Freeing Him: A Hart Brothers Novel, Book 2 (31 page)

“Oh my God!” Gabby yells.

“What?” I ask. Drex and Gemini look at her and wait.

“One of the times Langston came to the office and threatened me, he said that I needed to watch it because I might find myself in a foreign country doing things I never expected. He would’ve put me in that sex slave ring,” Gabby explains.

“Jesus,” is all I can say. “I never realized the lengths he would go. If I had known, I never would’ve left you out there like that.” I’m sick with the thought of what might have happened. “I’m so glad that monster is dead.”

“Yeah, the world is rid of one sick bastard,” Drex adds. “But from what we can gather, for whatever reason, Langston kept you and your brothers clean of this mess. Sylvia didn’t know anything either. When we pull up files on the computer, nothing on any of you guys comes up.”

“You’re sure about that? I’m not worried about Kade. He’s been into drugs so long, he couldn’t function in the business, but Kestrel is another story.”

“You wanna call him? While we’re here?”

“Yeah. He needs to be here for this.”

Wolfe nods. “One other thing. Those fucked-up rooms he kept you boys in are still down there. When the Feds get here, they’ll investigate. Do you want us to remove what’s in there? There are only a few things.”

Gabriella squeezes my hand. If the Feds see any of that shit, it’ll open up a can of worms that doesn’t need to be opened. I turn to her for guidance.

“Kolson, he can’t be punished for what he did to you now. He’s gone. There’s no use in digging up all those ugly memories. Let them go after the Mob for the crimes they committed.”

I say to Wolfe, “Move everything out of them. Make them look like he used them for Mob activities.”

“We can do that. I assume this place has an attic? There are only a few small items, kids things anyway. It won’t take but a couple of minutes. But we need to do it now.”

“Yeah. I’ll show you.”

After I show him where to stow it, Gabriella calls Kestrel and tells him to get over here. The police arrive followed by the FBI. The house is filled with all kinds of people moving about. When Kestrel walks through the door, he’s shocked at first to see me but after we briefly explain, he wants to see Mom and then the dragon’s body. I hesitate but Gabriella says I should let him. I had it in my mind that he would fall apart. But he takes one look, nods, and says, “Much kinder than he ever deserved.”

Sylvia sits in a small den where she is being questioned by one of the detectives. Kestrel goes to sit with her. When she’s finished, they both join us in the living room and we discuss what’s going to happen. Kestrel doesn’t know anything. Dad wouldn’t involve him in any of “The Meetings.” They were held the third Thursday of every month at a secret location. Kestrel never knew where. Dad never told him. And Mom knows nothing at all. She’s very quiet as she sits with us and I wonder what’s going through her mind.

Kestrel’s hands shake. “It’s difficult to explain. I hated him, you know. Kolson, I know you never understood how I could remain close to him and I don’t know if I can explain it. But I could never leave him. He had this hold over me.”

Mom finally speaks. “He threatened everyone. No one was safe around him. I should’ve taken you boys away years ago, but he told me if I tried, he would have me locked away in a mental hospital. He was vicious and ruthless. I should’ve killed him a long time ago. I’m sorry I failed you boys.”

Gabriella pats her on the back. “Sylvia, you were afraid to do anything. You were as much the victim as the boys were. It’s all in the past and the best thing to do now is move forward.”

I hand Sylvia and Kestrel each a brandy. “Here. This might help a bit.”

“You know, I feel more at ease with him gone than I have for as long as I can remember. When I came home from my trip to France, he told me we had a son. It was you, Kolson. He wouldn’t tell me where you came from, other than we had adopted you. When I went to ask questions, he hit me. He told me never to ask about it again. He almost strangled me once. I should’ve gone to the authorities, but then, he paid them off, so it was useless.”

“I know, Mom. It’s all over now.”

Gabby sits next to her and has her arm around her. We’re all quiet for a while.

“Kol, what do you think will happen to the company?” Kestrel asks.

“I don’t know. I’m pretty sure the Feds will investigate, pull it apart, and then see what illegal activities are going on. Do you know of any?”

“No, but he wouldn’t let me get near anything like that. He didn’t trust me. I know you probably find that hard to believe, but he used me as his front. I think he felt like I gave him that air of honesty. My hands are clean. I swear it. I only did above the board things with the business and I’ll cooperate with them in whatever they want.”

When I tell Kestrel what Drex found in the basement on the human sex trafficking, and the drug and prostitution ring, he pales.

“I never knew, Kolson. Right under my nose this whole time. And he used me.”

“Then when they subpoena you, that’s what you’ll tell them. That’s what I’ll tell them too. I was worried that if we did anything to Langston, he’d make you pay by framing you somehow.”

Kestrel rubs his arms. “I’m sure he could’ve found a way to do that. What about all the money?” he asks.

“The corporate money?”

“Yeah.”

“If it’s clean, they can’t touch it. But if it’s dirty, it’s theirs. Look, Kestrel, if you’re worried about any of that, you always have a place in HTS. My guess is that all assets will be frozen for a long time until they can figure it all out.”

His knee pumps up and down. Gabriella looks at me. I nod, and then leave the room. I think it may be best if she talks to them both alone. I walk out on the front porch. When I look across the vast inky sky, I realize that monster will live on inside my head for years to come. The damage he’s inflicted can’t be erased with the ending of his life. I think of what he did to my mom and how he treated her, too. Resentment threatens to consume me, but I force it away. I won’t allow it to happen. No more. He will not control me in death as he did in life. From this point, this second, I begin anew.

