Greystone shrugged. “I did. Now, I’m found.”
“Why are you back?” Luciano asked.
“Why the hell not. I was passin’ through, thought I’d stop for a few. Teddy offered me a job, so I stayed. Ain’t no thing.”
Of all his brothers, he and Grey had fought the most, but they had been the closest. Neither liked the other telling him what to do. They were always trying to out-boss each other. But, at the end of the day, they were brothers, and they had each other’s backs.
“Where are you staying?” Luciano asked.
Greystone opened the professional-grade refrigerator. Luciano was nonplussed. Next, his brother showed him the pristine cabinets and high-end meat locker. The place was brand new. He expected it to be first class.
“Been stayin’ at diff’rent places,” Greystone replied. “Crashed at Teddy’s for a while.”
Back in the main room, Luciano said, “Were you planning on contacting me?”
“Look, I get it. You’re pissed. I couldn’t take it no more. That life wasn’t for me, so I bolted.”
“Dad’s dead,” Luciano said.
“Yup.”
“Mom moved to Las Vegas.”
“Gotcha.”
“Have you seen her?”
“Nope. You?”
“I call her, send her money,” Luciano said.
“She’s probably pissin’ it away at the tables.”
“Not my problem,” Luciano replied.
“Teddy said you got outta the family biz.” Greyson’s phone buzzed. He lifted it from his back pocket, read the text, and chuckled. “You cuttin’ the ribbon for the big reopening?”
“Teddy can do that.” Luciano slid on his sunglasses. “It’s good to have you home, Grey.”
“Yup.”
As Luciano pushed out the front door of the restaurant that bore their name, he glanced over his shoulder. Grey was sauntering toward the kitchen, head down on his phone.
Frustration slithered down his spine. Luciano hoped that whatever skeletons his brother was carrying around didn’t follow him back here.
“You probably should have stayed gone, brother,” Luciano said before he slid into the waiting Rolls Royce.
Back home, Luciano went on an Internet search of his brother, but Greystone Santini didn’t exist. It’s not like he hadn’t looked for him before. There’d been plenty of times that he’d tried to find him to make sure he was okay. But Greystone Santini had dropped off the planet.
Simone breezed into his office.
“And now he’s back.” Luciano said.
“Who’s back?” she asked.
Simone was wearing workout sweats, her hair clipped on top of her head.
Her beautiful smile melted his frustration away.
