When I pulled back, she was paler than the blue dress she wore.
“Maybe we should all rest privately for the remainder of the evening before the gala,” my mother said as she walked over to me and wrapped her hand around my own. She pulled me back, giving Neal a moment with Olivia.
“Brilliant idea, Mother.” I kissed her on the cheek before turning to Melody. Seeing the look of lust in her eyes made me forget everything else.
I reached out for her hand. “Wife.”
She shook her head. “Olivia and I are going to work on fixing her public appearance before this gala.”
“I think Olivia has had enough lessons for one night,” my father said, looking over at the still pale woman in Neal’s arms. It made me sick; she looked like one of those stupid girls on the cover of those romance novels.
“There’s still some time before the gala,” Melody said. “Hopefully this won’t take long.”
“Should I come along as well?” Neal asked, which was code for, you’re not going anywhere with my wife unless I follow.
Melody didn’t back down, nor did I think she would. “Olivia doesn’t want you to come along. Or at least that’s what she told Adriana when she was told of our plans this evening.”
Only God knew what that meant.
“I’ll be fine, Neal,” Olivia declared, letting go of him.
“Am I coming along?” Coraline asked cheerfully, almost knocking over her chair. Declan leered at her, wrapping his arm around her waist. She glared at him, but didn’t push him away. Therapy was helping them…slowly, but it was helping.
“Sorry, Cora, it’s a private meeting,” she replied.
Before she could leave, I pulled her back, ignoring the excitement that ran through me just by touching her.
“What are you up to, love?” I questioned, kissing her deeply when she opened her lips to reply.
“You will find out soon enough,” she declared. “We’ll be back within the hour.”
I had a bad feeling about this, but Mel killing Olivia was the least of my worries right now.
MELODY
I left him and the rest of the family behind, knowing full well that Olivia would follow. The whole night had gone so perfectly, you would have thought I could see the future. However, with each passing day, Olivia was becoming a bigger problem. She didn’t seem to understand the world around her. She couldn’t see the bigger picture, and the longer she stayed blind to the reality of our lives, the bigger liability we faced. Family, for us, was everything, but it was also the one thing that could destroy us.
Cops didn’t bring down the greatest bosses in history, they brought down their families, the people they provided for and protected. It was the idiots who were lucky enough to either share DNA or have a ring on their finger. They enjoyed all the rewards—the money, the fame, and the respect. But none of them really understood how fragile it all was, especially the wives. Our weakest link was Olivia, and I would be damned if I let her continue on the way she was.
It had taken Liam and I weeks of planning to figure out exactly what we wanted. It wasn’t like we just woke up one morning and said, ‘let’s own the White House.’ We went back and forth over whether or not to use Senator Colemen, since he was already so close to the family. But it was because of that reason that he was perfect.
“Where are we going?” Olivia asked, once we stepped into the garage. Fedel handed me the keys to my white Aston Martin before handing me a gun.
“Get in the car, Olivia,” was all I said to her, but she was frozen with her blue eyes glued to the weapon in my hand.
“Fedel.” I sighed, taking a seat behind the wheel.
“Let go of me!” Olivia yelled, as he grabbed her and forced her into the car.
Holding her down, he buckled her in before slamming the door shut and I stomped on the gas.
“What the hell do you want with me, Melody?” she screamed.
“I want you to be a Callahan, not a Colemen,” I replied, relaxing into my seat.
“What the fuck does that mean? I am a Callahan. I was one before you were, remember?” She huffed, glaring out the window.
I laughed; she so badly wanted something to trump me with. “No, you are a Colemen hiding in Callahan’s clothing. You bitch like a Colemen, hide like a Colemen, and have no balls like a Colemen. Which means you look like your mother, but act like your father. So scared of what you could actually be if you put forth the effort. Seems like Liam and I have to teach your entire family how to grow balls.”
“Thank you, Obi Wan Kenobi, but I don’t need, nor do I want, your help. Take me home or I will walk!” she snapped, as she twirled her blonde hair between her fingers.
