16. Donovan
16
DONOVAN
‘Nova’
Hearing my three children getting ready for school as I wait for both Jeremiah and Styx to get here, I’m running the different options through my head. Spoke to Brick already and, after he took a bit to talk to his partners, they are all on board to have the three girls come out to The Refuge to keep them safe from whatever is going on here right now. Also reached out to a friend and had them check on the names Jeremiah provided me, after explaining what happened to Styx in foster care. Supposedly, her foster father is still incarcerated but the foster brother was let out on good behavior two months ago. Today, I have Bones and Sardines personally checking in with the asshole’s parole officer and, hopefully, will be able to pursue that officer to give them the location of the halfway house the ex-con was assigned to.
The thought of having to inform Styx the asshole got early release, after what he and his old man did, is pissing the fuck out of me. Also, Malachi is still looking into Dino, who’s a damn snake in the grass. We already know he was embezzling from Jeremiah, though haven’t told the man that yet. I want everything when I lay it out for Jeremiah. That motherfucker is going to prison if I have anything to say about it.
The sounds of footsteps bring me back to now. I look up and see the only three reasons I’m still on the earth. First is my eldest, Killian or as his mother called him Killy, who’s coming up to fifteen, followed by Shane at almost fourteen. Yeah, Fiona wanted twins but instead we had Irish twins, being just around eleven months apart. The baby bringing up the rear is my baby girl, Nessa, who the memories of when she came into the world almost bring me to my knees, as she was a premature baby. My wife Fiona picked Nessa’s name because she’s fierce and ambitious. Neither of us knew, a couple of years later Fiona would be dead, and now I am the only parent my poor baby girl knows, as her memories of her momma seem to have faded to almost nothing. Shaking my head, I try to be in the present as I hear kids coming down the stairs.
“Daddy, Killy was mean to me this morning. He pushed me because he wanted to use my bathroom because Shane was taking a poo and Killy said it was stinky.”
Trying hard but I can’t hold in my laughter. Damn this girl, she always can make me laugh. The boys seeing me laughing, they join in. Then I stop when I look at Killy. He puts his head down because he knows what’s coming.
“Killian O’Hara Finnegan, what have you been told about putting your hands on your younger sister or brother? Now what do you think your punishment should be?”
Before Killy could answer, of course, Nessa’s soft heart comes to the surface because she loves her big brother.
“Daddy, no, Killy wasn’t that mean, I think the smell of Shane’s poops had Killy confused.”
All three of us bust out chuckling. So much for trying to be stoic so I can dish out punishment. My kids are what have kept me alive and going. Clearing his throat, Shane looks at all of us and I know to brace with my loose cannon of a son.
“Dad, it’s partially my fault. I had a huge burrito with hot sauce with the skull and crossbones on it yesterday after practice, and that old saying about going in hot, coming out steaming is so friggin’ true. Thought I was dying and I can attest, the smell was worse than when Nessa was a baby and had a nasty diaper explosion. So, sorry, Killy and Nessa.”
I love these kids so much. I look to Killy, who grins first then gives me what I want.
“Yeah, Dad, I was wrong. Won’t watch television tonight and, Nessa, I’ll do your chores for the rest of the week.”
My little princess stands up and, holy shit, starts to wiggle and dance around the kitchen. What almost gives me a heart attack is her shimmying her hips and moving her tiny butt around. I start to think, Oh God, I’m not ready for this, and so wish my wife was standing here with me watching our little girl and boys growing up. This is one thing I cannot fuck up. My wife’s legacy is standing right in front of me.
As they sit down to breakfast, which today is scrambled eggs with English muffins and fresh fruit, my phone vibrates, letting me know my security system is spot-on when the doorbell goes off. Knowing who it is, I tell the kids to keep eating as I go to the front door, opening it and seeing Styx, Jeremiah, Danny, and Lil Man. The last two must be their security for today.
“Hi, come on in. Getting the kids off to school. If you don’t mind having a cup of coffee ’til they’re gone, I’d appreciate it.”
I see the four exchange looks and it hits me, yeah, some of the people in my life know my story but just a handful have met the kids, Danny being one of them. As we walk through the foyer into the family room, turning and then entering the kitchen, you can hear the kids talking and laughing. They immediately stop goofing around when they see we have company.
“All right, that is my oldest, Killian, or as we call him Killy, next is Shane, and finally my baby girl, Nessa. Kids, this is Styx, Jeremiah, and Lil Man. You remember Danny, right?”
