Hidden Melodies

Chapter Twenty-Three

Copyright by Joelle Blue ©

TRIGGER WARNING: Discussion of death and murder.

Jameson

It's been three days since I've seen my beautiful daughter.

My little girl. Who's alive and breathing. And every day I've been standing at this mother fucker's bedside, ready for him to wake up. Just to possibly help him finish the job he couldn't fucking do himself.

My brother has always been a selfish prick. He always had to have the best of everything, make the most money, and of course he thought he had to have my girl. My Josephine.

He got to watch my little girl grow up and from what I gathered; he was a piece of shit "father".

His call almost a week ago was unexpected enough that I answered, and he was slurring all his words. He made no sense, but he sounded desperate. So desperate, that I made the drive down here from the deserts of Santino. I called Winnie, who never answered, then called the hospitals. For a moment, I felt that heart binding love for a brother when I learned he was hurt the way he was. That didn't last long.

So, I'm waiting for him to wake up. I stare at his sunken in face, his casts, and all the tubes, really happy he's in some kind of pain.

When visiting hours reach an end, I leave easily, like I have every night. But I need answers. My body feels like it's on a live wire, ready to jump at anyone to hurt them the way my heart hurts. My soul hurts.

I can still see Josie's face from that moment nineteen years ago. I see her pain in my dreams almost every night and I'm going to find the person that put it there. The person who told Jakob Helvig about his niece, knowing exactly what he would do. That man has to have control, and he will do anything to get it. He didn't have control of his sister. He wanted to marry Josephine off to make him money to a man thirty years older than her, who wouldn't give a flying fuck about her. But then she married me. She defied the man who wants to play God and he made her pay.

Being in prison for almost two decades was for my safety mostly. I killed the men that broke in and hurt my family in a flying rage, unrepentant of the damage I was doing. Even though it was pretty much in self-defense, I still violently killed three men, so I had to do my time. Helvig is a little full of himself, thinking he has control of the police all over, but fortunately, he doesn't in Santino. I got lucky that the police that booked me weren't his. The prison I was in isn't in Helvig's pocket either, but the Golubev's. No one could touch me in there without fear of retribution from him. He enjoyed the fact I killed some of Helvig's men. Dimitri Golubev may treat women better and he doesn't kill people without reason, but he's still one scary mother fucker. He likes to feed the alligators that live in the shallow waters of Maroon Bay.

I had nothing to lose in prison, or so I thought. One of Dimitri's men happened to be my cell mate, so I ended up to doing the Pakhan some favors, without question. Again, I thought I had nothing to live for. But now, I have an in with the Golubev's, but I'm afraid they don't give a shit about a personal vendetta.

The moment I reach my car as I leave the hospital, my phone starts to ring, and I see it's an unknown number. Curious, I answer.

"Hello?"

"Well, hello there. Is this the handsome Jameson Black I'm speaking to?" A hyper, male voice asks.

"Yeah. Who's this?"

"Cousin! How the fuck are ya man? Heard you recently escaped prison. Good for you. I personally could never do prison. I like my baths too much."