The Wicked End

New Jersey 2003

“Jesus fucking Christ Frank, its eight in the damn morning.”
Angel rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on the three men that had turned up on the front door at such a completely ridiculous hour. The previous night had been spent in a blur of coke, alcohol and some pretty male company, she hadn’t got home till nearly five and the last thing she wanted to see was Mikey’s smirk and Frank’s arrogance. Ray loitered at the back and at least had the decency to look uncomfortable, even upset.
“We tried to call woman, not our fault you can’t hold your beer.”
Angel stuck a finger up at him and let Frank and his friends into the apartment. There was little point in shutting the door in their faces even though she had an idea why they had come over. Ray had been trying to mend fences between Angel and her father for a month now and it was beginning to annoy her.
“So what to what do I owe the pleasure of your company this morning ? You can tell dear old dad I’m leaving for Europe in the morning and I ain’t coming back.”
“You’re leaving ?”
Ray looked pained and stared at his two friends, Mikey and Frank both remained impassive if a little curious.
“Yeah. He won’t listen and I’m fed up of doing his dirty work for him. I can make good money elsewhere and he can play his pussy games.”
Frank walked over to the window and checked the street below. There needed to be no witnesses to this, it was going to be hard enough without the thought of having the police on his case. Mikey had positioned himself near the front door, silent and almost unnoticed.
“Thought you wanted to talk him around, take the reins of the family.”
Angel snorted and wandered into the kitchen to find aspirin and to see if there was any coffee. There had been a time when she had hoped that the old man would let her take her rightful place as his successor but he had made it clear that no woman, let alone his daughter, could head up his operation. She had resolved never to speak to him again, she had even discussed a possible takeover with Frank but now she really couldn’t be bothered.
“I should know my place remember ? Fuck it, I’ll leave him to bury the family and then come and spit on his grave.”
Frank grinned and planted a kiss against the back of her neck, winking at Ray who still looked sick and pale. This was a direct order, none of them had the option to back out and he knew that his friend needed this to finally understand the business he had chosen to go into. They might have all slept with her, held her, even in Ray’s case loved her but when the Don said someone had to pay then you did as you were told.
Angel didn’t see the arm until it was too late, the prick of the needle into the soft skin of her shoulder was the only sign that something had gone terribly wrong. The powerful sedative quickly caused her eyes to roll back and Frank simply caught her and laid her on the floor. There looked to be nothing out of place as they all left the apartment, Ray and Mikey supporting and carrying her between them. Anyone would think she had just had one drink to many.
The drive to the wood was completed in silence, Frank manoeuvring the car through traffic as Mikey calmly tied the unconscious woman’s hands tightly and tried to keep Ray from panicking. He had argued with them and wanted to warn her but Mikey had bluntly told him that it would be signing his own death warrant and that he should just get a fucking grip. The fact that she had said she was leaving made this unnecessary and he badly wanted to call it off.
“She won’t stay hidden Ray, you know that. She’ll pop up and the family will kill all of us. I am not going to die like that, we have worked too fucking hard.”
“Frank, please…..”
Mikey handed him the bottle of whiskey, the drink clearly showing on his face as the only sign he was nervous about this. He was well aware that she was a better killer than him and if they were to live the day out they needed to do this while they still had the advantage. Not that he didn’t intend to enjoy it too.
Ray was unsteady on his feet and little help as they ditched the car and climbed the last mile deep into the woods. Frank loved it up here and imagined himself one day owning a nice place in these hills, the day when he would have the family himself and not be a lackey. His discussions with Angel had been serious but he had no intention of sharing it with anyone. The idea to go to the Don and sell out his own daughter had been somewhat inspired. Now that it was happening though, even he needed a drink. Frank knew his own arrogance was something that could get him killed, he knew that loyalty to her should be equally as high as his own ambition since he had only survived due to Angel but he also knew that she wouldn’t hesitate if the roles were reversed.
“Wake up Angela, we have a message from daddy.”
Angel grunted and coughed in pain at the heavy boots connecting with her ribs, staring up at the men with confusion and then a slow smile. So they had sent boys to do a man’s job and expected her to go down easy…
“Well, look who grew a pair of balls. I’m surprised Frank. I really am.”
“The Don can’t have family plotting to kill him, even worse his own daughter.”
Angel stared at them, noting the shovels, weapons and the looks of grim determination. Looked like they were serious enough to go through with this. She tested the rope that was holding her hands tied and earned herself a sharp slap as Mikey pulled her half up by the hair. He licked the blood from her split lip and dodged back as she spat at him.
“Not one of you was man enough to do this alone though. Fucking pathetic.”
This time Mikey struck her harder, Ray turning away as Frank joined in. He felt sick from all the whiskey and from what was going to happen. He didn’t want to see this, he had long allowed himself to distance what he did from what working for the mob really meant. He noticed that she didn’t bother to cry out for his help and tried to drown out the rest of the sound.
“We are at least loyal. You never fucking got that and now it’s too fucking late.”
Mikey grinned, the blood stained and barely moving woman beneath him was turning him on and he had an idea. There was no harm in enjoying that body one last time before they put an end to this. Grabbing the whiskey bottle from Frank he pulled her face around to his, noting that she was barely still with them.
“She’s still pretty Frankie, what do you say ? Last fuck for old time’s sake ?”
Frank walked over to Ray, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him back to where Mikey was already unzipping. He pushed the bottle of whiskey into his hands and patted him on the back as fresh screams echoed around the glade.
“C’mon Ray, you know the old man needs to see that you’re on side and you may as well have one last kiss from the bitch.”
“I….”
Ray closed his mind and knew that it was equally as likely that Frank and Mikey would turn on him too if he didn’t go along with what they wanted. Survival instinct was proving to be a powerful thing and her body still caused him to feel desire despite the blood and crying that was now marring her features. He could do this, he could belong.
Frank watched with little concern as his friends took to enjoying themselves. It was a perk of the business he guessed, couldn’t imagine it would happen to often and he knew that Mikey had always hated the fact that she was more experienced, higher up the totem pole than him when he was equally as talented. Some of the men might have followed her but the split in the family would have been disastrous for their own ambitions.
All three were drunk and the bottle of whiskey emptied on the ground by the time Frank had taken his pleasure and it was time to put an end to the feebly twitching woman on the floor. He didn’t know if Angel was still alive and now he just wanted it over with. They had promised the boss that they would be back by nightfall and it was already getting late. The pale fall sun was starting to dip, a gentle wave of leaves falling down on the abused woman as Mikey picked up the revolver and handed it to Ray.
“You get the first shot, don’t fuck it up.”
Ray closed his eyes and took a rough aim, the feel of the firearm heavy in his hands as he pulled the trigger. The noise was unnaturally loud and he had to turn away at the fresh blood and the coppery stench that went straight to his head. He jumped in fright at the further gunshots, turning away to throw up violently as he heard Mikey giggling and Frank proclaiming that they had all earned a drink tonight. The old man would be pleased.
They were all exhausted by the time a shallow grave had been dug and it was growing too dark to see much of anything. Frank wiped all guilt from his mind, Mikey already thinking about the work and prospects that would come their way. It was necessary, it was the right thing to do for their family even though it had meant betraying someone that had shown them all the path to follow. As the men walked back down toward the car, stumbling and covered in the blood of their victim, none of them could know that it would come back to haunt them all. That they would rise but so quickly fall again. Whether they would rise again would mean dealing with a legacy of blood and violence all arising from the events in a wooded glade and their own desire for power.

Notes

Epic two part finale to come......then I'll have to think up something else to write :)