Black Wedding by Emma Luna
The next few days after we get back from our trip to Ireland pass by in a blur. It feels like we are finding new threats every day or hearing about recent tragedies. Father is on the warpath after one of his drug runners, a fifteen-year-old boy, was shot down by an AK47. Liam and I have been given the responsibility of finding the gunman. But if we knew where the fucking guns were, we could locate the gunman. Even Kellan is coming up stuck.
Every day he tries something new, but he becomes convinced that my father and Jimmy lied to us. That they gave us wrong information of when the guns were taken and where from. Kellan has tracked every road in and out of the building, even pulling up old sewage plans so he could be sure they weren’t smuggled out underground. He has scrolled CCTV, as well as hacking into several personal cameras. He believes that either the guns were never there to begin with, or they never left. He is currently tracing back to see if there is proof the guns ever arrived, not just at the safe house but also into the country. We know what ship they should have come in on, and if we can follow them off the boat, we should be able to track their actual journey.
All of this means more work for Kellan, and he is pissed that my father lied. I, on the other hand, expect that sort of shit from him, but not Jimmy. He is usually honest with me, even if he knows it pisses me off. I need to confront him to find out the truth, but I have slightly more important things planned today.
As I sit there bouncing Hallie on my knee, my heart swells every time she lets out the cutest little laugh. She occasionally looks at me with a smile, but her gaze is permanently fixed on Liam if he is nearby. I’m not sure if he is a general baby whisperer, but he definitely has the magic touch when it comes to Hallie. In the middle of the night, when she screams like a banshee and tries to wake up the entire neighbourhood, no matter what Kellan tries, the minute Liam touches her, she calms down. The problem then becomes putting her down because she screams again, so Liam is severely sleep-deprived at the moment, but he doesn’t seem to care. He still carries on as usual and always has a smile for me.
Kellan comes running down in a rush, as always, and I take a moment to appreciate the fact he has dressed up. He is wearing smart dark jeans and a dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled back to his elbows, showing off his tattoos. He may be a computer geek, but there’s no denying he has muscles that are clearly bulging in that tight shirt. His usually relaxed face and carefree smile have gone, replaced with a serious expression.
“Liam, your girl is perving on me again!” Kellan shouts as he winks at me. With my free hand, I flip him the bird, and he chuckles.
“Why are you all dressed up?” Liam asks.
“Because this is a job interview. Just because she is a friend of Bree’s does not mean I will give her the job, nor does it make this any less formal. You want me to trust this person with the most important thing in my life, to trust she will be safe and well looked after with this person. So, yeah, I’m taking it seriously,” Kellan states as he moves to the dining table, where he sets out a glass of water and prepares some pieces of paper.
“I don’t want you to hire her for me, Kellan. I truly believe she will prove to you that she is good enough,” I argue, but with a sweeping hand gesture, he dismisses me, and I can’t help but roll my eyes at him. Then again, I can’t imagine what it feels like to be hurt by all the women in your life. It’s no wonder he doesn’t trust people. Hallie only deserves the best.
The doorbell rings, and Kellan stands to go and answer it. He takes a few big deep breaths, almost like he is nervous, before turning to look at me, Liam, and Hallie. “You can stay here as long as you don’t upset the interview process. If you do, you are out, understand?”
Even Hallie laughs, although I suspect she is just copying Liam. Kellan mutters something under his breath before he goes to answer the door. I hear talking, introductions no doubt, before I watch my friend Mia walk into the room. She goes to approach us to say hello, I assume, but Kellan interrupts her.
“Please, don’t pay them any attention. If they become too disruptive, they can leave. We will get on with the interview, and you can speak to them afterwards, does that sound okay?” Kellan asks, using a posher voice than I have ever heard him use before.
“Of course, I am happy to get started,” replies Mia.
Mia takes off her coat, and I almost groan. I have always been jealous of her figure. It is literally the perfect hourglass shape with decent sized tits. Girls with skinny waists don’t often have the curves to match. Combine that with her five foot six height, which in heels makes her a giant compared to me, and she is basically a supermodel.
She has those perfect high cheekbones that everyone craves, lips that always seem to be plump and inviting, and the brightest green eyes that always seem to glisten. Her long blonde hair usually hangs down to her waist, but today is pinned back into a butterfly clip. She is wearing a tight, knee-length, black pencil skirt and a soft lilac blouse that has been tucked into the skirt. She is dressed to impress.
