by Hamel, B. B.
Enzo and Piero are standing there, grinning at me.
“What are you doing here?” I ask them.
“Expecting someone else?” Enzo steps forward and I back into my living room. Piero follows him, shutting the door. Where Enzo’s like a pit bull, Piero’s more like a panther. He’s tall and sleek with dark hair and dark eyes. There’s a family resemblance, since they’re siblings, but they could have different fathers or something like that.
I stumble backwards, fear spiking through me. “Get out of my apartment,” I manage to say, but that only makes Enzo laugh. Piero stares at me, stoic and unflappable, blocking the doorway.
“I warned you already, right?” Enzo says. “Here’s the thing you gotta understand. The mob hasn’t been doing too good these days, right, Piero?”
“Right,” he says.
“What does that have to do with Ryan?” I ask him. “I’m going to call the cops if you don’t leave.”
Enzo laughs again. “Recruitment is down, you get it? And there’s no better soldier than a fucking member of the family.”
“What’s wrong with you people?” I snap at him, heart racing. “You want to take a nice little boy and turn him into… into a criminal?”
Enzo cracks up at that and even Piero smiles a little bit. I glare at the two men as Enzo comes closer to me. “Listen up, cousin,” he says. “The only reason we haven’t hurt you yet is because you’re family. But we’ll make things real bad if you don’t stop getting in our way, understand?”
“I can’t let you have him,” I say. “Harper left him with me. He’s my son now.”
“He’s not shit to you,” Enzo snaps. “He’s my fucking nephew.”
I clench my jaw and ball my fists. Without thinking about it, I strike out at Enzo and manage to catch him on the shoulder as he shrugs away from me.
Fear spikes through me again as Enzo turns back, eyes glaring. “We’re not kids anymore, Leah,” he says. “You touch me like that again and I’ll hurt you.”
“You can’t have him,” I say, and swing my fists again, desperate to fight him off.
He grabs my wrists and wrestles me against the kitchen counter. I gasp and groan as he pins me there, his sadistic grin getting bigger.
“It’s a shame we’re family,” he says, his face inches from mine. “Otherwise, this would be a lot more fun.”
“Enzo.” Piero’s voice cuts in from the living room. “Let’s grab the boy and leave now.”
Enzo stares me down for another second, eyes wide, and I want to scream.
He releases me and steps away. “Fine,” Enzo says. “Let’s go.”
I stand up, bruised but fine, and I take a step toward him.
“Wait, Enzo, please—” I start, but the door flying open and smashing into Piero interrupts me.
Connor comes into the room like lightning. He smashes into Enzo, throwing him away from me and toward the door. The men curse as Connor hits them, kicking and pushing them. He shoves Enzo back outside, with Piero right behind him.
“You’re making a fucking mistake,” Enzo growls from the hall.
Connor stands his ground. “Fuck off, mafia bitch,” he says. “You can’t have my son.”
“Come,” Piero says to Enzo. “We’ll be back.”
“You just made a fucking mistake,” Enzo growls before he stalks off down the steps and away from my apartment.
Piero lingers in the hall. “The boy will be ours, one way or another,” he says, and follows after Enzo.
Connor grunts and shuts the door. “Fucking assholes,” he says, grimacing, clutching his hurt ribs.
“Are you okay?” I ask him.
“I’m fine. Did they hurt you?”
“No, I’m okay.”
Just then, Ryan comes tottering into the room. He peers around the corner and down the hallway at us, his eyes wide.
“Oh, crap,” I say softly. “It’s okay, honey. Let’s go back to bed.”
I glance at Connor, and his eyes are wide. He’s staring at Ryan with a strange look on his face.
“Can I…” he says, and then stops.
I sigh. “Come on,” I say. “We’ll all go back to bed, okay?”
Connor follows me and I take Ryan by the hand, leading him back to bed. I get him settled again before reading him a story. Connor stands in the doorway, watching our little ritual, a strange smile on his face.
When I finish, I give Ryan a kiss, and we leave. I lead Connor back out into the living room.
“I guess all the commotion woke him up,” I say.
“Guess so.” Connor sits on the arm of the couch, wincing again. “Did you check the results?”
I had completely forgotten about that. I grab my bag and pull out the envelope, holding it up for him to take.
“Are you sure you want to see?” I ask him.
He takes it and opens it without a single bit of hesitation. He pulls out the page and scans it before handing it over to me with a little smile.
I take the paper and read. “So,” I say softly. “You’re not a liar after all.”
“Ninety-nine percent,” he answers. “I’m the father.”
“You’re the father,” I repeat, astounded. I don’t know why I’m so shocked, though. It’s clear that Connor cares deeply about Ryan, but I guess I just thought it was too good to be true.
Now though… now I have to figure out what this means. I watch Connor carefully, trying to decide what the hell to do.
He just saved me from the Gallo assholes. I don’t know what they would have done to me, but I know for sure that I wasn’t going to let them have Ryan without a fight. Things could have gotten bad if Connor hadn’t shown up to scare them off. If he wasn’t on their bad side before, he definitely is now. Enzo isn’t the kind of guy to let that sort of thing go.
“What now?” I ask him.
