ONE
"Every unpunished murder takes away something from the security of every man's life."
—Daniel Webster
LISA
I simply wanted to close my eyes. We had spent all damn day at that goddamned park, and now we had to spend the evening smiling for more political cameras. But that wasn't even the least of my problems. I wasn't sure what was coming, but I knew it was coming straight from hell.
I didn't want to deal with this. I didn't want spend my days and nights trying to uncover the mystery of Jen's mother. I didn't want this photo I held in my hands to be real, because now I would have to tell my wife why I'd been hiding the truth from her. She had searched for answers only to come up empty handed. This was another thing that I'd have to apologize for; I had Nickhun delete everything he'd found so that she couldn't get her hands on it. She thought she was working with him, but instead, he was doing everything he could to hide information from her.
She's going to fucking kill me. I sighed.
Eventually, she came to the conclusion that Vance had been lying to her. Sadly, he wasn't. I hated when liars started telling the truth; it was bad for business. Jen's mother was alive, very much so, in fact. We'd discovered that she was in the South of France right before she entered the US.
"So, I have to tell her," I said, as I pinched the bridge of my nose. The question was how. She was going to kill my sorry ass.
"Remind her that I was simply following orders. I'd prefer not to die tonight," Nickhun said as he frowned and adjusted his tie for this night's gala.
"Even that won't save you." Not that I let him around Jennie alone anyway. She could take him, and he wouldn't try anything, but I enjoyed threatening him whenever he came too close to my wife. The only feelings he should have had for her were fear and respect.
We both stood silently in the security room. This was the calm before the storm, the break before the final wave.
"Have Rosé meet me at the gala," I told him walking out of the room and into the study.
Fixing my cufflinks as I walked, I made sure to nod at the help as I walked past.
Rule Thirty-Three: Respect the help, they know more than they let on.
None of them would say anything, but it was still a rule to live by. Entering the living room, I found my beautiful wife, her dark hair in perfectly curled waves, and brown eyes glued to the letter she finished up writing before handing it to Hanbin, who stood in the corner of the room, almost as her shadow.
The rest of the family sat around the television like figures waiting to be painted. The only ones who looked out of place were Mina's parents, and our new political strategist, Jessica Sung. She and the Senator remained standing, as if they were afraid our furniture would eat them alive, while Mrs. Myoi sat by her daughter and squeezed her hand.
Why were they so worried? We would win by a landslide.
Jennie nodded to Hanbin as she rose gracefully from her chair and moved over to me. Nickhun, with his shady brown hair brushed, and black suit pressed, entered and made his way to Tori. He kissed her brown cheek before leaning on the arm of the couch beside her.
My eyes focused on Jennie and the way her sliver dress clung to every inch of her body. Her olive skin begged for me to kiss it, and I longed to slowly peel her dress off of her…before she cut off my hands.
"You look beyond the realm of beautiful."
"Thank you," she said. "Now, what are you hiding from me, Lisa? You've been acting odd for weeks. I've done the wife thing and I've given you time, but you're starting to piss me off," she finished fixing the bracelets on her arm.
"What do you think I'm hiding, wife?"
"Now you're avoiding my question." She frowned as she looked me over. Then she reached out and adjusted my bowtie. She was either going to try to strangle me with it, or she was simply annoyed at how I had tied it…it was more likely the former.
"Whatever you think I'm hiding, you're wrong."
"But you are hiding something."
Lucky for me, my mother turned up the volume on the screen.
"There you have it, America! It is official. Senator Daniel Myoi is this year's Republican Candidate and our contender for future president. As the primary favorite, this news shouldn't come to as a surprise to anyone. Tonight, he will be giving his victory speech at a Charity Gala hosted by the Manobans. His only child, Mina-Sharon, married Bambam Manoban five years ago. Tonight, they celebrate, tomorrow, he has his work cut for him if he wants to defeat current president, Franklin Monroe."
"Your work cut out for you indeed," Jessica said, as she muted the television, and turned back to face us.
"What? They all love me," Senator Myoi responded, grinning at the television from his seat, "I won by a landslide."