Taking a deep breath, I let the frosty air sting my lungs back into life. Then I remember that it’s almost Christmas with a new year around the corner. After one more breath, I spin and march back inside.

When I walk into the living room, Kestrel, Gabriella, and Mom sit together, their hands clasped.

I crouch in front of them and place my hands on top of theirs. “I know they won’t let us leave the area, but everyone, it’s almost Christmas. I want you both to come home with us. To Manhattan. Spend the holidays with us. Stay until the New Year or for as long as you like. We have plenty of room. I want us to make a new start. And when you’re ready to move back here, or wherever, we’ll help you. If you all want to move to the city, we can find a place in our building. I want you to make a fresh start. What do you say?”

Drex walks in and says, “We have all the files ready to be taken out down there. And it looks like those cells could’ve been used for Mob activities. Do you want to take a look?”

“Not interested,” I say. I look to Kestrel and he declines.

Gabby says, “I do.”

Before she follows him, he says, “All the guards your father employed have been released. We told them what happened. After we questioned them, we realized they didn’t know anything about Mob activities. They were only hired as security. They’ll be questioned by the police and FBI, but since they don’t know anything, I’m sure they’ll be released.”

“How do we explain your presence here?”

“That’s easy. I already explained that Gabby hired me to find you and we came here to see if your father knew anything. We also knew he was involved in Cara’s death but needed to draw him out. Tell the truth. You suspected he was involved in Mob activities. The rumors have been swirling for years. It’s why you left his company, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“You only need to be honest. Tell them he was threatening you and you felt you needed to disappear in order to keep Gabby and yourself safe. Don’t worry about me. The FBI knows me. I work with them a lot. They won’t be surprised to see me here. They already know that Sylvia shot Langston to save Gabby. Just tell the truth, Kolson.”

“Okay.” But it still unnerves me.

Then Drex and Gabby go to the basement. She returns a bit pale.

“Don’t. Just don’t say anything, please.” I don’t want her pity. It’s time to move forward.

***

It’s a long night dealing with the police and the FBI. They take the body and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why they have to perform an autopsy, but they will. Any fool can see that Langston Hart was killed by a gunshot wound to his head. The shooter confessed and three witnesses claim they saw her do it.

They put him in a black body bag and cart him off to the morgue. Then we’re all interrogated. Again and again.

The FBI does have some questions about why Drex was here and why I disappeared in the first place and I stick to the story that Drex came up with. We both say Langston had been threatening me because he wanted HTS and that I’ve been keeping track of Gabby and when she decided to go to my father’s, I became worried and followed her. Given the fact that Langston admitted to murdering Cara Lee, it was pretty obvious I had a lot to worry about. It was all true, in a roundabout way.

But they believe us, especially when they get their hands on all the files my father had stored in his precious basement. It really is unbelievable when I think about it. All that time, it was right under my nose. And he knew I’d never discover it. All because of my fear of that hellish place.

The FBI and the local police question my mother, but we all corroborate her story. A psychologist is called in and it’s determined she suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and also has the classic symptoms of an abused spouse. Charges against her are never filed.

The FBI moves quickly to arrest the other Mob members, before they get wind of what happened that night. The evidence is so strong, that bail is denied for all of them. Thirty-two men are arrested in connection with the information that was found in my dad’s basement. A couple of members were already dead, but the rest of them are looking at long prison sentences, thanks to evidence of several murders in those files. Good thing Langston was so meticulous about his record keeping. The FBI is especially thankful.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Kolson

My mother refuses to leave the mansion, so Kestrel is staying with her. Gabriella is worried about them. Gabriella says Sylvia needs grief counseling. My father was so controlling that Mom never learned to function without him. Kestrel is equally as bad.

“They need to get out of there,” Gabriella says.

“Can you talk to them? I have no leverage because they both know how much I hated him.”

“Your father has left a trail of shit in his wake.”

“Even in death, he still fucks with us.”

Getting back to HTS was almost monumental. Jack had glowing reports about Gabby. Everyone looks at her as a saint. Even the clients she dealt with were happy, probably because she wasn’t as crushing in contracts as I am. She didn’t do any of that. Jack worked his ass off doing all the dirty work. She just sat there and smiled, most likely wrapped the client around her pinky and got the deal.

“Mr. Hart, I want you to know how hard Gabby worked,” Jack says.

We’re seated in my office. “First off, I think it’s time you start calling me Kolson. Second, Gabby tells me if it hadn’t been for you, HTS would have folded. So, I’d like to give you another well-deserved raise. I know Gabriella gave you one while she sat in this chair, but you really are a huge part of the reason this company will surpass a billion dollars this year.”

I’ve shocked the poor man. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Just sign this and accept it.”

He scribbles his name on the line next to the X.

“Now the next thing I want you to do is take the next month off. You have a wife and kids. Christmas is around the corner. You’ve been working double-duty for the past three months and it’s time, Jack. It’s just time. Go. Play. Have fun. Just go.”

“But, the Wilcox contract …”

“Yeah. I’ll have Peterson fill me in. Get out of here. Go home and bake cookies.”

“Cookies?” he asks.

“You know. Those things people eat at Christmas time?”

“Are you okay, Mr. Har … Kolson?”

“I’m great, Jack. Perfect. More than perfect. Now get. Before I call your wife and tell her to come and get you. Or do I need to call Sam and have him escort you home?”

He laughs. “My wife’s going to think I got fired.”

“Do you want me to call her?”

“Uh, only if I call you for a confirmation on my month-long vacation.”

“Oh, and Jack?”

He turns back as he leaves my office.

“If I find out you’ve been checking email and looking at work during this month, I may consider firing you. Clear?”