Click – Brothers At Arms #5
Click – Chapter 5

Zeus glared at her then growled in rage. He snapped his head over to glare at his men. “Get up on the roof and replace him, then shoot him but don’t kill him. He’s got crimes to pay for and I want him to pay for the rest of his miserable life.” He stared at his men. “Find him. Hunt that mother fucker down and bring him in.”

Six of his men all grabbed their weapons and headed out.

Leon called his security group and got them hunting Barrett down as well.

Three different times over the next couple of hours, they heard gunshots but they were in the distance and just a few shots each time. No new information came from Leon’s security team, as they didn’t call in that they had got him.

Lunch was served and it was a pretty quiet meal. No one had much to say and it was like the people in the room were listening for more gunfire or some news that this was finally over.

Click sat with Desi and the longer time passed the more upset she seemed to be getting. She hadn’t touched her food.

He finally looked over at her and asked, “Are you okay?”

Desi was trembling when she turned her gaze to him. “Did you see the look on his face when he saw me?”

Click paused and remembered the look he’d seen. “Yeah, what is up with that? He looked like he hated you. Why would he hate someone he never even met?”

“I think because I look a lot like my mom,” she whispered.

“And why would that matter?” Click frowned.

“He killed her, remember?” Desi whispered.

“Do you know why he killed her?” Leon was near enough to have heard their conversation. “I mean I know what happened before that but do you know the reason he came looking for her?”

Desi nodded. “Si, I know. She didn’t think I knew why but I did.”

“Can you explain why?” Leon asked and now everyone was listening.

Pausing for a moment, Desi stared at the wall then she spoke quietly, “When she escaped Chicago, she alerted the police and his partners in crime what he’d been planning back then. You see, he was going to betray his partners and leave town after he robbed them of several million dollars they had in the bank. The police were waiting the night he was going to rob their bank accounts and once he took the money they were waiting for him when he left the bank. Not only were the police there but his business partners were there too. When the truth came out they had been running a Ponzi scheme and they all went to jail, not only Barrett but the whole bunch of them served time. Barrett got six years but the partners also blacklisted him. So when he got out, he couldn’t replace another job in Chicago and he had to move somewhere else. But the word about him was out and no one really trusted him again. He turned that anger into real hate toward my mother. When he found out that she had been the one that gave everyone a heads up, he vowed to track her down and kill her.”

“And when did he learn about you?” Delaney asked. “When did he replace out you were his child?”

Alfredo gasped and looked stunned but he didn’t say anything.

Desi raised her head and stared at her for a moment. “I don’t know that he ever did. I wasn’t there when he got there and he was long gone when I arrived home. My mom never put any pictures up on her walls. Yet, I know there was evidence in the house that I existed but I’m not sure he ever looked. That’s the same reason I think your brothers didn’t come after me when they killed my grandfather. They didn’t know I existed. They still don’t.”

“And the reason for him shooting at you today?” Leon wanted to know.

“I think it was because he thought I was my mom,” Desi stated though she looked confused by this too. “He blamed her for getting caught, remember? Then for being blacklisted when he got out of prison.” Shrugging she said, “He must think she survived somehow, although I don’t see how. He was just so cruel to her. I am surprised she hung on so long.” Shaking her head she said, “She told me she wouldn’t let death take her until I got there, so she could tell me what happened to her. She died in my arms.”

Click wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close to him.

Turning her face to his chest, she sobbed, “I couldn’t protect her. I couldn’t stop him from killing her.”

“Aww darlin, that was never your job,” Click whispered in her ear. “You said you and your mom had a plan and you followed that plan. That’s what your job was. To follow the plan. You did that. You went to your grandfather’s place just like she wanted. He taught you to protect yourself. She knew he would do just that.”

She raised her head to stare at him for a moment before she said, “Then why did I have to lose both of them?”

“Because my son and grandsons are black hearted sciocchi.” Alfredo growled. “They just take what they want whether they’ve earned it or not. They are selfish ungrateful monsters and they need to learn the lessons I tried to teach them as children, all over again. They sure as hell never learned them the first time. I did try to teach them but they just never listened.”

“They will listen and learn very soon, my old friend.” Leon growled. “Because this time they will learn that for their actions, there are consequences. Conseguenze terribili…Dire consequences.”

“I know and while it saddens me. It needs to finally happen.” Alfredo nodded then he looked over at Desi. “I just wish I would have known about you all this time, maybe your life would have been better.”

