Page 10 of Sinful Bargains

“Almost fourteen,” I told him. I would be fourteen in December, nine months away, but I could hardly wait.

“Fourteen?” He smirked. “Alright, young man. You gotta look out for your mother, then. Take care of her, you know? You’re the man of the house now. She’ll need you to step up.”

Did he know about our past? Had Ma told him about that night we left?

“Do you have a family?” I asked him, curious to know who he was. He drove the nicest car in town, and looked loaded with nice suits and fancy watches.

He chuckled. “Got some folks I look after, but it ain’t the same. It’s complicated. Now listen,” he said, stopping the car in front of my school. “You need someone to watch your back at school, give you advice on handling bullies or any kind of life stuff, you come to me, alright? I know we just met, but we take care of each other inthisneighborhood.”

I nodded as I grabbed my backpack.

“Your mother’s doing all this for you. Gotta appreciate that, even if it don’t make sense yet,” he told me. “Alright, kid. Go knock ‘em dead. And if anyone gives you trouble, you tell ’em Joey’s got your back, alright?”

“Joey, who?”

“Joey. Joey Romano.” He winked. I stepped out of the car,glancing back at Joey with a small, uncertain smile before heading into the school.

Who was this guy, and why was he so damn cool?

If I’m being honest, I was probably the happiest I’d ever been. For once, I didn’t have to worry about my father hurting my mother or enduring his relentless abuse. I didn’t have to see the aftermath—the shattered glass, the bruises, the blood, the lifeless look in Ma’s eyes. I knew it would take a long time for her to heal from everything she’d been through, but she was starting to make progress. She smiled more. Laughed more. But I knew she was still holding on to the “what ifs.” Always scanning every room we entered. Always looking over her shoulder. What if they find us? What would happen then? But I’d never let anyone hurt her again. Even if the feds found us, I’d never let them tear us apart. She killed him to protect me. I was the man of the house now. And it was my responsibility to look after us. So I would.

“Hey, Antonio,” someone called from behind me. I turned around and found myself face to face with Louis, a kid who hung out with Giovanni—my arch-nemesis, since I set foot in Staten Island Middle School two weeks ago.

“Was that Joey who dropped you off just now?” he asked, a smirk creeping onto his face.

“Why you asking?” I puffed out my chest, crossed my arms, trying to insert my dominance.

“Oh, no reason. You know he’s Giovanni’s stepdad, right?”

No, I didn’t know that. I’d just asked Joey if he had a family, and all he said was that he “took care of people” and that “it was complicated.” Not a word about being Giovanni’s stepfather.

“Do you ever mind your own business?” I asked him.

“You know what he does for a living, right?” Louis tested, his smirk never faltering. “He’s in the mafia,” Louis said. “So is Giovanni’s grandfather. That’s why Giovanni’suntouchable.”

Untouchable? Now that was comical.

Giovanni had been working my nerves so bad lately that it felt like a full-time job. I could barely hold myself back from beating the shit out of him. But he might catch me on a bad day if he kept pushing.

“Don’t end up in the trunk,” Louis added with a wink before walking off.

“What the hell was that about?” Enzo asked as he walked up to me.

“You know Louis and his bullshit,” I said, brushing it off.

“What’s he talking about? ‘Don’t end up in the trunk?’” Enzo pressed, raising an eyebrow.

“He’s just trying to get a reaction out of me,” I replied. “And he almost got one.”

“Almost?” Enzo shot me a skeptical look. “Man, you looked ready to knock him out. I say we team up and knock his ass out once and for all.”

“Trust me, it took everything I had to hold back,” I admitted. “The guy’s such a pain in the ass. But if I let him get to me, he wins. Because my mom would fucking kill me for getting into a fight at school.”

Enzo shook his head. “I don’t know how you do it. If someone said that to me, I’d lose my shit.”

I smirked. “You’ve got to pick your battles, Enzo. Louis? He’s not worth it. But Giovanni? If he pushes me one more time, he’s getting everything he’s asking for.”

“Alright, man,” Enzo said with a shrug. “Just don’t end up suspended. Or worse, in the trunk, apparently.”

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