Silence.
It appeared that silence was going to be more dominating between them from now on. The car ride back to Middle Park East, the few minutes spent gathering clothes, weapons, and protection, and then the deathly silent ride into Dukes. Neither seemed ready to talk about what they were about to walk into. Kate had gone internal and looked to be talking herself up for walking into her old home. Niko on the other hand had been vigilantly watching the streets as they neared the headquarters of the Irish Mob.
There were more people on the streets than normal. He could recognize some of the men he knew from spending time with Packie and Gerry. Others he knew as enemies and not people to trust. Petrovic's men were easy to spot… If one knew what to look for and where to spot them. Heavily armed, observant, and easily triggered- the Russian mafia was not to be messed with. Niko knew this and had learned the hard way, but now that everyone was supposedly on good terms, he was concerned with the way everyone would interact.
"Even after all this time, the street always looks the same. I can spot every fight, every argument, every laugh- Savannah Avenue will always be home." Kate softly spoke into the quiet interior of the Infernus. Her head was leaning against the cold glass window as she watched the street crawl by. People she didn't know, but could somehow tell weren't meant to be around, mulled around the street corners and entrance to Meadow's Park. It was an odd sight and she forced whatever anxiety she held down.
"Home can always be welcoming or terrifying. Depending on the circumstances." Niko glanced her way before deciding to pull up across the street from the McReary brownstone. He used to look forward to stopping by the homestead during the past year. It gave him the chance to spot Kate as he came and went with business from her brothers, until it turned into the usual pick up and drop off for her. The three story townhome had somewhat grown on him and became like a surrogate home for him. Till it was tainted with dark memories.
"True… But I'd like to focus on the good parts. I did meet you in the living room." She had to smile at the memory of getting to see him for the first time. Whatever her brother had rambled on about fell on deaf ears. He was utterly handsome and rugged. Nothing else was in focus but his soft look that was sent her way. Her heartbeat had skipped into overdrive, and she was glad to be excused, rather rudely, but was thankful to get out of the room before she grew faint under his watchful eye.
"Like I have said. I was not expecting to meet you or your mother." Niko put the car into neutral and pulled the parking brake. He watched the front exterior of the house noticing all the pulled shut curtains. The windows were dark, but he knew better. Gerald was meant to be dead. Packie was in the middle of renovating the house supposedly. And there was nothing amiss with the known notorious home of the Irish Mob. Only a small circle of people knew the truth. The public had to be fed the lie in order to let the world move on and heal from the Rascalov incident.
"One of my favorite memories from living here." Kate shifted her gaze away from the freshly shoveled snowbank along the sidewalk to her boyfriend. Her hands shook in her lap, and she fisted them to still the involuntary reaction. She was bone deep scared to walk back into her old home. Raw memories existed within those walls, and she couldn't trust herself to keep it together long enough to get through dinner.
"We don't have to go inside. I can let Gerry know that it's not a good time. You don't have to be put into any situation you don't want to be." He reached out and trailed his fingers over the top of one of her fists. He knew going inside the home was going to be difficult. Even he felt on edge sitting in his car across the street from the place that changed everything in his life. He had met his second family here, he had been given another chance at life here, and he had saved Kate from certain death and vileness. His only regret was not getting there in time to save her Ma.
"I will have to do this at some point. And I'd rather get it over with. I'll have to change clothes before the dinner anyway. I look rather ridiculous in my jeans and turtleneck while you are all dressed up." She let out a shallow, dry laugh, darting her eyes away from his face and toward the red door of her former sanctuary.
"You look good in anything you wear." He followed her line of sight and saw Packie emerge from the front door and wave their direction, "You ready?"
"Not really. But my brothers are here. You are with me. And I could go for some food. Haven't really had anything to eat today." She returned the wave to her brother and took a deep breath, "I'll go upstairs and change clothes quickly, then join you in the living room. Knowing my two overprotective brothers they won't let you stay in my room while I undress." She bit her bottom lip and tried to not laugh at the absurdness of the situation. She had been more than naked around Niko plenty of times since he took her home that fateful night.
"They do know we live together now, yes?" Niko chuckled and patted her hand, "Come on. Before Patrick decides your virtue is in danger."
"What they don't know can't kill them." Kate smoothed over her outfit and opened the passenger door. The cold air blasted through her thin jacket, and she tugged it closer to her body. 'At least I'll be able to get more of my clothes from my room. Running out of ways to reuse the same things over and over…'
Her statement left a hollow pit in his stomach. No. Derrick's murderer being brought to light would more than likely kill a few things. His relationship with the entire McReary family being one of them.
"I'm sure they assume things. You can't exactly hide your smile every time you catch my attention." Niko opened his door and held his arm out for her to take as she approached him. He buried his own reservations down as far as they would go and worked on detaching himself from the act of killing Derrick. He perfected the ability to remove himself from feeling things and carrying on like nothing bothered him. And he would do it once more when it came to the one day back in August on the rooftop in Lancet.
Kate elbowed him and sent him a side smirk, "Not true. I can still act like an innocent princess."
"Oh? Is that so?" Niko tugged her into his side to drop his arm around her waist, purposely dragging his fingers along her spine and across the hem of her jeans.
"Stop it!" She exaggerated her movements, giggling at the thrill that slid over her body, to get him to quit touching her, "You're the one who is going to have to behave themselves." She took a couple of steps ahead of him and turned around to walk backwards facing him, firmly crossing her arms under her chest. The street was empty of moving cars, but the sidewalks were definitely busy with people bustling by to get out of the cold, bitter wind.
