“I’m here to make amends, Uncle Lucius.”
A barely happening but easy grin seems to relax his face. “That’s good. A family divided is very unhealthy.” I detect no trace of menace in his words.
“I’ll come back to you, to the organization,” I tell him. “I’ll let you teach me your business if that’s what you still want.” I stop. I don’t want to take it too far.
If he’s surprised, he doesn’t let it show. He keeps his eyes on me but remains calm and collected—benevolent even.
“You’re willing to come back? To assume your position as my eventual heir? Is that what I’m hearing?”
This is the moment of truth. I have to believe it or he will see right through me. “Uncle, I have resisted this. I wanted a simple life, but life can never be simple. I know that now. There will always be complications.”
Lucius nods slowly, considering my words.
“I need to be able to control the complications, keep them from having any ill effect on my life and those I am loyal to.”
“A man’s loyalty is his value,” Lucius says.
“Everything has gone shitty,” I say without hesitation. “The whole fucking world has gone insane. There’s no point denying who I am anymore. I can’t walk away from it and neither can Ella.”
A slight jerk of his neck and a twitch in his eye express his displeasure that I have linked Ella to my decision.
“Miss Wade has her own family,” Lucius says. “Her father is more than capable of giving her protection. I know you care for the girl, Jack, but her whole family has been marked and that mark won’t go away completely until they do. They’re doomed. No one can save them now. You’ll just get yourself erased along with them.”
Yeah, fuck that and fuck you, Lucius. It’s now or never. I interlace my fingers, feeling the weight of the gun in my pocket. “Here’s the deal,” I say. “You take me in, you take Ella in, too. We’re both under your protection and my loyalty is yours forever.”
Lucius bangs his hand on the table as his face goes red. “You don’t make ultimatums. I have no use for them. And you… you vastly overestimate your importance to the organization.”
One way or another, Lucius is going to come around. “Maybe I’m not all that important but you have no choice but to do as I say.”
Lucius pouts, grinding his teeth together. “No choice?”
“Bronson knows everything. You’ve told me this yourself. He’ll know I’m here with Ella if he doesn’t already. He knows my connection to her. Turning us away won’t change that fact. She and I and your sense of loyalty are all on this fucking sinking ship together.”
“I have survived things beyond what your naïve mind could ever imagine. Whatever happens, there are endless paths I can take.”
“I don’t doubt that,” I say. “But I doubt the path where your long-time associate Carter lies dead next to his dead daughter and your dead nephew is a path you would ever choose to take. It will make you appear weak, Uncle.”
His intense concentration relaxes and he waves his hand like all this is nothing. “The girl is here,” he says. Whatever calculation he has made changes everything in his energy. “Bravo, nephew. You have shaped the situation so that your desired outcome is likely. This is why I believe in you.”
“Yes, she’s here,” Carter says from behind me as he enters the briefing room. The motherfucker couldn’t stay away despite my demand. “And she needs to stay here under the full protection of the organization.”
Lucius glares at his oldest friend, emotionless, as if he has barely registered his presence. “So now the organization is of value to you, Carter? You only come home when it rains. My mother would have called you a meal-time mutt.”
“What do you want me to say?” Carter asks. “That you’re right? That you’ve always been right? That I fucked up? It is what is. You’re right, Lucius. Is that better? There’s place for calculation and there’s place for daring. We’re different. That’s it. Is that what you want to hear?”
Lucius glances to the side with a darkness that even gives me a chill.
Carter waits for him to turn his eyes back to him. “I’ve done things for you,” Carter continues. “Things you could only ask me to do. I did them and I’ll take them to my grave, you know that.”
The room becomes silent. Whatever happens is going to happen between them. The two men that started everything.
“Enough,” Lucius says, almost docile. “I don’t want no fucking war with Bronson. Protecting your daughter immediately equates to us actively protecting you.”
Carter pulls the chair closest to Lucius out to sit. “That’s unfortunate. This is my fuckup, but the water’s run under the bridge. Jaxson’s telling you the truth. The word is out.”
“I am sure it is,” Lucius says. “And I am sure I am looking at the source.”
Carter nods. “Turning the situation toward a desired result,” Carter says. “That’s something all three of us have in common.”
Lucius has limited options. He can throw us to the wolves and begin the long process of repairing his reputation with just about everyone in the underworld, or he could do as we ask and basically challenge the Bronsons in the most direct way possible.
“Annabel loved Ella,” Carter says. “She wouldn’t want you to just throw her to the wind.”
“Leave my sister out of this,” Lucius says, standing up suddenly. “You took advantage of me. Both of you. Any help I give will come with conditions.”
“Of course it will,” I say, a little more than suspicious.
“This thing you have for Carter’s girl has got to stop. Nothing good can come from it, Jack.”
“On that we agree,” Carter says. Of course he would say that. The bastard.
Holy fuck, every time I turn my head, someone wants me to give Ella up.
“This again,” I say. “Have either of you selfish old bastards ever been in love? Could you ever walk away from it?”
