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Michael notices. He squints at me. “What’s going on, Rome?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. Keep talking to me about the weapons supply.”
He doesn’t, instead choosing to close his tablet and get to his feet. “You tuned out for half of my brief. I’m tired, and so are you. Time to stop,” he states.
I arch an eyebrow. “I say when to stop.”
He makes a face. “No pulling rank right now. I’m fucking exhausted and hungry. We’ve been debating this thing all day. And frankly, I think we need a third opinion. Tony’s useless.”
He really is. Unfortunately, Tony’s capabilities are more suited for the realm of murder and violence than for the more practical aspects of our business. Sales, finances, he has no interest.
After briefly considering Michael’s words, I get to my feet, following him as we head downstairs to the kitchen. I’m pretty sure neither of us is surprised to find Tony there with a sandwich in hand. The guy is almost always eating something.
“How’d the meeting go?” he mumbles through a mouthful of ham.
“Gross, man,” Michael says with a groan. “Swallow first before speaking.”
Tony rolls his eyes. “You’re not my mother, Mikey.”
“Grazie a Dio per questo,” Michael says in Italian.Thank God for that.
I smile, moving to the fridge to see if there’s any leftover food. It’s way past dinnertime but I’m hoping my mom left something out for us.
“I’m already heating up some mac and cheese for you both,” Tony says, gesturing at it.
I nod, waiting for it to be done. Once it is, Tony helps us in dishing out the food. The three of us work quietly as a unit, ensuring we don’t make too much noise, considering the majority of the household is asleep.
“My sister moved out,” Tony announces once we’re done eating.
He then proceeds to explain Elena’s bizarre actions. I shrug when he’s done.
“She’s always been prone to doing weird shit.”
“Sure, but she’s acting suspicious. Her move to England, her return, everything’s suspicious. She barely called home when she was there. I was ready to get on a plane to go check on her but Dad convinced me not to. Said he wanted to give her space and I respected those wishes. Now she’s back home and he’s giving her even more space? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I’m sure your father has his reasons.”
“Yeah, or he’s growing soft. Scratch that—he’s always been soft with her. She can do no wrong in his eyes.” He sighs.
I peer at him, wondering what the source of his grievances is. When I look at Michael, he’s watching Tony intently as well. I give him a look.
“Care to add something?” I ask.
Michael shakes his head. “He’s right. Something’s up with the girls. Kiara wouldn’t tell me anything, but their move to England and back is weird.”
I don’t voice the fact that I absolutely agree with them. But if the girls were in any trouble, I’m sure they’d come to us. Elena’s part of my family, and Kiara is too. Despite any hang-ups between us, I wouldn’t hesitate to help them.
“Your sister can take care of herself,” I say to Tony. “Despite what you may think, she’s not a little kid. She’s mature, even though she sometimes doesn’t act like it. She’s strong, too.”
“I know,” Tony says, running a hand through his hair. “I just worry. All the time. After Mom left, it’s on me to take care of her. Dad does his best, but sometimes it feels like he’s scared of pushing her away like he did to Mom. He lets her do anything she wants. Elena takes advantage of that.”
Tony’s carried the weight of keeping his family together on his shoulders since he was fifteen. His mother left and his father was suddenly a shell of himself, absent in all the ways they needed him to be present. Tony took up the mantle of taking care of Elena. She was stubborn as hell and difficult, but he did everything he could to make sure she was okay. My best friend’s a better man than anyone gives him credit for.
“Just ease up, alright, Tony? They’ll talk to us about whatever’s bothering them when they want to. Don’t push. And don’t be a bull,” Michael warns.
I chuckle.
“I am not a bull,” Tony says, clearly offended.
