Page 341 of Rosetti Family New York
"The old pier. Pier 49, where we fished with Nonna." His voice softens slightly. "Thirty minutes. Come alone, or don't come at all."
The call ends, leaving me staring at the phone while Mara watches me closely.
"Will he help?" she asks, but her tone suggests she knows it's complicated.
"Maybe." I check my watch: 12:17 AM. "But there are conditions."
"What kind?"
"The kind where I have to prove I can still choose family over obsession when it matters." The words taste bitter. "Even when the obsession is you."
Her smile is sharp, dangerous, hinting at secrets not yet uncovered. "And can you?"
The question hangs between us. This isn't about tactics; it's about the question that's defined us since she came back to New York.
"Not a chance in hell," I mutter, starting the engine.
The drive to Pier 49 takes us through deserted streets that smell of salt and old factories. Mara is quiet beside me, knowing this talk will decide if we find safety or face the family's hunters alone.
"Stay in the car," I tell her as we near the deserted fishing pier. "Keep the doors locked and the engine on. If anything feels wrong, drive away. Don't wait for me."
"And go where?" Her voice is heavy with the realization that she's run out of safe places. "Your family wants me dead, Emilio. The Callahans want me dead. I'm only alive because you're risking everything to save me."
"That's enough," I say, leaning over to kiss her, a kiss full of promises. "As long as I'm alive, you're safe. That's not up for debate."
Her taste lingers as I walk toward the pier, the salty air sharp around me. The old fishing pier stretches into the dark like a concrete finger pointing to nowhere. I haven't been here in over ten years, but I remember exactly where Matteo and I used to sit with our grandmother, sharing secrets before we learned Rosetti children can't dream without paying a price.
He's already there when I arrive, outlined by the harbor lights. A silver coin spins between his fingers, showing his growing tension. Even in the dark, I can see his unease.
"Twenty-nine minutes," he comments without turning around. "You're still on time, even when you're running for your life."
"Dad taught us that being on time is crucial for survival." I sit next to him on the concrete barrier, close enough to catch the scent of his expensive cologne. "Seems like none of the other lessons stuck."
"Seems not." His voice is sharp. "Tell me, Milo, when you were creating your digital empire to find this woman, did you ever think about what it would cost the rest of us?"
The old nickname stings more than any insult. "What do you mean?"
"I mean watching my twin get lost in obsession while the family suffered." He stops fiddling with the coin in his fingers. "I mean years of making excuses for your absences, your distraction, your inability to focus on anything that didn't involve her digital trail."
His words strike with precision, but beneath the anger, I detect something deeper. Hurt. The pain of seeing a brother pick isolation over connection.
"I never asked you to cover for me."
"You didn't need to." His laugh is bitter. "You're my other half, Milo. My twin. And that's what brothers do, right? Protect each other from consequences, even when one brother is too far gone to notice the sacrifice."
The accusation hurts because it's true. I'd been so caught up in hunting Mara that I'd stopped noticing how my obsession impacted those who mattered most.
"You're right," I say quietly, shifting my weight as the board creaks beneath me. "I disappeared. Chose her over everything else, including you."
"Yeah, you did." The coin starts moving again, but slower now. "The question is, was it worth it?"
I think about Mara in the car behind us, blood-stained and exhausted but alive. About her choice at the Plaza, saving my life instead of finishing her mission. About how she looks at me like I'm worth any sacrifice.
"Yes," I say plainly. "She was worth everything."
Matteo looks at me under the harbor lights, reading my expressions with a deep understanding. When he speaks again, his voice shows reluctant acceptance. "Wow, you really love her."
"More than breathing."
