Rory swallowed, tears clouding her eyes. “Nico means everything to our children and to me,” she said softly, touching her stomach. I felt my own eyes mist over, thinking about the niece or nephew that was growing inside there.
“I thought he would like pictures of the children for his office.” Rory said as she brought out the gift she made for him.
I took the frame and looked over the smiles of my nephews, including the one that Rory and Nico had officially adopted earlier this month. There was one photo where Anthony was holding up a sign, and I laughed as I read it. “Dodo?”
“That’s all he will say,” Rory replied, smiling now. “So, I’ve dubbed it your brother’s nickname for now.”
There was also a picture of the new baby’s sonogram, too soon to know what the gender was. “He will love it,” I told her.
“I noticed he never has any photos around,” she stated, pulling out two more frames. “So, I’m giving him memories to make him smile.” My breath caught as I saw one with Nico and me from a few weeks ago, both of us with our arms around each other.
“Don’t worry,” Rory said, handing me the same photo. “I got one for you too.”
I hugged it to my chest, the tears real now in my eyes. “Thank you.”
The last photo was of Rory and Nico; she was seated on the couch with her head on his shoulder, and his hand was in her hair. It was the most relaxed I had ever seen my brother, and the look he was giving his wife—there was definite love there.
“One of my faves,” she replied. “Do you think they are too cheesy?”
I handed them back to her, shaking my head. “No, of course not. He will love them.” My brother had a family now, a real family that made him happy, that had his back. It didn’t matter how much money he had in the bank. He was a billionaire just by the people in this room.
The sound of elevator doors dinged, and Rory hurried to my side, throwing her arm around my waist. “Surprise!”
Nico took the room in, setting his coat aside. “What is this?”
“It’s your birthday, silly,” Rory replied as she hurried to greet him. “Happy birthday, love.”
Nico looked shocked, so I walked over to greet him as well, giving him a big smacking kiss on his cheek. “Happy birthday, Nic.”
“Come!” Rory said excitedly, tugging his arm for him to follow her over to the island. “Look. I got you your favorite cake.”
I watched as my brother struggled to process what his wife had done for him, echoing the despair that clawed at him. He didn’t know how to react. We had never been given opportunities to react like this.
“And these,” Rory said, presenting the photos to him. “These are for your office.”
Nico swallowed hard as he went frame by frame, taking in the wonderful memories that Rory had just given him. “Rory,” he rasped. “Fuck.”
Her smile dimmed, and I started forward, but before I could stand up for her, he was placing the frames on the island and pulling her tightly to him, burying his face in her hair.
Wait. Was Nico crying?
Not wanting to intrude on the obviously special moment, I let myself out of the penthouse, tears streaming down my cheeks.
***
I smiled at the memory, forcing the tears back. Rory had later informed me that Nico had indeed been crying, but they were happy tears. To them, that was all they needed, but I couldn’t help but worry about what Lucas had said. My brother’s actions took the teeth out of the D’Agostino name. Now with my father in prison, awaiting his fate, we were no longer a family that commanded fear and respect.
The only thing we became associated with now was the cops. Not that I cared. I just wanted freedom, a life that my father didn’t dictate.
And Nico. He had Rory, who was running theMidtown Postlike a boss. Ever since she took down my father with her words, people throughout the city clung to every edition she printed. To those that were willing to discuss it, Rory was a badass for doing so.
Lucas was wrong. I knew for a fact that Rory had built an empire around my brother, and even without the cops, he was untouchable.
They both were.
But Lucas wasn’t. If he focused all his energy on Adrian, it wasn’t going to be long before he forgot the other sharks circling in the water. I knew that all too well from watching my own father lose the forest for the trees.
And if Lucas won against Adrian, it would be the first of many hurdles needed to face. The Mafia Dons were vicious. Taking down Adrian wouldn’t be the end of it. It was all the same cash that flowed through their routes, the same properties that continued to make them wealthy, and the same game that was played in the shadows.