046. TARGET

"What the fuck, Harry?!" Colson yelled, storming into the room. "A car fucking exploded, and you didn't call me?"

This was the last thing he wanted to deal with tonight.

Hours had passed since the car burst into flames, burning the three (already dead) bodies inside and everything else that car possessed. Everything about tonight was a trap. A trap he almost fell for. A trap that could have cost Harry and Dallas their lives had they continued searching for thirty seconds longer.

"So this is where we are now? You're icing me out?"

Rolling his eyes, Harry brushed past him and walked over to the mirror hanging on the far wall. "Are you seriously upset that you missed out on dying tonight?" he sneered. Raising the tweezers to his brow, Harry pulled a shard of glass out of his skin. "Get a fucking grip."

"That's not what this is about, and you know it!" Colson continued, going red in the face. "You keep this up, and we will end up right back to where we were before the Romano deal! Which, by the fucking way, was your own mistakes and incompetence that left us in that desperate spot to begin with!"

Harry slowly turned around. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Stalking forward, he pointed his index finger at Colson. "You better watch your fucking mouth!"

Dallas reached out, grabbing hold of Harry's arm before he could take another step. "Woah, hold on there, Boss. Let's just take a deep breath before we do something we'll regret and-"

"Or what? You'll fire me, Boss?" Colson crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head with a scoff. "Last time I fucking checked, we were all partners in this. Dallas and Kip might still be under some control to be your lap dogs-"

"Hey!" Dallas whined.

"But that's not what any of us signed up for! You said you wanted us to go straight! You said you had a plan. We didn't do Dallas's jewellery store hit because you didn't want to. You. Not us. You!"

"I know that!" Harry yelled, attempting to pull his arm out of Dallas's grasp.

"Do you? Because it doesn't fucking seem like that! Just because I didn't go through the program like you guys doesn't mean you can treat me differently."

"You lied-"

"Dallas lies all the fucking time!"

"HEY!"

"No, he doesn't."

Colson cocked his head to the side. "Oh really? Why don't you ask him where he was the day you and I had to verify that lead on the arms dealer? Cause I'll bet you a million dollars, he wasn't in the house the entire time, leaving Rory to find something she shouldn't have."

"COLSON!" Dallas cried out, "Shutthefuckup!"

Turning to the side, Harry narrowed his eyes at the man beside him, slapping the ice pack out of his hand. "Rory found something she shouldn't have?"

"What? Of course not!" Dallas replied, letting out a nervous chuckle. "This guy is crazy!"

With a sneer of disbelief, Harry turned back to the mirror and resumed his task of removing the shards of glass out of his skin. A tiny fragment was stuck. Harry winced as the tweezers slipped, stabbing the tender flesh.

From the corner of his eye, Colson watched his friend struggle. He let out a sigh and sauntered over. "Let me do it."

"I don't need your fucking help."

"Yes, you do," he gritted back in response, "Now hand it over."

Pinching his skin one final time was all the reason Harry needed to give in. Handing over the tool, he stood still as Colson maneuvered him into the proper position and adjusted the lighting. It was impressive how quickly Colson worked, picking out each shard of glass and placing it on the side table. Before Harry knew it, his wounds were disinfected, cleaned, and bandaged.

"Thanks," Harry muttered.

"No problem. I-"

"Oh, don't worry about me, guys," Dallas spat sarcastically, balancing a needle and thread between his teeth. "Let me just stitch myself up quickly, and then we can go."

Ignoring the comments, Colson asked, "What time does Stefano want to meet?"

"Whenever we're ready. His men are taking care of the car and bodies."

"I guess there are some benefits to working with someone else." Colson nodded to the item on the ground. "Spare clothes are in the bag."

"Thanks for that. And for," Harry motioned to his forehead, "this."

"Anytime."

They exchanged a glance. Harry was grateful for his help - he truly was. But that didn't change the fact that, at this particular moment, he had a burning hatred for the man in front of him. And reminding himself of that pressing fact, Harry cleared his throat, walked over to the duffel bag, and grabbed a clean pair of clothes.

"Dallas, stop throwing a pity party and let's go."

Knotting his last stitch and tossing the lukewarm ice pack onto the ground, Dallas got up from his spot with a spring in his step. "You got it, Boss!"

Changing out of their clothes covered in dirt and residue from the explosion, Harry tossed all the items into a bag to dispose of. A quick basement shower reminded him of the past - or, as Dallas would say, the good old days. This used to be part of their routine every night. Go out, cause some mayhem by robbing a small-scale jewellery store or bank, cover their tracks, clean themselves of the crime, and then go out and enjoy their night.

That's what they used to do when Harry still struggled to think for himself.

