by Zavi James
“Gabriel, what can I help you with?” I asked.
“Where are they?” Gabe asked, his head swinging back in my direction.
Even with his shirt buttoned to the top and tie securely in place, the dark bruising in the form of my fingertips was visible against the pale skin of his throat. The pride swelled in my chest. Let them all see just how unfit Gabriel was to take charge. Things were falling apart under his eye, and I had already heard the rumblings of unhappiness among the men.
“Dante,” I said. He looked at me from the doorway. “I’ll call you if you’re needed.” It wasn’t a good idea to keep them both in the same room. Not with the way I wanted this to play out. I was about to take a page from Mia’s book and feign innocence.
“You sure?”
“Gabe’s not here to cause any unnecessary problems.” My eyes slid back to Gabe who looked like he was teetering on the edge. “We both have enough to deal with at the moment.” Dante gave me a curt nod before he pulled the door closed, leaving us alone. “You were saying—"
“I want them, Luc,” Gabe said.
“You’ll have to clarify what it is you think I have,” I replied, dropping the pen onto the desk and leaning back in my chair. I gestured to the one opposite me. “Take a seat, Gabe.”
“All of the security footage.” His hands clasped the back of the chair, but he made no move to pull it out. His knuckles slowly turned white at the force of his grip.
“What footage would that be?”
“This isn’t a game!” he roared. Gabe pushed the chair from in front of him and it landed on the floor with a loud clatter. Loose sheets of paper were swept from my desk and drifted down towards my feet as I stood up.
The door to the office opened again and Dante stood in the space, surveying the room. I should have known he wouldn’t have gone far. I waved him off and he looked uneasy but stepped out and closed the door again.
“Here’s the thing,” I said, turning my attention back to Gabe. Planting my palms on the desk, I leaned towards him. “It is a game. And it’s not my fault if Daddy dearest didn’t teach you to play properly.”
A lock of blonde hair hung across his forehead and he swept it back into place quickly. There was something fascinating about watching a Moretti unravel. Something so satisfying about seeing the calm and controlled façade slip away to reveal the monster beneath. For twenty-six years, I’d been drawn in, like everyone else, to the eerily perfect family. Never a wrong step. Never a hair out of place. Just because people didn’t see it, didn’t mean it wasn’t possible and at some point, those mistakes started to catch up with you. And where most of us would throw our hands up, something about the Moretti blood made them scramble to prove that you were wrong. Not them.
“You think you’re going to be able to take on Dad?” Gabe asked me through clenched teeth. “And don’t try and deny it anymore. We could all see what you and Mia have been playing at. Perfect little family playing nice with everyone.”
“I wouldn’t say we’re perfect, but I’ll pass the compliment on to Mia. I’m sure she’ll appreciate that someone thinks so.”
“You think you’re untouchable, Lucas—”
“I know I am,” I shot at him, viciously smug. I couldn’t quite replicate Mia’s demure nature, but I’d like to think I’d given it my best shot.
“No, you’re not,” he spat. “Whatever mess you’ve gotten into with Dad will be your end, you ungrateful fuck.”
“Ungrateful?”
“My family did everything for you and for Charlie.” Gabe pointed his finger at me, shaking with rage.
“Including putting my old man in the ground!”
The moment someone mentioned Charlie, I instantly felt my blood boil. Biological or not, Charlie was that father who had raised me, and I wouldn’t let anyone say a word against him. We’d had difficult patches, but I was who I was today because of that man.
“He chose to do that! He chose to save his friend! Dad did everything he could to make sure you were okay after that and this is how you repay him.”
“If you believe that, you’re stupider than you look. Everything he could? A few phone calls before radio silence? Emilio and Carmen did more for me than your pathetic dad did!”
Carmen who had barely been in our world for a year had attended Charlie’s funeral at Emilio’s side and sent a ridiculous amount of food along with a daily phone call. It had been near-on suffocating, but looking back, I appreciated the level of care when I was at my lowest.
