Poisoned Rose (Dark Roses #1) (5 page)

Eight

              Aurora took deep breaths to get her emotions under control and promised herself that she would make it through the day without crying.  The church ceremony was to be held in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, and the empty coffin was to be buried at Oak Hill Memorial Park.  Her brothers had decided that a four hour motorcade to San Jose, as notable as it would have been, was out of the question.  That was how she found herself standing in her underwear in one of the bedrooms of their Rosewood Sand Hill villa, staring at the outfit laid out on her bed.

              She let out a sigh and started getting dressed.  Vince had told her that her training would commence the day after the funeral.  She didn’t know what to expect but she had seen enough Family soldiers to know she was in for a rough ride.  Fastening her diamond earrings and necklace in place, she looked at her engagement ring.  It was sitting in its wooden box on the bureau.  She closed the lid and tossed it into her open luggage.  Whether she liked it or not, that part of her life was over and she had to force herself to turn the page.  She would get revenge soon enough.  She opened the bedroom door and was hit with the overwhelming scent of flowers.  The villa was filled from wall to wall with wreaths, bouquets and large vases topped with flowers of different colors.  Vince was staring out the window of the living room, dressed in the family favored black Tom Ford with a crisp black shirt and no tie.

              ‘Mom needs you.’

              She headed across the villa to the other bedroom and felt her heart drop when she opened the door.  Her mother was seated at the bureau, legs crossed at the ankles, hands in her lap clutching a tissue like a lifeline.  She looked composed and immaculate in her designer clothes, but the shredded tissues that lay scattered across the dresser told a different story.  Her mother was staring at her reflection without seeing herself, her eyes vacant and far away.

              ‘Your father liked my hair this way.’

              Her mother touched her chignon with her fingertips.

              ‘It looks beautiful mom.  Let me help you with your necklace.’

              She walked over and picked up the heavy diamonds, positioning herself behind her mother and fastening the necklace in place.

              ‘He bought me these when I gave birth to you, when I gave him a girl.  He loved you so much Aurora…’ her voice started to crack and she paused, clearing her throat, ‘I shouldn’t cry or my makeup will run.’

              Aurora kept waiting for her mother’s inevitable meltdown, something even worse than her reaction to Mike’s death.  But instead she had been calm, and that made Aurora worry more than any breakdown ever could.  If she didn’t show some emotion soon, something would snap, and when it did, it would be irreparable.

              She gave her mother a few minutes to compose herself and together they made their way back out to the living room where Johnny had joined Vince.  Johnny took his mother’s hand in the crook of his arm and Vince took hers, and as the front door opened her breath caught in her throat.  Over two hundred men dressed in black suits stood on the lawns in front of the villa.  The hearse was parked in the hotel’s motor court, and a limousine was parked behind it.  In front were six Harleys and behind were too many black cars to count.  They made their way to the limousine, waited until all the men got back to their cars, then the procession to the cathedral began.

              As they pulled up to the entry of the white and gold sanctuary, she couldn’t help but think it was shadowed by a different sight.  The street was filled with mourners, so many that they had spilled out onto the street and had to move aside to let the motorcade through.  It was incredible, but she was torn between humility and anger.  The mourners were not divided the way they had been at Mike’s funeral.  Everyone belonged on a red carpet, and the news anchors with their mikes and cameras made it all that much more insulting. Johnny ran a hand over his shaved head.

              ‘OK, let’s do this.’

              Her brothers got out in unison and walked towards the hearse.  She followed her mother out of the limousine and found her aunt waiting at the bottom of the steps, where she hugged Santina and kept a hold of her arm.  The coffin was morbidly striking, made out of deep cedar wood with gold handles.  The top was adorned with a large gold cross and the family insignia on a sash.  On one side Psalm 23:4 was written in gold calligraphy; the other side had a gold plaque with their father’s name, date of birth and date of death.

              The pall bearers lifted the coffin up onto their shoulders and began their slow walk into the church.  By the time they reached the octagonal altar, every pew was filled with mourners, and those who couldn’t find a place to sit stood at the back of the church.  Taking her seat in the front pew, she noticed that the area behind the lectern was filled with purple magnolias in black marble vases, each vase with the surname of a Family soldier in gold calligraphy.  Beside the coffin was a large photo of her father.  His smile had been infectious and she could still hear his laughter in her ears.  Her chest constricted with guilt and regret.  She wondered if he’d died knowing she still loved him, even after all the harsh words that stained their relationship.  She looked down when the priest took the lectern and didn’t look up again until it was time for Johnny to give the eulogy.  He stood at the altar and looked at their father’s photo.  The similarities between them had never been more evident.  Then he cleared his throat.

