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The glass drops from my hand smashing on the floorboards.
The blood is rushing in my ears so fast I can't hear.
This is a mistake. This isn’t happening.
“What?” I manage to choke out.
“He jumped in front of a train, Cas.” He sobs.
I drop the phone and fall to my knees. He couldn't have. He wouldn’t leave me. He wouldn’t do that, I just spoke to him last night.
I can hear screaming again but it's me this time. I get to my feet on shaky legs and run to my car barefoot. I put it into drive and race out as fast as it will go. I can't breathe. I can't think. I just know I need to get to my brother.
30
Enzo
Present-day
Manhattan, New York City
“What do you mean you won't marry Isla?” My father snaps.
I roll my eyes. “Exactly what I said, I'm not doing it.”
The disgust on my father’s face is clear. “Is this because of this stripper I’ve been hearing about?”
My voice turns eerily calm. “She has a name. It's Casimira. Use it.”
“What? You think you're in love with her?” He lets out a bitter laugh. “You think you can throw away everything we've worked for because she made you believe she's a decent woman?”
I shrug. “I love her. You married Ma for love, this is no different.”
He stands up abruptly, pushing the chair away from him. “Don’t you dare betray your mother's name by comparing her to a common whore.”
I snap. I jump up from my seat, grabbing my father by the throat and push him up against the wall. “My blood or not, call her that one more time and I’ll fucking gut you.” I snarl. His eyes are furious and he holds my stare. He knows he’s old now, he's no match for me. Maybe when we were both younger but it would take no effort on my part to end him. I dream about it most nights.
He pushes my hands and I allow it. “Get your hands off me.” He hisses, pushing himself up at full height. His jaw clenches. “I will give you a few days to think about what you intend to do. I told you, Enzo. If not you, then Francesca.”
“Don’t patronise me, Salvatore. I’ve been running things for years now. I came to you as a courtesy, I won’t let Callum anywhere near Fran. I’ll kill him before he gets his sadistic hands on her.”
His head pulls back in shock and I scoff a laugh, he really is delusional. “I’m still Capo, Enzo. Don’t think that doesn’t mean anything.” he snaps.
I turn to him, cocking my head. “You are only still alive because me and Luca allow you to breathe. The moment Francesca realises what a piece of shit you are, is the day your oxygen runs out.”
His eyes widen and his face turns red. “Francesca would never forgive you.”
“Maybe not immediately, but one day,” I promise quietly.
He shakes his head and I realise this is it for him. No longer am I pandering to his games. Fran needs to know the truth.
I tilt my head at him, looking at the man I used to think was the creator and fucking destroyer. He looks three feet tall now. “What happened to Ma?” Nobody ever told me the full story. Not the details anyway and something that's always gnawed on me all these years, her parting words to me. She wanted to tell me something and never got to.
His whole face sharpens and his lip curls up. His body going rigid. “You know what happened.”
I slap my hand against the chair, shake my head. “No. I don't. Nobody ever explained it.” I can feel the rage pushing at the edges. The darkness clawing at me to get out. I step closer to him, flatten my hand against the table and duck my head so we're at eye level. “Tell me how my mother died.”
Salvatore juts his chin up, still manages to look down his nose at me. “We were eating dinner.”
