meant to be a father, let alone to have one. As far as I was concerned, the mob was my father and my mother.
I cursed again as I walked down the hallway and stopped outside Arturo’s office. I took a deep breath before knocking.
“Come,” he called out. I pushed open the door.
It was filled with cigar smoke inside. Arturo was puffing away, along with Alfonse and Gian. Lucas was sitting in a chair, his shirt half open, drinking what looked like whisky.
“Vince,” Arturo said. “Nice of you to join us.”
“I was sleeping,” I said.
“Russians hits us,” Lucas said.
“What happened?”
Lucas filled me in. Only a few hours after we hit them, a squad of Russians rolled into one of our pizza shops and shot up the place. They only killed the wise guys who worked in the back counting money. Two were dead and two more were wounded.
“Bastards,” Arturo said. “In fucking broad daylight, the fucking scum.”
“What’s the plan?” I asked him.
“We hit back.”
“We escalate,” Gian added. “We fucking kill them.”
“With those guns you got, we’ll win this, and fast,” Alfonse said.
“Have they said anything about it?” I asked Arturo.
“We got one message about the girl, but fuck them,” he said. “Fuck them up their disgusting Russian assholes.”
“Maybe we should revisit the girl now that he’s here,” Alfonse said.
“What about Kaley?” I asked.
“They’re thinking about giving her back,” Lucas said. “Without the kid though.”
I blinked. “Why the fuck would you do that?”
/>
Arturo shrugged. “Wars are expensive.”
“What happened to killing more Russians?”
He laughed. “We’ll give her back after we do that.”
“No,” I said.
Arturo raised an eyebrow. “No?”
“We have to keep the girl. That boy is my son.”
“We’ll keep the boy safe. Russians don’t want him anyway.”
“And the girl is his mother,” I said. “We keep her, too.”
“It’s a good move,” Gian said. “We’d save money.”
“Arturo,” I said, “listen to me. If we bend to the Russians now, what will people say?”
“True,” he said, nodding. “It wouldn’t look good.”
“No. It’d look awful. We get hit, what, twice? And we’re already giving the girl back?”
“Weakness,” Lucas said. “That would look like weakness.”
“We can’t be weak,” Arturo said.
“But we can’t be dead and poor,” Alfonse said.
“Who said we’d be dead and poor?” I asked him. “We can win this war without using the girl.”
“How do we do that?” Arturo asked me. “Seems like the girl isn’t worth all this trouble.”
I laughed. “This was never about her. You said it yourself.”
“True. I’ve been looking for an excuse to kill Russians for a long time.”
“Don’t listen to these cowards,” I said, gesturing at Gian and Alfonse.
“Yo, motherfucker, who you calling a coward?” Alfonse said.
“I’ll fucking strangle you,” Gian added, standing.
“Gentlemen,” Arturo warned, and the two captains took their seats again, but they looked pissed.
“Arturo, we can win this war. Let me watch over the girl. I’ll take care of her.”
“Aren’t you already?”
“Of course,” I said. “But I’ll keep her out of the way.”
Arturo looked at Lucas. “What do you think, son?”