It bothered me.
“In a pair of seven hundred dollar Jimmy Choos? That will be the day.” I was sort of impressed she knew who Obi Wan Kenobi was though. Must have been due to Neal.
“Whatever game…”
“I don’t play games, Olivia. Games are for children. I work. Every moment of every damn day, I am working. I work so that this family—our family—can move mountains. I work so that I never want for anything, so that I can obtain anything I wish. Right now, I’m working on you, so shut the fuck up.” I wanted to bash her fucking skull in.
Luckily, she didn’t say anything else, and we soon reached our destination; a cliff that overlooked the beautiful Lake Michigan.
“Sorry, my gate doesn’t swing that way,” she joked, but it wasn’t at all funny. “It’s a pretty spot for a date though.”
“Get out, Olivia.”
She glared like always, but did as she was told.
Stepping around to the back of the car, I opened the trunk. “It’s time you grow up, Olivia.”
“You know what, Melody—” She stopped the moment she looked down and saw the naked man curled up in a ball in the trunk.
Backing away slowly, she covered her mouth, and her eyes shined with tears. The man struggled against his chains and screamed against the gag in his mouth. Every sound he made, Olivia shook. Finally, she threw up everything she had just eaten and sobbed.
“We’ll be right back. Family meeting,” I told him before closing the trunk again. Hopping up on top of it, I watched her as she tried her best to calm down.
“What did you do?” she screamed.
I thought it was obvious.
“He’s one of the men who raped you, isn’t he? Matt, Harvey’s best friend? I brought him here to help you.”
“You aren’t helping me! I don’t need your help! I never asked for your fucking help!” she roared, causing her whole body to shake.
Sighing, I sat forward. “You told no one but me. Not Neal, not Evelyn, not even your parents. I personally tracked your records. Searched the entire cyber universe and found a rape kit, simply logged in as Courtney A. O’Brien, height: 5’8, blood type: AB, hair color: Blonde, eye color: Blue…She’s you. CAO, your initials backwards? You were scared and couldn’t come up with a lie fast enough. Your parents were nobodies who were on the verge of being somebodies. You went to the hospital and even filed a police report. All of which were so easily found once I had that name. Every year, on the anniversary, you end up in the hospital for violent vomiting and weight loss…”
“Shut up, Melody!” She clamped her hands over her ears as if that would help.
“Every year, you’ve been waiting for someone to connect the dots. To give you justice, to help you. That’s why you came to me….”
“I came to you because you wouldn’t get out of fucking bed!” she cried.
“You came to me because Adriana spoke to you. Deep down, you wanted this. You were crying out for this. You wanted me to find your rapists and deep down, you didn’t want them to go jail. You wanted them dead. You wanted them to suffer as you’ve suffered. You came to me so I could make you a Callahan.” I jumped off the trunk and grabbed hold of her, forcing her hands from her ears.
“You’re waiting for someone to save you, but no one c
an do that. You need to save yourself. I can help you. But I can’t save you, Olivia. You’re a motherfucking Callahan. We are never victims; we are the victimizers. The penalty for coming after us is, and will always be, death. It’s time for your retribution.”
She looked so lost as I handed her the gun. “I’m not like you, Mel. I can’t kill another person. I’m not a murderer. This isn’t the justice I wanted,” she declared, once again lying to herself.
I hated liars. Walking back to the trunk, I opened it and the stupid pig squealed again.
“Looks like you get to go back to Cancun,” I said to him. “Don’t worry about the girl you raped and murdered there, we made sure to clean it up. Her grieving parents will be burying her this weekend…”
“What are you doing? You can’t let him go!” Olivia screamed, but couldn’t bring herself to come any closer to the car.
“You wanted justice, well, according to the law, this is justice. There is a statue of limitations on rape. Courtney A. O’Brien isn’t even your real name; your case would be thrown out. I’m not going to kill him. He isn’t my demon. So my hands are tied,” I said, pulling the pig out of trunk. I smirked at his bound wrists. “Poor word choice, huh?”
