the devil wears a suit and tie • billy russo

chapter 19

"You have every right to be angry with me," Billy mumbled as his mother in law stared daggers at him from across the dining room table, "I put your daughter in danger, and I'm sorry."

"You fucked up," Sloane said in a low tone so her daughter wouldn't be able to hear from the living room, "You should've broken up with her the instant you got caught up in this shit."

"I couldn't just—"

"Yes you could. Sure, she'd be heartbroken, but she'd be safe. That's what should matter most to you."

He bowed his head in shame, "I know."

"And what perplexes me most is that you never felt like you could tell me. I could've fixed things before they spun so wildly out of control, and you know that. Were you embarrassed or something? Did you think I'd be mad? That I'd try to court marshal you? Put you in prison?"

Billy was starting to get flustered, "I don't know, maybe?"

"Honey, I'm going to let you in on a little secret, I invented the art of smuggling smack out of those mountains. I don't give a shit about what you did over there, all I care about is my daughter's safety and happiness. If you had told me, we could've cleaned this up before she ever had to know. You could still have this fabulous life and a beautiful family together and none of the drama. Now I have to find a way quietly admit that my son's girlfriend is innocent, and that she was actually the victim of a much larger crime."

"I've already spoken to Iz about it, I'll provide whatever testimony you need to clear her name. It's the least I can do."

"I appreciate the offer, but I should be able to handle it on my own."

"I wish I could've seen you work back in the day," Billy said in a calm attempt at flattery.

She chuckled slightly, "I was off the rails. My job over there was to wreak as much havoc as possible. There was no specific mission, I just traveled all over the country, doing everything I could to make sure our side won."

"I'm sure you miss it."

"Of course I do," she nodded, "but you'll come to learn soon that being a parent and watching your children succeed in life is more fulfilling than any battlefield operation. My kids are my whole world—I wouldn't be who I am today without them."

"So you really feel like having kids changed you?"

"In so many different ways. It changes everything. I'd fight a million times harder for my kids than I ever fought in Afghanistan or Nicaragua or El Salvador or Colombia or Somalia."

"That's how I feel right now, and I think it kind of overwhelms Iz, but I can't help it."

"It just means you're going to be a great father, and she'll adjust. I think she got the rebellion out of her system when she dealt with your little problem. She'll settle down soon."

"I'm just ready to put this all behind us. She deserves a moment to relax."

"And she'll have it. I plan to see to it that this comes to a peaceful conclusion for you two."

A week later, William Rawlins was gunned down on street corner in broad daylight, alone and unknown—insignificant. The killers were never found, and the whole thing was forgotten by the local new cycle in a week at most. That was the easy thing about killing a ghost like him—no one cared that he was dead.

And with Rawlins gone, they had to focus on another ghost. Obviously they had no idea where to find Jordan, as she had done a remarkable job of hiding. Their only hope was Jordan somehow hearing the news of his death and realizing it was safe, but the news came and went, and still there was no sign of her.