Twisted Judgement

by K. D Clark

  “We got footage of him coming in and out of this building and some of his men,” Gio said as Wes approached. “I didn’t even think to have my guys running surveillance this far out.”

  He looked up from the computer screen to lock eyes with Wes. His stone-cold face was back in place. The one that meant at this moment he was Wes’ boss and not his friend. “You sure you can trust this guy?” Gio asked him.

  Wes shook his head. “No, but he’s all I got. He told me about the apartments. You said some of the Irish were just as eager to get rid of Liam as we are right?”

  Gio drummed his fingers on the table as if thinking it over. It was a risk to trust this man but they might not get another chance.

  “He has a few men there, the ones that still stand beside him.” Gio shut the laptop and walked over to the coffee table. He grabbed one of the guns and tucked into his waistband. The other men followed suit.

  “I don’t want a big scene. In and out, let's make this clean and not draw attention,” he told them. “We’ll take three cars so we can surround the place.”

  Gio didn’t wait for them to respond. He walked out of the door. Wes already had his gun in his waistband ready to go. He followed Giovanni out to the parking lot and got into his Mercedes while the remaining men split between Enzo’s Lamborghini and another car he didn’t recognize.

  “Let me be the one to do it,” Wes said as Gio started the engine and pulled out onto the street.

  Giovanni glanced at him. “You sure about that?”

  Wes had expected the question, he wasn’t exactly a killer. He did what he had to do for Cosa Nostra but he didn’t take pleasure in it like Gio did. He didn’t get off on making men pay for their wrongdoings but he wanted to be sure Liam wasn’t coming back. He had to be certain that Avé was really safe. There wasn’t a way he’d be able to leave her alone without knowing for sure, even if she chose to go back home after all of this.

  “Yea I’m sure.”

  They were both silent for a while, stuck in their own heads as they drove outside the city.

  “What happens after this?” he asked.

  Giovanni shrugged. “I don’t know. Haven’t thought about it.”

  Wes wished he could do the same. Not think about the future with a woman he knew would just pull away from him at the end.

  Gio sighed. “If she wants to stay she can stay. I wouldn’t mind.”

  Wes heard everything that he wasn’t saying. Gio wanted her to stay just as much he did.

  They pulled up to a large split-level house in the middle of nowhere. It was so far outside the city that the neighbors had cows which he could only see if he squinted hard enough. Enzo’s Lamborghini pulled up on the other side of them.

  “Where’s the other car?” Gio asked as they got out.

  “Tommy went around back,” he said. Giovanni paused for a minute, listening for something.

  “It’s too quiet. I don’t like it,” Wes said, a sinking sensation taking hold in his stomach. Something wasn’t right. He had half-expected someone to start trying to snipe them from the window as soon as they pulled up.

  “Fuck.” Gio popped open his trunk and took out a bulletproof vest. He strapped it over his body before closing the trunk and turning to look at the men.

  “Stay back for a minute,” he said, and before Wes could open his mouth to protest Gio was walking towards the steps. Wes ran after him and grabbed onto his jacket. Gio shrugged him off but stopped to glare at him.

  “You’re going to get yourself killed,” Wes said.

  Gio shook his head. “Nah, at least not until I can make sure this guy is 6 feet under.”

  Gio turned his back and continued walking towards the door. Wes watched from the street as Gio got to the door. He leaned forward and pressed his ear against it. He looked back at the men before turning the knob. He had only opened it a mere inch before he turned and started to run back. He waved his hands in the air.

  “Go! It’s a trap!” he shouted.

  The house exploded in a fury of fire and sparks. The heat burned his skin and he was knocked off his feet and onto the pavement.

  Avé

  She stepped out of the shower and grabbed one of the fluffy white towels to squeeze the excess water out of her hair. She wasn’t sure when she was going back to work but she could get used to sleeping in and doing as she pleased. Although she wanted to go out and make her own money she could feel herself getting spoiled. She wrapped the towel around her and walked back into the bedroom. She slipped on a pair of yoga pants and one of Wes’ t-shirts. Just as she sat on the bed to put on her socks a gunshot went off. She jumped, the memories of the DEA coming to get her father that night flashing before her eyes. There was yelling outside. She quickly snapped out of it and ran to the front door. When she looked out of the window, she saw one of Gio’s men lying on the ground in front of the door. The tops of his boots were sticking straight up towards the sky as if he’d been completely knocked off his feet. Her eyes traveled up his gray suit pants to the growing red stain in the middle of his stomach. Her stomach turned at the sight of the leaking gunshot wound. She wanted to pull her eyes away but she couldn’t. Her heart frantically beat in her chest. She was nauseous but there was nothing to throw up. She hadn’t even gotten the chance to eat today. Her eyes continued up the man's body. A gun was still gripped in his hand and his eyes were wide open.

  “Fuck,” she whispered to herself. She ran across the floor and back to the bedroom. She ripped the covers off the bed, searching for her phone. She needed to call Wes or Gio and let them know. He’d found her. After all the hiding and terror, he’d found her. She knocked over perfume bottles and pulled clothes off the dresser as she searched the room for her cellphone. With each moment that passed, her heart felt like it was going to explode. This could be it, this could be her last moments on earth trying desperately to save herself.

