Their heartbreak bleeds into me.
This room isn’t meant to be disturbed. I begin to back out when my eyes catch sight of a framed photo on the dresser. My body locks down tight, refusing to budge.
A boy who I assume is Isa’s brother stands between a pair of twin boys—DiAngelo and Elio. They’re in their midteens, their bodies in the process of transforming from boys to men. All three wear matching grins of pure joy.
Before I know what I’m doing, I have the picture frame in my hands and am absorbing everything I can about this glimpse into the past. Tragedy struck this group of friends, and poor D is the only one who remains.
I can’t imagine how hard that must have been.
While I lost Craig, DiAngelo lost not only his twin but also their good friend, all in a relatively short timeframe. My heart breaks for him, yet I’m so grateful I have the chance to bringa hint of that joy back to his life. I don’t fully understand why my neurotic self appeals to him, but it does, and that makes me incredibly lucky.
I wish sweet Isa could know this feeling.
I’d be willing to bet her avoidance of relationships stems from the same fear I was experiencing. A fear of loss. But what I’m now realizing is the loneliness of isolation is still losing, it’s just a surrender rather than a defeat.
A guarded heart gives up before the battle even starts.
Instead of suffering an acute injury and subsequent recovery, living in fear is a withering starvation that drains the soul over a lifetime. A pain that never heals.
By setting aside our fears, DiAngelo and I are choosing to fight for a better future.
I set down the photo and say a silent prayer that Isa will meet someone who challenges her to do the same. Not wanting to skulk around anymore, I go back to our room and sneak back under the covers. D pulls me into his arms.
“Everything okay?” he murmurs groggily.
“Yeah, everything’s good.” Inspired by my revelation, I decide to be big brave and take a leap of faith. “D?”
“Hmm?”
Do it, you’ve got this.
“I love you, and I’m so grateful you’re in my life.”
His eyes open and shower me with devotion. “I had forgotten what love was until you reminded me. You have become my everything, firefly.”
Tears burn the backs of my eyes as I bring my lips to his in a tender kiss.
CHAPTER 57
DIANGELO
Present
Gabriele Fiore isthe underboss of the Lucciano Family, who deals primarily in construction, while the ports are our territory. Business can overlap, but for the most part, we aren’t direct rivals. The old Italians set it up that way years ago to stop infighting. The five Italian operations in New York and a couple of Chicago outfits even joined up to form a commission to keep things civil.
All that to say, today’s meeting should be amicable.Shouldbeing the keyword.
I never take anything for granted. We make a show of leaving weapons at the door, but I’m still armed. I don’t care who I’m meeting with, I’m not going in naked.
Fiore has three guys with him. My guess is, they’re carrying, too, along with Tommy and Sante, who met up with us before the meeting. Four of us from each family, all eyeing one another warily.
“Renzo, I appreciate your willingness to meet on such short notice,” Fiore says after we’ve all gathered around a rusticwooden table in the basement of an old Italian restaurant in Lucciano territory. Their meeting, their pick of locations.
“We appreciate your cooperation on this and look forward to being able to return the favor.”
Fiore nods once, acknowledging the debt. “I’d like to introduce you to Nico Conti. He has an old family connection to Michael Savin. He’s done a little digging for us.”
All eyes turn to Nico.
