to her face. I wish I could see this image every second of every day. But unlike my last wish, I don’t think this one will be granted.

Laney sits up on an elbow, pushing her hair over her shoulder while she looks down at me. “I love you, Jessie.” She pauses, taking a deep breath. “I think I’ve always loved you.”

She thinks, but I know. I pull her back down to me, kiss the top of her head. I know she wants to hear it back, but I don’t want to say it again. Not when it feels like she’s about to disappear from me. She snuggles her face into my skin, and I keep my lips to her head. I don’t want to say it, but I can’t deny her of anything either. She looks up, the dimpled smile on her face burning across my heart. “I love you too, Laney Girl.”

Carefully moving the blankets to the side I get out of the bed. I grab my leggings off the floor, looking over as Jessie shifts in his sleep, I pick up his shirt instead of my own. Softly shutting the door behind me, I walk down the hallway and pull the clothes on in his living room. I don’t want to be here when he wakes up. Just like with Donatello, I can’t do what I need to do face to face.

I grab his phone off the counter and request an Uber before quietly setting it back where I found it and heading downstairs. I’m still barefoot and the tile is cold on my feet as I walk out of the elevator, the chill sneaking up my legs to settle in my heart. Opening up Jessie’s SUV, I grab Donatello’s ring from the cup holder, taking off my necklace to lace the small chain through it. The silver band feels heavy, hanging next to the moon as I reclasp it around my neck. My fingers rub the two together as I shut the car door and start walking down the street.

I didn’t want Jessie looking out and seeing me, so I arranged to be picked up a block away. I can’t tell if it’s cold or if the chill is coming from my heart, but I rub my arms in an attempt to get rid of the goosebumps. I accidentally left my hoodie on Jessie’s floor and I can’t go back for it now.

My Uber is waiting for me when I get there and I climb into the back, rattling off the address as I buckle myself up. I’ve been thinking about this since yesterday at the hospital and I know there’s only one person who can help do what I need to do. I stare out the window the entire drive with my head pressed against the cool glass as I blindly watch the world drive by. I’m seeing it without actually seeing it, my mind staying focused so my heart can’t try to change it.

My driver stops at the gates and I thank him, stepping out onto the dirt as Luca frowns at me from his post. I walk toward him as the car drives off, speaking up before Luca can. “Open the gates, I need to see my brother.”

He must see by the expression on my face that I’m not here to talk about the weather because all he does is nod, eyes lingering on my bare feet but not commenting. I pass through them, each step closer to the house another brick is piled around my heart, blocking it off to keep it from meddling.

Luca must have called ahead because no one is outside when I walk up the steps. The house is silent when I step inside except for the light slapping of my feet along the wood. I walk up the stairs, hand trailing along the banister as I make my way, heading straight for Remy’s office. I don’t know exactly how I feel about him after what he did, but I know I need his help for what I want to do. So like everything else, any feelings I have toward him get smashed between the bricks.

He’s facing the door when I open it, standing in front of his desk like I knew he would be. I step forward and shut the door, facing forward as it slams shut. We just stare at each other, both of us stubbornly waiting for the other to break. My brother is my anchor and I’ve come wielding bolt cutters.

I break the silence first, knowing I won’t win against him just yet. “I need your help.”

He blinks at my words, the steel of his face unwavering. “My help comes at a price, Delaney. Are you willing to pay it?”

I feel another brick slap down, keeping whatever emotion that was trying to leak through in place. “Yes.”

He hums, his fingers coming up to adjust the cufflink on his sleeve. “And you’re just going to blindly agree? Without even hearing the terms?”

I lick my dry lips, my stare unwavering. “I don’t care what they are, as long as I get what I want.”

His eyes narrow at me, “What do you want, Delaney?”

I swallow, knowing that once the words are out of my mouth, there’s no taking them back. “Give me power.”

I can tell it wasn’t what he was expecting by the slight pinch of his brow, the twitch of his lip. Little mannerisms only a few would pick up.

“Teach me how to be strong.”

His finger ticks against his palm this time.

“Make me disappear.”

He wipes a hand over his mouth with that one, showing how confused he is. “And how do you suppose I do those things?”

I stare at him a moment, calculating how to say this without him dismissing me on the spot. I decide to just be direct. “I want to be part of the Famiglia.”

He matches my stare with his own, my words hanging in the air between us like the act of

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