The Wicked End

Frank leant against the desk, his best infuriating smirk plastered across his features.
The cop behind the desk glanced at the two federal agents and his own DI as he handed Frank a pen with which to sign for his possessions. He knew from the gossip around the station that the feds had been clutching at straws with the flimsiest of warrants and Frank Iero had walked out of there plenty of times before on stronger evidence. The most they had seemed to have to pin him on was the odd shady agreement with the dead senator and the desk sergeant doubted that even that would stick.
“Overnight facilities have certainly improved but the breakfast is still shit.”
Frank couldn’t resist the dig at the agents, still annoyed that he had been forced into hours of questioning over his business dealings. It was like a broken record but he had picked up that the feds were no further forward with the investigation than his boys and had no idea of just who they were looking for. Alive or dead, Angel had always had a knack for staying off the radar of law enforcement.
“Please stay within the city limits so we can speak to you again if required.”
Frank’s smile darkened a little as Mikey and Gerard appeared at his shoulder, a unified show of strength from one group of very powerful men. There was nothing threatening in it, merely a confirmation that this was a family, that there was little for any of them to fear. The agent swallowed, he had gone as far as his remit allowed, by some time and see if there was anything that the man would give away even if it was the smallest detail. They would study the tapes over and over and hope that Frank had slipped.
“Next time get a better reason to haul me in here and I might agree to that.”
Frank knew he hadn’t slipped and he flashed a smile at his terrified lawyer. The man had never been quite the same since waking up to find James sitting on the end of his bed with a pair of pliers. The loss of a few permanent teeth had been a good incentive to do a better job but he was left a shaking mess whenever he got the phone call that the boys needed him. The man made sure to look away as Mikey met his eyes.
The feds knew they could do no more and headed back into the interview room that had been used for every legal hour possible to question the Don. Gerard smiled cheerily at his friend and they headed back outside into the first light of the day. Mikey checked his phone, pleased to see the two a.m text from James saying all was well and realised that it was now just past seven.
“Fucking time wasting pricks. Anything new ?”
“Reardon was singing when we left, said its her alright but he’s drinking a bottle of scotch a day so let’s not bet on it. Do have a number in California to check out though.”
Frank rubbed his eyes and decided to call Claire before they headed for a coffee. It was an hour drive to get home and there was no way he would make it that far even if either of the Ways could and that was unlikely.
“They know fuck all, we’re still ahead of the game. We checked in at home ?”
“All ok at two. I’ll call Bob.”
Mikey slumped into the drivers seat and flicked through his phone. He had wanted to start a little show for the cops given that all of them knew the arrest was bullshit but seeing the chickenshit laywer quake was almost as good. Gerard was updating Frank on the press reaction to his arrest and the background check into who their dead buddy Dean had been screwing.
“No answer.”
“Strange, he was staying on right ?”
“Yeah, doing a double shift till ten.”
Mikey frowned and dialled again, listening to it ring before a grumpy voice demanded he leave a short message. Alarm bells were sounding and he dialled the security number at the house and was answered again by nothing but the dial tone.
“We need to get back, call the captains and get someone over there.”
James would never turn his phone off, he answered any text message Mikey sent within a minute and on the rare occasions when Mikey rang him it was always answered on the first ring and now he was seriously fucking worried. Frank caught the look and dialled Claire, willing her to pick up and breathily giggle that they were all in the hot tub again or some ridiculous story.
“Fuck. Nothing. Move it and screw any red lights.”
The car leapt forward, the best engineering money could buy easily hitting eighty on the quiet morning roads. There were no responses from anyone at the compound and it would be another fifteen minutes before anyone else would get there. Gerard suggested the local PD and Frank considered it briefly.
“They could be in on this. Let’s not panic yet but we need to consider that we may have been set up here. Check in on Ray.”
Gerard swallowed down a sick feeling in his throat and quickly made it through to Ray on his private line. The jovial greeting was cut short by the news that there could potentially be trouble at home but at least it was one less worry. They continued to drive, all of them trapped in a nervous nightmare of all too graphic possibilities. Every five minutes Frank continued to check Claire’s mobile until Mikey’s phone rang. He flicked on the speaker.
“Manny, talk to me.”
“Boss, FUCK….boss they’re all dead !”
Frank went cold as a low moan escaped Gerard. Mikey snarled.
“WHO THE FUCK IS DEAD ?”
“The guards and Bob, jesus there’s blood all over. They hit us hard boss !”
Frank leant across and cut in.
“Calm the fuck down. Where is my wife ? Where is Claire ? And James ?”
There was silence for a moment and some muffled voices before the man came back on the line. All three of the occupants of the car waited in a varying state of fury and fear. Frank was convinced he had been set up, the evidence had been to flimsy to pull him in. This had been an excuse to hit at him at the one weak point.
“Mrs Iero isn’t here. We searched the house and I have men searching the grounds. We can’t find her.”
Frank closed his eyes, the possibility of kidnap was somehow a relief. He remembered his Linda, identifying a broken body of one woman he had loved had been enough, he was fucking determined not to go through that again. He was furious, the familiar hot urge for violence sweeping through his body before he forced himself to breathe. A clear head was needed now, if someone had Claire, they wanted something from him.
“Where’s James ?”
Mikey’s voice was tight and clipped, Gerard listening intently as there was another pregnant pause. The seconds seemed to stretch further and further.
“He’s…..he’s dead boss. There’s nothing we could do, they must have been hit a few hours back.”
The connection was quickly cut, a primordial scream of rage breaking from the younger Way as the car dovetailed across three lanes of traffic. Frank dove forward and grabbed the wheel, carefully controlling the skid into the side of the kerb.
“Gerard. Drive.”
Frank ignored the sounds of horns and the desire to destroy every living thing within a ten mile radius as he pulled a still screaming Mikey into the back of the car and punched him hard. Gerard managed to control his shaking enough to pull them back into the traffic and accelerate forward again at an increased rate than before. He found he couldn’t trust himself to speak.
“Mikey, listen to me. If they have Claire then we have a way to them and when we track them down you get them first but until then we HAVE to focus.”
Mikey couldn’t hear him, his mind had shut itself down for the one single thought that someone had taken his boy. Taken the one thing that Mikey had loved in his whole fucking life and murdered him. They had fought so much in the last week and now every single harsh word echoed into his brain.
Frank knew that for now his friend was beyond reach and let Gerard concentrate on steering the car ever onward into increasing traffic. He leant forward and picked the phone from its cradle on the dash. Manny picked up on the first ring.
“Boss ? What do we do ?”
“Call it in. We can’t hide this and I want nowhere for these fucks to hide. I want the press and the police and even the fucking feds. I want them found and gutted. Now listen to me, is there anything written on the wall ?”
There was a pause before the voice returned.
“Written in blood, it says…a soothing tongue is a tree of life but a deceitful tongue breaks the spirit, speak to Ray…”

Notes