Stupid.
“Enough!” he barks, his hand flying up and backhanding my mom hard enough that she stumbles back.
I quickly move to catch her before she falls. Him laying his hand on her is my breaking point. It always is. I try to do as Dominick says and behave so Andrey will leave us alone. But the moment he hits our mom or sister, I lose it.
“Don’t fucking touch her!” I yell, flying forward and shoving him back. “You want to be pissed? Be pissed at me. I’m the fuckup. I’m the idiot. The weakest fucking link! But don’t fucking touch her!”
Mom sniffles from somewhere behind me, and it spurs me on.
“Instead of taking it out on a woman who doesn’t stand a chance against you, hit me, motherfucker!”
I get in his face, and he takes one look at me and swings. His fist connects with my cheek, knocking me back, and my backpack flies off my shoulder and onto the ground.
“Andrey, Matteo, stop!” Mom begs. “People are going to see.”
Before I can get myself together, he lays another hit and then another. My ass hits the ground, and Andrey towers over me.
“You’re a fucking disgrace to this family,” he hisses. “I’m done paying for an education you refuse to take advantage of. Your brother gets straight A’s, and so does your sister. But you … I wouldn’t even be surprised if you weren’t my son.”
He glances at Mom. “Who did you cheat on me with? A dumbass?” He pulls out his gun and points it at my forehead. “Either you get your shit together or I’m putting you on the streets, where you belong.”
I nod in understanding, not ready for my life to be over yet. If I die, who will protect our mom and sister? Dominick tries, but Andrey has him up his ass, preparing him to take over the company.And anytime Dominick goes against him, he threatens to take it all away.
“You can walk home,” Andrey says, putting his gun away and unlocking the car door. “It will give you time to think about how you’re going to make better choices that don’t embarrass our name.”
Mom looks like she wants to argue, but I shake my head, silently telling her not to. It’s better when she doesn’t argue with him. It saves me from having to save her when Andrey gets violent.
Once they’re gone, I grab my backpack that fell on the ground and sling it over my shoulder. I could call Dominick to pick me up, but then he’ll ask questions I don’t want to answer right now. It’ll put him in an uncomfortable position between having my back and kissing Andrey’s ass so that when Andrey’s buried six feet under one day, we’ll be able to take over the business.
So, instead, I walk to the store to get a drink to delay going home. Andrey might’ve held himself back in the school parking lot, but once I get home, he’ll finish this conversation. He always does.
“Hey, Antonov,” a voice calls out.
I glance over and find Anthony Rothschild standing with a couple of guys. His father, Joseph, works with mine, but their relationship is strictly business. I don’t think my dad really has any friends. Just people who fear him.
“I heard your daddy was beating you up,” he taunts, pulling out his phone and showing me a recent social media post.
Sure enough, there’s a video of Andrey hitting me. I can’t see who posted it, but whoever it was must’ve been in the parking lot with us.
Great. That’s going to piss Andrey off even further.
“Mind your own fucking business,” I grumble.
“Your family is my business,” Anthony says, walking over to me. “Especially since, one day,we’llbe family.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Ignore him.”
I look over and find my best friend, Lorenzo Russo, sauntering up to us.
“He’s just talking shit, as usual.” He glares at Anthony, who laughs.
“I’m not talking anything but the truth,” Anthony says. “Didn’t your dad tell you?” He smirks at me. “Or was he too busy beating the hell out of you?”
He chuckles, and it takes everything in me not to beat him to death.
“Oh, wait.” He snaps his fingers. “I forgot—you’re such a loser that your dad doesn’t want you anywhere near the business.” He looks at Lorenzo. “But I’m surprised Giuseppe hasn’t told you,” he says, referring to Lorenzo’s dad.
