Page 52 of Remember When We
Fucking hell when I told Dante everything I doubted he knew it was going to be all that and more. We’d moved from the kitchen to here to sit for minute while Gibbs got ready.
I wanted to get things off my chest before we ventured out, getting back on our mission.
“I just can’t believe you have a son.” Dante chuckled and gave me that grin.
It was a knowing grin, the kind that said I told you so. A few months back, just after he had got married I told him I had no desire to get married or have kids. I even proclaimed to be the perpetual bachelor who’d live out the rest of his life as such.
Now look at me. I’d been back for two hours and if I wasn’t talking about Matthew I was talking about Lyssa. A woman and a child … No, my woman and my child; mine.
My priorities switched up days ago as I stood on Paul’s porch and looked at a kid who I knew in an instant was mine. They just switched automatically.
“I know.” I smiled. “Dante, he’s amazing.”
“Yes, you’ve said that five times already. I’m happy for you. Welcome to parenthood.” Dante nodded with a smirk.
Dante had Flynn, but he wasn’t his biological son. He was Maria’s ex-husband’s son, yet Dante took him for his own, and he did it without blinking. It was his logic and the guy wasn’t scared at all.
My woman, my kid.It had been his mantra the whole time.
It felt the same for me.
“You were right. You said I’d meet someone one day and shit would change. Except, I knew I’d already met her and never thought shit would change, because she was the only one I wanted a life with.”
“Listen to you.” Dante laughed. His blue eyes actually sparkled with pride. “I’m gonna say I told you so.”
“It’s fine man. No hard feelings. It’s a good I told you so. But fuck, fucking Paul. I wanted to kill him.” I did too. We didn’t do mindless killing, but I wanted to kill the fucker on the spot when I saw him come down for breakfast yesterday with his paper in his fucking hands.
“Yeah, I’d be the same. So, do you think she’ll go to Chicago. It’s a lot to give up.”
“She didn’t say no, and besides if she did I wouldn’t take it. She’ll come back with me and I’ll get her back where she should be. In a classroom teaching, doing what she had always loved. This place,” I motioned my hands around. “Was never good for her. It wasn’t good at all. She has a very good friend here and her father, but fucking hell Dante, there’s the memory of what happened to Marshall haunting this place. I assume she must feel the same as me when it comes to him. When I left, I wanted to take her with me. Before the decision came about to break up with her though I knew I’d leave and never come back. I must have searched everywhere for these supposed gangs and got nowhere. It really was a lost cause and I didn’t want to be some place where it was like I was haunted by his ghost.”
Dante nodded understanding. “I get it bro. I really do.”
“She’s affected it by it too in a big way. I know that, but something feels off.” Something did feel off. I just didn’t know what it was, not yet.
“What are you thinking?”
“Few things felt off Dante. You know how I hate my instincts.” I smirked. I hated my instincts, because I was the fucker who was always fucking right. I swore if my instincts told me the sun would come up pink tomorrow it would. It fucking would, no doubt about it. Great thing to boast about. In my world though being right wasn’t always a good thing. In fact, it was more often than not bad. “Paul mentioned the Santoras.”
Dante narrowed his eyes. “Really? Okay let’s not jump the gun. They’re big here.”
“Dante, the name Morientz is big in Chicago too, so was Rossi. They basically own the place, but ask the average person about names and they wouldn’t dish it to you. The average person might say mobsters own this, or gangsters own that. They couldn’t give you names and realistically it’s the Vitalis who’s actually in charge. Take the average person and consider them to be the curious type. They may give you the names of the people in charge, but not the other guys.” And fuck, the more I spoke the more those damn instincts of mine twitched.
The thing that grieved me was Paul had said the name and Lyssa didn’t ask who they were or what he was talking about.
The guys at the bar could be an obvious answer of how they knew the name Santora. I just had the impression that it was more than that. I hoped there was no more trouble than what I saw initially. As a general rule, mobsters weren’t in the habit of dropping names either where it didn’t need to be dropped. Paul’s bar wasn’t that kind of place; not at all.
It wasn’t like the bars back home that were more like dens. You walk in and you just knew it was the kind of place you could get killed if you looked at someone the wrong way.
“What are you saying Gio?” Dante asked.
“I actually don’t know. I just hope Paul listens and stays the fuck out of it. I don’t need him messing things up. I need him to be the father he’s supposed to be and keep Lyssa safe. Which brings me to the other thing. She works a lot.”
“Jesus Gio, you sure you’re not being paranoid? You’re starting to sound it. Next thing you’ll say is she checked her watch a lot. Most people work a lot.”
“Dante, I’m not some fucking block head okay. She works a lot. Bar and salon. Works like she’d clearing shit loads of debt.”
“Again, that’s still normal man. People have debts.”