“You know what? I don’t care.” Gabe ran a hand down his face. “I really couldn’t care less. What I care about is getting what I need from you.”
“Security footage,” I said, taking in a deep breath and composing myself. “Yeah. I don’t have it,” I told him nonchalantly.
“Lucas,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“You have proof that I have it?”
“It’s not there.”
“And you’ve asked the family? I have someone working on it right now?” I asked him. His lips became a thin line. Gabe would have asked around to see if I’d palmed it off on anyone to do the work, but he would’ve come up empty. Angelo was our dirty little secret.
“I know you have it,” he said eventually.
“Incorrect,” I responded. “See, I have my own issues to be dealing with. I couldn’t give a damn about you or Perkins.” I turned the words he’d used on me back to him. The footage was for me to figure out who’d been after Mia. Chastity and Gabe’s safety hadn’t and would never make it onto my priority list. “So, instead of wasting my time, why don’t you figure out who actually has it and bother them?”
He sucked his teeth and took in a deep breath through his nose, chest puffing out as he did so. “I can’t wait to see you rot.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” I assured him. “Now, get out.”
Gabe didn’t need to be told twice. Whether he believed me or not, he wouldn’t be getting what he came for. I wasn’t about to roll over just because he was in a piss-poor mood and had caught feelings for Chastity Perkins. He was welcome to keep chasing his tail while Xavier pulled the strings from wherever he was.
The door bounced off the wall as Gabe stormed out of the office. Before it had a chance to slam shut, Dante caught the handle and stepped inside. “That sounded like a whole lot of fun,” he commented, looking over his shoulder after Gabe.
“Always a joy dealing with a Moretti.” I collapsed back into the chair.
“Anything we need to be concerned about?”
I shook my head. “He’s all bark and no bite. We need to stay focused on the only Moretti that matters.”
Chapter Eight
Mia
“I’ll be two minutes, Lyds. It must be at Dante’s place,” I said, huffing out a breath.
I’d just searched the entire house for Link’s comfort blanket. It was a small plush piece that looked like a tiger. It was the last thing I could think of that might calm him down from his current tantrum. He wasn’t hungry. He didn’t need to be changed. He refused to go down for a nap. Every other toy we tried barely caught his attention and this was my last-ditch attempt before joining him in screaming the house down. Luc was dreaming if he thought we were having an entire baseball team worth of this. If he was giving birth and staying home with them then I might change my mind.
“Take your time. I’ve got him,” Lydia said. She had helped me navigate parenting and whenever I felt like a complete failure. “Go,” she ordered me, but the smile that came with it was kind.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”
She waved me off out of the living room and I called for Dom before stepping outside. He walked toward the garage. “We’re not taking the car,” I told him. “It’s a ten-minute walk.” One of the reasons I loved our home, and one of Luc’s selling points when he’d first shown me it, was that we were a stone’s throw away from Dante.
“Mia, it’s not a smart move to be wal
king around in the open even if it is for a few minutes,” Dom explained. That was all it took to change my mind. I’d had a lucky escape and we still weren’t clear on who’d attacked, so the less time out in the open, the better.
Luc’s Maserati was missing from the line-up, but the rest of the cars and his bike gleamed in the winter sun as the door came up to reveal them.
“How about we take your baby for a spin?” Dom suggested, knocking his shoulder against mine.
“I think I’m banned from driving,” I muttered. The vision of Luc’s horrified face raced through my mind. He didn’t expect me to enjoy speed just as much as he did. It was less of a thrill in the passenger seat and more of a near death experience, or so he’d told me. I denied that I was any more reckless than he was behind the wheel.
“In this case, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Dom said conspiratorially. A small flicker of life before things had changed. Dom was still my terrible influence beneath all the black clothing and ammunition. “You seem stressed,” he said once we got into the car and the engine came to life.