              ‘John Anthony Hannam, known to his friends and family as Tony, was born in New York City to Anthony and Blair Hannam.  In high school he played quarterback and in his final year of college received offers from the Giants and the Cowboys.  But when a different opportunity came his way, Tony packed up and moved to L.A with his best friend.  Here they built separate empires, growing successful with such speed that by twenty eight, Tony thought he had everything, until the day he met Santina Bonnano.  A whirlwind courtship and six months later the two were wed.  They were married for thirty two years and had three sons and a daughter who never wanted for anything.  My father was a good man.  He was generous, kind and honorable.  He valued loyalty, honesty and respect above all else, and those are the values he instilled in his children.  Our loss is Heaven’s gain and while we will spend the rest of our lives missing him, our father raised us and so we shall follow in his footsteps.’

              Johnny’s yellow eyes scanned the gatherers before he stepped down from the pulpit.  She sucked in a breath.  Her brother’s warning could not have been clearer.  Organ music from the interior balcony filled the church and an Italian opera singer began the first notes of Ave Maria in soprano. When the song came to an end and the final notes sang out, the pall bearers picked up the coffin and walked back down the aisle.  She held her mother’s hand and stole a glance at her as they made their way out of the church.  She hadn’t shed a tear.

              The trip to Oak Hill was drawn out by the silence in the limousine.  Once the procession reached the burial site, Johnny started humming under his breath and bouncing his leg as he glared at the mourners from inside the car.  Vince placed a hand on Johnny’s knee and squeezed.  Johnny’s head whipped around to stare at him but once his eyes locked on Vince’s he calmed down.

              As a family, they joined the guests gathered around Tony’s final resting place.  The priest began the final prayer and she noticed from the corner of her eye the sun bouncing off something shiny across the plot.  Distracted, she looked over to find the offending object and discovered it was a large gold family crested ring worn by a man she knew well.  He radiated such power that she was surprised she hadn’t noticed him earlier.  Mario was dressed in a full length black wool coat that was unbuttoned, showing his expensive black suit underneath.  His hair was so dark it was black and he had a thick salt-and-pepper moustache.  He demanded attention, but to Aurora he was a mere afterthought.  Standing behind him was Hawk, and that all too familiar feeling barreled into her the way it always did.

              He was beautiful, his black shirt stretched tight across his huge chest, the start of his taught pecs visible as his shirt opened into a V.  The sun was at its finest and Hawk had his sunglasses on, but she wished he would take them off and glance her way.  He was staring at a spot behind Honor’s head as they whispered to one another.  Halo turned and hissed at them, causing Hawk and Honor to stop mid conversation.  Yet the moment Halo turned back, Honor leant towards Hawk and they continued.  Aurora wasn’t offended at their behavior.  They would never disrespect her father.  Their reason for talking would be to distract themselves from their emotions.  She had no doubt they were in pain, they’d spent most of their childhoods in her parents’ home, and she found herself wishing that she and Hawk could comfort each other.  At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to be held by him, and just as she started daydreaming, her mother let out a gut wrenching shriek and started sobbing.

              Aurora covered her mouth with one hand as her mother continued to weep, watching the coffin being lowered into the ground.  Vince wrapped his arm around their mother’s shoulders and led her back to the limousine as the crowd began to disperse.  There would be no catering after the burial, Johnny and Vince refused to surround their family with strangers for any longer than was necessary.

              By the time they got home it was after eight and their aunt met them at the house, letting them know that she would take care of their mother.  Aurora started to make her way up the stairs but her brothers were heading to the living room.  They were speaking in hushed tones and she watched them in silence until she heard Vince ask Johnny if he was serious.

              ‘What’s going on?’

              She hurried back down the stairs and with his back to her, she imagined Johnny rolling his eyes as he replied.

              ‘The matter doesn’t concern you.’

              ‘But I’m one of you now.’

              Surprised at her own response she snapped her mouth shut as Johnny turned to stare at her.  His voice was low and lethal, leaving no doubt as to who was in charge.

              ‘If I were you, I’d keep my mouth shut unless I ask you to talk.’

              Vince moved to stand between them.

              ‘Listen Roar, it’s been a long day and John and I need to go out. Even if you were trained already, this isn’t a meeting you would ever be invited to.  Let’s get this straightened out here and now so that there are no misconceptions about your place.  Johnny is the boss of this Family and I am his advisor, you are not our equal, those are things you must never, ever forget.  Now go upstairs and get some rest.  We expect you in the training centre at five AM.’

