The Family's Secrets

by T N Lowe

  Liam catches me, and Landon gives me an ‘I’m sorry smile.’ I nod and curl into Liam.

  Maks hands Cain his gun and asks, “You know how to use this?”

  Cain laughs, “Dad was in the FBI, sister was in the FBI and is a cop, and my wife is in the FBI…. Yeah, I think I handle it.”

  “Making sure,” Maks calls over his shoulder as he moves to the door. Looking at me, Maks explains, “My men are all around the house. Two of them will stand at the gate. If the worst happens, get to my men. Landon and Cain will get you inside while my men cover you. Do you understand?”

  My heart is beating so fast and the blood is roaring in my ears; I hear half of what he says but nod anyways.

  “I need the words honey,” Maks whispers.

  I swallow, then say, “If the worst happens I run behind the two men standing at the gate. Landon and Cain will protect me and get us back inside while the men around the house cover us.”

  Maks nods, “Good. Are you ready?”

  I nod again.

  “Words honey,” Maks repeats.

  I hug Liam, then Patrick, and finally Dad then says, “Yes, I’m ready.”

  Maks opens the door, “You have ten minutes. A second longer, my men will pull you out.” Then he tells the two men standing outside we are ready.

  “Be careful,” Dad cautions.

  I nod, too scared to say anything.

  “Stay safe and do what Landon and Cain tell you to,” Patrick stresses.

  I nod then step onto the stoop. One of the men turns and looks at me. With one look he knows I’m scared out of my mind. “Hi, I’m David, a friend of Maks and Shauna’s. We’re going to keep you safe, okay?”

  I nod because somehow I’ve lost my ability to speak.

  “Okay then,” David smiles. “As we walk down the driveway, I need you to keep your hand on my right shoulder. This lets me know you are okay and safe.”

  I nod again.

  “Your friend?” David points behind me.

  “Landon.”

  “Your friend Landon will keep his hand on your right shoulder. This way you’ll know he is safe.”

  I nod again. This was a bad idea. What if something happens and someone ends up dead? Then it would be all my fault. I don’t know if I can do this. I can’t do this! I can’t do this! I can’t do this! I hear the chant, over and over in my head. I finally work up the courage to tell David I can’t. I open my mouth, but the words won’t come out.

  “Take a deep breath,” David instructs.

  I do it.

  “Good. Now take another one.”

  I do it again.

  “Good. Now keep breathing as we move down the driveway. It will be done before you know it,” David placates me with a kind smile.

  David stands straight and looks behind me, “You two good?”

  I hear Cain say, “We’re good.”

  David turns forward; I put my right hand on his shoulder. Landon puts his hand on my shoulder and we move down the walkway to the driveway. I take long, deep breaths as we walk. This is for Tomas. This is for Erin. This is for Fi-Fi. This is for CJ. I repeat their names over and over as I take deep breaths. I have to do this. I can do this!, I tell myself as we reach the end of the drive and wait as the large wrought iron gate opens.

  We take ten more steps outside the gate and stop. David turns to look at me, “Stay here. We are going to move to cover the gate. If something happens, run as fast as you can. We’ll cover you and your friends as the gate closes. Then we will get you back inside to safety.”

  I nod.

  “Sorry sweetheart, I need the words.”

  “I understand,” I croak.

  You got this, I tell myself then watch as David stands up straighter, then looks to Landon, “She’s all yours,”

  “We got her,” Landon answers and clicks something on his gun.

  As David and the other man walk away, I see my sperm donor, Roberto Carballo standing across from me. “Rylie, it’s good to see you,” he says with a smile.

  I don’t know where it’s coming from, but I suddenly feel strong. I feel like I can take on the world and win. I feel like I can take on this man and walk away, knowing I am the person I am today because of the people who love me. He had no hand in that; my mother loved me so much she gave me to people she knew would love me and care for me better than she could. This monster standing before me never loved me and will never love me. He is here to play games; a game he cannot win because I always win. “I bet,” I sneer. “You here to finish trying to kill me?”

