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“Lucas, I can’t return to that house, and you know why.” I trembled under his penetrating stare.
“I do, and for a long time, I understood those reasons, but not anymore. I’m in charge of the family, and our father has no say in my decisions. But, Sabina, it’s time to come home. I want you there.”
“I can’t believe you still live in that house. It’s a house of horrors, or did you forget our mother’s murder?” His jaw tightened, and his face turned cold with the reminder I had just given him. He reached for my hand and held it to almost the point of pain before looking directly into my eyes.
“I will never forget our mother nor the manner in the way she died. Do not ever use that tone while speaking of our mother. Be respectful, Sabina. I’m disappointed that I have to remind you of that.”
“Yeah? Well, it goes both ways, brother.” I pulled my hand back and said, “You show up to the most important day of my life so casually as if I see you every day. Where have you been? I can’t remember when you phoned me to ask how I’m doing.”
“I know, and I’m very sorry for my lack of communication. I’m a very busy man and travel more than I’m at home, but I would like to take some time to spend with you, and I would prefer it to be at our home in Italy.”
“Lucas, why? Papa doesn’t care if I return home; if he did care, maybe he would have shown up for me today. I hate him, Lucas, and I don’t care if I ever lay eyes on him again.”
“I agree that he’s a cold sonofabitch, and he hasn’t been a father to you since Mama died, maybe even long before that. He’s delusional half the time, thinking he’s still running the show, but if it gets him through the day, I leave it alone. I’ve worked hard to correct his mistakes, and the Santoro Family is in good standing with the rest of the families. The only wrong that hasn’t been made right is you, but I hope to change that with you agreeing to come home. I promise you that it will bedifferent this time, and you don’t only have me, but you have an entire army protecting you as well.”
“I think you forget I’ve always had an army of men protecting me. It’s my life. I wish you could see it’s not the one I want. I want to be free. So please, don’t force me to go with you.”
“Oh, Sabina,” he sighed. “When I look into your eyes, all I see is Mama. You have so much of her in you, and she would want you to be happy, and I truly believe that’s at home with me.”He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, even using our dead mother to sway me to agree. It didn’t matter what reasons I stated. I knew I had no choice, no matter what illusion he tried to make me believe.Tears welled in my eyes, and my heart constricted, unsure if I could trust my brother’s promise. Finally, he reached for my hands and brought them to his lips.
He kissed them both, looked into my eyes, and delivered the final blow, “You have my word,” he promised.
After I gave my brother the answer he wanted, we finished dinner, and Gio drove us to my apartment. When we stepped inside, I saw my flowers on the counter where I had left them. Next, I noticed several labeled boxes and my suitcases by the door. I looked over my shoulder at my brother, who smirked at me.
“I was confident in your agreement,” he didn’t look sorry for his actions. Why would he when he’s the boss of one of the most powerful families in Italy? “Take tomorrow to spend with your friends, and then we will leave in the evening, okay?” he placed his two fingers under my chin and made me look at him. “Okay?” he asked again.
“Yes, thank you, Lucas. We will leave tomorrow night.” I barely contained the emotion rising and fought with everything I had not to cry and show him my fear.
He pulled me close for a hug and then whispered, “I love you, and thank you for coming home. You won’t regret it. Gio will be here promptly at six tomorrow evening.”
“I’ll be ready,” I said.
Once the door closed and I locked it behind him, I slid down the hard surface and released all the tears I refused to show my brother. I wrapped my arms around my knees and cried until I had nothing left. Then, I stood on shaky legs and caught my expression in the mirror.
In just hours, I’ve gone from the happy graduate with dreams in her eyes to the scared little sister of a mob boss who feared her life would never be the same once she returned home. Home to a place I hated most—my prison.
No, I can’t do it. I can’t return to that house where I spent every day afraid of my shadow and my father’s cruelty. Our mother was strong and incredibly beautiful. My father called her his “Mona Lisa” in public, but behind closed doors where no one could see, he was cruel and hurt her. She never said it, but I felt it whenever I looked at her. When she died, he changed even more and no longer had to endure the act of being in love and just ran on hate. When he sent me away to go to school in America, he didn’t know he was setting me free, and now my brother is making me return to the prison I vowed never to lay eyes on again.
If my mother taught me anything, it was to be strong and never allow anyone to have power over you, not even your family. I love my brother, but I can’t go back there, not ever again. He will lose his mind when he discovers my betrayal, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take. I hope my brother will forgive me one day and understand why I decided to run. It’s how it must be for now until Marco Santoro is dead.
LUCAS
My muscles tightened, and every instinct went off in my head, knowing what my sister would do. How she felt when I hugged her goodbye was so final that it made me see red. I’m the boss for a reason. I know everything and calculate every scenario several steps ahead of everyone else. Sabina doesn’t realize I know her better than she will ever admit, and here’s another thing I know—she’s planning to run.
Of course, I didn’t show remorse when she called me out for not taking a more significant part in her life, but I had my reasons for that. It’s not something I want to share with my kid sister, but I’m slowly realizing she’s not a kid anymore and probably had to grow up faster than she should have. She’s right about our father; he’s cold, calculating, and ruthless. We wouldn’t have the business we have if he were a teddy bear, but not all bosses are like him, and I vow never to be.
Gio opened my door, and I stepped in, looking one more time at the front window of Sabina’s apartment. The curtain shiftedas if she watched and waited for me to leave. I have her place surrounded, and there is no way she is going anywhere without me knowing it. I opened the app on my phone that synced with my sister’s. While she went to the restroom at dinner, I removed the SIM card from her phone and replaced it with a specialized chip to track and listen to her calls. We slowly pulled away, and it took about twenty seconds for Sabina to make her first call.
“Hello,”
“Lucy, hi,”
“Hey girl, are you on your way? Pierre wants to go to a club. I think he’s rejuvenated after the sleep coma he took on the plane.”
“Don’t hate me, but I can’t make it tonight. Something has come up, and I must take off for a while.”
“Oh, no, you don’t mean,”Then her friend stopped talking and released a breath. I listened intently, and then there was a pause on the line before my sister continued talking. What is she up to?
“Off the grid, and that’s all you need to know. Give Pierre my love, and thank you again for making my graduation. I love you two seriously to the moon and back. I’ll be alright, I promise.”
