The Joy of Revenge

CHAPTER 113 Acceptance Liam Currently, | was seated in one of the antique chairs of my father’s huge walk-in closet going through his collection of expensive cuff links, hoping to choose the perfect pair to go with the suit | had already chosen for him to be buried in. As | scanned each one, my eyes. suddenly filled with tears. | blinked, allowing the tears to fall down my cheeks. Since | was alone, | allowed myself to succumb to the grief that | had kept at bay. Honestly, the anguish was feeling felt like a brick wall laying upon my bare chest.

| This was supposed to be a happy day.

The most beautiful woman | have ever laid eyes on had accepted my proposal. She was a treasure. Extremely kind and caring. However, once | heard the bad news, all the joy I felt disappeared... replaced by an ache from the loss of a man | loved... despite all his flaws.

Ford Martin, the nurse | had entrusted my father’s care to, was escorted to a conference room on the fifth floor after Jack was able to pry my fingers off of his light blue medical scrubs. The Sheriff quickly cautioned me, advisingto stay calm while they conducted their investigation. He didn’t want assault charges to be brought up in case the medical examiner ruled out foul play.

Honestly, | wanted to beat Ford Martin to a pulp, but the Sheriff was right. | had to keep my hands to myself. | raised my hands above my head in surrender, muttering a crude apolo while | watched a terrified Ford and an elderly woman with a furious scowl on her face quickly enter the elevator with a deputy by their side.

Seeing Ford so scared gavean immense satisfaction.

After | formally identified the corpse of my father and gave my consent for a post-mortem examination, Dan excused himself to go back to the lab in Hillcrest, stating he had a problem to fix.

“You wantto go with him?” Jack askedas Dan exited the hospital. He sounded. suspicious. | couldn't blhim.

ing an eve o on “No. | need you with me,” | answered. “Besides, | have people at the lab keeping him... especially from that office of his where he plays gangster. Con. | need you to escortto Cohen Mansion. All my bodyguards are completely worthless.” 1/5 CHAPTER 113 Acceptance Sheriff Combs, Jack and | left the hospital and drove to Prairie Hill to pick up sof my father’s personal effects while we waited for the medical examiner's results.

It was hard to accept that my father was dead. But | had to force myself to face the reality that from now on, | would never see him walk the rooms or the halls of this house ever again. Never would | see him seated at the dining table, never would | hear his disapproving voice, never would | see those cold gray eyes staring back at me...

He was gone too soon.

| sobbed quietly as the realization dawned upon me. My father was no longer with me. | was now... all alone.

Yet, | also realized | was now my own man... that | was now the only authority over New Salem.

The tears stopped as | basked in the pleasure of being the only Cohen left standing. My father wasn’t here anymore to call the shots. | was now the big man in this small, pitiful town.

| glanced at myself in the mirror and | saw myself smiling.

Finally, acceptance.

| heard footsteps and voices as my father’s bedroom door opened. | quickly wiped the tra of tears from my cheeks as well as the s not from my nose and composed myself. Luckily was able to fix myself before the double doors of my father’s closet opened, revealing Sh Combs and Jack, both with impatient looks on their faces.

“Liam, are you done yet?” The Sheriff asked, taking the suit | had hung near the entrance. “Dr. Hughes just called. She said she’s found something that suggests your father may have been murdered. Also, the media are waiting for you at St. Elizabeth's. They need you to make a brief but formal announcement regarding Theodore Cohen's passing. We need to go back to the hospital right away.” As they both entered the closet, the light from the late afternoon sun cbursting in, shining on the diamond cuff links my father said were a gift from my mother. | took them out of the jewelry box and placed them gently inside a small satin bag before placing them inside my inner coat pocket..

My lips curved into a small smile. It was the perfect choice.

2/5 CHAPTER 113 Acceptance anniversary.

My father orily wore the cuff links once a year to celebrate their wedding a again.

heart of hearts, | believed my parents were both happy... now that they were together “Sheriff, there's no doubt in my mind my father was murdered,” | said, placing the jewelry box back inside the drawer | took it out from. “I’m hoping the evidence is enough to substantiate my claim. If the evidence suggests Peter McDowell had a hand in this, | want you to start cleansing this town of all the filth he left behind. | don’t want anyone in New Salem to be associated with him. Do we understand each other?” “I understand completely, but we do have one other problem,” the Sheriff replied, walking out into the bedroom with the suit in tow.

After | closed the drawer, | gestured to Jack to pick up the box of shoes | left on a small wooden table while | picked up a small bag packed with sof my father’s personal belongings off the floor. | followed Jack out of the closet, shut off the lights and closed the doors behind me. | planned to keep everything in its place just like how my father left it.

