House of Paine - (A Romantic Suspense - Book 2) (9 page)

Jackson Paine reminded him a lot of the ocean. The way he loved his family could be such a beautiful thing...if it wasn’t always tinged in fear and danger. His brother was proof of that now, looking around the beach like someone on crack, paranoid that he’d been followed here and that Jackson would find out that he’d met with his brother. Maybe Paige and Roxi were both right and he was making a mistake.

“So what? Are you going to give me what father wants?”

“No.”

“Jesus fuck, Damien. He’ll never let you fucking walk away! What part of that has not penetrated your thick skull over the past ten years?”

“It penetrated. I just can’t do it anymore Alex.”

“Because of Paige?”

“No. Because of my own good conscience. I want a life. This is not living.”

Alex looked down at his three thousand dollar suit that looked out of place on the sandy beach. Damien knew what he was thinking without him saying it. “This was living.” Alex loved the money and all of the perks. Damien would gladly give them all up, forever for a chance at a real life.

“Alex, have you ever wondered why he treats me so differently than he does you?”

“That’s easy, I’m more likeable.” Damien looked at his brother. Amusement danced in his eyes. “Come on, what does this have to do with anything. Yes, he’s harder on you and he always has been. I really don’t know why. I thought maybe it was because you’re more like Mom and you remind him of her.”

“Do you ever think about Mom, and the promises we made to her?”

“Shit Damien! Where is this walk down memory lane going to get us?”

“Do you, Alex? Do you feel any guilt about that at all?”

“What do you want me to fucking say? No. I don’t feel guilty. You know why? Because Mom’s not here any longer. She has no idea what we chose to do with our lives. If Dad hadn’t of taken us in, we’d be working in some fucking nine to five piece of shit job we hate, married to some overweight chick and supporting four or five kids. How is this life not better than that one?”

“That one would be honest.”

“You’re such a fucking boy scout. I don’t have time for this, Damien. What is it that you want?”

“I want you to help me set him up.”

Alex stopped walking and looked at his brother. He laughed heartily then and said, “Good one.”

“I’m not kidding,” he said.

“You’re fucking suicidal and you’re trying to take me with you. Fuck that, Damien. You can just count yourself lucky that I don’t go back and tell him.”

“Just think about it for a second Alex. Who is going to take the reins when he is gone?”

“Brad or Kevin.”

“Kevin doesn’t want them and if Jackson goes down, so does Brad.”

“So you thought you’d manipulate me into doing this because I’m so power hungry I can’t see straight?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” Alex laughed again and shook his head.

“What about my loyalty to my father?”

“If you stood between him and what he wanted, do you think he’d hesitate to take you out of the way? I’m not asking you to kill him. Just get me something we can use against him without taking down the entire family. I don’t want Kevin touched...or you. If I turn over what Paige and I have to the F.B.I., you all go down.”

“And why is Kevin any better than our father?”

“Because you and I both know that Kevin does the things he does out of loyalty to his family...he doesn’t enjoy any of it. Jackson does.”

“Why do you keep calling him Jackson? What happened to Dad?”

Damien looked at his brother and said, “Because he’s not my father.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Alex was looking at his brother like he’d grown another head.

“Roxi had a letter that our mother sent to her before she died. Kevin is my father.”

“Bullshit!”

“Ask him.”

“Mom had an affair with Kevin?”

“That’s what the letter says. It explains a lot. But DNA aside, would it really break your heart to be out from underneath his thumb? Hell, if he was locked up you could even take the business legit if you wanted to.”

“I have no idea what you expect me to do here...”

“Get a copy of his books. He launders the shit out of money through that restaurant...I need a copy of those books. I need one that implicates Lucas as well...”

“You are fucking insane. Just give him what you have and he’ll leave you alone and make sure Kramer leaves your girlfriend alone too.”

Damien laughed. “If you believe that you’re the one who is insane. As long as they’re both in control, Paige and I don’t have a chance.”

Alex looked like he was considering it, which was a good sign. “There are no guarantees that I’d end up in control. If the old man and Kramer end up in prison, there are still all of Kramer’s brother’s and both of Dad’s to contend with.”

“Okay then help me think of another way. Please Alex. I’ve never asked you for anything...please.”

