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So I came up with a plan. I contacted a coyote that would bring her back into Mexico. That way, she wouldn’t go through any legal ports of entry, and she wouldn’t have to talk to anyone with authority. She could disappear back to her home and her old life and be free. No more working in the brothel. No more fucking for money.
I don’t know what happened. She was supposed to disappear—but she didn’t. Instead, she must’ve talked to the cops, because they descended on Papa’s cat house and nearly arrested everyone. Most of them managed to escape, but three of Papa’s loyal workers were hauled off to prison. We lost revenue and good people, and everything’s a mess, all because of me.
Tianna wasn’t supposed to call the cops. If she’d just left and never come back, everything would be okay.
But that isn’t what happened.
I betrayed my family to help a stranger, and now I will pay the price.
“I’m sorry, Papa,” I say, looking at my hands. The hands that stroked Maxim’s cock the night before. I focus on these good memories. My last good memories.
“You’re sorry.” Papa’s voice is flat. “That is all you say? You sneak out because you know you’re guilty, and now you say you’re sorry. You know what happens when you betray the family.”
“Betrayal is death,” Santo says. It’s one of the vows the men take when they join the family.The family is life, the family is loyalty. Betrayal is death.
“You can’t be serious,” Santo says. Even Franco looks uncomfortable.
“It’s the law, brother,” Enzo says. I feel his big hand grab my shoulder and squeeze hard. “Right, little sister?”
I say nothing. My heart’s racing and I’m trying not to cry. I can’t show weakness now, even if this is breaking my heart.
These are my brothers. I love them, even if they can be assholes sometimes. I know I made a huge mistake helping that girl, but now they’re going to kill me, their only sister. I’ve always been an afterthought, a nuisance, a “mouthy little brat” as Papa so eloquently put it on many occasions, but to really hear it from Enzo’s mouth, to really hear him say those words—it breaks my heart to pieces.
“Papa,” Santo says, looking at the old man. The Don of the family Bastone. “I understand Siena did something awful. I agree she needs to be punished. Surely there are other ways?”
“Betrayal is death,” Papa says. “Should we treat our own family any differently than we treat our men? If one of them did what she did, would they be spared?”
“No,” Franco says. The word is hardly a whisper. He stares at the floor and can’t meet my eye.
“This is insane,” Santo says, looking around. “Enzo, come on. It’s Siena. We all know she’s difficult, but it’s our sister. She’s your baby sister.”
“She’s a traitor,” Enzo says stiffly.
No help there.
But it does feel good to hear Santo argue on my behalf. I catch his eye and shake my head slightly. I don’t want him to get in trouble. He shouldn’t stick his neck out. I made my choice, and I will pay.
He doesn’t need to make his life any harder by trying to help a traitor.
Santo looks at me with a crestfallen frown and spreads his hands.
“Siena, come on. Tell Papa you’ll do whatever he says. You’ll take whatever punishment. Do whatever needs doing. Please, Siena.”
“Santo.” His name brings tears to my eyes. “Don’t.”
“She’s guilty, enough with this,” Enzo says, snarling. “Let’s kill her and be done with it. We’ll make an example for the rest of the men and rebuild what we’ve lost.”
Papa stares at me and says nothing. The tension is thick and my knees are shaking. Santo is such a good brother, and even Franco seems to hate all this. Only Enzo’s pushing for my death, and I’m not angry with him for it. I knew how he’d react, and he didn’t disappoint.
“There is one problem with killing her,” Papa says and everyone leans toward him.
Just one problem with killing me? That kind of hurts, but okay.
Papa continues, “I have no other daughter. Siena is my only girl child, and although you three boys are important to this family, women are necessary in their own way. Your mama’s been gone now for ten long years, God rest her soul, and if we kill Siena, we will have no more blood women. What she did was evil and wrong and broke all the bonds of this family, but she still has her uses.”
Santo lets out a long, relieved sigh. Franco seems to relax and glances up at me with a shy smile. Good Franco. I knew I loved him.
But Enzo steps forward. “Papa, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
