I can see the wheels turning in her head. I’m not going to lie. I love hearing her include herself in the equation.
“Something like that.” I nod.
“Okay, how do we get you the world? I’ve always wanted to go to Italy. Maybe I can come back next summer too.” She looks around and smiles. “This place is nice. It’s been so long since I’ve lived like this.”
I lean in and reach to wipe the gravy she missed with her napkin. Her lips part as she looks back at me with wide eyes. I pull my finger back and stick it into my mouth.
“It’s simple. I run the product I’ve been put in charge of and keep the businesses on my books earning until my twenty-firstbirthday, and then I get a promotion. My uncle doesn’t have sons of his own, so he’s going to choose between me and one of my cousins.
“I’m in the lead so far, but I’m also the oldest. Al, and Fredo haven’t turned eighteen yet. Ed just did. I have a head start, so I’m making the best of that,” I explain.
“How old are you?”
“Nineteen, but I’ve been running point since I turned eighteen. My uncle is grooming me. Has been since I could walk and talk.”
“Do your cousins want it?”
I shrug. “Not Aldo or Eduardo. Fredo, now that’s another story.”
I’m not in the mood to get into that, so I change the subject. My family can be complicated at times. One minute, you think you know where you and everyone else stand. Then, in the blink of an eye, it all changes.
I’ve learned to keep my head down and bring in my earnings. As long as my uncle gets his points, he doesn’t give me shit. I prefer it that way.
“Let me ask you a question.”
“Okay, shoot,” she says over a mouthful of garlic bread.
She’s cute while she eats. I could watch her like this all night. I did a lot of digging to find out more about this girl. My father was as impressed and intrigued as I was. When her father and uncle came up, my pop knew of them.
That’s how I got permission to spare her and collect my debt some way other than in blood. Oni lucked out because we run a chop shop that runs parallel with our pharmaceutical business. We scrape the VINs on the more expensive cars that can fetch us a nice price. Then load them with product before they’re shipped out.
Some cars have sat right in auctions as our distributors bid to pick up their work. The system works for us. It’s not often that someone outbids one of our distros.
It’s happened once or twice, and the party has been dealt with. Most auction houses know our cars and will ignore bids on purpose to avoid problems.
I’m about to use Oni to take that business to the next level. I’ve got it all set up. She’s the final piece.
“You mentioned not living like this anymore. What happened?”
She puts her plate aside and slumps her shoulders. A sad look comes to her face. I have an idea what went down, but I want to hear it from her lips.
I need to know if Oni is as tough as I think. If she is, this is going to be a lucrative relationship for us both. I don’t bring many in close, but when I do, it means I see something in the individual.
“My dad was locked up for some BS. All our things were seized. He never made it out.
“My mom didn’t want my uncle’s help or whatever. After my dad was killed, he left and moved down here. He sends me money, but I can’t tell my mom or use it for anything nice enough to get her attention.
“I couldn’t even let her know I had the money for my ticket here. I had to let her use her last bit to ship me out. I’m going to pay her back,” she says.
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll take care of it.”
“Yeah, about that. I know you said you would be sending her money, but my mom wants nothing to do with your world. I doubt she will take it.”
“You let me worry about that. She’ll be straight. I take care of my own,” I reply.
“How long will I be one of you? What happens to me after this summer? What if I still owe when the summer is up?”
I allow my gaze to search her face. Reaching to finger a few braids from her face, I then drag my finger down the side of her cheek.
