Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Ihad Elias pick up Frankie and take her out for lunch. I wanted to know she wasn’t alone today. After this morning’s shitshow in her apartment, she needs to know that nothing is going to come between us. I’ve finally got everything I’ve ever dreamed about, and I’m not going to let that go.
If anyone wants to take her from me, they will have to pry her from my cold, dead hands.
Because I’m holding on to her for as long as I’m still breathing.
I knew she was mine since we were sixteen.
But now, after having a taste, after having her, I know for sure. We were always destined for each other.
I just need to not fuck this up. Which is why I’m visiting my Uncle Carlo.
I need advice from someone who can be impartial.
Uncle Carlo has always been the most reasonable one out of my uncles and father.
His wife, Antonia, also makes the best fucking lasagna.
Another reason I’m cold calling—I’m hoping my aunt has some leftovers for me.
“Emilio.” My uncle meets me in his foyer. I’m sure the guards at the front would have told him I was here. “Run into a door?” he asks with a raised brow.
“Something like that.” I rub a hand along my jaw, a bruise forming from Alfie’s fucking fist.
“What’s the other guy look like?”
“A lot worse.” I smile.
“Good. Come in. Want a drink?”
“No, but I’ll take some of Aunt Antonia’s lasagna,” I say, hopeful there is some.
“I’m not giving you my leftovers again,” my uncle grunts out.
“Emilio, I didn’t know you were in town.” Aunt Antonia comes up and hugs me. “What happened to you?”
“I slept with a girl and her brother found out,” I admit. “Let’s say he wasn’t thrilled at the discovery.”
My aunt squints her eyes at me. “Let me get you some food and some ice for that face.” She turns, and I follow her through the house while smiling at my uncle. Looks like I’m getting those leftovers after all.
“Asshole,” Uncle Carlo murmurs under his breath from behind me.
“You still love me.” I look at him over a shoulder.
“That’s debatable. Is Alfie alive?”
“What makes you think I was in a fight with Alfie?” I ask him.
My uncle just gives me a look.
I shake my head. “He’s alive. I can’t very well kill my girlfriend’s brother.”
“He’s also your friend.”
“Yeah, I don’t think he’s going to want to be drinking buddies anytime soon.” I shrug. Worth it. I don’t need friends if I have her.
“I take it Louie hasn’t heard about this new relationship status?”
I shake my head. “Nope, Frankie wants to wait to tell people.”
“Then why are you here telling me?”
I sit at the counter and watch as my aunt pulls out a Tupperware container. “Is that lasagna?” I ask her.
“I know that’s what you’re here for, Emilio.” Aunt Antonia smiles at me.
“I’m here to get advice.” I look at my uncle.
“About?”
“What I’m supposed to do. Frankie doesn’t want people to know. I want to put an article out on every front page in the world.”
“Don’t do that.” Aunt Antonia laughs.
“Yeah, don’t do that. If she doesn’t want to tell people, maybe she’s just not that into you?” Uncle Carlo suggests.
“Nope, that’s not it. She’s worried about what her father will do.”
“She should be. So should you. He’s going to want to kill you.”
“He can try.” I laugh. “He’s not going to kill me.”
“Maybe,” Uncle Carlo says. “You should tell him.”
“What?”
“Go and have a conversation with him. Don’t let him hear about it from someone else. He will at the very least respect you for that.”
“If I do that, Frankie will be pissed and I’m way more scared of her than I am of her father.”
“Yeah, me too,” Uncle Carlo says. “That girl has a temper on her.”
I smile proudly. “Yes, she does.” I love Frankie’s temper when it’s not directed at me.
“Here, put this on your face.” My aunt gives me an icepack.
“It doesn’t even hurt. Alfie hits like a girl,” I tell her.
“Sure,” she says, handing me a plate of reheated lasagna. “I’m going over to Jazzy and Jake’s. I’ll be back later.” My aunt kisses my uncle before kissing me, and then she’s gone.
“What made you not kill Jake? Maybe whatever he did, I can do and get Louie to love me for Frankie.”
“I don’t love Jake,” Uncle Carlo groans. “I tolerate him for Jazzy’s sake. He makes my daughter happy and I’m not going to put my own comfort above hers.”
