Chapter 24: Chapter 24
CANNON
CANNON JUNIORS, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT
Pindrop whispered and for the most part of it, I ignored the fucker.
My associates wouldn’t know what this felt like it even if it hit them like an IED blast from a ten-foot radius. My boys lay on the bed in the witness room and the fucking sight in front of me was enough to wish that they stayed in my home forever. That they lived with me for an eternity, heaven be damned.
Too scared to even touch them, my large as fuck hands leant at the edge of the bed. Tainted, scarred, I didn’t want to pass my sins to them.
I didn’t want the ink that tainted my damn life to taint theirs. I was their father but at the same time I was a God damn soldier who had more blood on his hands than a murder weapon. And for the first time in my life, I was fucking prepared to leave the rogue life behind me.
No more guns.
No more missions.
And no more motherfucking bodyguarding.
Living in a cute suburban house with a white picket fence surrounding me sounded as boring as fuck but now, the idea sounded way much pleasing than this shit I called my life. It sucked to even say it but retiring from all this was the better solution.
“You think they’ll want to be like you? Like father, like son?” Pindrop’s sarcastic voice chunked my insides bit by bit until all I wanted to do was seal his mouth shut with one of them staplers from Berkely’s office.
“I’ll be damned before I let that happen”
No son of mine was ever going to be part of this world. It was fun at first but then you see a lot of bloody bodies, you lose friends along the way, you get targets on your back and suddenly all that shit impacts you and your family.
I hadn’t seen Nance and Sy for years with good reasons too. I was a lone wolf and although it sounded cooler at first, fucking loneliness bled right into my pores making me a shell of my former self.
“That’s what Gunner said two years ago. Rumor has it, he’s taught his son how to throw a fucking grenade”
My ears peaked and I bolted from the bed grabbing Pindrop by his shirt.
“What do you mean he taught Sy—”
Out of nowhere, the after effects of a poorly launched explosive rang in our ears like a speeding train on rail tracks. The building shook, we both lost our balance and soon our bodies were on the floor.
“Mommy? Mom?”
Came the kids’ voice. My mind at sixes, adrenaline shooting through me with determination, I unholstered the Glock from my waist standing the fuck up to the bed.
The kids were up and not hurt. Good fucking news.
The bad news on the other hand was the look of terror on their faces as I tried to approach them.
“P-please d-don’t hurt us”
“Mommy!”
Fucking hell!
What the hell happened?
“I’ll take care of them. Check in with the guys, get the intel on what the fuck was that”, Pindrop spoke behind me and I tightened my hold on the barrel of my gun not wanting to leave them even if they were so afraid of me it fucking stung.
“Anything happens to them-“
“You’ll shoot my brains out and leave my body to the pigs?” Fucker laughed, “I’ve heard that before”
I’d do worse than shoot his brains out, that’s for sure. Military brother or not, my kids came first and that meant cutting Pindrop’s fingers one by one if they got hurt—no fucking remorse in the mix.
On last glance at them and I left the room in a huff.
The hallway was damn quiet but that’s as normal as you could expect due to the fact that I was in the witness quarters. Eyeing the elevator with uncertainty, I contemplated taking the stairs.
Being on the top floor of the building didn’t necessarily grace my efforts of reaching to Nicole on time. Taking two stairs at a time, I heaved assuring myself that the only reason I was running towards danger was because I ate danger for breakfast.
That and bringing the kids their mother would somehow make them trust me.
I didn’t care about her.
I didn’t give a fuck if she was hurt or not because this whole thing wasn’t a fucking coincidence.
What if she told her pretty boy where to find me. Where to find the supposed kids that he thought weren’t his. I was angry and I wasn’t thinking straight as air gushed in my lungs like a tornado about to wipe everything in its path.
Did he abuse you?
No.
Her words rung in my ear over and over like a broken record. She loved the fucker. Didn’t matter what she said, didn’t matter how she looked at me because I was looking at an exact replica of the woman who’d died a few years back in East Texas clinging to the hope that her abusive husband loved her in spite of everything.
And I loathed Nicole just like I detested my mother with all the fiber of my being for loving that douchebag.
By the time I reached to the floor that ran all operations, I could barely feel my lungs.
“What the fuck do you mean he is in Italy? What about his contacts, his men? Any of them in Miami?”
Jason graced the hallway looking stressed than I had ever seen him. He spotted me, tipped his chin in my direction before he cut the call on his burner.
“What’s up?” I asked and he ran his hand over his face.
