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Fatherhood was a loaded gun. In my line of work, it was a weakness. I didn’t know what scared me more—caring for this kid or him being used against me.
“Jack. I love him already,” Julia gushed, popping an olive in her mouth. “I remember Killie when he was a toddler.”
You’re a father.
My head pounded.
That kid belonged to me. With Elise gone, he was one hundred percent mine. If I closed my eyes, I could smell the poverty in Violet’s apartment, that boiled cabbage stink clinging to every surface. How many nights had I spent with a belly filled with cabbage water and boiled hot dogs and nothing else? When I started working for the Family, I swore I’d never touch another leaf of the stuff again, and I hadn’t. Violet represented everything I’d left behind.
Elena sent the photo to the group chat and commented with: Sweet little angel.
“When are we meeting him?” she asked.
Santino cut through the chatter. “You need to file for full custody. I’ll contact a few lawyers.”
“Whoa,” said Romeo, glaring at Santino. “We gotta keep a level head about the girl. She’s part of Jack’s world. We have to meet her and get the full picture.”
“He doesn’t owe that woman anything,” Santino shot back.
Julia slapped his arm. “What’s the matter with you? She took care of his baby on her own. That’s not easy.”
Romeo nodded. “For the kid’s sake, Kill’s gotta play it smart.”
“By immediately lawyering up and hitting her with a lawsuit—” Achille broke off as the others protested. “His child is being raised by an outsider.”
Elena frowned. “She’s his aunt.”
Santino slapped his phone on the table. “She’s not Italian. She doesn’t know our ways.”
“So Kill gets full custody and cuts her out of his life?” Julia grumbled. “That’s heartless.”
Santino grabbed his wine glass. “That’s life.”
Julia huffed. “That boy just lost his mom. Now he’s losing his aunt, too? That’ll traumatize him.”
Santino waved. “He’s only three. He’ll move on.”
Romeo laughed. “He’s old enough to remember his mother’s death. He’ll blame Kill for ripping away the only parent he has left.”
“Agree,” Elena and Julia chimed.
Sabrina made a face. “Why didn’t you do a paternity test earlier?”
“I told you,” I murmured, rubbing my skull. “I had no idea she was pregnant.”
“How could you not know?”
Bitterness clawed up my throat. “She ghosted me years ago. I didn’t follow up.”
Romeo scowled. “Elise hid her pregnancy from you?”
Sabrina glowered. “Bitch.”
Yeah. Heat fanned my cheeks. Then an image of Elise sprawled on the street flashed, and my heart pounded. Somebody killed my son’s mother. I needed to deal with that.
Romeo’s arm swept the table. “Forget about them. What do you want?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “This is a lot to take in.”