“Shit! I have to get back to New York.”

“Alex...” He started to walk away. When Damien called out to him he stopped and looked over his shoulder.

“I’ll be in touch,” he said. Damien let him go. That was more of an answer than he expected.

––––––––

“I
just bailed my daughter out of jail. My son is dead! Meanwhile that Bitch who put them both where they are is running around free being protected by your son and your niece!”

Jackson was sitting in the restaurant. Lucas was pacing back and forth. All five of Lucas’s brothers were sitting at the bar. Alex was half an hour late and Jackson was pissed. He had a huge shipment arriving today and because of Damien and Paige’s shit he was weeks behind on other work that needed to be done. He was in the restaurant alone with no one to back him up other than a waiter who probably didn’t have his pubic hair yet and a female bartender.     Normally he wouldn’t be worried. Lucas was not only his old friend, he was smart enough to know that killing Jackson would be the equivalent of declaring war. But with all that had been going on with his kids lately...he wasn’t in his normal frame of mind. His wife was putting pressure on him to do something...and Lucas had spent the last thirty years making her happy.

“I told you I will take care of it. I just need some time. The police are very interested in all of this right now and you want to know why?” Jackson said. Lucas needed to hear this.

“Don’t you fucking tell me this is Kelsey’s fault! She was heartbroken over the death of her brother. Imagine her trauma walking in and finding him dead!”

“This goes all the way back to Caine killing Greg,” Jackson told him. “Your children can’t seem to stay out of trouble and they keep pulling all of us into it with them.”

“My children? My fucking children? Let’s start with your step-children, shall we?”

“Okay...both of our kids need to be put in check...”

“I only have one left. My son is dead!”

“As is my step-son,” Jackson said, looking at the door again. Where the fuck is Alex?

Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked like he was right on the edge and Jackson couldn’t be sure what the man might do if he snapped. Damien and Paige better hope Roxi’s security is damned good because Lucas looked ready to launch and all-out attack. The door to the restaurant pushed open just then and Kevin came in. “I’ll give you forty-eight hours to tell me what you plan on doing about this mess before I act myself. I don’t care what you do to me...my child did not die for nothing and my daughter will not rot in jail on a kidnapping and assault charge!” Lucas jerked his head at his brothers. They got up and followed Lucas out the door, all of them brushing past Kevin as if he didn’t exist. When they were gone Kevin sat down next to Jackson. Jackson drained the glass of amber liquid in front of him and said,

“I need Paige and Damien.”

“You need them?” Kevin said.

“Don’t fuck with me, Kevin. I know you think you’re making up for twenty-nine years of being a lousy father....”

Kevin slammed his fist into the table and stood up. “Fuck you! You stole twenty-nine years from me. You can damn sure bet I’m going to make sure that you don’t steal the rest of his life from him. I don’t give a fuck what you do to me any longer. I’m sick of this! I’m sick of you!” The door opened again and Alex walked in just in time to hear the end of that. He stopped in his tracks and watched as his uncle pulled out his gun and leveled it at his father.

Jackson didn’t flinch. He and Kevin had more than one violent disagreement over the years. If Kevin didn’t shoot him over what happened when Maryann turned up pregnant with Kevin’s baby...he wasn’t going to shoot him now. Jackson let his eyes flit to his son who stood about three feet away from his uncle. Alex didn’t have his gun out and he seemed torn. Jackson did wonder what the fuck that was about. He gave his son a look that he knew Alex would understand. Kevin still had his gun aimed at Jackson. Jackson put his eyes back on his brother and said, “What are you going to do, Kevin...kill me? Then what? Tell Damien the truth and have a family reunion? This doesn’t end well for you no matter what you choose here.”

“Kevin put the gun down.” Finally! Alex had his gun trained on his uncle now. Kevin still didn’t flinch.

“No Alex. I want him to tell me that he’ll let Damien and Paige go. I want him to say he’ll protect them and make sure Kramer won’t touch them. Then I put the gun down.”

Alex’s eyes shifted to his father. Jackson’s were still on his brother as he said, “Shoot him.”

