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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“You will never understand the damage you did to someone until the same thing is done to you. That’s why I’m here.”

~ Origin unknown

Saros

I was in my study with Cosmo, Mike, and Benny when there was a soft knock.

“Come in.”

Em popped his head in and looked around the room, smiling once he saw me.

“Hi, did you want me to wait out here?”

I waved him in. “Not at all. I told you to meet me here, didn’t I?”

He nodded and entered the room, shutting the door behind him. “So did you just want me to write all the locations where he has properties?”

Mike walked over to Em and handed him a tablet. “Let’s start off with Eastbury. Can you pinpoint them on this map?”

“Uh, yeah, I should be able to.”

“Great.” Mike then turned on the television I had above the fireplace. “I’ve paired the tablet with the TV so we can all see.”

Em moved to the couch, sat, and began tapping spots on the map. I’d known Ramsey had more than one property, but what I hadn’t known about were the little stores and small businesses he had all or partial ownership of.

“Ling’s Dry Cleaners?” Benny asked.

“ Mmhmm . Mr. Ling owed some back taxes and went to Ramsey for help. Ramsey paid the IRS but forced the Lings to sign their lease over to him.”

“Why would they ask him?” Cosmo wondered. “He could have approached Saros, or even Benny anytime he went in there. You use them, right?”

Benny nodded, and Em shrugged. “It was kind of Ramsey’s thing. I’d go there to pick up dry cleaning sometimes, and Ramsey told me always to be really nice and tell the Lings, or anyone I was being sent to for coffee, or menial things, to let the owners know that if they needed anything to never hesitate to let him know.”

“Snake,” Cosmo hissed.

“And I’ve told you before, Cos, we’re all snakes.” I glanced at the TV when Em relaxed. “He has a little house close to the three warehouses I gave to Frazee.”

“I can get a couple of guys to make their way there and see what they can find,” Benny offered.

“Do it.”

Benny left, and I turned to Em. “Does he have properties outside of Eastbury? I feel like he’d get out of my territory.”

“He has properties all over the world.”

“No way he’s gone too far. I’d say he’s in one of the surrounding areas.” Cosmo pointed to the map on the television. “Bellefield?”

“Nah.” I narrowed my eyes. “Look in Lincoln.”

“Why there?” Em asked.

“That’s where Frazee is. If they’re working together, he’d probably be there.”

“I only know of one place Ramsey has in Lincoln, but I don’t know any information on Frazee.” Em clicked the tablet, and a red dot appeared almost directly in the center of Lincoln.

“Is that an apartment complex?” Cosmo asked.

“Yeah, he has a penthouse. He doesn’t go there a lot, I don’t think. I know Shyla does.”

Benny returned a few minutes later. “I got Jett and Tony driving there to check out the house.”

“Great.” I joined Em on the couch. “You said you remembered a Lynus Frazee?”

“Yeah, I only saw him maybe twice. He came to the house a few times, he drank with Ramsey.”

I nodded. “What sort of things did they talk about?” Em pursed his lips; it would have been at least five years ago since Lynus was now dead.

“ Hmm …usually they talked about who they were fucking, made fun of their wives, they relived some things they’d done. It often reminded me about two guys who were too old to do anything other than reminisce about the good old days.”

“And you never heard of Barrett Frazee?”

“Nope. I mean, Lynus mentioned his son taking his seat, so to speak, but never used his name.”

“Ramsey is a lot younger than Lynus was—by what, twenty years?” Cos inquired. “How’d those two become friends? It would make more sense if he befriended Barrett.”

“Barrett wasn’t in power yet. Ramsey was getting close to Lynus.” I’d known Ramsey’s father died even before I was born.

“I remember one night, it was a few days after Christmas. I was…I was in the basement,” Em whispered the last part. “It was off from the kitchen, and so many times people forgot I could hear everything that took place in there. The two of them were sitting and drinking, talking about territory and how they’d seize it all. Lynus was so angry that night.”

“Do you know what upset him?” I asked.

“It had something to do with a plan going belly-up. I guess awhile back he took out some heavy hitter and thought he’d get their territory, but he said someone took the person’s place and it was too soon to hit again, that they would have all been on guard. Lynus mentioned that the other guy’s security and power was getting bigger every day, and something would have to be done. I honestly have no idea, and I don’t think anything came of it, since shortly after that Lynus got sick.”

“This heavy hitter, do you know their name?”

Em scratched his head. “I swear, I heard the name. I’m trying to think.”

I patted his knee. “Don’t stress about it. If you remember, let me know—there may be something to that.”

He nodded, and there was another knock on the door. Cosmo answered it, and my aunt Penelope stormed in.

“What is going on? Why are we all here? And when I say all, I mean everyone.” My uncle Andrew followed in behind her and shut the door.

“Penny, this is Saros’s business now. He’s working it out, and if he has something he’ll tell us.”

I stood and went to my aunt, placing my hands on her shoulders. “There’s trouble, and I feel better having you all under my roof, safe and protected.”