Told you.
My father shook his head as he poured himself a glass of brandy. "That's because every other candidate was an idiot."
"Or not rich enough to out-campaign you," Nickhun added.
"All of that is true, yes," Jessica, said as she walked around the couch, and stopped right behind Mina's chair. "The people do love you, the problem is her royal highness here."
"I haven't done anything." Mina glared at her.
Jennie and I had been trying our best to stay out of this. The less we were involved during the election, the less likely people would question any favors that came our way. Sadly, the Myoi's were a bunch of political morons who had no idea how to work the system. I would have been surprised if they even knew where the goddamn White House was. It was the reason why I had personally hired Jessica Sung; a second generation Korean-American, with an IQ almost as high as mine. I fought her for the top of the class while at Dartmouth. She was a political animal who would do anything to win. She was short, with thick-rimmed glasses, and silky black hair that was always pulled into a bun. I couldn't dismiss anyone who knew how to get their job done. For the last six months, she had all but sold her soul to destroy any candidate that stood in her way. Jennie and I called her our little pit bull.
"That's the problem." I sighed. I did not have time for this stupidity. "The people think you're cold and heartless, with a rich husband, and a powerful daddy. They dislike you and will continue to dislike you until you stop showing them who you really are and start being who they want you to be."
"I couldn't have said it any better myself," Jessica said as she adjusted her glasses, "The people aren't just picking a President, they're picking a first family. They like your father, they like your mother, but you're the black sheep who needs to be dyed white."
"Fine," Jennie said, speaking up. "I will handle Mina. Just keep working on everyone else."
"You?" Bambam questioned worriedly, but with a hint of amusement.
"Yes, me," she snapped as she sat up. "The woman the public loves. The woman who bats her eyelashes at the cameras, who accepts stupid balloon crowns from annoying-ass clowns, and donates shitloads of money to so many kids that they want to name a fucking school library after me. I know how to act in public. Your wife, on the other hand, needs a few lessons. You should be glad I haven't thrown her off the bridge for the pity vote."
"You wouldn't." Mrs. Myoi's eyes widened as she stood up quickly. Standing next to her daughter they looked eerie similar, the only difference being Mrs. Myoi's wrinkled skin and shoulder length gray-blonde hair.
"She would," my mother replied. She hated when we fought. But you'd think she would be used to it by now. When didn't we fight?
"She would enjoy it too." Victoria grinned. Jennie had "fixed" Tori, as she liked to say. In other words, Victoria now lived on the dark side of the moon with us.
Mrs. Myoi stood. "We're all family here…"
"No, we're family." I pointed at myself and my immediate family. "You are a chess piece, a stepping stone to our goals, Mrs. Myoi. Harsh, I know. But it's the truth, and it's better you hear it now just so we don't have a misunderstanding in the future. You hold no value other than arm candy to your husband. I thought we made that clear when we asked you to get remarried for the sake of this campaign. That's the deal you made. So save your life and sit back down, before you don't have legs to stand on. There are plenty of pretty blondes in the sea to replace you."
Shocked, she sat back down.
Welcome to the family.
Maybe now what she signed up for was finally hitting her. She wanted to be the first lady so that she could be the face for environmental and educational change. That was the deal. Jennie and I were the hands that fed her, and if she bit us, we would pull out every one of her teeth.
"Well then, Senator, we should go over your speech once more," Jessica told Mr. Myoi as she typed away on her tablet.
"I think I will follow along as well," Mrs. Myoi said. She smiled nervously before walking out.
"They are my parents, could you please refrain from threatening them?" Mina hissed through her teeth, causing Bambam to grab her hand.
"Why? We threaten you, and you're married to the family," Jennie said, and I smiled.
