by J. B. Reed
“Very well then; I’ll wake the children. We will be ready within the hour. Can I ask where you’re taking us?”
“We can’t tell you that just yet, Mrs. Clancy. You’ve lived in the Kitchen long enough to know that the walls have ears and eyes. For you own safety, we need to get you out of the Kitchen; then we’ll tell you where you’re headed. What I can tell you is it is a beautiful place, nothing like the Kitchen. You’ll be very happy there. And, you’ll be safe.”
Mary was true to her word, an hour later, she and the children, with suitcases packed, were ready to leave the only home they had known, and were traveling out of Hell’s Kitchen for the last time. The only item Mary took with her, other than her clothing, was her wedding picture. With Jimmy Two Fingers at the wheel of the black sedan, Baby Joe, riding shotgun, literally, the family was heading to the mountains of West Virginia….and to safety.
7.
BETRAYAL
The wedding chapel was like any other in Las Vegas. Pay your money, pick a song, and, if you like, you can also buy a bouquet of flowers and a veil. Ten minutes later, you are pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Whoever. It was nothing like Vivie had imagined her wedding day would be like. Then again, she never imagined she would be pregnant with the child of the man who raped her and marrying a hired killer. All things considered, this did not seem like a bad deal. As nervous and hesitant as she was, Michael was the very picture of serenity….on the outside anyway. The chapel was crowded; there were six couples ahead of them. Who would have thought this many people who come to Las Vegas to get married. And this was just one wedding chapel in Vegas. Vivie wondered how many of the couples were sober.
“Are you ready to do this, Miss Clancy?” Michael took Vivie by the hand as they sat and waited their turn.
“I’m as ready as I ever will be. This is a big step, Michael, are you certain you want to marry me?”
“I’m certain, Vivie. I’m ready to be your husband and the father to that sweet child inside you.”
“Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you? How do you know this is going to be such a sweet child? Remember who the father is?”
“I know who the mother is. That’s all that matters to me, Vivie. And besides, for anyone who cares, I‘m the father.”
Vivie clutched Michael’s hand tightly. She felt truly blessed to have someone like Michael in her life. Forty-five minutes later, Mr. and Mrs. Michael O’Bannon walked out of the little chapel.
“So, Mrs. O’Bannon, how would you like to spend your wedding night?”
Vivie looked at Michael, not sure what he was meaning, exactly.
“Relax, Vivie, I was talking about how you might want to celebrate. Usually the bride and groom have a reception. Since we are not afforded that luxury, I was thinking we would go stuff ourselves on a huge meal and maybe go to a movie, or we could hit the casinos, if you like. Would you be up for a little gambling, darlin?”
“I feel like my whole life is a gamble. But to answer your question, I think going to the casino would be a grand time. You’ll have to show me how to gamble, I’ve never done anything like that before.”
“It would be my pleasure. Let’s go have our wedding dinner first though, would that meet with your approval, Mrs. O’Bannon?
“I love it when you call me that, Michael. Yes, let’s go have our wedding dinner. I feel like I could eat the backside of a mule.”
“I think they will have something a little more appetizing than that on the menu, darlin. At least I hope so.”
Michael and Vivie had a delicious meal, and then made their way into the hotel casino. Vivie learned quickly how to place bets, and jumped up and down when she won the first time playing roulette. At 3:00 a.m., after cashing in their winnings, Vivie and Michael headed back to the suite. After Michael unlocked the door, he turned to Vivie and swept her up into his arms.
“Michael, what on earth are you doing?”
“I’m carrying my bride across the threshold, what does it look like I’m doing?”
Michael put Vivie down after entering the room, pulled her close, and kissed her.
“I love you Vivian O’Bannon.”
“I love you too, Michael.”
