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“I don’t understand.” And I truly didn’t other than one of the men looked suspiciously like Rico. “Wait a minute. Is this Rico’s father?”
“Santiago Garcia when he was younger,” Dante added.
“Let me guess. The fourth man is your father,” I said as I glanced at Dante then Diego.
“Yes.” Diego lifted his eyebrows. “At the time, the thought of a Brotherhood of organized crime seemed ridiculous to everyone but the four men. However, they didn’t count on Santiago being greedy. He knew what was at stake and went after the other members. It was made very clear to him that if he showed his face in the US again, he would be killed. In my mind, they should have done so then.”
I glanced at the photograph again. “The near sabotage was the reason the Brotherhood never came to pass all those years ago.”
“Exactly,” Brogan said as he walked close. “Show him the rest, Constantine. He deserves to know.”
“What do I need to know?”
“The reason Rico’s attack was personal.” Maxim was gruff in everything he did yet today, he seemed reserved.
Constantine pulled another photograph into his hand, shaking his head for a few seconds. “How much did you know about Emily before you fell in love with her?”
“How much did I know? Enough to realize she was the light of my life. What are you getting at?” I’d met her on a business trip to LA a long time before. We connected again a couple of years after that, and it hadn’t taken much to ask her to return to Baltimore with me.
It took a few seconds for Constantine to hand me the photograph. While it took me a few seconds to comprehend what I was seeing, when I did, I realized my hand holding the picture was shaking.
“In researching Rico and what he was attempting to do, I came across this,” Diego said quietly. “It seems Emily and Rico met when they were very young, both turning just seventeen. When they were eighteen, they started a relationship. I don’t know what happened but only a couple months into their love affair, she broke it off.”
“I know what happened. He became possessive and abusive.” I was sick inside, trying to keep the anger from reaching a boiling point.
The men allowed me some space. With the photograph still in my hands, I walked toward one of the windows, peering out at the street for a few seconds. The bastard had killed her.
I pulled the picture to my chest, closing my eyes briefly. While I’d always hold a special place in my heart for the woman I’d fallen in love with, I was okay with letting the past remain there.
“Thank you for discovering the truth,” I said, barely able to recognize my voice.
“You had a right to know.” Constantine moved into my line of vision. “I hope it helps with the demons.”
“Only Georgia has been able to do that,” I admitted.
“There is nothing like the love of a good woman,” Brogan said and the others groaned. He was right.
“Onto other business, gentlemen. We’d like to offer you a place in the Brotherhood. You certainly earned your stripes.” As Constantine held out his hand, I glanced at it for a few seconds.
This could be life changing. However, was I ready for another responsibility? Maybe it was exactly what I needed.
I could sense every man in the room was tense. When I accepted the gesture, I knew it was the right thing to do. My father would want it. In truth, so did I.
“Excellent. Let’s toast to the Brotherhood.”
Everyone raised their glass and almost all I could think about was getting home to the woman I loved and the little man I hoped one day would call me Daddy.
“To staying my blade from the flesh of the innocent. To hiding in plain sight. And to never compromising the Brotherhood.” I’d remembered what I’d been told.
“He does learn,” Maxim teased.
There was something about knowing several men had my back, much like my brother would do. While the betrayal would linger in the back of my mind for some time, I was ready to move forward in my life.
“To the Brotherhood,” Brogan added.
“Incidentally, our guest can only stay for three months until the restaurant is finished. I don’t think we want our guests suddenly finding him lurking in the shadows.”
“I don’t know. It could be a selling point,” Maxim smirked.