He always knew they would still be involved in this lifestyle. It was impossible to avoid, and the exact reason why they did what they needed to afford the building he currently stood in. It's not like they would be approved for a loan or mortgage the same way any average person would.

Two years ago, his life appeared to be changing for the better. He and the boys had purchased the club - wanting to run a clean establishment. That quickly derailed when bills started to pile up, and debts were due. He always dabbled back into the old life to keep them afloat. But it was never to this extent.

Harry could no longer party his troubles away after completing a job; forget the night with a line of the purest white powder. Once again, someone else was directing his life. 

He hated it.

And yet, at the same time, he craved it; his old life, knocking on the doors of temptation, was nearly impossible for him not to desire.

No longer could the three men celebrate a night like this one. A car exploding and nearly killing them would have been humorous in the past, an excuse to drink the night and their troubles away. But working this way meant there was someone else to report to.

And someone else to be suspicious of.

Many questions were floating in Harry's head. It hadn't stopped since the partnership was finalized, and every day since, it got worse.

Out of desperation, Harry agreed to consider the Romanos as a partner. And out of vengeance, Harry agreed to the partnership. Killing Tanner was only the start; now, he feared they were locked in for life with a man who could be behind it all.

The last of trust was holding him back, making him sloppy with his work. And that needed to change. Getting into the driver's seat, Harry had one goal for tonight: to learn Stefano's connection to the program.

Dallas leaned forward. "So... we're all good now, right? One big happy family again?"

The two men in the front exchanged a glance. "We're fine."

"Alright, now say it like you mean it."

"Dallas," Harry warned.

"Don't pull that tone with me, Boss. I'm just trying to make sure we have peace before we go interrogate Stefano."

"In his own... Dallas way... he does have a point," Colson said. "Are we okay now?"

There was a beat of silence before Harry replied, "No."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," he said flatly.

"This is ridiculous, Haz. Rory moved back to her place. She didn't move across the country or burn your house down."

Harry didn't respond, focusing on the road before him. Another car incident was not needed - one exploding car was enough for the night.

"This is fucking ridiculous," Colson muttered, shaking his head. "Blaming me for your own fucking mistakes."

"She is gone because of you!" Harry yelled. "You are the fucking reason she is gone! You caused this! I don't know what you said to her, but I know it was because of you! And then you just help her move out?!" Once it started to release, Harry was unable to contain it; a week of anger was tumbling out his mouth at an uncontrollable speed. "Fucking hell. I know you hated her, but you didn't have to ruin this for me! I was finally able to feel normal around someone who didn't want to change me, and your jealous-"

"Don't go there." Eyes narrowing at the supposed friend beside him, Colson added, "Rory left because of you. The only person you have to blame for her leaving is yourself. Not me, not Dallas, not Kip... just you. And the fact that you still don't fucking see that is exactly why I'm glad she's gone."

Harry didn't have a response. He knew Colson was right - but there was no chance in hell he would admit something like that. So instead, he seethed in his spot with anger, veins popping over the thought. He was the reason she left. He couldn't blame anyone but himself. He was the reason, the only reason, Rory had to return to a place she hated - to a place she felt unsafe.

"Now... Harry..." Dallas said, gesturing his hand from him to Colson.

"Now Harry, what?" he repeated.

"Tell Colson how you feel."

"What is this? Fucking therapy?"

Dallas gave him a nonchalant shrug. "Pretty much, yeah. We can't go into the meeting with these bad vibes, so we might as well get it all out now."

Harry fell silent, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "You let her leave." Feeling Dallas's pressing glare from the backseat, he continued, "And it fucking hurts that you helped her."

"What was I supposed to do, Harry? Keep her hostage for you?"

He replied with a bitter, "No, obviously not."

Releasing a deep breath, Colson calmly said, "The only reason I helped her is because she needed someone. And if she was reaching out to me for help, you know she was desperate."

"She could have told me what was wrong."

"And you could have realized something was wrong and asked her." Colson looked out the window. "At least I have one advantage over you three with not being in the program. I might be shit at understanding basic emotions sometimes, but I know what it's like to be in her position. And if you're never going to tell her the truth, she will never understand that darkness. No matter how much she convinces herself otherwise."

"Are you ever going to tell her?" Dallas asked.

"No."

"Smart. She already has a target on her back without knowing anything."

Harry's jaw tensed at Dallas's comment - only because he knew it to be true. He tried to protect her, and he knew eventually it all wouldn't matter. At some point, she would either become corrupt or die innocently. His bullet wouldn't kill her because he would never fire it. But at this point, he might as well pull the trigger; Rory's fate would be the same either way.