Vivie pulled away from Michael, suddenly becoming a little nervous, knowing that, this being their wedding night, Michael would expect to make love to her. Vivie wanted this, more than she even realized, but part of her, a small part, was uncertain. Uncertain if she could make love, even with Michael. The only experience she had was a violent attack, an attack in which she did not participate, only to lay there, wishing she could die. Michael could almost read her mind. He knew she was scared.
“What’s wrong darlin? You can talk to me, you know that.”
“Michael, I do love you so, it’s just that, I’m not sure I can make love to you tonight. It’s not that I don’t want to, I’m just scared, Michael.”
“Vivie, we don’t have to make love tonight. I do not want you to do anything until you are ready. We have time, darlin, plenty of time. You should not get yourself worked up about this. We’ll go to sleep tonight…or maybe I should say this morning, and we’ll see how things look tomorrow, for both of us.”
Mr. and Mrs. O’Bannon did go to sleep that night. As Michael said, they had plenty of time. This would work itself out. Michael would be as patient as he needed to be. Not only did he take into consideration what Vivie had been through, but also the fact that she is now pregnant. As Michael lay next to Vivie, holding her in his arms, his thoughts once again returned to New York. In a few days they would be heading home, but to what? Joseph would have her family relocated by that time. Would he expect him to relocate Vivie as well? Joseph wanted Vivie out of Michael’s apartment and out of his life. What if Vivie learns the truth about her father’s death, and the reason for it? Michael found himself between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Just a few short months ago, he had been a carefree bachelor, doing his job, living alone, and liking it that way.
The next morning, Vivie and Michael dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. Neither of them mentioned the discussion of the night before, although it was on both their minds.
“What would you like to do today, Vivie?”
“I would love to go down to the swimming pool, Michael. It’s so warm here, so different than it is at home. Can we do that, Michael, can we go swimming?”
“Whatever you want to do, darlin. I think we may have to go purchase some swimming suits first.”
Michael winked at Vivie, causing her to blush.
The next several days the newlyweds acted as any other newlyweds might. Mornings were spent down by the pool, afternoons were spent shopping; Vivie’s new favorite pastime, and evenings were spent in the casinos. By this time, the morning sickness had passed and Vivie had the appetite of three men and a boy. Michael had never seen a woman as petite as Vivie, put away as much food as she had, the last several days. He teased her unmercifully, but Vivie knew it was all in fun. A week to the day after their arrival, while Vivie was downstairs in one of the many shops in the hotel, Michael received a phone call from Joseph.
“Lucky, how you doing out there in Vegas? Is the suite to your liking?”
“Hello Joseph, and yes, the suite is great, thank you again for letting us use it.”
“Are you free to talk, Lucky? Where is the girl?”
“She’s downstairs, doing some shopping. How are things in New York?”
“Good, things are good. We got the family relocated. Moved them to West Virginia.” Joseph laughed a deep hearty laugh.
“How did you come up with that?”
“Doesn’t matter. We got them moved and they are safe. Things have cooled down with the hit too. Has not been in the paper for a few days now. I think it would be okay for you to come home, Lucky.”
“Okay, Joseph, we can be on a plane tomorrow.”
“I need for you to come and see me when you get in, Lucky. We have some business to discuss.”
“Will do. See you tomorrow, Joseph.”
Michael hung the phone up and sat on the side of the bed, thinking of what reason to give Vivie for going home. He also wondered what business Joseph wanted to discuss with him. He was almost positive it would have something to do with Vivie. When Vivie returned to the suite, loaded down with packages, she could tell something was on Michael’s mind.
“Are you upset with me, Michael? Am I spending too much money?”
“Of course not, darlin. However, you know we will have to have some of this stuff shipped home. We’ll never be able to get it all on the plane.”
“Michael, is something bothering you?”
“Not really. I got a phone call from Joseph. He needs me back in New York as soon as possible. He said there is some business he needs to discuss with me. I am afraid we will have to cut our honeymoon short, darlin. We will need to leave for home tomorrow.”