"Someone is rather touchy." Niko closed the space between them and kissed her smiling lips, "But your brother is watching. If you're wanting more, it's going to have to be away from prying eyes." He whispered in her ear before kissing her cheek.
"Hey! Hands off my sis!" Packie called out from the top of the stone steps of the McReary household.
"Packie! I swear to God!" Kate hollered out in the somewhat quiet street and spun around to point an accusing finger toward her brother.
"Swear what?!" Patrick laughed at her expression and waved them up toward the house, "Let's get out of this damn cold. I'm tired of freezing my ass off in this city!"
"Agreed. Of course, this time in a few months I'll be begging for the colder weather again." Kate grumbled as she rushed up the steps to stand at her brother's side.
"You gonna be alright?" Packie lowered his voice as he greeted his sister. He watched as Niko paused at the bottom step to watch a couple of people that were huddled around the crosswalk, his hand stealthily slipping into the inside of his jacket to where he assumed he kept one of his guns.
"Yeah. I'll be good. I am kind of excited to see what all Ma stashed away for me." Kate shivered against the cold and turned to look down at her boyfriend, "Come on Niko. I'm sure the fire is going strong inside."
"Niko. You two are the first guests to show for dinner." Packie opened the door and let Kate walk inside. He knew they were both jumpy with the invite to be part of the dinner meeting. Even he was feeling weird about the random call and urgency to get everyone together under one roof. It was dangerous and risky. If any one of their enemies found out about it, there was bound to be a drive by or some kind of attempt on their lives.
"Good to know. They yours?" Niko jerked his head toward the people along the street that were poorly attempting to look natural as they scouted the neighborhood.
"Some of them are. The rest are the guest of honor's." He shook his head and followed after his sister, "But they are keeping the perimeter secure."
"Okay." Niko pulled the door shut behind him and twisted the lock. Not that the lock would add that much more protection if someone truly wanted to get inside. He had pulled on a bullet proof vest under his dress shirt. It was one of the slimmer ones that Bernard had left him before the wedding. He hadn't had a chance to put it on before the ceremony but was left in the trunk of his Infernus. Bernie had kept an entire stash of resupplies in the vehicle. Unfortunately, none of them had been able to get back to said vehicle during the fighting.
The suit he dragged out of his closet was from Derrick's funeral and he had seen the lingering look Packie sent him before turning his attention elsewhere. Kate had a similar reaction to the bullet holes in the back of the suit jacket. But it was the only one still somewhat intact that he owned. The rehearsal dinner suit was torn in places and the matching dress shirt was deemed unwearable by Kate. The suit he had donned for the wedding was in tatters in a hospital plastic bag in the back of the closet in Playboy X's old place. There was the bank robbery suit… but Kate had taken one look at it and shook her head.
Carefully he removed his heavy brown leather jacket and hung it up on the coat hooks in the entryway of the home. He normally didn't like carrying so many weapons on him, but Kate had been rather adamant about him bringing every single weapon he had tucked away in the Middle Park East apartment. His favorite pistol was tucked down in the back of his dress slacks, knives were hidden in sleeves along his belt, ankles, and breast pocket of his vest, and Kate had told him to take a secondary pistol just in case. Her level of paranoia was worrying him.
Just who was she worried about being at this dinner?
"Katie-bear!" Gerry yelled out from the living room, earning him a delighted squeal from Kate as she ran into his waiting arms for a bear hug.
"It's so good to see you!" Kate threw her arms around her brother's neck and held on as he spun her around in one of his signature hugs.
"I know. It's been so long!" He set her down on her feet and smiled down at her matching grin.
"I do like what you've done with the place…" Kate looked around at the newer furniture in the living room, noticing more places to sit down than just the couch and armchair that used to sparsely fill the living room. Even the walls had pictures removed, and newer ones hung in their places. The noticeable change being Francis' portrait missing, as well as any and all photos containing their father.
"Eh. If I was going to be living here full time… It was time for a change." He only shrugged as he glanced around at all the things he had done to the place. A large picture of everyone at Thanksgiving hung above the fireplace. It was their new family, and one he was fighting to protect every day. It had been in a spur of the moment after everyone had come back inside after finding Niko and Kate in the backyard. Mallorie had wanted to capture them all together and happy. And everyone looked to be at peace, joyful, and glad to be alive. The living McReary members, Niko's extended family and friends, as well as new alliances were all huddled around one another in front of the large fireplace in Roman's home.
"Change is good." Kate smiled at the photo and moved out of her brother's arms to take a closer look at the other pictures hung on the walls.
"Plus, the old dining room needed to be finished. Was tired of seeing the renovation at a pause for so long." Gerry dropped down into the old armchair that his Ma used to occupy all the time.
"You're telling me. A bad draft used to exist in that space." Packie plopped down on one of the new couches and dropped his head back against the cushions, "You wanna tell them who all is coming?" He turned his head to glare at his older brother.
"I would like to know who to expect." Niko awkwardly leaned into the entrance to the living room from the front hall. He shifted on his feet trying to hide his uneasiness of being in the McReary home waiting for old enemies to show up. Kate slowly made her way around the room to lean into the wall next to him. He moved just enough to be able to hold her hand when she reached out to him.
"Well. Our usual members and closely held alliances with the Yardies. Gordon will be here, Kate. Kenny will show up for a short period of time. He is having to catch a flight out to Los Santos this evening. Sammy Bottino's daughter, Antonia, is coming by with Kenny. She is under his protection in order to escape out west to meet up with her family. Sammy is still in hiding from some bull shit murder charge in Vice. You should recognize the name as he used to be Gravelli's right hand man till two years ago. Roy Zito took his place and is who we will be meeting tonight. Gravelli made it his dying wish that he aligns the family with whoever Niko deemed worthy."