“I don’t know,” he admits. “I’m guessing those two assholes are going to be back sooner or later.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, they will. And Enzo… he’ll be pissed.”
“What about the other guy? What’s his name?”
“That’s Piero, the older brother. Enzo is the middle sibling, and Harper was the youngest.”
“Huh,” he grunts. “I don’t remember her mentioning Piero.”
“I’m not surprised. He’s a lot older than her, almost ten years. They weren’t close. I barely know the guy.”
“You’re their cousin,” he observes.
“Right. But apparently they don’t care about that.”
“Maybe.” He looks away. “Look, I don’t want to take him from you, okay?”
That surprises me. I expected him to push for custody right away. “Really?”
“Really,” he says. “I’m not established here yet, so I can’t even take care of him if I wanted.”
“Where are you staying?”
“Got an apartment nearby,” he admits. “And I’m working on some jobs.”
“Good.” I take a breath and let it out. “I guess you want to see him now, huh?”
He grins at me. “Yeah, that’d be nice, seeing as I really am his father and all.”
I sit down on the chair across from him and I feel like it all hits me at once. “It’s true then,” I say softly. “She just… took him from you.”
“Yeah,” he says, looking down. “She went on a bender right after he was born and left me to take care of him alone. And then one night, she came home and took him away from me for two long years.”
“Shit,” I say. “And here I am, still keeping him from you.”
He smiles a little sadly. “Honestly, that’s part of why I want him to keep staying with you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Really. You’re a good mother. You’re good for him. But if you don’t want the responsibility, I completely understand.”
“No,” I say quickly. “I want him to stay.” I realize that’s true, which is really strange. When he first came home with
me, I was thinking about how my life was completely ruined. But now… I can’t imagine living without that little boy.
“Good,” he says. “He’ll stay with you for now then. I’ll get more settled and help you out as much as I can.”
I nod slowly, excitement spreading through my core. This is exactly what I wanted, although I know it’s probably not fair to him. He came so far to get his son back and here I am, keeping them apart. The least I can do is let the man see his boy.
And it’ll be nice to have some help. I won’t have to worry so much if Connor can pick up some of the slack, at least a little bit.
“They’re still going to keep coming for him,” I point out.
He shrugs, a grin on his face. “Let them,” he says. “I’ll keep them away.”
I watch him for a second and I have the irrational desire to push him off the arm and onto the couch cushions. I want to climb on top of him, press my body against his, and kiss him slow and deep, let him grind up against me, make me feel something.
Instead, I stand up with a sigh. “Come back tomorrow after Ryan gets back from daycare,” I say. “Around five thirty. Okay?”
“Okay,” he says.
“You can have dinner with us and spend a little time with Ryan.”
“I’ll be here.” He stands up.
“After he’s in bed, you’re leaving, okay?”
“Okay.” He walks to my front door and I follow him. He pulls it open and turns back to me. “Thanks, Leah.”
“Yeah, well.” I blush a little bit. “You’re his father, so it’s only right.”
“You’re good for him. I’m glad it was you.” He leaves, shutting the door behind him.
I stand there, not sure what to think. I’m not sure what that means, but I know that I can’t wait to see him again. I can’t tell if it’s for Ryan’s sake, since this man is his father, or if it’s for my own. I don’t know what we’ll tell Ryan or how we’ll explain any of this, but we’ll figure it out eventually. We’ll make it work.
I sigh and shake my head. This is all so complicated. The Gallo family is still coming for Ryan, and now his real father just shows up out of nowhere. I feel like I’m torn into a million different directions, but I do know one thing for sure.
There’s something about Connor that I can’t stop thinking about. He must be a good father, if he spent the last two years tracking his son down. Now only time will tell just how good, exactly.
9
Connor
I find a job at a local auto parts store. It’s not exactly glamorous work, and not really my field, but it’s a start. I built one business with my bare hands, and I can do it again, but I need to start somewhere. There aren’t exactly tons of job openings for power line installers.
I go to work during the day, and I spend time with Ryan at night. Leah hasn’t really explained to the boy who I am yet, and I haven’t pushed her to. I know that she’s not really his mother, but she clearly cares and she’s good for him. Besides, she has legal rights to him, at least for now. I think I could change that, and I could probably get a lawyer to help me, but I’m not ready to take that step.
Maybe it’s because I like spending time with Leah, too. I go over there for Ryan, eat dinner and read him a story, but I always linger. I know she wants me to go, but she never rushes me. We have a drink, chat about our day, and then I leave. I catch the way she looks at me, but I don’t push. I haven’t taken it anywhere, not yet at least.
A few weeks pass that way. I feel like I’m settling into Philadelphia, although it’s totally different than California. I miss the sunshine sometimes, although Philly in the summer is actually very pretty. The people are a little rough, but the city has character. I could see myself staying, for a while at least.
Too bad I have to look over my shoulder constantly. Now that I’m on Enzo’s bad side, that means the whole Gallo crime family is out to get me, or at least I imagine they are. I don’t really know how it works, but I think Enzo is pretty high up in the ranks. If he wants me dead, I’ll end up dead sooner or later.