“Good news is, it wasn’t Bryant Knox. Bad news we have no clue who put a fucking bomb in the elevator and killed our receptionist. Tank’s barely alive”
Bryant Knox. A ruthless criminal for sure by why the fuck would he bring his circus to B&A’S porch.
“Why would the asshole try to sink us?”
“Well, it’s been a week man. It’s fucking Valentine’s because every dude in here is being reunited with their long-lost love. Knox left us a little grenade package at our parking lot last week, supposedly Knox’s girl and Flames have history. Funny the bastard doesn’t look like the type to love a woman and all that shit. But here we are, Flames in witness protection with his girl and you with fucking twins and your woman. It’s been a week as I said”
As I said, I never was one for gossip but the thought that Flames loved someone really etched surprise in me.
He fucked, same like all of us but he was the brute eating women and cartels like breakfast. Plus, Bryant Knox, a dude like that was an easy target for Flames like a deer on open season. Why wasn’t Knox dead yet?
“If it wasn’t him then who?”
“Gunner is finding out that now”
Before I could ask what that fucking meant, Holy’s head popped up from the next door. His base of operations as he liked to call it. Which was basically a room full of way too many computers and cables.
“He’s got the package. It’s not a bomb”
Somehow that didn’t make it sound any better. Whatever package Gunner was bringing up only had one and one thing only, a fucking threat.
“Ms. Montenegro, she’s safe with Berkely”, Holy assured while Jason shot me a sarcastic look and I felt the need to clarify the only reason I was worried about her was because the boys needed her.
Gunner showed up after five minutes carrying what looked like an envelope.
“Snakes and Blaze are chasing after Lucas Hawkins’ men as we speak”, Gunner said and all eyes were on me.
“How do you know it’s that asshole”
Stretching out his hand towards me, I eyed the fucking envelope.
“He left his name on it. For her”
For her.
My darling Nicole.
From your loving husband and the father to your kids.
Pissed and peeved to the core I yanked the envelope nearly ripping it open. Then my eyes, skimming through the note word by word, my anger frittered away and slowly got replaced with fear.
Going through the second note, I mentally groaned a loud bullshit.
None of the things in that paper made fucking sense. I had eyes and my eyes went along with my gut that whatever bullshit Lucas Hawkins was on about was just that—bullshit.
“Montenegro? She in Berkely’s office?”
Once Gunner nodded, I was already sprinting towards the staircase with the papers in my hands.
Two flights of stairs down and the gun burnt hot in my hands so much that I holstered it back to my waist. This had to be some sort of joke and I really prayed it was a joke otherwise I’d fuck up Nicole’s life so much she would be begging me to kill her.
With a relaxed breath, I budged inside Berkely’s office. Her cerulean eyes landed on mine and I would be kidding if I said I didn’t want to wipe the sadness from her eyes.
“Situation”
Berkely broke the spell.
“A mere explosive to give the messenger time to deliver this”
I enunciated every word, stretching out the darn thing for her reach.
“What is it?” Berkely asked.
“I’D RATHER Ms. Montenegro take a look at it”
Taking the letter rather suspiciously in her hands, she skimmed through the details her eyes wide just like mine had been when I read the damn thing.
“it’s a lie. This isn’t true”
“It looks fucking legit to me. Question is, what are you not telling me”
“Jr looks like you. Connor he—they’re your sons! They are not Lucas’”
“Then why do those fucking papers say otherwise?”
“They are clearly forged”
Forged. I wanted to believe her so bad but shit didn’t feel right.
“You kept them away from me for six damn years Nicole. Trusting anything that comes from your fucking mouth is utter bullshit. We are taking a DNA test tonight”, I drawled, she flinched, Berkely shook his head in disappointment.
But you know what was disappointing? Finding out that I wasn’t a father. That she was bulshitting me.
Connor and Lucas Hawkins’ DNA matched. 99.99%. if that was true then Jr was his kid too no matter how close a resemblance, we had with each other.
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS LATER
Berkely eyed me with warning telling me to back the fuck up as he opened the damn results. Opening the first envelope and perusing the damn thing he gave it to me.
My heart pulsing like a ticking bomb, I took the paper.
99.99%, positive match. JR and my samples.
I handed the letter to Nicole who had insisted on staying.
Berkely opened the second envelope and I could have sworn I saw confusion in his eyes before he handed me the paper.
0%. Negative match. Connor and my samples.
“What? What does it say?”
“He’s not my kid”, I spoke alarmed at what was going on.
I’m coming for my kid, Nix and this time I’m bringing you all home. Lucas Hawkins’ handwriting on the note from earlier sprung in my mind.
xXxXxXxXxXxxX
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Sending lots of love to you all
S.J