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“So, Sister, just getting home?” Bane asks without looking up from his device.
I frown and grab an orange juice and a plate of eggs and fruit. “What of it?” Though the truth is I got in about 12 am. My older brother can be a controlling dick, so I like to throw him attitude.
“Out DJing to a bunch of haole tourists at all hours is beneath you,” Bane says, not even bothering to look at me.
“Am I mistaken, or does thisfamigliamake money off haole tourists?” I huff and sit down with a plop on the dining chair.
My brother Mano comes walking into the room with a perma-scowl on his face and says, “Why shouldn't we make some of our money off those assholes?”
I roll my eyes and pick at the cantaloupe on my plate. I spent most of the night DJing at a club across from one of the airport hotels. Most of the traffic is travelers, but I like that it's anonymous, and I can pretend I'm not the only daughter of the Kalama famiglia. Not many others let me forget it.
Mano sits across from me at the table and starts digging into his heaping plate of food. He played football in high school and still eats like he's going to bench press an ox.
Bane gives me a stern look and says, “I want better for you Leilani, is that so bad?”
“I think you forgot you're my brother, not my father,” I say, scooting eggs around on my plate. I knew I should have grabbed something from the kitchen instead of coming in here.
Bane shakes his head. “It's always the same argument with you.”
“I could say the same about you,Brother,” I retort, stressing the last word.
I push my plate away and get ready to leave the room when Kayl bursts in. My youngest brother looks more like my mother, and sometimes it takes my breath away because I often think I'm forgetting how my parents looked and acted. Kayl is the Capo, and technically my brothers are his bosses. I find the whole infrastructure of thefamigliaboring and hate that my famigliaisn't just tied to organized crime - they are organized crime. Sure, I can try to feel good about the legit business we have, but it's all just a smokescreen for how the wealth is really amassed by my famiglia. Not one of my brothers has clean hands. Bane hasn't started in on it yet, but it's only a matter of time before he's going to want me to settle down with one of his men and make mafia babies that he can play his game of chess with. It all makes me very wary.
“We've been attacked. Ano is missing, and our warehouse near the harbor went up in flames,” Kayl says without preamble.
“When?” Mano drops his fork and stands.
“Not long ago, I haven’t gotten the official report yet, but our contact will be in touch soon with details,” Kayl says, and heads toward the cabinet where some liquor bottles are stored.
Bane stands and goes to the French doors. He angrily cracks his knuckles. “I want to know who did this. I don't care who you have to pay off; get it done.” He storms out of the room.
I'm still standing by my chair, and I watch as Kayl takes a large swig of his whiskey. Mano is scrolling through his phone, no doubt looking for someone to yell at, and without a word, he leaves the dining room.
I turn to Kayl, who looks tired and a bit shell-shocked, and ask him, “what was in the warehouse?”
Kayl doesn't respond right away; he's looking off into space. I wait. Kayl has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, and I've always felt a little sorry for him. It isn't easy being the youngest brother to the Boss and Underboss of the Kalamafamiglia.
“Pineapples,” he says absently.
“All this bother over pineapples,” I say incredulously. The way they're acting, it's like a priceless artifact was stolen.
Kayl looks at me with a frown. “It's not about the crop Leilani. It's that someone dared to disrespect what is ours.”
I don't comment as I walk out of the room and head up to the west wing.
***
I take out theLove Me Tenderrecord in my room and put it on the record player, then grab the last photo I have of my parents and sit in the window seat that overlooks the back garden and the ocean beyond. The picture is tinged with age. My parents were young when this was taken, it was before they were even married. My mother looks beautiful in her white summer dress with a lovely pink flower in her long black hair. She smiles at the camera as if she's delighted. My father is standing with a slight smile on his face. In many ways, Mano takes after him the most. He didn’t always know how to express the emotion of happiness, but I can tell by the crinkles at his eyes that he was pleased in the photo. One thing I remember about my parents is how expressive they were together. It never mattered what kind of day my father was having. My mother could sway him to dance or laugh. She had such energy. She loved her garden and hula. She's the reason I took lessons for so long, even though I was so hopeless at it. I still drop in on a class from time to time when I'm feeling really nostalgic. I feel the tears streaming down my face before I realize I'm crying.
These thoughts turn to my famiglia. The Kalama’s had been running things in Hawai’i for decades. My great grandfather saw an opportunity and ran with it. It didn't hurt that he grew up poor and enjoyed fighting. From what I understand, he was a mean son of a bitch. The Kalamafamigliastarted out as a gang, extorting protection money and gambling. By the time my grandfather inherited the life, he'd moved it into weapons and prostitution. My father had a reputation for liking to get his hands dirty. If rumors were true, he was responsible for the death of many enemies. If I believed the taunts, I sometimes get, my father was a monster. I don't believe it, though. To me, my father will always be the man I knew. The one that smiled at my mother tenderly when no one was watching. The one who took my little hand and taught me how to surf.
The death of my parents threw Bane into the fray when he was barely twenty years old. My uncle took control of our criminal empire, and Bane favors him a lot. I know he hasn't gotten over his death. In many ways, he was closer to Uncle Kalon than he ever was to my father. I miss Uncle Kalon sometimes when I least expect it. It devastated our black hearts when he died of cancer last year. I sigh and wipe my tears. Tired of the sadness. I decide to get out of the house for a little while and change into my gear so I can hit the sand. Fucking memories only drag you down, anyway.
Chapter 3
Simon
The whirl of the blade vibrates the helicopter, and a sense of calm washes over me. I've been flying for about two years now, and I can never get enough of the feeling I get when controlling the aircraft. I've been summoned to my father's place on Kauai, which gives me the perfect opportunity to indulge in this pleasure. When we hit an air pocket, I notice Alec clutching his seat, and I smile. He looks a little squeamish in the seat next to mine.
