by T M Kelly
“Who was that?” I was starting to feel like a parrot with all the questions I was asking him.
“A friend. We need to get out of here.”
“But—”
“This sheet has me concerned.” He handed the file over. “I think this is where your life changes, Lily.”
I grabbed it and hesitated before opening the thick cover. Inside it looked like a hit list. There were names with lines drawn through the center. Five names did not have the line. “Um, it’s not what I think it is, right?”
“I have a feeling it is.” He looked at his phone and walked over to open the door. “Lily, this is, Otto.”
“Hey.” I knew my greeting was shitty, but at the moment I didn’t care. “Now where are we going?”
“To a safe house.” Julian put the binder and file in his bag. “Okay, I need to turn off this device, so we need to go silent until we get to the car.
I only nodded and reached for the first file with the letter from my mom.
What did she want to tell me?
“Are you sure?” Otto said, buckling his seatbelt.
“Why would I lie?” Julian said sarcastically.
I was in the backseat of Otto’s car. “What about the rental I brought?”
“The guys will return it for you.” Julian turned in his seat.
“Guys?”
He placed his hand on my knee. “I will tell you everything back at the safe house.”
I rolled my eyes and pulled my phone out of my bag. “I need to call Charlie. Does she know everything already?”
“No, but I made it clear you were in danger. She pushed for more but finally stopped trying to get anything out of me.”
I shook my head and hit dial. “Hey, C.”
“Oh thank goodness you’re okay,” Charlie sighed loudly. “You are, right?”
“I’m fine.” I probably sounded terse. “Sorry, it’s been a long night.”
We continued to talk for another five minutes. Before I hung up, Charlie made me promise to call her in a few hours. I knew she was worried, and to be honest, I was, too.
I had my head down when the car came to a stop. Looking up, I saw we were parked in front of a one-story brick house. A woman stepped out, and it took me a moment to register. “Who is that?”
“Go see her, Lily,” Julian said, tapping his finger on the note I found earlier.
I hesitated before opening the door. My body felt weak, my chest felt tight, the snack I had just consumed wanted to make an entrance. I made it as far as the front of the car and had to place my hand on the hood for support. My legs were giving out on me.
The woman ran over to help me up. As she approached the car, I could make out all the features. It was my mom. She had more wrinkles. Her hair was salt and pepper now, but it was her.
“How—”
“Come inside, baby.” She guided me toward the front door where a golden retriever sat perfectly.
“I don’t understand.”
“I know. We have a lot to talk about, Lily,” my mom said, helping me up the steps.
“I don’t understand.” I was fighting back the snack still, but it was determined. My body bent over and I heaved. The dog barked and jumped back. I let go of everything in my stomach and more possibly.
“Oh, baby, come in here.” She led me to the back of the house and into the bathroom.
I got down on my knees in front of the toilet. My stomach was still fighting me. Wrapping my arms around the sides of the porcelain, I prayed it would end soon. Finally, my prayers were answered, and I lifted my head. “Why are you here? You died.”
“Well, no. I had to make others believe that, though.” She placed a washcloth on my forehead. “I’m so sorry for this.”
I pushed her hand away. “No, you don’t get to say sorry now.” Walking down the hall, I glanced into each room. The last room I was about to pass had newspaper clippings on the walls. I pushed open the door and walked inside. The walls were covered with articles about me.
“I haven’t missed a fight yet.”
“Wait, you went to my fights?”
She sat down on the edge of the bed. “Well, if I couldn’t go, I found a way to record it.”
I cautiously sat down beside her, needing her body near me. Holy shit, my mom was alive. Julian was right, my life was about to change in a flash. Mom reached for my hand. “Dad made me believe you were dead. Why would he do that?”
“Because he thought I was dead.” She brought my hand to her chest. “I took a drug that stopped my heart. When I was in the back of the ambulance with your dad, I was given another drug to counteract everything. The monitors were set up so it would show I was still not breathing.”
No joke, I was currently the star of this movie. I wanted out of the scene.
Julian’s big frame took up the doorway. I glanced over at him. “So how do you fit in this equation?”
Mom handed me a glass of water. “You hungry?”
“I bet you are dying to make me something,” I teased. “Okay, let’s use a different word. Excited, that works.”
She smiled, and memories came rushing back. I loved when my mom smiled. The corners of her eyes would crinkle up, and she would make the room shine. “Yes I am, sweetie.”
Julian was sitting next to me. “So, you going to make me guess how you fit into this mystery?”
“Don’t be mad at him, Lily,” my mom quickly said. “He’s protecting you, but I’m guessing he never planned to care so much for you.”
I turned to face him. “You’re protecting me?”
“Because of your dad.”
“Okay, now I am completely confused.”
“When your dad mentioned me before he died, it was planned.”
I shook my head, trying to take it all in. “So let me see if I have this straight. Dad was possibly a hitman. He thought Mom died of a heart attack. Mom is alive and has been in hiding. Dad really did die of cancer, right?”
