“And that makes you vulnerable, you stupid fuck.” I winced as Lorenzo’s voice became louder. “Are you really that fuckin’ stupid?”
“I’m not vuln—”
“Yeah, you are.” Lorenzo reached into the bag he’d carried in here and emptied it onto the table. “It took my guy an hour to find everything to do with all of your businesses.” He stood, his hands clenched at his sides. “If one of us is vulnerable, we all are. Lock your shit up. Now.”
Lorenzo buttoned his jacket up, glanced at each of them in turn as they reached for the papers, then left without another word. I followed, leaving several paces behind us to catch anything they said, but they were all too quiet. They thought they were impenetrable, but we’d found out the hard way that we weren’t. We’d been on the defense, but now we were firmly placed at offense.
“We’re running late, head straight back to the mansion,” Lorenzo said as I pushed into the SUV.
I didn’t answer him as I turned the key and sped out of the lot. We’d been there too long and we needed to get away as quick as we could. Lorenzo had two more meetings before the day was out. He was back to work with a bang, and I had no doubt he wouldn’t give any second chances from now on. He’d been crossed in the worst way possible, and now he was out to teach everyone just what happened when you tried to take the Beretta Mafia for fools. Things were changing, and I had no idea if it would be good or bad, but what I did know was that I was here for it. Loyalty ran through my veins just like the blood that kept me alive.
Two soldiers flanked the gates as I pulled up. I clicked the driver’s window down enough so they could see my face and they let us in. I halted in front of the mansion, and as I was about to turn the engine off, my cell vibrated and rang out.
Any other time I wouldn’t have stopped to think about it, but this cell was different. This was the one that only my little brother had the number to. I pulled it out of my pocket, seeing his name. “Fuck.” I met Lorenzo’s gaze in the rearview mirror. His brows furrowed as he stared at me, but I didn’t have time to explain it to him, instead I clicked the answer call button. “Everything okay?”
His huff of breath whooshed down the line. “Mom sent Reana home.”
I let my head drop back, feeling it hit the headrest of the seat. “Has she already left?”
“Yeah. She said she’s never coming back.”
“Mateo?” Lorenzo asked, leaning forward. “What’s going on?”
Pulling in a breath, I turned in my seat. “Mom sent the babysitter home and—”
“Go.” He shuffled across the seat and placed his hand on the door. “I can handle the rest of the day. I’ll call Romeo in.”
“You sure?”
Lorenzo raised a brow. “They’re family.” He paused and opened the door. “We look out for family.” I stared as he walked past the fountain outside the mansion and into the main doors. I had responsibilities here, but I also had them at home. It had always been a juggling act, but it was feeling more and more impossible lately.
I placed the cell firmly next to my ear again. My heart hammered in my chest as I heard the music blasting in the background, and I could only imagine what was happening there. “Get outside.” I sat up straighter. “I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
“Okay,” his small voice said, and my heart cracked yet again. I’d promised that I wouldn’t let him go through what I had, but he was there, dealing with it just like I had been. It was time for change, time to rethink what I was doing. But for now, all I needed to do was make sure they were safe.
I grasped the steering wheel harder than I needed to and peeled away from the mansion, telling myself I’d fix this, but as I repeated it over and over again, it felt like a lie. I was getting through each day, trying to make it to the next, but we couldn’t keep living like that. Something had to give before bad things happened. Bad things that we wouldn’t be able to come back from.
CHAPTER 3
LUNA
Four days.
That was how long it had been since my first day of college.
Three days.
That was how long it had been since the thumping music had started and not stopped.
Two days.
That was how long it had taken for Dad to give in and join Mom in her relapse.
One day.
That was how long we’d had people in our apartment that still hadn’t left.
It was something I was used to, something I’d grown up in, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. This was meant to be a fresh start, somewhere where no one knew us, yet they’d still managed to find out where to buy drugs and invite people to the one place that should have been where I felt safest.
For what felt like the thousandth time today, I glanced over at my bedroom door. I’d spent hours stacking furniture in front of it after someone had walked into my room thinking it was the bathroom. Danger was only on the other side of that flimsy wood, and I wasn’t afraid to admit it scared me.
I’d lived this life too long, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t sit here all day knowing that they were getting high a few feet away. They were destroying themselves, and me in the process.
I needed to escape, but the problem was, I had nowhere to go. I was truly alone, but it wasn’t anything new. I was used to it. I was used to being judged because of my parents. And it had never really bothered me. Not until now. I huffed out a breath and let my head drop back. Maybe it would be different now though. I could make friends, start a life of my own, and get away from the two people who were meant to put me first.
Technically I’d already made one friend, even if it was an eight-year-old kid from the first floor. My eyes widened and I flew forward, gasping. I could go and see if he was out there. I’d told myself I was going to check on him, and I hadn’t. It was the perfect excuse to get out of this godforsaken place.
Renewed with a new sense of urgency, I used all of my strength to move the furniture aside. The music was even louder now that I had no sound barrier. I held my breath as I walked through the chaotic apartment. The front door squeaked, but no one even noticed me leaving.
My lungs sang as I breathed in the fresh air. It was stuffy in there, but also the sickly-sweet smell of whatever they were smoking was starting to cling to my skin. I needed a shower, but there was no way I was going to do that while there were strangers in the house. Yet another reason why I should have moved into the dorms on campus.
Everything was happening for a reason though, I firmly believed that. Maybe I was meant to be here to help me realize that they were never going to change.
I wrapped my hands around the railing to the balcony, trying to think of something other than my parents. My attention moved to the cracked concrete ground below, and as soon as I saw Cardo and Chiara running around, I grinned. A voice in the back of my mind told me that it was pathetic going down there to talk to them just because I didn’t want to be at home, but I pushed that aside. I needed something different to what was inside those four walls.
My boots clicked on the steps as I tried to take my time going down there so I didn’t seem too eager. I had to play it cool, like I was already heading out and ran into them instead of what the truth was: that I was seeking them out.