“The oldest kid is still free, so it’s not completely eradicated, right? What happens with our supply?” I ask, knowing that the men are still selling and their monthly totals are only increasing, not decreasing.
With a chuckle, Gavino shrugs a shoulder. “We can do nothing but wait for him to make his presence known. We have men searching for him, but he’s gone underground, it could be years before he rears his ugly head again. As for the supply, Dragon assures me that he has it all taken care of. Deliveries should only be delayed by a week or two. Nothing major.”
I let out a long exhale. “Thank fuck,” I grunt.
“Massimo,” Gavino calls.
Lifting my eyes to him, I wait for what else he has to say. “You’re my Street Boss, yeah?”
Dipping my chin in a nod, I clear my throat. “Yeah.”
“I expect you to assure the men that this is only a small hiccup. Their product will return in abundance, yeah? Also, I would like to make sure that collections are still happening without issue. Tell the Capos that we’re raising those by two percent.”
Nodding my head, I take my phone out and make a couple of notes. I’m sure a few of the Capos will be pissed about the increase, but it’s not their call. The prices haven’t been raised in years, so the businesses shouldn’t complain too much. If they do, we’ll just have to take care of shit, our way.
“Anything else?” I ask as I finish up my notes.
He chuckles, his eyes shifting from Arlo to me before they roam over my face. I feel as though he and Arlo know something about me, as if they have a secret that they’re not letting me in on.
“Not yet,” Gavino says with a smirk.
I stay in the meeting while he finishes going over shit, the entire time I think about Pippa. I need to forget she exists. I can’t. Her dark glossy hair, her big blue eyes, her curvy body.
Beyond the way she makes my cock hard, there’s also her smile. The way she laughs easily. I want to protect that, keep her laughing forever and I don’t understand why. I shouldn’t give a single fuck about her.
She’s just some fucking girl.
Pippa consumes me. She shouldn’t. It’s wrong. But it feels so fucking right.
Chapter One
ONE YEAR LATER
PIPPA
Aunt Irene narrows her eyes at me. She’s always so fucking pissed off at me. Life with her hasn’t been easy, but when I turned eighteen, something shifted. It didn’t take me long to figure it out, though.
At eighteen her funds from the government stopped coming in for her to take care of me and although the money from the famiglia is more than enough, she wants more. More. More. More.
“Did you pick a college?” she slurs.
I’m twenty, today. I graduated high school last year, but I’ve been working retail at this coffee shop while I decide what to do with my life. My prospects are limited. I was a terrible student. School really isn’t my thing, but every time I try to narrow down a trade school direction, I just completely freak out.
My entire life has been decided for me every step of the way until now. I’ve never had to make a decision on my own, ever. It’s overwhelming trying to figure out what to do for the rest of my life and if I’m being truly honest, I’ve never really thought about it. My entire life I’ve just been trying to survive—trying to strive for a sense of normalcy.
When I was little, before my father died, naturally my parents decided everything about my life. Then when Aunt Irene took us in, she made every decision about our lives including what we ate and how much of that food we consumed.
Aunt Irene also decided what activities we would be involved in, which for me was ballet only. Rosana was allowed to take acting, art, music, and lyrical dance. I don’t know why, and I never asked.
It’s obvious that Rosana is the favorite. Maybe because she came to Aunt Irene at a younger age, maybe just because her disposition is sweeter than anyone else’s on earth.
Rosana is a sweet soul, a young one. She’ll always be soft and sweet. It’s just her nature. It’s hard not to fall completely in love with her, she’s just plain good.
“I haven’t,” I whisper.
“The time has come,” she snaps as she pushes up to standing. “You have a week to get out. You’re as lazy as your father, always have been. I’m not going to stand for it. Not in my house and definitely not for free.”
Looking down at my feet, I lift my gaze back up to meet hers. “What am I supposed to do?” I ask.
She arches a brow, then her eyes light up as she searches my confused face. “Maybe you should ask Bellarosa how to make it in the real world?”
I take a step back, stumbling before I right myself. Shaking my head once. I open my mouth, then snap it closed before I narrow my gaze on her.
“On my birthday?” I gasp. “You’re a terrible person. I hope you drop fucking dead,” I snap.
Turning my back to her, I run out of the house with nothing but the clothes on my back. I think about her words, then before I get too far away from the house, my feet stop.
I could call Gavino, ask him for help, he said that I was technically famiglia no matter what, but I’m not that person. I could call Bellarosa, but she needs to live her life without her little sister begging for help. She’s suffered more than I could ever imagine. She deserves to just breathe easy and be happy.
Pressing my lips together, I tug my phone out of my back pocket. Finding the Uber app, I put in the address to