"Rather powerful people to have under one roof." Niko squeezed Kate's hand when he felt her start to shake. He doubted she had met any of the people who were going to be stopping by. He had the fortunate run in with Jon on his deathbed with the introduction coming from Bernard with the IAA. If the Irish mob, Gravelli mafia, and the Petrovic family were going to be joining forces than there was no stopping them.
"The Lost MC boss was going to be here, but they all moved out west shortly after Christmas." Patrick spoke up once he saw how tense his sister and friend were acting, "But there isn't anything to worry about. We were called about some info coming to light that needed to be discussed and the only cover we could come up with was dinner. And if you want sis, you can head upstairs to change."
"Um. Okay." Kate fidgeted around before sighing. She could see the dismissal from her brothers and could only guess they needed to talk to Niko alone.
"Call down to me if you need anything." Niko held her hand firmly and didn't release her as she made to move toward the staircase. He didn't want to leave her side, but he could read the room, and knew there was something the two McReary brothers were not saying.
"I'll be alright." She whispered to Niko and returned the squeeze to his hand to let him know she would be okay, "You haven't changed anything in my room, have you?" She turned to face her brother in the armchair and tried to ignore the memory of her Pa sitting in the same chair sending her the dark, murderous look he typically sported in his last few years of life.
"No. Same with Ma's old room. It's as it always has been. I put the box she left you on the bed in her old room." Gerry shifted his eyes toward the roaring fire to hide his own pain over the mention of their mother.
"Alright then. I'm just going to go get ready for dinner and be down in a little bit." She glanced between her brothers and could see the sad expressions that fell over their features with the mention of Ma. They were all still grieving in their own ways and trying to find their way in the new world they found themselves in. It was going to take time, but she believed that they would be back to their old habits before they knew it. Even if she wished they would give up the life of crime to find a better way to live. Silently she slipped out of the room and headed for the stairs that led up to the bedrooms.
"I'm just downstairs." Niko followed her into the front foyer and turned her around to face him. He was feeling torn again about leaving her sights while being back in the home. Though this time their roles were reversed.
"Just up the stairs, okay?" She smiled softly at him and leaned into his body. It felt beyond surreal to be standing at the bottom of the stairs in her old home. Everywhere she looked she could picture her Ma or one of her brothers wandering around about their day and it made her heart ache.
"You want my pistol?" He snorted at her light jab of her hand to his side.
"You know what? Yes." She shifted off of his body and held her hand out to him. He had given it to her when he left her alone in the living room and it had brought her a weird sense of calm and protection as she counted every second that her brothers and Niko were upstairs looking at the dead bodies.
Niko reached behind him and pulled his pistol from its resting place, "Both hands and don't use it if you don't have to." He turned it and pointed out the safety switch, lightly flicking it into the firing position to show her the red dot, and then lowering it back down into safety mode, "And I promise I will take you shooting soon."
Her face scrunched up at his suggestion, "Not exactly how I pictured Valentine's Day."
"No. Afterwards. Saturday is our day. The gun range can wait." Niko smirked at her words and shook his head. He most certainly didn't want to spend the day in the stuffy basement of one of the shady gun stores in the city. He was looking forward to sharing his kitchen to make amazing food and then possibly exploring new adventures in the bedroom.
Carefully Kate took the handgun and twisted it around to tuck it into the back of her jeans like she had seen Niko do numerous times, "Maybe you can show me some self-defense moves? I am a rather hands on learner…" She gave him a once over as the cool metal pressed into her lower back as she secured the pistol in place.
"I can show you a thing or two." Niko leaned down to capture her smirking lips, "I'll show you how to get out of all kinds of positions. Whether you want out of them is another thing." His fingers splayed around her sides as he pulled her closer, pressing his lips to hers.
His words seared across her mind, and she conjured some rather steamy ideas on how to spend Valentine's Day. A call would need to be made to Mallorie in order to get her ideas worked out fully. But she could imagine his hands holding her down against the bed, his thick accent whispering instructions to her, and his sharp eyes raking over her body. Heat pooled between her legs, and she tucked her fingers below the lightweight suit vest, immediately frowning as she came in contact with the firm bullet proof vest.
"This isn't fun." She poked roughly against the weighted material.
"You should be wearing it. Not me." Niko kept their foreheads pressed together and let out the sigh he had been holding back, "I would feel better knowing you had another layer of protection."
"And leave you defenseless? I don't think so. I have you, the entire Irish mob, and my brothers looking out for me. I am probably the most protected person in this city. I am worried for you. Who watches your back?" She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his middle, "I am safe here with everyone. I trust in everyone to make sure I stay that way."
"I do not need looking after. Text me once you get ready to change and I'll bring up my bullet proof vest. Wear it. For me." He tucked her under his chin and glanced toward the living room to see Packie and Gerry snap their attention elsewhere rapidly.
"Only because you asked so nicely." Kate huffed against his neck and pulled away from him, "You just want an excuse to see me naked." She winked at him and spun on her heel, dashing up the creaking staircase, leaving behind a stunned Niko and brothers.
"She take your gun?!" Packie whispered as she disappeared from his line of sight.
"More importantly, you will NOT be going up there when she is changing." Gerry grumbled out darkly.
Niko ignored both questions as he moved into the living room, "Petrovic and the Gravelli families are in good terms? Last time I checked Jon hated anything and everything to do with Russians."
