Mafia's Ex Wife

Chapter Forty Eight

**Trigger Warning: Graphic Depiction of Violence, mention/ideation of suicide**

Jax

The calmness I feel as I drive away from Lizzie's is almost eerie. Considering I just found out that my parents were responsible for a murder plot against my wife and the actual murder of my sister, you'd expect the exact opposite.

But, honestly, I've never had such clarity in all of my life. I know what I have to do, and I have a plan. There's not a single question in my mind. No doubts. No apprehensions. No hesitation.

Before this morning, I might have been convinced to spare my parents. To banish them, strip them of all their power and wealth and let them suffer in poverty.

But any ounce of compassion I once had is gone. I'll kill them without any remorse or regret, except maybe that I didn't do it sooner. Maybe if I'd recognized what they'd done to Lizzie, I could have stopped them before they got to Em. I can't let myself go there, though. I've got too much to do.

Starting with Mike. In the grand scheme of things, Mike is trivial, but he's a loose end. And I don't leave loose ends.

Plus, I'm going to need a scapegoat for all of this when I'm done, and he'll work nicely.

Usually, I would have Andre pick him up, but since he's busy with the girls, I do it myself. It isn't hard to find Mike, and I trail him all the way to the hotel. When he pulls into the garage, I take the opportunity.

Coming up behind him, I press the barrel of my gun to his head. He flinches at the click, but he doesn't seem the least bit surprised as he slowly raises his hands.

"I should have expected this."

I snort. "And I should have done it a long time ago."

Wrenching his hands behind his back, I shove him toward my truck. This is one of the few hotels that doesn't have cameras in their parking garage, so I'm not worried about getting caught. I'm in a bit of a time crunch, and killing him here would be convenient, but I need a few days to coordinate things before the body is found.

I force Mike into the backseat, securing his hands with a couple of zip ties until I'm sure he can't get out. I can't take any chances, although, it seems like he's accepted his fate. I'm slightly disappointed. I was looking forward to a bit of a fight.

"So how does this work?" Mike asks as I drive toward the stockyard. I almost laugh. He wants to chat on the way to his execution?

When I don't immediately reply, he continues. "Is this a group thing? Or do you kill me by myself since it's so personal? I'm not well versed in all of this Mafia bullshit."

I slam on the breaks, sending Mike crashing into the seat in front of him with a thud. Why can't the guy just fucking shut up? If I hadn't promised Lizzie a bit of leniency, I'd have beat him unconscious so I didn't have to listen to him on the drive. Although, maybe it's for the best. It's a little harder to paint a suicide when the guy looks like a punching bag. I'll have to resist the urge if I want this to work.

Mike chuckles as he tries to reposition himself. "You gonna kill me today? Or do I have a couple of days of torture to look forward to?"

I shake my head with a sharp laugh. The guy just don't know when to quit. "Believe me, Mike, if I had the time to deal with you properly, this would go on for months. I'd tear you apart with my bare hands, taking every limb from your body. Drown you in gasoline just long enough for you to pass out so the fumes burn your lungs from the inside, every goddamn breath like a thousand knives in your chest. And at night, I'd lock you up in a metal vat and start a fire underneath it so it scorched your sorry ass all night long. And then, just for fun, I'd let every one of my men come in and do to you exactly what you watched happen to Lizzie. You'd be begging me to put a bullet in your head by the end of it."

That seems to shut him up, at least long enough for me to finish the drive in silence, as I prepare myself for what has to come.

When we pull up, I nod to the stockyard operator. We've got a deal, and as he lets me through the gate, he fires up the incinerator so the drum of it downs out any noise I might make.

I park my truck in the back. I rummage through the back for an unmarked gun and tank Mike out, throwing him to the ground.

God, I'd love to beat the fucking shit out of him. I hate the things he did to Lizzie, but it would be out of sheer principle at this point.

I can't stand guys like Mike. Willing to throw anyone and everyone under the bus to protect themselves. There's no sense of morality there, and it's disgusting.

Mike's a small fish, but he's cut from the same clothe as my parents. Self preservation and image above all else.

I drag Mike into one of the barns. He's quiet now as realization sinks in. He knows he's about to die.

"Why?" His voice breaks. "If you want to do all that shit you said to me, why aren't you?"

"Because I need you." I bend down in front of him. "By the end of today, a hell of a lot of people are going to be dead and someone's got to take the fall for that."

"You're going to blame it on me?"

I nod. "See this gun? I'll backdate some paperwork and show you buying it a couple of days ago. Then I'll pay the store owner to swear up and down you were the one he sold it to. One of my guys is driving your car here as we speak, and out buddy at the entrance will conveniently loose any footage that shows me stepping foot here today. After I kill my parents, I'll bring some blood and other DNA back here to plant, and I'll draft a note giving you credit for all of it. Emily, my parents... maybe even Mac if I decide to kill him, too. It'll look like the guilt and pressure got to you and no one will miss a beat."

Mike sucks in a sharp breath. "And Lizzie?"

I chuckle, grabbing a handful of his hair and yanking back as he winces. "I'll bring Lizzie home, exactly where she belongs. Give her everything she wants. Treat her like the goddess she is. Fuck her so good every single night that she forgets you even existed, Mike."

I want that to be the last image he ever had in his mind. That bastard might have her fooled but I see right through his bogus tears and apologies. No good or decent man makes a deal like that. No one agrees to kill someone they don't even know if they don't have their own hideous shit to hide.

Mike clears his throat. "I know you don't believe me, but I did really love them."

"No, you needed them. With Lizzie and Harper alive, you had leverage over my mom. That's why you got the job with Mac, isn't it? She got it for you. She knew you could spill her secrets at any moment and once you realized what kind of power that gave you, you liked it. It wasn't ever about them, Mike, because if it was, you would have moved far away from here. Taken them out of the city—hell, out of the fucking country to keep them safe. But instead, you stayed right here where you could squeeze more out of my mom whenever you wanted."

He doesn't answer.

"Don't ever let yourself think you did something good and noble, Mike."

"You think you're any better than me?" Mike sneers. "What about you? The drugs and the money and the guns... they deserve better. There deserve a real future. You're a criminal, Jax. The worst kind. An absolute monster."

With Mike on his knees in front of me, I jerk his hand and put the gun in it. I fire one shot into the ground so he's got residue on his skin, and pocket the casing. The hot barrel lands on his temple and Mike's breath catches.

"At least I'm honest with myself about it."

Boom.