And I can’t decide if that makes me the disappointment, or the last thread of humanity this family has left.
What do I know?
This freedom I’ve been given isn’t really freedom.
It’s conditional. Short leashed.
Even something as small as aligning my schedule to visit Ahren each week comes with strings attached.
I have to promise to come back.
To keep playing the role.
To continue learning how to take over a future I never asked for.
The Campisi organization doesn’t hand out leniency. It demands loyalty.
Taking it seriously means digging myself in deeper and seeing my freedom thoroughly wash away at some point.
Today, my father hands me a dossier. It’s pretty slim and contains photos, resumes, and bios for five men.
“What’s this?” I ask, brow furrowing.
“I’ve vetted these men myself,” he says from across the desk.
“For…wha, Dadt?”
“For you,” he says, smiling.
I’m still confused. “Like, to be my second?”
He’s told me several times that I can pick a second — a person to manage the less tasteful parts of the job. It seems early, but he’s also said it’s essential to get someone in early so we can build a bond of trust together.
I flip through the dossier, expecting that’s what this is about
“No, baby,” he says. “For a match.”
“A…match.” My voice is flat.
“We’ve talked about this,” he says.
And we have, but I thought maybe I could get him to put it off for a while. I thought perhaps he’d be so pleased by my obedience in learning the business that he might not feel it was immediately necessary.
I thought I might have time to figure out how to wiggle my way out of it.
“Dad, I don’t?—”
He puts up a hand. “Just look at it. Do me a favor, don’t start arguing. Just look at it.”
I stare at him across the table.
He’s still a striking man, even nearing sixty. Broad-shouldered, tailored suit, sharp jawline. His thick, dark hair is now laced with silver, giving him a refined, yet dangerous, edge.
He moves like he owns the air around him.
And maybe he does own it.
The Don. The one who runs half this city and makes the other half afraid to breathe.