"Correction. He hated Dimitri and his entire organization. Though I doubted he knew the extent of their pull and power. Or that he had a batshit crazy cousin." Gerry kept his glare firmly in place as Niko stood against the wall near the entrance to the living room. He loved his sister dearly and was having a hard time accepting the fact that she was all grown up and moving on in her life. He always wanted her to be free from the life their family created, but she was at the side of one of the most powerful criminals in all of Liberty, and neither one of them truly knew what was at stake.
"Gerry made amends, with Kenny's help, with the Gravelli clan, and with the fall of the Pegorino family, Roy wanted to reestablish some connections in Dukes and Broker. The only way to do that was to make an alliance with the powers that be in the area. I.E., the Irish Mob and Petrovic's Bravata." Packie rubbed at his temples, "It's still mind baffling that we are in the position we are in."
"So the most powerful Russian mafia in the entire country, the highest name in The Commission, and the heavy hitting muscle of the Irish mob are joining forces? I'm sure the tidal wave that move will make will be crushing toward the other families and gangs within LC and abroad." Niko crossed his arms and tried to recall all the information Jon had told him in the hospital. He didn't think he had that much influence or grace when it came to the Gravelli's. He had done a few risky jobs for him and got Darko in return. Their business was done.
"It's also why you are here. The Commission wants you to take a new seat. Kenny wants you at his side. Hell, I want you to stick close to us for the sake of my sister. Do you not realize just how much weight your name carries? Robert was telling me that he had heard of you all the way in Los Santos. Some computer geek he does scrub work for caught wind of your skills and mentioned you to Robert. It's why I ordered him back here to LC for a few weeks. We need to contain who knows what. And fast." Gerry dropped his arms along the back of the armchair and set his hardened gaze on the man that was dating his sister.
"I was not doing all this work for a name and power. I had one simple goal- revenge. I do not want a seat. Nor do I want anything to do with criminal activity. I am out. I thought I made that clear when I put a bullet through Natalya's head." He did not like the way Gerry was looking at him. He frowned at the head of the Irish mob and suddenly felt at odds with one of the McReary brothers.
"All you did was send out one big resume to the heads of every organization. I'm sure Frankie Boy will be begging you to be his protection detail or bodyguard. And because you've caught everyone's attention, Kate will forever be in danger so long as she is with you." Gerry spoke coldly.
"You have better reconsider your words. It was your mess with the Ancelotti's that got the Albanian's pissed off enough to seek alliance with Dimitri to get even. They targeted Derrick's funeral. They could have easily shot her on the steps of the church as they ambushed us. And because they failed to harm any of you at the funeral, they turned back to Natalya in order to break into this very house to kill your mother and- and-" Niko's voice died in his throat.
"So killing Lenny had nothing to do with any of them coming after my family?!" Gerry shoved out of the chair raising his voice drastically. He had four months to go over the events that took place. The information he had received from Karen had painted a fairly detailed picture. But the one thing that was still nagging him- the one thing that kept him up late into the night and early mornings would not let him be. And he was determined to get the answers one way or another tonight.
"Both of you cut it out! Everyone fucked up some in order to get to where we are now!" Packie jumped up off the couch and moved between the two people in the room, facing his brother not understanding where the hostility was coming from.
"I killed Lenny because I was forced to. My hands were tied. I failed to see just where Dimitri's allegiance lied. He wanted to sell me out to Ray Bulgarin, and in order to set me up, he used the wrongful killing of Lenny to fuel his own plans. His cousin was dating Lenny. And if anyone is to blame for Lenny's death it's Dimitri. He never once tried to stop me or change Mikhail Faustin's mind. He probably wasn't even fully truthful with his cousin about where the hit came from toward Lenny." Niko tilted his head to the side and tensed up when Gerry stood up. He knew he could easily defend himself if it came to it. But just where was Gerry going with all this?
"Niko didn't even know of us when Lenny was killed!" Packie looked over his shoulder at his friend that hadn't even moved from his position against the wall, "Gerry you need to calm the fuck down. We about to have too many hot heads in this house."
"What was it you told me on the phone? Can't be the Princess of the Irish Mob and not have a target on your back? She has been in danger longer than I have been in her life. Do not blame me for putting her in danger. I am doing everything in my power to keep her safe. To keep this family safe. I gave everything I had to save her. You were there on the island. Packie knows. That is why I am done with living my life the way I had. I am only here to make sure she stays safe. I will have no part of whatever new alliances are being made tonight." Niko leveled his voice and kept his eyes trained on the enraged brother across from him.
"I don't think you understand Niko. The only way to keep us all safe- to keep Kate safe- Is to keep Kenny and Roy happy. You really want Kenny's men after you again?" Gerry calmed down a touch remembering how beat up and near death Niko had been after killing Natalya. How Niko had pushed himself to the limit to find his sister and save her. How every one of Niko's friends and allies had pulled together to find and rescue Kate and Roman. It's one thing he will always be grateful for.
"Kenny won't have a say. I have people in higher places that will crush him if he comes after me or Kate." Niko wasn't entirely sure if Bernard would be able to bring down the powerful man. But he had been present when deals had been made, unbreakable words exchanged, and understandings laid out in the open. Jacob had also been in the room and could back him up if it came to it. His own anger stirred to life with the idea of Kenny going back on his word, "And if Kenny dares to go against me, I have a bullet with his name on it. I will not hesitate to remove him from this planet."
"That would be suicide…" Packie's jaw dropped open with Niko's admission.
"Killing Kenny would descend this entire city into chaos. There would be nowhere for you to hide." Gerry shook his head.