Desi shook her head. “No senor, my life would have been the same. Who knows what Barrett would have done to you or your granddaughter if he had known about me and I was with you? He is not a man that would change his spots and as Delaney said before she was of no interest to him just because she was a girl and not another son. We all have our own lives to live, my story is not a good one, but it had good moments in it.” She looked around at their faces and swiped her tears away. “Don’t you dare feel sorry for me. I was raised by two very incredible people who loved me just because I am me. My mother taught me lessons I would need in my life before she was gone. My grandfather also showed me what I would need to survive. Those lessons were needed and I learned what I know from both of them. They gave me something I will use the rest of my life and they did it to be sure I would survive. Life sometimes is not very forgiving and the lessons I learned will serve me well.”

“Si, they did,” Leon admitted. “They did that because they loved you, l’amore vive per sempre.”

Staring at him, she repeated what he’d said in a soft voice, “Love lives forever. And it has for me. I’ve had to live on memories after they were gone. They did love me but there is someone out there that hates me as well. We can’t pick our parents but I will never apologize for being born. At least I had one parent that loved me. And believe me when I say that was enough. I never wanted to know the man who killed her, I never wanted to claim him as part of me and I still don’t. He is nothing to me and never will be. I don’t want anything from him, not even his name. I just want him to leave me alone. I want to be able to stop looking over my shoulder to replace him standing there with a gun in his hand, or one of his sons standing there with a sneer on their face, screaming at me that I shouldn’t have even been born. I just want my nightmares to stop. I want my mom and grandpa back.”

Click took her hand and held it.

With a sigh, she looked up at him. “There are some of us who don’t get what we want while others just seem to take what they want. And when they do, they just turn their backs on you, leaving you laying there in the dirt, broken and bloody. You never see them turn around to check on you because of course, you watch them until they fade away from sight. And with every step they take, you are lying there screaming for them to take notice of you.” Shaking her head, she admitted, “But they never will because you just aren’t important enough for them to see you in the first place.” She stood from the table and looked at Leon. “Well senor, he may think I’m not important enough to notice but I know who he is and I don’t think he’ll replace me so easy to ignore again. When I face him, I will face him with the truth and that truth will choke the air from his lungs and I hope it sends him to hell.”

She turned away from the group to walk down the hall to Click’s room. Opening the door, she closed it behind her with a quiet snick.

Leon shook his head. “Madre Dios.”

“Si senor.” Alfredo nodded. “My son has much to answer for.” He lowered his head and whispered, “His sins just keep piling up.”

Delaney just sat there and shook her head. “And here I thought he hated me growing up. At least he only ignored me but what he did to her? I might just help her end his life.”

Zeus growled. “Why can’t we replace this prick? He’s sticking close to this place yet we can’t replace him?” He turned to Alfredo and snarled, “Any more secrets about this place that you’d like to share? The man has to be hiding close by.”

“Senor, if I knew any more of its secrets don’t you think I would have shared them with you?” Alfredo shook his head. “I want this to be over, maybe even more than you all do. Like I said before, every time we came here to spend time something had changed, then I got old enough to be interested in jobs and girls and I spent less and less time here with the old man. Then I got married and had my own family.” He paused and looked around the room they were in. “To tell you the truth, I always hated this place growing up. I knew we were only here because my dad was in trouble with someone. I stayed away from this place when I had my own family. I admit that I waited too long before I sold it to you and yours. I just felt like I had to wait until the rumors and innuendos died down about it. I was so glad when you signed the papers and I could close the book on this place. But here I am again. I am dealing with more than innuendos now. I’ve had to relive it all…My childhood, my father’s double dealings, and lies. Yet, it lives on in my own son and his sons. Like a god damned curse, it just keeps on going. ”

“I understand how you feel Grandpa, you weren’t the only one who was glad this place belonged to someone else,” Delaney told him. “I was too.” She looked over at Zeus. “Even though we came here to brew grandpa’s whiskey, we never bothered you and you never knew we were here. That suited me just fine. Growing up, I watched my dad and my brothers. I saw the way they were and it had never gotten them anything but trouble. When Grandpa took us in, I thought I had the best life I could have with him. He always treated me like I had value, that was something my dad and brothers never did. I stayed with him because he was getting older and seemed to need me. No one ever needed me before. But mostly, I stayed with him because I love him. Now every day, I’m learning just how low my dad and brothers actually are. I knew they were bad, but rape and murder? Like they had no conscience, no souls? I never believed that about them, deep down. To have to face that your father is that sick? It’s been an eye opener. I will tell you that much.” She looked truly upset as she stood and reached out to help Alfredo to his feet. Staring at Leon and Zeus, she added, “You guys have one job here. Bring that bastard to his knees and soon. He so deserves it.”

“Where are you goin’, babe?’ Memphis asked.

Delaney turned her head and there were tears in her eyes. “I’m going to get to know my sister and let her know me. The truth is I always wanted a sister. It would have…” She swallowed heavily then continued, “…made growing up less lonely. I need to make up for that time, if it’s possible. I need to show her that not every Raggetti is worthless and out to hurt her. I just want her to know that.”