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I try to swallow the lump in my throat. Very slowly, I get to my feet. I only have one thing to ask.
“Eduardo Mincetti,” I start. “Is he dead?”
My father looks defeated as he says, “He’s still alive, Tony. He’s still Don. We tried. But by the time it was all over, Eduardo was much more powerful. He had the Russians on his side. An all-out war would have been a complete disaster. We would have lost too many people. I was so heartbroken, so angry. Ricardo would have taken revenge on my behalf but I asked him not to.”
My eyebrows rise. “You asked him not to,” I repeat slowly.
“I could have died,” my dad says his voice cracking. “And if I had, the both of you would have lost both your father and your mother.”
“You should have died,” I reply coldly. “It would have been better than you facing me today as a coward.”
Maria gasps softly. Hurt flashes in my dad’s eyes. No, Salvador’s eyes. He’s not my father. Not anymore.
“No words will ever make what I did okay, Anthony. After your mother’s death, Eduardo went underground. The Mincetti’s became what they are today. They stayed out of our business and we ignored them. I had to come home and I told you kids that your mother left because it was easier,” he swallows. “It was better than admitting I let her die. I failed her. And I failed you too. I don’t deserve your forgiveness.”
The people you love betray you in ways you can’t possibly imagine. Ways that are sure to cause you unending pain and torment.
“It’s good that you know. And I’m done listening to you,” I say, my voice cracking on the last word.
I turn around and look at my sister. She’s crying softly into Roman’s shoulder. He’ll take care of her. At least she has someone. At least she has him.
“Rome,” I say to my best friend. “If I asked you too, would you help me kill that fucking son of a bitch?” my tone is low and mocking.
And in that moment, Roman’s my favorite person in the fucking universe because he doesn’t even hesitate.
“He’ll pay for what he did,” he assures me, eyes fierce.
I nod once. “I have to go. I’ll come back. And I won’t do anything crazy. Don’t come looking for me,” I say to Michael. His jaw tightens but he nods in understanding. “And when I come back, he’d better not be anywhere near this house or I’ll do something I’ll really regret.”
I don’t need to specify who I’m talking about. After looking at my sister one last time, I leave. There’s a saying in the De Luca family. We grieve after revenge. Those are our words. But in this case, grief has been put off for too long. Revenge has to wait.
I’m in so much fucking pain I can’t breathe. I stumble into the hotel room and for the first time since my mother abandoned me, I burst into tears. It’s not just the pain, it’s the soul crushing guilt.
I spent fifteen years hating her. When the truth is, there was never anyone to hate. She was already ashes and yet my heart blazed with anger at the thought of her. Every day. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for it. For how long I hated her. She was the best person with the purest heart. And my dad killed her.
But at the end of the day it all comes down to who pulled the trigger. And Eduardo Mincetti is going to fucking pay.
CHAPTER6
Sophia
Igroan softly when my alarm goes off, reaching for the bed side drawer to turn it off. I manage it but five minutes later, it goes off again, because I know myself and one alarm was never going to cut it.
My eyes open to complete and utter darkness in my room. I’ve always liked the dark, drawn comfort in it. The dark is the only place you can ever truly hide. It’s the only time I actually feel safe. Which is weird because most dangers are in the dark. But when I live and breathe death, destruction and crime every day of my life, it’s nice to have something to fall back on, even darkness provides a place to hide.
After mentally counting down from thirty, I climb off the bed. It’s 5:11 am. I wouldn’t be up so early if I didn’t promise myself to start going to the gym more regularly. There was a time I loved going to the gym but recently my routine’s been messed up. I’m hoping to find my drift again.
I brush my teeth and put my hair up in a ponytail after getting dressed. The gym is only a ten-minute walk from my house. It’s quiet when I arrive, nearly empty which is exactly why I come so early. My work out takes an hour. Once I’m done, I head back home, take a shower, prepare breakfast before waiting for Albert to pick me up at 7am. He’s perfectly punctual.
A rigid schedule helps me feel focused. It keeps me in the right head space for the rest of the day. It’s when I miss my routine that I tend to do crazy things. Like sleeping with a stranger on the rooftop of a hotel.
I’ve thought about Tony more often in the past week than I’ll admit. But when you have sex that good, it makes sense that you can’t get the person out of your head. But it was just sex. Just a one-time thing. I’ll probably never see him again. I definitely don’t want to. One-night stands are one-night stands for a reason.
“Albert,” I find myself saying, “How many of your one-night stands did you ever see again?”
Albert’s in his early forties but he’s single and I’m sure he gets around. He chuckles softly, already used to my slightly invasive questions after knowing me for so long.
“Not many, miss. The term connotes it was a one-time thing after all.”
