Page 17 of Jake

“Consider it done. I’m sure Imelda will be willing to help. I’ll speak with her in confidence when we return.”

Barry nodded. “We are currently giving Jake medication to keep him sedated and a unit of blood is running. He’ll require at least another two over the next few hours.”

“Can we see him?” Father sounded hopeful.

“I’m sorry, Andreas, not until he is out of surgery. We have him in pre-theatre and everyone is sterile, ready to begin. I don’t want to endanger your son further.”

“I understand and thank you for taking care of my son.”

Barry stood. “I need to scrub up in case Jake takes a turn for the worst, and we need to get started immediately. Hopefully, that won’t happen, but I need to be prepared. It will be several hours, probably tomorrow morning, before we’re done, so why don’t you go and book in at the Niupini Hotel, and I’ll call you?”

Father agreed. “We’ll do that but call me no matter the time.”

“I’ll call you the minute he’s out of surgery.” Barry turned to leave, but Father called his name, and he turned back to face him.

“Don’t let anything happen to my son. Bring him back to us, please.”

“I’ll do my best and then some. I give you my word, Jake won’t be going anywhere without me giving him one hell of a fight.”

“Thank you.”

After Barry left, Father stood and drew Mother to her feet. “I’ll take your mother out to the car.”

I didn’t want to leave but figured a walk along the bayfront in the clean air would clear my head, so I joined Quinn, Alex, Logan, and Daly and we followed my parents from the hospital.

***

“Pub?” Quinn asked when we reached the cars.

“It’s the best fucking idea you’ve had all day.” Logan agreed.

I guessed the walk would have to wait because a beer sounded pretty damn good.

Quinn climbed into the passenger front seat, and my parents sat in the back of the car I drove. The drive to the hotel was quiet, and I was pretty sure Jake was on everyone’s minds. Logan and Daly, with Alex as their passenger, followed close behind.

I eased into a parking space in front of the Niupini Hotel, switched off the motor and we climbed from the car. Logan drew in alongside and joined us on the walkway in front of the hotel.

Logan placed a hand on my arm, bringing me to a stop. “Daly and I will go and get your bags; meet back here?”

“Thanks; first one’s on me, we’ll be in the beer garden out the back.” I’d stayed at the hotel before when Jake had invited me to join his meetings and knew the layout.

After we’d booked the four rooms required, including one for Barry, who would stay with us until Jake was well enough to head home, our parents headed upstairs to their room for a much-needed rest. Quinn, Alex, and I grabbed a beer from the bar and pushed through the door leading to the outside beer garden. I placed my glass on the table and dropped into a bamboo cane chair.

Quinn sat opposite while Alex lowered into a seat beside me. My brother gulped his beer before placing the glass down, closing his eyes, and wrapping his arms over his head.

“I can’t…” Quinn was lost for words. The shock of our brother being so severely beaten was taking hold.

“I know. I feel the same. I want to go back, find Russo, bring him back to life, and torture him all over again.”

“We do some pretty horrific things, big brother, but we don’t leave them alive when we’re done torturing. I can’t…”

Tears filled my eyes. “Man, the pain I went through from being kneed in the balls was bad enough. Jake’s dick being attacked like that…”

“Fuck, please don’t say it would have sent him mad.” A tear slipped from one of Quinn’s eyes.

Bonello set his beer on the table and sat back in the chair. “I can’t tell you how angry it made me on to see how Jake had been treated. As you have both implied, you don’t reduce a man to that state and leave him alive. It’s cruel and inhumane. Yes, I agree, we carry out some horrific torture, but we always put them out of their misery. The way your brother was beaten and broken, yet left alive, brought tears to this old man’s eyes.”

Interesting. We were mafia, used to inflicting torture. Taking the odd beating now and again that often resulted in a busted nose. Yet, we rarely showed even the slightest shred of emotion. At the moment, I felt like my entire world was imploding and I was on the verge of crying like a baby. I suspected Quinn was balanced on the edge as well. I skulled the beer and stood to head to the bar for another. I held my empty glass towards Quinn and Alex, an unspoken gesture asking if they would like another, and both nodded before downing the remainder of their first ones.