“What other problem?” | asked, turning to face the Sheriff. There was always a problem of skind.

“Pete has someone working directly under him. His officer-in-charge-" “His capo, Sheriff,” | said. “I don’t know who he is nor does Dan. | have a feeling my father may have had an idea who this capo is, but unfortunately, he’s dead.” “Dan’s another problem, son. He's a soldier of the Angels of Darkness, right?” “Yes, he is, but Dan's loyal to me. | can vouch for him.” | pointed at the door and gestured to them to exit the room. Here we were, standing and having a casual conversation in a dead. man’s room. It felt weird.

“Liam, he’s loyal to the organization,” Jack said, finally contributing to the conversation as he followed the Sheriff out of my father’s room into the hallway. “If word gets out we are going after everyone who has ties with the Angels of Darkness, who do you think the big boss will call first? Add the fact that we don’t know the identity of Pete’s capo. He can pull the rug doorbell in from under our feet at any time. Personally, | don’t want the b astard ringing my the middle of the night and my mom opening it only to find a gun aimed at her head. | suggest we ask Dan to call the big boss and ask who the so nofabitch is.” | walked ahead of them and load them down to the first floor via the grand staircase of the3/5 CHAPTER 113 Acceptance mansion while continuing our discussion.

“Jack, you just can’t make certain demands. You have to give something to the big boss in exchange for valuable information. And | will tell you an identity of a capo will cost a pretty penny. I'll have to look into my resources first before Dan even thinks of talking to Ortiz, so | know how much | can offer her as a sign of my goodwill.” “So, do | postpone the re-opening of the infamous Killing Fields of New Salem until you get that information?” Sheriff Combs asked as we reached the grand hallway on the first floor. | grimaced. It was part of the Cohen legacy | wanted to keep secret.

The Killing Fields was a large stretch of land owned by my family just on the other side of Prairie Hill where many of the bison of North Dakota passed through. During both my great grandfather's and grandfather's terms as mayor, New Salem was the sanctuary of the Angels of Darkness assasins. They often buried their targets there so no one would ever find them.

My father, with the helpful cooperation of the Sheriff and his deputies, used the Killing Fields to bury his sworn enemies. When they had cleaned out the town, they closed the area and placed a sign warning people not to enter due to the wandering bison in the area.

“| prefer we start as soon as possible. Pete's second in command never interferes in Pete’s messes and I'm guessing once we start killing Pete’s men, he'll be so scared to even try, knowing we'll kill him too,” I replied.

“Start with two of Pete’s well-known associates living in Hillcrest. If Dan tries to get in the middle, then you know what you guys need to do.” “Are you seriously telling us to kill Dan?” Jack asked, shocked | would even suggest it. D was a friend above anything else.

“If he tries anything funny,” | answered gruffly. “If he doesn’t, then there’s no problem.” “You sure about this, son?” Sheriff Combs asked, looking atdead in the eyes. “Once | start ripping families apart, there's no turning back.” | sniffed, taking a second to think. Better to do it all at once. It lessened the chances of one of them fleeing or talking.

I'll ask Dan to message all of Pete’s remaining men, then we strike,” | replied to the Sheriff. “May this serve as a lesson. They should have thought of the consequences before they touched my father. Now that he’s dead, they no longer have a bargaining chip.” “Tell Dan to tell all of Pete’s men that Pete is providing a cash bonus. That will get them to all cat the stwithout any of them becoming suspicious. Schedule it for 4/5 CHAPTER 113 Acceptance tomorrow evening at the lone barn near the Killing Fields,” the Sheriff instructed before opening the door of his car. | shook my head. His suggestion was all wrong.

“Let's no be so hasty. Dan might warn Pete's men instead,” | told the Sheriff. “I propose scheduling the meet for Friday night when we usually pay our dealers. | will instruct Dan to tell them we are moving payment to the barn since Hillcrest is now a target. Anyway, the barn was our prior meeting place before Hillcrest becoperational. They won't suspect a thing.” | noticed the uneasiness in Jack's eyes as he nodded his head in acknowledgement to my plan. | knew what he was thinking. A massacre was a far cry from killing one single person.

| didn’t care. They killed my father. If | could accept the fact that | no longer had a father, than they could accept the consequences of their actions.

If they were on Pete’s side, then they were my enemies. And anyone againstshouldn't be left standing.

“Fine, but you have to take part in this,” Jack muttered under his breath. He looked squeamish.

| placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. Of course | wanted in.

“It will be my pleasure, Jack.” Chapter Comments 4 POST COMMENT NOW