Colson cleared his throat. "Are we good again?"

Shifting the gear into park, Harry looked to the side. "I'm still pissed at you."

"I know. But you're talking to me like a human again, so it has to count for something."

"Well, you're good at the... talking stuff. And if I talk to Stefano, I might just rip his head off over this little vacation he took while we dug up all the secrets in Tanner's apartment and had a near-death experience tonight with an exploding engine."

"Still think he's crossing us?"

Eyeing the warehouse, he replied, "Only one way to find out."

XX

Harry stared down at the man sitting across the table. The silence didn't bother him; it was welcomed. If he spoke, there was no telling the venom that would be released in his tone. And with a new partner, that wasn't always the best way to start things.

"It appears we have a much bigger problem on our hands than anticipated," Stefano began, taking a sip from his drink. "An enemy has seemingly risen from the dead and is coming for you... A weasel was taken out, and an interesting document was found in his apartment... And now, to top it all off, we have three dead men who came after you with no weapons, and their vehicle exploded. It's been an interesting few weeks, hasn't it?"

Interesting isn't the word Harry would have chosen; something more along the lines of it all being highly suspicious.

"It has. It appears all of our ghosts are coming back to haunt us."

"Ghosts... yes," Stefano mused over the word without a second thought.

Harry observed his expression, waiting for the slightest flinch. And yet, there was none. Stefano appeared lost in genuine thought. Damn. Either he had an incredible poker face, or he was genuinely innocent. And Harry doubted the latter could ever be true with Stefano Romano.

"I am sensing some hostility in the room," Stefano commented, looking at the three men across the table. "Am I correct?"

"Towards you, yes."

Stefano raised a brow; a slight chuckle escaped over what he deemed a confident response. "Well, maybe this would soften the blow before we begin what you're really here for." His attention focused solely on Harry. "It appears Giovanni may have overstepped in my absence. Taken some... liberties, let's say, with the way he approached his future staff members. I apologize for that and would like you to know that he will no longer be permitted on the floor the nights that employee is working unless they deem it appropriate."

Harry only replied with a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"While it's appreciated that Giovanni has been reminded of the basic rules of respect," Colson began sternly, "We need full transparency from you to move forward in any capacity together."

"I agree. But what would this transparency that you are looking for be?"

"The program." Colson crossed his arms over his chest, "And I would suggest you start speaking quickly because I have a strong feeling someone," he nodded to Harry, "in this room is a few seconds away from putting a bullet through your head after the events of tonight."

Stefano cleared his throat. "You feel set up. I understand. And for that, I will ignore your threats - just this once. But let me make one thing clear: I had no idea that a car would follow you and explode tonight. And I sure as all hell had no idea some weasel like Tanner would have any clue as to who you are. I wanted him dead because Giovanni was turning into his father." The skin between his brows creased. "He was being messy and impulsive... putting that girl's life at risk for pointless information. And the small tidbits that were beneficial, he blatantly ignored. I think he started to enjoy toying with her rather than doing this job. But once that lead ran dry, I decided it was time to be rid of him, once and for all."

"So, you had no idea Tanner would have any information about V?"

"Of course not," he replied, insulted by the accusation. "I was someone who celebrated that program being destroyed and V along with it. If I knew there was any chance V was alive, I would have made them the number one target!"

Harry raised a brow at the comment and spoke for the first time since entering the room, "That is surprising to hear, considering your admiration towards my past the last time we spoke."

"I can appreciate your gift while simultaneously disagreeing with how you received it."

"And how do you know the ways I received my... gift?" That particular word, in context with what he did, made Harry's shoulders tense. It was no gift to him.

Stefano stood from the table and made his way to the bar cart. "When the program first started, we were approached as investors. It was a hard proposal to refuse. Assassins always come in handy, and at the time, there was no peace between the families - we were heading towards a blood bath." Filling three glasses, he said, "We were told the agents were ex-CIA, FBI, military..." he waved his hand aimlessly, "After the first round of donations, we found out the truth regarding how you were recruited and my perspective on the program changed. I don't believe one should be forced into this lifestyle - especially against their will."

"How considerate," Harry muttered under his breath.

"It was clear no agents willingly made that choice to be part of the program. And so, I wanted to pull out. However, my brother-in-law, Luca, became even more intrigued by the idea of minds being moulded at a young age to become some of the deadliest assets in the world. He tended to be messy and act out of impulse, so I invested to ensure I could keep an eye on his moves."

Stefano returned to the table, passing out the three glasses of amber liquid. Harry took it as a clear sign that a drink would be necessary to hear the rest of his past. Memories constantly flooded his mind about what he went through, but a clear picture was never formed. That's because it wasn't supposed to - he wasn't supposed to remember anything about who he was or the life he led before the program. And he sure as hell wasn't supposed to remember anything about it either.