“In our work, that kind of love always leads to tragedy,” my uncle says. “Carter is not stable. He won’t stop playing his games, Jack. Ella will always be a target because of him and she’ll never agree to you being part of the organization. Our work is dangerous. She knows that.”
I simmer while I resist the urge to pull my gun out and blow both these assholes away right here and right now.
“Kid,” Carter says. “You’ve already lied to her twice. That will never stop. Trust me, I know. I’ve been there. And I don’t want what happened to my wife to happen to my daughter.”
“Fuck,” I say under my breath. The air compresses in my lungs.
“That’s my condition, Jack, and it’s not negotiable. Take it or leave it. And this time, I’ll make sure you don’t lie to me. You will put an end to it or I will talk to Ella and wipe all the lies away.”
“You make sure she’s safe,” I say. “Not just now, but forever, and I will let her go. You have my word.”
I want to strangle my uncle with my bare hands. Everything that could hurt and ache, does.
“Ella’s too vulnerable right now,” Carter says. “Wait a day or two before you break the news to her.”
I don’t remember doing it, but I must have gotten up and walked through the door. Nobody stopped me. I’m walking down a corridor. I don’t know where I’m going. I just go. Without Ella in my life there is no life. I am just an empty body floating through meaningless space and time, marching toward nothing much at all. And, yet, it’s a price I’m willing to pay to save her.
—five—
Ella
Jax was right. His uncle’s home—if you can call it that since everyone calls it the HQ—is as creepy and dark as a mausoleum. I’m sure it would be a big hit if it hosted a Halloween party or served as a set for the remake of Dracula. Seriously, the entire furniture and art collection is stuck in the nineteenth century, not to mention the bars on most of the windows along with heavy dark drapes drawn down. The air smells of heavy perfum
e, aromatic candles and something musty.
I imagine most of the rooms can’t possibly be in use, the sheer size of the place making it impossible to even count them. I wonder what possessed Lucius to buy this place and why he decided to actually live here. Surely, he could have kept his private life separate from his business? Then again it wouldn’t be farfetched to assume the whole idea is to make people uncomfortable when they visit—assistants, employees and rivals alike.
Jax is somewhere out back catching up with old acquaintances and friends which leaves me with nothing to do. I still can’t believe how fast things have moved and how I went from being thrilled about a trip to Paris to basically being under house arrest or, worse, being under house arrest at Dracula’s house.
The only things I have with me are the clothes I was wearing last night when I went out for dinner and a small purse with my wallet and some scattered pieces of gum. Everything else I own sits at my empty apartment where I have no idea when I will be able to return. Jax has asked me to make a list with things I need so one of his uncle’s lackeys can go and fetch them. Some strange evil man will actually go to my place and stuff my makeup and underwear in a bag for me. Awesome.
The kitchen is empty so that eliminates the prospect of having one more pleasant conversation with the cook, Mrs. Miller, a lovely elderly lady that has known Jaxson since he was a child. I thought she’d be preparing dinner by now but maybe Lucius has other plans.
I was told to stay indoors. That sounds like overkill since the place is so heavily protected. The only thing that could get through all those guards and alarms would be a guided missile.
I don’t know what to do with myself. I walk aimlessly down a hall and then start up some marble stairs. The idea that I could be spending days here, even weeks or worse like Jax suggested, makes me anxious and antsy to the point my palms get sweaty.
My mother thinks I’m on a plane to Paris right now. At least that means she won’t be worried about me just yet being AWOL.
At the top of the stairs, I pause, trying to decide if I should go left or right when a middle-aged man comes out of a door dressed in nothing but a bathrobe, his dark hair wet.
“Looking for me?” he says, his eyes surveying me up and down.
Oh shit. I haven’t seen him before but I know beyond a doubt that it’s him, Lucius, Jaxson’s formidable uncle, whom I’ve caught coming out of the shower. Yet another horror in this house of horrors.
The last thing I want is to be intrusive but it’s not like I knew what part of the building would constitute his private quarters. Nobody has bothered to explain anything. Excuses, Ella, I tell myself. You should have stayed put at the room that was provided for you even if it meant dying of boredom.
“I’m sorry,” I say to the man who’s brushing his wet hair back. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, I was just…”
“Trying to kill time?”
“Something like that.”
“Give me a moment,” he says. “I’ll get decent and we can talk over a drink. Wait for me down the hall at the loft.”
“Okay,” I say, extending my hand. “I’m Ella.”
“Lucius Bernard,” he says, taking my hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Wade.”
He’s all formal and he wants to talk to me, shit. All I know about him is what Jax has told me and none of it is good. How am I going to pretend to be in the dark about his business and the gloom he has cast over Jaxson’s life?
The loft is surprisingly modern compared to the rest of the house with a set of comfortable armchairs and bookshelves with mystery and detective novels. I gather this is part of Lucius’ private quarters, the area reserved only for friends and family—assuming he has any besides Jax.
Lucius shows up only a few minutes later dressed in khakis and a white sweater. I can’t help but compare him to Carter, my newly reappeared father. The two of them are the same age more or less. Although Lucius has had a better life and taken care of himself, my father is naturally good looking, tall with strong features. Lucius is shorter and bulkier but in good shape.
