“Yeah, yeah…Love you.”
“Love you too,” I whispered, holding the phone until the call ended. I stepped into the bedroom and walked towards the bed, taking a seat at the foot of the bed and stared at my boys. Anthony opened one eye, glancing at me before patting the other side of the bed.
“You feel better?”
“Yes,” I whispered, climbing over him and tucking myself into the crook of his arm. I reached across Anthony’s chest and brushed Luca’s hair from his forehead.
“We okay?” He asked.
I lifted my eyes from my son to Anthony and nodded. “We’re okay.”
He stared at me for a moment before tightening his hold on both me and my baby, hanging on as if he’d never let go.
Chapter Thirty-Two: 2015
A few days had passed since Adrianna last spoke to her sister. I had no reason to assume the worst but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. I tried calling Victor a few times but nothing; it was like he sent us off the grid without any contact from anyone. It drove me nuts, not being in control, being left completely in the dark about the war that imploded but I learned to embrace it. This would be life without the mob.
I played Victors words over and over in my head, wanting so badly to trust him, but I learned a long time ago that Victor wasn’t a generous man. He wasn’t the type to sacrifice his own needs for the sake of others. He didn’t give two fucks about my needs or my wants. He proved that countless times but still there was something different this time. Aside from the strands of sincerity that reflected in his eyes there also had been a shred of desperation, a plea for mercy, begging for redemption.
It would be nice to live the life Vic painted for me, a life free of all the dirty deeds and angst, one that revolved around a family. These past few days I’ve gotten a taste of that life, a simple life, but one I wanted more of. I used to sit in my cell, dreaming of the day I’d walk away from those iron bars that bound me, thinking I’d finally be emancipated. But when the day came, all I did was trade one prison for another. I used to think I was made for a life of crime but I started to realize I had been put on this earth to take Adrianna away from the life she was born into. If Vic set me free, he’d be setting us both free and giving us the most selfless gift. They say a leopard doesn’t change his spots but what about the devil? Can he rise above the flames and do the right thing?
The ringing of my phone pulled me away from my thoughts and I lifted myself off the front porch steps and slid my phone from my back pocket. The only people who had the number of this line were the people I had called which were Mikey and Victor. The number on the caller ID came up as unavailable causing me to hesitate for a moment before accepting the call.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“It’s me.” Vic said his voice hoarse.
“I’ve been trying to call you. Vic how much longer do we have to stay here?”
“It’s over,” he said. “It’s all over.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t get into over the phone but everything is taken care of. There was a complication, Michael was shot.”
I swiped my hand over my face, closing my eyes and pushed back the guilt that started to surface. I tried to steer Mike clear of this shit, warned him he would get burnt but never thought he’d be caught in the crossfire. I figured I’d be able to intervene if the time ever came. He may have been Val’s son but Mike wasn’t cut for this life.
“They got to Nikki,” Victor began. “Took her in the middle of the night and roughed her up, used her as leverage over me, but before I could get to her Michael did. He saved her, taking the bullet that was meant for her. He’s in the O.R. now …” his voice trailing off before he managed to continue. “It would be good if you and Adrianna made your way down here. Nicole’s going to need support and I’m, well, I’m the last person she wants to lean on.”
“Is he going to be okay?”
“I pray to God he is,” he whispered. “It’s all over Anthony, thirty some odd years of bad decisions finally hit me where it hurts. It has to end and if I don’t end it now I’m not so sure I ever will.”
I didn’t know what he was saying, what the underlying meaning was behind his words but Victor was breaking down. The concrete walls he built as a fortress around him crumbled and left him vulnerable.
“You’ll be free, all of you,” He vowed.
“Victor…” I managed, not knowing what to say to him.
“Make your way down here and give Adrianna my love even if she doesn’t accept it, let her know her daddy loves her,” he whispered, his voice catching before he ended the call.
*