Page 74 of Southie
Gerald and I raced out of the building, nodding to Doug on the way out, and jumped in the unmarked vehicle, headed out of town where Camilla and her father were staying. Doug would lock up and leave the area before the cops arrived after receiving an anonymous tip from a concerned citizen.
When we got outside of South Boston, I pulled the burner phone from the console of the truck and dialed it. After three rings, the line was open.
“It’s done,” I said, and then I hung up.
I tossed the phone to Gerald. He pulled the sim card out, crushed it and the phone, and threw it in the duffle bag with the guns.
“That shit went easier than I thought it would,” Gerald said, leaning the seat back and shutting his eyes.
“I’m glad it’s over.”
“How’s it feel to be a free man?”
“When I put my arms around my woman and Don Rizzo lives up to his end of the deal, I’ll celebrate my freedom. Until then, I’m a marked man.”
Gerald nodded.
I turned my attention back to the road and headed west out of Boston for the foreseeable future.
* * *
Reuniting with Camilla was an indescribable feeling. Although it’d only been a few days since I’d last seen her, it felt like a lifetime since she’d been in my arms. Night after night, I made sure she knew how much I loved her, ravaging her body until neither of us could take it anymore.
One day, Camilla Jennings would be my wife, and as she lay in my arms, all doubt diminished.
We’d been at Gerald’s cabin for weeks waiting for the Italians to give the word to return to Southie. We hid in Charlemont, but the death of the mob boss spread quickly, and it outraged the other factions. Rumors also circulated I had something to do with it, according to Eric Rizzo. He kept me informed, and as I’d predicted Patrick, Paddy’s son, was out for blood.
The burner phone ringing on the nightstand caused Camilla to shift in her sleep. I carefully removed her from my chest and grabbed the phone, walking outside to take the call. After the fourth ring, I answered.
“We now control New England, and you are free to return,” Antonio Jr. said. “No harm will come to you or your family.”
With no other word, he ended the call.
I took the sim card out of the phone and crushed it along with the phone. Gerald stood beside me as we looked out over the beautiful lake that bordered his property.
“I could get used to this place,” I said. “It’s so peaceful.”
“You see why I come up here? Sometimes, I need the peace of this place.”
After a few moments of silence, I turned to my longtime friend. Someone who’d been through it all with me. Someone I considered my brother.
“It’s over. I’m free.”
The smile that stretched across his face mirrored my relief.
He clapped me on the shoulder and walked back into the house. I ambled closer to the lake and tossed the crushed phone and sim card into it. As I watched it sink in the water, I let the news I received from Antonio Rizzo Jr. finally sink in. Now free from the mob, I’d live my life with the person I loved, with no interference.
I sensed her before I saw her and reached out my hand. She grasped it, and I pulled her into my chest, wrapping her in my arms. As we looked out over the enormous lake, listening to the calming sounds of the water and the surrounding nature, I kissed her on the top of her head. “It’s over, baby. We can go home.”
Her body relaxed against mine, and for the first time in a long time, peace engulfed my body, my soul.
“I love you, Liam. Always.”
“And I love you, Camilla. Forever. Let’s go home.”
She nodded, and we walked away towards the house.
Towards our future together.
