I ran a hand through my hair and leaned over my legs, staring at my blood-stained hands. It had dried in the lines of my palms and turned rust colored.
My father’s blood.
Droplets of rain splashed against my skin, loosening my father’s life from its grip and dripping to the floor.
I could not look away from it. It was an emblematic representation of the night before.
My father had made it clear that he was not going to forfeit his position in the family and concede power toZioLuca.
In our family this meant war.
My father had been planning for it for some time, knowing one dayZioLuca would be set free from prison, and they would go toe to toe for the position.
Comparing it to American politics, to some degree, my father had gone to different factions of the family to gain support. Especially to those who had not wantedZioLuca to lead from the beginning.
Even though I had never outwardly shown favor for my uncle or explicitly told my father that he should back down, my father knew my feelings. I had never stoked the fire like Leandro or mamma. I sat quietly while he gave his gallant speeches and swung his sword in practice.
Guns are for quick work, he’d always said,and not the weapon of choice for gentleman in a war for honor.
He knew his brother was skilled at it and, like in everything else, wanted to defeat him.
When the time came that he was summoned to the private area of the palazzo, he called on Leandro to go with him, along with his men and some family who had sided with him.
I looked after my mamma, who got a bad feeling about the situation after my father and his men had left.
The anguished roar from my father at the same moment his brother cut his legs off met us outside of the doors of the meeting, and so did a blood trail.
It was symbolic.
Legs were important to rule. To stand against other men and to lead his own. To represent the family as a man of worth.
My father would never stand again, not on his own two feet. Not without help. Not without the reminder that his brother had bested him.
Ifhe lived.
He was fighting for his life, my mamma next to him, still in the dress she’d worn the night before. It was black, and she swore if my father died, she’d wear it in mourning.
I forced my eyes from the droplets of blood hitting the ground and to my own state.
My tux was disheveled and bloody, even if only some of it could be seen. The hidden stains held the scent of wet copper. The muggy air made it even stronger.
Against it was the scent of smoke.
Vincenzo sat across from me, his eyes on my face, sucking on a cigarette. Vincenzo was my cousin—didn’t matter what number—and had made an oath of fealty toZioLuca’s faction of the family.
We all had it in us to kill, provoked or not, but some of us more than others. Vincenzo fell in with some of us more than others. He had made a career out of it with the family.
He came to collect me whenZioLuca summoned me to his palazzo. Vincenzo said he wanted to speak with me.
Vincenzo met my eyes, and after a second or two gave me a subtle nod. It was his way of acknowledging what had happened the night before. Perhaps he would have done the same thing to his brother—laws are laws and winners are winners—but the nod came out of respect for me.
Themotoscafopulled up to a palatial palazzo, andVincenzo escorted me inside. Rocco, Dario, and Romeo each shook my hand and pulled me in. Again, it was not because of my father, but out of respect for me. I had nothing but love for my cousins and them for me. If the situations had been reversed, I would have made it a point to seek them out and do the same.
Rocco escorted me toZio’soffice instead of Vincenzo. Rocco and I shared similar eye color. His were a mossy green in the dimness of the halls, the color of the sea when in the bright sun. Mine were the color of green olives in the sun and somewhat darker in the halls. Both of our eyes were thoughtful as we walked.
Brando met us at the door.
His eyes were stone brown and hard, though they showed the same amount of respect when he looked at me for a brief second. He turned his attention to Rocco and inquired in Italian about the situation.