I notice that I’m not the only one looking at my friend as she places her jacket on the back of her chair. Kellan looks like he is mesmerised by the very sight of Mia as he watches her every move. I’m guessing he isn’t just looking at her as a potential employee anymore. They both sit down, and as soon as he realises Mia is also looking at him, the mask descends. Kellan looks away, picking up the papers in front of him, before starting the interview.
“Thank you for meeting with me, Miss Whitlock. Is it okay if I call you Mia?” he asks, and I hear Liam snort from beside me before not so subtly trying to disguise it with a cough. Kellan flicks the evil eye at him, and we know we are in the shit now. Mia confirms that she will reply to her name and Kellan continues. “Let’s jump right in then. Why do you want this job?”
Mia sits up straight and keeps eye contact with Kellan the whole time as she answers him. “I love working with children. I am working and training at the same time as I get my childcare qualification. I love being a nanny. I like getting to know the children I work with and learning about their personalities. Every baby responds and learns differently. Once I have figured that out, helping them is a whole lot easier. I have heard a lot of good things about Hallie and you. I would love the opportunity to get to know her and to see if I can help her grow up.”
Mia talks with passion and conviction with each question Kellan throws her way. No matter how stupid or ridiculous they are. Just as I can feel them getting ready to close things up, confident that there is no possible way he can turn down my girl, Kellan picks up the piece of paper in front of him. As he speaks, it is like he has been waiting to get to this bit, and I already want to groan with disbelief.
“Mia, when I asked you if you have any known criminal connections, why did you lie?” Kel asks, and this time Mia looks shocked. Her eyes dance around slightly like she is unsure exactly where to look.
“I didn’t lie. You know about Liam and Bree anyway,” Mia stutters defensively, but with a shake of his head, it’s clear that’s not what he means.
“You know I’m not talking about them. Do you want to tell me, or shall I tell you what I know?” Kellan asks, this time pronouncing his words loud enough for me and Liam to hear. Mia looks very unsure and a little intimidated. I have never known her to lie, and thank fuck because she is shit at it. Her discomfort is evident from across the room.
“What do you...think...you know?” she asks. The pauses before and after make it pretty fucking clear there’s so much more she isn’t saying.
“Your father, Mortimer Whitlock, his accountancy firm is another one of Vernon’s money men. But your father is so much worse than washing dirty money. He is a pervert and a rapist. But none of the cases ever went to trial. Even though the girls were all fucking underage, they were paid to drop the case and refused to testify,” Kellan spits, and I can’t help but recoil. I know her dad is an asshole who does business with my dad, but I had no idea he’s that much of a nonce.
Mia’s face starts to crumble, and she looks as though she may cry, her chin trembling slightly. Her voice was strong and animated when she spoke before, but now it’s barely above a whisper, monotone, and sad. “I have detached myself from him. That’s why I’m doing this job to pay for school. I could have taken his blood money handout, but I refused.”
With a shrug of his shoulders, like he doesn’t give a shit about Mia or that he’s hurting her, he continues. “What about Kyle Fratacello?” Mia freezes at the name. Kellan waits for Mia to unfreeze and talk, but she seems lost in her own mind. The only movement is a single lone tear that trails down her cheek. When she doesn’t speak, Kellan starts talking again. “Kyle runs one of the northern syndicates but works for Bree’s Family overall. What I want to know is what happened that summer you spent with him just after turning eighteen. A marriage request form was submitted, but you never went through with it. I couldn't find a marriage license on file. What happened? Are you still engaged to that psychopathic piece of shit?”
Mia remains still, but now her tears are falling freely, and she begins to sob. She doesn’t answer his question, and Kellan just rolls his eyes. On the other hand, I cannot stand by while my best friend sobs her heart out just a few feet from me. So I hand Hallie over to Liam and approach Mia. Kellan starts to stop me, but I give him a fierce glare making it fucking clear I do not intend on being messed with.
Putting my arm around Mia’s shoulders, I pull her into me. “Hey, Mia, it’s okay, darling. I’m here. Shush, you don’t have to cry anymore,” I whisper in her ear before turning my attention to Kellan. “What the fuck do you think you are playing at? I said you could interview Mia, not fucking interrogate her.”
