Our eyes met and he shrugged, a grin on his face.
Of course he would find this fucking amusing. He found our grandmother’s antics amusing. She had probably caused this entire scene for old times’ sake. Maybe to show my wife what it was all about.
“Just fucking wait,” I breathed out. “Just fucking wait until it’s his wife in the melee.”
Rio flung a man over his shoulder. The fucker went right over. Rio rolled his shoulders. “Time to have some fun. This has been a rough fucking week.”
Rio joined in, making his way toward my sister. My old man was knocking them out left and right. So was Matteo. The only way Marciano would was if one of them got too close to our women. His fists could be considered deadly weapons.
This was fucking fun to the men in my family.
Nothing but a good time.
Mitch laughed in my direction. “Man oh fucking man.” He wiped his eyes. “I missed your family so much.” He almost hooted with laughter when he noticed the new owner of the bar crying into a cleaning rag.
The town had some serious resentment against the motherfucker—he wanted a beer bar, and what he got was…this fucking scene.
Mitch shook his head at me. “Your wife…” he laughed harder “…she’s into this, man. Look at her up there. It’s almost like she’s cheering at a sports game. Man, do you have trouble on your hands. So much fucking trouble.”
Mitch hit a guy and then got lost in the pit. I noticed he was taking my old man’s back after Matteo went after another man.
Benji jumped into the crowd like he wanted to crowd-surf.
I sighed, going for my wife. A man with missing teeth got in my face, and I let him shove me before I knocked a few more lose. His woman wasn’t fucking having it. She screamed out his name—“Chili!”—then came after me. She jumped on my back, and we went in circles until she let go.
She hadn’t unlocked her claws because she was dizzy.
We had gotten close to the bar, and Marciano had stepped out of the way to allow my wife the chance to use her bottle, being the thoughtful brother-in-law he was.
“What. The. Fuck.” I managed to get out, directing this comment at him.
The woman was dazed, her wary eyes on my wife, as she took a seat at the bar, attempting to get the sobbing bartender’s attention. Glass shards shimmered in her hair. She pulled out a cigarette, even though they were outlawed in buildings, and tried to light it up. Mamma hit her with water from the sprayer behind the bar.
“This is a no-smoking zone,” mamma said politely.
The woman blinked at her, then went back to trying to get the bartender’s attention, dripping water all over the floor. After Mamma set the sprayer back where it was, the woman grabbed it and sprayed Chili’s face with it. He muttered something incoherent but didn’t get up.
“Fuck me sideways,” I said, lifting my elbow and smashing it into a random man’s face coming at me.
My wife gave me an innocent wave, and when she noticed the expression on my face, or fuck if I knew, she exploded with laughter. Not her normal laugh, either. An evil little laugh, echoing the song playing on the jukebox—“Angel Eyes.” Then she lifted her arm, showing me her flexed muscle, and fanned herself. She was overcome by the vapors. The vapors of fucking ninety proof alcohol and sawdust still lingering in the air.
Still, she was impressed with me, and damn if it didn’t make me want to lift this entire bar from the ground and fling it into the distance.
Marciano was shaking his head, and I could hear his fucking raspy laughter, even over the blaring music.
“Get ’em, Rio!” my sister cheered from the bar.
Mamma set her hands around her mouth, her eyes on my old man. “You still got it, Fausti! Remember Puddin’?!”
Stella made a hooting noise and screamed, “That’smyman!” She pointed at Matteo, telling him to keep up the good work.
Magpie clapped.
That was when I noticed him.
My grandfather—the fucking head lion of the Fausti family. He was tossing men back like he was half his age. He was having a time too. He had a beatific grin stuck to his face as he would sometimes make eye contact with my grandmother. I knew I wasn’t imagining it when he would flex his muscles for her.
Soldiers stood by the doors, watching as it all unfolded, arms crossed.
