Josh drops to one knee and slams his elbow into Tarantina’s stomach. He grunts and lets go of my gun, taken by surprise and not strong enough to do much about it. As he doubles over, Josh stands again, bringing his right knee up into his exposed face. Tarantina flies backward, landing spread-eagled on his back, unconscious.
“Thanks, Boss,” he says.
“Don’t mention it,” I reply. “You about ready to get out of here?”
“I am, but there’s one slight issue with that…”
“You mean all the cops outside?”
“Yeah, I imagine they’re having a field day with that headless corpse that just landed on ‘em!”
We both laugh, and bump fists.
“That was just beautiful, Adrian. I didn’t know you could handle a sword so well…”
“Me neither,” I admit with a shrug. “Saw it in a movie once and thought I’d try it.”
Josh laughs. “Even your pop culture references end with a dead body!”
I smile and walk over to retrieve my Berettas, holstering them both at my back.
“So, seriously man, how are we getting out of here?” Josh asks.
“Maybe I can help you out with that?” says a voice from over by the door.
We both look up and see Frank standing there, smiling. I walk over and extend my hand, which he shakes firmly.
“You missed all the fun,” I say. “Did you get the girl to safety?”
“Oscar flew us to the hospital,” he explains. “I made sure she was safe and left her to check herself in — figured it’d prompt too many questions if I went in with her.”
“Smart. I wonder who she was… and why Trent kidnapped her?”
He shakes his head and shrugs. “No idea. I didn’t ask, and she didn’t seem ready to talk to me, so I didn’t push her. Just dropped her off then flew back here to save your ass.”
“Whatever — I had it all under control…”
“Sure you did, Adrian.”
The three of us laugh, and then walk slowly back to the roof. The storm is still raging as we open the door, and lightning forks across the sky as the rain bounces head high off the ground. The helicopter blades start up and as we climb inside, Oscar turns around in the pilot’s seat.
“You boys need a ride?” he asks, smiling.
“Thanks for the rescue,” I say. “With this and the fact I just killed your biggest client, I reckon I owe you big time.”
“Are you kidding me? You spent more money with me this week than Jimmy did in ten years. Fuck him!”
He turns back around and moments later, we’re flying through over the city, away from the sea of blue and red lights on the streets below.
37
I’m sitting in the car outside Mount Lebanon Cemetery, gazing out of the window at the gates. The storm has passed and while the gray clouds remain, the rain has finally stopped.
I’ve driven here this morning, knowing that the last thing I have to do, before I can close this chapter of my life completely, is to see my girls again. I’m reluctant to see them, if I’m honest, because I feel an enormous pang of guilt when I think that I wasn’t here when they were laid to rest, and I should’ve been. But Josh convinced me it’s the right thing to do. He’s next to me, drinking a coffee we bought on the way here. He leans forward and slides a CD into the player. We haven’t said much to each other this morning. Just feels like one of those days where words don’t quite cut it. Like the morning before a funeral.
I glance at the dashboard as I listen to the song playing quietly in the background.
I’m looking at you through the glass, don’t know much time has passed… Oh God, it feels like forever… But no-one ever tells you that forever feels like home, sitting all alone inside your head.
I smile to myself. In another life, Josh could easily have been a DJ — his choice of music for the times in my life where my own words aren’t enough is always impeccable.
I take a deep breath and sigh heavily. “You mind waiting here?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Take as long as you need, Bro,” he replies.
“Thanks, Josh.”
He waves his hand away dismissively.
“I mean it,” I continue. “Thank you. For everything you’ve ever done for me. For everything you’ve ever put up with from me. You’ve stood by me when you had no earthly reason to.”
We bump fists and smile at each other.
“You’ve just stolen a quarter of a billion dollars, Adrian… Like I’m going to leave you now?” He smiles. “Now get out of here before I start crying, you soppy bastard.”
I laugh and get out, turning the collar of my jacket up against the wind and crossing the street. I walk into the cemetery and after a few minutes, I find the plot where Janine and Maria lie buried. Frank gave me the details last night, and as I approach, I see him standing by the grave with flowers in his hand.
“Hey,” I say, stopping next to him.
“You found it okay, then?” he asks.
“Yeah, thanks. Never thought to bring any flowers…”
“I’m sure they won’t mind. You don’t strike me as a flowers type of guy anyway.”
“Very true,” I shrug.
I dig my hands in my pockets as the wind picks up, swirling the fallen leaves around.
“Thanks for everything, Adrian,” he says after a few moments of silence. “Seriously. These last few days… I’ve finally gotten my closure. I hope you’ve been able to get yours. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.”
“I’m glad I could help,” I say with a weak smile. “Y’know… when Trent died, I felt nothing. And that scared me a little bit. I just figured I was so completely dead inside that I was never going to find any peace. But then Manhattan died, and Trent’s empire collapsed and all of a sudden, there was nothing left. It was then that I started to feel something. A sense of achievement, almost. Like, this whole time, I’ve been on one long journey to get somewhere, and I’ve finally arrived. I guess that’s my closure — knowing I’m not on a journey anymore. I can stop.”
Frank nods, and we fall silent once again. A few minutes pass before either of us speaks again.
“I’m gonna leave you to it,” he says.
“What will you do, now Trent’s gone?” I ask.
“Might find myself a real job. Get out of this hole I’ve been in.”
“Well, before you go for any interviews, check your bank account. I’ve left you a little something.”
“Adrian, I…”
“No arguments. I’ve just come into a quarter of a billion dollars. I can spare a few zeroes for my brother-in-law.”
He smiles, and we shake hands.
“Keep in touch, Adrian. And promise me you’ll move on. I knew my little sister better than most, and there’s no way she’d want you walking around miserable for the rest of your days. It’s okay to look to the future.”
“I’ll do my best,” I say.
Without another word, he pats me on my shoulder and walks off, leaving me alone with my family.
I look down at the gravestones and a tear rolls down my cheek. This is the first time I’ve wept for my wife and daughter since the day they died. I drop to my knees, touching my hand to my lips before pressing it on the grass in front of me.
The tears flow more freely. The overwhelming tide of emotion that’s been locked away for almost a decade finally runs free, and I allow myself to grieve.
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly after a few minutes. “The first time you see me and I’m balling my eyes out like a little girl…” I smile through the last of the tears and wipe my face, looking around the deserted cemetery. “This is a nice place, considering…” I say. “Frank did a good job. I’m sorry I wasn’t around to sort it myself. I… I have no excuse. The choices I’ve made led to you both being taken from me, and I’m sorry. It’s taken me a long time, but I’ve finally made things right. Nothing can replace you, and I will never, ever stop loving the both of you… but the quest for vengeance that’s consumed my entire life for so long — that’s over. I feel at peace. I could never have forgiven myself if I thought you wouldn’t have forgiven me first. But meeting Frank showed me how much I’d actually forgotten about you. I’ve been so focused on avenging your death that I’d forgotten some of the best things about your life…”