Dark Ties (Made Men 9)

“But, of course, none of us took it as hard as our father did.” Leo’s single blue eye hadn’t moved from the ocean view, but he appeared to be seeing a different scene in his mind. “None of us lost as much as he did that day.”

With her throat going dry at his words, she swallowed hard. He changed, she remembered the words Leo had just said moments ago.

Sensing her exact thoughts, he continued, “Dad was always intense, but not with her. With her … he was just happy. And I don’t think he’s been happy since.” Leo’s voice turned to a whisper. “Not even his own children make him happy anymore.”

Nadia finally turned her head to look at Leo. From this angle, he looked perfect, untouched, but she knew what the other side held. Her heart absolutely shattered for the boy who was clearly lost at sea.

“It is never a child’s job to make their parents happy. That was never yours, nor your siblings’, responsibility. Happiness is something Dante needs to not only find but to accept all on his own.”

She doubted the man who had almost everything couldn’t find happiness after all these years. It was something the mob boss was no longer accepting into his life.

“Do you understand?” she asked seriously as she fiercely stared at the boy. She desperately wanted him to understand that not an ounce of his father’s happiness ever rested on his shoulders. Hell, she didn’t want Leo to blame any misfortune of his life on himself. “The life your father has chosen is his to make, and I’m sure your mother knew the risks as well. But you, Leo … you haven’t chosen this life.”

Slowly, Leo turned his head as a single tear spilled down his perfect cheek. “I can’t choose anything now. I’m stuck with this.”

Her eyes drifted to the left side of his face. She didn’t know what crept below that gauze, yet she knew it was as gruesome as the color of it now. His words might not have told her everything, but she understood enough.

“Don’t think, for one second, that having only one eye will hold you back from the life you want. There are people out there who have done extraordinary things who have lost both.”

Was Leo sighted? Yes. But would Leo ever look the same or be the same? No.

“That,” she said fiercely, nodding her head to his lost eye, “is simply a scar of where you came from, and don’t ever let that keep you from the life you deserve.”

Wiping his cheek with the back of his knuckle, he went to wipe his other cheek, only to remember that not only would a tear not be there but could never cross that cheek again.

“How would you know?” he asked harshly under his breath. He appeared to be breaking.

Nadia took no offense, knowing he was lashing out in the only way he could. So, she calmly took a deep breath, looking at the line where the ocean met the sky. It was a reminder that, even if you came from two worlds, you could always find a place where they came together.

“I don’t remember much of my mother, either. I just remember I loved her so much. Like your mom, she was so kind and beautiful …” She let her eyes drift to the dark sky, looking at a particular star that sparkled brighter than the others. Knowing where the story was going didn’t make it hurt any less, even after all these years. “She was murdered by my father when I was five, right before he took his own life.”

Leo slightly turned his head to look back at her. His eye had lost all tears, and the deep blue orb had turned stormy …

“It was a classic domestic abuse case,” she told him, continuing. “But since their arguments were always about my mother loving me more than him, I blamed myself for my mother’s death”—taking a moment, Nadia had to clear her throat for her confession—“for a long time.”

It was apparent in Leo’s intense eye that he was beginning to understand, as it was obvious he, too, wanted her to know that she couldn’t blame herself for her parents’ mistakes.

“I was put into the foster care system after that,” she announced, her tone changing from something heartbreaking to somber, like this part of her life, while tragic, wasn’t as horrific compared to losing her mother and being in a domestic violence home. “And with every bad home I was put into, I ran. While every good home I was placed in, I managed to ruin because I didn’t believe I deserved happiness after what I had done.”

“I’m sorry,” Leo finally managed to say with a slight flex of his jaw.

“It’s okay,” she told him, letting him see she was now content with her past. “My social worker was overworked and frustrated, so she sent me to check out this charity that was just starting up when I was thirteen. And when I got there”—a smile finally touched Nadia’s lips—“Anna took one look at me, and I swear she understood everything I had ever been through, right there.” The brighter tone carried on in her story as she found her happy ending. “She got me into an amazing program where I got to go to a boarding school for free in St. Louis, and there I met my best friend, Haley. When I graduated, I came back to Kansas City and started working for Anna, because all I wanted was to help others like me.”