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Dante purses his lips for a long moment before deciding that I’m strong enough to handle the truth. “You are notinthe family, Nic. Everyone knows that. They leave you alonebecauseof that fact. And I felt that it would be more beneficial to keep you out of the loop until Luciano regained his wits.”
“Where’s he locked up?”
“In the dungeon,” Dante answers matter-of-factly. “He was a danger to himself and others. Theotherspart isn’t quite as concerning. If anything, it might work in our favor. But he isn’t strong enough to confront the Lucatellos just yet, and neither are we. We’re amassing our forces, but it will take weeks before we’re ready to reclaim what’s rightfully ours.”
This is all happening because of me. If I had been a good little boy and followed Leonardo and Giovanni’s orders, Luciano would be safe, and Christine wouldn’t be forced to marry a murderer. I did this; I have to fix it.
“I’m in.” I’m not going to hide anymore; I’m not going to stand on the sidelines and watch as my brothers start a war they can’t finish.
Dante and Salvatore share a laugh between themselves. “What do you mean you’re‘in’?” Salvatore questions, feigning confusion. “In what?”
“I’m in the family, asshole,” I tell him with a glare. “Add me to your army.” Luciano is the last straw. If Giovanni touches someone I care about again, I’ll kill him.
“Slow down, Professor,” comments Dante, his words dripping with sarcasm and disdain. “Don’t go volunteering for wars you’re not prepared to fight in. You’ve always been the softest one in the family. No offense.” But it sounds like it was meant to be offensive. “You’ll get yourself killed if you’re not careful. Mom is already burying her husband. Let’s not make her bury a son next.”
I clench my fists at my sides, once again feeling like this family doesn’t take me seriously. They never have, and perhaps they never will.
“I’m not going to die, Dante. I want to be included in the next family meeting. I’ll do whatever it takes to join or sign up, or whatever it is you people do. This is my family, too, and I’m tired of seeing the Lucatello brothers hurt the people I love.”
Dante exchanges a glance with Salvatore, and they communicate silently through gestures and raised eyebrows, a conversation I will never fully comprehend. “Why the hell not?” Salvatore finally speaks after a moment. “Give him a shot.”
Trusting Salvatore’s judgment over mine, Dante nods in my direction. “Revenge and security are good enough reasons,” he decides. “And maybe that’ll even be enough to keep you safe.”
All I need is a baseball bat to protect myself. Point me in the right direction, and I’ll come out swinging.
Chapter 35
Christine
Ichose not to attend the funeral, not out of disrespect but because both Niccolo and Dante asked me not to.
I expected Niccolo’s request. As close as we’d gotten, Giovanni’s reappearance and Fausto’s death lobbed a grenade at our relationship that was straining the intimacy we shared.
I didn’t expect Dante’s request. Niccolo’s came via text; Dante’s came with a personal phone call. He was polite, the nicest to me he’d ever been. I could hear the weight in his tone as he pleaded for me to stay away for Niccolo’s sake.
“He loves you, Christine, but this is very complicated. He needs time.” And though I wanted to be there for Nic, I respected the Terlizzi family’s wishes.
But a few days later, with Finals behind us and the students packing up to go home for the holidays, my stepfather showed up at my door.
It starts with a knock, and Kaye gets up to answer. “I gotta pee anyway,” she complains.
She opens the door and I can’t see around her at first. “Hey, uh, Chris.” She steps aside so I can see. “Your father is here.” Her eyes twinkle with amusement, and she double-checks her pockets. “I’ll be back in a bit. I should call my mom or something. Nice to see you, Professor,” Kaye nods at Nic as she walks past him.
Niccolo wears a bemused look on his face as he steps inside. “I think a few of your dorm mates are students of mine.”
“Formerstudents,” I correct as I sit up in bed. “The semester is over.”
Nic gracefully settles onto the bed next to me, his presence both comforting and intimate. I instinctively curl my feet under me, finding a sense of ease in his company. He reaches for a nearby pillow and arranges it behind his back, making himself comfortable as he prepares to settle in for a conversation. “Or maybe they’re like you, and they’ll be with me next semester.”
I shudder to think of another semester in Niccolo’s class. These last four months have been difficult for the two of us. We’ve butted heads and succumbed to desires we wouldn’t ordinarily allow ourselves to indulge in. What will happen next semester? Where will we be in another four months?
“Sienna will be back next semester,” I announce, changing the subject before I drive myself crazy thinking about the what-ifs and possibilities.
“Oh, god,” he groans. “I swear you two are going to drive me into an early grave.”
“We aren’t that bad,” I argue. “We know the material.”
Niccolo lets out an exasperated sigh, his eyes rolling in frustration. He reaches over and gently lays his hand on my ankle, a small gesture to comfort and ground me amidst our banter. “That you do,” he says with a squeeze. “What’s Sienna’s plans, anyway? Is she majoring in Psychology or something? Why is she in my class?”