"I have clearly made a name for myself. And if everyone is begging me to take a seat, then they had best remember why I was offered the spot in the first place. Do not fuck with me. I will not hesitate to end any and all threats against me and who I choose to have in my life. I will one day want to settle down, permanently, and in order to do that, I need to make sure that whoever tried to kill me this morning is delt with." Niko shoved off the wall and took a couple of steps toward Gerry, Packie immediately moving out of his way, his stare was cold and uncaring. He would not jeopardize his future that he wanted.
"You'd need my permission to ask Kate." Gerry didn't flinch under the intensity of Niko's glare.
"Do I have it?" Niko lifted his eyebrow in a menacing move, "Francis has already given his. I'm sure Packie has no objections," Niko shifted his eyes to the other brother in the room who only held up his hands up in surrender and backed away from the two awkwardly not wanting to get in the middle of whatever was taking place, "And I know Kate's answer."
"No." Gerry stood his ground. He had one question he needed answered, now two with what Niko had said, and he wasn't ready to let his sister go entirely.
"Wait. Someone tried to kill you?" Packie lowered his hands and grew concerned with his friend. This was news to him.
"I don't know who it is. I was helping Francis bring down the last person of Natalya's gang and they attacked an officer and me." Niko answered Packie's question before turning his attention back to Gerry, "What do I have to do to get your permission? Not that I haven't done enough for you."
"Find Derrick's killer and return the favor."
aaaaaa
Kate partially closed her bedroom door, leaving a small opening, and looked around at all her familiar furniture. The bed was bare, and a set of clean sheets sat upon the mattress. The rug was missing from her room and the floor looked larger than she remembered. The wall the bed rested against was bleached in places and she guessed it was to remove the blood splatter that had stained the cream colored paint. But otherwise, things were back in their usual place and there was no reminder of what had taken place.
"Doesn't feel like my room at all…" Kate mused as she walked up to her dresser to stare at her reflection in the large lighted mirror. She clicked the switch on and squinted in the bright light that illuminated the frame of the mirror. How many evenings were spent fussing over her looks before dashing down the stairs to beat Niko to her house? 'Not many… I never really put forth the effort like I should have…'
Silently she moved over to the closet and opened the door to look for her simple black dress she had worn to Derrick's funeral. It would match the black suit Niko had on, in more than one way, and would reflect her mood over the dinner. It was rather fitting to be wearing funeral attire to meet a bunch of criminals and powerful people. She frowned as she flipped through a few articles of clothing before coming across the soft material of the modest black dress.
It looked rather innocent hanging on the hanger in the closet. Not a single speck of dirt was left from the firefight or rainstorm that attempted to crash Derrick's burial service. She had nearly ripped the dress off after coming home from laying her brother to rest. She was drenched, tired, and completely crushed. She had seen Niko in a new light and wasn't sure what to make of it. She could almost laugh at how she had berated his skills with a gun. Now she was eternally thankful for his skillset.
Carefully she pulled the dress loose and walked over to the bed to lay it over the surface. Her fingers tailed over the pressed collar of the dress as she remembered the way Niko stood by her side at the freshly dug grave. Rain pelting them both to the point of numbing whatever pain they were in. He had watched her take a handful of dirt and toss it down on the coffin. There were no words exchanged for the longest time. Then she had felt his hand press to her shoulder, close to the base of her neck, and give her a reassuring squeeze. It had nearly broken her then and there.
"He cared so much, and I had been blind to see it." Her words tumbled around her room as she briefly lost herself to the memories of Derrick's funeral and burial. Had she been able to sort through her muddled feelings back then, she might've seen what she sees now in Niko. They probably would've started dating shortly after the funeral and over time would've grown closer. Now they were caught up in a whirlwind romance that stole her breath. 'Maybe it's for the best…'
Tearing her eyes away from the dress she looked back to the closet in search of the matching heels. Packie had laughed at her as she nearly stumbled down the stairs wearing the blasted shoes, but her Ma had insisted on looking their best, and heels were apparently the only correct shoe to wear with her dress. Silently she shifted through all her pairs of shoes on the floor, tossing her blister inducing flats to the far corner, before plopping down to her backside. The heels were nowhere in sight.
"Just where?!" She leaned back on her hands to glance at the shelf above the hanger rail. There, poking out near the edge of the closet, sat the pair of matte black heels. She smiled at finding them and shifted around on the floor to stand up. The gun pressed against her harder with the move and she cautiously removed it, placing it down within reach on the dresser. With a huff she pulled the small armchair over to the closet from her window in order to give her a boost to the shelf. She flinched with the loud scraping sound it made as she dragged it over the hardwood floor.
She paused only long enough to make sure the boys weren't on their way up before climbing up on the chair to reach the pair of heels. With one hand balancing her weight against the closet doorframe, she reached up with her other hand to snatch the heels from their resting place, jerking them from the high shelf. A white envelope shifted forward with the movement of the shoes and tipped over the edge of the shelf to flutter down to the floor of the closet.
"What the…" Kate watched the envelope drop to the ground completely confused on why it was there or who it could be from. With as much grace as she could muster, she dropped down from the chair and shoved it out of the way in order to get to the mystery envelope. Turning it over in her hand she froze as the handwriting that greeted her was of someone she would never see again. The heels dropped free from her other hand as she reread her name scrawled in the loopy and sloppy handwriting of her late brother Derrick.
Her heart was clenching so tightly in her chest that her vision dimmed slightly. The feeling in her legs fled and she collapsed to the cold wooden floors of her bedroom. Her hands trembled so terribly that she had to place the envelope down on the ground to ensure she was reading her name in his script. 'How long… How long has this been in here?!'
