Chapter 5 #2
The meal begins in an awkward quiet, everyone clearly unsure who should speak first. As usual, Uncle Kevin is the one who knows exactly when to break it.
“So,” he says casually, glancing around the table, “I’ve known Mateo and Gino since they were born, and I knew your father.” He gestures toward the brothers. “But who are the rest of you?”
“Most of us met in college,” Ryan answers.
Uncle Kevin chuckles. “So this kid–” he hooks his thumb toward Gino, “—convinced all of you to be a part of this?”
“Well, he didn’t have to convince Juliet,” Gabe replies.
Juliet immediately flicks something from her plate at him.
“Oww—jeez, Juliet.” Gabe yelps. “Why did you do that? You know I’m not lying.”
A few of the guys laugh, and just like that, the tension at the table finally starts to ease.
“You’re annoying,” she replies, rolling her eyes at him. Then she adds, more pointedly, “My mother—,” she fixes Gabe with a look, “—is Bianca Nguyen.”
Aunt Lucy freezes. “Your mother—sweet, kind Bianca Nguyen—and your father, Henry Tran, let you be a part of this?” she asks, clearly stunned.
Every head at the table turns toward her.
“How—” Juliet starts, but Uncle Kevin cuts in before she can finish.
“Your parents met Antonio in college. That was long before either of you were born. Of course, I know them too.”
Everyone goes a bit speechless. “I think you’ve stunned everyone into silence, sweetheart,” Aunt Lucy says lightly. “Might want to lay off the stories for a bit.” But the look on her face is one I’ve seen before, screaming, I swear to God, if you say too much, I will smack you.
The rest of dinner is fairly quiet, with no more revelations about anyone’s family connections. Once the plates are cleared, the guys drift off to another part of the house, leaving Juliet, Aunt Lucy, and me to tackle the dishes.
“So, Juliet, besides you and Gino, does anyone else live here?” Aunt Lucy asks.
“Nope, just Gino and I. There is a guest house that the Cambio brothers live in just down the road.”
“Mateo doesn’t live here?” I ask.
“No, he lives in the city,” Juliet says. “After Antonio died, Gino wanted him to live somewhere else. He didn’t want himself and his top lieutenant in the same place all the time.”
“That boy is very smart,” Aunt Lucy says approvingly.
“Yes, he is,” Juliet agrees, offering her a soft smile.
Gino steps back into the room. “Vanessa, can I talk to you in private?”
“Uh, sure,” I say.
Gino turns and heads for the stairs, and I follow him up to his office. The room hasn’t been cleaned at all—the cut zip ties are still scattered across the floor.
“Sorry about that, again,” he says, pointing at the chair and zip ties. “Have a seat.”
I sit down on a small couch he has off to the left of his desk. He pulls the chair from behind the desk so he’s facing me directly.
“Listen, I know today has been a lot to take in, but I have to tell you some things that no one else can know yet. Okay?” he says, his tone serious now.
I shake my head in agreement.
But before he can say anything, I start rambling.
“Okay, so what is it?” I blurt. “Is this the part where you tell me how many people you’ve killed? Or that I’m supposed to carry a gun now?” I pause, then keep going. “Wait, are you actually going to give me a gun? Because I’m not really a fan of them. I know how to shoot one, but—”
He cuts me off. “Vanessa. No. That’s not what I am going to tell you.”
He exhales, shaking his head. “Dad left me a letter too. And I think you should read it.” A wry smile tugs at his mouth. “That son of a bitch was surprisingly intuitive.”
He opens a desk drawer, pulls out an envelope, and hands it to me.
Gino–
There’s so much I wish I could say in this letter that might explain why I struggled to be the father you deserved. Too much happened, things that pulled me away from you when I should have been present.
I spent far too much of my life avenging the people I loved who were taken from me. In doing that, I failed to be the kind of father you needed. For that, I am truly sorry.
Everything is yours now. All I ask is this: don’t let vengeance consume you the way it consumed me after your mother died.
Please, son, take care of everyone. Build agreements. Make deals that don’t cost lives. There are people you haven’t met yet, people who love you and would come if you called. You’ll have to find them on your own, but know this: I taught you everything you need to know to run this family.
I wish I could be there for your wedding. I wish I could see your children grow up. I wish I could watch you run the business. But we both know I wasn’t going to live forever.
I love you, son. And one day the auburn sun will come home.
Love,
Dad
I look up at Gino. “Well… he really was subtle, huh?”
“Yeah.” He gives me a soft smile. “After he died, I did some digging but could never figure out what he meant. I went through Dad’s ledgers—there were monthly payments labeled VE. I didn’t realize until today that they were for you.”
“My hair really is that unique in this family, huh?” I say dryly.
“Yeah, I guess.” He gives me a soft smile. “Right now, I don’t know who all knows about you. Until I do, it’s my responsibility to keep you safe. That’s why I asked Mateo to watch over you.”
I hesitate. “How long do you think I’ll need a bodyguard?”
“As long as you’ll need one. Mateo is my best friend. Right now, I don’t know who all knows about you.” He pauses. “He’ll stay with you for a while. Go with you to work. If things in the city get too unpredictable, you’ll both stay here.”
I shake my head in agreement.
Gino stands and crosses to the bar cart, grabs two glasses, and pours bourbon into each.
“Here.” He hands me a glass. “To new siblings.”
“To new siblings.” We clink our glasses.
“Let’s just hope Dad doesn’t have any more secret kids. I don’t think I could decode another subtle message. I’m not that smart.”
I snicker. “I hope not. I’d prefer not to have days like this often.”
He glances at the clock. “It’s getting late. You guys should head out.”
“Yeah,” I say, turning toward the door and starting to leave his office.
“Hey, Vanessa,” he says, stopping me. I turn back. “You seem like you’re going to be a pretty cool sister to have around.”
“You seem like a pretty cool brother,” I reply.
I walk out of his office and head downstairs, where Uncle Kevin and Aunt Lucy are getting ready to head out. Everyone says their goodbyes and watches them leave.
“Ready?” Mateo asks. “Your brother asked me to take you home and stick with you for a bit.”
“Yeah, Gino mentioned that,” I say.
We say our goodbyes to Juliet and the rest of the guys, then head out together. Mateo and I climb into the car and start the drive back to my apartment.