“I have a screaming kid who can’t tell me what’s wrong, a soon-to-be husband with a less than traditional job, and I’m trying to organise a christening and a wedding while attempting not to get murdered by a seasoned psychopath. Yeah. I’m probably a little stressed.”
Dom made a cat sound next to me, and I snorted. “If it makes you feel any better,” he said and I could already hear the amusement in his voice, “you’re managing it all with a lot of poise and grace.”
“Brilliant.” I laughed, almost hysterical. “Because I feel like I’m going to drop the ball at some point and I’m a hair away from telling Luc that Link will be an only child.”
It was Dom’s turn to laugh. “You think he’d let you do that?”
“No.” I sighed but I wasn’t upset by the admission. One more is what I told myself. Being an only child was lonely business. I just hadn’t plucked up the courage to tell Luc that yet. “You’ve seen him with Link. Those two are peas in a pod. Luc’s got his mini-me.”
Every doubt I had about expanding the family was abolished the moment Luc walked through the door and doted on Link after work. On more than one occasion I had caught them asleep together, along with Cerb, peaceful and as if butter wouldn’t melt; my heart and soul personified. Those were the moments when I forgot about the night feeds, tantrums and mess.
I pulled up outside Dante’s house and unbuckled but before I could move to get out, Dom placed his hand on mine. “You don’t regret any of this?” He phrased his true question behind a different set of words.
Dom had been the other person affected deeply by my disappearing act. We had a strong bond that I’d disregarded when I’d left without a word. There were days where I caught him watching me closely, like he was trying to dive into my mind and work out what I was thinking — if I was unhappy enough to leave them all over again.
Lacing my fingers through Dom’s, I squeezed his hand tight. “I don’t regret a single thing. You can’t get rid of me.” There was a logical part of my brain that told me that my situation now was much worse than it had been all those months ago and running would be the smartest option. Running would help me to survive this. However, my heart refused to let me go anywhere. Unlike last time, the people I loved knew the truth and we were fighting to survive together.
Satisfied with my answer, Dom kissed the back of my hand and winked at me before getting out of the car and opening my door. The friendship was hidden behind the job once more. The toes of his shoes brushed against my heels as we walked up the path to Dante’s house.
Slotting the key into the front door, I let us in. Dante’s home was the only other place beside my own where I felt completely at ease. It was filled with comfort and always had a faint sugary scent to it. It was wholly him.
“It’s probably in the living room if it’s here,” I mumbled to Dom. “They were both in here all afternoon yesterday.” I’d brought Link over to visit his godfather in hopes that it might lift his spirits. My cub worked his magic and I contemplated whether Dante could return the favour when he finished work tonight.
My eyes scanned over the sofa, plucking the cushions away to see if it had fallen behind them.
“Can I help you with something?”
I let out a squeak of surprise and clutched my chest where my heart hammered violently under my breastbone. When I looked up, Angelo looked alarmed and I glanced back to see Dom with his gun out, having not taken well to the sudden intrusion.
“Dom, it’s fine,” I said to him. “No threat.” Dom lowered his gun and put it away as the surprise wore off and he registered our new recruit. My heart stopped its impressive pace as I addressed Angelo, “I don’t advise sneaking up on people while you’re here. Quickest way to the grave.”
“You just broke into my house and I’m being cautioned about the element of surprise?” Angelo raised an eyebrow.
“Firstly, this isn’t your house.” He might have been Dante’s blood but that didn’t give him a right to claim everything Dante owned. “Second, I have a key that was given to me by the owner,” I said, holding it up to him. “So, I don’t think they’re going to charge me from breaking and entering.”
“Is there a reason you and the heavy are here?” he asked, eyeing Dom.
The man who fancied himself as a charmer when I was first introduced to him had disappeared and in his wake stood a man who was rougher around the edges. I hadn’t fallen at his feet, so the niceties had slipped away. I’d met plenty of men like Angelo and I didn’t have the time for them.
