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But with Uncle Vince, there was this reverence.
He spoke, and I listened because I’d known from a young age that he saw parts of me I never understood myself. But, I realized, Ariana De Luca did, too.
Which was how I knew Vince had a point.
Ganymede and Jupiter.
It sounded crazy until it didn’t.
“This isn’t supposed to be our last conversation.”
He shook his head. “Life never turns out like it’s supposed to, but I have a gift most don’t. An opportunity for closure. I’ve stitched together the wounds my sins have left, made peace with the ones I’ve loved, but there’s still you I worry for.”
“You don’t need to worry about me.”
“I do. You don’t see it because you’re so used to it, but you’re spiraling. I knew Graham wasn’t the mole. It was Dana, but I used Graham to keep you at the bar because I saw you with Ariana. When you saw the burner phone, I told your dad there was a second mole so you’d have a reason to stay on the bar side.”
I swiped a hand across my face. “You can’t play God like that.”
“It’s not playing God if a human can do it.”
That.
His wit.
The way he cared.
The way he saw me.
I’d miss that.
I couldn’t live without it.
“Don’t go.”
“It’s my time. I’ve made my peace with it. My only wish is you open your heart to the people who love you. Asher. Gio. Frankie. Eli. Niccolaio. Tessie. Lucy. Everett. Ariana.” Someone behind Vince shoved his shoulder, and he spoke quicker, his voice more urgent. “Promise me.”
No, I wanted to say. Only if you stay.
“I promise.”
ARIANA DE LUCA
For a legend, I’d never had a good radar for impending doom.
It happened when it happened, and I was more reactive than I was proactive. But tonight, I stayed awake in bed as I waited for four in the morning to come instead of catching a quick nap.
Something kept me up. I couldn’t pinpoint it. It was like gravity pulling me in a direction before I knew it was happening.
My eyes were open, and I was alert as Bastian pushed his way past the bedroom door. He stared at me for a second, his eyes almost relieved to see me, before he spoke.
“He’s gone.”
His voice was guttural, raw, and everything wrong in the world.
A lone tear trailed down his cheek, and he was the strongest man I’d ever met.
Bastian made my skin crawl. He made me second guess my confidence. He made me wonder if it was misplaced. He also inspired a sense of loyalty I couldn’t shake.