  “Looking for this?”

  Her body froze at the familiar voice. She stopped breathing as if that would somehow save her. Her body vibrated with fear and she slammed her eyes shut just wishing this would all go away.

  “What’s wrong, love? Were you expecting someone else?” he teased. The floorboard creaked as he stepped into the bedroom.

  Her eyes popped open and she turned away from the dresser to look at him. He looked like he’d been living under a rock for the past month. His hair had grown out along with the stuffy hair at his jawline. His face was shiny as if he hadn’t showered for several days. He smiled at her. His once bright eyes were now dull and dark.

  “They will kill you,” she said, finally finding her voice. It came out less confident than she wanted but she knew it was true. Whether she got out of here alive or not, Giovanni and Wes would kill him. His head tilted to the side.

  “Oh you mean your new boyfriends?” he scoffed. “I always knew you were a whore.”

  His words were like a punch to the gut but she didn’t have time to process them. She looked around the room trying to find anything at all she could use to defend herself. He took a step forward and she took a step back hating the fact that she was trapping herself further into the corner of the bedroom.

  “Not to be the bearer of bad news but your little boy toys are too far out of the city right now.”

  Her stomach dropped. He’d set this all up. Wherever Giovanni and Wes were they had no idea what was going on at the house.

  “Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Her voice broke as she spoke.

  Tears gathered in her eyes and she tried hard not to let them spill over. Men like Liam got off on hurting people and she wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction. He tilted his head to one side and his eyes roamed over her body. His tongue jetted out and licked over his lips. She wanted to throw up. He took a couple more steps towards her. She looked to where the bed was. If she could just cross the bed she could get to the door and run. His face fell as if he’d figured out exactly what she was thinking. He lunged for her at th
e same time she ran to the bed. She managed to get to a standing position on the mattress ready to cross to the other side. Before she could take a step he grabbed her legs and pulled them from under her. She screamed as she fell against the mattress. She kicked and flailed, her arms hitting at whatever she could. She was so close to getting away. The tears couldn’t be controlled anymore. Her eyes burned with hot tears. Her knee connected with his groin.

  “Bitch!” he groaned.

  She tried to wiggle free but his hold on her didn’t loosen up. His hand wrapped around her throat keeping her pinned to the bed. She struggled to get air in her lungs as she stared up at the white ceiling. Her body was getting weaker as she struggled to fight. She was using the last of her strength to try to get away but it was a losing battle. Just when her body was about to give up a gunshot went off and Liam’s body fell on top of her. She took in a huge gasp of air before she used the last bit of her strength to scream.

  Wes

  Her screams pierced his ears as he tucked the gun back in his waistband and ran to the bed. He pushed Liam’s body off her. It slid to the floor with a thud. His blood was all over her clothes staining his t-shirt that she was wearing. Her eyes were wide with fear and her body stiff.

  “Avé.” He shook her slightly and her body seemed to loosen a little bit.

  She breathed in deeply as tears rolled down her cheeks. His heart broke as she let out a sob.

  “Take it off, take it off!” she screamed. He grabbed the hem of the bloody shirt and lifted it over her head. She shook as she sat there in just her bra and pants.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said. He’d never wanted Liam to get this close to her. He was convinced they’d thought of everything. There were three men watching the mansion but Liam’s men had taken them all down.

  “Wes?” Tommy yelled from the hallway.

  “In here.”

  “Oh shit,” Tommy said as he got a look at Liam’s slumped body on the floor.

  “I’ll get the cleanup crew,” Tommy grunted out before leaving them alone again.

  He turned his attention back to Avé. She wasn’t crying anymore but her body was vibrating.

  “I can’t stop shaking,” she whispered.

  “It’s the adrenaline. Come on, let's get you in the shower.”

  She nodded but made no effort to move. He scooped her up in his arms and walked her out of the room and into Gio’s. Not completely confident that she could stand on her own, he set her down on the counter of the bathroom before turning the shower on. When he walked back over, her eyes were focused on the tile floor.

  “Talk to me, Avé,” he begged. He needed to know what was going on inside her head. He hated the blank stare on her face.

  Her doe eyes lifted to focus on him. “I just want to stop the shaking, Wes,” she whispered.

  He nodded and slipped his finger into her waistband to pull her pants off. Once she was completely naked and he’d set his gun down on the counter, he lifted her up again and stepped into the warm shower. His clothes were getting soaked under the water but he didn’t care. With some hesitation, he set her down on her feet, and she turned against him, clenching onto his shirt as sobs wracked through her body once again.

  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered as he ran his hand over her hair. Each sob was like a punch to his stomach. He should have known it was a trap—he knew the Irish couldn’t be trusted but he’d been so desperate to put her fear to an end he’d been blindsided. So had Giovanni. Avé was their weak spot and they both couldn’t think clearly when it came to her. He grabbed the soap and lathered it between his hands before rubbing it over her body. She stayed still against his chest as he washed her. Once he was done he turned off the water and helped her out. He wrapped her in a big towel and sat her on the edge of Gio’s California king-sized bed.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said, getting ready to go back in the guest bedroom to get some dry clothes.