“Maybe you don’t know her as well as you think, Bree. I saw the look on your face when I said the name, Kyle. You had no idea that your best friend almost got married to a fucking wannabe gangster nearly twice her age. I’m sorry for upsetting her, but I have to think of what’s best for Hallie. Any unknown criminal connections put her at risk. Fuck, being around you two recently feels like I am in the middle of a war, and I cannot have my daughter caught up in that. I want someone to care for her so that I don’t have to worry about her while I’m working for you. I don’t want to have to continuously wonder if my employee is working for my mother or if they have links to Hallie’s past,” he says poignantly. He’s clearly referencing any ties to the woman who birthed Hallie and doesn’t deserve to be called a mother.
“That was over three years ago, and no, I don’t know exactly what happened, but I do trust Mia,” I say, looking straight at Mia as I stroke the hair out of her face and wipe the tears from her eyes. She gives me a small smile, and I am just pleased the sobbing has stopped.
“Well, I don’t. So, I’m sorry, Mia, but I won’t be hiring you,” Kellan says firmly and I look over at Liam. He just gives a slight shoulder shrug, effectively telling me to keep my nose out of Kellan’s decision. I huff, not happy that I can’t fix this.
“That’s not a problem. I’m actually glad you didn’t hire me. I don’t want to work for an asshole who would rather trust a fucking piece of paper than a real person. What you have there is one small piece of a much larger story, but you didn’t think about that. You didn’t think about the psychological trauma you may have caused by bringing up a time I have spent three years and a fucking shit load of money going to therapy to get over. So no, I don’t want to work for such a massive dickhead, no matter how adorable your daughter is. Just know that researching someone’s name on the computer does not give you a full story,” Mia explains as she stands. Her whole body is trembling with fear, but her voice stands tall as she talks. With every word she mentions about trauma and needing therapy, I feel like my brain is about to explode. How could my best friend be in this much pain, and I never saw it? She begins to leave, but I take hold of her arm to pull her back to me.
“Mia...wait,” I start, but she cuts me off.
“I didn’t tell you because I couldn’t. When I find the right words, you will be the first to hear them,” she whispers.
“How did I not notice? How could I not see all this pain?” I ask, although I am not sure if I expect her to answer. She reaches around to hug me, pulling me in tight.
“I didn’t want you to see. You saw what I made you see. It’s not your fault. You are not to blame in any way,” Mia cry’s once more causing her voice to hitch.
“Mia…” I start, my voice raising slightly at the end, making it obvious I intend to ask her some questions. She knows all my tells, and that’s why she’s looking very apprehensive. She indicates for me to ask whatever I need to, but first I want her to know I’m here for her.
“Mia, do you want or need to talk to me about this shit? Should I be worried?” I ask, genuinely concerned about my best friend, right now.
“I don’t talk about it. Not to anyone except my therapist. Maybe one day I will open up to people, but that day is not today. Okay?” she replies, her mood becoming more sombre. I need to bring back the bright and bubbly best friend I have come to love.
Just then a thought enters my head, and I know this will never make up for whatever trauma she has gone through, but it may act as a distraction. “Will you be my maid of honour?” I finish, and the smile that brightens up her face is exactly what I wanted to see. As she is leaving I make a joke about insisting she wears a bright pink dress to the wedding. I am pleased when Mia starts cursing and telling me there's no chance in hell she’s wearing any pink. When she finally leaves a few minutes later, thankfully, she goes with a smile and looks a lot more relaxed. I understand Kellan has to be protective over Hallie, but not at the expense of other people’s feelings.
When I walk back into the room, I am ready to tear Kellan a new asshole, but he has taken Hallie upstairs. Luckily, Liam calms me down and reassures me he bollocked Kellan enough for the both of us. Looks like my idea of setting up my friends so they could help each other out was a massive mistake, or maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
Perhaps having whatever this is, out in the open will help Mia and me become better friends, more talkative with each other. I thought we were close before, but obviously she hasn’t shared a lot of important parts of her life with me. It might be through fear, or pain, but she should still have told me. We need to fix that, but at a later date. Only time will tell, if our friendship can be fixed. But for now, I enjoy a moment curled up on the sofa with Liam while we spitball ideas for our wedding.