Vengeance: A Kindred Sons Mafia Romance (15 page)

"Why did you kill a defenseless child, still growing in her mother's belly? What did she do to you?"

He laughed manically. "Becuase that thing was the product of you spreading your filthy legs with dozens of other men. Think I was going to be tied down to some bastard you threw out of your cunt?" he coughed, "Besides, did that thing a favor - imagine having you as it's mother… be even worse than that excuse of a whore that was your mother."

Jake punched him, knocking Robert to the floor, still tied to the chair. I looked at my hand in shock, the knife was gone.

A sick gurgling sound came from him, and I realised the knife had been knocked into his neck. It didn't matter how it happened, but with the amount of blood now pooling around him, and the desperate noises, even I knew that was it. But we all just stood there, in ambivalent silence as the life ebbed from his body. Later I would wonder if it was me or Jake who had killed him. Later still I wouldn’t care.

Jake pulled me into his arms. "He's gone."

Jake

Dad had left the scene before Robert had been brought to the warehouse. He'd insisted on going with Isabella as our doctors checked her over. it wasn't until that evening that I actually got to meet her.

Usually we clear up our messes - no bodies left behind. But when so many of the McCauley’s died, we decided to just leave them where they lay… let them collect their own and let the Triad know our strength. The only one who was disposed of was Robert. We have a specialist guy, a trained butcher, who works well with making sure bodies that may be of particular interest disappear.

I watched Bella for any signs of shock, and yes, she had been shaken up, but nowhere nearly as badly as I expected. I phoned da on the way back to my house and he let Bella speak with her grandmother. That pacified her enough that we didn't have to go around right away, which was just as well. We both looked like hell after the fight. Well, I looked like hell, Bella looked beautiful as always.

We showered and changed quickly... but not too quickly. I got to experience the real Bella in my shower and the way she wrapped her lips around me was infinitely better than what I had fantasised it would be. When we were dried off and dressed I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her. I loved how big she made me feel - big and strong. I would kill everything that stood in her way.

"So I've decided ye're staying here with me, then." I smiled into her hair.

"Oh, really?" she spun around, looking at me playfully. "And what makes you think I’d want that?"

"Simple, it's because I love ye, that's why." I shrugged my shoulders. "And I'd do anything for ye, and I'll do everything to make ye mine." It felt freeing to say it out loud. It felt right.

She shook her head and looked away, "You're forgetting something there." Panic shot through me and my heart stopped. Had today been too much for her, was she really going to leave as I said I would let her? I didn’t think I could. A smile played on her lips before taking over completely, "I'm already yours, and you're already mine." her hands reached around my neck to pull me down for a kiss. "I love you, Jake."

When we arrived at Windsor House, Isabella was already holding court, regaling anyone who'd listen - which was everyone - with stories about Bella as she grew up. "Granny!" Bella squealed and she rushed to the old woman, all but crushing her with a hug. "Are you alright? What did the doctor say? What did they do to you?"

"Give the critter a chance to breathe!" da laughed. He'd taken his old chair in the corner of the room and was swirling what looked like whiskey in a glass. Mum was standing close by him. "She's had several once-overs by three different doctors, the woman's in as fine fettle as she was when she used to clip me over the ears as a wean." I looked at him in shock.

"Aye, son, I see ye looking at me." He stood and walked over to me. "Do ye mind your Aunt Agnes’ oul’ house? Long before it was hers, and long before your time that was your grandmother's house. In them days, Isabella and us were neighbours. I used to sneak into her garden to eat the strawberries."

The women were chattering away and I walked into the kitchen with da. "Da, can I…"

"Here." he held his hand out to me, "Thought ye might be wanting this." He dropped the contents of his hand into mine.

"How'd ye know?"

"Ye're me son, I know everything there is to know about ye. And it doesn't take much to see how much ye mean to her." He shook his head, “And yer ma was the one that thought you’d want it.”

Jake

When the conversations had died down, I took my chance to speak with Isabella alone, part excited and part fearful that an oul' woman held the answer to such an important question. "I think a lot of your granddaughter." I started, more nervous than I’d been in years.

"I would hope so." she said, giving nothing away.

With a deep breath and steeling myself for her answer I spoke quickly, "I love her, and with your permission, I'd like to ask her to marry me."

"I see that you love her, Jake." she spoke quietly, "And I respect ye asking me. You probably only see an old woman in front of you, an old woman who doesn't know much." I didn't know how to answer that, so I remained silent. "I'm not stupid; I know what yous are. I knew about the Kindred Sons long before ye were born. You have my permission under one condition."

"Anything." I said instantly.

"Ye see that smile on her face right now?" Bella was chatting easily with Louise and a few of the other women.

"Aye."

