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"Something on your mind, Bella?" Her boss, the chief asked after she failed to answer his previous question about the case.
"Hmm? Oh, not much," Bella brushed off. "Thinkin' 'bout the kids, to be honest."
"Kids? Thought you just had the one?"
"Ah — technically," Bella corrected herself. "But his friend Jonnie's been staying with us for a while now. Both just graduated, actually."
"Ah, well you and your husband must be very proud of them both," the chief remarked, noticing Bella wince just at the mention of her husband.
"How is he?"
"Not great," she muttered under her breath as she leaned back in her chair.
The photo of Jimmy and Jonnie at their graduation stared right back at her. The boys look so happy, so carefree. It was only a couple months ago, felt like an entirety.
She hardly saw them, working all the time. Anything was better than being at home listening to Johnny — her asshole of a husband — complaining about fuck knows what.
Still… she couldn't remember a single time after she saw the pair smile like that.
"Problems with your marriage?" The chief inquired sincerely, setting a drink on Bella's desk with another in his hand.
"He's just — so fuckin' annoying," she admitted with a sigh, taking a sip of the drink. "And keeps making dumb-fuck decisions 'round the house — fuck I don't think he even actually likes me half the time."
That was a generalization of her growing issues with Johnny. The biggest ones she had were absolutely not going to be brought up to her boss, while at the police station full of other cops.
The chief may have known about her family's history, but that was it. And he didn't know that she was fairly confident that Johnny was fucking around with them again.
He promised he'd go straight, for her. Then again, for Jimmy. Then again, for Jonnie. But no. Fucker can't ever hold himself accountable.
"Officer Sharp?" Bella tipped her head up as another officer stood by her desk, unamused by the familiar look on his face as he held a note in his hand.
"Your husband called."
Yep.
"Said he wants you to know that quote; 'you're a bitch.'"
"Thank you, Greg," the chief cut in, waving for the other officer to go.
"Just doin' my job chief," he replied with a cartoony salute before turning to leave.
Not the first time someone delivered such a message to Bella. What she expected every time Greg stopped by her desk at this point.
"Bella, you see the case we got here?" The chief asked, point towards the filled whiteboard behind them. "All these complicated, overlapping issues that aren't quite lining up, that remind you of anything?"
She could feel the photo staring at her again, even with her back turned.
"Being a parent."
"Well… I was gonna say your marriage," the chief admitted as Bella stood up.
"Who the fuck cares about my marriage — it's been fucked a long time and that ain't gonna change anytime soon! He made his fuckin' choice-"
Bella paused, taking a deep breath in an attempt calm herself.
"There's no hope for that, but there's something better out there for those boys, I'm sure."
She turned back to her desk, meeting Jonnie's eyes in the photo. Such a bright kid. He could do a lot, most definitely.
"Bella, if your husband's doing something illegal now, you know we can take care of that," the chief reminded her, one hand resting on her shoulder.
As if she hadn't thought of that before.
"But one thing you gotta remember, our number one rule. Whatever's going on out there, or at home, you can't bring it in here. We got work to do."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Bella said before finishing off her drink. She took another deep breath, letting out another sigh. "I know."
"And I need you on this case, okay? Just, take a deep breath-"
She just did, but okay.
"-and look over what we have okay? See what we might of missed. I'll give you some peace alright?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
Bella wasn't gonna be able to focus in the slightest on the damn case. She knew that. Course the chief wanted her take on it — her fucking father's work no doubt. Well, whatever sucker he paid to do it.
God — she left one fucked up man just to marry another, didn't she?
Bella collapsed back into her chair, lazily spinning around to face the whiteboard.
She remembered her and Johnny were happy, once. She was new to the force, he was her father's latest scapegoat.
She'd offered him an out, he promised he'd straighten up his act for her. That was true, for a while. Least she thought so.
But for all she knew, Johnny could have been doing shit behind her back this whole time. Wouldn't put it past the asshole.
Jimmy tried to make things better when tensions kept on rising. Never been the sharpest tool in the shed, their boy, but he had a good head on his shoulders.
And Jonnie… poor Jonnie. She couldn't not feel bad for the kid. Parents kicked him out at fifteen — not that he was home much to begin with. Hell, he probably spent more time in their home than Bella did herself.
They were both good kids, deserved a lot better than what they got.
Bella stood up and rested her hand on her hip as she forced herself to actually look at the board the chief asked her to. It was only then she noticed something lacking from the holster at her side.