  “Don’t leave me,” she said so quietly he almost missed it. Her hair stuck to her neck and her eyes were wide and pleading. He nodded and slid off his wet pants and shirt until he was left in his wet boxers.

  “Where’s Gio?” she asked.

  “In the hospital.”

  She jumped up from the bed. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Shhh.” He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back down to the bed.

  “He’s ok, he is in good hands.”

  Avé

  Her body was still shaking as Wes drove them to the hospital. She knew she was safe but it didn’t help the anxiety in her stomach. She didn’t know what was going on with Giovanni but she needed to see. Make sure he was ok. They pulled into a parking spot and she followed Wes to the front doors of the hospital. The strong smell of cleaning supplies hit her in the face as she walked across the white tiled floors. She’d managed to let Wes leave the room long enough so he could change and grab her some clothes. She didn’t think she’d ever have the courage to go back into that guest room, not after what had happened today. Wes intertwined their fingers together as they walked into the crowded elevator. She was doing everything she could to try to get her anxiety under control. Images of Liam kept flashing before her eyes and she wished it would all just go away. The elevator doors opened on the top floor where it was almost completely empty of people. He led her down the hallway to the last wooden door. After taking a deep breath, she pushed it open. Gio was asleep on the hospital bed. It wasn’t a normal sized hospital bed and she wondered if he had some pulls at the hospital to get this nice of a room. There was a sitting area to the side. The only sound in the room was the faint beeping of the machine next to his bed. She took a few steps closer to see. Although his face was relaxed it was covered in what looked like scratches. One of his arms was wrapped in white bandages while the other one had an IV hooked up to it. The rest of his body was covered by a blue cover. She put both hands on the metal railing that surrounded the bed.

  “What happened?” she asked, turning around to ask Wes who was still standing by the door. His hair was still wet from the shower and his shoulders were slumped forward with his hands in his pocket.

  “Liam set a trap for us. We went to a house outside the city where he was supposed to be at. Gio went in first… The place exploded.”

  She put a hand over her mouth. He could have been killed. Wes and Gio could have been taken from her in a matter of minutes.

  There was a knock at the door, and Wes turned around to open it for a petite nurse.

  “Oh hello,” she said as she smiled at them. “I just came to change his IV. I’m Ashley I’ll be taking care of Giovanni until shift change.”

  Avé didn’t even try to muster up a smile. “How long does he have to be in here? Is he going to be ok?”

  The nurse crossed the room to the bed. “He will be fine. He has a broken arm, four broken ribs, some surface wounds and burns but none of them were bad enough to admit him into the burn unit.” She picked up the IV bag and switched it out for another one. “He refused any pain medicines until about an hour ago so he might be out for a little bit,” she said.

  Avé nodded, looking back at his relaxed face.

  “If you need anything or have any questions I’ll be right down the hall at the nurse station.”

  “Thank you,” Wes said as the nurse left.

  She focused her attention back to Gio. Wes pulled a chair up for her to sit beside his bed. At that moment, more than any before she knew she wasn’t strong enough to deal with all that came with the life her men lived. Even if she knew it was to protect her and keep her safe, she couldn’t deal with this. Not knowing if one of them was going to end up in a hospital like Gio was now. The sky turned from twilight to dusk as she sat next to Gio. Wes had taken the couch and was snoring quietly. Gio coughed. It was the first sound she’d heard from him since they’d come into the hospital. He tried to use his elbows to sit up and then his face flashed in recognition. As if remembering where he was.
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  “Hey there,” she said forcing a smile.

  “Hey,” he crocked out.

  She grabbed the water that was on the table next to his bed but when she offered it to him he waved it off.

  She shook her head. “Stubborn man,” she whispered.

  “I heard that.”

  “Good.”

  He rolled to the side using his good arm to sit up. He leaned against the rail so they were face to face. His eyes moved back and forth over her face as if searching for something. She suddenly felt very exposed.

  “You alright?” he asked.

  “Shouldn’t I be asking you that—”

  “Seriously, Avé,” he said, cutting off whatever she was about to say.

  She nodded. “Yea I’m good.”

  His eyes continued to burn a hole in her and just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore he turned to look at Wes’ sleeping frame.

  “And Wes?” he asked.

  “I think he’s good,” she said, not really knowing how Wes felt about taking someone's life mere hours ago. It didn’t seem like he was having any trouble sleeping. The door creaked open and the nurse walked in.

  “Mr. Marino, good to see you up. I’m—”

  “When can I get out of here?” he asked.

  “Gio,” Avé scolded him. She had to give the nurse credit, her smile didn’t falter at all.

  “The doctor will be here in the morning if you would like to talk to him.”

  Gio was shaking his head before she’d even finished. “I want release papers.”

  “It’s the middle of the night, Gio, where are you going to go?” Avé said, annoyed with this stubborn man who couldn’t even spend one night in the hospital to take care of himself.