54. ANTONIO
ANTONIO
TWO DAYS LATER
M y bedroom door cracked open. I tossed myself back into bed, yanking the blankets up to my chest before Ma’s voice called out. “Antonio?”
I forced myself to sound weak. “Hey, Ma.”
She stepped inside, her brows knitting as she reached out to press her palm against my forehead. I held still, letting her check for a fever she wouldn’t find. “You feel warm. You still not feeling well?”
I shrugged, looking away. “Just tired.”
The door creaked open behind us, and my muscles tensed as Joey stepped inside. He stood in the doorway, arms crossed, brow raised. “So, the kid’s a faker, huh?” My throat went dry, but I forced a weak laugh, ignoring the bitter taste it left behind.
“He’s warm, Joey,” Ma said.
“I’m fine. I just need some rest,” I muttered. “I’m going to go to bed. The two of you go out. I’m fine.”
“Rosa’s downstairs if you need anything,” she said, brushing a strand of my hair from my forehead. I gave her a fake, weak nod before she pressed a kiss to my forehead and then slipped out, shutting the door behind her .
Sneaking out of my bed, downstairs, and out of the house without Rosa knowing was almost too easy. Rosa was busy cleaning—putting fresh flowers everywhere, fixing the garden Ma had started. She was humming an old tune under her breath, lost in her own world, which made it easy for me to slip past her.
Giovanni was waiting outside for me when I slipped out. I yanked open the door and slid into the passenger seat, barely getting settled before he slammed his foot against the gas. My forehead almost bounced against the dash. Luckily, I had my seatbelt on. I was sure that was done on purpose by the way he snickered next to me.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” I snapped, gripping the door handle. “Are you trying to kill me before we even get there?”
Giovanni snickered, his hands loose on the wheel. “What? You had your seatbelt on, didn’t ya?”
“Listen, asshole, don’t pull anything stupid,” I growled, taking the gun out of my waistband and putting it on the floorboard.
“Chill out,” he muttered. “I was just practicing for later.”
“Yeah, well, practice on your own time,” I shot back. “Where’d you get this car from, anyway?” I asked as he coasted down the street toward Davidson’s.
“I told my grandfather I needed it to pick up a girl,” he said. I let out a snicker. “It wasn’t a lie. I did before I came to get you. Mia, in fact. ”
I side-eyed him. “You know, after this is all done, it’s going to be nice going back to hating your fucking guts.”
“Oh, I know,” he said back. “Tomorrow, I’ll wake up hating you again. And it’s really all I look forward to.” We pulled up outside Davidson’s, and he glanced over at me. “Last chance to back out, paperboy.”
I shook my head. “If you’re a pussy, just say so.”
“Fuck you!” he spat .
I let out a breath and leaned my head back against the seat. “I still can’t believe I’m stuck here with you. Out of all the people in the world, why did it have to be you?”
“You’re the one who came to me for help, remember ?” He turned to face me, raising an eyebrow. “So, really, this is just an equal exchange of suffering for both of us.”
I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Jesus. I should’ve just tried to take Joey out myself.”
“Yeah, because that would’ve gone well,” he snarled.
I exhaled and glanced back toward Davidson’s. Joey’s car was parked outside. People came and went as they always did, but we still had no sign of Joey. And every passing minute made my pulse drum faster.
I had never been in such a blind rage in my life. This was supposed to be our fresh start. We had escaped. We’d come to Staten Island for a new beginning. But so far, I’d been blackmailed by a mafia boss, my mother had fallen in love with one, and every person in this town seemed to have some mafia connection. You couldn’t even trust the cops—half of them were on the payroll. Not to mention, I’d had a gun shoved in my face by a psychotic gangster, and my mother had let Joey kill for her.
This had to end.
And I would be the one to put a stop to it. Taking Joey out would make it all go away. We’d pack up and leave this mess behind—find somewhere far from the mafia. A place where we could finally start fresh. And just like Ma had kept her secrets, I wouldn’t tell her what I’d done. Some things were better left locked away.