“It’s okay, really, I’ve had a wonderful time here, but it’s always good to get back home. Michael, I have been thinking about something, something that I am sure has been on your mind as well. We haven’t consummated our marriage yet.”
“I told you before, darlin, we have plenty of time.”
“If you wouldn’t mind, I would like to wait until we’re home, Michael. Home in your big bed. The bed that you so lovingly watched over me when I needed it most.”
Michael put his arms around Vivie and held her tight. “That would be perfect, darlin.”
Vivie and Michael packed up and left for the airport at 6:00 a.m. New York seemed so far away. They had been so happy while in Vegas. Just Mr. and Mrs. Whoever on their honeymoon; where no one knew them or their history. Now it was back to reality, a reality that had Michael more than a little uneasy.
Once Michael and Vivie had arrived home, and Vivie was settled in, he left for his meeting with Joseph. Maybe it would not be as bad as Michael was thinking. Maybe Joseph just had another assignment that he needed to discuss with him. Whatever it was, he was about to find out.
“Lucky, come in, have a seat. How was your flight?”
“Not bad at all. We got home about an hour ago. I wanted to get over here as soon as possible, Joseph. What did you want to discuss with me?”
“Like I told you on the phone, we got the family relocated. Now it’s time for you to relocate the girl, Lucky. It’s time you get her out of your house. The longer she stays there, the more chance the Westies will find out it was you that blew that cocksucker’s legs off. You can reunite her with her mother and the rest of the family. Here’s the address, or if you want, I can have a couple of the boys drive her there.”
Joseph slid a piece of paper to Michael with the address where Vivie’s mother is living on it. Michael placed the paper in his pocket.
“I can’t do that, Joseph.”
“Why the hell not?”
“She’s pregnant. It’s my kid.”
“Jesus Christ! You knocked her up? So what do you plan to do, get married and become a family man? You are a fucking killer, Michael. You can’t change that. You are what you are. You are not going to change. That’s all you know how to do. Give her some money, tell her you’ll send her money on a regular basis, but get the bitch out of your house, now, Michael.”
“There’s more, Joseph.”
“Fuck, I knew there had to be. What are you going to tell me now, that she knows you’re a killer and she loves you anyway?” Joseph voice was full of anger and sarcasm.
“Yes. She knows. She knows everything about me.”
“Mother fucker! What the fuck is wrong with you? You used be smart, now you’ve turned into a fucking idiot. Tell me you didn’t tell her you work for me.”
“She knows; she knows everything.”
Joseph became silent. His face blood red. Standing behind Michael, Michael was not sure if Joseph was going to whack him right then and there or what was coming next.
“Did you stop to think for one fucking minute what telling this girl everything was going to mean? She has become a liability Michael. I can’t let her live, you know that. She knows too much. She could be big trouble for the whole family. Now, the question is, are you going to do it or do I send one of the boys?”
Michael stood up to face Joseph.
“I’ll do it. You don’t need to send anyone. It’s better that I do it.”
“Then you better damn well do it, and soon. You have betrayed me, Michael. Of all the people I would expect to betray me, you were the last one I would have guessed would do it. I do not take this kind of betrayal lightly. You have a lot to answer for. You can start by getting rid of the girl. I want you to call me as soon as it’s done. You hear me, Michael?”
“I hear you. I will call as soon as it’s done.
Michael left Joseph’s office and headed for his car. What was he going to do? He could not kill Vivie, he knew that. He knew that Joseph would be watching him, waiting for the phone to ring, letting him know his orders were carried out. There was only one thing he could do. He had to tell Vivie the truth, everything, including that her father was dead and he was the reason why he was dead.
When Michael arrived home, he found that Vivie had prepared a romantic dinner for two. She was dressed in a short, sexy, black dress she had purchased in Vegas. Michael knew Vivie was planning on a romantic evening for the two of them. This was quickly going to turn to shit.
