by Rye Hart
“Good. You stink,” she said.
“Love you too, Mom.”
“And grab a biscuit to go! I made too many of them.”
“You want me to eat a biscuit in the shower?” he asked.
“She’s going to kill you,” I said.
“Take a biscuit and get yourself cleaned up,” she said. “I’ll take care of this mess.”
“Have you eaten, Mom?” Antony asked.
I turned around and watched my mother pause.
“Mom?” I asked.
“What?”
I looked over at Antony, and I saw him sigh.
“Come sit down, Mom.”
“No,” she said.
“Please?” I asked.
“I said ‘no.’”
“Then let us at least fix you a—”
“I said I don’t want to eat!”
She slammed her rag down onto the kitchen counter, and I saw it. For the first time. With my very own eyes. The woman who raised me and clothed me. Who chased me around the yard and beat my ass when I stepped out of line. The woman who prayed over my life every morning and tucked me in at night with kisses was hunched over the counter of our family kitchen, crying.
“Was this what you wanted to talk about?” I asked.
Antony shot me a look before he strode over to Mom.
I got up from the table and went over to her side. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close as Antony rubbed her back. There it was. The breakdown the two of us had been anticipating. Not once had we seen her cry, or lose it, or lose herself at all since our father had died.
“Ssshhh,” I said. “It’s okay. We’re here.”
“I miss him,” my mother said.
“We do, too,” Antony said.
“Why is he gone?” she asked.
I led my mother into the living room and sat her down on the couch. Antony grabbed her a glass of water and held it out to her before sitting down beside her. I crouched in front of her and took her hands, bringing them to my lips to kiss.
This was why I wanted peace between our two families. This was why I wanted to usher in a new era for the Martine family.
Because we had lost enough.
CHAPTER 3
JULIA
“Uncle Stef!”
I watched Matteo run into the arms of my uncle as Stefano picked him up. He swung the small boy around as Enrico, my personal bodyguard, shut the door closed behind us. I looked back at him and his eyes connected with mine, and I saw a shadowed grin tick his cheek.
“Afternoon, Enrico,” I said as I greeted my guard and friend..
“Glad to see you up and about, Miss Bianchi,” he said.
I knew the night before had flustered him. I’d left without his guidance and without his presence to meet Romeo, but I hadn’t wanted to go in there with intimidation tactics. Even if Romeo had come with them. And I knew Enrico wasn’t happy about Romeo carting around all those goons with him, especially to sit down with me.
“How’s my boy?” Stefano asked.
“Good. I slept so long, and I ate a really big breakfast,” Matteo said.
“You did? What did Mommy cook for you?”
“My favorite. Eggs with ham. And cheese. And onions. And red peppers. And olives.”
“You know that’s exactly what your grandfather used to eat every morning,” my uncle said.
“And I had toast, too. With jelly.”
“And peanut butter?”
“Ew. Peanut butter’s gross,” Matteo said.
“Oh! My heart. It hurts.”
I watched my uncle sink to the floor as Matteo straddled his stomach. The two of them began to wrestle, and I stepped back to stand with Enrico. He’d been with me ever since my father figured out I was pregnant. He was the only other person I trusted to always tell me the truth about things. Over the years Enrico had become my friend as well as my guard, and I was itching to get him alone so I could talk to him about what had happened with Romeo.
Preferably not in front of my uncle.
“So,” Stefano said as he lifted my son into the air, “how did your evening last night go?”
I glanced up to Enrico and watched him clench his jaw.
“Not as well as I hoped,” I said.
My uncle’s eyes connected with me as he set Matteo down on his feet. He grunted to get off the floor, and I opened my arms for my son. He ran into them and I kissed him on top of his head, then I turned toward the door and opened it.
“Why don’t you go play in your room for a second while I talk with Uncle Stef?” I asked.
“Can I watch a movie?” he asked.
“Of course, you can. How about you go pick one out, and I’ll come watch it with you once I’m through talking.”
“Yeah! Okay, but hurry up!”
I watched Matteo bolt out of the room and up the steps, then I turned back to my uncle as I shut the door behind me.
“The night went south when Romeo demanded to see his son. I told him that wasn’t how this was going to work,” I said.
“Why not? Julia, that boy is the key to giving us the peace all of us deserve.”
“My son isn’t a pawn, Uncle. And Romeo didn’t come alone. I left Enrico here because you agreed with me that we needed to show a friendly and unthreatening front. But when I stood to leave, six Martine goons stood from booths all around us.”
“What?” Enrico asked.
“Romeo didn’t come alone like you thought he would. How in the world am I supposed to let him into my son’s life when he doesn’t even keep his word?”
“It was your job to open that door. Not close it in the man’s face. Above all else, he’s that child’s father.”