Danny walks toward the kids, giving Nessa a hug and shaking both boys’ hands. The kids have been to Danny and Claire’s place and have played with all their animals. Once everyone says hello, I get four cups of coffee, putting sugar and the cream server on the table. When I see Styx looking at the server then me, I get it.
“Styx, when my wife was alive, she was very proper at times and that shit, I mean stuff, has stuck with me. Yeah, I know, baby girl, I swore, sorry about that.”
We keep the conversation generic and lighthearted. First Nessa’s bus comes, then the boys. Once they are gone, I move the conversation into the dining room so I can spread out. I run my laptop from my locked office because of the kids, and then the file I had been putting together.
“So let me vomit the information, then we can run through it. First, yeah Brick and his partners are ready for the girls whenever we can get them there. Besides sending Beatrice and Lucille, I’m going to include Mustang and Coma to keep an eye on everyone down there at The Refuge. Jeremiah, we don’t have everything yet, but Dino is a piece of shit and I won’t rest until that jagoff is in prison. We can talk further on that once everything is in. Styx, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but, yeah, we checked and your foster father is still incarcerated, but your foster brother was let out recently on good behavior. Two of my men are on their way to talk to his parole officer and try to locate him. I’ll keep you in the loop. I know you have guards but be diligent at all times.”
When I see both Danny and Lil Man look at Styx, it hits me she hasn’t shared. Son of a bitch, didn’t want to make this even harder for her. She sees me putting it together and mouths “all good, it’s time,” then turns to her friends and co-workers.
“Okay, please don’t make a big deal about this, especially you, Lil Man. In my last foster home, the man and his son both sexually abused me. His wife, the kid’s mom, turned them both in and she kept me ’til I joined the service. I never told either of you because I’m not only embarrassed but don’t want you guys to think I’m weak, because I’m not. Can we talk about this later? I’d appreciate it, I can only handle so much at the moment.”
Danny gets up and slowly walks to Styx, pulling her up and hugging her tightly. I see it before I hear it, the shaking of her shoulders. I look to Jeremiah and we nod, then get up and walk back into the kitchen, giving them some time together without us watching.
“What did you mean, Dino’s a piece of shit?”
I motion for him to sit down then I tell him everything we’ve found so far. I see the pain in his face, knowing someone he believed in broke that trust. One of the hardest things to find out when you’ve become successful and thought you found your team. One of them letting you down. We talk about some of the options and what I’m waiting on. Jeremiah tells me he hasn’t heard from Dino since the end of last week, so it’s been a couple of days. I’m wondering where the asshole is when Styx, Lil Man, and Danny walk in. The five of us sit around the island, trying to come up with a couple of plans. Since my men took the helicopter to Styx’s hometown, we figure maybe tomorrow night we could sneak the girls out under the cover of darkness. Jeremiah already told me Beatrice and Lucille were on board, and that put the girls at ease. The rest of shit is up in the air and that’s when all five phones start ringing and vibrating. Jeremiah is the first to answer.
“Yeah, Rome, what’s up? Say that again? Have Beatrice show you the downstairs room and get the girls in there. Did you call the cops? Okay, we are on our way. No, don’t do that. Are Malachi and his guys there? Oh shit, they’re on the way. Call them back and tell Malachi to come in the back way and park in the back garage. They can go through the second door in the garage to the secret room through a tunnel you have the codes. Yeah right. On the way.”
We all wait ’til he hangs up then bombard him with a ton of questions until he raises his hands.
“Rome wanted us to know there are like four or five blacked-out vehicles at the gate standing off with my security patrol. Cops have been called and Malachi, Vito, and Freddie are coming back from getting the girls suitcases and some other items. We need to go now.”
And that’s exactly what we do. In three vehicles, we take off like the beasts from hell. All the way there I pray that Jeremiah’s and Styx’s people can keep everyone safe ’til we get there. Because otherwise it will be a bloodbath and those girls don’t need to be involved or even have to see shit like that. They’ve been through enough already. I thank God that my kids are on their way to school and safe. Though I learned a hard lesson when I lost Fiona, thinking anyone is truly safe is definitely a lie. We can only do what we can to keep those we love as safe as possible. The rest is up to God, higher power, or whatever you call it or believe in. My faith was blown away when I lost my wife, but for my kids’ sake I keep that to myself. Fiona would want it that way, and I’ll always do what I think my wife would want with our kids. It’s all I can give her anymore. Since, she’s no longer with us because of my work. And it eats at me every single motherfucking day.