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“Are you sure you want to advertise this, bro?” Luca asks when he’s gone.
“Why shouldn’t I?” I snap.
“You know what mob guys are like. They hear the don’s found a lady, and it won’t be long until they start talking about wedding bells.”
“Good,” I tell him. “That’s exactly what I want. If it weren’t for this crap with Russel, I’d marry her right now.”
Luca leans forward with a slight smile on his face. “Good for you, man. Good for you. Okay, time to roll out?”
“We’ll hit the physical locations,” I reply, nodding. “Then we’ll transfer Russel to one of our safe houses in the ’burbs. It’ll be simple enough to keep him there until we’re done with him. In the meantime, we’ll need to get ourselves out of that shitty stadium deal. I’m not touching anything that has Russel’s prints on it.”
Luca lets out a breath between clenched teeth. “That’s a lot of work.”
I reach over and clap him on the arm. “Rather be at the bar?”
“No. Hell no. It’s time I took after my big brother and put that hard work in.”
Luca stands, enters the apartment, and prepares for the word ahead. I take out my phone and send a text. After this, I’ll have to put my phone away and make a conscious effort not to contact my woman. She’s so distracting in the best way, constantly making me want to forget about everything but texting her and being with her.
I love you,I type, then bite down so hard my jaw hurts. Is it too fast? Is there such a thing as too fast for us?
Thinking about the future, I wonder what our kids would say if they knew I’d told their mother this so soon after meeting her. If we want—need—each other, nobody else… If even the idea of being with somebody else is bizarre to us… If we’re ready to commit our lives completely, isn’t that love? If not, whatislove?
Screw it. I clicksend.
Staring at the screen, I wait, but a red exclamation mark appears. A“Message failed to send”notification appears on my screen. I’m not a superstitious man, but maybe that’s a sign.
Deleting the message, I stand, roll my neck from side to side, and swing my arms a little. There’s a lot of work to do.
CHAPTER25
Scarlet
I wake with sunlight across my face and to the sound of Mom vomiting. It’s a weird contrast. Sitting up, I see Mom hunched over a small bin across the room. She looks up, her mouth aimed down, her eyes glinting apologetically.
“I’ll get you some water,” I say.
“Thank you,” she replies wheezily.
As I walk through the apartment—smaller than the other one but just as expensive—I’m shocked to find aspringin my step. After everything that’s happened, I should try to take this a little more seriously. I should probably be shell-shocked about Dad still. Yet all I can think about is the texts Elio and I sent each other last night, the heat, the closeness, the destiny.
Returning with the water, I place it on the side table and tenderly touch Mom’s shoulder. “Have you taken your pills, the ones that will help with the withdrawals?”
She nods, shaking. “It’s still going to be tough. The doctor warned me about that. I just want to sleep.”
“Let’s make a deal. Eat something, drink some water, then you can rest some more, yeah?”
She takes my hand, smiling with such sadness that I feel my heart trying to break down the middle. It’s a sad smile, but it also has some pride. It’s like she’s the kid, and I’m the grownup. “Okay, Scarlet. Thank you for being so strong.”
“It’s not as hard as you think,” I murmur.
She laughs shakily. “Maybe not for you.”
“No, I think it would be, but I’ve found Elio. He’s helping me to be strong.”
“You’ve…foundhim?” she says.
I swallow and nod. This is one thing I didn’t take into account—her reaction. “We’re going to be together long term, Mom,” I say, deciding to keep the explanation simple for now. All the destiny and children talk might be too much for her.