“No. Above all else, Matteo’s my son. And his father chose to take over one of the bloodiest jobs in this city. I have a duty to my son to protect him. From anything and everything. I’m more than willing to help bring our families together in peace, but it won’t be under the condition that Romeo sees his son,” I said.
“You don’t get a choice in the matter,” my uncle said.
“Okay, I think we all need to take a deep breath,” Enrico said.
“You keep your mouth shut,” Uncle Stefano said.
“Now, you listen. I’ve been hired to take care of Julia, and that order came from her father. My only dedication is to her and that boy. No one else. You won’t come at her this way and neither can Romeo,” Enrico said.
“Thank you,” I said.
“You need to think of Matteo,” my uncle said. “That boy deserves to know his father.”
“When his father’s regime doesn’t have blood on its hands, sure, I’ll allow it,” I said.
“And that won’t be possible until we can bring peace. And that peace starts with Matteo. You see how you’ve bound our hands in this?” my uncle asked.
“Calm that tone of voice,” Enrico said. “Or this conversation is over.”
I watched my uncle take a few deep breaths before turning his back. He walked over to his desk and cocked his hip, then crossed his arms over his chest. I knew he was in a tight place. I could see it written all over his features. But Matteo wasn’t going to be a pawn in some game. There had to be another way to do this.
“If you don’t want Matteo to do it, then you have to do it,” my uncle said.
“What?” I asked.
“If you don’t want to use Matteo to smooth things over, then you have to suck down your pride and do it in his place. Talk things out with Romeo,” my uncle said.
“I’m not stepping within another inch of that man,” I said.
“Then why did you come back. Hmm? When I called you and told you of my plans and ushered you back into the city after your father cast you out, what did you think you were coming to do? Make a life for yourself? When I asked you to help me make peace with the Martine family, what did you think your role was?”
I clenched my jaw as my eyes gazed out the window.
“I don
’t know,” I said. “But I didn’t think it was this.”
“My great nephew—your son—is the only connection to the Martine family we have. You created a family with Romeo, whether you like that idea or not. And if you want to help me make peace and return this city to its glory days, then you need to recognize the part you play in that. I know you don’t like this lifestyle. I know you want to keep Matteo away from it, and I respect that. But making peace means making sacrifices.”
“I’m not sacrificing my son,” I said, hissing.
“Then you sacrifice yourself for the sake of your son. After all, isn’t that a mother’s job?” he asked.
I bit the inside of my cheek and turned my back on him. I didn’t like where this was going. Not one damn bit. But as hard as I tried to poke holes in his theories and his beliefs, I couldn’t. If I wasn’t going to bring Matteo into this, then I had to step up and play my part to meet the end my family wanted.
Peace in the streets of New York City.
I opened the door and walked out of the room before Enrico stepped out after me. He shut the door and grabbed my arm, then pulled me aside toward a concealed hallway. My eyes fluttered up to his, and he released his grip on me, and I could tell he had something on his mind.
“What is it?” I asked
“I want you to know I support you. Always.”
“I appreciate that, Enrico.”
“And if you don’t want to go talk to Romeo, you don’t have to. I can field your uncle. That’s not a problem,” he said.
“That’s sweet of you, thank you. But unfortunately, he’s right.”
“What?” he asked.
“If I don’t want to bring Matteo into this—even with my dedication to the idea of peace—then I have to step in. To talk with Romeo and hear him out and see what kind of agreement or conclusion we can come to.”
“Then you don’t do this alone,” he said. “I’m coming with you to this meeting.”
“That isn’t necessary, Enrico.”
“You said so yourself. He had six men with him last night, and you didn’t have a single one.”
“And I grabbed my weapon of choice and poised myself, just like you taught me,” I said.
“This isn’t a good idea, Julia.”
“But it’s the only one we’ve got. We do have a chance to enact peace right now through my prior relationship with Romeo. It’s at least worth another conversation.”
I knew Enrico wasn’t happy. After all, he was the one that taught me how to defend myself. That was one of my father’s requirements after I’d had Matteo. Once I was feeling better and able to run business as usual in my life, Enrico was responsible for teaching me how to fight. How to defend myself. I was small, but I was strong, and that meant bigger people were at a disadvantage against my training due to underestimating me.
Enrico had been good to me for many years. I was okay by myself now because of him.
“I don’t like this,” Enrico said.
“You’ve already crossed a line with my uncle,” I said. “By telling him you still answer to my father. Or were at least commanded by him. My uncle sits on the same seat my father did, and he can fire you if he wishes. Don’t butt heads with him, Enrico. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I’m worried about you,” he said. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, either.”
I sighed as I took a step away from him.
