By Sin I Rise: Part Two (Sins of the Fathers 2)

I grabbed them and rushed outside toward an old Chevy. I unlocked the trunk then dragged out the leather suitcase and opened it. My face split into a grin when I found several plastic bags with cash inside. At least fifty thousand, from the looks of it. Closing the suitcase, I carried it into the building then searched for the keys for the gates. When I finally found them, the dogs lay amidst the food, panting softly but looking appeased.

With the keys and suitcase, I headed out toward the gates. Scratching behind me made me turn around prepared to fight off an attack. To my surprise, the two Rottweilers followed me and hesitantly wagged their tails.

I scratched my head. “What am I going to do with you?”

I didn’t know Growl’s number or I would have called him so he could pick them up. If I left them here, the next person who came looking for money would probably shoot them. Not to mention that the bigger dog, a male, needed treatment for the cut and its bloody paws.

My gaze strayed over the junkyard until it landed on Cody’s big ass Ford with the truck bed. With a pang, I put the Kawasaki on the truck bed then stowed the suitcase in the legroom of the car. The moment I stepped back from the door, first the female Rottweiler then the male jumped in and made themselves comfortable on the passenger seat.

I had one more place to go before I could drop off the dogs, though. It was an encounter I was dreading.

I went over what to say as I drove to Mom’s house to explain what had happened, why I had killed Earl, but no matter how long my brain fumbled over the words, they sounded hollow and wouldn’t make sense to my mother. Most of what had happened didn’t make sense to me either.

She came out with a shotgun when I pulled up, obviously worried about unwelcome visitors. When she spotted me, she didn’t lower the gun. Her blonde hair was in curlers all over her head and she was in a plush pink bathrobe, her lips painted in a matching tone. At least one thing never changed.

I hopped out of the car, raising my hands above my head with a crooked smile.

“It’s me, Mom.”

Mom nodded, her eyes narrowing. Apparently, I was one of the unwelcome visitors she wanted to intimidate with her shotgun. “What are you doing here?”

The suspicion in her voice made me wonder if she knew about how I’d killed Earl, but there was no way word could have gotten out. Nobody knew except for Vitiello’s men, and I doubted they would tell anyone my mother knew. Vitiello had said he hadn’t allowed word to get out anyway. And whatever I thought of Vitiello, one thing was certain, he was in absolute control over his men.

“Are you going to shoot me, Mom?”

My arms still raised over my head, I walked closer.

She lowered the gun a few inches but still aimed it at my chest.

“What happened to you?” Mom asked, eyeing my naked, cut and bruised upper body.

“This and that,” I said, not ready to divulge more information with her pointing a gun at me.

She nodded toward the truck. “Isn’t that Cody’s?”

“Yep. But he won’t need it anymore.”

Mom nodded and smiled bitterly. “He dead?”

“Yep.” I slowly lowered my hands. Mom eyed me warily but didn’t shoot. I didn’t doubt that she could shoot someone if provoked. “I grabbed his dogs from the junkyard.”

“Not just the dogs, I bet,” she said quietly. “He kept a stash of cash over there. You know how he could never keep his mouth shut when he was drunk.”

“He had a big mouth on him.” I gave her a wry smile. “Will you put the gun away?”

Mom shook her head. “Not yet. Word on the street has it that you’re working for the Italians now.”

“I’m not working for anyone, Mom. You know how badly I take orders.”

She motioned to the truck. “You should have shot the dogs. Don’t you have enough problems?”

I wasn’t sure how much she knew, but considering her reluctance to lower the gun, too much. “Earl’s dead.”

She nodded solemnly. “I know. He and a few men were caught by the Italians. Nobody survives the wingtips.”

“Yeah.” I wasn’t sure if I’d expected tears or at least more sadness on Mom’s part because of Earl’s death but considering how he cheated on her constantly and was barely home, I shouldn’t have been surprised.

“Word has it that you were captured as well.”

I sighed, walking up the steps to the porch until I was right in front of Mom with the barrel almost touching my chest. “What else have you heard?”

“That you are a traitor. Gray told me you betrayed their whereabouts.”

My relief over this confirmation that Gray had indeed gotten away alive almost knocked me over. “I did—” I didn’t get further when Mom’s palm hit my cheek.