by Koko Brown
I know the scars that line his arms and legs by heart. I’ve dreamt of tracing them with the tip of my tongue. Heat rises in my face, and I glance away, embarrassed by my visceral response to him. I’m sure he doesn’t lack feminine company. None of my father’s men do. Women like power and wealth, and thanks to Daddy, they have both. In Alfie’s case, he has the killer British accent and good looks on top of that. He holds out his hand. I pause a few feet back as he quickly checks the car over for tampering. Pleased he opens and closes his hand in a come here gesture and I move to the passenger door, which he unlocks and opens for me.
I slip inside the luxury sedan, fasten my seat belt, and relax into the soft black leather seat. We take a ten-minute ride to the Thinking Cup coffee shop.
“I like to come here and clear my mind from time to time. They have great coffee, food, and pastries. Might be a good place to keep warm, relax, and kill some time.”
He’s letting me further into his world. I reach across the car and grab one of his hands in both of mine.
“Thank you.”
He glances over at me, and my breath catches. His eyes are fathomless, and for a split-second, I swear I see a flicker of interest.
“Taking care of you is more than a security detail, Athena.” He tucks a few strands of hair behind my ears. His calloused fingertips brush against my skin, and I swear I feel sparks fly between us. The shocked expression on his face is enough to tell me I’m right. The air in the car grows charged. My heart races, and I lick my lips, unsure what will happen next. He pulls away and clears his throat. The opportunity passes as he moves from the car, but it’s the start. Disappointed, I sigh as he rounds the car. Things have been shifting between us for some time.
I thought perhaps this was the moment we’d admit it to ourselves. He opens the door, and I keep my gaze trained on my lap as I move to step out. His hand on my shoulder gains my gaze. I peer up to find him holding out his hand. It’s a small concession that speaks volumes. I take it and allow him to help me outside. He closes the door and twines our finger, and my heart soars. This is going to happen. The agreement is unspoken, but as he smiles down at me in a way I’ve never seen before, I know I haven’t misread him.
Each step we take feels like one toward a new future.
Present
“We’re here.” The car stops, and I’m removed from my trip down memory lane. That event was a catalyst for the one great love of my life. I exit the car, and we board the small jet my father prefers to commercial flights. I follow behind him growing weary. The life of a single mother is rewarding but hard. Thanks to my degree I have a good job as a pharmacist, but the balancing of work. , homework, school trips, and sports is nearly impossible. I run on coffee, stolen moments of sleep, and a fake smile that hides the fact that I’m on the edge of falling apart half the time. Contrary to what most people think, money doesn’t solve everything.
Still, my beautiful boy makes it all worthwhile, though. His zest for learning and joyful countenance gets me through. I scrub my face with my hands and follow them inside the aircraft, eager to catch up on my sleep during the forty-five-minute flight. Papa can entertain Kier. As I drift off to sleep under a heavy blanket, my thoughts are filled with Alfie. I wonder what he’s doing now. I dare not look for fear that I’ll be caught. I know only that he’s alive and thriving. Exhausted. I let the beautiful abyss of nothingness take me away and shut down my brain.
TWO
ALTHEA
It’s surreal being here at the home that housed so many good memories for me growing up. The two-story, six bedrooms, four bath dwelling with its slate gray shingles, black shutters, and a white fence is opulent inside, but quaint, and homey. Infused with the Island vibe, it lifts my spirit and takes away some of the weariness I’d felt on the flight over. I unpack my bag and set my clothes inside the distressed white shabby chic dresser I’ve had since I was a small girl. The room is done in pale lavender with flower pattern curtains and bedding to match. What my father couldn’t do himself, he spared no expense paying others to accomplish. He hadn’t a clue about little girl things, but the interior designers nailed it.
I miss those days. When he was my hero instead of my enemy or my keeper. I knew what my father did. But it never changed the way I felt about him as a daughter, until that night. A knock comes at my door.
“Baby girl, you ready to come down for dinner?”
I clear my throat. “Yeah, Dad.”
“Can I come in?”
“Yes.”
He opens the door, and I see something on his face I haven’t in a long time, humility.
“I know I wronged you. Nothing I say or do can take that away. But I don’t want to go on like this. With us barely able to stand to be in the room with one another.”
I suck my teeth. How can I just let go of years of resentment? He finally decides to give me a half ass admission of guilt, and I’m supposed to fall all over myself with gratitude?
“I know it’s not that easy to forgive, and it would take a lot of work to repair the damage I’ve done. But I need to know it’s a possibility.”
I close my eyes and bow my head biting my tongue. It’d be easy to wound him now. But it would only make me like him if I took advantage of the moment.
“I can try.”
“That’s all I can ask. Life’s too unpredictable to remain at odds.” I tilt my head to the side.
“Dad?”
“Come on. I’m sure Kier is ready to eat us out of house and home.”
My stomach bubbles. There’s more than an attempt at redemption at work here.
“Is there anything you want to tell me?” I ask.
