Ruby's Palace
Page 39
Sam hugged him and said goodbye.
Jack waited until his father closed the door. “So, Ocean ain’t dead then?”
Sam grinned, “Nah. Son, the fucking state you left his face in, he will wish he had died. A man like that lives on his looks. Now he ain’t got a face. That will haunt him for the rest of his life.”
Chapter Twenty Three
Six months later
The rain poured. It was not the best day for the funeral but the wait had been long enough. The red tape was never ending. Now, after six months, the case was finally closed. The body was released for burial. It was a small gathering, with nothing too lavish.
Jack turned his coat collar up to stop the drops of water from going down his neck. Even the thick, warm material would not stop him from shivering. The tears streamed down his face. As the coffin was lowered into the grave he stood and stared. Visualising the corpse inside, he shuddered and said a few words quietly, for only her to hear.
The black limousine pulled up by the gates. Jack hurried over and the door was opened for him. There were a group of onlookers that Jack just about recognised but he didn’t stop to speak, too intent on getting away. He said his goodbyes and couldn’t bear to hang around.
“Get in, and out of that wet coat.” He looked at his aunt and smiled. She was the mother he needed, not Jesse.
“Are you all right, my darling?” Francesca touched his cheek.
He nodded.
“Look, why don’t you and Kizzy spend some time with me in the States?”
Kizzy’s face lit up. She sat opposite Jack, gripping his hand. She had never been to America, or outside of England for that matter.
He suddenly had a sparkle in his eyes. “Yeah, I need a break and Kiz can meet our other family.”
Francesca laughed. “Now there’s an experience. Kizzy, queen of the gypsies, meets king of the mafia.”
That brought a huge smile to Jack’s face. Kizzy was delighted that the Vincents had accepted her. Their relationship, in those short six months, had grown so fast. It had been a roller coaster ride, that was for sure, but one she and Jack held on to together.
“You will love America, and my Uncle Sergio!” squealed Ruby. Her face was soft and sweet, like the charming three-year-old she once was. The realisation that terrifying evening, faced with her knife-wielding mother, told her everything she needed to know to be a loyal Vincent. No matter how far she had pushed her family, they would lay their lives on the line for her. She wasn’t hidden from their secrets, she understood it all – the need to be an essential part of the pack. She would never look back or go it alone. No one would come between her and her family. She looked at her aunt and smiled. Francesca had sat, day in day out, by her hospital bed, all through her recovery, physically and mentally. The psychiatrist had worked with Ruby, restoring her back to normal, all with the help of her family, every single one of them.
She recalled the words her aunt had said as she had sobbed into her arms and pleaded for forgiveness. ‘Ruby, we were wrong for hiding the truth about your past, your mother, and what I did. It was our fault that you went in search of her and it was our fault you took solace in the arms of a man so far removed from us. You were looking for something missing in your own life. I did the same thing. I never waited to find the truth about my husband – too much in love, I suppose. We make mistakes on our journey, but it shapes us into the person we become. Look at you now. You are still young, beautiful, and have experienced the worst of people. Now you can see the best. It’s the ugly characters who really highlight the good ones.’
When they reached their home and everyone stepped out of the car, Jack lifted his sister, helping her with the cumbersome crutches. Even six months on, the nerves in her leg were still damaged. Ruby whispered, “Was you praying for Jesse, Jack?” Jack turned and, with a cold expression, he said, “No, I told her to rot in hell!”
“Me too!” she whispered.
The tears he cried were not for his mother but the years of sadness she had caused them. Now, he had a new life: he could look to the future with more confidence and no more nightmares. Jesse, the boogie man, lay six foot under and he could sleep soundly, knowing she couldn’t ever harm them again.
He winked at his sister and then he turned to his aunt. She had the same expression as Ruby. That cool demeanour with eyes that could melt your heart. He knew she wasn’t like his mother. She was just lost for a while, but now she was back. A true Vincent.
They say it’s the alpha female who really leads the pack!