I cut him off, making his eyes narrow. “Why? Because I am a woman? Because I am your sister? Neither should matter. It definitely didn’t when you were enacting your power over me yesterday.”
He crosses his arms over his chest, and I step forward, my toes brushing against the area rug at his feet. “I’m tired of never knowing. I’m tired of being weak.” I swallow, raising my chin at his look of aloofness. “I already live with monsters. I might as well be one.”
“And what if I don’t agree to help you?”
“Then I will go to little Italy. Join the Sicilian Mafia.”
His jaw clenches at the suggestion and he steps forward, trying to intimidate me with his presence. I hold my ground, glaring up into his face. “You are forbidden. Do you hear me Delaney? You cannot go there.”
“Why? Because they will let me do what you won’t?”
He closes his eyes, blowing a breath through his nose. “You will not be treated as an equal there. They will let you take the Omerta only because of your last name but nothing more. You will be married off to whoever they need a partnership with. You will not get the things you are wanting.”
“Then you should help me.” He smacks his hand onto his desk, and I speak over it. “I have nothing to lose, what do I care what they do to me?”
His nostrils flare at me, his teeth grinding so hard I can hear the scraping. “So what’s your plan then? I give you permission to take the Omerta and what? Sign you up for some boxing classes every Thursday? What the fuck, Delaney.”
My lips purse at his condescending tone. “Strength isn’t always fighting, Remy.” It feels odd using his real name, but it doesn’t feel appropriate to call him anything else. “I’m smart, I know how to make and manage money. I can easily manage one of your warehouses, but I don’t know how to demand respect.” I hold his honey gaze, hoping he’s taking me seriously. “Send me somewhere I can learn. Make me an apprentice. I’m not asking that you don’t make me start at the bottom. I’m just asking that you give me a chance to become something.”
“And what about school Delaney? What about your competitions?”
“What about them? They will never get me anywhere. There is no future for me in any of that. All I have here is the potential to become a bobble-headed trophy wife.” I know he knows I’m right, by the way the breath comes from his parted lips and the stiffness of his shoulders lessens. “I need to leave, figure out who the fuck I am without the influence of everyone here. I need to get away from Donatello, from Jessie, from you. I’m stuck in everyone’s shadow, getting dragged behind. It’s time I stepped into a different shade of light.”
A hand raises to his face and he props his knuckles under his chin. “If you leave, they will follow.”
“Not if I disappear. Not if they don’t know where I am.”
“Do you know what that would require?” His eyes shift between my own and I swallow. I know exactly what that means. “Who you are now has to die. You have to become someone else. You’re trying to hide from two men that are exceptional at what they do and even one slip, they’ll find you. I can tell them to stop looking but that doesn’t mean they will, they’ve proven they don’t care about their lives in regards to you.” He pauses with a slight shake of his head, like he can’t believe he is even considering this. “You’re ready to get rid of them but what about everyone else? Can you handle never seeing Beverly again, never seeing the girls? I’ll know where you are, but I can’t tell them if you truly want to be gone.”
The bricks just keep stacking, higher and higher until I can’t see past them. “I need to do this.”
I can see the acceptance on his face, the realization that I won’t back down. “Are you ready to hear my terms?”
I hide my hands behind my back to hide their slight shake. “Yes.”
“Five years.” He moves from me and walks to the door. “I’ll protect you for five years. You are required to stay away for that exact amount of time, after that you can do what you want. If you are found through fault of your own within that time, whoever finds you dies and you’ll be the one to do it.” He grabs the door handle. “If you want to do this, you’re going to fully commit. You don’t get to come crying back to me in a year when you’ve decided it’s not what you want. So, five years, Delaney.” He opens the door, stepping aside so I can walk through. “Is it a deal?”
“Yes.”
I roll my shoulder as I get out the car, my left pec screaming at me with the movement. The entire upper right side of my body constantly fucking hurts, the bullet wound still sore and raw. I’m only here because I know Remy is keeping me from Delaney. I can’t find her anywhere. Gone without a trace. When I woke up without her and found the positive paternity results, I almost wished the bullet had killed me. Spending the last few weeks without knowing where she is has been absolutely miserable. At least before when she left I could still see her and keep an eye on her. I have nothing without her. My house is quiet, my life is empty. I lost my title and Remy has a replacement, so I don’t even have a legitimate role in the Famiglia anymore.
Even though he is the one who pulled the trigger, he’s still my only family. I knew what I was signing up for when I joined the Famiglia and I knew what