She was terrified to open it. What would he have written to her? What could he have needed to say that he couldn't tell her in person? So many questions kept whizzing around in her mind and forcing her to lean heavily into the doorframe of her closet. Could she read it and not lose what sanity she had left? She had said her goodbyes, had made peace with the fact that she would never hear or see her brother again. But one look at his unmistakable handwriting had her near the breaking point.
"Alright Derrick… Whatever it is was clearly private enough you felt compelled to write it out…" She bit her lower lip and flipped the envelope over to tear open the sealed flap. With shaky hands she ripped it open carefully and removed several pages of faded notebook paper folded over several times, the ink smudged in places, and gently lifted them up to start reading what were likely the last words her brother ever wrote.
Dearest Katie,
I'm not sure what all you remember from last night, but it was probably one of the most memorable conversations you and I have held in a long time. You were pretty wasted coming home from your date with Niko, and when you told me goodnight, and that you loved me, I should've had the courage to say it back. I've been struggling badly the past few months. Between the constant need to shoot up and drink, I've been letting my family slip away from me. I can't stop. I don't know why. Everyone asks me to stop, but you don't know what it's like living in my head. I hate it.
Katie, I adore you to the ends of the earth. I want you to be happy. I want you to have that fairytale story of being saved from our hell and living out your dreams. I don't know if that is possible. Maybe it is. You seem very happy with Niko. And from what I saw from my spot looking out the window, he feels the same way about you. I know I joke about your wedding day and wanting to walk you down the aisle at church. But I do mean it. If I ever get clean, sober, and get my head on right again, I want to do that for you.
I told you not to waste the good. I've wasted plenty of good in my life. Take my life as an example for not letting something good slip away from you. There will be hard times ahead with Gerald being in the pen. Can't be a McReary without difficult situations and peril. And don't let Gerald or Patrick ruin whatever you got going for you. Ma will be thrilled to be a grandmother. And I will hopefully one day get to hold the honor of the title uncle.
I watched you leave this morning to visit your shrink and felt like a failure. You've had to endure so much from us McReary men. And for that I am truly sorry. Francis called shortly after you left asking to meet up. Not sure how to feel about it. But I wanted to get my thoughts on paper for you. I just have this terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I might call Niko for advice on Frankie's call. Maybe. Don't worry too much. I'll put this letter in the top of your closet so if everything works out, I can get it later and you'll never know. But if things go south, like how I'm feeling, know that I care and love you very much.
If I die before I get the chance to ever tell you how proud I am of you, it will only solidify my continued failures.
Take care of yourself Princess. Don't forget what I said. Don't waste the good.
I do remember that you love me. Always will.
Love from your oldest brother,
Derrick
Kate read over his rushed handwriting trying to not let her own tears smear the ink further. His words kept sinking into her soul the longer she read over them, and she couldn't quit reading his last paragraph. Just what did he mean by things going south? Francis was meant to help him when they met up. Francis had told her he would meet up with him to get him the help he needed… Instead, Derrick had been shot in cold blood in front of him.
"He must have known his killer… He knew someone wanted him dead!" Kate scrambled up off the floor as her brother's raised voice caught her attention from downstairs. Hastily she wiped away the tears that had fallen with her brother's words and dashed toward her bedroom door.
DING DONG
The doorbell stopped her rush to get downstairs. Her heart hammered away in her chest as she listened to the silence from the bottom floor of the home. Footfalls echoed up the stairs as someone approached the front door and she shuffled closer to her bedroom door to hear who was answering the door. She hadn't changed yet and the awkward feeling of changing clothes while strangers were in the house descended upon her.
"Great…" Kate sighed heavily and carefully closed her door. 'So much for getting Niko up here to help me change…'
With a huff she retreated back toward her closet to pick up her heels, dropping Derrick's letter over Niko's pistol on her dresser. The letter would have to wait till she could get her brothers and Niko alone. The last thing she ever wanted to do was bring up family drama in front of strangers and somehow endanger someone. Especially her brothers. They had their own battles to wage and win, and she didn't want something she said to be taken out of context.
The doorbell rang out again and it spurred her on to get ready faster. She stepped out of her fuzzy black boots, lowered the zipper to her jeans, and shimmed her way out of them, kicking the garment toward her dresser. Her turtleneck followed closely after, being dropped down on top of the faded denim. Softly she yanked her hair tie free from her hair and ran her fingers through the thick curls, slipping the elastic band over her wrist. Her eyes landed on the dark fabric of the dress upon her bare bed, and she hesitated.
Flashes of getting ready with her Ma for Derrick's funeral spun her tired mind. The morning had dragged on and after one too many verbal fights with Patrick she had retreated up to her room to finish getting ready. Her Ma had shown up shortly after to comfort her and give her a set of earrings that had been in the family for generations. No words were needed between them as they finished applying makeup in front of the lighted mirror. Ma taking long sips from a small flask that was tucked into her black clutch was more than enough to fill the space of her bedroom.
The ring of the doorbell, loud boisterous laughter from Packie, let her know some of the boys had just shown up. She snapped her mind back into focus and lifted the soft material up from the mattress. Quickly she removed the hanger and dropped it back down to the bed, before yanking the long zipper down the back of the dress. The volume of the people downstairs grew, and she hurriedly moved over to the dresser to finish getting dressed. One foot and then the other stepped into the dress, the delicate fabric caressing her body as she pulled it up to put her arms into the sleeves.
The sound of her doorhandle being jimmied caused a smile to lift the corner of her lips. She knew Niko would get impatient once people started to show up and come looking for her. She finished slipping the dress on and reached down to pull the zipper up in the back, but the zipper got caught about halfway up. She jerked harder on it and spun around a couple of times to try and work it loose.
