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Conner climbs into bed and carefully collects me in his arms. Days of anxiety have taken a toll that is now etched into his handsome face. “Are you in pain?” he asks.
“Not too much. I don’t want to take anything for it.” The bandage on my chest is uncomfortable when I move. I’m sure there will be a scar. “How’s Robert?”
“He’s glad you’re home, but he’s quiet. Micah and Tess have been around a lot, helping to look after him. Dani brings Charlotte and Total to visit because that seems to cheer him up a little. They’re here now. Micah says the kid has a tough road ahead and needs all the support he can get.”
Yes, Micah would know. As a child, he witnessed his own father being butchered. He likely feels a sad kinship with my brother. What a tragic club to be a member of.
It’s difficult to fathom the hell my little brother has been through lately. His father was killed in prison. His mother was murdered right in front of him. Aileen and I were never close. She was only my stepmother for a short time. She was a good person. And she adored her son. Her small funeral was held while I was in the hospital.
“There is no other family,” I tell Conner, in case this hasn’t been clear. “We are Robert’s guardians now.”
Conner nods with no hesitation. “This is his home. He stays with us.”
“How is Vito doing?”
“He was also released from the hospital yesterday. Says he and his wife are planning to move to Palm Springs but if you ever need him he’s at your service.”
I’m relieved that the man who saved my brother’s life gets to ride off into the sunset. It’s a welcome bright spot in the aftermath of so much violence.
There are other questions I haven’t asked yet. In the hospital, Conner asked me if I wanted to hear the rest of my family’s story and I didn’t. There would be plenty of time for that later, once I was no longer fighting for my life.
It’s now later.
“What was done with my father’s body?”
Conner holds me close and kisses the top of my head. “Your father didn’t leave any instructions. Lita made the choice to have him cremated. You and your brother and sister can decide what to do with the remains.”
“My father was far from sentimental. He’d probably laugh and recommend scattering the ashes in an east side parking lot.”
He chuckles. “You give it some thought. Fiona visited the hospital every day. She wanted to make sure that you knew she did everything you asked her to. But she wouldn’t tell me what that was.”
“I asked her to give all my money to the people who worked for me. Sorry to tell you this, but I’m now broke. You’ll have to support me.”
He snorts. “Good thing I’m sitting on many millions. That number just keeps growing because Gage is an investment genius.”
“Speaking of Gage, was I delirious or did I hear you tell Lita that he personally escorted Sophie back to Las Vegas?”
“You weren’t delirious. Gage wanted to make sure there was no misunderstanding with the Vegas mafia. Castigliore is not real pleased with his daughter. I expect Sophie will be locked in some Vegas ivory tower for the foreseeable future to keep her from embarrassing the family again. Gage, however, will be back home today.” He clears his throat and exhales loudly. I know he has something else on his mind.
“What am I missing?”
“Gage says Estes is back in the city. He wants to see you.”
I can feel my mouth pull into a scowl. “I suppose I’ll have to get that over with at some point.”
As if all the recent shocks weren’t enough, my father’s younger brother has risen from the dead. Or, more precisely, Estes was never dead in the first place. Jumping off a yacht after being riddled with bullets should have earned him a destiny as shark food. I suppose it’s a miracle that he managed to cling to a boulder long enough to be discovered by a local fishing boat. He had no identification on him and for a long time he wasn’t expected to survive. When he did begin to recover, he kept his identity a secret. A smart move, considering he was stuck in a foreign country where the powerful men who wished him dead assumed they’d succeeded. Estes didn’t emerge from hibernation until the news of my father’s death reached him.
Gage was highly skeptical of the tale, but after checking it all out with his overseas contacts, he assured Conner it was legit.
The news of my uncle’s impending homecoming just leaves a few final loose ends to tie up. “I suppose Estes has also heard that Talon’s dead.”
Talon Marchenko died in an abandoned east side motel. The cause of death was massive organ failure due to the level of venom in his system after sustaining twenty-nine snakebites.
Twenty-nine. My favorite number.
“Yeah. Presumed to be a mob hit. Gage had something to do with reinforcing that idea to a couple of friendly reporters. Jared will likely be seeing his brother soon. He’s in a coma right now and his odds aren’t looking good.”
“Sounds like poetic justice. What’s the latest on Uncle Desmond?”