  “It was an accident,” Roberto claims.

  “I’m sure. What do you want?”

  “I heard about your friends and wanted to check on you.”

  This causes me to suck in a breath, “How did you hear about my friends?” I demand, reminding myself to keep my composure. He is playing games; don’t listen to him.

  “I heard it from some people I know.”

  “Who are these people?”

  “If you had stayed in Mexico with Hector and me, you wouldn’t need to ask those questions,” Roberto goads, smiling.

  “Excuse me?”

  “If you would have stayed, you would know everything. Now you will never know.”

  Games, he’s playing games. I remind myself. But he has jeopardized my family; he has endangered Tomas. Anger and rage fill me and push me to take a step forward.

  “Ms. Love, please take a step back,” David yells.

  I take a step back and spit, “You’re threatening me, my family, and friends?”

  “No, I’m just saying it is sad that this has happened. If you would have stayed in Mexico, maybe Hector and I could have helped prevent this.”

  “Do you know where they are?” Landon asks. Roberto must get tired of the riddles and idol threats.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t. As I said, I learned from a friend that they are missing.”

  “If you did know, would you tell us?” Cain bites.

  Roberto’s lips twitch, “I would.”

  “If something happens to my wife or sister-in-law, I will kill you. No matter where you hide, I will find you,” Landon threatens.

  Roberto smirks, “With this attitude, I’m sure you’ll find them.”

  “Do you have any information or are you here to gloat,” I bark, tired of wasting time we could use to find our missing family.

  “I’m not gloating, Mija. I was concerned for you and wanted to make sure you are safe.”

  “Really?” I laugh. “What about the last twenty-five years of my life?”

  “I thought you were dead,” Roberto says, starting to lose his outward calm.

  “Yeah, because you told my mother to ‘get rid of me’.”

  “Because I thought you were weak and would never make it in the world,” Roberto shouts.

  I toss my arms wide, “Guess you were wrong, ‘cause I’m standing here strong and alive. Thank goodness for my mother who cared enough to give me to a couple who would love and care for me. Because of them, I am the person I am today and you will spend the rest of your lonely, miserable life knowing you had no part in my life; knowing no one will mourn your death.”

  “Mija….,” Roberto tries.

  I cut him off, “You know what, I’m done. Since you aren’t here to help us, we are done.” Turning around, I call to David, “I’m done.”

  “Okay. Walk towards me,” David answers.

  I march to David and stand behind him, my legs shaking, my knees ready to buckle. Cain and Landon walk backward to David, watching Roberto with distaste and anger. David and the other man tap Cain and Landon on the shoulder as they approach letting them know when to stop. David and the other man walk past me, “Okay, we walk back the way we came.”

  “Okay,” I reply, putting my hand on David’s shoulder all the way up the driveway and back into the house.

  “What did he want?” Patrick asks as soon as we walk through the door.

  “He and Hector Calvo
are working with someone, someone with ties and power.”

  “Did he give you anything?” Liam asks, helping to free me of the vest.

  “No. He just wanted to gloat.”

  As soon as I am free of the vest, Dad wraps me in his arms and hugs me tight to his chest. “I’m proud of you, sweetheart,” Dad muses into my hair before letting me go.

  “The fucker knows something; he just isn’t saying,” Landon comments, also tossing his vest on the entryway table. “Did you get the images yet?”

  “They came in and my team is studying them now.”

  “Good. Call me if you hear anything,” Landon says before storming off.

  “Same goes,” Cain says, following Landon.

  Chapter Thirty-Three - Tomas

  The floorboards above us creak and we hear muffled voices. “Great. Now what?” CJ asks.

  Above us, the door to the basement squeaks open, “Samuel, stay here with the girls. CJ and I will see what they want,” I instruct picking up the pipe CJ dropped.

  “We can help,” Fi-Fi hisses, as someone begins their descent down the stairs.

  “Stay here,” I hiss back. I nod toward the stairs at CJ. Slowly we move away from the bottom of the stairs, the pipe at the ready to beat the shit out of anyone who makes a move.

