Betrayal Is My End

Chapter 20

Jerome

He was just as I remembered him, my father was a stern old man, anytime I spoke out of turn I was taught a lesson. He didn't put up with much, and spent little to no time with us growing up. Lauren was his golden child, as she was a girl, and was given anything she wanted to be happy.
Years ago when I'd taken over the family business he'd been displeased with how I'd been dating not just Kai but Davi as well. He knew emotions made you weak but I didn't listen. When Kai and Davi had taken me to our family cabin and tortured me for fun I felt something snap inside of me. Some form of composure in me that held me back from doing what I needed to.
That night, I'd resolved to take the business over from him and a month later, as far as anyone knew I'd killed my father. The truth was we'd struck a deal that morning, I'd gone to see him and he'd admitted he'd seen a change in me. Something worth stepping aside for. I remember walking to his office that day, he'd kept it in the Big Bear house, even despite what had happened to me.
I'd dealt in everything since that time. I'd truly become the boss he'd wanted. I'd learned how all our drug routes worked, anyone who questioned anything was put down.
Any of our contacts that were compromised I dealt with personally. I even whipped Davi and Kai into shape, keeping them not only as top associates in the business but as my right and left hands. They'd been ruthless but I'd become even worse. I murdered indiscriminately now. Women, children, and men by the thousands.
We'd always made it our code to never, and I mean never, deal in women or children but sometimes, the occasion called for it.
I did everything I could to shut down rat traps that took our kind and studied and tested on them. That's what had lead us eventually to Tsu's situation. We'd had hundreds just like hers only, her father was the first that was the top of the line. The main resource for information.
It's what made her invaluable. My father had always called me weak. When I was younger I'd had an illness that had plagued me, I couldn't breathe properly and if I ran too much it would cause awful spasms in my body.
My breath was like breathing in shards of glass when it got bad. He'd written me off before, and when he'd seen me falling for Davi and then Kai? He'd decided to end it.
They took me to the cabin and tortured me, Kai had ripped my fingernails off Davi had used his surgical know how to cut and carve my body up. They'd laughed as they watched my body spasm in pain. It was the worst absolute torture. When I'd escaped, I'd taken my revenge.
I'd cut them down and destroyed them as they'd done me. After that day, I'd felt a new untapped potential in me and I'd been able to kill anyone in front of me.
When Lauren had come back to my side, it was as though the picture became complete. She was the only one who I'd allowed to see me weak or hurt after that day. She cared for me and tended to any wounds I'd receive, she was my true ally.
As I'd walked to his office I'd felt a detachment of myself from my body, no emotion had gone through me when I'd seen the house. I'd felt empty and disinterested.
He'd sat at his desk calm as ever as he'd waited for me. "I'll tell you what," he'd said looking me up and down. I'd changed everything after that day with them. I'd taken up a more respected look, wearing the suit and gloves everyone was now accustomed to. "You look respectable now." He said as he looked me up and down, "like an actual leader. I think you could even put down those two idiots, couldn't you?" I sneered at him and sat in the chair across from him perching my hands on the cane I used to get around. It was an obvious weakness that I hated anyone to see, especially my father but I did need the help to walk.
After they'd broken my knee caps and they'd healed I'd had a definitive limp that I never forgave them for. Anyone who commented on it, though, got a bat straight to their knee caps to see how they'd walk after they healed. It was a good deterrent. I sighed, "you know I can. I put them both in the hospital, near death states. We're not talking about them, we're talking about us."
I'd said dismissively and I watched as he studied my movements, this was a test. His lips twisted in a gnarled smile and I resisted the urge to shiver. I felt cold and near dead when it came to my emotions now.
His smile made me feel the faintest hint of remembrance at how those feelings had felt. "You're right son, it's never good to bring new business to a meeting before settling old. Good eye," I rolled my eyes and scoffed before leaning forward. "I want you dead." My voice was deadpan and I was as straightforward as could be, he didn't even bat an eye just nodded, "but?" He asked calmly leaning back in his chair looking relaxed as ever.
It was clear that while he recognized me as ready to lead he didn't see me as strong enough to kill him. I hated him for that. Hated myself for how right he was.
Even though I wanted him dead, I couldn't kill him yet. He still had a part to play. I bit my lip contemplating my thoughts and what I wanted to say. "You're still useful. Not in this business but you can still help me be the face of what I need while I allow you to sit in the background pulling the strings."
He leaned forward at that and raised a brow as he looked me over, "you've outgrown your usefulness in this area, father." I say it plainly spitting the last word as though it has a horrible taste.
