Chapter 5 #2
“Sorry, Daddy.” She flashes me a sweet smile, giving me her doe eyes.
I’m in trouble with this one.
“You got your daddy wrapped, don’t you?” Bianca laughs, looking up at her. “You’re so good with her, Raph.”
And the way she says that, the way her features tighten, a hand slipping around her stomach for a mere second…it’s like she wants a child too.
I never asked my brother about that. It’s none of my business, and sure as hell isn’t my father’s business either.
As Raph takes Sophia upstairs and disappears out of sight, Bianca shuffles uncomfortably on her feet.
“I don’t know why your father treats him that way. He’s always trying to shake him, you know?”
“Yeah.”
What the hell else can I say? I’m not about to talk shit about my father to anyone, not even her, no matter how right she is.
She must sense my discomfort. I can tell from her uneasy expression.
“Well, thank you for having us for dinner.”
“You’re family. You’re always welcome. Nicolette too.” I give the younger sister a brief glance as she picks at her red nails, completely avoiding me, her eyes wandering ahead like her mind is elsewhere.
“Nicolette, where are your manners?” Bianca scolds with a clipped twinge in her tone.
“I’m sorry, what?” Her gaze darts to her sister.
Bianca flips a hand in the air, face turning with a grimace. “Michael said we’re welcome here anytime, and you’re too busy with your head in the clouds.”
She narrows a glare, and Nicolette gives her one even harder.
“Well, my head wouldn’t have to be in the clouds if one of us didn’t—”
“You need to stop,” Bianca snaps, her voice slicing with a fresh coat of anger, not something I’ve ever seen in her.
“You’re the one who needs to stop.” Nicolette pauses, the two sisters practically clawing one another with their glares. “Whatever.” She rises to her feet. “I’ll get myself home.”
“Stop being a child!”
But Nicolette waves a hand. “Thanks, Michael. Bye, everyone.”
“I can drive you,” Gio throws in.
But she’s already at the front door, and then we hear it bang as it shuts.
“I’m sorry about her.” Bianca sighs. “She’s young and difficult. A deadly combo.”
Her eyes roll and she huffs out, fingering a strand of hair that has fallen over her eyelashes.
“It’s fine,” I say. “Not a problem. We know how it is.”
Whatever sisterly bullshit is happening between them, I want no part of it. I have to be up early tomorrow for a business meeting with a real estate group in hopes of finding additional locations to expand our brand.
“You ready to go?” Raph says now, climbing down the stairs.
“Yes.” She smiles faintly at him. “Thank you again, Michael.”
Her hand goes to my forearm as she lightly squeezes. Once they all say their goodbyes, I lead them to the door, and I’m finally alone.
Damn, my family is exhausting.
I need my brother back. Need to help him get over the demons of his past. Sophia misses him like crazy. It’s time.
“Alright, I’ve gotta go,” Gio tells me, jumping to his feet.
“Yeah, I need to go and see that Sophia actually did her homework. That kid lies better than you.”
“No one lies as good as me.” He smirks.
I walk him out with a shake of my head, a casual grin on my face as I lock the door behind him.
When we were kids, he’d lie to my parents all the time. But back then, he wasn’t as skilled at it as he is now. His ass would get beaten for the shit he told my father.
But now as a man, his cleverness, his ability to keep that poker face during our business deals, has served us well.
“Sophia, where are you?” I call, walking into the den and not finding her there, where she’s usually lying on the shaggy white rug, watching TV on her belly.
As soon as I got home earlier, she jumped into my arms, holding on to me until it was time for me to have that meeting with my father and brother.
Managing everything, it’s damn hard. I want to spend every hour with her when she’s home, but it’s not always possible.
Maybe a wife wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
Even a pretend wife is better than none at all.
Stepping into the kitchen, I don’t see her there either.
“Sophia!” I call from the head of the stairs, waiting to hear those little feet stomp out of her room.
But there’s only silence.
My irritation grows.
“Sophia! Daddy’s not playing hide-and-seek right now. You have to come out and show me your homework, and then we can make pizza together.”
I stare up, still not seeing or hearing a damn thing. Dragging in a sharp breath, I take out my cell and turn on the security cams, rewinding enough to find her running into the bar room.
“God damn it,” I mutter, my feet already moving.
She knows she’s not allowed there. It’s off-limits. I should probably start locking it. But it’s way more convenient to leave it open for the times when I’m dragging a body into it.
But she’s getting older and more curious. I can’t have her asking questions. It’s soundproofed, and I do lock it when I’m inside. But what if she sneaks there and accidentally discovers her father’s hand on the trigger, with a dead body on the other side of it?
I don’t even want to imagine her opening the meat freezer. The only kind of meat we store there is the human kind. Before parts of our enemies get dropped into the ocean, they’re sometimes kept here.
She wouldn’t understand what I must do for the sake of the family, for the sake of respect. She may never understand. One day, she may hate me for it, and I’m not ready for that day.
As soon as I’m in the garage, I open the door to the cellar, marching down the hall, and that’s when I see her rushing for me.
“Sophia! What did I tell you about coming in here?”
I find her shell-shocked gaze staring at me.
“I—I—I’m sorry,” she stammers, looking behind her, then back at me.
Kneeling down, I place both palms over my daughter’s shoulders, an overpowering sense of love hitting me in the chest. “I’m not mad, princess.
But this is Daddy’s room, and it’s dangerous.
There is too much glass here.” I cup her cheek, leaning over to kiss her on her forehead.
“What if you got hurt and I didn’t know where you were? ”
Her lower lip trembles, soft brown eyes swimming with tears. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I didn’t mean to be bad.” She wanders a gaze to her feet.
“You’re not bad, princess.” I tip her face up back to mine. “Just a little shit sometimes.” My mouth widens into a smile.
She lets out a small laugh, and I hold her face in my palms, kissing her forehead again. Her eyes go to where a water bottle lies on the ground to my right.
“You got thirsty?”
“Um…yeah.” She hops to the bottle and picks it up while I straighten.
“Yeah, uh, this is mine. I got super thirsty and just sat on the floor waiting for you to be done with Grandpa and Uncle Gio.” She grabs my hand and tugs me toward the exit, acting crazy suspicious. “I’m hungry. Can we go cook now?”
“Okay,” I tell her.
But my eyes? They wander toward the bar for a few long seconds before we make it out the door and shut it behind us.