“Nonsense.”
“No, Italian mob. We’re talking years ago, when things were a lot different, when the balance of power was delicate and earned with violence and bloodshed.” He lifted their entwined hands and placed a gentle kiss on the back of hers. “My father wasn’t high in the hierarchy. Basically, he was a snot-nosed kid, and his family had ties to the organization. His maternal cousin ties to the don. But he was a good man involved in a lot of bad stuff. Growing up, I was sheltered from a lot of it, but you aren’t raised in that culture without grasping the subtle and not-so-subtle nuances of violence and people disappearing all the time.”
“It must have been awful.”
“Sometimes. Most of the time I played with my cousins like any other kid, even though I wasn’t allowed to go outside as much as the other kids. My parents weren’t allowed to marry, the families forbade it. My father visited when he could, and my mom loved me and made sure I knew how much my dad loved me too.” He tried to remember his mother’s face, her sweet smile and perfumed hugs. A lot of time had passed, years spent with the Boudreaus filled with love and compassion and a whole different kind of family.
“When I turned nine, tensions escalated between the two families, disputes over power and territory. My mom knew I’d be sucked into that world if she didn’t do something. She had money, cash she’d socked away for years. Maybe she had a premonition of what might happen, but we took off one night. Didn’t tell anybody, simply walked out with the clothes on our backs, and fled.”
“Antonio, it must have been so scary. No child should have to deal with living like that.”
“I know. She did it to protect me. She didn’t want me dragged into a world of violence and crime, and knew if we stayed there wouldn’t be any other option for me. I was already being taught to hate my father’s family. This grudge, battle, whatever you want to call their struggle for dominance in the Italian districts, bled over into every aspect of life. It informed every decision, every action, and she loved me so much.” He stopped, drawing in a deep breath. He needed to cut to the chase, and tell her the hard part before he chickened out. Living with the Boudreaus, he didn’t have to talk about or rehash his early years; they’d accepted him the way he was, without prejudice or censure. Most families wouldn’t want the responsibility or possible danger of bringing a child of the mafia into their home, but Douglas and Ms. Patti hadn’t even blinked, instead sheltering him and giving him the kind of stability he’d craved.
“We left New York with nothing. Took the subway to Connecticut. My mom bought a used car and we headed anywhere outside New York. New Jersey was out of the picture, too. I didn’t find out until weeks later the reason we left in the dead of night was because my mom got a message smuggled in from a friend. My father had been killed, and the inevitable battle between the families loomed. Getting me away was the only thing she knew to do to keep me alive.”
“I’m glad she did,” Serena whispered, her head still snuggled onto his shoulder. “I guess we have more in common than I thought. We both come from unconventional families, who don’t have any problem bending the law to suit their own purposes.”
“True.”
“Tell me the rest. How’d you end up with Douglas and Ms. Patti?”
“Mom did her best to stay off the radar. Paid cash. We drove from state to state. I don’t think she planned on staying in Texas long. We’d stopped for the night at some crappy motel. There was a convenience store across the street, and she left me in the room while she went to grab us some stuff for dinner, and snacks for the next day. I—I wanted to go with her, but she told me she’d just be a minute. If I’d gone with her, maybe I could have saved her, done something. She was killed in a botched robbery. Some druggie needed cash for a fix, and held up the store while she was there.” He closed his eyes against the painful memory, the one filled with sirens and screams.
“I’m so, so sorry, Antonio.”
“It was a nightmare. Cops, social workers, paramedics. Chaos. Everything blended together, sights and sounds, and I couldn’t focus on anything. They’d sat me in the back seat of a police car with the door open. Then this giant of a man walked up to me, looked me right in the eye, like he was searching from something. He didn’t say a word, but watched me for the longest time. Finally, he held out his hand, and I took it.”
“Douglas?”
Antonio smiled. “Yep. One of the paramedics worked with him before, when they got Rafe. Said there was something about me, some instinct or whatever, which made him call Douglas. He and Ms. Patti pushed through all the paperwork and red tape to get me into their home. You know the rest.”
“I’m sorry you lost your parents, Antonio, though I’m happy you ended up with Douglas and Ms. Patti. Without them, I don’t think you’d be the man you are. A man with compassion, integrity, and honor.”
“I’ve been blessed. There’s a whole lot more to the story with my biological family, but it can wait for another time. We need to get you settled in.”
“Wait, I do have one question. Your last name is Boudreau. Douglas and Ms. Patti adopted you?”
Antonio relaxed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “No, between the state and information obtained from sources, it was decided it would be too