“Thank you so much for allowing me to stay,” I tell Lucius, trying to get over my embarrassment at having imposed myself on him.
“Jack gave me no choice,” he says. His voice is pleasant but his eyes tell a different story. I get a chill in my bones as I realize that Lucius is not happy that I’m here—not in the least.
“It’s only temporary,” I blurt out, lowering my gaze.
“I hope so,” he says. “This is no place for a young woman.”
“It’s not so bad,” I lie.
“How polite of you,” he says with a small, misplaced bow. “I want you to understand me. I sincerely wish that you and Jack could walk safely into the sunset. But you can’t forget what Jaxson Cole really is, Miss Wade.”
There is a hint of threat in his words and he doesn’t make the slightest attempt to hide it. Lucius Bernard is a powerful man who always gets his way. He has no desire to sugarcoat anything just because I’m weak and scared out of my wits right now.
He turns his back to me and walks to the small bar to get a drink. “There’s gin and vodka,” he says, messing with the bottles. “Some liqueur, too. What would please you?”
He seriously wants me to have alcohol right now? “I’d like for you to call me Ella and I’d like you to explain what you meant about Jaxson,” I say, tired of playing cat and mouse with him. My whole world has been turned upside down and I find it hard to pretend anymore.
“He’s been bred for the wild, Miss Wade. If cornered he is capable of immense violence to protect anything and anyone of value to him. For this, I am mostly to blame. And you, you are a very bright and lovely child of the suburbs. For lack of better words, together you are something of an unholy union from which neither can survive.”
What an incredible load of crap. I can’t hold my tongue for one more second. “With all due respect, that’s maybe who you intended him to be, but Jaxson has risen above that destiny you made for him. He’s better than my father or you or any of your goon squad could ever be.”
Lucius lifts his glass as if making a toast. “On that, we can agree.”
I awkwardly raise the crystal tumbler he set in front of me and take a sip. Vodka. Gin. I shiver with the sudden bite of alcohol in my throat.
“You will find my words always reasonable and useful,” he says as he rises. “I am where I am at precisely because I can see how things will play out in advance. You would be wise to heed my advice. For yourself and for Jack. Good evening, Miss Wade.”
I lift my forehead and eyebrows as a lame farewell. I stand too dazed to form any words before he has disappeared. I plop down on the couch and cover my face with my hands. What the hell did I just do? Seeing that I’m dependent to his mercy, I could have at least been a little more diplomatic and artful with that conversation.
“You okay?”
I jump out of my skin at the sound of my father’s voice. The last thing I want is for him to witness this moment of weakness. I should have a more specific emotional reaction to the fact he’s back in my world but all I feel is numb in his presence.
I’ve missed him for so long that I’ve forgotten what it’s actually like to be with him. Through my childhood and teenage years and even as an adult, I’ve fantasized about the moment of our reunion. I’ve come up with dozens of excuses for why he had to leave, from him having discovered he was dying of a rare disease to wanting to be a monk in Tibet. I have to admit, the real reason why never crossed my mind.
“I’m fine,” I say. “Other than the fact that I’m a prisoner.”
He sits next to me and I have to fight the urge to move. Come to think of it, Lucius felt less a stranger to me.
“I could apologize a million times and it wouldn’t make a difference,” he says. “I know that. You have every right to hate me.”
“I don’t hate you,” I say. It’s true. I don’t hate him. I don’t think I feel much of anything for h
im, good or bad.
“Things are going to work out, I will make sure of that.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. Jax would never let anything happen to me.” I say this to hurt him. I realize that with some delay.
He opens his mouth to say something but then changes his mind. He rests his hand on mine instead. His touch is gentle and I’m left staring at the hand, unsure of what it wants from me.
“You love Jaxson?” he says in the end.
“I do.” No further explanation is needed. Love is all encompassing and self-explanatory even for a gangster like him.
“Lucius has other plans for his nephew.” He says this simply but it sounds like yet another warning.
“What a surprise,” I say. “Isn’t that his thing, making plans for everyone? What about you? Do you think Jaxson and I are not a good fit?”
He considers my words for a while. “I would have chosen someone for you without ties to a crime family.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“That’s not my thing, having all the answers. I’m not Lucius. I have no room to judge. I barely know you. I’ve caused you more grief than any girl should have to bare.”
He squeezes my hand as he smiles at me and for the first time, I recognize a glimpse of my father in him.
“All right,” he says, patting my hand fleetingly as he lets go of it. “There’s something I need you to do for me.”
“Dare I ask?”
“It’s simple really,” he says, raising his hand above his head, signaling to someone I can’t see.
A second later, an impressive-looking man walks into the room. He’s tall and awesomely muscular with spectacular shoulders and biceps, and a close crew cut that accentuates his angular features. Whoa. Whoever this is, he could give Dwayne Johnson a run for his money.
“This is Tanner Hayes. He’s the top man in his profession. That means he’s not cheap.”
“What exactly is his profession?”
Scandal: The Complete Series Page 19
