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“No, buddy. You’ll never be like me. Daddy cleans up messes nobody should ever have to.”
Jack frowned. “Why?”
“Sometimes we have to do hard things so that our family is safe. I clean so that you can do whatever you want when you grow up. Maybe you’ll be a doctor, an engineer, or an astronaut. Anything.”
“A dinosaur?”
I laughed. “Sure.”
“Why you laugh?”
I kissed his cheek. “You make me laugh, honey. You’re the best. My perfect boy. I love you.”
Jack giggled. “I love you. Can I have gelato?”
Manipulative punk. “Only if you promise to share it with me. What flavor do you want?”
“Pis-ta-cho.”
“Pistachio? Not chocolate?”
“He’s a guido, through and through,” said Romeo, who glided to the table.
“Looks like it,” I agreed, glancing down at Jack. “Pistachio it is, then.”
Romeo flagged the server, and minutes later, we dug into a small bowl of green gelato. As I savored the taste, images of a violent struggle in a kitchen flashed. After a couple bites, I put my spoon down.
Beside me, Romeo gave me a significant look. He inclined his head toward the bar. He rumpled Jack’s hair and strolled away.
I turned my attention to Elena.
“Hey, watch him for me?”
Elena stood and sat beside Jack.
I left them and headed to the bar. I took the spot with the view of the windows as Romeo tapped his fingers on the counter. This had better not be about a job.
“What’s up?”
“I thought you’d want to know what the boss is planning to do to the Animals. He’s going to hit them hard tonight. It’ll be a bloodbath. They’ll think twice before touching us again.”
“Good. Violence is the only language they understand.”
Romeo nodded. “Where’s Brina?”
“Last I saw her, sulking in a corner. She’s pissed at me.”
“Yeah. I heard. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
She’s still calling her big brother to complain about me?
I fumed. “What did she tell you?”
“That you went to her work and chewed her out. Her colleagues got a front-row seat to your screaming match.”
“And? You’re lecturing me about standing up for my fiancée?”
“I’m not here to lecture,” he said, his sharp eyes stripping me down. “I’m pointing out that you’ve changed.”
