Memories Erased - Treachery
M. E. Reid

A mantle of storm grey clouds rolling in from the San Bernardino Mountains combined with a light sprinkling of rain to cloak the day in an atmosphere of gloom. It was the perfect backdrop for the day’s event.

Ewyn sat between Devin and Gregorio. With Ewyn’s nieces Nicole and Carolyn on their father’s right, and Patrick on Devin’s left, Gemma, Timothy, Mick and Taggart occupied the seats behind them. More than one hundred solemn family members and associates stood by as his mother’s coffin disappeared into the ground. Mairianna never recovered from Cecilia’s attempt on her life. A silent sob shook Ewyn’s body.

He had no more tears. His supply had been exhausted when, desperate to reclaim his self-esteem by escaping the bondage of domestic violence, what should have been the highlight of his life had deteriorated into a year and a half of emotional upheaval. Memories indelibly imprinted in his mind that began the moment he and Devin met in the bathroom of a gay bar, and Devin rescued Ewyn from his abusive lover. It was love at first sight, and their unlikely liaison -- mob brat and DOJ covert op -- managed to survive an odyssey of fear, deception, murder, and anguish.

After that acrimonious breakup with his violent ex, Ewyn had moved in with Devin, and for the first time in his adult life, he had relaxed and even dared to believe he would be happy and safe. Six months later, life disabused him of that idea and the shit came at him and Devin hard and fast. In their wildest imaginations, neither could have envisioned a scenario like the one they found themselves in, unfolding with all the deadly twists and turns of a crime drama.

What Ewyn failed to factor into his happily-ever-after equation was a visit from Mairianna, his feisty red-haired Irish mother, accompanied by Patrick McCormick, the family driver and bodyguard who refused to stop calling Ewyn ‘pipsqueak’. His mother revealed her knowledge of Ewyn’s uncharacteristic submissive behavior, expressed her disapproval, then demanded answers and explanations. How she’d known about his life, when he hadn’t seen either of them in more than a year…hell.

If that disturbing reunion wasn’t dramatic enough, things escalated from there. Ewyn had a throw down with Devin’s ex Allister Teague, followed by the first attempt on Ewyn’s life. Then he became the prime suspect in the murder of his ex Gareth Varvarinski, member of the Russian mob. The climatic ending to those episodes was the final attempt on his life with Devin stepping up to the rescue, once again, and almost dying in the process.

Then Mairianna had collapsed from the result of slow deliberate poisoning. Regrettably, what no one knew at that time -- his mother wouldn’t survive.

Foolishly, he’d thought that hellacious rollercoaster of emotional upheaval had been a test, a gauntlet of trials and tribulations meant to derail a relationship, which he and Devin had passed. But it wasn’t the end, since they were at the cemetery, mourning the loss of his mother because of the diabolic scheme his sister-in-law had been plotting for years to wipe out the Calderones. Including her—

Ewyn flinched.

The sudden intrusion of Father Casale’s baritone voice on Ewyn’s rumination forced him to return his attention to his immediate surroundings. He noticed most of the assembled group had dispersed but lingering mourners were approaching to offer condolences.

Together with his family, Ewyn stood, Devin draped his arm across Ewyn’s shoulders, and he shivered. Thinking about the extent of his sister-in-law’s insidious hatred was a reminder that he could have been attending Devin’s funeral today. The thought had him edging closer to Devin and snuggling into his warmth.

Hell. Even with the resolution of those unnerving complexities of his life, the uncertainties didn’t end.

Major concerns about his paternal aunt’s welfare compounded the overwhelming heartbreak of losing his mother. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer, his aunt Gemma fought an uphill battle to survive. A mere skeleton of her former self, the chemotherapy had taken its toll, and he worried about her being out in the day’s inclement weather.

Then, in a few weeks, another disturbing change would infringe on life, as Ewyn knew it, when his brother relinquished his role as mob boss. Opting out of syndicate business, he would hand over the reins of the crime family to their cousin Vincenzo. Without Ewyn’s knowledge, his brother had been paving the way for his retirement with hints of failing health. To assure the other crime families knew he wasn’t ratting out to the FBI, he’d go underground, disappearing for an undetermined amount of time.

Hell. Having survived the last two years of chaos, the rest of his life should be easy. What else could happen?
 

* * * *

Ewyn glanced around at the assembled company.

