If ever I could say I heard the sound of relief, now would be the time. As if he gave a shit.
“Where the fuck have you been? I’ve been looking for you for seven fucking years.”
“I’m here. I’m fine.” I paused. “How are you?” It was polite to ask, and I needed to be polite. I needed information.
“Fine. Good.”
“I heard you have two brats running around and a third on the way.”
“You’ve been keeping tabs?”
“Yeah.”
“Two little girls. A boy due in six weeks.” He paused. “They should meet their uncle sometime.”
“Nah.” Fuck. I stood, gritting my teeth. “Better this way.”
“Better for whom?”
I ignored his question.
“And Effie?” he asked.
“Better for her too.”
“No, not fucking better. Where are you? Are you okay?”
I hated the tone of his voice. The authenticity in what he said.
“I’m around, and I’m okay. I needed to go figure out who the hell I was.”
“You’re my fucking brother, that’s who you are.”
“Not so simple.”
“I thought you were dead,” Salvatore said.
“After what happened, I wanted to be.” A long silence followed. The wordsI’m sorrymay have fit here nicely.I’m sorry for almost killing you.Hell, they might even be true, but I couldn’t go there. I hated the Benedetti family. I hated all of them. And that had to include Salvatore.
Quiet.
“I heard they found a body. Mateo Castellano. Did Roman order the killing?”
Salvatore sighed. “I think it’s pretty obvious, don’t you?”
“I thought the Castellano family was under Franco’s protection.”
“Me too. Father’s pissed. Not sure how Roman will survive this.”
Snakes always slithered out just when you thought you had them cornered. But this time, I was sure it wasn’t Roman. “He’s not being set up?”
“I don’t know. I talked to him, but I can’t be sure.”
“Do you know any details?”
“I don’t care about the details. That’s why I’m here, in Florida, out of that life. Keeping my family out of that life. I’ve already been brought in for questioning twice, and I’ll tell you what I told them. Roman and I talk twice a year. I called him about this for my own peace of mind. He claims it wasn’t him.”
“Do you believe him?”