He scoffs at that but doesn't say anything against it. "Let me kill you," his head snaps at that and I put a hand up to calm him. "Let me kill you, so they believe I am truly unbreakable. They believe I am the one to lead them."
Some did, but not all. I needed the support of all of the people in this business. I couldn't kill those that didn't it would take too much time to replace them. Plus, I didn't like killing my own kind. "I need to gain the others' trust. After you're gone, you will go to our tailor- I found one by the way- get a new face. Make yourself important, elsewhere." I say trailing off.
Again, he doesn't speak, just weighs his options and watches me skeptically.
"We can stop the testing on our kind, and we can push our influence in the world. We can deal in anything. Drugs, prostitutes, weapons, we can take care of our own- I can run the main force. Making them believe it's noble- it is to a point." I said nodding my head in acknowledgment. "But at the end of the day, the world will burn and we will stand as all that there is."
My voice was just barely a whisper at the end and he leaned back at his desk scratching his beard. He looked ill and worn down, it wasn't a look that was common on a mob boss. Not for long anyways, I tilted my head to the side and awaited his answer. He sighed deeply just as he did now and I shook my head.
I couldn't let the past crossover the future, if I did, I'd end up dead.
My memories seemed far at times but days like today, they seemed to just mix and meld into one. I walked to his desk now, looking at the old worn down man before me, I couldn't help but scoff.
"Goodness, you should really see Misty more often, she could fix all of -"
I gesture widely to his whole physique, "that." I say with a grimace and he chuckles. "I see you haven't changed, son. Still sarcastic and snotty as ever. I should've killed you when I had the chance." I sigh loudly and dramatically before sitting in the chair across from his desk and kicking my feet up knocking the 'President of the United States' plaque off his desk.
He scoffs and rights it before pushing my feet off but I just drag them down the side, ever the annoying disrespectful child.
He glared at me and I ignore it, "your glare doesn't work anymore, old man. You're not even a threat. You're just a dried up, desiccated, husk of an old man who can't let go of his fantastic ideology." I look down and examine my nails as he raises a brow at me, "well- I think that's what Doris would say. You have to forgive, I'm not one for medical terms." I shrugged and he scoffed
"Where is she? She could talk sense into your stupidity," I looked at him and frowned, is he joking? As I studied him, I could see it. He was serious. Ah, he doesn't read the reports- and I mean why should he? I scoffed and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my lips.
He leaned back in his chair and looked utterly disappointed in me, I just rolled my eyes, "don't look so disappointed, old man. Your golden child is just outside-" I say ripping my head toward the door- "maybe if you're lucky you can see her." His eyes brightened at that and I repressed the urge to roll my eyes again.
Could at least try to hide how much you favor her. "But, we need to get down to business. You're obviously performing at a sub par rate. I mean, you don't even read the reports anymore," I say gesturing to the overflowing folder in front of him. I flick my eyes from his down to the folder and back up and feel annoyance start to lace my words.
"Don't try and lie to me saying you do," I say cutting him off, "if you did, you'd know about Doris. She died." I say it bluntly and meet his stare. His eyes widen and I see sadness there for a moment, I can't help but sneer at him.
"Don't look so sad, it's creepy." He shot to his feet now and towered up over me menacingly, I didn't budge. I simply stared at him disinterestedly.
"You don't look well, father. You should sit, before your heart gives out. Someone should really put you out of your misery." He smirked at me, "you seem ever the child, boy. You've come here for no reason. Your little rescue effort will fail. This exercise will fail. Your mission will fail, and you will fall." I leaned back and blew out a breath, "wow," I said in false bravado and clapped my hands at his speech. "That was- brilliant. I see now where I get it from. You have a way for speeches."
"Jerome," I heard Josh speak in my ear. I leaned back smiling still at my father knowing I was getting under his skin, as he glared at me clearly trying to gauge my reaction. I'd told Josh before we went into all of this to watch over everything.
Hack into every camera and watch all of us. Let me know when something happened. Apparently, something was happening. I told him call me once, wait a moment if I don't answer and then, tell me. If I still don't answer, call the others. "It's bad. Tsu got beat pretty badly, by Mikey Davi and Kai aren't with her. Dylan, Mark, Tsu, Ash, and Stahsi went on their own after Jake."
My father took a deep breath and stood quickly from his chair again slamming it back to the window and walking around the desk. Still, I didn't speak. i held my stoic expression I'd perfected over the years and simply raised a brow in question as I watched him and listened to Josh's words. "Stahsi went back to help with a scuffle and hasn't been back to them. Mikey- he's seemed to knock her out. It's not looking good."
