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“God, me too, if only so Maddie and my son don’t have to go through that.”
“We’d take care of her and Brando. You know that.”
“I know you would.” He pats my hand. “Alright, enough of this. Tell Maddie to come back in and send everyone else home. They look like shit.”
“Coming from the guy that’s half corpse.”
He grunts a laugh. “You’re such a prick. We just made up and you’re already busting my balls.”
“We’re brothers. It’s what we do.”
He turns and looks toward the window. His face grows serious. “They took Dante from me, Saul.” His voice breaks. I don’t think I’ve ever heard my brother this emotional before, and it kills me. I wish with everything I could take away some of his pain, but there’s no way I could do it.
“I know, man. I know.”
“He sacrificed himself to save me. I tried to stop him, but he did it anyway, and now he’s gone.”
“He was a good person. One of our best.”
“I need you to take over the underboss role again. Fuck what the Capos might think, I don’t give a damn. Your only job from now on is to crush Jasha Aslanov. Kill them all, brother, and make Dante proud. Wherever he is right now.”
“I will, Don Rossi.”
His smile doesn’t reach his eyes, and I know how much he’s hurting. I leave him alone to mourn his friend. Only Maddie can help him now.
Chapter 37
Molly
One Month Later
Brando comes careening around a corner, laughing like a maniac. He’s got a gardening shovel clutched between his little hands.
“I’m too fast!” he screams as Maddie chases after him, her face red and her hair flying all over the place.
“Brando, no, that’s dangerous, don’t run with that!” she yells at him.
I step in front of the little devil and scoop him up. “Here you go,” I say, plucking the shovel from his hands.
“Aw, Aunty Molly, no fun,” he whines.
Maddie appears, breathless, and retrieves her little demon. “You’re in trouble, mister,” she says through her teeth and gives me a thankful smile. “Next time, I won’t make the pregnant girl snatch my kid.”
“It’s okay,” I say, one hand on my belly. “I could use the exercise.”
“Come on, you,” she grumbles as Brando wriggles in her arms.
I watch them go, shading my eyes and smiling. Even when he’s being a little nightmare, Brando’s absolutely adorable with his curly hair and his constant smile. It’s really hard to be mad at a boy that’s laughing all the time.
“Still want kids?” Allegra asks, coming up behind me. She leans against my shoulder and I put an arm around her.
“Too late now,” I say.
“Brando makes me wonder sometimes.”
“But Cassie’s so calm. It’s like a study in opposites.”
“Boys and girls.” She shakes her head. “Honestly, I always thought it was kind of bullshit, you know? Like little boys were being conditioned to be absolute menaces, and I think that’s true to some extent. But then I see the difference between Brando and Cassie—” She laughs and shrugs.
