Chapter Three
Mario shook his head and held his hands up, “Please Bella, you have to listen to me, you can’t just turn your back on the family. It’s never been done before.”
Charli turned to her cousin. “Well, it’s gonna be done now.
Growing up, all I had was Ben and Grandma.
They might not have told me what they should have but no one in your family ever checked on me either.
I haven’t seen or heard from Uncle Ray since the last time I went to my father’s family side.
That was the summer you taught me how to use the knives.
Then the next thing I know you all went back across the ocean and I never heard from you again. ”
Mario shook his head. “All this time he’s been sending us reports that you are fine, that he was in touch with you. Hell, he even told us you were receiving the money we sent to you.”
Charli stared at him as she looked puzzled. “What money? The only money I ever got was what I earned myself. And Ben would have given that money to me if I received it from your family.”
Mario sighed heavily. “Please stop saying my family, bella. They are your family too.”
“No, they are not nor have they been since my parents died. Your dad took over the family after that and as far as I am concerned, he can continue in that role. My life is here in this country. In America, Mario. Right here on this farm where I grew up.”
Mario just shook his head. “But the title is truly yours as Michael’s daughter, his only child.”
Charli just stared at him for a long moment then she shook her head. “You keep saying that as if you aren’t hearing me at all...” She paused and asked, “Why did you really come back? Why are you here?”
Mario stared at her. “We’ve been hearing rumors about something bad coming for the family.
For you. People are looking for you but we don’t know who they are or what they want.
My father thinks they are connected to whatever Tiarade has been doing, but we can’t say for sure because we can’t find him. ”
King glared at him and asked, “Who is this Tiarade?”
Mario glanced his way then shrugged. “My Uncle Ray. It's a very old Italian name and he chose it to go by officially. I really don’t know why. But over the last fourteen years, we’ve sent him hundreds of thousands of dollars to give to Charli as support from her family but now she says she never got a penny of it.
When we were all together, Tiarade pounded the blades.
He worked the steel and he was very good at what he did.
His blades brought in good money and his three sons were learning his trade.
He volunteered to stay behind in America and watch over her when the rest of us went back to Italy.
He stayed in touch for a while then seemed to drop off the face of the earth.
Part of the reason I came back here was to find him and report back to my father.
” He looked over at Charli. “I know we let you down when we moved back and lost contact. But the fact is you are Michael’s daughter and the title of head of the Family belongs to you. ”
Charli looked disgusted now. “How many times do we have to go over this, Mario? I’m not moving, I’m not leaving my husband or my son behind for something I know nothing about.
Ben raised me right here on this farm and this farm is my real legacy.
Your dad leads the family now and he can keep doing that. ”
Joker walked over to the table and opened his laptop. Typing quickly, he paused as his eyes widened and he slowly looked up at Ace.
“What is it?” Ace growled at his brother.
Joker cleared his throat and said, “If I remember correctly, we only got about eighty percent of Whitmore’s forces. We thought maybe there was still one or two that we missed. Right?”
Ace looked perplexed by the question. “We’re still looking for the others but yeah, we still got one or two of them to find. Why are you asking about this now?”
“Tiarade,” Joker whispered. “It sounds a lot like Tirade.”
The room went silent at his words.
Mario looked around at each of their faces. “What does that mean?”
Ace turned his head very slowly and his eyes were fierce as the rage inside him grew.
“Tirade is one of branches of a very dangerous group dealing in the weapon’s trade and the drug trade.
A man who called himself Whittaker was the mastermind of his empire and we’ve managed to take down most of it.
We’re still looking for two of his men. Tirade and Hammer. Tirade might be your Uncle Ray.”
~****~
Mario swore in his native language, “Accidenti a lui! He is a traitor to his own family then because this is not what we do. We make blades and swords, a craft we were taught from generations before us. Custom ordered and custom made.” He got to his feet and paced.
Five steps forward and like five steps back while his facial expressions went through an array of emotions.
Confusion, shock and fear. Then he stopped to stare at Charli.
“I need to call my father. He needs to know about this.” Then he scoffed in disgust. “He’s not going to be happy on many factors. But he needs to know.”
He stepped outside to make the call and as he scrolled through his numbers, his hands trembled. Mario paused and took a deep breath then he tried again. He found the number at last.
The phone rang four times. Finally, his father picked up and when he spoke, his voice sounded groggy with sleep, “Ciao,” Julien Benettini answered. “Che cos'è?” What is it?
“It's me, Pappa,” Mario answered. “I’m here at Benjamin’s farm with Charli.”
Julien paused, then asked, “Does she know why you are there?”
“Si, she knows and she does not want the leadership. She says we abandoned her fourteen years ago and she doesn’t feel that we are family anymore.”
Julien paused and then said, “You know that’s not true. We left Ray behind to watch over her. She can accept our money but not our blood?” He sounded upset.
“No Pappa, that’s the point, she never got the support we sent.
