“My father loved my mother, even I saw it when I was just a child, but he didn’t love her enough to end his behavior. In the end, he ended up dead.”
“Listen to what you just said very carefully,” he emphasizes the last word like it holds all the meaning in the world. Then he gets up and slips from the room.
Amara’s words from the diner linger in my mind. “Everyone has a choice, Enzo. Everyone has a chance to change things for the better. Your past doesn’t define you, and without a future path outlined, you’re free to do whatever you want.”
It seems James knew I needed someone to talk to, and he knew just the right thing to say as well. It’s as if he knew my father’s death could’ve been stopped had he made the right choice. Now it’s my turn to make the right choice. I can make the same mistakes my father made, or I can be better.
Letting go of the mafia was never a choice before. I haven’t even considered the possibility. What would I even do? Where would I go?
I try to imagine a future without the mob, and I come up blank. The only constant thing in my mind is Amara. No matter what I do, she’ll be there, I’ll make sure of it. The question is, how happy will she be if I stay? My heart knows what it wants, but my mind tells me something else. The day was coming…
My phone ringing in my pocket pulls me from my own thoughts, and as I stare down at the caller ID, my mind takes a different turn.
“Eli,” I growl. I’m still pissed about what he and Amara did. I knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but the fact he knew where she was for hours before contacting me is not easy to let go.
“Lorenzo, you don’t sound all that happy,” Eli mocks. I can tell from the sound of his voice that he has a smile on his face. Asshole.
“What the fuck were you thinking? You should’ve called me right away.” I all but yell into the phone.
“Chill out. It’s not like you came barreling down the street for her. She needed time to breathe. Even I could tell that,” he replies in a manner that makes me uneasy. What has she told him?
“Fuck, I know. Why do you think I wasn’t right behind her? That doesn’t give you the right to just take her wherever. I was losing my shit, you’re lucky you didn’t find yourself on the receiving end of my blade. On my way over there, I was contemplating murdering you.” My hand is running through my hair so fast, I fear I might be bald by the time we hang up.
“Tsk, tsk, Enzo. Don’t forget, I’m the one helping you out. I had the right to do whatever I wanted. I didn’t hurt her or tell her anything she didn’t need to hear.”
She didn’t need to hear? What’s that supposed to mean?
“What are you talking about? I haven’t lied to her about anything, asshole, and don’t fucking talk to me like you own me. You don’t. Yes, you’ve helped me more than once. Yes, you saved my life and possibly Amara’s, but don’t forget that I’ve done a lot of things for you over the years. I saved your ass more than once, didn’t I?”
“I’m grateful for all you have done, but you need to relax. I took her out, let her have some fun, and that was it. She deserved it. After all, she’s going to be put through the wringer next week.”
“That doesn’t fucking matter. Just know that she is mine. She belongs to me, and whatever the hell happened tonight will not happen again.”
He laughs into the phone, and I’m two seconds away from crushing my cell phone.
“From the way you fucked her against the hood of the car, it didn’t look as if you didn’t want it to happen again. I gave her the freedom she needed at that moment and time, so put the caveman antics away, and pull your head out of your ass. If you want to take Mack down, you need to focus on him. If Amara loves you, she’ll be here when the smoke clears.”
His words slowly start to clear the fog from my mind, but it only helps a little bit. The jealousy I’m feeling runs hotter than the sun. He watched us have sex. Fucking dick. I also didn’t forget how Amara used to be uneasy around him or how she told me he was rough with her in the basement.
She didn’t seem uneasy around him yesterday, quite the opposite, in fact.
“Still, you need to leave her alone. As for her and I fucking, watch us one more time, and I’ll gouge out both of your eyes with my hands.” It’s not a threat. It’s a promise.