Mina looked over to Evelyn and Marco, who seemed to be having their own private conversation, and stomped her foot like the brat she was. My parents couldn't do shit, nor would they. Evelyn…well, my mother was happy when my father was happy, and as long as she could throw as many parties as she wanted, she was fine as well. My father was out of this "business;" he was keeping his hands clean and instead focused on our more legitimate affairs. The Manoban family didn't just control the drug trade. Hotels, restaurants, spas, clubs…we owned so many of them that I've honestly lost count. Not to mention the amount of shares we now owned in some of the world's biggest corporations due to the Kim family, which now really consisted of just Jen. The Manobans hid our secret behind small business ventures over the generations, but since Jennie had all but rebuilt the Kim by herself, she needed a quicker way to hide her blood money. Between us both, we truly did own this city…this state, and Mina, after all this time, still didn't seem to understand that.
"This family is fucked in the head and so dysfunctional," Mina snapped, walking towards the door, "We're supposed to have each other's backs and protect one another. Yet all you ever do is remind us that you wouldn't hesitate to kill any of us."
"Apparently we don't remind you enough." My eyes narrowed while I moved towards her. Her eyes widened, and Bambam immediately stood between us.
"Step aside, brother," I said softly. "I won't hurt her."
Bambam's jaw clenched, and he only took a slight step to the right, allowing me to step in front of Mina.
"Every day, you bitch and whine at us, and everyday, you manage to wake up. That isn't luck, it isn't even the will of God; it's because you're family. That is the only reason your tongue hasn't been ripped from your throat. You're alive because my brother, whom I've come to care for, was stupid enough to fall in love with you. Over the years, you've been given the freedom of speech, but now I'm revoking that right." I cupped the side of her face and could feel Bambam flinch beside me. "Never again will you ever tell me what this family is supposed to be like. For if you do, Mina Manoban, there won't be enough love in the world to protect you from me."
When I pulled back, she was paler than the blue dress she wore.
"Maybe we should all rest privately for the remainder of the evening before the gala," my mother said as she walked over to me and wrapped her hand around my own. She pulled me back, giving Bambam a moment with Mina.
"Brilliant idea, Mother." I kissed her on the cheek before turning to Jennie. Seeing the look of lust in her eyes made me forget everything else.
I reached out for her hand. "Wife."
She shook her head. "Mina and I are going to work on fixing her public appearance before this gala."
"I think Mina has had enough lessons for one night," my father said, looking over at the still pale woman in Bambam's arms. It made me sick; she looked like one of those stupid girls on the cover of those romance novels.
"There's still some time before the gala," Jennie said. "Hopefully this won't take long."
"Should I come along as well?" Bambam asked, which was code for, you're not going anywhere with my wife unless I follow.
Jennie didn't back down, nor did I think she would. "Mina doesn't want you to come along. Or at least that's what she told Adriana when she was told of our plans this evening."
Only God knew what that meant.
"I'll be fine, Bambam," Mina declared, letting go of him.
"Am I coming along?" Victoria asked cheerfully, almost knocking over her chair. Nickhun leered at her, wrapping his arm around her waist. She glared at him, but didn't push him away. Therapy was helping them…slowly, but it was helping.
"Sorry, Tori, it's a private meeting," she replied.
Before she could leave, I pulled her back, ignoring the excitement that ran through me just by touching her.
"What are you up to, love?" I questioned, kissing her deeply when she opened her lips to reply.
"You will find out soon enough," she declared. "We'll be back within the hour."
I had a bad feeling about this, but Jen killing Mina was the least of my worries right now.
JENNIE
I left her and the rest of the family behind, knowing full well that Mina would follow. The whole night had gone so perfectly, you would have thought I could see the future. However, with each passing day, Mina was becoming a bigger problem. She didn't seem to understand the world around her. She couldn't see the bigger picture, and the longer she stayed blind to the reality of our lives, the bigger liability we faced. Family, for us, was everything, but it was also the one thing that could destroy us.
Cops didn't bring down the greatest bosses in history, they brought down their families, the people they provided for and protected. It was the idiots who were lucky enough to either share DNA or have a ring on their finger. They enjoyed all the rewards—the money, the fame, and the respect. But none of them really understood how fragile it all was, especially the wives. Our weakest link was Mina, and I would be damned if I let her continue on the way she was.