… Where was her gun?
Jonnie had been practicing exactly what he'd say when Bella got home repeatedly. It would be fine, Johnny was right. He just had to tell her he used the gun to shoot the raccoon in the yard — she hates that raccoon — but he missed.
Easy, right?
Or maybe… he could tell her the truth, just tell her he fucked up and he needed help. Surely she'd understand, right?
Jonnie jumped when Bella opened the door, his planned greeting getting caught up in his throat.
"Uh — hi auntie — home welcome — er… welcome home. Haha… welcome home."
Bella closed the door with a heavy sigh, turning to Jonnie with a look of disappointment she typically saved only for her husband.
"What did you do?"
"I — I uh—"
"Jonnie, what did you do?" She repeated slightly louder as she took a step towards him, planting one hand firmly on his shoulder and forcing him to meet her eyes.
"Did you get involved with the family business?"
"Uh… dog training?"
"We both know there's no fuckin' dog training," she muttered, bringing her other hand to her head. "Your uncle ain't even pickin' up his own shit."
Jonnie could feel himself panicking. Lying shouldn't be this hard — and she didn't seem like she was going to understand… Fuck, she clearly already knew he fucked up. He was fucked. He was so fucked.
"I mean… I'm sure how you talk about him, even in front of Jimmy and I, doesn't really help —"
"Him having people killed doesn't fuckin' help!" Bella snapped back quickly. "He not a good man!"
"You're not a great aunt."
The words fell out of his mouth, Jonnie wished he could have taken them back as he saw Bella's face drop.
But… it was true. Right now he needed help, he had for a long time, and she was too busy complaining about her husband to see that. Like always.
"Are you seriously gonna tell me that, after I took you in?" she questioned, finger pointed at Jonnie as she spoke. "After your own god-awful parents kicked you out, and I welcome you into my home. Treated you like my own son-"
"Is that really saying much when you're never around for him either?" Jonnie cut off.
What the fuck was he doing? Why didn't he just keep his mouth shut? Was too late now, like he'd opened the floodgates, everything bothering him pouring out with no stop in sight.
"You're never fuckin' here! Not for Jimmy, or me! And when you are, you and uncle Johnny are just screaming at each other the whole fuckin' time! I ain't saying he's any better — we all know he's got problems — but you working late every day and leaving Jimmy and I here to deal with it hardly seems like good parenting! Fuck… you're both toxic as hell — why we're trying to find a way outta here! Why we went and talked to grandpa-"
Jonnie cut himself off, biting down hard on his tongue.
"No," Bella said quietly. "No — Jonnie do not tell me you went and spoke to my dad."
Tears were building in his eyes now, why was he such a fucking idiot?
"I'm sorry — Jimmy thought it was good idea! We needed a way to make money —"
"Fuck — Jonnie! What were you thinking?" she questioned, taking hold of his shoulders again. "You — please just tell me you didn't hurt anyone."
"Well… no. Not at first…" Jonnie rolled back on his heels, the events of the evening playing out in his head again. "It was just suppose to be some off the books undertaken. That's what grandpa Albert said."
"I know what that means," Bella insisted, her grip on his shoulders tightening. "Jonnie, did you kill someone?"
"No — he was already dead!" Jonnie insisted quickly. "We were just suppose to bury the body — that's it."
"Okay…"
"But… then I shot an owl."
"Owl — okay, who gives a fuck about an owl?"
"And a rabbit."
"Okay-"
"And — and then a park ranger."
"Jesus fuckin' Christ."
Bella let go of Jonnie to put her head in her hands, pacing back and forth around the front door.
"But — but he didn't die!" Jonnie quickly added. "They said he was just in the hospital now."
"No — no he's dead," Bella said without looking up.
"What?"
"Died just a few hours ago—"
The doorbell rang, making Jonnie jump. Bella glanced towards the door right beside her before realizing it was the dumbass doorbell Johnny put on the back door.
"I'll get it," Jonnie volunteered quietly.
"Fuck, sure. I'll just — get chairs from the garden or some shit…"
What she needed was some air, a chance to breath. The time to figure out how on earth she was gonna fix all this…
And to think if what Jonnie said about her was right.
She left the door open, looking at the lawn chairs on their front porch. She could hear Jonnie start yelling back inside.
"Jim — what are you doin' — why the fuck do you have a gun?"
"Shut up Jonnie — just shut up and get on the ground!"
