Page 37 of Blood Money

My dad knew I didn’t want this life. None of us kids did, but Gabriel was willing to because he was the oldest and it was “who we were.”

I believed Gabriel was only doing it because he knew the rest of us didn’t want to.

Alessio wanted to join the military to get the fuck out of here. Gabriel and I knew that the minute he turned eighteen, he would be in a recruiter’s office and gone on the first thing smoking.

Leo had dreams of playing in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The boy probably would too. I’d never heard someone his age play the cello the way he did. Hell, half the adults I’d heard couldn’t touch him.

Francesco wanted to go to Paris to study art. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind he would. As the baby by two and a half minutes, he would probably be allowed to, because he was spoiled fucking rotten. Both of the twins were, really, but Leo was quieter and completely absorbed in his music.

And me? I just wanted to live my fucking life. Though my grandfather thought I was going to be majoring in business, I planned to leave for college and study premed, then go to medical school. I wanted to save lives, not take them. There was no way I would let the savage wolf that hid in the darkest parts of my soul take over. That black shadow that lurked within had the potential to turn me into someone I didn’t want to be. It was the part of my grandfather that existed in all of us because of our genetics and our upbringing.

Yeah, I’d been blessed with more intelligence than was probably fair or safe for one person to have. I wanted to put it to good use, not squander it. I just needed to save up enough money to be able to pay for college, because I knew my grandfather was going to ensure I was cut off when he found out. At the rate I was going, I should have enough for my first four years by the end of the summer.

Like I said, I wasn’t stupid, and I’d been hustling a helluva lot longer than he knew.

“Vittorio!” Grandfather shouted, and I knew he’d addressed me several times, but I’d been too wrapped up in my head.

“Enough!” Dad ground out as he launched out of his chair and slammed his hands on the desk.

My grandfather’s face went an unhealthy shade of red, and I hoped it would be the day he gave himself an aneurysm. None of us could be that lucky, however, because the old goat would never die. Evil never did.

Without looking at me, my father pointed at the door. “Out, Vittorio!”

He didn’t need to tell me twice.

As I closed the door and walked away, I could hear their shouts, but I tuned them out. I had more important things to worry about.

Because I’d officially fallen head over heels for Kendall. The problem was I knew my fucking grandfather wouldn’t approve of her. He had it in his head that he had a say in who we dated. He’d gone so far as to tell Gabriel he was negotiating a marriage. Poor fucker couldn’t even drink legally, and our grandfather was planning his wedding. Dad swore he wouldn’t let that happen. And Gabriel swore he was marrying Autumn, the daughter of one of Dad’s business associates.

Autumn was a sweetheart, but her dad was a real bastard. She was pretty in an exotic way, but she was also half Native American, which Gabriel and Dad had kept from our grandfather. As soon as the asshole found out, the shit would hit the fan.

Fuck, I hated him.

Besides, I knew Gabriel only wanted to marry Autumn because her dad was an absolute dick who beat the shit out of her. Gabriel had a hero complex and thought he could save the fucking world. It would catch up to him one day.

Because the members of the Mafia weren’t heroes.

This life we lived would eat poor Autumn alive. She was just too soft—too introverted and artist Boho for me, and definitely not who our grandfather would choose. Though I didn’t give a shit what Gabriel did with his life because he was his own man. Fuck our piece-of-shit grandfather.

Besides, I liked my women a little spicier—like Kendall.

The fact that Kendall was half Irish would send him into a tirade of epic proportions. He wouldn’t care that we were basically still kids. Hell, she was sixteen, and I was eighteen and had just graduated. I wasn’t looking to get married. But if there was one thing I knew, it was that I was crazy about a certain feisty little redhead.

And I didn’t give two shits about what Grandfather expected of us. If I had to, I’d leave with the clothes on my back and the cash I’d been saving up. And I’d never look back.

I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Kendall.

Me: Wanna hang at Bobby’s tonight?

Kendall: Sure

As I read the reply, I grinned. Already, the wild and dangerous wolf that lurked inside was subdued. Simply knowing I would be around her brought a calm into my existence.

And maybe… just maybe… she was the yin to my yang. The light to my dark.

My balance.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” I asked her as I leaned forward and twirled a section of her hair in my fingers.

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