AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And I wasn’t sure if he’d ever be kind enough to himself to forgive himself. Now, I was positive he was blaming himself for Mila. The truth was it was all my fault. Somehow, it would soon come out this was all connected to me and had nothing to do with Jenna, even though it didn’t explain how we dated cousins while living in different states.
Kieran leaned against the back wall of the room, his presence unobtrusive yet noticeable. Giovanna’s gaze lingered on Tyler with a sense of sadness before I led her over to the fireplace and settled on the brick hearth next to her. Luke maneuvered his way through the room and stood next to my brother.
But Tyler remained still, his hands tightly clasped together in his lap. He stared through everything in the room now, fixated on nothing at all. I tried speaking to him several times, but he didn’t acknowledge me.
Jenna watched in anticipation, ready to nudge him out of his trance, but before she could even make a move, Jacob cleared his throat and snapped us all back to reality. He positioned himself in front of the glowing television screen, drawing everyone’s attention toward him.
“Before I get started,” he turned to Kieran then glanced down at Giovanna, “I’m Jake. I’m married to Ian’s sister.” After they exchanged brief, whispering pleasantries, he scanned each person in the room before continuing, “I’ve been doing some digging, for obvious reasons. I’ve been trying to locate everyone in their bloodline for Ian, but as I was digging, I discovered something I’ve not told any of you yet, except him.” He lifted his chin at Ian.
My nerves frayed and I rubbed my palms up and down my thighs, bracing myself for whatever news was about to be revealed. Jade, this is all your fault. I could almost hear the words echoing in everyone’s heads. Standing, I moved over to the couch, plopping down on the other side of Tyler. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Sensing my anxiety, Luke made his way over and perched on the arm of the sofa next to me. I leaned my head on his forearm, unable to tear my gaze away from Jacob.
“Tyler, Jenna,” Jacob continued, addressing them directly now. “Jade, Kieran... the four of you are related.”
“WHAT?!” Jenna and I gasped in unison.
Kieran and Tyler appeared unphased by the news, though they exchanged a glance that I was unsure how to interpret.
“Yes,” Jacob replied while she and I sat with our mouths still agape. “You’re cousins.”
“What?!” Jenna repeated before I could, as I was too stunned.
Jacob nodded solemnly. “There’s a reason the Prescotts aren’t the only targets. And judging by how you’re looking at me, Jade, I’m guessing you’ve been blaming yourself as much as Jenna has.”
Fidgeting my fingers in my lap, I nodded. “Yeah,” I squeaked, unable to articulate my thoughts.
“How?” Jenna’s voice was filled with confusion and disbelief as she turned to look between Tyler and me.
Jacob paused, scanning each of us with a heavy gaze. “Your fathers were half-brothers,” he finally continued, his voice low and serious. “Mr. Connolly and Mr. Prescott shared a mother, which is why you have different last names.”
“Shit,” Tyler finally breathed before standing, “so all this shit that’s happening is because our father operated on Gino and because of that, we’ve all been attacked?”
Jacob shook his head. “No.”
“What do you mean, no?” Tyler asked, enveloping his arms against his chest defensively.
“The operation was just one small piece in a much larger feud that goes back further than any of you can imagine.” Jacob picked up a folder from the coffee table and opened it. “Their rivalry started long before you were born.”
“How far are we talking?” Kieran questioned, mirroring Tyler’s stance.
Jacob turned to Ian, who had remained silent throughout the conversation. “You might want to sit down for this. I haven’t even told you this part yet.”
Ian slid his hands into his pockets, raising an eyebrow. “I’ll stand.”
“Fine,” Jacob shifted his focus back to the rest of us. “As you all know, the Italian and Irish Mafia have always had a deep-rooted rivalry in New York. Some say it started during the prohibition era, when organized crime flourished and power struggles came to light.” He looked at Jenna and Tyler directly. “Your father grew up in a prominent Irish neighborhood in New York, not Boston, like many assume.”
“Yeah?” Jenna nodded slowly. “We knew that much. He moved here after he took the job at the hospital.”
“A war broke out between the Irish and Italians during the prohibition and your great grandfathers all vowed to destroy everyone they hated. Both of them, Jack Connolly and Frank Prescott, gathered with some Italian allies to take down rival gangs while pushing illegal substances through. They all got a cut of the money and prostitutes forming an alliance between them to survive.” He pointed at the four of us. “Those two men were at the head of the war, fighting alongside the Italians against the Mussolini family.”
“Holy shit,” Chance muttered, his eyes wide.
“Oh my God,” Amber echoed, her hand covering her mouth in shock.
“So, wait,” I interjected, raising a hand. “That was generations ago. What does that have to do with us?”
“Sometimes wars are inherited,” Ian spoke up with a shrug. “I know for me, it certainly was.”
“Shit,” Kieran breathed, “that explains so much.”