Returning to his seat, he continued, "I never hired an agent myself. I had men who earned a living wage from doing that job for me, and I believed in keeping them employed. Besides, I knew better than to hire someone to take out a rival leader. Even if we were heading towards a blood bath, I knew better than to be the trigger that started a war. I wanted to find us peace, but some people had... other intentions." Stefano's eyes remained focused on Harry, ensuring he heard every word. "Luca, Gio's father, was married to my sister. I never liked the man - like I said, he was messy and impulsive... overly flashy with his lifestyle, while I prefer to remain under the radar. For some reason, my father rewarded his behaviour with more opportunities and money. Luca was power-hungry - willing to do whatever he needed to get what he wanted. And when something went wrong, my sister was the one at home who faced the consequences of his anger."

Stefano took a sip of his drink and swirled the liquid around the glass. "I tried to put a stop to things many times, but I was instructed by my father to stay out. He saw what this... person was doing to his daughter and his reaction was to do nothing. I'll never forgive myself for her death, and I'll never know what truly happened the night she died. But I know that Luca hired someone to kill her."

"And you wanted to figure out who did it?"

"Precisely," he said, nodding to Dallas. "Of course, that was nearly impossible. V ensured no agent ever left a trace behind - no mistakes were ever made by the ones they trained. However, it appeared they did not take the same precautions." Refilling his glass, Stefano looked to Harry and continued, "When searching for my sister's killer, I spent years just trying to get one piece of evidence..., and all I ended up with was a donation to one of the various fake churches V set up. And so, I visited it. I thought if I couldn't uncover the truth, at least I could say my final goodbye to her there and let the past be."

"And let me guess, that didn't happen?"

"No, it did not. Instead, I found something much better." He drained the remainder of his glass. "Hidden away in the basement was a wall of photos. I wouldn't have paid much attention... until I saw my sister. And then, it clicked. V set up a shrine to all the victims of the program. No evidence... no proof... not even their names were included. Just their image."

Harry stiffened at the remark. "So that's how you found out who I was?"

Refilling his glass, Stefano looked at Harry. "I know about you because I invested. Despite what you were led to believe, people did know who you were - well, at least the investors knew who the prospect agents were. Your identities were traded as collateral."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Dallas muttered, looking off to the side.

Catching a glance from the corner of his eye, Harry reached out a hand under the table and patted his friend on the thigh. He knew the internal battle Dallas must have been having. Had Harry not known of Stefano's previous discovery of his victims, he would've had the exact same reaction.

"We need to get rid of that church," Colson whispered under his breath.

"It's already taken care of."

"What?"

Stefano leaned back in his chair. "Did you really think I would allow that place to keep standing? Oh, please. I burned down that place, and it's stupid fucking shrine the second I could."

Harry couldn't help but allow the corner of his mouth to tug upwards, hearing the anger in the man's voice. He had to admit - he liked the way Stefano dealt with a problem.

"Does this mean someone in the Skullz Gang could have been an investor?" Colson asked, breaking the heavy silence in the room. "Tanner... the document... following you around... What if they want revenge for something?"

"Plus, apparently V is still alive," Dallas chimed in. "Maybe they're pissed he burned down the church. Or maybe they're running the skullz gang," he gently slapped Harry on the shoulder with the back of his hand, "V's probably still pissed you left."

"That's an interesting point. I'd love to know," Stefano began, leaning forward on the table, "Why would V be after their golden boy?"

Harry strummed his fingers against the table. "I didn't leave on the best of terms. Maybe they are seeking revenge."

"What terms did you leave on?"

"Let me put it this way," Harry leaned forward, mirroring the man across from him, "There was no option given to leave. And I left."

Stefano wore a pleasing look. "I knew I liked you, Harry."

Not interested in the pleasantries being exchanged, Colson crossed his arms over his chest and asked, "What happened to Luca?"

"He tragically died in a shooting during one of Gio's birthday parties," he answered without a hint of remorse. "We all miss him dearly." Eyes scanning the three men in front of him, Stefano wore a devilish grin as he said, "You all look so angry and upset. I thought this would excite you."

"And what are we supposed to be excited over exactly?"

"The prospect of two individuals rising from their graves? That doesn't happen every day."

XX

Ring, ring... Ring, ring...

Ring, ring... Ring, ring...

Ring, ring... Ring, ring...

Ring, ring... Ring, ring...

Ring, ring... Ring, ring...

10 MISSED CALLS: RORY YOUNG

RORY WHY R U CALLING?! U OK BESTIE?