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“I’m not a little kid.” She grabbed me by the arm. “Just a couple hundred grand. That’s all I need to start over.”
I stared at her hand and trembling lips and looked at her face. It felt like it was the first time I saw her properly. Before, she’d just been the annoying kid in the house. Pretty, but annoying. But now, now I saw her through different eyes. This was my sister. This was my blood. And I felt a tug of something.
“Why do you want to start over?” I blinked slowly and watched as she played with her fingers nervously. “Elisabetta.”
“Just ’cause.”
“’Cause what?”
“What do you care?”
“I don’t care, but if you want my money to pay for your new life, then I want some answers.”
“It’s not your money I want. It’s my…” She paused and made a face. “Dad’s. Gross. I can’t believe that man is my dad.”
“You don’t like him?” My lips twitched. Maybe she was my sister, after all. And maybe she had more common sense than I thought.
“Who would like him? He’s a tyrant. A beast. He used my mom, disowned me, like I was nothing…” Her voice rose, and I could hear the hurt and the anger there. Her words also reminded me of what Callie had said about me using her. Was I a chip off the old block? Was I my father’s son, after all?
“You’re not nothing.” Alessandro looked uncomfortable. He was worse than me when it came to real emotions. I guessed that was what happened to boys that grew up without a mother or a caring father; they became “hard to process feelings” men. It was the reason why we were both excellent Mafia leaders. All the tears in the world wouldn’t stop us from taking out a traitor.
“You’re fine,” I said as I opened my door.
“Well, you two should quit your careers and become therapists,” Elisabetta said sarcastically as she jumped out of the back seat.
“She’s going to be trouble.” I stared at Alessandro, and he nodded.
“Maybe she’s the trouble we need?” he asked me, and I pressed my lips together. Elisabetta knocked on the window and crossed her arms. “Okay, maybe we don’t need it.” Alessandro laughed, and we both got out of the car. This was starting to feel like the worst week of my life. Everything that could be complicated was becoming complicated, but there was nothing I couldn’t handle.
“Elisabetta, do you want me to have someone take you home before we go and do some work? Technically, you’re not even allowed in the club, so…”
“I think I’m good. My brothers own it,” she said with a smirk. “We can be the three musketeers… bringing crime and mayhem to all the innocent citizens of New York.”
“Very funny.”
“Or maybe we can just be heartbreakers.” She raised an eyebrow. “Just exactly why does that girl from the pizza place hate you?”
“Alessandro, can you take her home? Jimmy will be here in a few moments, and he can help me if I need it.”
“What?” Alessandro frowned, and I gave him a look. “Fine, whatever, come on, lil sis.”
“What?” She looked pissed off. “I don’t want to go.”
“It’s a shame it’s not your decision then, isn’t it?” I threw the car keys to Alessandro. “Watch a movie together or something. We don’t need her running off on our watch.”
“I don’t want to—” Elisabetta started, and I held a hand up.
“Your mom put us in charge, and I’m not going to get on her bad side.”
Elisabetta raised her chin and glared at me. For a few moments, she reminded me of Callie. So stubborn, so headstrong. So young. I had to remind myself that she wasn’t the enemy. If Elisabetta truly was my sister, that meant she was family. That meant we were blood. And that meant I had to protect her. It didn’t matter if I liked her or not. “I’ll see you both later.” I left them both standing there, nodded to the bouncers, and headed into the building. It was packed. I could feel the stares of interested women on me as I made my way toward the back. The music was trendy and not to my taste, and I could feel a headache coming on. I sidestepped into one of the small storage rooms and closed the door behind me. I needed to catch my breath. My phone beeped, and I quickly grabbed it, my heart falling when I saw it was Jimmy. I was stupid for thinking Callie was going to call or text me.
“Callie,” I whispered and closed my eyes. The last twenty-four hours had been a disaster. And yet it had also been some of the best hours of my life. For a few seconds, I wondered if I should just walk away and let it all go. I’d hurt Callie. I knew that. But then I pictured my mom’s face. I remembered her telling me about her dreams of taking me to Disney and getting me Mickey Mouse ears. I remembered her holding me close, kissing my hair, and whispering in my ear that I was her best friend. How her life had been made worth living when she’d had me. How Alessandro was the bonus gift God had given her to remind her she was worthy of love. I hadn’t understood what she’d been saying at the time, but now I did. My mother had loved me. And Callie’s dad had taken her from me. I had to continue. I’d promised my mother I would seek vengeance for what had been done to her. And I wasn’t done yet.
15
Callie
Josh looked at me very closely as we walked into Florence’s on Fifth, and I wondered if I hadn’t made a mistake going to a nightclub with him. I felt like I was almost using him by spending time with him to distract myself from thinking about Antonio. I wished I’d never met him, but not because of what he’d done to me. It was what he’d revealed about my father that hurt to my core.
