Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Two weeks later
S he’s late. Esther was supposed to meet me here, at the coffee shop she picked out. For the last two weeks, one of us five has met with her every day. Getting to know her. Today it was my turn.
I hate waiting. But it’s not like I can threaten my little sister. So, instead, I’m sitting here like a fucking chump, waiting for her to show up.
I’m scrolling through emails on my phone when Mary’s number pops up on the screen. I consider letting her go to voicemail before pressing the green button. “Yeah?”
“Gio…”
“What happened?” I’m already on my feet and walking out of the café. I can tell by her voice that something’s wrong.
“They took her. They took Esther,” she says. “I need help. I need you to get her back. I can’t… I can’t…”
“Who took her, Mary?” I ask, climbing into my car. As I start it, the phone switches over to Bluetooth.
“Tommy wouldn’t say, but I overheard someone mention the name Logan Ghost.”
“Mary, where is he? Where’s Tommy?” I ask her.
“He went after them. He and the guys went after them to get Esther. But I know you have more manpower, Gio. I know you have more resources. Please help us.”
“I’ll get her back. Where are you now?”
“At the clubhouse.”
“I’ll have one of the boys swing by and pick you up.” I cut the line.
Fucking Tommy. He should have called me.
I hit dial on Santo’s number. “Hey.”
“Logan-fucking-Ghost took Esther,” I tell him. “Gather everyone at the house and have Marcel track the fucker’s location.” I dial Gabe next.
“Yep,” he answers.
“You need to go grab Mary from the clubhouse. Bring her to my place. Logan Ghost took Esther,” I tell him.
“What do you mean Ghost took Esther? Why the fuck would he do that?” Gabe asks.
“I don’t know, but I plan to find out,” I tell him. “See you at mine.”
By the time I walk through the front door, everyone is gathered in my living room. My brothers, Mary, and fifty of our top soldiers.
“What do we know? Where is he?” I ask Marcel as I make my way over to the wall. I move the large painting aside, open the safe, and start loading up on weapons and ammo. Pocketing a couple of grenades while I’m at it.
“I’ve tracked his cell to a house in Dandenong,” he says.
“What the fuck is he doing all the way out there?” I hiss.
“Hiding would be my best guess,” Marcel replies.
I look to Mary next. “What does he want? Why’d he take her?”
“I don’t know. Tommy wouldn’t tell me,” she says.
“Okay. We go in hard. Not a hair on that girl’s head is to be harmed,” I instruct my men. “Let’s go.”
“I want to come,” Mary calls after us.
“No,” I tell her.
“Please… She’s my daughter. I’ll stay in the car. I just… I need to be there when you get her back.”
I consider my options. I could have a couple of the guys keep her here. But if I do that, I’m no better than him . My father. “Fine, but you don’t get out of the car.”
“Gio.” Ellie stops me as I’m walking out the front door. I turn around and she hugs me. “Be safe. I love you.”
“I love you. See you in a few.” I kiss her forehead. I know this is hard on her. It’s always hard on her when I leave the house to do something dangerous.
* * *
When we reach the location, I remind Mary to wait in the car. She nods her head.
My men surround the place. Twenty of them at the back, thirty at the front. There is no sign of Tommy or his fucking friends. As I raise my foot to kick in the door, I hear the rumble of the bikes. I don’t bother to look behind me as I walk into the house, guns raised.
It takes less than five minutes to clear the property. It’s fucking empty. No signs of anyone. So I turn and walk out, passing Tommy as I head back to the car. That’s when I notice something’s missing.
“Where the fuck did she go?” I ask Santo.
He looks across the road, over to where Mary is heading into a nearby house. Not too far from where we parked.
“What the fuck is she doing?” I run towards her, Santo and Marcel right behind me. Not stopping until I’m standing in the living room where Mary is huddled over an unconscious Esther.
A shot rings out. My gun raises, and I fire without even thinking. A bullet tears through Logan’s chest. I fire off another four rounds and watch as the gun in his hand drops.
“Fuck!” Santo shouts, lowering his voice when he adds, “Mary, it’s gonna be okay.”
I squat down and look at my little sister. It doesn’t happen often, but I was wrong. She’s not unconscious. She’s dead. Her throat has been slit. I look to Mary, down to where a hand is clutching her stomach, blood seeping from between her fingers.
Her body falls forward, and Santo catches her. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Mary says to me.
“What the fuck? No!” The scream comes from Tommy as he scoops up Esther’s lifeless body. “No!”
I glance over at Santo. We both know it. Mary is dying. “I forgive you,” I whisper and watch as a tear runs down her face.
“We forgive you,” Santo says. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I love…” Her eyes shut and her body goes limp.
I turn to Tommy. The end of my gun aimed at his head. “What the fuck did you do?” I ask him.
He looks up at me and says nothing. He doesn’t care if I shoot him right now. In fact, he wants it. Realising how easy that would be for him, I lower my arm.
“Let’s go,” I direct to my brothers and my men.
“I ripped him off. He did this to get back at me. I deserve it, Gio. Kill me. He did this to them because of me,” Tommy yells out.
Turning to him, I take one last look at my sister and mother. “I’ll make arrangements for their funerals, and I’ll see you in hell. But I’m not going to be the one to send you there. You did this. Now you have to live with it.”