“Yes, your dad really did have cancer,” Julian said, taking a drink of his beer. “Which is how I came into the equation. He was getting his affairs in order and trusted me enough to help.”
My head was spinning. “Candace from the newspaper knows something doesn’t she?”
“I think so. I need to talk to her,” Julian reassured.
“You’re not going to kill her, right?”
“No. God no.” His eyes went wide at the accusation. “Wow, I thought you knew me better.”
“I thought I knew my dad, but look where I’m at right now.”
“Fair enough.” He let out a deep sigh. “Your dad mentored me. He even helped me open my gym. At the time I had no clue about anything else.”
“Until Candace hinted something to you?”
“Yeah, it was a weird reference.”
“About something in his past.” I stood up and did my normal pacing when stressed. “How the hell would she know?”
Mom walked over and wrapped her arms around my waist. “You still pace when upset, I see.”
My body relaxed at her touch. “Yeah, I’m surprised I haven’t burned a hole in the carpet at home.”
“Or my tile floor.”
“Is it possible to burn a hole in tile?” He smiled for the first time, and I felt my body light up. I stepped out of my mom’s hold. “Listen, can we talk about the rest later? My brain feels like it may explode.” I pointed to the big soup pot on the stove. “Plus, I’m starving.”
“Chicken noodle soup. Your favorite,” she beamed.
I didn’t have the heart to tell her I had not had homemade chicken noodle soup since she passed…well, faked her death…or whatever she did. I had avoided the soup and claimed I hated it if I was asked.
Now I couldn’t wait to sink my spoon back into the best soup on the planet.
22
“I’m confused.” I looked over at Julian. “Are you some kind of cop?”
“No,” he said, placing his spoon back in his bowl
.
Now I was completely confused. “You helped out Dad. You helped Mom—”
“Well, Otto was assigned to your mom’s case.” He leaned back in his chair. “He’s a good friend of mine and is an undercover cop.”
“Oh, so you work as informant sometimes for him?”
“Exactly.”
My brain felt like it may explode. “So, did Dad get mixed up with a mob or something?”
“Possibly. From what Otto shared, there’s a mob ring in Toronto but the mob boss has people all over the United States, too.” He cleared his throat. “I guess the head of the mob had several homes in the U.S.”
“Well now I feel safe.” I grabbed my napkin and wiped up a few splatters on the table. “Does this mean Mom can’t ever come out of hiding?”
“I don’t know just yet. I heard the head of the mob, Giano, recently died, and the position of power has been moved to his daughter.”
“Wow, this is something I never expected to discuss at a dinner table.”
My mom reached over and squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry you got mixed up in it.”
“Well, that’s where the disconnect is for me right now. How did I get mixed up?” Then something clicked in my mind, and I turned to Julian. “Candace.”
“Yup.” Julian nodded. “When she started grilling you, then shared articles that included you and me together, we knew something was off.”
“Holy shit.” I stood to take my bowl to the sink. “Like, she is in the mob?”
“That part is unclear right now. Otto is looking into all that.”
I leaned against the kitchen counter. “Does this mean I can’t live in the rental home with Charlie and fight anymore?”
“No.” Julian stood up and walked over to me. “We speculate they just want the unfinished list.”
I held my hand up. “The less I know the better.”
He chuckled and pulled me in for a hug. “At this moment, we are not worried about your safety or your mom’s safety.”
“But—”
“Now that we found the list that could potentially change everything.”
Resting my forehead on his chest, I groaned. “All I want to do is fight.”
“Lily, you can. That won’t change, baby,” she said, placing her hand on the center of my back. “This is different. What your dad did was wrong, yes, but he did everything they wanted apparently.” She lightly pulled my arm so I’d face her. “He never once involved you in the mix.”
“He involved me when you had to fake your own death.”
“You’re right.”
“I lost out on a lot of time with you, Mom.” I grabbed both her hands. “Now I don’t want to let you go.” I gasped. “Oh my goodness, you haven’t seen Charlie in forever. She would be so excited to get her daily Mom hugs again.”
“How is C doing?”
“Sassy as ever.” My mom laughed, and I wanted cry. It felt good to be near her again, hear her laugh, hold her hands. Suddenly I was worried I would have to say goodbye soon. “I’ve read about mob rings, and I’ve watched a few movies that dealt with organized crime. Is this situation the same?” I walked over and sat down at the kitchen table. “I mean, they make it look like you are in for life and your family is in for life, too.”
“Let’s see if Otto will explain more for you,” Julian said. “There’s only so much I know.”
I wanted the whole story. I needed to know why my dad would choose to put us in danger.
Otto spent several hours going over everything. He didn’t sugar coat the situation either. Basically, what they found was Dad had never gone deep enough to involve his family. Records showed he borrowed money, and well, one thing led to another, and he got knee-deep in ensuring Giano’s men were happy. From what Otto told me, Dad never met Giano directly. He said that was a good thing.