“Hello sweetheart. I’m glad you’re home. How did things go with Joseph?”
“You look lovely, Vivie. Dinner smells fantastic. I want to talk to you about my meeting with Joseph. Let’s go into the living room and sit down.”
Vivie could see that Michael was troubled, more so than she had ever seen him.
“Darlin, I had to tell Joseph about us, about the baby. Vivie, he was livid. He wants you out of here. He said I cannot be a married man with a family and continue to work for him.
“Then we’ll leave, Michael, we can go anywhere. We can start over.”
“There’s more Vivie. I did something stupid, very, stupid. After you were attacked, I went to the Kitchen looking for Tommy. I did not find him but I did find Shane. Shane would not give me any information on Tommy at first. I had to hurt him Vivie. I shot him…..”
“You killed Shane?”
“No, but I did hurt him pretty bad. I also gave him a message to give to Tommy and Ryan; that I was coming after them for what they did to you.”
“Michael, you promised me you would stay away from Tommy.”
“I know I did, and I’m sorry. I knew the day I went to the Kitchen I should let someone else handle it, but Vivie, I was so full of rage for what they did to you. I wanted to be the one to exact revenge on them. Shane did deliver the message. Tommy retaliated. Vivie, Tommy ordered a hit on your father. I’m sorry, Vivie, your father is dead.”
“Sweet Jesus, Michael, that’s not true. My father cannot be dead. I have to call him. I have to call my father.”
Vivie got up and walked over to the telephone. Michael took the phone away from her and placed it back on the receiver.
“Vivie, listen to me. Tommy knew that if he killed your father, it would bring you out of hiding, that you would come to the funeral, and he knew if you showed up at the funeral, that I would not be far behind. Tommy ordered the hit in order to flush me out Vivie. He was trying to find me to even the score for Shane and because of the threat I made against him. Your father is dead because of me.”
Vivie sat back down, she could not believe the words that were coming out of Michael’s mouth.
“I have to get to my mother. She will need me, now more than ever.”
“Your mother and the kids are no longer living in the Kitchen. Joseph heard about the hit and called me. He is the one who suggested we get out of town. While we were in Vegas, Joseph had your family relocated to West Virginia, for their own safety. They are all fine, Joseph made sure that they had everything they would ever need.”
“So the trip to Vegas,
for us to get married, it was all a lie. You had to get me out of town so I wouldn’t find out about my father and what you had done?”
“No, getting married was not a lie. I wanted to marry you Vivie, and I had already planned for us to go to Vegas when Joseph called and told me to get out of town for a while. He suggested Vegas because he had the suite there. It all fell into place, Vivie, but us getting married was not part of Joseph’s plan. I love you Vivie. I want to be your husband and a father for your child.”
Vivie slapped Michael across the face.
“How dare you say you love me; you are responsible for my father being dead, because you couldn’t control your temper. You had to take care of things yourself, even after I asked you to stay out of it. You’ve betrayed me Michael; I don’t think I can ever forgive you for this.”
This was the second time in an hour that Michael had been told he had betrayed someone. The two people he cared the most about, and they both feel he had betrayed them.
“Vivie, when I told Joseph about us getting married, about the baby and that you know all about me and that I work for him, he went insane. He said you had become a liability that you had to die.”
A look of fear came over Vivie’s face as she backed away from Michael.
He told me I had to do it or he would have one of his guys do it. You can hate me the rest of your life but I have to get you out of town, Vivie. I would rather die myself than to harm you. And I will not allow anyone else to either. I want you to go to West Virginia, where your mother is. Will you do that, Vivie, please?”
Vivie’s whole body was trembling, partly because she was engulfed in anger, and partly because, at this moment, she was not sure that Michael would not kill her.
“I’ll leave, Michael. Do you know where my mother is living in West Virginia?"
“Yes, this is the address. I can drive you there tonight.”
Michael handed the piece of paper Joseph had given to him, to Vivie.