“That I love you with all my heart. I may not have been the ideal father. I knew jack shit about little girls, and I had an empire to run that made you take a backseat. But it’s a double-edged source. That same thing allowed you to have all the advantages and privileges few will ever know. I did the best I knew how. I don’t want that to stain the way Kier see’s me.”
So this is about his grandson. The legacy child.
“And I don’t want to feel your eyes like daggers on my back.”
“Why now?” I ask, suspicious about his timing and the surprise trip. My father is the king of ‘need to know only and omission.
“Why not now? It should’ve happened sooner.”
We reach the bottom of the stairs, and the conversation comes to a halt. Litter pitchers have big ears.
“Finally, I’m starving, Mom.”
He wrinkles his brow and frowns, looking so much like his father tears well up in my eyes. I force a fake laugh. “Well, we can’t have that. We’re here now, so we can dig into our feast.”
It’s tradition that we order out the first day we arrive from Kitty Murtagh’s, the local Irish Pub. Dad ordered in our favorites and Ryan went to pick them up. The smell of Bangers and Mash Guinness-battered fish and chips and Shepard’s pie mingle and make my stomach growl loudly.
“Looks like you’re not the only one who’s starving Kier,” Dad teases. Water’s passed around, and we all settle around the oak table in the living room with the television on and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Dome DVD playing for background. Too hungry to converse the silence is broken only by the sound of chewing, swallowing and sounds of approval. I miss the food every time we leave.
Full, I set down my fork and pat my belly.
“That was excellent, as always, “I say.
“Kitty never lets us down,” he agreed.
Despite my nap, my eyes to droop as exhaustion threatens to overcome me. My head nods, and my stomach clenches. This isn’t natural. I know instantly I’ve been drugged.
“Daddy, why?”
“It’s necessary. Remember that I love you.”
“W-what did you give me?”
“Just chloral hydrate.”
The odorless, tasteless drug won’t stay in my system long or harm me or Kier.”
“I’m writing a wrong
and keeping the two of you safe. There are things about to happen you can’t be here for.”
“Wasn’t your choice,” I force my thick tongue to work, slurring my words.
“When it comes to life and death I will choose as I see fit. You alive and hating me is better than the alternative.”
His words alarm me, but I can’t get my body to react accordingly.
“By the time you wake, you’ll be far away from here, and on your way to the fresh start, I know you’ve always wanted. There will be further instructions once you reach your final destination.”
“Dad, you can’t do this.”
“I already have.” He walks over and kisses my forehead. “My time in Boston is over. We’re going to be raided, and I doubt I’ll live to see prison. It’s a coop. I’m going down the way I lived on my feet. But I’ll be damned if I see you and Kier destroyed in the process.”
The news slams into me. My chest tightens and tears spill out of my eyes. “Da- No.”
“Shh. You’re going to be just fine baby girl.” he hugs me to him. “Sleep now, and wake up away from this nightmare.”
I struggle to stay cognate, but the drugs overpower me, and I know nothing.
I climb my way from the darkness and lift my heavy lids. I’m still feeling sluggish after effects of chloral hydrate. I peel open my eyelids and turn my head. The cabin is dimly lit, but I can see Kier sleeping across the aisle. We’re on a plane. I moisten my lips and blink to try to rid my eyes of the painful dryness. My hands shake as I fumble with my belt. How long have I been out? Where are we headed? I pat my pockets No phone. I curse myself for not wearing a watch. I glance around the cabin. I can see the tops of heads, but I can’t make out who they as I rise.
“She’s up.”
A body stands, and beneath the light I recognize him.
“Marcus?”
“Yes, Tony, Kurt and I are here to make sure you arrive safely.”
“Arrive where? When? How long have we been in the air?”
“Please calm down, Athena.”
“Calm down. I was drugged and carried off. Kidnapping is illegal you know. Not that you care much about the law.”
“I understand that you’re upset, but I’m just doing my job. We’ve been on the plane for about four hours now, and we have many more to go. There’s food and drink on the plane and bags with a few outfits once you arrive.”
“Where am I going?”
Marcus shook his head. “I can’t tell you that.”
“I want to talk to my father.”
“He said you’d say that.”
I glance over at tony. The stocky, clean-shaven man with a round face and kind dark brown eyes has been around since I was a girl. “Tony. Don’t make me act ignorant on this plane.”
“Settle down. I’ll get you a phone.”
“Thank you.” I move back to my seat. I don’t want to take my anger out on the people who don’t deserve it. I’ll save it all for my father. NO wonder he wanted to make amends. This was his goodbye. I shake my head. I’ve never run from trouble. Why would I know? How many times have we dealt with other families encroaching on what’s ours? Douglas’s don’t run. We stand and fight. Does he think I no longer have the stomach for it? Kier and I have a life back in Boston. I have a great paying job I enjoy, friend, and a nice apartment. Kier has close friends, after school activities and a slot in a prestigious private school. Now it’s all gone because my father decided to get paranoid? No.
He hands me the satellite phone.
“Daddy, what the fuck were you thinking?”
“I knew you’d be upset.”
“I have a job and a home. Kier has school, friends, and coaches who’ve been working with him since he was old enough to play. “
“You don’t understand the serious nature of what’s about to happen, Athena –
“Then explain it to me.”
