"I don’t have to leave Las Vegas. My brother has been acquitted of all charges. Fuck knows how his lawyers managed to do it, but I don’t fucking care," he beamed.
Flavio nodded, smiling at the man. In fact, it had been the Falcone brothers who’d got involved in Nicodemo’s brother’s case, so that they could prevent losing one of the best soldiers they had. Especially when he didn’t want to go to Sicily himself. But they didn’t say anything because it didn’t matter. The important thing was that the man was staying for now.
They engaged in a conversation that Noah stopped following. Memories still kept creeping in at the worst moments possible, feeling like daggers piercing his heart over and over again. With them came another urge to go to Inéz and tell her that he wasn’t going anywhere and that he was done with giving her space. He couldn’t care less if their relationship would go back to being toxic. He needed her in his life, and not just as someone who worked for him. He hated that she held so much power over him, but he would do anything for her if it meant that she would give him another chance.
Never before had he wanted someone’s forgiveness so much that he would be willing to beg. And if it made him weak, then so be it.
Making a decision, he stood up and moved towards the exit. Predictably, Flavio went after him and stopped him in the parking lot.
"It’s a mistake, brother. You’ve been drinking," he said, blocking his way to the car.
"As if I give a fuck." Noah snorted.
Flavio sighed, shaking his head. "She’s going to smell the alcohol on your breath and won’t take you seriously. And you’re going to get the answer you don’t fucking want to hear, believe me."
Noah’s eyes darkened remaining an endless abyss of sorrow, deep pain was all that could be observed in them. They were the depths of Tartarus holding a thousand souls, yet there were none to be seen. And it even terrified Flavio because he had never witnessed his older brother in such a state. He could only believe that it was the exact same way he had been when he and Sienna had been kidnapped, but since then he was the strongest man Flavio had known.
Despite the shivers traveling up his spine, he hadn’t moved an inch, knowing that he’d hit home.
"Your relationship is toxic, Noah."
The Capolaughed. "You sound just like her. Have you been chit-chatting about me and how messed up I am?"
"No, if anything Inéz sounds like me because I was the one who made her realize the road your relationship had taken," he confessed at last.
Until now Noah had been certain that it was Inéz’s observation and because of that, he had no ammunition to make her see otherwise. But now that he knew it had come from his brother, there were more reasons to go to her and tell her that she cannot base her decisions on others’ perception of their relation. They were not involvedand couldn’t make observations that were undeniably true. Not when they couldn’t see things their way.
"Why the fuck did you say that to her?" Noah roared, for the first time feeling like he could smash his brother’s head against the car.
Out of all people, he should be the one supporting them. With his disposition to be empathetic to most people, he was more than qualified to have his brother’s back and not push a knife into it.
"Because it’s the fucking truth and you’re too close to see it. That girl was ready to fucking die to uphold her promise to you and see the task you’d given her through. Even when she was told by Nicodemo that she could leave with him. I know she is also a soldier now that she has been inducted, but it was never just that, Noah. And you know it. She means more to you, but you let her stay in that situation because you put the Famiglia above all. And yes, it is a good thing because you’re the Capo, but you could have told me to find another fucking way and pulled Inéz out. Now, look where it got you two."
"Jesus, are you a shrink now too, brother? I don’t fucking need your analysis. Stop badgering me with your idiotic logic!"
While Noah was almost seething, Flavio looked more worried than angry. It was a rare occurrence for him to show any kind of emotion openly, even though he felt more than most Made Men combined. And it was understandable after everything he had been through as a kid. The things he had seen but never talked about. Those made him close himself off to the outside world, even though the reverse had been impossible for him. But him admitting that the situation between Noah and Inéz hadn’t been taken lightly by him was out of the ordinary.
Flavio put his hand on his brother’s arm, gripping ittightly. "For you, I would carry the weight ofthe world on my shoulders, and ifit crushed me, I would be fine knowing that I had died for you," he said. "But it must be her decision to come back and you know it. Don’t put words into her mouth just because you think I am wrong. I’m not. Perhaps, even you know it deep down."
"Loving any of us is a death sentence, isn’t it?" he asked.
"I don’t know about a death sentence, but it sure as hell isn’t easy. That’s why you need to give her time to become strong enough to handle it. You have a lot of enemies and you know they will use the people you love against you. And Inéz has to be ready to face it all. Don’t rush things just because you miss her. Believe me, she misses you too."
§ § §
There were days when Noah would see Sienna’s blood on his hands and he'd have
