Page 64 of Sinful Bargains

I frowned, stepping into the kitchen as the faint smell of dinner simmering on the stove filled the room. She was still in her apron, her fingers gripping the counter for support. "What happened? What did he tell you?” I asked.

“He didn’t tell me much.” She sighed. “It was over some girl named Mia,” she continued. “Renee claims Giovanni has had a thing for her for a while now, and is acting like Antonio just stepped in and took her. I don’t know.”

I stepped closer, resting my hand on the back of one of the chairs. “Antonio’s a good kid. I’ll talk to him. Don’t worry.”

“Renee was awful, Joey,” she continued. “She was attacking Antonio, left and right. It was completely uncalled for—just because of whatever she thinks is going on between us.”

I stepped closer, closing the distance between us. My hands gripped her arms, my eyes locked on hers. “I’m sorry. I’ll take care of Renee. But Antonio’s just a kid, Adriana. It’s tough for a boy his age.”

Adriana backed up, pushing me away, her palms landing on the counter. Her head dropped, strands of hair falling into her face as she spoke again, “Principal Clayton asked him to apologize, Joey. And you know what he did? Herefused. Flat outrefused. Then Renee made a comment—how boys without dads develop these sorts oftendencies.” Her gaze shot up, burning into mine. “Antonio needs someone who can teach him how to deal with all of this. How to be a man. Or at least how to start becoming one. It’ll be over my dead body that my son is out there acting like some hooligan.”

I stepped forward again. “I’ll talk to him—man to man. And I’ll deal with Renee, too.” My hand rested on hers as I lifted my other hand to tilt her chin upward. Her eyes met mine. “You’ve done an amazing job raising him,” I said. “You’re the best mother I’ve ever seen. But sometimes, a boy just needs someone other than their mother—someone who can show him what it means to handle things the right way. Let me help you with this one.”

Adriana’s lips parted, like she wanted to protest, but instead, she sighed. Her shoulders sagged, a small nod following. “Thank you, Joey. I’m glad you’re here for him.”

I drove Antonio to the park to toss the baseball around. He was quiet the entire ride, staring out the window. Even as we passed the ball back and forth, he barely said a word. His black eye wasn’t from a bad catch. I knew that much. Antonio was agood player; he wouldn’t have missed a foul ball like that. No, this had been deliberate—someone had meant to hurt him. And I had a pretty good idea who. “Alright, kid. We need to talk,” I said, breaking the silence that had stretched too long.

I caught the ball mid-air, holding it instead of throwing it back. “I heard about what went down today,” I began. “You and Giovanni getting into it over a girl? I want to know what happened. What’s going on with you, with you and Giovanni?” He looked at me, but his body language gave him away. His shoulders tensed; his gaze shifted uncomfortably.

“It wasn’t like I planned it. I just—I don’t know. He pushed me,” Antonio confessed. “Then he pushed Enzo. He was in my face. He was out of line. He’s been trying to get under my skin since I got to that school. Andtodaywas my breaking point.”

“I respect you for standing your ground. But fighting doesn’t fix anything. Especially not over some girl. Mia isn’t worth all this trouble, trust me. Take it from me.” I winked at him, letting the teasing note slip in. That worked; a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth, though he tried to hide it by looking down, kicking a rock at his feet.

“She asked me to the school dance,” he admitted, his grin widening. “I didn’t even ask her, Joey. She askedme. He was mad because she choseme.”

That got a chuckle out of me. “Listen, kid. You know I’d do anything for you. You’re like a son to me.” I watched him study me as I continued, "I see so much in you that reminds me of when I was your age. Actually, when I was your age, I had this kid, Tony, always getting under my skin, pushing my buttons. He and I went at it every chance we got. I remember one day, I just had enough, so I went up to him and gave him a lesson he wouldn’t forget.”

“What did you do?”

I exhaled, shaking my head, more at myself than him. “I waited for him to come outside when nobody was around and Ibeat him up,” I admitted. “Thought I’d finally earned some respect. But looking back, all I earned was regret. You know the difference between you and me?”

He didn’t say anything, waiting for me to answer.

“My old man was a real dirtbag. But my mother never left him. I used to secretly pray she’d wake me up one day and we’d disappear, but that day never happened. One night, though, he picked the wrong fight.” The memory was still painful, even after twenty years had passed. “When he died, my mother wasn’t the same. She turned into him.” I paused, the memories biting at me. “I tell you this because I learned violence was the way to handle things at a very young age. I’ve been there, kid. I don’t want to see you make the same mistakes I did.”

I reached out, pulling Antonio into a one-armed hug.

“I hit him because he talked about Ma…” he admitted. “That’s the truth.”

“What do you mean?” I scowled. “What did he say about your mother?”

His eyes were burning with anger. “He told the school about you two. He called her a whore, that that’s why you’ve been helping us.” I paused, speechless for a moment. My vision went red before he cut in. “What’s really going on between the two of you?”

I sighed, shifting on my feet. “Well,” I started, kicking a rock with the tip of my shoe, “I love your mother. And I love you, too,” I said, my gaze steady as I met his eyes. That was the first time I’d admitted something like this out loud. It felt like a foreign language leaving my tongue. “There are a few things that need to fall into place before I can be with her, but you have my word—I’m going to make it happen.”

He frowned, still pressing. “What has to fall into place?”

I let out a soft chuckle. “Just trust that I’ve got it covered. I love her, and I’d never do anything to hurt her.” I paused. “Now, what really happened to your face?” I asked him.

“Baseball practice,” he muttered. “A foul ball clipped me in the face.”

“Come on, kid,” I said, nudging him. “You don’t gotta lie to me. I got your back.”

“Giovanni threw it at my face when I wasn’t paying attention,” he confessed. “But I guess we’re fair. Please don’t say anything to him.”

“You know what?” I began, “Some of us were born to lead. You’re a leader. Giovanni sees it. He knows it. And it probably eats him alive. That’s what all this boils down to. You’ll face a lot worse than Giovanni in your lifetime.Trust me.Save all that hostile energy for when it really counts.”

“What are you saying?” he asked me.

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