              Her brothers walked out of the living room and made their way down to Johnny’s office.  She had known it all along but hearing Vince speak to her that way had shocked her regardless.  Just because she was their sister didn’t give her any special standing in the Family.  She went upstairs and flung herself onto her bed, groaning as she thought of Dante.  He was the sibling that she quarreled with the most, but there wasn’t a single time that he hadn’t been there for her.  He had saved her ass so many times that she’d lost count by the time she was seventeen.  God she missed him.  She refused to believe that he was dead when in her heart she knew he was still alive.  But she also knew that if they didn’t find him soon he would be damaged forever.

              With that dark thought, she stood up and walked to her balcony, sliding the glass doors open and stepping out into the cool night.  She looked out at the grounds, watching the moonlight play games with the water in the pool, and waited until the light shining from Johnny’s office turned off and she heard the front door slam.  Mike had been murdered, because of her.  Her father was dead, and she would never get the chance to apologize.  She was in love with Hawk, and he would never return her feelings.  She could feel the anger rising, the rage making its way through her veins, pumping faster than her blood, and then, she could no longer control it.  She screamed out into the night and pushed at the railing, as if she could make the sandstone go crashing down.  Then the tears started falling and she let them, let all her emotions that she had controlled since Mike had died race out of her.  She slid down, keeping her back against the stone, until she was on the floor with her legs curled to the side.  She looked up at the sky, searching for an answer she knew she wouldn’t find, and let out a tortured cry.

              She screamed for her father and she screamed for Mike.  She screamed for her mother, who would never be the same.  She screamed for Dante, she wanted him home where he was supposed to be, and beneath all of that, she screamed for herself, for Johnny, for Vince.  For what was torn from them and what they might become when everything was over.  After a while, she calmed herself enough to stop crying.  She closed her eyes to collect herself and took deep breaths.  Then she stood up and dusted off her dress, but before she stepped into her bedroom, she looked back up to the sky.

              ‘I’m sorry dad.  I didn’t mean it.  I’m going to make you proud.’

Nine

             
Hawk opened the back door to the Mason Family five-star restaurant Angel and greeted Johnny and Vince.  It was filled to capacity and they didn’t bother talking as they made their way up the marble steps to the second floor.  To the left was a private dining room, but he turned right and ushered them into his father’s office.  Mario walked around his desk to greet them.  He hugged Johnny and Vince and invited them to sit on the two black leather armchairs facing his desk.  As they took their seats, Hawk closed the door and pulled over a seat from the corner of the room, fighting the urge to curl his lip at his father’s close proximity.

              Mario let out a dark laugh.

              ‘I never thought I would outlive my best friend.  Your father was always the more careful of the two of us.  How are your mother and sister coping?’

              Hawk waited for Johnny’s response.  Would he get defensive and interpret the question as a way for Mario to identify any weaknesses, or would he take it as genuine concern.  He could never be sure of his father’s intentions and if the circumstances were different, he would have gone with option one.  But this was Tony’s death they were discussing.

              ‘It’s hardest on our mother.  I don’t think she knows what to do with herself now that he’s gone.’

              Johnny had gone with option two.  Mario’s turquoise eyes stared back at Johnny with what looked like sympathy and understanding.

              ‘I was the same when Fae died.  One moment she was there, the next… It made me realize how little time we have with the ones we love and how we should cherish every moment.’

              It was those moments, when his father acted all warm and gentle and like he actually cared that he wanted to hurt him the most.  The man who had never taught his children to love, who had never soothed them when they were hurt, and who had never taught them anything that didn’t serve his own purposes, was talking about how you should make the most of the time you had with those you loved.  Hypocritical son of a bitch.  Then again, Mario had never led them to believe that he loved them, so perhaps it wasn’t hypocritical after all.

              ‘She’s a strong woman, and so is Aurora.  They’ll be fine.’

              Vince interjected, staying true to his role of advisor and attempting to lead the conversation to its purpose.  Hawk cleared his throat at the mention of Aurora, as if the action could push the knot that had been in his chest since the funeral out of his body.  He’d told himself that he wouldn’t feel anything when he saw her, but his palms were sweaty before he’d even left the house.  He’d spent the ceremony distracted and on edge, earning him an elbow in the ribs from Honor.  He’d realized then that he wasn’t the only one who was uncomfortable, and that Aurora’s presence wasn’t the only source of his discomfort.

