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“I’m not sure your dad’s going to let that happen.”
He laughs and hugs me tighter. “After we’re finished with our respective families, we can buy a house near here. Would you like that?”
“I can’t tell if you’re joking. Do bratva guys casually buy million-dollar homes all the time?”
“Men in my family do.” He squeezes me and kisses my hair. “What do you say?”
What do I say?
I say I’ve died and gone to heaven.
I say this sort of thing doesn’t happen to me.
But Maxim’s real and so is the way he looks down with that delightful little grin, and I smile back and kiss his lips.
“I’ll say yes to anything you ask.”
He grins huge. “That’s my girl.”
I’m about to shift my weight and kiss him for real when I spot three figures walking over. They’re dressed in suits despite the heat, and I recognize them by their gaits. Enzo walks like he’s strutting through spiderwebs, his shoulders back, a grimace on his lips. Franco glides along with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders slumped. Santo slouches and strolls, not a care in the world.
My three brothers. So familiar, but so foreign at the same time. How did it get like this? I remember playing with them when they were little, especially Santo and Franco. Santo was such a crybaby, but Papa beat that out of him pretty quickly. I was always their rock, their shoulder to cry on, the only one that could calm them down when Papa made things hard. I loved taking care of them and I still love them, but we’re not babies anymore, and life’s no so simple.
I nod toward them and Maxim follows my gaze. “There they are,” he says. “You ready?”
“I hope so.”
“You’ll be okay. Don’t worry.” He stands and offers me his hand. I take it and together we go to meet my family in the shade of some short trees stuck in the middle of the green space between the pavement and the lake.
Enzo dabs at his forehead with handkerchief. “I haven’t been out here in a while. I used to run a few miles on those paths almost every day.”
“Enzo means to say that he doesn’t exercise anymore, as evidence by his protruding gut,” Santo says jokingly.
“He’s not wrong,” Enzo says with a sigh, which sends a trickle down my spine. Enzo rarely lets Santo get away with his jokes, but something seems off about my biggest brother.
“It’s good to see you,” Franco says, a tight smile on his lips.
I give him a hug. “You too.”
“Dad’s furious.” Franco glances at Enzo. “Really mad.”
I turn as Enzo shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair. “I’m guessing Maxim’s the one that killed Zita and the guards?”
“Ben died? That’s a pity.” Maxim taps a finger against his hip. A gun sits in a holster partially hidden by his light jacket. “Zita deserved what she got, and Renato got in my way.”
“Can’t say we disagree,” Santo says as I return to Maxim’s side. “But three corpses on our property is a real pain in the ass. Enzo’s been running The Velvet Rope himself as punishment.”
“Papa sure does love to send people there,” I point out and Enzo almost cracks a smile.
“It’s not bad when you’re in charge,” he says and glances at Maxim. “Are we here to talk shit, or is there business?”
Maxim nods sharply and squeezes my hand. “I have a proposition for you all.”
My stomach knots and I know what he’s about to say. We discussed it the day before in detail, and it’s a good plan. Assuming my brothers decide to go along with it, which I think they will—but I’m not sure. It’s not an easy plan, and it’ll mean a lot of pain for everyone involved, but there’s a glimmer of something better in our future if only we can be strong enough to reach out and grab it.
Loyalty was drilled into us since we were kids. Loyalty is the most important thing in our lives, and the idea of turning our backs on our papa is nearly inconceivable. And yet Enzo looks even worse than he did the last time I saw him, and Santo and Franco don’t seem much better. All three of my brothers are worn down, and I know it’s because of Papa. It’ll only get worse if we don’t do something to stop him.
“My offer is simple. I’ll give you control of the Bastone empire in exchange for your father’s retirement.”