"What the fuck —"
"I said shut up!"
No — no Jimmy what are you doin'?
Bella slid back into the house, her back pressed against the wall as she crept down the hallway towards the living room and back door.
"Jimmy, we're fuckin' friends, aren't we — ahh!"
There was a small thud as Jonnie was hit with something. Bella made it to the drawer where she left her gun, slowly opening it and pulling out the weapon before trying to carefully peer around the corner and get a look at the boys.
"We are friends, that's why I'm doing this buddy. It's for your own good. And mine."
"Wh— the fuck are you gonna do?"
…
"Where's mom hidin'?"
Bella believe there'd be a day when her father put a hit out on her. But never did she think he'd have the fucking nerve to ask her own son to do it.
"Hidin' — she just stepped outside!"
Bella finally got a good view, seeing Jonnie stand up while Jimmy pointed a gun at him.
"Woah — you can't kill her man! Look, I know she's got her issues, but she's way better than you're fuckin' dad!"
Least she still had that going for her.
"She's a cop," Jimmy spat out, Bella could see his hand shaking as he waved the gun in Jonnie's face. "And we picked our side."
"Well we fuckin' picked wrong," Jonnie insisted. "I know… we had the in with your grandpa that we could use and all but — fuck Jimmy. I shot a park ranger and now he's dead!"
Jimmy lowered his gun slightly, Bella was about to step in but paused when she heard another set of footsteps.
"That's enough, Jonnie,"
Her husband came in, wielding a sawed-off shotgun that he pointed right at Jonnie.
"Uncle Johnny?"
"Get down."
Fuck.
Bella slowly backed down the hall. She was outnumbered now — no clue what Jimmy would do if it came down to it, and she really didn't wanna find out.
If Johnny still wanted to act like for a second that he was anywhere close to being a 'good father' like he claimed — he'd leave the boys alone and deal with her himself. And she'd be waiting for him.
It was pouring out, Bella crept back into the once lively garden. The family's pride and joy once. These days, it grew weeds more than anything else. Water drops smeared across her glasses, mud slid under her boots.
The door opened again, her grip on the gun tightened.
"You never did know what you were doin', did ya?" Johnny as he stepped out with the gun of his own. He met her eyes quickly, leaving a good distance between the two of them. "My love."
"Don't call me that," Bella insisted coldly, focusing on the barrel of his gun. "You haven't called me that in years."
Johnny didn't say anything, didn't move. Just kept staring her down.
"You're not the man I married anymore," she continued, lowering her gun to her side. "You're a piece of shit. A fuckin' bad person, Johnny. And and even worse father."
He stayed silent, Bella kept going.
"And maybe we both fucked up. But I'm willin' to change, for them." She pointed towards the house. To the boys inside she was praying weren't gonna do anything stupid. "But that ain't possible if you keep fuckin' everything up. You gotta go. And that can either be to a jail cell—" She raised her gun up again, pointing it right at Johnny's chest. "Or six feet under. And I'll finally be the one who burying bodies 'round here."
"Sounds like those kids might have to bury two bodies tonight," Johnny remarked, straightening the aim of his own weapon.
"Sounds really fuckin' depressing."
Bella turned her attention back to her husband's eyes for the first time. For a moment, she saw him.
Not the maniac standing in the pouring rain with a sawed-off shotgun pointed at her chest, no.
She saw the man she met outside a bar. Who just got the shit beat out of him and still walked out with a smile plastered on his face as she offered him help. Who showed up with flowers at her door the next day, asking to take her out to dinner as a thank you.
The man who cried when she showed him the positive test, asked her to marry him on the spot. Who cried even more as a tiny baby wrapped his hand around his finger. The man who called her 'my love' and ment it. Who took their son to school in the morning with a smile on his face. Picked her up after a long shift at work and surprised her with dinner.
For just that small, brief moment, she saw the man she'd truly fell in love with.
"You ever think we could put these guns down, and start over?"
Johnny cocked the gun.
The man she loved with gone.
"Yeah, me neither."
Her finger pressed down on the trigger the same time a desperate voice cut through the air.
"Auntie, Uncle! Stop —"
So many things happened in such a short amount of time.
Johnny dropped to the ground, a bullet wound to the back of his head leaving blood pouring out. Jonnie — right between him and her and the worse moment possible. Laying on the wet, overgrown grass now stained red.
