Red
For the family

C H A P T E R F O R T Y T H R E E

I woke up gasping for air.

Another nightmare, I could feel the blade penetrate through me at the hands of Ace whilst I slept peacefully beside him. I clamped my hand around my stomach, checking nothing was bleeding and then relaxed back down onto the pillow once my subconscious was satisfied.

The door timidly creaked open and Grace peeked in slowly. She pushed it open and smiled widely once she set her innocent blue gaze on me.

“Gabriella, you stayed!” She jumped on the bed, tatty bunny teddy and all. I awkwardly pulled the sheets around my naked body but she climbed under the blankets and snuggled down.

“Uh” I muttered, feeling ridiculously out of my comfort zone. I patted the sheet down between Grace and I.

“Daddy, daddy!” She stroked his cheek with her bunnies ear and he stirred.

“Yeah, I’m up.” He croaked out with a cute morning voice, still with his eyes closed and making no efforts to actually get up.

“Daddy!” She called again.

“Yeah Gracie, I’m awake.” He opened one eye but once he remembered I was in his bed he opened both.

I mouthed ‘I’m naked’ silently to him and he visually cringed. “I’m sorry.” He leaned down and picked up his boxer shorts from the floor and slipped them on beneath the covers.

“C’mon Grace, let’s go get breakfast.” He pulled her out of bed by her hand, dressing in sweatpants and a T-shirt on the way out of the room.

I picked up my panties, Aces T-shirt and my slacks. I had last nights conversation on my mind, mixed with my nightmare. I needed to go home, put some distance between Ace and I and figure out my next moves.

I followed the smell of pancakes all the way to the kitchen. Ace stood over the hob, cooking. Grace sat at the table talking about slime and I instantly felt like an intruder.

“So I’m gonna go.” I interrupted.

Ace glanced my way, alarm stricken eyes.

“Are you?” It didn’t seem like a question that I got to answer. It seemed like a question that already had an answer and that answer didn’t match my own.

“Gabriella please stay and play with us.” Grace complained. I smiled at her sweetly, caressed her shiny hair and stole a forkful of pancake off her plate.

“I gotta go kid, I’ve got business to deal with.” Aces eyebrows soared.

“Have you?” Again, another question spoken with the same threatening tone.

“Why do you keep doing that?” I asked, getting irritated with him and his stupid perfect lips, beautiful eyes and seductive pancake making skills. “You wanted a day, I gave you it. I want my stuff back.” He glanced nervously at Grace.

“No.” He replied, calmly.

“No?” I questioned. “Ace it’s my stuff.” He turned back to his pan of batter and flipped it effortlessly. I sighed and turned for the door. As I opened it he pressed it closed.

“I want you to stay.” I closed my eyes, affected by his proximity. “Where are you going? What’s your plan? Will you be back? Will you be at the club tonight?”

“Ace-”

“Tell me she’s safe Red.” I ignored him so he grabbed my arm and spun me around “tell me she’s fucking safe.” He demanded, aggressively.

“I won’t hurt her.” I answered.

“That didn’t answer the question.” I touched his cheek and he closed his eyes, regret evident on his face.

“I can’t answer that question.” I admitted, laying my honesty on the line.

“If you do anything to jeopardise her, I will fucking kill you.” He warned.

“I know but I’m willing to die for my family.”

“And I’m willing to die for mine.” He answered with gritted teeth. I nodded sadly, knowing somehow in my heart that this was the end of us. Whatever we were.

“Goodbye Ace.” I pulled on the door and left.

•••

The table was filled with my fathers top men, eyes all pointing towards me, awaiting instruction. I felt powerful and yet so powerless at the same time.

“Keep the shipments flowing, I want the drugs coming in just as fast as they’re going out. I want each container opened and checked throughly before it’s shipped. Every box is to be scanned on departure and arrival. I need to know the barcodes match up. I’d like them weighing on departure and arrival too.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“We’re currently shipping some containers under the allocated weight. Let’s not do that, there’s a war going on. Fill the empty spaces with refugees, those willing to be stowaways to get to safe land. And willing is the key word here.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Nikolai is alive, he’s ran off with his tail between his legs but he’s breathing. Find him, take him hostage. I’ll deal with him later.”

“And Blackburn?”

I paused. “I don’t know what to do about him yet.” I admitted. The men looked puzzled. “If any of them try to kill you then attack but we only retaliate on their attack. Got it?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“I want to make it clear that I don’t plan on making it easy for Ace Blackburn but I recently learned a nugget of information that would be beneficial to his suffering. I have to tread carefully, earn the trust of his daughter before I proceed.”

“Ma’am, his daughter?”

“That’s right. Ace Blackburn has a daughter, the man’s ultimate weakness and that’s the exact angle we’re going to strike from. This information does not leave this room.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“If other factions learnt about the child we’d be too distracted by the competition to focus on kidnapping Grace. She’s too perfect to mess up this opportunity.”

I smiled to myself cunningly.

“Ma’am?”

“I mean think about it, the Blackburn family kidnapped me at the same age. Made my father suffer in my absence and subjected me to terrible things. I’d like to bet history is going to repeat itself, minus the trafficking of course.

Ace killed my entire family, he’s going to fucking pay for that. If Grace isn’t the walking embodiment of karma then I don’t know what is.”

“For the family.” They spoke in unison.

“For the family.” I repeated, my voice solely speaking out above all the others.