“It’s possible, but it’s been a year. Why now?”
“Priest is on his honeymoon. Shit goes sideways when we least expect it and the don is out of the country.”
“You have a point,” I admit. “You hear anything from any of your contacts lately?”
“Been a little busy, what with Mom showing up in town with our sisters,” Lucky drawls.
And we’ve come full circle, landing back on Antonella Rossi. The woman who gave us life and then left us to live ours without her.
“Better you than me,” I tell him. “I need to get out of here and see to the capos. We’ve got to get a handle on this shit, or it’s only going to get worse.”
“I’ll come with you,” Lucky volunteers.
I shake my head. “I’m not risking both of us. Not with Priest in the islands and Scorpion God knows where upstate. You stay here and make sure the girls and Isla have everything they need. I’ll be back by dinner if everything goes according to plan.”
“You neglected to mention Mom.”
“I don’t know who that is, but if you’re referring to the bitch who abandoned us all, then I don’t give a fuck if she has everything she needs or not.”
“Alessio.”
Antonella’s voice cuts through our conversation. She’s hovering at the doorway to the kitchen, her eyes entreating. But she’s done enough damage, and I’m not letting her back into my life. She blew her chance when she walked out on my brothers and me.
I instantly stiffen, on edge. “You don’t have the right to speak to me,” I tell her coldly.
Then I slam down my coffee and walk away, determined to do everything in my power to keep shit from going even more sideways.
Isla
When I wake up,I reach for Alessio, but he’s not there.
My hand searches for him and finds Cid curled up on his pillow.
I sit up and hit a bedside light switch, illuminating the bedroom in a low glow, thanks to the dimmers we had on last night before we both fell asleep.
Cid blinks at me, then flicks his tail, offering up a yawn.
“Where’s Uncle Alessio?” I ask Cid like he’s going to answer me.
The thought of Alessio leaving me down here starts the subtle pressure on my chest that only seems to leave me when I’m at his side. I force myself to stare at the window decals he applied to the walls last night for me. But as hard as I try to pretend I’m back in St. Thomas, all the worries and cares lifted away, being charmed by a handsome bartender in the Caribbean moonlight, the band wrapped around me tightens.
“I can do this,” I tell Cid, throwing back the covers.
He just blinks at me and then sets his head back down.
It’s a mantra I keep repeating to myself as I venture to the en suite bathroom and quickly shower before dressing. By the timeI make my way out of the bedroom, the air is tinged with coffee, pancakes, and maple syrup. I head to the kitchen, not sure what I’ll find and definitely not expecting to see Antonella at the stove, flipping pancakes.
Lucky, Camilla, and Bianca are sitting at the table, plates piled high. My stomach grumbles even as I notice Alessio is nowhere to be found.
“Good morning, Isla,” Lucky greets me.
“Morning,” the girls chirp in unison.
Antonella turns to give me an assessing look over her shoulder as she scoops up a finished pancake and slides it onto a plate. “Good morning.”
“Morning, everyone,” I return politely, painfully aware that all the people in this kitchen know where I spent the night.
It’s like a walk of shame, only breakfast instead, with siblings and his mom as my audience. Fan-fucking-tastic.
