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Shaye snorts and waves a hand in front of her. “Mom, please! I’m upset! This jerkoff,” she snarls, pointing a finger at me. “Had a chance to do the right thing. And again, he messes it all up! How could you ditch Sloane like that? On such an important night?” She screams in my face, fists balled at her sides. “My God, what could have possibly been more important?”
I narrow my eyes and slam the front door shut. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here. This isn’t a good time, Shaye. You should have called!”
Shaye lets out a dry laugh. “Why? To give you time to think of some lame-ass excuse for why you’re such a screw up?”
“No.” I scrub a hand down the front of my face, peering out the front window. “So I could tell you to get as far away from here as you could. It’s not safe here.”
“It’s not safe anywhere, Max! Did you forget who we are?”
Mom grazes my arm. “Sweetie, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”
I peer out the side window next to the door. “Look, you guys just need to get out of here, okay?” I turn to my sister. “Please, trust me. Take Mom to Nico’s. Don’t bring her home.”
“Why are you being so evasive? And where’s Dad? We’ve been trying to call him, and it keeps going straight to voicemail.”
“Dad’s…okay. Just go. Now.” I open the door. I really didn’t want to have to deal with my mother and sister on top of the rest of the shit show that’s about to blow open. There are too many things they don’t need to hear…too many things they definitely shouldn’t see…
“I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me what’s going on! And why you blew Sloane off!”
“Look, I need to focus right now!” I yell. “And while you’re so stuck on the reason why I didn’t show up for her that night, I’m worrying about how the fuck I’m gonna save her life tonight!”
Shaye’s eyes widen and her mouth damn-near hits the floor. “What the hell are you talking about? Did something happen to her?”
“Max, are you okay? What’s going on, sweetie?” Mom asks, putting an arm around me. Rage courses through my veins, my body shaking with a deep-rooted anger at the fact that, yet again, I’m completely out of control. I have no idea what I’m doing or where I’m going. I only know I have something big to lose if I don’t act.
Only problem is, even though I’m ready to strike, I have no fucking clue how, when, or where it needs to happen.
“Mom,” I say, my voice trembling. “I’ve always tried to be honest with you, but this time—”
“It’s not up to you to deal with this, son,” Dad wheezes, limping into the foyer.
“Daddy!” Shaye shrieks and runs over to my father. “What happened?”
“Tony?” Mom whispers, her eyes filling with tears. “Oh, my God. You’re all…” Her hand flies to her mouth as she inches closer to him and caresses the side of his bruised face. “Honey, how did this…?” Her voice cracks and the tears spill over, taking her makeup with them as what looks like realization slams her in the gut. “No, please don’t tell me…”
“I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen.” Dad drops his head into her cupped hand.
Shaye pulls away from my dad, her eyes red. “Never meant for what to happen? What the hell is going on here?” she screams. ”Why is Daddy all beaten up? Who did this?”
My parents exchange glances, having their own silent conversation. “You told me you’d handle it,” she says in a low voice. “You promised me that it was over!”
“That what was over?” Shaye sobs, turning toward me. “Max, what is happening here?”
I put an arm around her shoulder and pull her close. “Give them a second,” I whisper.
Dad lets out a deep sigh, leaning on the wall behind him for support. “I’ve been dishonest with you all, and now it’s coming back to bite me and a lot of other people. I’ve done things…bad things…and now these people want me to pay. But they aren’t interested in money. They want a different kind of payment. One that’ll crush the Salesi family for good.” His eyes flicker to my mom’s tear-stained face. “Lina, I’m sorry for everything.” He looks at me and Shaye, his eyes returning to me. “I wish I had more time to make up for everything. I wasted so much of it, and I…” His voice trails off and he drops his head.
“I don’t understand. What does Sloane have to do with all of this?” Shaye asks, sniffling loudly.
I glance at my father. “The people who did this to Dad…they’re planning something big. Something that can take down the whole family if we don’t stop it. They…they took Sloane, and I have to get her back and figure out a way to end this. Now. And that’s why you need to get out of here. I know they’re out there watching, and if anything ever happened to you guys, I’d never forgive myself.”
“Oh my God.” Shaye laces her hand with mine and leans her head against my arm. “What about Nico?” she murmurs, her shoulders quivering. A sharp pang assaults my heart. I finally get how hard it must have been for Sloane, not knowing what happened to me any time I’d fall off the face of the Earth to take care of ‘business.’ But Shaye…Christ, I can’t imagine how she feels every time Nico leaves her. The knowledge that every kiss may be their last has to eat away at her, especially after everything they’ve been through together with the Cappodamo family. My sister is a tough cookie, but even she falters from time to time. How can you not, when you live the lives we do?
It sometimes makes me wonder…is it easier to know what you’re dealing with? Or safer to keep your head buried in the sand?
Looking at my sister, seeing the fearful expression on her face conflict with her struggle to remain calm, I’d say she’d choose ignorance.
It is bliss, after all.