It had taken Lisa and I weeks of planning to figure out exactly what we wanted. It wasn't like we just woke up one morning and said, 'let's own the White House.' We went back and forth over whether or not to use Senator Myoi, since he was already so close to the family. But it was because of that reason that he was perfect.
"Where are we going?" Mina asked, once we stepped into the garage. Hanbin handed me the keys to my white Aston Martin before handing me a gun.
"Get in the car, Mina," was all I said to her, but she was frozen with her eyes glued to the weapon in my hand.
"Hanbin." I sighed, taking a seat behind the wheel.
"Let go of me!" Mina yelled, as he grabbed her and forced her into the car.
Holding her down, he buckled her in before slamming the door shut and I stomped on the gas.
"What the hell do you want with me, Jennie?" she screamed.
"I want you to be a Manoban, not a Myoi," I replied, relaxing into my seat.
"What the fuck does that mean? I am a Manoban. I was one before you were, remember?" She huffed, glaring out the window.
I laughed; she so badly wanted something to trump me with. "No, you are a Myoi hiding in Manoban's clothing. You bitch like a Myoi, hide like a Myoi, and have no balls like a Myoi. Which means you look like your mother, but act like your father. So scared of what you could actually be if you put forth the effort. Seems like Lisa and I have to teach your entire family how to grow balls."
"Thank you, Obi Wan Kenobi, but I don't need, nor do I want, your help. Take me home or I will walk!" she snapped, as she twirled her hair between her fingers.
It bothered me.
"In a pair of seven hundred dollar Jimmy Choos? That will be the day." I was sort of impressed she knew who Obi Wan Kenobi was though. Must have been due to Bambam.
"Whatever game…"
"I don't play games, Mina. Games are for children. I work. Every moment of every damn day, I am working. I work so that this family—our family—can move mountains. I work so that I never want for anything, so that I can obtain anything I wish. Right now, I'm working on you, so shut the fuck up." I wanted to bash her fucking skull in.
Luckily, she didn't say anything else, and we soon reached our destination; a cliff that overlooked the beautiful Lake Michigan.
"Sorry, my gate doesn't swing that way," she joked, but it wasn't at all funny. "It's a pretty spot for a date though."
"Get out, Mina."
She glared like always, but did as she was told.
Stepping around to the back of the car, I opened the trunk. "It's time you grow up, Mina."
"You know what, Jennie—" She stopped the moment she looked down and saw the naked man curled up in a ball in the trunk.
Backing away slowly, she covered her mouth, and her eyes shined with tears. The man struggled against his chains and screamed against the gag in his mouth. Every sound he made, Mina shook. Finally, she threw up everything she had just eaten and sobbed.
"We'll be right back. Family meeting," I told him before closing the trunk again. Hopping up on top of it, I watched her as she tried her best to calm down.
"What did you do?" she screamed.
I thought it was obvious.
"He's one of the men who raped you, isn't he? Matt, Harvey's best friend? I brought him here to help you."
"You aren't helping me! I don't need your help! I never asked for your fucking help!" she roared, causing her whole body to shake.
Sighing, I sat forward. "You told no one but me. Not Bambam, not Evelyn, not even your parents. I personally tracked your records. Searched the entire cyber universe and found a rape kit, simply logged in as Courtney A. O'Brien, height: 5'8, blood type: AB, hair color: Blonde, eye color: Blue…She's you. CAO, your initials backwards? You were scared and couldn't come up with a lie fast enough. Your parents were nobodies who were on the verge of being somebodies. You went to the hospital and even filed a police report. All of which were so easily found once I had that name. Every year, on the anniversary, you end up in the hospital for violent vomiting and weight loss…"
"Shut up, Jennie!" She clamped her hands over her ears as if that would help.
"Every year, you've been waiting for someone to connect the dots. To give you justice, to help you. That's why you came to me…."
"I came to you because you wouldn't get out of fucking bed!" she cried.
"You came to me because Adriana spoke to you. Deep down, you wanted this. You were crying out for this. You wanted me to find your rapists and deep down, you didn't want them to go jail. You wanted them dead. You wanted them to suffer as you've suffered. You came to me so I could make you a Manoban." I jumped off the trunk and grabbed hold of her, forcing her hands from her ears.