“Can you maybe give that advice to Uncle Louie?”
“I can try.”
“Thanks. Just maybe don’t mention my name. I’ll talk to Frankie and see what she thinks of me telling her dad about us.”
“Sometimes it’s better to just rip the Band-Aid off,” Uncle Carlo says.
“Yeah, if it were just me, I would,” I agree.
As I’m leaving my uncle’s, my phone buzzes with a message.
Elias:
We need to go down to the docks.
Me:
Why?
Elias:
Dad wants us to check the shipment he just sent over.
Me:
I’m leaving Uncle Carlo’s now. I’ll meet you there.
I log into my app and find Frankie’s location. She’s at her apartment. Elias must have taken her home after their lunch.
Half an hour later, I walk over to where my brother is standing. “How was lunch?” I ask him.
“Your girlfriend is mean,” he says.
“Yeah, she’s great like that.” I smile. “What she do?”
“She told me she didn’t need any more brothers and I can shove my brotherly bothering where the sun doesn’t shine.”
I laugh. “Yep, sounds about right.” I look towards the dockyards. “What do you think is going to happen here?”
“No idea, but Dad thinks whoever the asshole you killed in Mexico was working with will show up.”
We waited for fucking ages to see if anyone left in a hurry that night, or if anyone turned up after I shot that prick in the container. Nothing happened. Which means his coconspirator is still out there somewhere.
“Do they know we’re coming?” I nod towards where Alfie, Sammie Junior, and CJ are all standing in front of an open container.
“Nope, but this should be fun.” Elias smiles and cracks his neck from side to side.
“Whatever happens, don’t do anything to him,” I tell Elias. I know how protective my family is. The last thing I need is my brothers taking up issues with Alfie.
“She just gained three brothers. She can afford to lose that one.” Elias laughs.
“No, she can’t,” I groan, knowing that logic will not fly with Frankie whatsoever.
All three of our cousins turn to look at us as we walk up.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” This comes from Alfie.
“Making sure our product is handed over the way it should be,” Elias says.
“Why?” CJ asks. “What’s going on?”
“No idea.” Elias keeps walking. He stops in front of Alfie. “I don’t care if we are cousins or family friends or business partners. You lay a hand on my brother again, and I will remove yours and shove them right up your ass.”
“Jesus Christ, Elias,” I groan. “Not the time.”
“It’s always the time to let people know where they stand,” my brother says.
“Maybe tell your brother to keep his filthy hands off things he shouldn’t be touching, and I won’t have to throw fists with him.” Alfie glares at me, although his words are directed at Elias.
“What’s going on here? What am I missing in this pissing contest?” CJ asks.
CJ is my Uncle Carlo’s oldest son. I’ve always liked him. He usually stays out of family drama.
“Emilio is dating Frankie,” Sammie Junior explains.
“So how’d you end up with a broken nose?” CJ points at him.
“I pulled that asshole off that asshole, and he head-butted me.” Sammie Junior gestures from me to Alfie.
“Right.”
“He was also naked. Why the fuck were you fighting naked?” Sammie Junior asks me.
“I just got out of the shower.” I shrug.
“Fucking asshole,” Alfie grunts. “This is going to have to wait.” He looks towards the container. “Him.” He nods in the direction of one of the men who came with the crew to unload. “I’ve never seen him before, have you?”
“Nope.” I stretch out my hands and crack my knuckles. “Looks like we found the second link. Time to have some fun.” I tap my brother on the shoulder and start walking towards our crew, one person in particular.
The guy sees me coming and decides to turn and run. Great, chasing some prick was not on the agenda for today. It’s the middle of the afternoon. I take off, so does my brother. I can hear more footsteps behind me. I’m assuming they belong to my cousins.
I turn the corner around the back of a container, and a bullet whizzes past my fucking head.
“Look out!” Alfie yells at me and then I’m being thrown to the ground while he’s firing off round after round. When I look up, I see the prick I was chasing drop, his body now riddled with bullets.
I turn to Alfie and smile. “You do love me.”
“Shut the fuck up, asshole. It was instinct,” he says. “I also don’t want to see my sister with a broken heart over your dead ass.”
“Semantics. You love me.” I smile wider to piss him off more.