The Family : The Spitfire Book 4 Read online

  Her team sat in on the rest of the conversation but didn’t have any input because they didn’t know what the fuck we were talking about. This was Mouth’s deal and it was up to her who she wanted in on her shit. So far she wasn’t talking, in fact she’s been talking about everything else but what it was we were here for.

  “We’ll wait for nightfall. It’s a forty-minute flight so we leave around nine and then take a straight shoot back home. I don’t want to hang around this bitch any longer than absolutely necessary; place gives me the creeps.”

  I sat alone after leaving them and looked out the window onto the vast lawn, my mind a million miles away. I didn’t know what she planned to do once we got to this guy’s place. I’d just taken it for granted that she was going to shoot him in the head with her shit and be done with it, but I was more worried about after.

  I kept going back and forth on the decision I’d made to bring her here. I knew she needed it, but it wasn’t something I was one hundred percent comfortable with. I just had to keep reminding myself that this was for her and remembering those fucking screams the night she lost her shit, and by the time she woke up a little later I was feeling better about the coming night. There was one thing I was sure of, and that was that she’d be okay no matter what, because I would make damn sure of it. Once I convinced myself of that, the worry dissolved completely.

  “Hey baby, how was your nap?” I opened my arms for her to fall into my lap. She was still sleep soft as she cuddled into me like a kitten and my heart swelled in my chest. “You doing okay Mouth?” It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if she wanted to talk about her mom knowing what she was about to face in the next few hours, but I decided it might be best to let her be the one to bring it up when she was ready.

  “I’m starved, this kid is a beast.” Huh, she mentioned the prince while she was wide-awake and my dick wasn’t buried inside her. Progress! “What does he feel like eating?” She worked her neck around in circles to work out the kinks and sat up on my lap. “I’m not sure. I don’t know if she wants ice cream or pizza.” She gave me a look, which I read to mean she didn’t appreciate me calling the kid a ‘he’.

  “Why don’t we have both?” She smiled at me like a kid who’d been granted her greatest wish. I patted her hip and stood us both up, heading for someone to make a pizza run. Mouth claimed that Rossi had called ahead and had the fridge stocked but fuck if I was trusting that shit. Not that I don’t trust him, but I don’t know these people. No can do!

  The boys came back with a mountain of pizza boxes and a couple tubs of ice cream. The noise around the table was settling. No one was talking about anything, just throwing around insults and keeping the mood light; Mouth was the ringleader. That shit started to change when the light dimmed outside and the evening turned to darkness.

  “It’s time.” I said the words to Mouth who was sitting on my lap and she nodded, as the others got serious. I let her go to the room alone while I hung back to give the crew their final orders. I called ahead to speak directly to the men I had staked out around Tommy’s place to get one last update before we headed out. I couldn’t shake the feeling that some shit was off, but I chalked it up to going on a hit with my woman. Something I never thought I’d be doing in this lifetime.

  When I hung up the phone, I went back to Mikey and Tony and the twins and gave them pretty much the same orders I’d just given them half an hour ago. “Shane we’re cool, we’ll all watch her back, nothing will go wrong.” I nodded as I left the room, back to not being sure that this was a good idea.

  Mouth was blasting some fuck when I walked into the bedroom. The sound was so incongruous it knocked me out of my funk. “Mouth what the fuck are you listening to?” She was getting dressed and strapping shit on under her clothes. What the fuck? Was she taking out a whole platoon? She didn’t miss a beat as she turned to look at me.

  “It’s Jamaican reggae.” What the fuck, she fucks with the yardies too? I walked over and picked up the iPod. Somebody named Bounty Killer was ranting about war; probably another murdering fuck like her. That song ended and another guy was now ranting about shooting people in front of police stations. I guess this was her getting ready routine.

  She did some stretches and shit with her hands clasped above her head and I stood there watching her like what the fuck. She did a little boogie to the music when she was done and my ass was flabbergasted. I had no idea she did this shit. “Is that what you’re wearing?” She rolled her eyes at my suit and I looked down at myself.

  She was wearing jeans, a loose fitting top and a light jacket with boots. Fuck if I was going to tell her it was too warm for that shit. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

  “Nothing, you’re such a girl. Don’t you ever get messy?” I ignored her ass and told her to get a move on. If she needs to snipe at me over trivial bullshit to get her through, I’m good with that.

  I rounded up the others and we headed out to the waiting cars. I helped her into the back seat and climbed in next to her while Mikey and Tony got in the front. Her team was in the car behind us and there was another car in front of us. With the men already at the farm we had a ten-man team.

  She had headphones on and I could hear that racket she was listening to. She was pumped as fuck and her energy had everyone else on their toes. The boys looked ready for anything and for once their conversation didn’t make me want to put one in the both of them. It was the weirdest lead up to a hit I’d ever seen. I listened to their light conversation as I let my mind go through every scenario that could play out tonight.

  Once we were on the jet I saw the change come over her. It was in her eyes. The girl was gone and in her place was a calm cool, stone cold killer. I don’t even think she saw me when I called her name and she turned to look at me. I studied her without saying a word and that shit never changed. She was in the zone, the kill zone. Fuck!

