“One of my buddies in the Family. Mario.”
“Mario?” I ask, with a faint smile.
Julian rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “Yes, Mario. And before you ask, no, he doesn’t have a brother named Luigi.”
We all laugh, and for a few precious moments, the world almost seems normal.
“Well, what did Mario say?” I ask.
“The fight at the addiction center has broken the news about what half the Family has been doing. The other half isn’t too happy about it?—”
“According to Mario,” Damian grunts.
Julian flashes a look at him. “Yeah, according to Mario. Apparently, there’s an auction tonight at an underground nightclub in the city. There are going to be…” Julian curls his lips. “Women, girls there for sale. Mario has offered to help us infiltrate the meeting.” Julian looks at Damian. “He mentioned you too. He said that the Don lost a lot of favor sending men after you.”
“Not men,” Damian grunts. “Not justmen, Julian.”
Julian nods, taking it. “You’re right. He sent your best friend after you. That’s how out of control this bastard is.”
“It could be a trap,” Damian says.
“Or it could be a chance to end this.”
Damian nods, accepting the truth of this. “Where were all these so-called heroes when the Don made his move on me? Why didn’t any of them start digging and learn the truth sooner?”
“They were scared,” Julian says simply. “Hell, man,Iwas scared. You were the only one brave enough to go against the Family on your own. You’ve always been the brave one while we slink around in the shadows, completely terrified.”
Pride swells in me as I look at Damian. He shrugs, trying to make it seem like no big deal.
“The other option is we revisit leaving,” Julian says. “When Mom and Dad come home, I’ll meet them at the airport and come clean. We’ve both got cash, Damian. We can move somewhere else. Set up new identities.”
Damian looks at me for too long, considering Julian isright there. “If we leave, the auction goes ahead. Don… No, I won’t call him Don. He doesn’t deserve that title. Salvatore will keep poisoning this city.”
Fear spikes through me. The memory of gunfire and screaming and the close brush with death attempts to paralyze me.
But then I think of Maria, so brave when I reset her dislocated finger, barely making a noise despite the agony of it. I think of everything those poor women and girls went through… and how many more will suffer.
“We can’t run,” I say.
Damian nods. “Then that’s that. We’re not running.”
Julian coughs out a laugh. “I’ve been trying to convince him for damn near ten minutes. But you walk in, Celine, and like that.” He snaps his fingers.
“It’s the right thing,” Damian grumbles. “People can think what they want about me. Call me the Beast. I’ve worn that name like armor for a long time. But I’ve done what I can with what I have. I’ve tried to make a difference from inside this fucking hellhole we call a life.”
Julian becomes serious. “I know, man. I know. I’ve never doubted that. You’ve always been better than me.”
“No,” Damian snaps. “I didn’t mean that.”
Julian shakes his head. “I get it. I honestly do. And…” He gets choked up. “I’m sorry.” Tears glimmer in his eyes. “The truth is, when Salvatore came to me with the job to take you out, I was too scared to say no. Do you know what forced me to change my mind? When you dropped those two men, I ran. I hid nearby. And I thought to myself,Damian never would’ve agreed to this. That’s what finally made me do the right thing, if you can even call it the right thing after how far I let it go.”
Damian nods. “You’re right. I never would’ve agreed. I would’ve eaten a bullet before that. But you know what, Julian? If I had a sister?—”
Julian gets choked up. “Don’t say it?—”
“You’d never touch her. Not in a million damn years. So, neither of us is perfect.”
I stand at the edge of the scene as emotion tears through both men. I’m caught in the middle, unsure of whom to comfort or if my comfort would even be welcome.