  A man in a charcoal suit, white dress shirt, and stone-gray tie steps off the last step. “Come now, is this any way to greet an old friend? Come out and say hello, Tomas.”

  He has a slight accent, but it sounds like it is a fake one. I peer through the steps to get a good look at his face, trying to see around two goons blocking my view, but his face is turned away

  “Come, come. I don’t have all day to play these games with you,” he calls.

  I look to CJ and he nods, “Let’s greet our gracious host.”

  I nod and CJ follows me from our hiding spot under the stairs. I raise my pipe and prepare for anything, even though a pipe seems as worthless as a knife in a gunfight, or maybe more so.

  Rounding the stairs, I’m dumbfounded at who is standing in front of me. Nikolas Calvo, Hector’s son. He is as dumb as a box of rocks; there is no way he is the mastermind of this. “No fucking way,” I mutter. “You’re the one who organized this?” I ask, unable to hide the disbelief in my voice.

  Nikolas shakes his head, “No, I am not. Let’s just say that I am your welcoming committee.”

  “Who the hell are you?” I hear Fi-Fi ask.

  Damn it, will those women ever do as they are told? I wanted them to stay back so we could get a feel of the situation before putting us all in danger.

  “I guess it depends on who you ask,” Nikolas chuckles, “To Tomas here, I am Nikolas Calvo, son of Hector Calvo. After Tomas helped those two whores escape our compound, my father and I fought; he told me I was nothing to him; a waste of his sperm. Then he said some nasty things about my mother, so I stabbed him. I’m sorry to say Hector Calvo is no longer with us.”

  The gleam in eyes says he is anything but unhappy his father is no longer on this Earth, though I can’t exactly blame him. Hector was a sadistic bastard who would sell his mother to get what he wanted. While working uncover I even saw him pimp his wife to seal a deal with a drug supplier; so, no real loss there.

  “But if you ask my friends here,” Nikolas continues, pointing to the two men standing in the shadows, “I am Nikolas Green, half-brother to Sarah Green. Which is true; well, except for the name. Years ago, my father got lonely and sought company with a hotel’s bartender. Nine months later my older sister Sarah was born. He doted on her for years until I was born, then he lost all interest in her. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered I had a half-sister. Needless to say, she wasn’t upset at the news that our dear old dad was dead. Now enough about me. I came to see if you need anything while we await the boss’ arrival.”

  “You are the one who orchestrated Rylie and Shauna’s kidnapping and helped Miles Blue create the algorithm to track down members of The Family before you killed him. And you helped Bane Davis get information on Patrick and Samuel so he could write his article and put a bomb in Liam’s car?” Erin asks from beside CJ.

  “I’m flattered you think so highly of me, Mrs. Jefferies,” Nikolas mocks, with a sickeningly sweet smile. “I helped point them in the right direction and provided them with contacts. As for the bomb, my two associates with me assisted with that.”

  The two men step forward into the light, and I hear Erin and Samuel gasp. “What the fuck?” CJ shouts. “How the fuck could you do this to Patrick and Lena…..they trusted you.”

  “You better hope I don’t make it out of this alive, because if I do, I’m killing you both,” Samuel shouts.

  Billy and Bryan, Patrick and Lena’s security, leer back at us. They know everything about Patrick and Lena’s schedules and their families’ schedules. Both also have military backgrounds and could have easily planted the bomb in Liam’s car.

  “Why?” Samuel asks. “They treated you like family; Patrick invites you into his home; Christ, he makes you pancakes and waffles every Friday. And I know for a fact that he pays you more than any other security job would. So why do you betray him….my daughter….my grandson?”

  “Principles,” Bryan answers smugly.

  “Principles?” I ask.

  “Yes, principles. Niall led The Family with an iron fist. Everyone knew what would happen if a member opposed The Family; they would be annihilated without question. Then Samuel came into power and he had a softer way of running things; but he was still a Walsh. People feared him because of his father. Then your bitch of a daughter comes back with Patrick in tow. She made a joke out of you and The Family. Her whore of a mother ran from you. She ran from you because she couldn’t take who we were and what we do. When her mother died, ole Patrick goes gallivanting to Maine and brings her back.”

