I knew.
He was dead.
The past was repeating itself. I was by my mother’s side when she took one last look at me, the life draining from her body. And now, my dad was gone, which meant our family needed a new leader. I’d prepared for this my entire life. But I thought I would be much older when my father stepped down.
The door creaked open, letting in the noise from the bustling hallway. A staff of doctors and nurses flew past my room, pushing a gurney.
“You’re alive.” Ava sat on the bed beside me and expelled a breath of air, relief washing over her face. “Let me get the nurse.”
As she attempted to slide off the bed, I grabbed her arm. “No.”
“But the doctor needs to check on you,” Ava insisted with a tinge of panic in her tone. “You almost died. Just give me a second.” She patted my hand. “I’ll come right back.”
“Ava,” I whispered, eyes barely open but focused on her. “Water.”
“Yeah, okay.”
She rushed into the adjoined bathroom, filled a small plastic cup with water from the faucet, and tilted the cup to my lips.
I drank small sips until I finished the water.
“Do you want more?”
I shook my head. “Where are my brothers?”
“Nico is with Paulie.”
My eyes widened at her confession.
“Get him on the phone.” My jaw hurt from clenching. “Now. He’s not safe with Paulie.” My voice was deeper than usual and scratchy. “That piece of shit sold us out.”
“Nico knows,” she said, tapping her fingers nervously on the bed. “Since you were out of commission, we all agreed to pretend we didn’t know Paulie was involved. So that we could keep him close to the family to feed him bad information.” When I didn’t speak or acknowledge her comment, she added, “It was my suggestion. I thought that was what you would do.”
A proud smile graced my lips. “Good girl. You’ve been paying attention.”
We’d spent a lot of time together over the past few months. Ava could run the casino in my absence. She was a fast learner and had proven we could trust her.
“Nico knows what to do,” Ava said with confidence. “He’ll be okay with Paulie.”
As if saying his name summoned him, Nico appeared in the entryway. He stood there with his hands on his hips, suit jacket pushed to the side to reveal two weapons.
I gripped the side rail, my hand trembling from exerting too much energy. “Where are the twins?”
“They’re fine,” Ava cut in. “Next door. Last time I checked, they were sleeping off the pain meds.”
Nico put his hand over his heart as he entered the room. “Fuck, Dante. I didn’t think you were ever going to wake up.”
I bet he was scared. Nico would have become the next leader of the Boardwalk Mafia if I died. We lost men over our father making Nico part of the family. They didn’t see him as a legitimate heir.
Not like me.
I was Sicilian on both sides of the family. My uncle ruled Calabria, while my father held his position in Atlantic City for over thirty years.
Now, it was my turn.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I shot back at Nico with my usual attitude.
Nico wasn’t my favorite. But he was beginning to grow on me. It only took thirty years to see he wasn’t completely useless. He had Ava to thank for that.
