Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 94048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
I run to the front of the house and peek out. I move the curtain barely an inch, just enough to spot a cluster of soldiers I don’t recognize getting together in the street on the other side of the parked cars. I know every single guard that covers our family intimately—I’m good friends with most of them—and these are totally different men.
“He’s really doing this,” I say, still not prepared to believe that Dad’s making his move. I find it difficult to understand how the situation devolved to this nightmare so quickly, but I can’t deny what’s going on.
“You have to get out,” Davide growls at me. “Get over to my place. I already have Emilio gathering up some of my guys.”
“What the fuck’s that going to do? You’re going to start shooting our own people?”
“Better than letting them take you.” Davide’s deadly serious. If there’s anyone in the Famiglia who can win a fight outnumbered and outgunned, it’s him, but I really don’t want this to come to that.
“Maybe I can reason with him.” I close my eyes and start pacing again, back sweating. “He has to know how this is going to look.”
“Dad’s not thinking. He’s off his fucking rocker right now. Get the hell out of that house and get over here right now if you want to live through this.”
I grind my jaw. “I’m not starting a war, damn it.”
“Then don’t do it for yourself. Do it for your pretty wife. Did you stop to think that maybe those guys out there aren’t coming for you? Maybe they’re coming for Emily, and once she’s gone, Dad can force you to marry Uncle Santoro’s daughter?”
My entire body goes cold. I hadn’t considered it, but fuck, he’s right, that’s a real possibility. Dad’s irrational enough right now to think that might be a reasonable option—that I might actually go along with it.
“I’m going out the back and over the fences. I’ll be there soon.”
“Good luck, brother.”
I hang up and shove my phone into my pocket before racing upstairs. “Grab some things,” I say, ripping a duffel from the closet and shoving fistfuls of clothes inside. I’m taking things that are random. “We’re leaving.”
“Simon?” Emily looks terrified. She’s pale and shaking as I pull her to her feet and get her moving. “What’s going on?”
“We’re running. Take the necessities, we’ll buy anything you need later. Do you hear me? We have to get out right now.”
She stares at me, her eyes wide, her mouth trembling, and I press my lips to hers and kiss her hard, almost knocking our teeth together, and I hold her against me for a brief second. That seems to snap her into motion, and when I let her go, she flies to the dresser and adds more random clothes to my bag.
Ten seconds later, we’re sprinting down the steps. I steer her to the back door, a finger to my lips, and I open it as quietly as I can. We slip into the back yard and pause at the edge of the house.
I hear voices from the street. They’re closer now. Boots on my porch steps. I usher Emily over to the tall, wooden privacy fence we had installed a few years back, and suddenly it doesn’t seem like such a good idea. I motion for her to be quiet before making a basket of my hands to boost her up. She takes a deep breath, puts her foot down, and I hoist her to the top. She grips the edge, scrambles a bit, then she slips over and away.
I tighten the strap of the duffel across my chest, take a few steps back, and pause.
The sound of the front door smashing open cracks the stillness of the afternoon.
That’s the sound of Dad going too far. That’s the sound of my life changing.
That’s the sound of the whole Famiglia splitting in half.
I sprint at the fence and jump.
Chapter 36
Simon
I land on the other side hard. I feel the impact in my knees and shins, but quickly shake it off and spot Emily crouching next to a bush, her face drained of color. I grab her hand and pull her behind me, running to the next fence, as the sound of men shouting drifts out from my house.
“Who lives here?” Emily whispers, looking around at the neat little yard. There’s a patio, some lawn chairs, and a manicured flowerbed.
“Empty,” I say, gesturing at the fence. “Up and over again. Davide’s three down. This next one’s Laura, but don’t worry about her. I doubt she’s even home. Then another empty, and then Davide. Ready?”
More shouting from my house. Emily scrambles into position and I get her up again. This time, she manages to slip to the other side with a little more grace as I back up and take a flying leap. I hit the edge, barely grab on, and grunt as I pull myself over, trying to do it as fast as possible. For the brief moment that I’m at the very top, I can see the tops of heads moving around in my back yard, men milling around my fucking home, strangers Dad sent to capture me and my goddamn wife.