Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
T raining
Michael
A year later …
I lie on my back, looking up at the ceiling as I pant for air. I do believe Uri is trying to make me regret the day I found him. There is training and then there is this.
He is kicking my ass unapologetically. This is what I asked for, so I’m going to suck it up and continue. When I learned what my brother does for our uncle Nic, I wanted to learn.
I wanted to be a part of the side of our family I don’t know. I was hurt to know Uri has been connected to our father’s family all this time. My mother made it seem like they didn’t want anything to do with us.
However, listening to Uri speak of our grandfather, who he was with before our uncle Nic, has made me wonder if he was truly any better off than we were. I couldn’t imagine having to live like that. Our grandfather was a monster.
“Get up, Michael. You are a Donati. We don’t quit,” Uri growls at me.
His words are like fuel. I hate that I’ve been raised with the last name Zuko. My father was a Donati, and so am I.
I leap to my feet, ready to keep going. Sweat soaks my hair and the back of my T-shirt. I have never been a quitter, and I don’t intend to start now.
“That’s better, mate. Show me you have some bloody balls,” he taunts.
“You say that as if I haven’t been holding my own,” I say to him in Italian.
“English. You make it too easy to learn the truth about you. English will throw your enemies off,” he snaps.
I roll my eyes and keep moving forward, holding my hands up. Uri continues to come at me hard. I fight back, blocking and countering as fast as I can. I have gotten taller, and we are now nearly evenly matched.
With all the training and conditioning, I have more power and stamina than I did when I came to him at eighteen. What a difference a year can make. We have become closer—at least as close as Uri will allow.
“Stop leaving your right open,” he bites out.
I grunt and nod. It’s all I need to do. He’s not asking me for my feedback. He’s telling me how to be better.
I appreciate the growth we have. I understand Uri’s need to create distance. Given our upbringing, I can’t say I blame him. The one thing I respect about my brother most is that he won’t allow me to speak ill of our mama.
I can tell he has his issues with her as I do, but he won’t allow me or Nico to voice them without knocking us on our ass. Nico and Annabella were eager to reunite with Uri as well.
He was reluctant at first, but my siblings would not be denied. They followed me as I did our mother, much to Uri’s annoyance. We didn’t understand at first.
Nico had even challenged him. That didn’t go as Nico thought it would. Uri ended up kicking his ass.
However, it was after Nico showed up on Uri’s doorstep that he told us that our mother believed we were in danger by interacting with him. It’s the reason no one is to know he’s our brother. He has been training me in secret for almost a year.
“It’s a good thing you’re better with a gun than you are with your fists,” he snorts at me.
“Are you saying I should shoot you?” I taunt back.
“You wouldn’t get your finger on the trigger before I took your life instead.”
I scoff and continue to circle him. He is right. I’ve taken well to firearms. Pistol or sniper rifle, I have mastered those. Fighting hand to hand is where I need to get stronger.
I’ve been on a few jobs with Uri to learn more about the hitter business. He was reluctant even to train me. It took weeks to talk him into it.
If I hadn’t been jumped one night while sneaking to see him, he might not have ever agreed. After watching what he did to the guys who jumped me, I wanted to be just like him. My brother is a badass.
However, Uri isn’t proud of the cold, calculated man he has become. I picked up on that after the first job. I get it.
Each life taken does leave a stain. Although they all deserve it. Uri only accepts certain types of jobs. He’s not going to hush anyone who is innocent. They have to have harmed someone who’s defenseless, or they have to be a stain on humanity.
He does his research before taking a job. Uri is smart. I’ve been studying hard to have a sharp mind like his.
Like my sister Annabella, I have fallen into computers and surveillance—although, for her, that’s more of a hobby. Annabella’s major in university is medicine.
For me, I thought it wise to get into surveillance with Uri’s profession and the fact that there are people out there wanting to harm us. I want to be of use to my family, including our uncle and cousin in America. Uri hasn’t told me why he lives here in London while our uncle is in the States.