"You're waiting for someone to save you, but no one can do that. You need to save yourself. I can help you. But I can't save you, Mina. You're a motherfucking Manoban. We are never victims; we are the victimizers. The penalty for coming after us is, and will always be, death. It's time for your retribution."
She looked so lost as I handed her the gun. "I'm not like you, Jen. I can't kill another person. I'm not a murderer. This isn't the justice I wanted," she declared, once again lying to herself.
I hated liars. Walking back to the trunk, I opened it and the stupid pig squealed again.
"Looks like you get to go back to Cancun," I said to him. "Don't worry about the girl you raped and murdered there, we made sure to clean it up. Her grieving parents will be burying her this weekend…"
"What are you doing? You can't let him go!" Mina screamed, but couldn't bring herself to come any closer to the car.
"You wanted justice, well, according to the law, this is justice. There is a statue of limitations on rape. Courtney A. O'Brien isn't even your real name; your case would be thrown out. I'm not going to kill him. He isn't my demon. So my hands are tied," I said, pulling the pig out of trunk. I smirked at his bound wrists. "Poor word choice, huh?"
Mina said nothing, so I pushed more. "I'm hoping this will serve as a lesson. But I doubt it. Pigs like you can't help but roll in the mud. Where will Harvey hide you now once you tell him? He's the one who sent you to Mexico after Mina here became a Manoban, wasn't he?"
Pulling the gag from his mouth, he tried to speak, but Mina held the gun to his skull.
"Don't speak, just run far away," was all she said to him.
Really? Kill him!
The pig didn't even wait for me to unbind his legs before he tried to run. He fell to his knees, but still tried to run.
"Remember, no means no." I frowned, and just when I had given up on her, Mina pulled the trigger. Not once, not twice, but she emptied the magazine into his body.
"NO means no! I said no! I said no!" she screamed at his body before collapsing onto me. I wasn't a hugger; truthfully, I hated all forms of touch except Lisa's. However, she needed something, so I let her hug my waist as I petted her head.
"A Manoban, through and through."
Progress.
LISA
"Ms. Manoban!" The vultures with cameras called out once I exited the car. Adjusting my jacket, I waved at them, smiling my pretty smile…they ate it up like cake.
"Who is this handsome fella?" A hand ran across my back and I spun Jennie around, dipping her down.
"Lisa Manoban, and you are?" I smiled as she rolled her eyes.
"Jennie Manoban. Can you bring me up now please?" she asked sweetly, causing the vultures to laugh.
"Well if it isn't my lucky day." I grinned, pulling her closer to me and whispering, "Where have you been, love, and why did you change?"
She was now dressed in a blood red dress that hugged her every curve.
"Not now, Lisa," she said through her smile before turning back to the cameras.
"Ms. And Mrs. Manoban," a reporter called out." Many say that your support for Senator Myoi was what has gotten him to this point. Are you only voting for him because of your sister-in-law?"
"Of course not," Jen replied kindly. "We support Senator Myoi because we think he is the best man for the job. He is kind, outgoing, and hardworking. But above even that, his politics are what I support."
"Last year, your father was reportedly killed by a bombing in Turkey, of which no one was convicted. If Senator Myoi becomes president, he will be one of the first Republican presidents staunchly against the death penalty and against war. Victims of terrorism, like your father, will get no justice," he stated, and I felt the urge to put a bullet between his eyes.
"Can't speak much on war, but as a Catholic, I don't believe in the death penalty. But let's save all the political questions for the candidate. I'm a voter, just like you." She winked at him and he looked like he wanted to cum in his pants.
"I wholeheartedly agree with my wife," I said like I was reading a cue card, causing them to laugh.
We only stood for a second longer before making our way in, and I spotted Rosé's wavy long blonde hair right away; she couldn't have been here long—technically she shouldn't be here at all, but she was family no matter what. When I called, she answered, even when she didn't want to.
"I'll be right back, love," I whispered to Jennie as I kissed her cheek.