I crossed my legs in front of me. “Let’s clear up two things—Mom and I can be free and live together?” I glanced toward her. “Oh, yeah, we will be inseparable.”
“I do love it here, though,” she said, petting her golden retriever who was on his back with his tummy up in the air. Mom’s house was maybe about two hours north of San Francisco in a very small town. “My job is satisfying.”
“Okay, then you better expect many visits from Charlie and me.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.” She smiled.
“Otto, since we have the list they want, what now?”
“I’m listening on the scanners for any chatter,” he said. “I’m listening to see if there is a way to drop it in their hands without involving us.”
I let out a deep sigh. “We still have Candace to deal with, too?”
“Well, my chief plans to send her a cease and desist letter. You go by Lily Waters for a reason, she needs to butt out.”
What he just said alarmed me. “Um, Dad said I was changing my name to build my own career. I have a funny feeling that is not the case.”
“It was. When I talked to him several years ago, he also indicated he hoped it would keep you safe.”
Otto’s words took me by surprise. Dad had a plan all along and I respected that. What I struggled with accepting was he knew I could be potentially be in danger. Just as I was about to say something, we heard a pop pop off in the distance. Otto jumped up and pulled me down to the floor. He grabbed his gun from the holster at his side.
“I thought you said we were safe?”
“I thought you were.” His phone was ringing. “Yeah? What? Okay.” He pulled his body up and sat on his knees. “It was a couple hunters.”
I leaned back against the couch. “Can we trust your men? That was too close for comfort.”
“There are ten men scattered around the surrounding area.”
“I think I would feel more comfortable at a hotel.”
Julian sat down beside me. “We could grab a place that has adjoining rooms for all of us?”
My mom cleared her throat. “I think I want to stay here.”
Something felt off. Instead of saying anything in front of Otto and my mom, I turned to Julian. “Can I talk to you privately?”
He stood and then helped me get up. “Yes, of course. Let’s go to one of the bedrooms.”
“Use the room at the end of the hallway,” my mom said as she calmed her dog, Freddy.
I patted his head as I made my way down the hall. Something felt weird, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Once we reached the room, I said, “Where is that device you used back at the storage unit?” I said in a whisper.
He left the room to retrieve his bag. When he returned, he quickly pulled it out and powered it up. Right as the green light came on, he said, “You okay?”
“You like to ask me that question, don’t you?” I pulled him over to the bed and made him sit beside me.
“I do ask it a lot, don’t I?”
I patted his hand. “It’s sweet.” I cleared my throat. “Is it just me or do they both feel like they are holding something back?”
He stayed silent for about thirty seconds. “When Otto picked us up, something felt off.”
“And you let him take us all the way to my mom’s front door?”
“Well, in my defense, I was never given the full story.”
“Julian, could Otto be wrapped up in this mess?” I moved my body back and crossed my legs in front of me. “This is all so far over my head. Like trying to separate my life from a fiction novel is really difficult at the moment.”
He moved closer to me. “Listen, one thing the chief at the police station in San Francisco made clear is you’re safe.”
“How the hell would he know that?”
“No one has ever mentioned your name or any of Johnny’s family members.”
“But my mom.”
“Yeah, that is the part I feel is fishy.”
I pushed his hand away. “You think my mom is bad?”
“Well, think about it. Why would she go to all the trouble to fake her own death if s
he was not in danger? That’s what she said, right?”
“Maybe everyone was safe if the list we found was completed,” I said, trying to wrap my mind around it all. “But what if it wasn’t finished?”
“Maybe your mom would need to ensure it was somehow?”
“Does that sound as insane as I imagine?”
Julian pulled me onto his lap. “Completely insane.”
I rested my head on his chest. “What a mess.”
“Hey, so while we’re letting out all the crazy details.”
“What else is there?” I gave him a sideways glance.
He wrapped his arms around my body and squeezed. “I kinda may have got you back on with the AFC.”
I leaned back quickly. “What? How?” I asked, shaking my head. “I have a contract with Spartacus.”
“Chuck Anders was in the audience at your fight,” he said, putting his hands up in surrender. “He approached me, I swear.” I swatted at his arm. “Ow, listen, he wants to talk to you.”
“Did you tell him about lovely Angela?”
“Of course. I have a feeling she won’t be an issue soon.”
His words took me by surprise. “They plan to fire her?”
“I’m sure that’s what he meant.”
Suddenly I had a bad feeling. Would I be able to fight on TV anymore? This whole mess with my family seemed big. It wasn’t just a matter of slap them on the wrist and move on with our lives. From what I knew, which was very little really—the mob was relentless.
“If I can ever show my face in public again—”
“You will,” he ensured.
“I hope.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Hold on,” Julian said, reaching for the device and shoving it in my lap. “Turn it off,” he whispered.
I did what he directed and then slid it under a pillow. When Julian opened the door, I wasn’t prepared for what happened next.
23
Freddy, the sweet dog that liked tummy rubs, leaped into the air and landed directly on Julian’s chest. Mom was standing in the doorway with a gun in her hand.