"Oh my God…" Kate whispered as she dropped her hands away from the zipper beyond frustrated, "You can come in now! Could use your help anyway!" She turned away from the bedroom door and tried to get the stuck zipper loose once again. The sound of her door creaking open rapidly sent a shiver down her spine, forcing her eyes closed as the memory of Niko coming in armed and ready flooded her senses.
The mixed murmuring of the people in the home rushed into her bedroom before dimming again as the door was closed with a soft click. Her heart started to race again as she heard him approach, his footsteps louder on the bare wooden floors. Her hands trembled against the cool zippered edges of her dress, and she released the fabric, "Stupid thing got caught. Mind helping me out?"
Fingers brushed along her sides and immediately her body relaxed under his touch. Warm breath fanned along her exposed shoulders and goosebumps promptly rose to meet it. The drag of his firm fingers toward the bottom of the zipper elicited a devious shiver down her spine. Trained fingers trailed up the cold, zippered section before bunching the fabric around the stuck zipper. Pressure against her shoulder caused her to tilt her head to the side to give him a place to rest, shifting the mass of hair away from him.
One hard pull against the dress and the zipper broke free. Quietly those firm hands she loved worked the zipper up her back, closing her off from the chilly air that floated around in her bedroom. She dropped her hair and pulled her necklace free from under the dress before leaning back into the solid frame she knew waited for her. The simmering want from earlier, that had yet to fully settle, coursed through her veins and she briefly wondered if he would be up to smoothing over her nerves.
"You know. If you wanted me to wear that bulletproof vest, you're going to have to pull that zipper back down." Kate went to drop her head back on his shoulder to look up into his eyes, but her head contacted with a boney shoulder. All the warmth and coiling yearning stripped away from her, and she spun around to see who it was that had the audacity to come into her room.
"Look. I was- wanted to say something, but you were… well." Frightened blue-green eyes, set within a freckled smattered face stared back at her.
The scream lodged deep in her throat, and everything started to shake. Bobby had entered her room. Bobby had seen her bare back and black lace bra. BOBBY had touched her in such a way that caused her body to react. Her stomach rolled so violently that she stumbled into her dresser. Immediately her hand snapped under the notebook paper of her brother's note and gripped the pistol. With more force than was necessary she lifted the pistol and aimed it at the person who had invaded her personal space.
"Woah. Hold on there! I'm sorry okay! I wasn't sure which door was the restroom. You called out needing help. I wasn't prepared to well… You look good by the way." Bobby stumbled over his words. The sight of the pistol didn't alarm him as bad as it would have had it been anyone else wielding it. There was no way that innocent Kate was going to shoot him. Not with the safety firmly in place. Her hands were also shaking so badly that he was almost convinced she would miss if she pulled the trigger.
"You touched me. You didn't once tell me who you were! I thought you were my boyfriend coming in to check on me!" Somehow she managed to get the words out. Her eyes darted around the room to the closed bedroom door. She was trapped but had a weapon this time.
"And I'm sorry about that! Hard to focus on anything when a beautiful woman is partially undressed in front of me asking for help to get dressed!" Bobby took a hesitant step forward, "Now give me the gun so no one gets hurt."
"STAY BACK!" Kate yelled at the top of her lungs, clicking the safety off on the gun and training it back on him.
aaaaaa
Niko stood next to Gordon as people continued to file into the McReary home. He recognized several of the guys from Patrick's inner circle. A familiar face from a rather busy night in Steinway nodded his way and he returned the gesture. Shot glasses were passed around merrily as several conversations grew in volume around him. He took the one that was handed to him but refused to take the shot till he spotted Gerry amongst the crowd. They had yet to settle down after their exchange and he didn't feel completely at ease going into the dinner now.
How was he supposed to return the favor of killing Derrick to himself? How was he going to get out of this mess?
"You okay man? You look rather stressed." Gordon downed his shot and made a face at the sour taste, "Guess we aren't breaking out the good stuff till later."
"Lot going on." Niko set his shot glass down on an end table and glanced to the man at his side.
"Don't we all. Was surprised to get a call from Packie about tonight's meal. This about the explosion in Holland?" The second, or third in command, however you looked at it, leaned back into the wall and surveyed the room.
"Maybe. I'm just as unaware as you are." Niko crossed his arms as he recognized Gerry's booming laugh from the dining room area.
"So."
"So?"
"You dating Kate? Pretty ballsy if you ask me." Gordon fought the smile that wanted to spread. So many years had been spent watching Patrick, Gerald, and even Derrick shoot down every possible suitor that came knocking. Then along came the dark and mysterious stranger from Eastern Europe and all bets were off.
"We are dating. That's all there is to say about that." Niko glanced in his direction before going back to watching the men and women conversate around the living room and dining room. He was uneasy being around all the familiar and unfamiliar faces. So many people were armed and watching over their respective bosses. He could picture someone saying the wrong thing and the entire house would erupt into some kind of mixed martial arts match. Or a shoot-out. He wasn't sure which was worse- bullets or fists...
"No offense. She is really happy. We used to tease her about you all the time. Derrick's wake was the first time I think I noticed just how much she liked you. I hated that I missed the funeral. My other boss had me on an assignment." He shrugged and took the offered shot glass that was handed to him from one of the females that worked closely with the family.
"As much as the extra gun would've been appreciated at the funeral, work calls, and I understand. I'm just glad I showed up. I almost didn't." Niko nodded to the usual bartender from Steinway as she offered him a shot, but he refused it. He didn't want to drink anything and hinder his ability to get himself and Kate out of a bad situation. He glanced over his shoulder to the stairs and strained his ears to pick up any sound from the second story. But with the way everyone was talking it was hard to distinguish what was what.