  I took her hand in mine and rested my head back against the seat. I noticed the din in the cabin as the others spoke in hushed tones. My guts knotted as the plane’s wheels touched down less than an hour later. I moved to pick up her bag but she beat me to it and hefted it onto her shoulder.

  There was no doubt who, was in charge. She fell into the role so effortlessly, like she could do this shit all day everyday. I fell in beside her as the others pulled up the rear. “Where the fuck is this place?” We didn’t land at the international airport for obvious reasons, but this shit looked like a cornfield or some fuck.

  I opened her door and let her in the car feeling eyes on me; fucking cows. The deal was to get to the outskirts of Tommy’s place and walk in on foot. The only men on his place were the local workers he’d hired who had no idea who he really was and weren’t trained. Intel was that they usually cleared out no later than seven. Dumb fucking move, but then again, a man in his line of work can’t trust anyone.

  There was a distinct chill in the air as we stepped out of the car in the middle of no-fucking- where. My phone shook on my hip and I pulled it ready to blast whoever was on the other end. “Shit.” She looked at me like she knew something was up.

  “Where is he?”

  “He’s on the run…maybe.” She twisted her neck from side to side and looked dead straight ahead.

  “I don’t care if he crawls back into his mother. He’s not gonna live to see tomorrow.”

  She kept going into the dark while I ordered my men to keep me updated. Would she freak the fuck out if he escaped? If he went to ground again how long would it take me to find him? We were almost on the house when the phone vibrated again.

  “Where?” I whispered the word into the phone as I kept my eyes peeled until they adjusted to the dark.

  “He didn’t go far. He’s in a cabin on the other side of the property, still no visitors though and he doesn’t look spooked. I’m sending you the location now.” Fucking digital hits. He sent me a map of the place after assuring me that they had eyes on the mark. I didn’t have time to wonder what had t
ipped him off. It could just be a sixth sense or some shit for all I know.

  This added another half an hour and since we didn’t know where the fuck we were I kept a tight grip on her arm as he picked our way through the rutted terrain. The cabin was visible up ahead in the distance in a little clearing. “Wait. Tony.”

  “On it.” He moved into the dark going towards the back of the building while Mikey broke off in the opposite direction.

  The twins stayed on her while the rest of my crew disappeared into the dark. I made her wait until the others came back and gave the all clear. Her body was relaxed as she started ahead, her legs moving with purpose her eyes straight ahead. Once we got close enough to the house to see in through the windows it was obvious to see that Tommy wasn’t on the run. Whatever his reasons for coming here, it wasn’t because he was expecting company.

  He was sitting in front of the tube in a wife beater and dingy boxers. That’s some shit I could’ve gone my whole life without seeing. She watched him through the window while the others joined us before taking up position around the perimeter.

  Mikey and Tony stayed with me and the twins took up position on either side of the door. I felt her hand in mine and had forgotten taking it the moment we saw the other man through the window. It was the first time she’d seen him since that night that had changed her life so much as a young child. I turned her face to mine and studied her eyes. If I saw anything off I was taking her the fuck outta here.

  17

  Prince of The City

  She squeezed my hand before pulling away and heading for the door. I wanted to call out to her, to tell her to let me just put one in him through the window, but had to bite my tongue before I gave us away. I was right on her ass though when she burst through the door.

  Tommy jumped up from his chair and reached for his gun on the side table. Before his hand could connect there was a whistling sound in the air as she released the arrow. I hadn’t even seen her notch that shit. She missed. The shot had gone through his shoulder with such force that it had driven him back and pinned him to the wall, but it wasn’t her usual kill shot to the head. Fuck!

  I didn’t look back when I heard the others come into the room behind me, but kept my eyes on her. Her breathing didn’t even accelerate as she approached him. His eyes went wide and he seemed more afraid of her than the shit in his shoulder. “You… can’t be. You’re dead.” What the fuck? Had he tried to kill her too? Then it hit me; she must look a hell of a lot like her mother. What was more curious was the fact that a man who’d killed his fair share of people, both men and women, had remembered her face.

  Mouth didn’t say anything as she pulled something from behind her back and stepped right into him. I moved forward because even though he was pinned to the wall his hands were still free. She made some kind of move that started at his chest and ended at his calves.

  I didn’t know what the fuck until I saw the blood appear. She hadn’t missed. She’d cut his arteries so he’d bleed out slowly and painfully. Damn! No one was moving or saying a word. Until she reached into his mouth with something and held his tongue before using the knife to slice his tongue in half.

  She stuffed in back into the bleeding maw when his mouth opened in a silent scream. She stepped back and made a sound. It wasn’t a whistle, more like the noise a baby bird would make. Out of the darkness walked the three stooges. Rossi, uncle Al and poppy came in. Why was I not surprised?

  Tommy started trying to talk but there wasn’t much chance of that. Rossi approached him with a look pretty much like the one on his daughter’s face. Without a word he pulled the arrow from Tommy’s shoulder and caught him when he fell.