At least my injuries heal. The bruises on my ribs turn to yellow and fade, and fortunately the pain goes away as well. I’m guessing they weren’t broken after all. The cuts scab and heal, and eventually I’m myself again.
And I’m a father again. Well, not exactly, but I’m working on it. I don’t know my son, not even a little bit, and I can only guess at what Harper put the poor boy through. I wish I could go back and save him from whatever she did, but it’s too late for that. I can only be there for him and try to get to know him again.
It’s hard, but I’m trying. He’s quiet and shy, but he smiles when I make jokes and he laughs when he plays, which makes me feel good. Leah says he never laughs for her, which makes me feel even better. It’s complicated, all so fucking complicated, but we’re managing.
I get a call around noon one Friday. It’s Leah, and she sounds a little panicked. “Listen, I need help,” she says.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but work is a madhouse. Apparently a train derailed?”
“Wow,” I say. “How bad?”
“Bad,” she says. “I don’t think I’m going home anytime soon.”
I nod to myself. “I can get him.”
“Really?” she says, sounding relieved. “God, Connor, that would be so good.”
“I have that spare key you gave me a few days ago, so I can take him to your place,” I say. “Does that work?”
“That would be perfect. Seriously, you’re a lifesaver.”
“It’s what I’m here for.”
“You know the routine. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“Sounds good.”
“Thanks again.”
She hangs up and I smile to myself. This is the first time I’m going to be alone with my son in over two years, and it feels surprisingly strange.
The day slips by and I head over to his daycare. Ryan doesn’t seem surprised when I pick him up and take him back to Leah’s apartment, letting us in with the spare key. I sit Ryan down in front of the TV and rifle through the refrigerator.
“How’s chicken nuggets and broccoli sound for dinner?” I say.
He grins at me and nods vigorously. Sesame Street is on TV and he turns back to Grover.
I sigh and get to cooking. Well, really, it’s more like reheating. I can’t exactly cook a great meal like Leah can, which annoys me. It’s something I would have learned sooner if Ryan were still with me.
But I manage to get something together. Dinner’s on the table by six, right on time, and Ryan doesn’t give me any trouble when it comes to eating. I talk to him the whole time, and although he doesn’t talk back, that’s okay with me.
There’s a knock at the door toward the end of the meal.
“Who’s that?” I ask him.
He shrugs.
“Should I get it?”
He shrugs again.
“Could be a present for you.”
His eyes go wide.
“Do you want a present?”
“Yes,” he says softly, nodding.
I grin at him. “Okay. Let me go see.”
I get up and go to the door. I ordered a Lego set for him, although he’s probably a little too young still, and paid the one-day shipping on Amazon. I’m assuming that’s the knock at the door.
I pull it open without thinking, and instead of a delivery guy, it’s Piero Gallo standing there, staring at me with his dark dead eyes.
I blink, shocked. I almost forgot about these guys.
“I’m here to see Leah,” he says in a droll, bored tone.
“She’s not here.” I stand squarely in front of him, glaring him down.
He sighs. “I’m not here for a fight. I can see you’re thinking that.”
“Sorry, but the last time I saw you, I’m pretty sure you and your brother were trying to abduct my son.”
“Mmm,” he says, a strange sound in his throat. “I
’m here only to talk.”
I step forward and pull the door shut behind me. “So talk.”
He stares at me for a second. “You shouldn’t have come back into the boy’s life.”
“He’s my son.”
“We know that.” He blinks. “Where were you when my sister took him?”
“Asleep.” I clench my jaw. I’ve beaten myself up over this time and time again. “She was on a bender, I had no clue she’d come back.”
“Yes,” he drones, “well, she did. How can we trust you to raise our boy?”
“He’s not your boy,” I point out. “He’s mine, whether you like it or not.”
“No, he’s Leah’s.”
I glare at the guy. “Is that all you came to do?”
“No,” he says. “I came to make an offer.”
“Make it, then.”
“It’s for Leah.”
“I’ll pass along the message.”
He stands there staring at me, and I get the feeling that he’s the dangerous one. Enzo is louder and more aggressive, but Piero actually thinks, and that’s by far the more dangerous trait.
“Very well,” he says finally. “We’d like to buy the boy.”
I grunt, startled. “Buy him? Like a fucking slave or some shit?”
He shakes his head. “No, like an investment. We’re willing to offer a very, very generous sum.”
I gape. “My son isn’t for sale.”
“Maybe not now. But one day soon, you may find that you need money more than you need him. On that day, come find me, and I will pay you.”
I want to kill him. Rage boils up through me. I want to strangle him where he stands, but I hold myself back. My temper’s gotten me into enough trouble with the Gallo family as it is. I have to stay cool.
“Fuck off,” I say. “And shove your money up your ass.”
So much for staying cool.
He nods. “Pass that message along to Leah. We remember that she is our cousin, and we’re willing to do a deal.”
“I’m not. Fuck off.” I pull the door open again, but before I can slam it in his fucking face, his hand shoots out and blocks the door.
“Be careful with us, Connor,” he says, his face still completely neutral, almost bored. “We’ve let a lot slide so far. But my brother’s itching for blood and you’re starting to annoy me as well.”