I’d known for a couple of years now that Enrico cared for me more than he needed to. The way he glanced at me a little too long. The way he quickly came to my defense even when he knew it wasn’t necessary. The way he hovered at times whenever I was by myself or with Matteo out in public. There were many times where people had mistaken him for my boyfriend, and I could see his disappointed eyes whenever I would correct them and call him “my friend.”
And he was.
Enrico was the closest friend I had.
I trusted him more than anyone else. He was the only person I felt comfortable leaving Matteo with alone. I knew that, above all else, his allegiance fell with me and my well-being instead of the well-being of the family. Of the mafia. Of the criminal syndicate my family had brought to the States when they migrated decades ago. I didn’t have the same feelings for him, and he knew that. I made sure it was clear whenever things became awkward between us.
I needed someone I could trust at my side with the road I was about to travel.
Which was why I didn’t need him pissing off my uncle.
“Enrico—”
“I know, I know. I’m your bodyguard and your friend. Nothing else. But that doesn't mean I still can’t be worried about you. It’s technically my job,” he said.
He had a point.
“I promised Matteo a movie. We’ll speak more about this later,” I said, before turning and heading up the steps.
I was happy to have Enrico by my side, but the level of his care and willingness to sacrifice his own safety had put me on edge.
CHAPTER 4
ROMEO
A knock on the door led me from my office, but I was surprised by the vision before me when I opened it.
Julia was there, standing in a beautiful dress whipping around her luxurious thighs as the breeze filtered into the house.
Her red-streaked hair was sparkling in the sunlight and floating around her breasts, fanning out along her face and pulling her hazel eyes to the forefront.
“Are you going to let me in?” she asked.
You bet I am.
I opened the door and stepped to the side, but soon there was a commotion coming down the stairs. Antony and my mother were laughing at something as they traveled down the staircase, and I shut the door as Julia’s eyes glanced up to take them in. I stood behind her, my hands in my pockets, as Antony’s eyebrows shot up to the damn crown of his head.
My mother gave her a once-over, then smiled as she leaned over to my brother.
“They’d make beautiful babies together.”
“You’re a terrible whisperer, Mother,” I said.
“Luisa. It’s good to see you again,” Julia said.
“And you as well. You look beautiful. Doesn’t she, Romeo?”
Julia looked back at me with a healthy flush in her cheeks, and my cock jumped between my legs.
“Always,” I said.
My brother and mother made their way outside and shut the door quickly behind them. My brother had promised my mother a long overdue shopping trip and I couldn’t have been more grateful for the timing.
Julia turned to me with her bright hazel eyes and began wringing her fingers in the excess fabric of her dress.
I guess old habits die hard.
“I came over to apologize,” Julia said.
I cocked my head and studied her as she cleared her throat.
“At the restaurant. I shouldn't have gone off the way I did. But I’m worried about my son.”
I clenched my jaw as she drew in a deep breath.
“Our son. I’m worried about our son,” she corrected.
“I would expect nothing less from you,” I said.
“Romeo, I spent the last six years of my life shielding that boy. From everything. From seeing my father come home with his hands covered in blood, and the worry I felt whenever my father didn’t make it home after two or three nights. I shielded him from the clothes I burned, and the shoes I shined, and the blood I wiped off the floor when my father tracked it in. I made sure he never knew anything that went on in the family. I explained his missing uncles and his grandfather’s death as accidents, and luckily for me he’s too young to really know anything else. But he’s getting to an age where he’s going to start noticing and understanding things and I need to keep him away from all of it.”
I watched her struggle, and my heart reached out for her. I knew that struggle all too well. I’d watched my mother go through it for years. Bandaging my father’s wounds so he wouldn’t need a hospital. Stitching him up with sewing needles st
erilized in alcohol and thread from her sewing cabinets. Clothes burned in a wood stove in the basement that puffed death-tainted plumes of air into the sky over our house.
I wanted to change that for my family.
Fuck. All I cared about was to give my family a safe and normal life.
“You being in charge of your family business scared me,” Julia said. “I never expected you to take over. I always saw you passing that down to Antony.”
“Would it help you to know that I’m trying to make things better?” I asked.
“What does that even mean?”
“That I’m trying to make our operations more legitimate.”
“Is that something the Martine family is capable of?” she asked.
“With me at the helm? I think so. It’s why I took the job. I’m tired of watching my family suffer. I’m tired of my family being wiped out over petty arguments that took place two and three decades ago. I’m tired of all the rivalry and the illegality of everything that goes on in this city because of us.”
I watched Julia shake her head as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“I want to believe you so badly, Romeo. You were such a good man. All those conversations about how we couldn't stand what our fathers were doing. It was one of the reasons why I fell in love with you.”