  My eyes were on Mouth just waiting for that chink in her armor; that sign that she needed me. We followed the three old gangsters outside where they had a truck waiting with a wooden pine box in the back. Tommy was a big fucking guy but these three lifted him like he weighed nothing and dropped him in the box. The asshole waited for then to put up a fight. I guess I would be in shock too if I was bleeding like stink and knew that with this bunch there was no way I was gonna survive this shit.

  She stepped up beside her dad as he pulled the cover over the box. “This is for my wife.” Rossi put the first nail in the coffin. Zane and Alec moved in on either side of me. It was the first time anyone had said anything since we arrived. The silence was heavy, adding an extra layer of ‘what the ever living fuck’ to the whole scene.

  “I think you’re wasting your money bro.”

  “How’s that?” I answered Alec without looking at him, my eyes still focused on her.

  “That.” He pointed towards Mouth in the dark and kept his voice low. “Does not need protecting. Fucking shit Flanagan. What the fuck?” I understood perfectly and had it not been for the note of awe and respect in his tone I might’ve taken offense.

  It was Zane’s turn to speak next from my other side. “I think we’ll stay on though, because somebody needs to protect the rest of society from her; maybe we’ve been coming at this shit all wrong.” I think he was serious. I held up my hand to stop the flow of their words as she and her old man who had been taking turns nailing the makeshift coffin shut stopped and looked at each other.

  In the faint light Rossi looked tired. His brother in law and his friend stood by his side as he settled the old score that had hung over his head for so long.

  “She can rest now pop, it’s over.” They hugged briefly before Mouth turned back to me. The others fell in behind us as the three older men disappeared into the truck.

  Mouth was still hanging strong but I know her too well. I could sense the strain as I took her hand in mine. “I’ve got you.” She rested her head on my shoulder as we walked and I dropped her hand and wrapped my arm around her so no one would notice that her legs were about to give out on her.

  Someone had been smart enough to bring the cars around and we all piled in and headed back without saying a word. I think they were still processing what the fuck we’d just seen. In the back of the car she held my hand with her head still on my shoulder. I could now see the tension lines around her mouth and eyes and knew she was getting ready to break.

  Once we reached the plane I took her back to the bedroom suite and laid her across the bed before going into the bathroom to get a wet washcloth to wipe her face. I made her drink some juice next but before she could finish she flew off the bed and headed for the bathroom where she threw up while I held her hair.

  It was as if we’d done this forever instead of just a few days, the way we moved in sync. I cleaned her up once she was done being sick and took her back to bed, removing her shoes and the weapons she had taped all over herself. I didn’t say shit as I reclined against the headboard and pulled her across my chest.

  The tears started first and then the words came. Slow, silent tears that soaked through my shirt to my chest and made me want to put my fist through something. “She was beautiful Shane. She had the most amazing smile and her laugh… She loved to laugh and make me laugh. I remember she was always happy. Her and pop used to play a lot. She always took me everywhere with her.”

  “I remember her scent most of all.” She inhaled as if she could smell it. Her arm tightened around my chest and she sniffled. “I can’t find her scent Shane.” Her voice sounded small and lost. “What do you mean?”

  “Her perfume, I’ve tried to find it but never could.” I would ask her why she never asked her dad but already knew the answer. Those two have been protecting each other in some way or another all these years. Bound by the same tragedy.

  I promised myself that I would ask Rossi first chance I get, but there was something I needed to ask her now. “Why didn’t you correct him when he mistook you for your mother?”

  “He’s superstitious. I did my research after you told me you’d found him.” How the fuck, do you research a hit man for the mob? They have that shit cataloged somewhere?

  “One of the things I learned was that he fears only
one thing, the dead. I didn’t expect it to work but I was hoping. She needed to be there, to be part of it. It’s good that he dies believing that she came back to take him. I think that fear will kill him faster than being buried alive while bleeding out.” I’m not fucking, with this girl. Who the fuck thinks up that shit? I guess she’s had years to formulate her little plan over and over in her head.

  The prince is gonna be some kinda fucked up, with her for a mother and me as his dad. Heaven help us if he decides to go back into the life. I just realized that the kid would one day inherit two dynasties so to speak. Hopefully by then Mouth and I would’ve turned it into one conglomeration, but that was a long time away.

  I waited for her to say more but her soft even breathing told me she’d fallen asleep. I waited a little longer to see if she would wake up again but she was out. I lifted her off my chest and settled her on the pillow before pulling the light cover over her and leaving the room.

  The others were of course talking about what happened, still with that hint of awe in their voices. “So tell me, what’s the deal. Are they taking him back home or…?” Alec asked as soon as I sat down.

  “Amateur.” Mikey teased him and shook his head. “I’m pretty sure he’s buried by now.”

  “Cold.” Zane mock shivered.

  “Mine.” I rested my head back and closed my eyes, my ears tuned to the room a few feet away, listening for her if she cried out.

  18

  Prince of The City

  “I’m hungry. What do we have to eat?” Mouth headed for the fridge as soon as we got in the house. It was damn near five o’clock in the morning and we’d just landed. I nodded for the twins to disappear to their place, which was between our home and my parents on the grounds. “Mouth sit down I’ll make breakfast.”