“I’m tired of my brother interfering with every part of my life. It’s not fair. I’m 25 and still treated like a child.”
“Stop acting like one then,” he let out a puff of smoke.
The smoke swirled around him in a captivating way. Or maybe it was just me losing my mind. Since the sex party, all I could think about was how that man made me feel, and now I was on a chase to get the same high. My body craved to be touched and satisfied.
“B, get in the car,” Luca voiced as he reached the driver’s side of his vehicle.
Emilio walked toward his car as another vehicle pulled up with two men who picked Casper off the ground. Alfie sped off on his Ducati without a goodbye. The last thing I wanted to do was get into the car with Luca, but I had no choice.
Luca sped off, and it was silent for the first two minutes.
“What were you doing there?”
I looked out the window as my arms were crossed against my chest. “Do I need to give you details?”
“You know what today is.”
Suddenly, I became nauseous. I knew what day it was, but unlike the rest of my family, I wouldn’t stay home and wallow in the past.
“It was 15 years ago,” I replied.
Luca slammed on the brakes, causing me to jolt forward with the seatbelt digging into my skin. “Look at me,” he demanded.
I turn my head to face him.
He was livid at my lack of empathy. “I don’t care if it’s 100 years ago. We may have lost Marco, but we won’t forget him.”
Marco was the eldest DeCarlo, who was gunned down in front of my parent's home along with his wife and child. It was hard for my family, but Luca suffered it the most. He was there when it all happened. He watched it all go down. That was the day that changed my family forever.
“He wouldn’t want us moping over it.”
“This day is like a black cloud that lingers over my head. And to get word that you are being a puttana on the anniversary your brother was killed is just disrespectful.”
I huffed. There was no arguing over this. There was a time when Luca was happy and carefree. That all changed when Marco passed. Our family was in the lifestyle with our father being the Underboss to the late Don Vincenzo Baricelli, who at the time was the only mob family in Chicago who controlled everything.
Marco was well known and respected enough that people knew not to mess with his younger siblings, especially Luca and me. Our older sisters Rita and Isabella were closer in age to Marco, while Luca and I were younger. All Marco wanted for us was to find a path of our own. Unless you were directly a child of a Don, then no title was ever passed to you; it had to be earned. The title of Underboss was to fall onto Marco. He knew no other path for himself and knew there was no stability for us if we chose the same. Luca was set to play professional soccer overseas straight out of college, and I attended a prestigious private school. All was going accordingly until his death, which led Luca into the lifestyle, and it's what drove Luca to where he is now.
My brother didn’t get to where he was easy; although I don’t know the details, I did know he sacrificed a lot. But why did our name have to also fall onto my shoulders? I didn’t choose this for myself.
“I went to the cemetery this morning and spent the day thinking about him,” I defended myself. “Sorry that my boyfriend wanted to take me to dinner.”
“Ex-boyfriend,” Luca pointed out. “And I guess I’m too old to understand that dinner means getting a quick fuck in the back of a car.”
“Well, a decade age difference has that effect.”
Luca hated it when I got smart with him. “Bethany.” He let out a breath of air. “Out of all days.” His eyes never left the road. He wasn’t an emotional man though I could sense his fragile state through his tough facade.
“I’m sorry.”
Turning into my building, we again fell into silence. Luca took care of me; I never lacked anything. He bought me my condo, and I have access to his black card without him imposing a limit. I know I should be grateful, and I am; I just wish I had more freedom. I went to college out of state, but the tradeoff was to return home and hold my role as a member of this family. Little did I know what that truly meant. I may not have accepted his offer if I had known that my brother would dictate my life. But Luca would have found a way to get me in line somehow. Once he was crowned a Don, there was no going back to a normal life.
Luca parked his car in front of the complex and turned it off, but one of his hands remained on the steering wheel. I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Go in and pack a few things. You’ll be staying with me for a little.”
“Luca,” I did my best not to get loud as I protested, “I give you my word, I won’t see Casper again. There’s no need to keep a direct eye on me.”
“It’s not about Casper,” Luca turned to look at me. “I trust you, B, even if it doesn’t always seem that way. I need you to trust me right now.”
