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Gavino
That night, after we get home from Malcolm’s, I finish what I started with her in the office.
I kiss her, not bothering to say anything, fuck her against the wall with the dress on and come between her legs before finally stripping it off and dragging her into the bedroom where I proceed to drive her crazy and use her body for my own pleasure for the rest of the night. She falls asleep in my arms, covered in sweat and grinning stupidly, so pleased she can’t stay awake. I slip out of bed briefly in order to give the hard drives to a loyal staff member. “Make sure Romano gets these and wakes up the tech guys. Have them work through the night and tell them I’m paying double.”
With that done, I return to a slumbering Jeanie, and curl up next to her beautiful, warm body.
I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed and fulfilled. We’re playing a dangerous game with a deadly man and yet all I can think about is touching her skin, kissing her neck, making her gasp my name. I lay there half awake and thinking about her, smelling her, breathing her in and wondering—how did I get here? How did she slip through the cracks of my armor?
I’m happy she did. God, I’m so happy.
My dreams are fitful and mixed. In the morning, I’m up early and I let her sleep in. I shave and dress and head downstairs.
A boy is standing inside the front door when I reach the main landing. He’s looking out at the desert with a far-off frown. I watch him in surprise and it takes me a second to realize it’s Karah’s oldest, Emilio. God damn, he looks like a young man now. When did that happen? He glances back and seems startled to see me there. “Uncle Gavino?” he asks. “What are you doing here?”
“I live in this house,” I grunt at him. “Why are you up early, Emilio?”
He shrugs and runs a hand through his dark hair. He’s my oldest nephew, the first born of his generation, and I have a serious soft spot for the kid. He looks so much like his mother, Karah, when she was his age, though his face is sharper and leaner, and he’s got his father’s hair and eyes and size. He’s big already, tall and lanky, and I have a feeling he’s got a bit more growing to do.
“I run most mornings,” he says and I notice that he’s in jogging shorts and a tank top.
“You run?”
“I’m on the cross-country team at school.”
I laugh once. The idea of someone in our family on a cross-country team seems absurd, but that’s only because my siblings and I had such an unusual and awful childhood. It’s better this way.
“You any good?”
“I’m second best on my team.” He shrugs and looks outside again. “We’ve got a kid that might win state this year.”
“Good for you,” I say quietly and walk past him toward the kitchen. “Running’s hard. Not a lot of people have the discipline to do it for fun.”
He perks up. “We’re most sports’ punishment.”
“Builds character. Although you’re too skinny, kid.”
“Runners are skinny.”
I want to say, you’re not a runner, you’re a fighter and a Bruno, but I hold my tongue. I know Karah wouldn’t like it. “Be safe out there.”
He grins at me and heads out the front door.
I pause in the shadows of the hallway. Emilio’s seventeen and in high school, but I had no clue he was on the damn cross-country team. When did this happen? Last thing I remember, he was seven years old, just a little kid when my house was built and I started living out there full-time. Ten years is a while, especially at this age, and a sharp pang of guilt spikes down into my guts.
I’ve missed a lot living alone out in my house.
My family’s been moving on without me and I’ve been too stuck in the past. For the first time in a while, I feel like I’m unstuck. Thanks to Jeanie.
These kids are growing up and soon they’re going to start taking over the family. I need to learn to deal with them, how to live with them, and maybe help them when it’s time for them to take control.
Then again, maybe that won’t ever be an issue. If Casso turns the family legit, these kids won’t need to learn the skills we honed through blood and struggle. They’ll need educations, connections, different abilities. Safer things.
Hell, maybe I’ve been wrong this whole time and Casso’s right.
But it’s too late. The hard drives are with my tech guys for analysis, and whatever they say will determine what happens moving forward.
I head into the kitchen and chat with the chef while she makes me eggs. I grab coffee and accept the plate and sit in the dining room alone, eating and enjoying the quiet. I sit back in my chair and stare around the room, wondering how I found myself here. I’ve been avoiding the main house for so long it’s been like second nature, but now that I’m back, I can slip into my old routines.