“The Albano family and the Brizzi family have joined in an alliance. You know what that means.”
Her stomach dropped. He was literally surrounded by enemies now who’d joined their forces together.
“D- Did they say anything to you?”
“No, which is why I know what comes next. I’m no strange to a takeover. I can fight them. I plan to, but in the end, they have the numbers. I have been on top a long time. People want to see me toppled.”
“Dad, why aren’t you on this plane with us then?” I ask.
“Because I’ll be damned if the run me out of my own town.”
“we should be with you.”
“No. you shouldn’t. Kier is a threat to them. A rightful heir to the throne. You understand? He could never be safe here.”
Nausea makes my stomach churn. I swallow down the bile. They’d kill him.
“Daddy.”
“I have a plan. I need you to trust me to execute it.”
“Am I ever going to see you again?”
“I won’t make a promise I can’t keep.”
A sob escapes my lips. “Daddy. I don’t want you to die. I’m sorry things have been fucked up between us. I was so angry at you for what you did.”
“I didn’t want this life for you. He would’ve put a target on your back. You didn’t choose a lackey you choose the man responsible for a lot of death and punishment. His enemies number in the thousands.”
“I’m your daughter. I was born with a target.”
“Maybe so, but he made it worse. I know it was the wrong thing to do. I knew it once you came up pregnant, but I couldn’t go back on my actions. It would make me look weak. I couldn’t afford it. In this life, you have to make tough calls. That was one of mine.”
I got it. I’d never be okay with it, but I could see his point of view.
“I hate this.”
“I do too.”
“Why can’t you tell me where I’m headed?”
“You’ll understand once you arrive. Know you’ll be taken care of and have a chance for a life away from all of this. You never lacked heart or courage, but I knew you wanted something different. This is me trying to set things right.”
This might be the last time I talk to my father.
“When are they coming?”
“I don’t know.”
I clutch the phone in my hand , knowing I won’t stop until the battery is Dad.
“I’ve always been proud of you, Athena. You were the best part of me. Smart, funny, and caring, you found your passions in life and pursued it regardless of who I was. I always admired that. I’m the man my father made me. You were always your own person. I think you inherited that from your mother. She had a core of steel and enough optimism for us both. She was my bright point of light. When I lost her, the darkness slowly started to consume me. You got what was left.”
“I love you baby girl.” The garbled words
“And I love you too, Daddy.”
The phone disconnected and I closed my eyes and hung my head. I’d learned more about my father in the last two hours than I had known my entire life. For the first time I ever I saw him, the man behind the persona and then he was ripped away. I cover my face and sob, purging. Kier is going to need me when he wakes up, but this time is mine to grieve.
Alfie
I read over the paperwork on my desk and rub my temples. It’s vague. A location of a landing strip outside of London where I should be tonight between eleven-thirty and midnight. In just six hours, Athena Douglas will be here on British soil. What will she say when she sees me? I’ve replayed every moment of our time together and run a thousand different scenarios in my head. She might give me face a good slap, hug me, or kiss me. I always thought of going back, but I never followed through.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ifan asks.
I peer up grateful for the interruption.
“I have no other choice. I’d never let anything happen to her. Surely, you know that. Maybe this is my chance to set things right. All this time I’ve been wondering what if and now I
have a chance to know.” I shake my head.
“You don’t think trouble will come and find us?”
“No, their reach won’t extend here. As long as she’s out of the states, she’ll be fine. I’d wager he's overprotective. If she steered clear of Massachusetts, they could care less about her whereabouts. Women don’t come back and take over. I don’t think this move is personal. It’s business.”
“You taking his word on that?” Ifan asked.
“No, mate. I put out feelers and asked around. They want to take their power back. It was a slight him climbing up the ranks and maintaining his hold. It was an embarrassment, having a young upstart come in, rise to power, and stay there. They’ve wanted to get back to the old days, build it back up strong. He was in the way of that.”
“And now he won’t be,” Ifan finished.
“Exactly.” I run my hand across my close-cropped hair and try not to think about the fact that I’ll be with Althea tonight. “I need you to man the lads. We’ve got one last collection to do today. I’m going to get the house ready for company. I got shit for food, no extra sheet or anything remotely appealing to a woman.”
“You’re really thinking she’s going to stay here? Knowing what you do?”
“It’s nothing compared to Porter. We got a legit business here, and I can keep her safe.”
“She might not be the woman you remember,” Ifan said.
“Do you think I don’t know that? I should’ve gone back for her. I have the power. So why didn’t I?”
“Because you knew it’d cause trouble for everyone involved,” Ifan said. Always believing the best of me. We’ve known each other since we were kids, and he’s never let me down. It’s why he’s the only person I’d go into business with. Here in the UK. The debt collecting
Or maybe it’s because I’m a coward. There weren’t many things I regretted, but this …. Eats me up from the inside out.
“I can hold down the fort, brother. It’s just a small gig. The boys shouldn’t have any troubles.” I place my hand on his shoulder and squeeze. “Thank you.”