Olivia said nothing, so I pushed more. “I’m hoping this will serve as a lesson. But I doubt it. Pigs like you can’t help but roll in the mud. Where will Harvey hide you now once you tell him? He’s the one who sent you to Mexico after Olivia here became a Callahan, wasn’t he?”
Pulling the gag from his mouth, he tried to speak, but Olivia held the gun to his skull.
“Don’t speak, just run far away,” was all she said to him.
Really? Kill him!
The pig didn’t even wait for me to unbind his legs before he tried to run. He fell to his knees, but still tried to run.
“Remember, no means no.” I frowned, and just when I had given up on her, Olivia pulled the trigger. Not once, not twice, but she emptied the magazine into his body.
“NO means no! I said no! I said no!” she screamed at his body before collapsing onto me. I wasn’t a hugger; truthfully, I hated all forms of touch except Liam’s. However, she needed something, so I let her hug my waist as I petted her head.
“A Callahan, through and through.”
Progress.
LIAM
“Mr. Callahan!” The vultures with cameras called out once I exited the car. Adjusting my jacket, I waved at them, smiling my pretty boy smile…they ate it up like cake.
“Who is this handsome fella?” A hand ran across my back and I spun Melody around, dipping her down.
“Liam Callahan, and you are?” I smiled as she rolled her eyes.
“Melody Callahan. Can you bring me up now please?” she asked sweetly, causing the vultures to laugh.
“Well if it isn’t my lucky day.” I grinned, pulling her closer to me and whispering, “Where have you been, love, and why did you change?”
She was now dressed in a blood red dress that hugged her every curve.
“Not now, Liam,” she said through her smile before turning back to the cameras.
“Mr. and Mrs. Callahan,” a reporter called out.” Many say that your support for Senator Colemen was what has gotten him to this point. Are you only voting for him because of your sister-in-law?”
“Of course not,” Mel replied kindly. “We support Senator Colemen because we think he is the best man for the job. He is kind, outgoing, and hardworking. But above even that, his politics are what I support.”
“Last year, your father was reportedly killed by a bombing in Turkey, of which no one was convicted. If Senator Colemen becomes president, he will be one of the first Republican presidents staunchly against the death penalty and against war. Victims of terrorism, like your father, will get no justice,” he stated, and I felt the urge to put a bullet between his eyes.
“Can’t speak much on war, but as a Catholic, I don’t believe in the death penalty. But let’s save all the political questions for the candidate. I’m a voter, just like you.” She winked at him and he looked like he wanted to cum in his pants.
“I wholeheartedly agree with my wife,” I said like I was reading a cue card, causing them to laugh.
We only stood for a second longer before making our way in, and I spotted Anna’s wavy long blonde hair right away; she couldn’t have been here long—technically she shouldn’t be here at all, but she was family no matter what. When I called, she answered, even when she didn’t want to.
“I’ll be right back, love,” I whispered to Melody as I kissed her cheek.
She looked over to the woman in the back dressed in green, and I took pleasure in the way her eyebrow twitched. “Who is she? You had a thing for blondes, didn’t you?”
“She isn’t…” I sighed. “I’ll explain later.”
I loved when she was jealous.
Kissing her again, my tongue brushed against hers and I enjoyed how sweet she tasted when she moaned in my mouth. I had to force myself to pull away.
“When you moan like that baby, I want nothing more than to hike up that dress, spread your thighs, and fuck you until your legs go weak,” I whispered in her ear.
“Then do it,” she dared me, a devious smile on her red lips. “Fuck me so hard that I slide to the ground when you’re done. Make me scream your name until my voice is gone, please, Liam. Please fuck me.”
Jesus Christ. I couldn’t speak, I was so turned on. My cock throbbed in my now-too-tight pants, and I longed to give her exactly what she wanted, exactly the way she wanted it.
