Page 148 of Unravel Me

Of course, he ran to Renato! That old forest geezer!

Mauro’s always been drawn to him… our weird uncle and his obsession with the woodlands. Ugh, he just irritated me.

I pull into the driveway, and Renato’s mansion, hidden among the dense vegetation of a large garden, comes into view.

I get out and walk up to the door and ring the bell as if I were some ordinary guest, but hey, showing a little good manners can be amusing sometimes.

After a moment, Gianni opens the door.

His eyes, hidden behind his glasses, grow even wider until they start to look comical, and I can’t help snorting with laughter.

Then, before he can slam the door in my face, I shove it open brutally and force my way inside, driving him backward.

Gianni hits the wall from the force of it, letting out a small squeak that sounds like a little mouse. Well, I really enjoy making omegas produce sounds like that, as long as they’re pretty ones and not aging nerds with thick glasses.

"That’s a little rude, closing the door in someone’s face, don’t you think?"

Then I shove past him so hard that he falls to the floor, while I head deeper into the house, making my way toward the living room.

Uncle Renato and Granddad Silvio are, of course, there. When they see me, they react with astonishing calm, simply looking at me.

I’m disappointed to notice that Mauro isn’t here. Apparently, he managed to slip out through the back somehow, but whatever. He will know that I have my eye on him…

"Ahhh, Granddad, Uncle, how nice to see you after all these years."

I haven’t been here in a good fifteen years, but they haven’t changed all that much…

They don’t answer me. They simply continue staring at me.

"What’s the problem?" I grin. "I came because someone whispered in my ear that my dear little brother Mauro is staying here. I hope you don’t mind if I wait here for him."

"I’ll admit that your visit is not welcome. Over all these years, we’ve heard about the way you’ve been living your life, Rocco, and I want you to know that we cannot support such behavior."

My rage explodes.

"I’ve got your fucking support deep up my ass with the shit!" I snarl.

I stride toward them, and Renato gets to his feet, with Granddad Silvio rising as well. Now we’re standing directly across from each other.

"But one thing is certain. Family or not, you’re going to talk or you’ll face consequences. Where’s the traitor Mauro?!"

"And what consequences are you talking about, nephew?" Renato’s voice is weirdly calm.

"Deadly serious ones," I add with a murderous grin.

Then, unexpectedly, Granddad Silvio speaks.

"You know, when you were seven, you were such a sweet and cheerful boy. Sometimes we would walk through the garden together, and you loved stopping by the flower beds. You were especially fond of snapdragons. I had quite a few of them back then, and you liked making them snap, pretending they were real little dragons…"

I raise a hand to my mouth and make a yawning gesture.

"Your point exactly?"

"When you went home after your vacation that year, Tito took you under his wing. The following year, when you came back… you were like a different child. It was as if someone had replaced you, taken away that cheerful, carefree little boy."

I don’t say a word. I’m certainly not going to tell them what happened that year. I don’t think about it anymore, either. I haven’t for years. Tito taught me to accept that it was a necessary part of my hardening process.

"Do you still have this boy hidden inside you?" Silvio whispers.