“He goes everywhere with me,” I informed Angelo. “And I think I left something here so don’t mind me.” I flashed him a smile, zero warmth behind it, before glancing around the room. “Aha!” Striding past Angelo, I spotted the tiger blanket folded up on the bookshelf.
Next to what I hoped would be my holy grail was a framed photograph of Dante holding Link at the hospital not long after he was born. Dante’s smile was so wide you could see all his teeth and his eyes were crinkled at the corners. I smiled to myself, happy in the knowledge that Dante was the best pick for Godfather, and snatched the blanket from its spot.
“This is it. We’ll let you get back to work now,” I said, waving it in the air.
“Mia,” Angelo called as I walked past him. “About that. Work, I mean.”
“What about it?” I asked, turning back around to face him. If he was about to ask for more money, I could only imagine Luc’s reaction. We were already offering an eye-watering sum to get a lead on where Xavier was. What exactly Luc planned to do when he found him remained a mystery and I couldn’t crack him no matter what I tried.
“I have the bare minimum to work with,” he told me.
“I thought Luc handed you everything he had.”
“Not that work,” Angelo said, referring to the two shootings. “I have plenty. For the other strand, all I have is a name. I need more than that.”
“You’ll need to talk to Luc and Dante,” I replied, eager to get back to Link.
“I’m sure you’re aware they aren’t the most approachable pair.” Between making it clear that Luc would end his life if he tried anything, Dante’s frosty reception and Dom pulling a gun on him, Angelo had been spooked. That alone meant that he had at least half a brain knocking around upstairs, even if he didn’t always engage it when he opened his mouth.
Letting out a sigh, I said, “Okay. What do you need?” I could play messenger if it meant that we would get what we wanted quicker.
“Something more than a name. I’m not a magician.” That last part was muttered under his breath, safe in the knowledge that I was less likely to flip out at him. “A location,” Angelo said clearly. “A list of places. An electronic device? Phone, laptop. I’ll take a fax machine.”
I blinked at him a few times. Angelo had what we had. Xavier had left to do ‘business’ but we didn’t know where and it wouldn’t be smart to gi
ve him a list of every contact we had, less for his safety and more for our family’s. Any device Xavier owned or used would have been at a Moretti household, and we couldn’t just waltz in and take it from them.
“Leave it with me,” I told him distractedly as I tried to work out a way to give him more of a lead than he already had. “I’ll figure something out.”
Chapter Nine
Lucas
Mia and I arrived at the church ahead of time. The service wouldn't start for another half an hour but there was something I wanted to do beforehand. I kept an arm wrapped around her to keep her steady as we walked through the rows of headstones, in her heels, navigating the stroller. Link was wrapped in his blanket, nestled in the depths and alert to everything around him. In the crook of her arm, Mia balanced a large bouquet of flowers. When we came to a stop, it was in front of a grave with a tombstone denoting that it belonged to Charles Edward Foster and his birth and death dates.
"Out beyond the ideas of wrongdoings and rightdoings, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Mia read the line that had been inscribed below.
"Dad didn't think the world was black and white," I told her. "Always thought there was redemption around every corner. I think for everything he did wrong, he tried to do something right."
She left my side to place the flowers down on top of the grave. "Hello, sir."
"He'd have told you to call him Charlie," I interrupted her.
Mia started again. "Hello, Charlie. It's nice to finally meet you. I..." She glanced up at me and I kept my expression blank. I'd asked Mia to come and see Dad on a day he should have been with us. "I want to thank you for raising such a wonderful man. He's everything he is because of you."
My eyes stung but I refused to lose it today. "Hey Dad. It’s been a while," I greeted him and then cleared my throat. "Sorry about that but this one keeps me on my toes. You'd love her. She's everything you would have wanted for me and you're a grandad now. Who would have thought it? I wish you were here. I wish you were here so we could have a drink and you could tell me how this should be done because I don't want to mess this up." Mia leaned against me and squeezed my middle. "I'm doing my best to make you proud, Dad. There isn't a day I don't wish you were still with us. I love you."