31. Angelo

Chapter 31

Angelo

I stay with her that night. While she's taking a shower, I call my brother Davide and have him send some Bianco Famiglia soldiers to tail Serena. They won't interfere, and I don't think Tommy's going to hurt her again right away, but I want them to be ready just in case.

That piece of shit. It was only a matter of time. That abusive, pathetic piece of shit. Not only did he hook Serena with drugs, now he's beating her and threatening her, and it boils my fucking blood thinking about it.

Tommy knows the noose is tightening and he's starting to lash out. Poor fucking Claudia, and that stupid, goddamn Serena—if that girl had any sense, she'd be running right now. But no, she's an addict, which means she's going to stick around with Tommy so long as he keeps feeding her drugs, no matter how many times he hits her.

And she's abused. I can't start blaming the girl for Tommy's behavior. Yeah, she's an addict, but that doesn't mean she deserves to get her ass beat, and it's not like she's got great options otherwise. I'd bet a lung she's financially dependent on Tommy on top of needing him for her regular fix. There's no way she can just turn around and walk away from him, not until she understands that there are better options.

I have to figure out a way to make her understand that I can help her.

Claudia's curled up in her room, looking like her world's crumbling around her. She won't say much of anything and I can only guess at what's going on inside her head.

It only pisses me off even more. Fuck distractions, fuck anything but taking care of Claudia. Tommy was always going to suffer for what happened five years ago, but now he's going to suffer for what he's putting Claudia through, too.

I call one of the on-duty Bianco guards and have him go grocery shopping. It's a little outside of his normal duties but he won't mind when he's got fresh cash in his hand. When the young guy shows up a little while later, I give him a big tip and make sure he sticks around the apartment, just in case we need anything else.

Then I get to work. First, it's the pasta sauce, a simple recipe I learned working in the prison kitchen. The incarcerated men I met during my time were resourceful bastards, in particular the ones working on food prep. They weren't given much, and usually it was the worst quality of everything, but some of those guys were geniuses when it came to stretching ingredients and making everything taste good. I made some friends with those crazy bastards and now I put some of those skills to good use.

Once the sauce is going, I pound the chicken flat, bread it, and cook it in butter and lemon. Cnce that's done, I put the pasta in water so salty it's like fucking ocean brine.

The smell must get to Claudia, because she finally pokes her head out of her room. She's in shorts and a tank top, looking small and vulnerable. Her eyes puffy and red from crying. All I do is give her a glass of wine and make her sit down at the table while I keep working. She doesn't say anything, but I feel her watching, and that's good enough. Maybe I can distract her for a little while.

"I learned this from a Cuban guy," I tell her as I plate the finished dishes. "His name was Mendo, big guy, never fucking smiled once and pretended like he didn't know English. Smart as a whip and definitely a murderer. But he taught me how to make this."

She stares at me. "You learned how to make an Italian dish from a Cuban murderer?"

"That's prison for you. It's a real melting pot of nationalities and crimes." I sit down and start digging in. "Go ahead, eat something."

She doesn't move. I can tell she wants to talk but I don't push it. That's something else I learned in prison. How to be quiet, how to be patient.

Claudia's going through something right now. She's trying her hardest to help her sister, but I think she's starting to realize that her sister doesn't want to be helped. It's up to Serena whether she gets away or not—and maybe I can nudge her in the right direction, maybe I can make her understand that there's another path available, but in the end neither of us can make Serena take those first steps. She's got to do it herself.

"I'm still going to Cage," she says very softly and I can tell she expects me to react poorly.

I only nod my head and take a drink of wine. "I figured."

"You figured?" Her eyebrows raise. "You're not going to talk me out of it?"

"No, I'm not." I lean back in my chair and watch her carefully. "Do you want me to?"

"Not at all. I just—" She laughs lightly. "I was really worried about this conversation."

"You're not helpless, baby. You're not stupid, either. You can make your own decisions, and I trust that you understand the consequences."