She looked over to the woman in the back dressed in green, and I took pleasure in the way her eyebrow twitched. "Who is she? You had a thing for blondes, didn't you?"
"She isn't…" I sighed. "I'll explain later."
I loved when she was jealous.
Kissing her again, my tongue brushed against hers and I enjoyed how sweet she tasted when she moaned in my mouth. I had to force myself to pull away.
"When you moan like that baby, I want nothing more than to hike up that dress, spread your thighs, and fuck you until your legs go weak," I whispered in her ear.
"Then do it," she dared me, a devious smile on her red lips. "Fuck me so hard that I slide to the ground when you're done. Make me scream your name until my voice is gone, please, Lisa. Please fuck me."
Jesus Christ. I couldn't speak, I was so turned on. My cock throbbed in my now-too-tight pants, and I longed to give her exactly what she wanted, exactly the way she wanted it.
"Your friend is waiting." She winked at me before wiping the lipstick from my lips, and moving away from me.
I watched her go, and I longed to follow.
Later. Right now I had business.
Turning back, I made my way through the crowd towards Rosé. I nodded for her to follow me up the stairs, leaving the poor bastard she was flirting with where he stood. I understood how he felt. Rosé did her best to remain unseen as she walked the top balcony that overlooked the ballroom.
"Speak quickly," I said to her as I looked down at my wife.
"Nice to see you too, cousin. Did you cut your hair? It's nice…."
"Rosé."
She laughed. "I ran the photo through the Interpol database and yes, everything you've found out about her is true. She goes by Scarlet, Scarlet DeRosa, of the DeRosa crime family. My contacts say she's the best hired gun on the western side of the globe. Her father, Ivan DeRosa, hasn't been seen above ground in seventeen years. We still have no idea what he looks like."
"The DeRosas." Goddamn it. The moment we took down one family, another rose in its place.
"The DeRosas," she confirmed. "They've never been big in the states, but they're one of the most ruthless crime families in Europe and Brazil. From what I can see, this Ivan was using the Valero as his face in order to remain hidden. There have been all kinds of reports and charges filed against him, but the man is fucking untouchable. Scarlet takes out the biggest competition or anyone on the rise."
"I know." It was the reason why we stayed out of Brazil for the most part. The rest of South America we had our hands in, but Brazil…it wasn't worth losing men over. As long as the DeRosas stayed down there we didn't have a problem…but if Scarlet was a DeRosa, it meant that Jennie was from not one, but two criminal families. This shit was getting foul quickly.
Rosé handed me a USB drive.
"What is this?"
"Her kill list. Nothing is confirmed, but I'm willing to bet she was the one that killed every last person on that list. She leaves a calling card somewhere at the scene. White gloves. I have no idea what it means but…"
"That is all, Rosé," I cut her off.
"Lisa, if they're coming for you, you might want to back down from this one. You're all insane, but the things the DeRosas do…I've been doing my best to cover up, and pin almost everything you all have asked me to on other families. But even I have bosses Lisa, I don't run Interpol. There are hundreds of people working on this shit, and there's only so much I can do to keep you clean. Slow down, batten down the hatches, before this gets out of control—"
"You see that woman down there?" I asked, looking at Jennie.
"Your wife?" She frowned.
"She has a right to know who her mother really is." Even if it may drive her off the deep end and crashing into flames.
"Shit," Rosé said. "She's a DeRosa? Shit."
My thoughts exactly.
"I don't know what they want, Rosé, but this isn't going to just go away. For now just stay and keep watch…besides, out of the hundreds of people working on this, you never know who's on our side." I winked at her. It was funny how she thought she was the only spy working in the government.
"Lisa—"
"Enjoy the gala Rosé," I said as I left her.
For now, I would have to lock away the monster within me that wanted nothing more than to burn my mother-in-law alive. I had to pretend to be an honorable member of society who didn't believe in the death penalty, and went to church on Sundays. For tonight, I would be Dr. Jekyll, and come tomorrow, I would become Mr. Hyde.
When Jen's eyes met mine, I could only imagine the monster that would be unleashed once she knew.