Lev (Shot Callers 1)

A bark of laughter came out of me so hard that I had to cover my mouth. “Oh, man. Ewww.”

His body shook with silent laughter and the scars around his mouth stretched. “Yeah, not cool.” His smile stretched as far as it could and he winced, reaching up to rub the thickest scar at his lip.

I noticed.

He noticed that I noticed, and his smile fled.

He lifted his hand and ran it in front of his scarred face. “I wish I could change this.” He paused a moment before adding, “I haven’t always looked this way.”

I tried to smile. “I haven’t always looked this way either.”

Alessio pinned me with a stare. “You’re beautiful though.” He shook his head. “You don’t scare kids with your ugly mug.”

His words were pained, and it hurt to listen to them, but he was my brother, and if he wanted to talk about it, I would listen attentively, because he needed me to.

“I know about what happened. I know about your wife and Sasha.” I reached over to lay my hand over his, the hand that rested on his knee. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be. She was a fucking lunatic. We married in Vegas after a drunken night out. We met a few hours before. I didn’t even know her. I sure as fuck didn’t love her. She was beautiful though.” He shrugged. “My own fault for thinking with my cock.”

I removed my hand, flushing at his crude admission. “I see.”

He glimpsed down at his wristwatch. “Shit. Is that the time? I…” He looked up at me, wearing a hesitant look on his face. “I gotta go.”

Disappointment filled me. “Oh.” I stood and he followed suit. I forced a smile. “Well, it was nice talking to you, Alessio.” I wasn’t sure how my next request would go. “I know it might sound crazy, but if you have any pictures of Enzo, I’d really like to see them. I know I can’t call him my father, but I was made from part of him. I’d like to see how he looked.”

His face brightened. “Yeah, I got a few. I can bring ‘em down one day.”

A breath of relief left me. “That would be great.”

Alessio grinned then. “I’ll bring ‘em down if you let me find your foster parents.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, but did it smiling. “You really want to see that album.”

His smile softened. “I know I can’t call Clara my mother, but I was made from part of her.”

Without permission, I reached out and took his hand, squeezing. I released it quickly and walked into the hall for a pen and piece of paper. I returned with the written details and handed it to him. “Here. These are all the names of the family members and where they used to live. I can’t remember much more than that.” I pointed out the phone number on the corner of the page. “That’s my number.”

Alessio looked down at the details before folding it up and slipping it into his pocket. “This is a good start. I’ll let you know if I find anything.” He looked up at me. “I’ll call.”

I held out my hand and he took it, not shaking it, just holding it. And my heart ached. Today had gone well. I didn’t want him to go. I wanted to know more about him. I wanted to talk from dusk till dawn until there was nothing left to say.

My eyes bright, I asked on a whisper, “Can I hug you?”

He blinked down at me. His response came in the form of him tugging the hand he held, pulling me to him until his arms wrapped around me, and his warmth blanketed me. Reaching up, I gripped the sides of his tee and rested my head on his chest, closing my eyes, just taking in this special moment.

He was tall and warm, and it felt right. I felt safe with my big brother, just as I should have.

His voice thick, he spoke quietly. “I’m so sorry, Mina.”

“It’s okay, Alessio,” I reassured. “It’s over and done with. Forgotten. We’re good.”

He squeezed me tight until someone cleared his throat. We pulled back from each other to find Lev standing in the open doorway, wearing a stoic expression. “Time to go, Alessio.”

I glared at Lev before turning to Alessio and softening my face. “Text me so I have your number, okay?”

Still, he held my hand, almost unwilling to release it. “Yeah, okay.”

Finally, he let go, and I walked him to the door. I picked up the flowers that had been left there forgotten, and smiled. I waved off my brother and stood there, watching him leave.

Strong arms came around my waist, hugging me tight. I lifted a hand and laid it on Lev’s forearm as he asked, “How’d it go?”