Page 75 of The Taste of Deceit

His gaze stays fixed ahead.

“By the end of it, there wasn’t anyone left with enough power to stand against the Amatos.”

He exhales.

“Uncle Dante took the territory.”

I lay my head on his shoulder.

“If Pop hadn’t gone. If he had come home.” He shakes his head. “He’d probably still be alive today.”

“I’m sorry, Luca. I shouldn’t have asked.”

He lifts my head and gently turns my chin toward him.

“Don’t. I’ve wanted to tell you that for a long time. It’s hard talking about him.” He smiles sadly. “After he died, everything changed. Ma raised us alone. Carmela had to grow up too fast, and so did I.”

His eyes fill.

“I always wanted to be like Pop.” He swallows hard. “There are days I wonder if that’s something I should be proud of.”

“Don’t think like that.”

He lets out a humorless laugh. “Baby Girl, I’m a criminal.”

“You’re also a son. A brother. An uncle.” I cup his face. “The love of my life. None of those things disappear because of the life you live.”

A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

“And you’re good.”

“You’ve got terrible judgment,” he says with a grin.

He can call himself a criminal all he wants. That’s not the man I know. I know the man who laughs with his whole chest, spoils every child in his family, and tells his sister she’s beautiful because he wants her to remember it. I know the son who never lets his mother carry a burden alone. I know the man who loves me so completely that I’ve never once questioned where I stand with him. Whatever he does outside these walls doesn’t erase any of that.

Luca Amato is good, and I’ve known it since long before I knew the truth about what he does.

Chapter 22

Sarah

“Alright,” I say to Luca. “I’ll be at Katie’s until tomorrow. I don’t know what time I’ll be home.”

He smiles.

“I’ll see you when I see you. You two are going to spend the whole night getting drunk and doing God knows what.”

I slip my arms around his neck.

“You know me so well.”

“I do.”

He leans down and kisses me.

“Have fun, Baby Girl.”

“I will.”