Page 11 of Shattered Choices

“It’s Damiano.”

I close my eyes and take a breath to calm myself. My half-brother is too stubborn for his own good. “That little shit. I told him to stay away.”

“He has a good portfolio, and he is family.”

“No, he is not. He ismyfamily, and he needs to stay away from this side of the business.”

“I don’t think you can keep him away if he wants in. He will find a way and the outcome will not be good.”

I shake my head and look where the liquor table used to stand. The one I crashed into the wall. I swallow the bitterness of that memory. I never replaced it. Maybe as a reminder of what my actions had cost me. “He’s mentioned a couple of times that he wants in. I refused; he needs to keep living a normal life.”

“Then find someone else for this job. I’m going back to boxing.”

I study him for a moment. “Why so sudden? Last year you said you said you were retiring.”

He runs a hand over his hair. “I need to fight. I thought I could leave it behind me, but I can’t.”

“Does that have anything to do with your wife?”

He shrugs. “Other than her driving me nuts, no.”

I chuckle. “Well, someone has to keep you on your toes.”

He rests his hands on his knees, narrowing his eyes at me. “Do they? Is that why you’re still not on your way across the ocean?”

I mirror him, doing the same on my desk. “I need a plan to do that. You know that.”

“Bullshit. That is what you keep telling yourself and the reason you keep delaying it.”

“That’s not true. If I go, my life is going to be in danger, and before I go, there are things I must put in order.”

He raises his brow. “What things?”

“Well, one of them is the finance manager you want. And the security of my family, and who would take over Cosa Nostra if something happened to me.”

“One more reason to let Damiano in. Cosa Nostra will protect your family.”

I lean back in my chair and look at the ceiling like it will give me answers. “So, he’s fit to be part of this?”

“I’m sure you know since you spent a lot of time with them lately.” He leans his head to the side. “Damiano has a little evil streak in him.”

I chuckle. “I had a feeling. I never asked, though. What did Marco find out about him?”

“When he was working in Miami, there was an employee that had gone missing. And while it seemed like was a domestic violence case, the cops didn’t do anything. That same employee showed up a month later with a dead husband and no explanation about what had happened. But Damiano took leave in the same month. And when Marco dug deeper into hismovements and hacked into some cameras, it was clear he was behind the death of the husband.”

“And you’re telling me that now? Why not before?”

“Because before we didn’t have a reason to check him out. Now, we have. And we agreed he is a good fit.”

I raise a brow. “Who arewe?”

“Marco, Dante, and me.” He exhales. “Look, Salvatore, we did that because we care about you and the family. You are important to us. Hell, even Isabella is. She is a part of this family too. That’s why you need to go and get her back. And this is how you can go and be sure everything is taken care of. And you know as well as I do that Damiano is your next of kin. I promise he too will be taken care of.”

I stare at him. I understand everything he’s saying and what needs to be done, and everything he’s saying does make sense. I just don’t understand why I’m fighting it.

I need to accept that I can’t always be in control. Accept that I can’t control others, but what I can control is getting Isabella back.

I can’t turn back time, but I can make amends.

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