Page 53 of Worth of Waste

“Relaxing.”

“In the city?” Ben asked.

Dino was careful to answer that one, knowing his uncle very well might be looking for him, and not at all wanting Ben to come within fifty feet of Karen or his son. “I’m around, Ben. I needed a couple of days.”

“To do what?” Ben sighed. “Now, I know you’re probably still angry with me over the whole getting you put in jail thing, but deny that it was a good break for you, Dino. You’re clear-headed, and you can get back to work doing what is best for the family.”

“The family, or our family?”

“Are we going to waste time playing word games?”

Dino scowled, staring out over the driveway of the cabin and wishing he was still in bed with Karen. “You seem to forget what your little game with me and the police and Feds actually cost me, Ben. I’m on borrowed time, now. They’re probably already building the next case—one that’ll put me away for a lot longer than a year and a half—as we fucking speak. This is not just as simple as a disagreement for us to get over—you practically shoved me under the damn bus!”

Without a doubt, and without Ben even needing to say so, Dino knew he had crossed one of his uncle’s many invisible lines with that tirade.

But it had needed to be said.

Dino needed to say it.

Ben didn’t have to particularly fucking like it.

It took Ben a full minute before he responded, and as he usually was, his response came off as cold and indifferent as his attitude towards Dino had always been in the past. “Be that as it may, nipote, you’re still free. For however long it is that you’ll be out, I suppose. And while you are out, I expect you to do what needs to be done. You’re still a made man for the Outfit, after all. You still head the crew, though your brother has been doing one hell of a job on his own, I must say.”

“Get to the point, Ben.”

“Lunch today, and church tomorrow, Dino.”

Dino’s gaze narrowed, the cold November wind chilling him to the core as he stood on the cabin’s front porch. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“You’ll be at my home for lunch today, and in the pew for church tomorrow. Whatever break you think you’re on is over—time to get back to life. Otherwise, I have little issue with reminding you of just how easily what bit of freedom you have left can be taken away. Remember, while you have your position in this family, I also have mine.”

And Ben headed it all, Dino knew.

The most important thing came rushing back to Dino—he had to keep Karen and Junior safe from his uncle, if only because Ben would see them as a threat to him somehow. A threat to the manipulative control he had on his nephew and family; a threat to the suffocating inside world that was their mafia family; a threat to the unhappy cloud of depression and darkness that had followed Dino’s life for so long.

Karen had been the light.

Junior was the stars and the moon, now.

Ben wasn’t going to take those things away from Dino, and so he would do what he needed to do, for now, to make sure they remained as they were—happy, safe, and entirely unknown to his other life.

“I’ll be there,” Dino said.

“Wonderful. Bring something for your aunt. She’s missed you.”

Dino didn’t bother to call bullshit on that lie, but that was only because Ben had hung up the phone and not given him much of a choice except to stay silent. He cursed silently, clenching the dead phone in his fist at his side, knowing he didn’t get any options here.

Karen wouldn’t be pleased that he would need to cut his side of the trip short, but he still wanted her to enjoy the weekend away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Maybe it made him a coward to do it, but he called a cab before he reentered the cabin, giving the address to the property outside of the city, even knowing it would cost him an arm and a leg to get him back.

But once he was back inside the cabin and upstairs in the loft where Karen was still sleeping her morning away, Dino couldn’t find it in himself to wake her. The guilt was a killer, and he battled over waking her up to give some kind of explanation, but he beat off the urge.

Instead, he settled for tracing the curve of her shoulder with his fingers, feeling the silkiness of her skin, and then bending down to press a quick kiss to her temple. In her sleep, she smiled softly.

That was enough for him.

Downstairs, Dino grabbed a notepad and pen from Karen’s bag, scribbling off something quick for her.