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We rode down the elevator together and exited the back entrance of the building where Sebastian’s driver was waiting for us. We slid in with no words between us. Once the car took off, Sebastian rolled up the privacy screen and he let down his guard.
With a smile, he said, “Have I told you that it’s good to see you?”
I laughed. “Like you didn’t love the silence.”
He looked out the window for a second before turning and looking at me. “I will admit that I didn’t miss your hugs, but I missed your presence. It seemed like it was us against the world, and then it was just me. All alone.”
“I’m sorry.” There wasn’t much else I could do. It was what it was. “I wished things had played out differently.”
???
The valet dropped us off at the front of the mansion and left to park the car. As we climbed the winding staircase that led from the circular drive to the portico, silence fell between us once again. No one truly knew the special bond me and my brother shared. However, we needed the world to see that we were nothing more than civil. In the dangerous underworld we lived in, a relationship as close as ours would be exploited as a weakness.
As soon as we got on the landing and passed the mini lawn that had a water fountain with an angel spout in the center. The double doors flung open and my mother ran out.
“Il mio bambino,”she cried, throwing her arms around me.
“Mamma.”I placed a kiss on her cheek.
My mother let go of me and raced over to Sebastian. The two stood awkwardly looking at each other before he ever so slowly wrapped his arm loosely around her. Our mother stood still as he half embraced her.
“Come in, the food is on the table.”
We followed my mom into the gilded fortress. A wave of nostalgia hit me. This was the place where I’d grown up. I wasn’t supposed to return here. They made sure to remind me of that.
My father was already seated at the head. He refused to acknowledge me. My brother and I looked at each other as we sat down for lunch. My mom made the best homemade sauces. At my mother’s encouragement to eat, I lifted my fork. I had only taken three bites of food when my papa` broke the silence.
“Why are you here?”
“As I told you before, I didn’t know about their ties to the skin trade,” I retorted. “Had I known, I obviously would not have conducted business with them.”
My father glared at me. “They hurt your baby cousin. Remember that?”
I still had nightmares. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have gone through with the deal. I will never forgive myself that one of our own was hurt due to my negligence.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t kill you for what you call ‘negligence’.”
I sat my fork down. “I know that I am only alive because of your mercy, Father. I know the rest of the family wanted me executed along with the syndicate. In some ways, I am grateful for your forgiveness, and in others, I wish you had gone through with the execution. I love my family, so being shunned and banished from my home has been torture to m. But I come to you today, after all these years, to humbly beg for you to allow me to stay.”
“Why?”
“I am in love. I fear for her life. I fear I will fail her as I failed you and our family. I am asking you to protect her while me and the men take care of the problem once and for all.”
“You have no men,” he snarled.
“I have my brother.”
My father looked to Sebastian to see if he would deny me. Truthfully, I couldn’t say for sure my brother wouldn’t. He could very well take out his gun and shoot me in the head—which was what I was warned would happen if I ever set foot inside this house again.
“Silas needs us,” my brother said. “He’s obviously not the same man who was banished those many years ago. That man would have never asked us for anything, much lesshumbly begfor it. You taught us the importance of loyalty to family, Father. I will stand with my brother in this. We, together, will kill them all, and burn their organization to the ground yet again.”
Thank you, Brother. I owe you one.
The rest of the day went by quickly as we discussed logistics. While I knew I would never inherit my father’s position despite being the eldest, it was good to be back. I told them all about Eden, and promised I would bring her around to meet them.
All things considering, I was in a great mood when I walked into the apartment later that afternoon to return to the woman who would one day be my wife and the mother of my children.
But she was gone.