My father leaned in just then and wrapped his hand around my neck pulling me up to my feet, much like I had to Kristin. Only, I didn't waste my energy trying to paw at him to get him to stop, I just stared him down.
He laughed now, dropping me back to my chair. "You always were too brave for your own good. Your false bravado will get you killed one day, boy."
I scoffed, "who said it's false? I've been beaten worse than that. That? Was just foreplay where I'm from, you'll have to do better than that if you want to scare me."
He grumbled under his breath just as I stretched and yawned, "as fun as it's been catching up, I have more important things to deal with. I should have you know, though, I've waited a long time for this day." He turned to me and I see confusion in his eyes before I stood and reached into myself, there was a soft squishing sound and I grimaced slightly. He gained a slight green hue.
"You never did get to go to my games as a kid, I got a great swing. Wanna see?" I asked wiggling my brows at him before pulling a bat out and giving a couple of test swings in front of his desk.
He swallowed thickly now, clearly understanding what it was I meant and backed away. "Jerome," I heard again and sighed tapping my ear, "not now. Someone deal with this I'm in a meeting."
"Josh, what's happening?" Julia's voice came through now slightly out of breath and I took the speaker out.
I watched as my father's eyes widened in shock and understanding, "you've brought them here. You really have come to kill me." I gave him an incredulous look before throwing my head back and laughing, "why else would I be here, old man? You said it yourself! 'My mission here today'" I say using air quotes clearly mocking him. "You've outlasted your usefulness, to put it simply. Your warranty is up."
I took a swing and he ducked as I did so the bat ricocheted of the desk with enough force to jolt my senses.
"Sure are spritely for an old man." I said before swinging again, this time I clipped his right shoulder and he screamed out in pain. "Aw, did that hurt?" I asked mockingly, I trailed behind him as he limped through the Oval Office and grabbed a gun taped under his desk. I laughed and jumped to stand on it in front of him and opened my arms out wide and threw my head back. "You wanna shoot me? Go for it. Shoot me. I'll give you one shot and then I kill you."
He didn't even hesitate, he fired all seven rounds into my chest and I laughed as he did. I felt my body scream as the bullets ripped through my chest cavity and my breathing hitched. But still, I laughed. The pain was overwhelming and excruciating, but still iI stood. I felt as blood seeped from the wounds and even as I laughed blood came out. I could taste the metallic bitterness in my mouth but still I stood tall. "You think," I said forcing my words to stay level and not shake. I had to stay strong. I knew I looked psychotic, I could see the fear in his eyes. I took a step and felt as my bones jittered at the impact from the simple movement.
"I'm not worth it. That I'm incapable of running this world." My body screamed now, and I dripped blood on the desk before I stepped off the side and hissed under my breath at the impact.
He backed away from me around the desk to the center of the room and I followed him slowly. Blood welled and dripped with each step to the rug of the office with the bald eagle holding a scroll in one talon and an olive branch in the other.
He stepped back in fear, "I'm tougher than I look, old man. No longer am I the child that you beat into submission, no longer am I the boy who was tied to a chair and tortured." My voice rose as I spoke to the point of practically screaming. His hands shook as he clutched his phone in fear and again I laughed. "Who are you going to call?" My tone was mocking now, as I watched this man I'd feared for most of my life shake like a baby.
"Martin?" His head snapped at that and I smiled at him, as I did, I could feel blood and spit as it ran down my chin. Not good, he probably nicked a lung. I forced myself to focus, I will not die here. No matter what.
"W-where's Martin?" His voice shook and I felt pure disgust as I watched him. I didn't, however, miss as his eyes flicked to my chin where the blood dripped. I swiped my sleeve across it cleaning it before I spoke. "He's dead. Shot him right between the eyes," I say tapping my own forehead. I watched his resolve break then, fear clouded his judgement as he moved to attack me again.
His wounded shoulder slowed him and as he moved back I swung up, catching him off guard and hitting his jaw. His head snapped back and he hit the floor. "I'm going to enjoy this." I said quietly moving to stand over him. "Please, son, don't," he begged and I couldn't help but laugh and raised the bat up over my head.
My chest screamed at the over exertion and I saw as black spots swam in my vision, but still, I didn't falter. "I'd say I'm not your son but, I think this makes me more your son, right? Be proud old man, your dreams are about to become reality. You have a worthy successor of the family business, and lauren doesn't have to dirty her hands. Accept it, old man, you're time is up."