Gregorio and his daughters Nicole and Carolyn were present. Together with Gemma, Patrick, Timothy, Mick, Taggart, and Devin, they were enjoying a last meal as a family, before Gregorio and Patrick disappeared from their lives. Seated at the dining room table, conversation lulled when the servants arrived, and with the precision of a choreographed performance, they removed the remnants of the meal, then dessert and coffee materialized. Task complete, the staff left as quietly as they had come.

Beneath the table, Devin’s hand rested on Ewyn’s thigh and he had a death-grip on that hand, his tumultuous thoughts running rampant. After Mairianna’s death, with Ewyn’s safety secured by his relationship with Devin, Patrick had declared his job complete. Of course, Ewyn suspected his decision to leave wasn’t just about his job. Patrick had been with the Calderones since childhood, dedicated to Mairianna, and he probably felt her loss as much as, if not more than, her sons did. She had taken him off the streets, fed, housed, and clothed him -- treated him like one of her own. Everyone thought of Patrick as a son of the house, including Gregorio and Ewyn who treated him like a brother.

After finishing high school, Mairianna had put Patrick on the Calderone payroll. He ran errands and did odd jobs until he finished college and took the position of bodyguard to Ewyn’s father, then Ewyn, and finally their mother.

Rather than let him retire, Gregorio offered Patrick a position as his right-hand man, an offer Patrick didn’t refuse. After hashing out the conditions of the new position, he arranged for their underground seclusion by securing a safe house, and concocted a plausible cover story for their neighbors, in keeping with Gregorio’s pretense of being ill. Patrick had them packed and good to go within a month of Mairianna’s funeral.

Ewyn stared at Patrick. At first, the idea of losing him along with Gregorio, for an uncertain amount of time, had troubled Ewyn until he realized the loss had an upside. Considering his brother’s past associations, knowing Patrick had Gregorio’s back reconciled Ewyn to the change.

Gaze traveling from Patrick to Nicole and Carolyn -- Ewyn knew so little about his nieces. He’d been a child when they were born, away at college during their formative years, and he had left home by the time they were old enough to communicate as adults. After moving on campus, his nieces had refused to come home if their mother was present.

His sister-in-law’s bitchiness dissuaded him and the girls from attending family functions, except on special occasions, and only if they were for Gregorio or Mairianna. Even then, time spent with the family had been fraught with discord because of Cecilia. The family turmoil must have taken its toll on both young women. Yet, what comfort could Ewyn offer with his recently developed self-confidence only a half-step above iffy.

“Ewyn…”

Startled, he took a deep breath and managed a smile before turning to Devin. The obvious love visible in Devin’s clear amber eyes reassured him. Although their relationship was still a relatively new hook up, in their two years together, Devin had become the one true constant in Ewyn’s life. A fact made more obvious by the steady decline of blood relatives.

“I’m sorry, Dev. Were you saying something?”

Devin leaned close and whispered, “Relax.” He glanced down at the grip Ewyn had on his hand. “It’s going to be all right. I promise.”

“I know.” Loosening his hold, Ewyn glanced at his nieces. “I was thinking about Niki and Caro. I hardly know them.”

“True, but this is your opportunity to get better acquainted. They’re going to need you and Gemma.”

“I don’t know, Dev, they’re so grown. Niki turned twenty-one last month and Greg released both trust funds to her. She’ll be responsible for Caro, and as a business major, Niki is more than capable of handling the money, and taking good care of her sister. What will they need Gem and me for?”

“You’re family. You’ll be there if they need you.” Devin squeezed his fingers. “No doubt, Niki is grown and knows her stuff, but don’t sell yourself short, you’re not just a pretty face.” He winked. “Besides being a computer geek, finance is another area of your expertise. As trustee of the Calderone estate while Greg is away, you’ll offer financial guidance, and Gem will deal with any female issues.

“We’ll visit them at Pepperdine, go on vacations with them, and have the newly adopted members of the family over for the holidays, if that’s what the girls want,” he explained. “We won’t intrude, only participate if they ask. We’ll do the things Greg and Mairianna did with them.”

Devin caressed Ewyn’s thigh, his fingertips soft-stroking Ewyn’s ****. Inching his legs apart, Ewyn relaxed as the warmth of Devin’s touch seeped through the material of his slacks and his ***** reacted to the touch. Devin always knew how to ease Ewyn’s anxiety.