              They’d spent their childhood in Tony’s home, and had experienced kindness and compassion.  Tony and Santina had shown them the affection their father never had, and that had been ripped from them with their mother’s death.  They may not have been able to show their emotions, but he knew that his sisters were struggling with their pain, trying to find an outlet that didn’t result in a loss of face. When they’d moved to the cemetery, it had taken every ounce of self-control he possessed not to go to Aurora, his efforts resulting in an expression which he was sure made him look like an insensitive bastard.

              Mario smiled, ‘Of course they’ll be fine, they’re Hannams. Now, I hate to have to talk business today but I need you both to be aware of what events will soon unfold.  Your brother’s disappearance… Some people are going to start talking.’

              Johnny cocked an eyebrow and leant back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

              ‘And these people, what exactly are they going to say?’

              ‘John, you’re a boss now and your father trained you well so what I’m about to say should come as no surprise.  Tony and Dante went off the grid.  Tony died and Dante disappeared.  You don’t think people are going to wonder if Dante played a role in your father’s death? The other Families will be calling for a Formal Sit Down soon.’

              Johnny narrowed his eyes.

              ‘My brother is innocent.’

              ‘I’m not the one you have to convince. I’ve always considered you and your siblings as family.  So, maybe we head different Families but the Masons and the Hannams have always looked out for one another and as far as I am concerned, we will continue to do so.  But please, correct me if I’m wrong.’

              It was a question.  Did Johnny think of Mario as an ally or did he perceive him as an enemy now that Tony was dead. The tension in the air was palpable, then Johnny relaxed.

              ‘Just making sure we’re on the same page.’

              Mario nodded.

              ‘Of course.  So tell me what happened that night.’

              Johnny explained how the events of the night had unfolded, starting with Dante being kicked out of Hunters for fighting with Nik Romanov and ending with Tony hanging up when questioned about his decision to collect Dante.  He then went on to explain the issues they had been having with Dante’s attitude, which surprised Hawk and was a clear sign of trust on Johnny’s behalf.  He stated that Dante had been offended by the fact there were captains who weren’t Hannams by blood, and he resented having to work as hard as other soldiers without receiving the same respect as senior men.

              ‘I should have followed my father that night.’

              Mario sighed, ‘This doesn’t look good.  We’re going to have to find a lead as soon as possible if we want to clear Dante’s name.’

              He paused for a moment before adding, ‘We have some information that might bring us one step closer to finding the bastards.  Hawk?’

              So his father was going to make him give them the news instead of telling them himself or waiting for Halo, who should have been the one doing it.  The man was all kinds of sadistic.  Hawk turned to look Johnny in the eye.

              ‘We both know that your dad’s murder and Dante’s disappearance are tied to each other.  We also both know that Michael’s execution was a warning of what was to come.  But what we know, and you don’t, is that the kid was being stalked before he was killed.’

              Vince grabbed Johnny’s arm, but he shook it free.

              ‘Look, I don’t need to know how you knew, but what I do want to know is if you knew it was Mikey they wanted to kill.’

              He wanted to growl at the use of the nickname.  The kid was going to be their brother-in-law, of course they would have shown him some level of affection.  They had accepted him as part of their family and Hawk couldn’t control his jealousy.  He could however control whether or not it was evident.

              ‘No, we didn’t know who he was.’

              Johnny and Vince both let out long breaths and Vince rubbed the back of his neck.  Hawk waited for them to say something before he continued.  He needed to know where they stood on the matter.  Vince was the first to speak.

              ‘We understand why you didn’t tell us and there are no hard feelings.  It was just business.  He was a good kid though.’

              Hawk went on, ‘The night he died, there was a Chrysler waiting outside of the club they were in.  I got a good look at the driver and I noted down the plates.  We’ll put the word out so that our soldiers are on the lookout for the driver and the car.  I assume you’ll want to do the same.’

              Johnny and Vince thanked him for the information.

              ‘At least we’ve got something to run with.’

              Mario agreed with Johnny and concluded the meeting, moving to the front of his desk as everyone stood and patting Vince on the back.

              ‘You’re father would be proud of you.  Now, do you want to grab something to eat before you go? Sergio’s new creation is this thing called a lobster Alaska, I don’t know what the kid puts in it but it’s a masterpiece.’

              ‘Thanks, but we should be getting home.  We mean no disrespect.’

              Johnny responded and Mario nodded.

              ‘None taken.  We’ll talk soon.’

              They all shook hands and the Hannam brothers left.  Hawk ached to go with them, to sleep beside Aurora and hold her through the night, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.  It wasn’t going to happen ever.