I know the questions to ask and those not to ask. My brother will shut down and not speak if he’s pissed off. I try not to piss him off.
“That’s enough for now. Shower. I have a meeting with Don Trovati. You’re coming along.”
I knit my brows. Uri makes it a habit never to be seen with me. One glance and it isn’t hard to see we’re related. Uri has made it clear to the three of us that we’re not to expose ourselves as his siblings.
That hasn’t been hard for Nico, as none of us get to see him often as a professional footballer. Annabella is always busy with her studies. However, I am the one who’s always around Uri and I look the most like him.
Which makes me wonder why he’s choosing to take me with him this time. My brother has a purpose for every move he makes. Seeming to read my thoughts, he tilts his head at me as he studies me.
“Trovati is an old friend. I have kept his secrets. He will keep mine. Besides, he’s a friend you should have in case anything were ever to happen to me.”
“This is business?”
“It is. I believe he has a request. I will hear him out.”
My chest fills with pride. He’s taking me with him. I nod and turn to head to shower and dress.
Uri
I grin as I watch my brother walk away. Michael reminds me of myself when I was his age. He’s smart and ambitious.
Sometimes I wonder if I should be doing this, making him so much like me. Although I know he can never be fully like me—not that that’s something I want. I wouldn’t wish my childhood or the monster I’ve become on anyone.
I’ve been training Michael to be a gentler version of myself. I haven’t taken him on the jobs where I know beforehand I’m going with the intent to slaughter. I’m not asked to go there often, but at times, a clear message needs to be sent.
It is those jobs that have earned me the name Hush. The times when I released the savage I became when my grandfather tried to break me. I will not break Michael to force him to become that.
However, unlike Nico, Michael has that look in his eyes. I would rather guide him than allow his demons to surface without him knowing what to do. I have been there and wish that on no one.
My phone rings, pulling me from my thoughts. I move to the table I placed it on and grab it. I roll my eyes as I see it’s my uncle Nicholas.
At twenty-four, I’m growing increasingly tired of these calls. He wanted me here in London, why not leave me to my own life? He treats me like a lion he wishes to tame.
“Hello, Uncle,” I say into the phone.
“Uri, it’s good to hear your voice. I have Luca here. He asked me to give you a call for him.”
I give a genuine smile. “What can I do for the little brat?”
“His birthday is coming and when I asked him what he wanted, he told me he wants a visit from you or tickets to come join you for a few weeks. I thought I would let you decide which you would prefer.”
I chuckle into the phone. “He could get into a lot of trouble here with me. I’m sure that’s not what you want.”
“I trust you, Uri. You are a busy man. I don’t want to burden you with your little cousin if you have work to do.”
I note the questions in his tone. I haven’t been hitting for the family. I turned down the last two requests, much to his annoyance. I didn’t find either situation worthy of my time.
Not liking that he’s questioning me, I frown before I answer. Two can play this game. It will take a lot for my uncle to rein me in. I don’t believe he’s ready for that.
“I will think about it. Tell Luca I will call him soon with my decision. I have to go,” I say and end the call before he can say anything further.
My mind turns to Don Alessio Trovati. He took me under his wing when I first arrived here. I had been running with a London street gang when we crossed paths.
He picked me out of the crowd and told me I was a leader, not a follower. It was time I let those losers go. He offered me a place and a job. I also gained my first glimpse into the Mafia world outside of my family through him.
I owe him a lot and I don’t say that about many. The connections I’ve made through him have been invaluable. When he asks to have dinner with me, out of respect, I show up.
I get the sneaking suspicion that is the true reason for my uncle’s call, not Luca. I grin and shake my head. Nicholas Donati wouldn’t be Nicholas Donati if he didn’t know my every move.
“Well, let him watch,” I snort and shake my head as I go to shower and dress for my meeting.