Memories Erased - Treachery
M. E. Reid

Chapter One

A stormy grey mantle of clouds rolled in from the San Bernardino Mountains.  Combined with a light sprinkling of rain, they cloaked the day in an atmosphere of gloom and provided the perfect backdrop for the day’s event.

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

There were no more tears.  His store depleted over the last year and a half of his life -- a rollercoaster ride of fear, discovery, happiness, jeopardy, and heartache. 

It had started with the acrimonious break from his abusive ex-lover, which in turn, had made him the prime suspect in the man’s murder.  Closely following that event had been the heart-stopping incident of Devin’s shooting, and Cecilia‘s diabolical attempt to wipe out the Calderones.  At the time, he would have relished killing Cecilia with his bare hands.  Yet, when an earthquake rocked the monastery in Italy where Gregorio had confined her, and the ensuing fire had consumed the remains of the structure, her death still came as a shock.  Recovery of any identifiable remains had been impossible.

Adding to the overwhelming heartbreak of losing his mother, he had major anxiety about his aunt’s welfare.  Recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Gemma was fighting an uphill battle to survive, and the chemotherapy had taken its toll.  A mere skeleton of her former self, Gemma shouldn’t be out in the inclement weather.

Each of those events had ebbed and flowed through his life while he had struggled to cope with the complex transitions restructuring his world.  He had gone from victim to survivor, had evolved from baby of the family to a respected adult, and the most important conversion of all -- he had established a stable loving relationship with Devin.

In a few weeks, another change would infringe upon life, as he knew it.  Gregorio would go underground, his nieces would return to college, and Ewyn’s distant relationship with them would resume.

Oh yeah, his life had been one hell of a rollercoaster ride.

What next?

* * *

Ewyn looked around at the assembled company.

Gregorio, Nicole, and Carolyn were present, along with Gemma, Patrick, Timothy, Mick, Taggart, and Devin.  They were there having one last meal together as a family, before Gregorio and Patrick disappeared from their lives.

Seated at the dining room table, conversation lulled when the servants appeared, and with the precision of a choreographed performance, they removed the remnants of the meal.  Dessert and coffee materialized.  Their task complete, the servants left as stealthily as they had come.

Beneath the table, Devin’s hand rested on Ewyn’s thigh, and Ewyn had a death-grip on that hand, his thoughts in turmoil.

After Mairianna’s death, and with Ewyn’s welfare secured by his relationship with Devin, Patrick had declared his job complete.  Rather than retire him, Gregorio had offered Patrick the position as his right-hand man; an offer Patrick hadn’t refused.  He and Gregorio had hashed out the conditions of his continued employment, and then Patrick had managed all the arrangements for his and Gregorio’s underground seclusion.  After securing a safe house, Patrick had concocted a plausible cover story, and he’d had them packed and good to go within a month of Mairianna’s funeral.

Ewyn stared at Patrick.  The idea of losing Patrick and his brother for an undetermined amount of time troubled him, but he realized it had its upside.  In view of his brother’s past associations, knowing Patrick had Gregorio’s back reconciled Ewyn to the loss.

His gaze moved from Patrick to his nieces.  He knew so little about them.

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.  Then Cecilia’s bitchiness had alienated the girls and they had moved on campus, refusing to come home while Cecilia was present, except on special occasions.  Even then, time spent with the family had been fraught with uncertainty then death.

The family turmoil must have had some affect on them.  Yet, what kind of comfort, if any, could he offer them?  Hell.  His recently developed emotional stability was only a half step above iffy. 

“Ewyn.”

He flinched at the sound of his name, took a deep breath, and mustered up a smile before turning to Devin.  The obvious love visible in Devin’s clear amber gaze reassured him.

Although their hook up was relatively new, in their two years together, Devin had become the one true constant in Ewyn’s life.  A fact made 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 hold Ewyn had on his hand.  “It’s going to be all right.  Promise.”      

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

“True.  But this is your opportunity to get to know them.  They’re going to need you and Gemma.”

“I don’t know, Dev, they’re so grown.  Niki turned twenty-one last week and Greg turned both trust funds over to her.  She’s a business major and quite capable of handling everything.  She’ll take good care of Caro.  What will they need me and Gemma for?”

“Family, baby, to be there if needed.  You’re trustee of the Calderone estate while Greg is gone.”  Devin squeezed his fingers.  “Sure, Niki is grown, and as a business major, she knows her stuff, but don’t sell yourself short.  You’re not just a pretty face, you know.”  He grinned.  “Business is one of your areas of expertise too.  So you’ll offer financial guidance when needed, and Gemma can deal with any female issues normally handled by a mother.

“We’ll go visit them at Pepperdine, go on vacations with them, and we’ll have all of the newly adopted members of the family over for the holidays, if that’s what the girls want.  We can do all the things Greg and Mairianna did with them.”  Devin caressed Ewyn’s thigh, fingertips soft-stroking Ewyn’s cock.  “We won’t intrude, but we’ll participate when they ask.”

Inching his legs apart, Ewyn relaxed, his prick reacting to the warmth of Devin’s hand seeping through the material of his slacks.  As always, Devin knew exactly how to ease Ewyn’s anxiety.

© M. E. Reid