AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Talk about what?”
I sighed, gathering my nerve. There were only a handful of people in this world that could intimidate me and Giovani was one of them. Talking to him was especially hard because he was a smart man, he always had questions and I knew I couldn’t give him the answers he was looking for because that would mean opening a whole other box of shit. The secrets that were screwing in my head are ones I had to take to the grave with me.
“You’re right, it’s time to clean up my act.” My brother’s face was transformed with surprise. “I’m done with the parties and the drinking.”
“Why?”
Because I don’t need to get drunk to not be in pain now that Pina is keeping my demons on their leash.
“Because I can’t be part of your business if I’m drunk six days a week. You told me that once.”
“And your response was that thefamigliacan burn in hell and you don’t want to take your place in the business. Did you blow your accounts on whores and whiskey, little brother?”
“I prefer vodka, but no.”
“Then why? Why now? I’ve been waiting for you to come to me for years now, Garon.”
“Are you telling me it’s too late? That I have no place in your organization?”
From across the room, Giovani shook his head and pinned me down with a look.
“You are Caputo. You aremy brother. Your place was always next to me.”
His words felt like poisoned arrows.
You are Caputo.
You are my brother.
I wasn’t. I was the mistake my mother never intended to have and the only other man who knew that was dead and buried. Fabiano never failed to remind me that I was not worthy of my name or thefamiglia. That he took mercy on me giving me his name, but he only did it so he wouldn’t be embarrassed because his wife stepped out on her marriage vows. He drilled into me the fact that while my brothers and I were raised together, I was not their equal.
“I’m glad you’re ready to stop acting like a disturbed teenager and be the man I know you are, little brother. I still need you to tell me why. When we talked, you didn’t even want to return to Palermo. Did Grazia finally nag you into submission?”
“I stopped taking her calls last week. Salvatore should keep her more entertained or something because she keeps depleting my phone battery.”
“She’s our sister. It’s not a bad thing she cares about you.”
“She’s the best out of all eight of us.” I said. I missed Grazia and I knew it was a matter of time until she bulldozed through my door asking for an explanation. That was going to be fun.
“Vero25. Are you ready to tell me what’s going on with you?”
I took a long breath and then looked at Giovani. It was time.
“Pina Bernoulli is pregnant.”
A long moment of silence followed.
“Why do you care about Pina? How do you even know that?”
“It’s mine, Giovani. She is pregnant with my child.”
My brother froze, I think he even stopped breathing for a minute and then he jumped to his feet in one sharp move. He licked his lips and covered his face with one of his big palms before pouring three fingers of bourbon in a crystal glass and gulping it down.
“I’m going to need more context. I know for a fact Martino left Italy months ago. How did his daughter end up pregnant with you?” He didn’t sound angry, but he didn’t sound happy either which triggered something inside me. He might be shocked, I was too, but we were still talking about my child and I didn’t like the dismissive undertone of his voice.
“Martino abandoned Pina in Rome. Took a huge loan out in her name, packed his bags and left like a thief in the middle of the night. He sold her to some shark called Tony Balbano. I found her waiting tables in a gentlemen’s club.”
“Balbano, I’ve met him.”
