“Why? Why would you keep me away from Alana?”
“You shattered her.” Her jaw tightens and there’s hatred in every word. “Destroyed everything that was holding back the darkness deep inside her, and I wasn’t going to let that happen again.”
The reality of the situation slams into me like a tank through paper. I hurt her. She’s a different person because of me.
Penelope continues, “At first, I was protecting an asset. Then over the years she became my friend.” Her voice drops with a pleading ache. “Then the Four Families dominated her attention, and I could feel her slipping away. If Amanda and you came back into Alana’s life, I’d never see her again.”
Empathy can be a really shitty thing sometimes. I understand why this woman would want to keep Alana and me apart. Hadeon takes the phone from my hand.
“Thank you. We’ll talk when I get home. Love you.” He hangs up the phone and slips it into his pocket as the car pulls up to my building. He stares at me like he’s doing one final assessment. Then the dog puts his head on my leg, and Hadeon’s eyebrows shoot up. “Very interesting.” He presses his lips together as I pat the dog on the head, and then the driver opens the door, so I scoot towards it. “You might not believe it, but I’m rooting for you,” he adds, as I slide out. “Don’t disappoint me.”
It’s not a threat, but it’s also not exactly an endorsement.
CHAPTER 24
Alana
Day 7
The object I carry into Thiago’s house is heavy and cumbersome. It’s also diabolical.
The driveway is filled with cars, making it a jigsaw puzzle whenever someone wants to leave. That’s why I always park on the street. No one questions why I’m walking into the house— why would they? I dip my chin at the security and enter without knocking. I’m the reason he can afford this house. I don’t need to announce myself.
There are the usual suspects sitting around the formal living room. They see what I have, but none of them say anything. I home in on Duncan. “You’re treading a very thin line here.” I lift the crate. “This could be your fate next.” None of the patriarchs of the Four Families say anything.
I walk through the hallway lined with family photos and a statue of Mary resting on a long table. The kitchen is filled with couples in various conversations and stages of eating. All things stop when they see me, and their attention drops to the crate I’ve put down on the floor. Kicking open the basement door with my foot, I call down, “Maria! Come here.”
There’s a stampede of feet flying up the stairs.
Thiago enters the kitchen behind the kids as he was talking with his dad in the other room when I entered. He sees me and flashes me a shit-eating grin. “I’m surprised you’re here,” his words are drowned out by the screaming.
“Aunt Alana!” The kids come stomping up the stairs. There’s a rapid-fire verbal attack of ‘thank yous’ and ‘come see what I got you.’
Thiago’s daughter is the youngest and is the first one out from the basement. She also has terrible observation skills and nearly runs straight into the object I brought. But Shea and Ian hang back in the doorway, eyeing up the situation. Drew is the last to come up, complaining that no one ever cleans up after themselves, but stops dead in his tracks, eyes wide. I bend down and open the gate, lifting the puppy and showing Maria.
She squeals. “He’s so cute!” Maria’s smile is infectious.
My eyes flash back to Thiago, whose smile vanishes, and he looks like he wants to vomit. He opens his mouth to speak, but I’m faster.
“He’s yours.” I pat his furry head and hand him over to my goddaughter. “He’s a Burmese Mountain Dog. They’re sweet and loyal.” They also shed 365 days of the year and shit bricks. “Look at his paws.” I point to his extra-large feet. “That means he’s gonna grow sooo big.”
Thiago stands up, his eyes already watering. “Baby, you can’t keep him. Daddy has allergies.”
I flash him a wicked smile. “Don’t worry, you start your allergy shot treatments tomorrow.” He is deathly afraid of needles. “Only two years of weekly treatments, and it won’t be an issue.” Thiago’s face drains of all color, and he looks to his wife for support. She crosses her arms and glares at him.
“You should’ve kept your damn mouth shut,” she says and smacks him on the back of the head. Then gives me a wink and sits on the floor with her daughter and new puppy. It’s the exact breed she grew up with, so it was an easy choice.
Jenny and Joey, recent dog owners themselves, also bend over and start playing with the puppy who starts bouncing between everyone, sniffing and making little yip sounds.
It’s a low blow even by my standards—using the kids as manipulation tactics is pretty fucked up. But I’m all smiles as I add, “Drew and Shae, you get your pick between a turtle and chinchilla." I researched worst pets, choosing turtles because they never die, and chinchillas because they are nocturnal nightmares of dander and poof. And it will be way harder on their parents than the kids. Lance and Duncan will be slapped with the responsibility of keeping these little monsters alive.
Ian raises his hand. “Um Aunt Alana, did my dad do anything to make you mad?” Smart boy.
“No. Your dad is in good standing.” I almost feel bad for him. I’m sure it seems like everyone is getting a cool pet except him. “But you’re gonna get a trauma pony eventually, so chin up.” He curses in Russian and walks back downstairs.
Thiago’s wife hooks the dog up with a leash and walks him into the basement for the kids to play. Once the kids are gone, the power shifts, and Thiago snaps, “What the hell Alana?”
“You attacked my private life, I attacked yours. It’s the basic law of war.”