Jimmy came stumbling out the back door, gun in hand. He froze in place, eyes moving from his father to his best friend.
Bella slid to her knees, cradling Jonnie's head in her lap as she tried to slow the bleeding.
"Fuck — Jonnie no…"
"…Auntie?"
"Oh thank fuck!"
His voice was small and weak — but there none the less.
"It's okay — it'll be okay Jonnie…"
Jimmy was suddenly at he side, staring down at Jonnie before over at her. Silent tears feel from his eyes, he looked so young again. He was turning to his mother, desperate for any sort of help.
"It's gonna be okay…"
Bella sat silently in the chair beside Jonnie's hospital bed, Jimmy paced up and down the room.
"It's all my fault," he mumbled. "It's my fault…"
"Jimmy-"
"I said we should join the mafia — I dragged him in this with me — It's all my fault —"
Bella stood up.
"Jimmy-"
"What if he doesn't wake up? What if — if he's dead mom? What if I got my best friend killed? Wh—"
"Jimmy!" Bella cut off, forcing him to stop with one hand on his shoulder. She took a deep breath, turning him to face her.
"My boy, this is not your fault. I'm not gonna let you blame yourself for any of this shit when it was me and your father who fucked up."
Her mind trailed back to the last conversation she had with Jonnie, his words playing over again, sinking in deep.
"I should have been around more. If I would have done somethin' about your fuckin' father sooner — we could have avoided all this. You two wouldn't of turned to the mafia just for a way out. And I'm really, really fuckin' sorry Jimmy, I am. Sorry I've been a shitty mom and-"
Jimmy cut her off this time, wrapping his arms around his mother in a tight hug, resting his head on her shoulder as tears poured from his eyes.
"We'll figure this out now," she promised softly, hand resting on the back of his head. "Promise you."
There was a soft knock on the door, Bella and Jimmy pulled apart as she welcomed whoever in.
They'd expected a doctor or nurse — not the all too familiar well dressed man holding a bouquet of flowers in his hands.
"Dad."
"Grandpa."
Bella grabbed Jimmy by the arm and pulled him back, placing herself between both boys and Albert.
"You got some fuckin' nerve showing up here."
"I bring no harm, my girl," he insisted quickly, raising his hands as if to prove he wasn't carrying a weapon. "Just, came to offer my condolences. To say, I'm sorry. For how things unfolded."
He held out the flowers to Bella, dropping them on the nearby table when she wouldn't take them.
"Didn't have to end this way."
"Sure didn't," Bella agreed, watching Albert like a hawk as his eyes glanced over to Jonnie, then to Jimmy.
"Shouldn't of had to lose your father now, boy—"
"Don't you fuckin' talk to him," Bella cut off, stepping over to block his view of Jimmy. "You don't get to talk to him like that when this is all you're fuckin' fault, you hear me?"
"Mom-" Jimmy put a hand on his mother's shoulder. She took a slow, deep breath.
"Just get the hell out of here, Albert," she insisted coldly. "Before I have you arrested."
"Alright, I understand when I'm not welcome," he said, taking a few steps back towards the door. "But I have just one small request, then I'm gone."
"Fuck — What?"
"Smell the flowers, Bella," his said, gesturing to the bouquet on the table. "Is all I ask for. To make sure they've been growing right."
Bella glanced down at the flowers, picking them up in her hands. Pretty purple ones, she'd seen her father grown rows and rows of them before. She'd never been allowed to touch them. Couldn't touch any of his plants. Felt like he loved them more than her.
"That's all ya want?"
"All I ask," he repeated, hand over his heart.
Bella brought the flowers up to her face, looking down at the innocent arrangement of yellow and purple. This was a common 'gift', her father gave people. One she knew all too well.
She dropped the flowers to the floor, stomping down hard with her dirty boot as she stared her father down.
"Do you think I'm fuckin' stupid?"
Albert smiled, Bella saw the flash of a silver knife flick out at his wrist. By the time she reached to where her gun should have been at her hip, she heard a shot fire and watched the bullet his Albert's hand.
He stumbled back, Bella quickly took the gun from Jimmy's shaking hands and shot him a second time.
Albert's bleeding hand grasped at the whole in his chest as he silently dropped to his knees, then face-down on the floor. Bella pulled Jimmy in close, kissing the top of his head as she watched blood seep out from underneath her father's lifeless body.
"It's alright," she promised quietly, returning the gun to her holster. "You did good Jimmy, you did good."