  “Under my orders,” Samuel yells.

  Bryan ignores Samuel’s outburst and continues, “The bitch didn’t even know who she was or where she came from. And you let her in without a second thought. Then you let her bastard of a husband take power. Did you think everyone would fall in line and let you do whatever you wanted?”

  “Those changes were voted on and approved,” Samuel seethes through gritted teeth, not liking the way Bryan is talking about his daughter.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Billy cuts in. “We are here because there are members who are not happy with the way things are going; the changes your daughter and her outsider husband are making. They are making us soft and leaving us vulnerable to attacks.”

  “Outsider?” Erin asks.

  “Shut it, bitch,” Bryan barks. “You’re as bad as Lena, not knowing who you are or where you come from. Your mother should have been forced off the council for that.”

  “You’re an outsider too,” CJ points out. “You married into The Family.”

  “Yes, but my wife was born into The Family and so was Billy.”

  “So that’s what this is all about; you want Billy to take power instead of Patrick?” I ask, more than a little confused.

  “Fuck no!,” Billy barks. “It should be someone who can protect us and our way of life. They should be a born member, not someone who was given payment to join. We are not the only ones who feel this way. Several of the members are not happy and want Patrick out.”

  “Now, now. We are getting ahead of ourselves, but that is why you three are here,” Nikolas says, pointing to Erin, Samuel, and CJ, “to vote in a new leader. The rest is our way of keeping you in line,” he supplies.

  “Do you have someone in mind or do you want us to pick from a hat?” Erin asks, her temper starting to get the best of her.

  “Your comments are not warranted or appreciated,” Nikolas snaps. “But to answer your question, yes, we have someone in mind. They will be along shortly. I suggest you rest; it’s going to be a long night.”

  Nikolas turns on his expensive loafers and marches upstairs with Billy and Bryan following. They slam the d
oor shut and we hear the lock engage.

  Chapter Thirty-Four - Landon

  I’m lying in bed, watching the video from when Cain and I took the boys fishing. I watch as Jackson reels in a fish with all his might. The fish lands onshore; it’s a four-inch sunfish. He was so mad when I told him he had to toss it back because it wasn’t big enough to keep. I pause the video on Jackson’s face. He is so much like his mother - those piercing green eyes, her quick wit, and feisty temper. I don’t know if I can do this without her. I feel the tears burn the back of my eyes; one escapes and I brush it away quickly. Erin has been through worse and made it out alive. I have to have faith; she will come back to me; she will always come back to me.

  Another tear escapes and I brush it away as someone lightly taps on the door. “Sorry to bother you, but Patrick has something,” Manus offers.

  I tuck my phone back in my pocket, take a deep breath, and wipe a third tear away. Erin isn’t gone and I will not mourn her. She would never leave me without one hell of a fight and I will search to the end of the world to find her. “Coming,” I say gruffly.

  I follow Manus to Patrick’s office, where he is standing at his desk. Lying on top of the surface is a blown-up satellite image. “Good. We are all here,” Patrick starts. “This,” Patrick points to the satellite image on this desk, “is the five-mile radius of where Fi-Fi’s phone was last pinged.” Patrick points to the bottom left of the circle. “This is an outer suburb of Westminster, Maryland. We don’t think they are keeping them there. Suburbs mean nosey neighbors and someone would have reported something.”

  Next, he circles a massive streak of green, “This is two hundred acres of dense forest. We cannot be sure that they’re not holding them in this area. Our scouts haven’t reported seeing any structures in the forest area, but it is dense and difficult to see through from the sky. Our best bet is these,” Patrick explains, pointing to several houses with large clearings around them. “These are farms houses, each on one hundred acre plots. Three of the farms have been foreclosed on and sit empty. These would be the perfect place to hold hostages.”