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“You must designate a new underboss to replace you when you can no longer lead.” I wince, my stomach twisting with despair. “A cousin. A family member. Someone you trust.”
He nods.
“Daddy, I’m serious.”
He nods again, this time slower.
I can’t tell if he’s considering my advice or not.
For him to even sit here and listen to it is something he wouldn’t have done before.
The glass of amber liquid shakes when he slams his hand onto his desk. His despair veering into anger. “How could your brother be so stupid?”
Tears prick at my eyes. “Tommaso was a good man. He just made a few reckless decisions.”
“Reckless decisions that put him in his grave.” He settles his heavy gaze on me. “Promise me you’ll be there for your mother and sisters and take care of this family.”
I’m quiet.
He smacks his desk again, forcing the words out of my mouth.
“I promise,” I whisper.
We live in a rough world.
It’s a high when you’re winning, but an overdose when you’re not.
And right now, the Cavallaros aren’t winning.
We’re dying.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
BENNY
“Sammie will be addedto my Dumbest Motherfuckers list if he killed Tommaso.” My father flicks a Zippo lighter while sitting behind his desk. “You don’t kill the man before collecting the cash. Whoever does such an atrocity should get a bullet through their brain because we don’t need someone so stupid on this planet.”
I make myself comfortable in the chair across from him. “Tommaso didn’t die over a debt. It was personal.”
“Have you paid Sammie a visit?”
“Not yet. He refuses to meet with me, and Raul hasn’t tracked his location yet. He’s in a safe house somewhere.”
He shuts the lighter and tosses it onto his desk. “Do you plan to kill him?”
“Neomi wants me to, but I don’t want to kill the wrong man.”
I kill for purpose. Not pleasure.
“Killing the wrong man happens sometimes,” my father says, as if he were giving me a pep talk after losing a baseball game. “If it happens, learn from your mistakes and move on.”
“Yes, but killing anyone can create blowback. Someone they love will want revenge, and the fewersomeonesI have on my hands, the better.”
“Spoken like a true boss.” He leans back in his chair, and I become eye-level with the large family portrait hanging behind his desk. “Tommaso would’ve been murdered eventually. He was playing reckless games with dangerous men.”
I nod in agreement.
It’s why I didn’t kill him that first day in his townhome.