Alex looked confused. All the times his father and Kevin had fought. All of the times he’d seen Jackson put Kevin back into his place whenever he stepped out of it...Jackson had never ordered any real harm to come to him. He could see his son struggling with it. To his credit, his brother still had not so much as twitched. His hands were steady and the gun was still trained on Jackson’s head.

“Kevin...put it down,” Alex said again.

“I gave you an order Alex...do it!”

“Dad...”

“Shit! What the fuck is going on with everyone?” The sound of a silencer was all anyone heard almost simultaneously with Kevin being thrown back into the table behind him. Alex’s eyes were wide as he watched his uncle clutch at the blood bubbling out of his abdomen. Jackson was disgusted with all of them. They all seem to have forgotten who the fuck is in charge here.

He pulled his gun out from underneath the table and laid it on top. His eyes went to his son’s shocked face and he said, “Clean it up. Finish him off and get rid of the body. I’m calling a meeting at my house tonight for what is left of this fucking family. Be there at seven o’clock.” Jackson stood up and buttoned his jacket. He looked like a Wall Street tycoon...not at all like a cold-blooded killer as he sauntered towards Alex. He looked down at his brother and said, “It’s been thirty years in the making. He wasn’t going to stop pushing this time.” Then he looked up at his son and said, “Make damned sure you’re at that meeting on time tonight.” Then, he strolled out of the restaurant and headed for his home.

*****

A
lex waited for Jackson to leave and then he put his gun away and knelt down next to his uncle. He looked at the traumatized waiter and said, “Lock the front door!” The kid ran to do what he was told while Alex pressed his fingers to the pulse in his uncle’s neck. It was there, but it was weak. He was bleeding a lot. “Get me some towels from the kitchen!” Alex barked.

“I’ll get them,” the bartender said.

“Hurry!”

Alex had a hundred and one things running through his mind. First and foremost he knew that his father would kill him if he found out that he let Kevin live. Secondly, his brother would never speak to him again if he let him die. If he did save him, what to do about the waiter and the bartender? Too many fucking questions, but for the first time in the past ten years of working for his father, he couldn’t bring himself to go through with the killing. Kevin’s his blood...Fuck! What a fucking mess this all is! He fished in his uncle’s pocket and pulled out his phone. He skimmed through the contacts until he found Roxi’s number and he pressed send.

“Hey Daddy. What’s up?” Roxi answered on the first ring.

“Roxi it’s Alex.”

“What do you want?”

“Your father’s been shot.”

“What? By whom? Where is he?”

“He’s at my father’s restaurant. I need to get him out of here. I don’t know if he’ll make a three hour drive to Rhode Island but...you know I can’t call an ambulance.”

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Alex waited. A few seconds passed and she said, “Take him to 485 Madison Avenue to Whitemore Realty. There’s an alleyway that runs behind the building. Pull up to the front door there.”

“Okay.”

“Alex!”

“Yeah?”

“Do not fucking let him die. I don’t care who shot him. If he dies, I will kill you.”

“Get in line,” Alex said before disconnecting the call. “Get over here and help me,” Alex told the waiter. They stood Kevin up between them and each took an arm. If anyone noticed them on the street, it would look like Kevin was drunk. Alex and the waiter carried Kevin out to his car and put him in the back seat. Alex locked the doors and followed the kid back inside. He called the bartender over and when the two young recruits were standing in front of him Alex said. “If either of you breathe a word of any of this to anyone, I will cut you up into pieces and use you as bait the next time I take my yacht out for a fishing excursion. Got it?” They both nodded, wide eyed. “I’ll need an answer,” he said.

“Yes sir!” they both said. Alex wasn’t trying to scare them; he meant every word he said. He’d have no qualms about doing it. The qualms he had about killing Kevin today...those were not the norm.

“Good. Clean up this mess before anyone else shows up.” He picked up the gun Jackson left on the table. The serial numbers had long since been filed off. He stuck it in his jacket. He’d dismantle and get rid of it later.

––––––––

P
aige and Crystal were just sitting down to lunch when the cell phone rang. She recognized the number as Roxi’s. “Hi Roxi.”

“Paige, a helicopter is going to land out on the north side of the house in fifteen minutes. My father’s been shot in New York. I need you to see what you can do for him.”