I lean back in surprise. “You don’t?”
“Emilio doesn’t need to be like them,” she says, quiet and fierce. “I told you before, I grew up with hard men. But Vince and his family, they’re even worse, and I don’t want Emilio to end up like that. I’m afraid if he takes his father’s last name then he might want to go into that business and—” She stops, choking back another sob.
I reach out and hold her hand. She smiles at me sadly and gets herself together, visibly suppressing her feelings and gathering her strength. It’s strange that a woman so deeply enmeshed in the mafia world would be so against her child taking her father’s name.
“I’m guessing Vince doesn’t like that,” I say softly.
“No, he doesn’t.”
And suddenly, I know what I have to do, even if it might make things so much harder, so much more complicated, because if I don’t do this then I doubt I can live with myself. How can I pretend like I care about Riley, about women like Riley, when one’s sitting across from me clearly afraid for her life and I say nothing at all?
I release her hand and clear my throat. “Look, Charlie, I have to tell you something. Please, just listen.”
She tilts her head. “What’s wrong?”
“Vince has been coming into the club. He’s been going into the back room—”
“Please, stop,” Charlie says, squeezing her eyes shut and holding up a hand. She grimaces like I kicked her right in the chest. “No, please, no more. I don’t want the details.”
“Charlie, he’s been—”
“No, Grace, stop it, stop right there. I know about this already and I don’t need you to tell me anything more.”
I lean back in my chair, shocked. “You know?” Calvino said she would, but I hadn’t believed him.
My god, he was right.
“We have an arrangement.” She stares down at the scone and pokes it with a finger. “I understand how these things work. If I want the things I want, I have to give something in return. It’s a transaction, Grace. I know that sounds awful, but it’s how these men move through the world, always making deals. Except now I feel like the deal isn’t working in my favor anymore, because he wants to force his name on my son, and I’d rather my boy was kept far, far away from this life.” She squeezes her eyes shut and fights back more tears.
I don’t know what to say. She’s aware of what her husband’s doing and they made a deal and it’s all just too much for me. I’m a virgin, for god’s sake, I haven’t even slept with a man much less married one, had his child, and let him get his dick sucked by other women. I can’t imagine what Charlie’s going through, but this… this is all wrong.
I want to help her. The need to save her from this nightmare swells up in me like a rising tide and it’s the first time since I decided to get revenge for Riley that I felt something remotely like this. It’s a certainty, like the knowledge that the sun will rise tomorrow.
I have to help Charlie.
“I’ll do whatever you need me to do,” I say and reach out for her hand again.
She takes it and squeezes. “Just being here is a good start.”
I smile and try not to let her see the overwhelming sadness that’s threatening to drown me and I squeeze right back.
I don’t know what I can do or how I’m going to do it.
But Charlie’s in trouble, and I need to do something.
Chapter 18
Calvino
I’m sitting in the back room of a restaurant in downtown when my manager, a nice guy named Drew that thinks he’s Marlon Brando but looks more like the next JoJo Siwa, comes rushing into the room looking out of breath. “Calvino, I think your brother’s here.”
I sigh and lean back. I’ve been avoiding Vince for the last couple of days because I haven’t wanted to deal with family drama or the business lately, but I can’t exactly ignore him if he’s in my own place.
“Seat him and anyone he brought with him, and give them the best table you can. I’ll be out in a minute.”
The kid nods and hurries out. I wait a few minutes doing nothing, since I can’t bring myself to answer one of Vince’s summons the instant he calls me, but eventually I head out around the time they should be getting their appetizers.
I stop short at the table. Damon looks up at me with an easy smile and a whiskey in his hand. “You made me wait.”
I laugh and sit across from him. “I thought you were Vince.”
“Wrong brother.”
“I would’ve come out right away if I knew it was you.”
“Typical Calvino, always playing power games.”
I shake my head and laugh softly. “You know how it is with Vince. You let him think he’s the man and he’s in charge and suddenly you’re picking up his fucking dry cleaning and polishing his shoes. You have to show him you’re not a pushover.”