"Work?" Gordon placed his empty shot glasses down next to Niko's full one on the end table and followed his gaze to the stairs, a smile gracing his mouth. He could guess Niko was waiting on Kate to show up.
"Something like that." Niko shifted back to lean into the wall before what he thought was Kate's scream thrashed through his ears. He paused his movements and turned back toward the stairs, "Did you…?"
"I thought I heard what sounded like a scream." Gordon moved from his spot into the foyer to try and get away from the loud conversations that were taking place.
"Not just any scream…" Niko reached into his suit jacket and pulled out one of his backup pistols, lowering it down to his side to keep people from getting alarmed by the sight of it. Silently he walked up to Gordon's side to listen for Kate's voice or any other noises that could signal she was in trouble.
"You take the lead." Gordon reached behind him to remove his own sidearm and nodded when Niko moved toward the stairs. He had thought he saw one of his childhood friends go up the stairs to use the restroom, but he hadn't thought about anyone else being upstairs. Now he was regretting not telling Niko that he had seen someone else head up to the second story. Some look out he was.
A gunshot rang out in the house and all noise immediately ceased. Followed by the sounds of weapons being drawn from various people.
Niko took off up the stairs, Gordon hot on his heels. There was no mistaking the sound of a gunshot and his insides went cold with the idea that Kate had used his pistol. He had been watching the front entrance till Gordon showed up and introduced him to a couple of men he had arrived with. There was always a possibility that someone had slipped past his guard while he had been distracted.
The landing came into view, and he didn't hesitate to head down the hall to where he knew her room was located. Gordon grabbed his arm and pulled him back around. He glared at the man that had stopped his march toward Kate's room before he noticed that Gordon was pointing at something with his pistol. Slowly he turned to look in the direction the pistol was aimed in. The wood of Kate's door was splintered away from a single gunshot close to the top. Anger flooded his body.
"I'll kick in the door, you charge in." Gordon silently rushed the last few feet toward Kate's door and readied his pistol and body to be able to snap the door open. He looked toward Niko to wait for his signal.
Niko approached the door and quickly said a prayer that Kate was okay and hadn't hurt herself or… he wouldn't let himself go down that road. He nodded to Gordon and lifted his own pistol, quickly pulling one of his knives free from his waist to have a secondary weapon at the ready.
With one solid kick the bedroom door snapped open into the opposite wall of her bedroom. The eerie familiarity of having to breach her bedroom with a weapon drawn clung to his shoulders as he did a rapid assessment of his surroundings. A figure stood before him blocking the view of his girlfriend and he didn't pause to move forward to take out the threat. He kicked the back of the knee of the person and jabbed the end of his pistol to the back of the head as the person dropped down to their knees.
"Speak or die." Niko yelled out.
Gordon edged his way into the room gun trained on the person now on their knees, "Fuck. Bobby what did you do?!"
"Look. It's all a misunderstanding." The person named Bobby lifted his hands in a sign of not being a threat and tried to move away from the pistol that was harshly pressing into the back of his head.
"Shut the fuck up! Misunderstanding my ass! You-YOU!" Kate's shrill cry and broken sounding words forced Niko to look up from his target. She had his pistol aimed at the person on the floor and was shaking severely. He studied the pistol and saw the safety off. 'She fired the gun…'
"What he do Katie?" Gordon smoothly moved toward her side to keep his own pistol trained on his old childhood friend. Thundering footsteps pounded the hallway floor as people bum rushed the second story. He looked up in time to see Packie and Gerry shove people out of their way through the watching crowd of people to try and enter their sister's bedroom.
"It's alright Katie. You can tell us what happened." Gordon gradually moved his pistol to his less dominate hand and made to take the gun from her. He knew she was in shock and having an armed weapon in her hands was asking for trouble. He highly doubted she had ever fired a gun before, and he didn't want her to accidentally set it off again.
"Nothing happened Sargent-!"
"If you so much as dared to look at my girlfriend wrong, I'll gouge your eyes out." Niko spoke coldly and forced the end of his pistol harder against the short hair on the back of Bobby's head.
"Niko. I. He-?!" Kate's tiny voice wavered horrendously.
"Katie, hand me the gun. Everything is alright now." Gordon lowered his weapon from being pointed at Bobby and placed his free hand over the pistol in her grip.
Niko could see the panic on Kate's face and knew trying to take the gun away from her would not end well. He kicked the male toward the ground and rushed forward to stop Kate from shooting the gun again. He threw his knife down toward the person to pin their shirt to the floor and tucked his backup pistol into the back of his pants. He looked to Gordon and jerked his head toward the man he had nailed down to the floor in a sign to not let them out of their sights.
He grabbed the pistol with one hand and twisted it to be pointed down in her grasp. His touch must have startled her as she jerked against his hold and fought to break free. Her finger slid back onto the trigger and Niko immediately jerked the gun between their hands up toward his chest to try and put the safety back on. His free hand landed on the top of the gun and unsuccessfully tried to flick the safety switch back on through her thrashing around in his grip.
"Kate. Calm down. It's okay."
The gun blast was a lot louder this time around.
aaaaaa
This is only part one of this chapter. I had to break it up in order to not have the chapter be like 50k words. Trying to keep the chapters shorter so it's an easier read on everyone. I know my last story tended to hover around 30k per chapter and it was too easy to lose your place and the web browser would timeout if you left it alone for too long. I will not leave this cliffhanger too long. Promise! Lol