“Do we even have enough food and rooms for all these people?” Penelope huffed.

“We’ll figure out the food situation. Perhaps you and Martha can plan out sleeping arrangements; the house is huge. I have the guest house as well. As long as they’re on the property, they’re safe. I have men surrounding it.”

Aunt Penelope nodded curtly. “Very well. I’ll go find Martha.” She left the same way she entered, and my uncle Andrew chuckled.

“She worries.”

“I understand.”

Andrew glanced at the TV and the papers everywhere. “Who is it that’s causing all this?”

“Fucking Ramsey Brookes.” I motioned to Em. “He’s helping us with locations.”

“How can I help?”

“Actually, you remember Lynus Frazee, right?”

“Unfortunately. He was a horrible man; his death was a blessing.” My uncle snorted. “He liked to cause problems. He was dangerous because he’d have plans, start them, but never know how to get the job done.”

“Em here told us Ramsey and Lynus were buddies.”

Andrew quirked a brow. “To what end?”

“Not really sure.” I reiterated to Andrew everything Em had told us about Lynus and Ramsey’s relationship. Maybe he’d know what heavy hitter Lynus had managed to take out. “Any idea who that could’ve been?”

Andrew scratched his chi and looked at Em. “He didn’t mention when this all went down?”

Em shook his head. “All he mentioned was that it happened years ago. It was supposed to be this huge thing that got him more power, I guess, but it never did.”

“Right before I stepped in for the family, it was a dark time. Three bosses from outlier territories were taken out, but it was assumed the Japanese had infiltrated and a war had broken out. Then your parents died, and Penny and I were trying to help you and Dafni cope with everything. It’s hard to say.”

Benny’s phone went off, and he answered it. He pressed it to his chest. “Jett said the house is cold.”

“Okay, get them to Lincoln. Mike will send them the address. See what they can find out about the penthouse, who’s there, what’s been happening.” Benny got back on the phone.

“Someone told me The Vine went up in flames.” Andrew cocked his head.

“Yeah, Ramsey was a little upset over a recent delivery he received.” I glanced at Em, not wanting to get into too much detail about Brandi. I understood he knew who and what I was, but he didn’t need it shoved in his face all the time.

“Damn.” Andrew slipped his hands into his pockets. “I remember when that place used to be a disco club.”

“You’re aging yourself, old man.” I slapped Andrew on the shoulder.

“Oh, please. Your mom and dad loved going there. Your mother could dance. They were the most popular couple in the Eastbury night life.”

“I bet they were. I remember Dad and Mom dancing around the house all the time.”

Andrew nodded. “The club even named the couples trophy after them.”

“Tancredi?”

Andrew shook his head. “The Bernard and Cora Couples Dance Award, a real mouthful.” He chuckled.

Em gasped loudly and I looked over at him. “Are you all right?”

“Bernard, that’s it I…oh.”

“What?” Andrew asked.

“Lynus, the man he spoke of was named Bernard. He was a heavy hitter, but the one who took his spot, I don’t know. I could be wrong.” Em appeared panicked, and I wanted to console him, but what he was saying…it couldn’t be.

I turned to Andrew. “That can’t mean…”

Andrew sat beside Em. “You need to be very sure about what you’re saying here.”

“Okay.”

“You’re saying Lynus told Ramsey he killed Bernard and Cora Tancredi?”

Em’s eyes widened. “He said Bernard, never the last name. But I could be wrong, it could be some other Bernard, right?” He looked at me with so much desperation. “Right?”

“Em, sweetheart.” I kneeled and took his hands in mine. “Breathe, I’m okay. I can take it.”

“Saros, did…did he kill your parents? I mean he just used the first name, Bernard, never once said the name Cora.”

I glanced at Andrew and back to Em. “The person who took over, did he ever say Andrew or Drew?”

Em shook his head. “No, another name, not typical, I think it was a last name. But not Tancredi, so it can’t be your dad then, right?”

“No, Em.” Andrew sighed. “Was the name Florakis?”

Em’s face dropped; his skin paled. “Yes, that’s it, why?”

Andrew’s head fell forward.

“Em.”

He turned to me. “What? Is it? It’s not them, right?”

“My uncle Andrew is my mother’s brother. His last name isn’t Tancredi, it’s Florakis.”

Em covered his mouth with his hand. “Oh, my God.”

“All these years we never knew who killed your parents, and it was Lynus Frazee.”

“Barrett had to know.” Cosmo’s face was red.

“Which is why he’s working with Ramsey—to finish what his father started.”

My heart ached, but the anger surging through my veins was far greater. I leaned in and wrapped Em in my arms.

“Thank you.”

He hugged me back with so much strength.

“Why are you thanking me? I just told you who killed your parents. That’s horrible news.”

I pulled away and looked into his sad eyes. “Em, not knowing has been a nightmare for us. Now that we know, we can make it right.”

By the time this was over, I’d wipe out every Brookes and every Frazee for good.