"Even if you don't agree?"

"Especially if I don't agree." I lean forward and reach out, grabbing her hand. She looks surprised, but I hold on tight. "I admire you. Fuck, I probably shouldn't say this, but the way you've dedicated yourself to your sister long after most rational people would've given up—" I stroke my thumb across the heel of her palm. "It's incredible."

"Thanks. I think. I mean, I'm just doing what she'd do for me, that's all."

"Before I went to prison, my father pulled every string he could to make sure it wasn't a life sentence. Honestly, I'm lucky I only got five years, considering what the cops had on me. But once I was gone, it really felt like I was gone."

"What do you mean?" She's angled toward me, listening intently, and a part of me doesn't want to share this. It's something I've been swallowing for a while now, but if I'm honest with myself, I can't keep on hiding this feeling. I need to let it out or it's going to poison my relationship with my family, and I don't want that to happen.

"They visited, but soon the visits tapered off. I'd call and half the time nobody would pick up. They kept me involved in family business, but just barely. It felt like I was too much effort, and maybe that isn't fair. A lot's been going on out here and I can't blame my siblings for being too busy. But I still feel like everyone left me behind, and maybe they were better off that way. Like now that I'm back, it's more of an inconvenience than anything else."

She's shaking her head. "That can't be true."

"Maybe it's not. Except I built Cage, right? I put that place together with my own hands, and my brother refused to let me run it. He kept Tommy at the top because Tommy earned good money. I went to prison, I did my time, I never once spoke about the Famiglia while behind bars, and I was rewarded with nothing."

Frustration burns through me. I haven't shared this with anyone else because I know how it sounds. It's like I'm ungrateful, but that isn't it. I owe a lot to my brother and my father for keeping me out of jail for the rest of my life, and I know Elena and Davide and Laura all tried to keep me in the loop. Even Simon did, in his own way and for his own reasons.

It's still hard not to see how I'm on the outside. And that's a product of going away for five years, I get that. It still pisses me off. It still fucking hurts.

"I'm sorry you're going through that," Claudia says and puts her other hand on top of mine. "But just so you know, I don't think your family sees you that way. I think they're just trying to find your place."

"Just like I'm trying to find it too. I know, baby, I know, but my point is, I admire the way you've stuck by your sister no matter what. Not many siblings would do that. Mine sure as hell didn't."

She chews on her lip, clearly torn about something, and finally breaks out into a rueful smile. "I guess if I have any good qualities, it's my stubbornness and my loyalty."

"You have plenty more. Like that gorgeous ass of yours."

She rolls her eyes and sits back. I grin at her, breaking the tension, and we start eating together. She seems better, and I feel better after getting all that off my chest. It's not fair to hold that shit against my siblings, and from now on I'm going to do my best to leave the last five years behind and to earn my place in the Famiglia once again.

We do the dishes together. I'm not shy about squeezing her ass and kissing her neck, trying to distract her. It's a little flirtation as a way to keep both our minds from the unpleasant shit going down. But once the meal's been cleaned up, she turns and heads into her room again, and I start to wonder if she's going to pull away from me again.

Instead, she emerges with a suitcase. "I made a decision."

"We're traveling to Italy?"

She gives me an annoyed look. "I'm moving in with you."

My eyebrows raise. "You are?"

"I can't keep waiting for Serena, right? I'll keep going to Cage, but you're right, I'll be safer staying with you in the oasis."

"Admit you just want to sleep in my bed." I walk toward her and she tries to back away, but I grab her and pull her hips into mine.

"I like the amenities," she says, her cheeks turning pink.

"I don't love that you think of my dick as an amenity , but I'll take it."

"You're a disgusting pig."

I kiss her slow and hold her tight, forehead pressed to hers. "Damn right I am. Now let's get out of here. If I'm getting you in my place, I'm going to take full advantage."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that."

I squeeze her ass tight and she laughs, wriggles away, and drags her suitcase into the hall.