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“And then he put her in my bed. He let me think I killed her.”
Lorenzo places his huge hands on my shoulders. “We knew this, Max. And you know he’s capable of way worse than framing someone for murder.”
“That twisted piece of shit killed her. And it looks like your precious Morettis made you believe you did it so you would stay loyal,” Vito shouts, his hands balled into fists. “And keep you away from your real family.”
“The fuck?” Dante shouts. “We had no fucking idea what our father had done.Weare Max’s family. We are the only fucking family he needs.”
“The same family who made him believe he murdered an innocent girl for over a decade? You might not have been there when it happened, but you expect me to believe his own sons didn’t know what Sal did? You Morettis are all the fucking same.”
Dante lunges forward, grabbing Vito by the throat. Blood thunders in my ears, so I don’t register the heated exchange that ensues between the two men until Lorenzo shouts, “Enough!” so loudly that it cuts through the rest of the noise.
Dante releases his grip on Vito’s throat, and we all look at Lorenzo. “Salvatore Moretti might have sired us, butweare nothing like him. Maximo is as much my brother as my own fucking flesh and blood, and if you ever come into our house and disrespect my family’s name again, Vito, I will shoot you where you fucking stand. You got me?”
Vito’s nostrils flare as he glares at Lorenzo, but after a few seconds, he nods in defeat.
“What happened? You just watched him kill her?” I ask. “What were you even doing there?”
“I came to see you, Max. An old buddy of mine was on the gate, and he let me in. There was some kind of party, and I guess security was lax because I walked straight into the house. When I couldn’t find you, I decided to confront Sal. He was in his office. The door was open, and he and the girl were arguing. She was threatening to expose him if he didn’t pay her to keep quiet. So I hung back and recorded the whole thing. She talked about seeing the warehouses. Said she knew what he and the Santangelos were doing. He laughed at her, and then his hands were on her throat—”
My stomach churns. “And you just stood there recording it? You did nothing to help her while you watched him kill her?”
“I was unarmed. If I’d tried to stop him, you think he would have spared either of us?”
What a fucking coward, trying to paint himself as the good guy when he watched a young girl’s murder and did nothing to stop it. “And then what you left? Or did you blackmail him?”
Vito stretches his neck. “As soon as she stopped struggling, Sal left her there and walked out of his office. I ducked out of sight, but ran to check for a pulse as soon as he was gone and—”
“Checked to see if she had any other evidence on her that you could use to blackmail him instead?” Dante accuses.
“No,” Vito insists. “I did what I did to protect myself and my daughter. I never wanted a penny of his filthy money.”
“What happened next, Vito?” I ask.
“I got out of there before he came back. I knew I had something big. Knew I could use it to protect me and Kristin. So, yeah, I blackmailed him. Told him if anything ever happened to me or my daughter that the recording would go to the press. You see, we never felt safe in Jersey. He was always letting us know he was watching us. He blamed me for your father’s death.”
“I really don’t give a fuck how bad you had it in Jersey, Vito.”
His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. “I came back to see you, Max. To tell you about your sister. And I thought if I told you about the warehouses and the trafficking, then you’d see Salvatore for what he really was. Then when I saw him kill that girl… I would have told you about that too, but, well—you chose the Morettis. But I swear I had no idea what he’d done with that girl’s body, Maximo! If I’d known he framed you, I would’ve found a way to tell you. Hell, we were supposed to meet a few days after that, and I was gonna tell you about everything I knew then. But you chose Sal. You always chose Sal, just like your father did.”
I grind my teeth so hard, my jaw aches. Piece of shit trying to make me feel bad for my choices after everything he did. “I chose the Morettis because they’re my family, Vito, and they always will be.”
ChapterForty
MAX—AGE 20
My jaw aches as I stare out the window, watching Dante squirt Joey with the water hose. She squeals with laughter, and the sound should make me smile, but my brain is too full of other things—secrets and lies and broken promises.
A solid hand rests on my shoulder, squeezing tightly. “You know you have always been like a son to me, Maximo.”
“Hmm,” I mumble, my eyes narrowed as I continue staring at the scene outside.
When he doesn’t get the desired response, he goes straight for my weak spot. “I promised your father I would look out for you.”
“And you have, Sal,” I assure him. He took me in when I was fourteen, after my father was murdered. He and Sal were the best of friends. My father was his right hand. I practically grew up in this house even before my dad died. It was the one place other than my own home where I felt safe and wanted. Not that Sal fostered any of that comfort or familiarity. He has a violent temper and a cruel streak a mile long, but when he wants to shine his spotlight on you, he can make you feel like you’re king of the fucking world. No, it was his children and staff who’ve always made me feel like I belong here.
“You know you don’t have to meet with your uncle.”
I swallow the thick knot in my throat. I haven’t seen Uncle Vito in eight years—not since he ran off with my mom. She died a couple of months back, and I wonder if that’s what prompted his call a few days ago when he asked me to meet with him. I hate him. But he’s the only biological family I have left.