"If she ever lands back out to see me with anything less than a smile like that on her face, you'll be hearing from me. And if you ever make her cry as sore as she did when she landed back at mine, I’ll kill ye myself. You got that, son?"

“Aye.” I smiled, a new respect for the woman who had looked after my sweetheart - and a new realisation of precisely where Bella got her fire from.

The women laughed at some joke, and I took the distracted moment to kiss Isabella quickly on the cheek. "Thank you. I will do everything in my power to keep her happy - it will be my one duty in life. That and to protect her."

I stood tall, patted my clothes down and walked straight over to her. From the corner of my eye, I saw my da wink at me, mum smiled from behind her tissue, already dabbing at her eyes beside him. I took Bella’s hand and pulled her from her seat to stand in the center of the room. Everyone quietened, knowing I had something to say.

"Bella, I've never been great with words, and I'll probably say something wrong here." Her eyes looked up at me in confusion. "Ye're everything to me." I dropped to one knee and I heard excited murmurs amongst my family. "I love ye. I always will love ye. I swear to protect ye, look after ye, and to always make ye happy. It would be my greatest honour if ye would be me wife."

I pulled my own grandmother's engagement ring from my back pocket and held it up to her. Her eyes shone and she smiled even though one tear overspilled and ran down her face. "Jake, I love you too." She sniffed, "Of course I'll marry you!" the crowd cheered and once I slipped the ring onto her finger all the women in the house flocked to see it and the men came to congratulate me.

Isabella looked at the ring and then to both of us. "That's your grandmother's ring." I nodded as her eyes grew misty. "Your grandmother was a great woman, and I saw how happy they were. I wish you both nothing but the very best for the future." She went to sit down again but turned to add, "And may all your troubles be little ones."

Louise burst over to hug us both. "Oh my god, congratulations! I hear October's a great month for a wedding." She smiled with raised eyebrows.

I looked to Bella and couldn't see why not. "Sooner the better as far as I'm concerned."

She giggled, "As in October - next month, October?" I laughed and Louise practically bounced. "I guess I need to get planning!"

Jake

After we'd brought the McCauley's to their knees, what had been left of their gang all but disappeared. I would have done the same: regroup, refocus, renew energy and re-strategize. That meant it was only a matter of time before they'd come back at us. I'd already heard they'd been arse licking the Triad.

My focus should have solely been on the increased training that all of the Kindred Sons were now doing - not just the guys who answered to me. When I had told da about the training I’d set up, his first instructions were to roll it out with everyone - oul' boys, new recruits; everyone. Nevan got the shitty end of that stick as I delegated that responsibility to him, so I could monitor but keep Bella as my main focus.

The guys had initially been hurt when I said I wasn't going on a stag do, however, that was short-lived. When I said that they should go on ahead and celebrate in my honour without me, they were happy again. I believed there'd been three stag parties so far: the stag weekend in Holland; a rally driving stag weekend at home; and the only one I did attend: the massive men-only dinner my mum insisted on having at Windsor house.

Bella, my Bella. She was already mine, and everyone knew it. As much as I’d always insisted to others that marriage was the end of a sexual relationship, right now I thought there would be nothing better than slipping away for a month or two with my wife and fucking in every possible position imaginable. Coming up with new places and positions had become my favourite hobby.

Bella had not been keen on a church wedding, and in light of the potential security risks, having the ceremony in the hotel's best room was a safer option. The minister had enthusiastically agreed to whatever we'd wanted. Mum had insisted on us attending Sunday School as children, so I had the impression part of his interest in doing the ceremony was to actually confirm I had got married. To ONE woman. Who I'd settle down with.

Andy joined the rest of the men at the front of the room, speaking briefly to me before taking his place. "Congratulations mate. Bella's as mad about you as ye are for her." He nodded at the woman sitting behind the baby grand piano in the corner who changed the piece of music she was playing.

I heard everyone gasp in awe as they turned to watch the woman I would love for the rest of my life. I heard her quietly thank Ryan, and his “Love you, sis.” My wife-to-be was by my side. It wasn't until then that I turned to look at her. Tears pricked my eyes - she really was beautiful.

The ceremony, whilst not exactly traditional with this setting, still felt rational - if that made since. I'd never cared about the service before, but since it was Bella and mine, the words were so important, none more so than the vows. I would love her forever - there would be no such thing as death us do part.

We would spend the rest of our lives together, facing a future that was free from the ghosts that haunted us. In killing Denver, not only had I somehow set Cassie’s memory free, I had helped Louise - she knew it had been Denver’s family that killed her father. Since Robert met his end, Bella didn’t frown in her sleep anymore. I watched her sleep each night, ready to soothe her nightmares away. But with me by her side, she didn’t have any more need for nightmares.

Bonus Bella Prologue

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