“What do you propose?” Diego asked. “We go ride around city, call out her name until the Jalisco come and give her back?”
“No,” I said. “But we can at least entertain the idea.”
“We’re entertaining it right now,” Vincent said. “And we all know the mother is a lost cause. We need to figure out—”
Clair stood up and an animalistic half groan, half growl escaped her lips. She stared down at us, her eyes wide, her face pale, a sheen of sweat on her forehead.
“You fucking pathetic little bitches,” she said. “You weak, weak, pathetic little fucking assholes. You’re going to just… leave my mom because you don’t want to try and get her back? She’s your aunt, Vincent. She’s your damn family, you realize that, don’t you?”
Vincent’s eyes went wide. “It’s not like that,” he said. “I love my family, but we need to think about everyone else, too. I have a wife, I have—”
“I don’t give a fuck what you have,” Clair said, her voice low and edged. “Your father wants my money and my property. So if you want me to give him a single fucking dime or a little square of grass, you better shut your mouth and do exactly what I say.”
She stood there, breathing hard, and I couldn’t help it. A smile broke out across my face. I looked at Vincent, and even he was grinning.
“Damn,” Steven said. “You’re almost scary.”
“She has a point though,” I said. “The Don wants us to take care of her and her mother. We fucked that up.”
“True enough,” Vincent said. “Damn, cousin. Sit down before you have a heart attack.”
She looked around, eyes all wild. “You’re going to help my mom?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Vincent said. “We’ll fucking do it. Goddamn, just sit down.”
She slowly sat, still breathing hard. “No more lying,” she said. “I’m sick of it.”
I put a hand on her knee. “No more lying,” I said.
“Well then,” Diego said, spreading his hands. “This has been fun. That is one hell of a girl you have, Luca.”
“I’m not sure I have her,” I said, giving her a sideways glance, “but I think I will sooner or later.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.
“Come on, we need to make contact with my dad,” Vincent said. “Diego, rally whatever guys you can and have them ready.”
“That’s the plan?” Diego asked.
“We’re going to bring every single motherfucker with a gun in this city down on the Jalisco,” Steven said. “We’re going to grind them into the dust.”
“Fair by me,” Diego said.
I stood and took Clair’s hand. I helped her up.
“We’re coming to see my uncle,” Clair said. “And he’s going to have hell to pay for how he fucked up.”
Vincent laughed, delighted, and stood. “Can’t wait to watch.”
“Gentlemen, it’s been fun,” Diego said. “I suppose I will go gear up for war, yes?”
“Absolutely,” Clair said, her tone vicious.
I put an arm around her shoulders, and I felt like I was hugging a lion. She stared at me, eyes hard and intense, and I looked right back. I didn’t need to say anything, and she didn’t either. I knew what she wanted and she knew I’d do anything I could to give it to her, no matter what.
The world was on fire. But we were going to bring more matches and burn the rest of this city to the ground.23ClairVincent drove me and Luca in his black SUV. Steven left to gather up his guys and get the rest of the family ready to fight. It was time to prepare for war.
I watched the city flash past as we headed into deep South Philly. There were fewer trees, wider streets, tightly packed brick rowhomes. Cars lined the street, making the one-way lanes difficult to navigate.
Vincent drifted past this low building with a slanted roof that had a bowling ball sign out front and the words South Bowl glowing in red neon.
“Here we go,” he said, pulling the car over half a black away.
He parked in front of a house with a green awning over a blue front door. There were bars on the windows, even the second-story windows. The stoop looked like it had been power washed recently and a single folding chair sat in the corner.
Vincent got out, but I hesitated. Luca looked at me, lips parted, eyebrows stitched down in an expression of concern.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Fine,” I said. “I just keep thinking about what they said.”
“Back at the park?”
“About my mother, like she’s… like she’s gone already. Like she’s expendable.”
“You said no more lies,” he said, voice soft.
“I know.”
“Then you have to know that getting her back’s going to be hard,” he said. “We’re going to do what we can, but I can’t promise she’ll be okay.”
I bit back my tears. I wouldn’t care, not now, not when my mother needed me. It was time to get hard, to embrace all the anger, all the pain, all the violence I’d been exposed to ever since getting myself in this shitty situation.