“Your friend is waiting.” She winked at me before wiping the lipstick from my lips, and moving away from me.
I watched her go, and I longed to follow.
Later. Right now I had business.
Turning back, I made my way through the crowd towards Anna. I nodded for her to follow me up the stairs, leaving the poor bastard she was flirting with where he stood. I understood how he felt. Anna did her best to remain unseen as she walked the top balcony that overlooked the ballroom.
“Speak quickly,” I said to her as I looked down at my wife.
“Nice to see you too, cousin. Did you cut your hair? It’s nice….”
“Anna.”
She laughed. “I ran the photo through the Interpol database and yes, everything you’ve found out about her is true. She goes by Aviela, Aviela DeRosa, of the DeRosa crime family. My contacts say she’s the best hired gun on the western side of the globe. Her father, Ivan DeRosa, hasn’t been seen above ground in seventeen years. We still have no idea what he looks like.”
“The DeRosas.” Goddamn it. The moment we took down one family, another rose in its place.
“The DeRosas,” she confirmed. “They’ve never been big in the states, but they’re one of the most ruthless crime families in Europe and Brazil. From what I can see, this Ivan was using the Valero as his face in order to remain hidden. There have been all kinds of reports and charges filed against him, but the man is fucking untouchable. Aviela takes out the biggest competition or anyone on the rise.”
“I know.” It was the reason why we stayed out of Brazil for the most part. The rest of South America we had our hands in, but Brazil…it wasn’t worth losing men over. As long as the DeRosas stayed down there we didn’t have a problem…but if Aviela was a DeRosa, it meant that Melody was from not one, but two criminal families. This shit was getting foul quickly.
Anna handed me a USB drive.
“What is this?”
“Her kill list. Nothing is confirmed, but I’m willing to bet she was the one that killed every last person on that list. She leaves a calling card somewhere at the scene. White gloves. I have no idea what it means but…”
“That is all, Anna,” I cut her off.
“Liam, if they’re coming for you, you might want to back down from this one. You’re all insane, but the things the DeRosas do…I’ve been doing my best to cover up, and pin almost everything you all have asked me to on other fa
milies. But even I have bosses Liam, I don’t run Interpol. There are hundreds of people working on this shit, and there’s only so much I can do to keep you clean. Slow down, batten down the hatches, before this gets out of control—”
“You see that woman down there?” I asked, looking at Melody.
“Your wife?” She frowned.
“She has a right to know who her mother really is.” Even if it may drive her off the deep end and crashing into flames.
“Shit,” Anna said. “She’s a DeRosa? Shit.”
My thoughts exactly.
“I don’t know what they want, Anna, but this isn't going to just go away. For now just stay and keep watch…besides, out of the hundreds of people working on this, you never know who’s on our side.” I winked at her. It was funny how she thought she was the only spy working in the government.
“Liam—”
“Enjoy the gala Anna,” I said as I left her.
For now, I would have to lock away the monster within me that wanted nothing more than to burn my mother-in-law alive. I had to pretend to be an honorable member of society who didn’t believe in the death penalty, and went to church on Sundays. For tonight, I would be Dr. Jekyll, and come tomorrow, I would become Mr. Hyde.
When Mel’s eyes met mine, I could only imagine the monster that would be unleashed once she knew.
TWO
“Murder is like potato chips: you can’t stop with just one.”
—Stephen King
OLIVIA
“Are you okay?” Neal whispered into my ear as we danced for the tenth time.
I couldn’t answer. I could only hold onto him. I gripped him so tightly, you would think this was the last time we would be together.
I had to tell him, but I was so scared. I was scared of what he would think, which was stupid, really. Neal was a murderer, and now, I was too. But he liked the fact that my hands were clean. He always said he wasn’t good enough for me, but it was the other way around. The one thing that I had—my bloodless slate—was gone. What bothered me was how happy I was to pull that trigger. I wanted to kill that animal. It replayed over and over again in my mind.