And she hasn’t seen Ray since before we left to go back to Italy,” Mario pointed out.
“He took the money we sent to her and used it to set up his own arms dealing. Charli’s husband says he might have become part of an empire that sells weapons to anyone willing to pay for them. Friends and enemies alike.”
A long pause of silence came from on the other end of the line, then Julien spoke, “Charli has a husband?” He did not seem to care about Ray’s illegal endeavors. “How is that possible? She never said anything about getting married and the family never gave their permission.”
“She thinks she’s not one of us anymore,” Mario told him. “And she said she’s not leaving the farm or her husband behind.”
“Non c'è modo. We shall see about that.” Julien growled.
Mario hesitated then he informed his father, “You might have a problem convincing her. Her husband and his brothers are all living here in the house and she has a son now.”
Julien paused, then said, “You keep her there. I’ll bring the Council with me and we’ll be there within the next few days. We’ll straighten her out. She’s Michael’s only child and she has to fall into line with the family’s traditions. She’s old enough now to take her rightful place.”
Mario sighed heavily and said, “Forgive me for saying this, Pappa ...But I don’t think you will win in this.
She considers Ben to be her only family and he died almost two years ago.
Besides, her husband and his brothers are bikers and they don’t look like they would ever be willing to give her or the boy up. ”
Just then, the door opened behind Mario.
“They have no say in our business, son,” Julien concluded loudly with aggravation in his voice.
Mario turned to see who had come outside.
Charli stood there, she’d heard Julien’s final statement and held her hand out for the phone.
Mario didn’t want to give his cell to her but he finally surrendered it.
Charli took the phone and brought it up to her ear to say, “Uncle Julien, this is Charli.”
“Ragazza, as the standing leader, I insist that you go with Mario and take your place here with your famiglia,” Julien snapped.
“Considering, I haven’t seen you guys in almost fifteen years, you don’t have any say in my life at all,” Chari snapped back.
“I’m not the one who moved continents, you did that.
You left me behind and I haven’t heard from you people for almost half my lifetime.
Mario said you left Ray here to watch over me but you know what?
I haven’t seen him either. Nor have I gotten any of the money Mario said you sent me.
I supported myself and I am proud of that.
But I do not owe that money to you. So to my mind, you people have done nothing to help me in a long time.
And every time I spent time with you all, I was made to feel like you didn’t want me around.
So, no Uncle, I do not have to just pack up and leave my home.
Ben and Grandma raised me, they opened their home to me, they opened their hearts to a grieving child and they kept me safe and warm.
When Ben died, he left me his farm which has been in the Braaken family for five generations.
I have a home here with a man that I love and he loves me back just fine.
I have a son that will always know his mother loves him the same as I know my mother loved me.
He has a father that loves him and five uncles that would die for him. ” She paused.
Silence came over the line as her uncle did not reply.
Charli went on just to be clear on this subject, “You stay in charge of your family, your tribe. I don’t have a claim on anyone nor will I accept one.
Mario was the only one of you that ever showed me compassion and I’m fine with that.
If you want the money back, then you have to find Ray.
If he had given it to Grandpa Ben, he would have told me, but he never did. ”
“Maybe Ben kept the money for himself,” Julien suggested in a hard tone.
Charli froze then glared at Mario as she spoke over the cell to her uncle, “If you believe that, then you didn’t know Ben at all.
He would have never kept what was mine and I think you know that.
He was more honest than anyone I ever knew.
But if you no longer want the title then pass it to someone who does.
You have the power to do that but you aren’t forcing it on me. ”
Julien paused for a moment, then he tried another way around things, “I have to tell you something very importante. You need to try and find someone to keep you safe.”
“Why?” Charli asked. “I think I’m safe enough with my family here.”
Julien grunted over the line. “But you aren’t safe enough.
If Tiarade is part of this empire like your spouse thinks, then you are not safe at all.
We’ve been reading reports about this Warlords group.
Tiarade will be looking for them the same way they are looking for him.
If you get caught in the middle, he will kill you.
He seems to think taking you out will help his cause to get back into the hierarchy of the family.
The word around this is that once you are dead, he plans to step up and claim the leadership.
But you also have to watch out for this Warlords group that has been hunting him, they are dangerous too. ”
Charli smiled as she chuckled a bit. “They won’t hurt me, Uncle.”
Julien protested, “You don’t understand these kinds of people, la mia bambina. They are ruthless and unforgiving. They would use you to find Ray and they might sacrifice you to get to him.”
“No Uncle, it is you that doesn’t understand. I’m married to the leader of the Warlords MC and we share this farm with his brothers.”
Julien gasped over the phone, then he went silent.
Mario stared at her in shock. Nervously looking back at the house, he whispered, “Those men are the Warlords?” he whispered low as if he thought they might hear him.
Charli nodded.
Mario turned around in a pivoted circle, then scooped his fingers through his dark hair and exclaimed, “Holy shit!”