I told them I had it handled.
But I knew, in the back of my mind, I would still need them as mentors. I was young, everyone knew it, and I’d almost been taken out by one of my own.
“Hey.” I pulled out a barstool and stole a bottle of vodka from Phoenix’s grip.
I guess it wasn’t really stealing since he let me take it. Phoenix rarely let anyone do anything, though, so I counted it as a win.
“I have questions,” I finally said.
Andrei’s lips curled into a tiny smirk. “I wondered if you’d figure it out yourself or if you’d need us to draw you a little scenario map.”
Phoenix shrugged. “It goes something like this. You and Violet already had sex, the Russians saw you were alive, and what was the word you used, Andrei?”
Andrei cleared his throat. “Sad kicked puppy dog eyes.”
“That,” Phoenix snapped his fingers. “That’s how you looked at each other and then boom, messy hair, swollen mouths—”
“Get to the point.” I ground my teeth.
“He’s angrier now that he’s a boss.” Andrei nodded. “I like it.”
“You’re annoying.” I glared at him.
He lifted his glass into the air, looking every inch like one of my family members with his light hair and haunting eyes. “Thank you.”
“So.” Phoenix shrugged. “It was a good plan. There were rumors you were still alive, so we decided to just… quicken the process. That’s really all you need to know.”
“Oh, and dying wasn’t part of our plan.” Andrei patted me on the shoulder. “Truly sorry about that one. We thought Sancto was loyal.” He shrugged. “And sane. Then again, we’re all of us a little bit insane.” He chuckled into his glass, giving me totally creepy vibes, while Phoenix just looked upward like he wondered why he was cursed with a friend who talked in riddles. Then again, it was Phoenix. Some might say he deserved that and more.
“Well, good thing I’m alive then,” I grumbled.
“There is…” Phoenix cleared his throat. “One more thing…” He nodded his head toward the outside patio.
My adopted dad, the friggin’ Capo of the Italians, was standing there, arms braced against the balcony with King standing next to him looking so much like him that it was almost hard to tell them apart except for the extra muscle and height Dad had on King still.
“This is going to hurt.” I took the bottle with me and made my way outside. Standing next to them made me feel like a liar, and I hated it.
“King knew,” Dad murmured, emotions held carefully in check. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“I couldn’t.” I looked away. “I made a promise to Phoenix. He knew King was lonely, wanted another brother. But not only that, you’re powerful, the most powerful man in the Cosa Nostra. Nobody even blinked when you announced my adoption.”
I turned toward him, expecting anger in his eyes. Instead, all I saw was sadness, and it felt like a million knives getting driven through my chest one by one.
“Trust me, son. I need you to trust me the way you trust Phoenix, the way you trust Chase despite your irritation over him wanting to murder you. The way you trust Ash with your life, Junior, Serena, hell, even Maksim. I need you to trust me in that way, not just with your brother because you’re a terrified ten-year-old who’s afraid he’s going to die just like his mom. Those are the things you tell your parent. Maybe not immediately, but when you’re ready, so if you want my allegiance as the Capo, you’re going to have to prove to me that you can trust me despite your fear. Because if you can’t, then I can’t align with you, and if I can’t align with you, then I can’t suggest that the bosses do it.” He angled his head to the right and studied me. “Are you hearing this?”
“Trust you, huh?” I rocked back on my heels. “So, you want me to just confess everything I’ve ever done to you right here? Right now? Is that going to make it better?”
“It’s a damn good start.” He crossed his arms.
“Fine.” I grinned. “King and I both lost our virginity at the tender age of thirteen.”
“Son of a bitch!” King said from the other side of him. “Dad, I swear we were older. The hell, man! Throw yourself under the bus, don’t take me with you!”
“You. WHAT?” Dad bellowed.
I grinned. “Oh, and we stole pot from one of the drug rings you guys busted and got so high that we wandered into a strip club—King made ten dollars, I’ve never been so proud.”
King just groaned into his hands, then slumped into one of the outdoor chairs. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.”
“When I was fifteen, Violet gave me the best blow job of my life. King found out about it then asked—”