Page 95 of Caged Bliss

“Water under the bridge.”

Simon nods at that, but doesn’t seem convinced. “I know it’s been hard since you got out of prison. But Claudia’s been good. I’m glad you found her.”

“I am too.” More than he even knows. Without Claudia, I’m not sure where I’d be right now.

My revenge is over. Everyone that betrayed me is dead. But without a quest, without a reason to keep getting up in the morning, I’m not sure where I’d be right now.

Claudia’s that reason. I open my eyes, and it’s her. I close them, and she’s in my dreams. We’re working at Cage together, cooking dinner together, fucking like possessed teenagers together. And I’m showing no signs of getting bored, slowing down, or moving on.

Everything’s for her now, and that’s better than revenge.

“There are still some loose ends.” Simon tilts his head from side to side, looking annoyed. “We got a lot of Tommy’s network when he tried to make a break for it, but we didn’t get everyone. There’s still a small group of Serbians in the city somewhere and we need to make sure we find them.”

“Think they’ll be a problem?”

“Everyone and everything is a problem to the Don, but no, not in the grand scheme. I just want you to keep an eye out and see if you can finish them off.”

“Giving me a new job now?”

“You’re back in the fold, youngest brother. How’s that feel?”

“Feels like I’m already tired of calling you Don.”

Simon laughs and holds up his glass. “To the Bianco Famiglia.”

“To the Famiglia.”

We drink together. I think about my new job. It won’t be easy, and it won’t be safe, but it’s important to the family. And I’m ready to start doing more.

I head outside, thinking about my future. There’s Claudia, and children, and marriage, and a dozen happy mornings. There’s also the Famiglia and power and death suffusing everything. But that’s not so bad. Hell, maybe it’s a good thing. I’m not really the kind of guy that can sit still for long, and running Cage doesn’t take all my energy. Sooner or later, Claudia will be able to do that on her own.

Then who knows. Maybe another club? Maybe something bigger.

As I head back to my house, I slow down outside of Laura’s place and stare up at the porch. My younger sister is sitting on a chair, her legs curled under her, and she’s absolutely covered in dust. It looks like she’s a ghost, it’s so white, except for lines around her eyes and her face where she was wearing a mask and a pair of goggles.

“What the hell happened to you?” I ask, one foot up on the bottom of her porch steps.

She frowns at me. “Marble. I went overboard.”

“I can see that. Making anything good? Wait, don’t answer, I want you to surprise me.”

She rolls her eyes, but that’s not a no. “How’d your meeting with the Don go?”

“He made me the official ruler of Cage once again.”

“About time. As if you weren’t already.”

“It’s alright. I’m getting eased back into the fold.”

Laura shrugs and brushes some dust off her sleeve. “I need a shower.”

“I’m shocked you’re outdoors, honestly. I thought you were agoraphobic.”

“I’m not afraid.” Her eyes narrow. “Just lazy.”

“Then have you ever considered showing some of your work?” I mention it as casually as I can, but it’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. Laura’s insanely talented, like professional-quality talented, except she keeps her work hidden in her basement and her back yard. I’m one of a very small number of people that even knows how incredibly beautiful her sculptures are.

“Showing? Absolutely not.”

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