Page 89 of War Within
“Alright.” He spun on his heels, marching away instantly following my orders.
Folding my arms over my chest, I turned to Carmine. “Well?”
He shrugged, smirking. “Can you trust me now?”
Lifting my hand to my chin, I stroked my stubble. “You tell me. You'll always be a brother to me. Like we agreed, our rivalry was senseless and forced on us. It was unnecessary. Both our fathers are dead.”
“Very well then.” He nodded once. “I won’t let you down.”
“Welcome aboard,officially.” I darted my eyes around the room, watching the others. “Let me know how their weapons and combat training goes.” Reaching up, I massaged my temples. “New guys always hurt my brain. Fucking hate them.”
Carmine snorted. “I got you.”
“I'm off to talk to Lily and finalize funeral plans.”
“About that,” he sighed, “will you let me know how it goes with her?”
Folding my arms over my chest, I lifted my chin, glaring at him.
Jerking his head back, he squinted. “What?”
I continued to stare, shooting him daggers.
“What?!” He threw his arms out to the side. “Nothing is going on!”
“You're a terrible liar, Carmine.”
I shook my head, unlocking the front door of the gym. Looking back over my shoulder, I chuckled to myself as he stood frozen and dumbfounded, watching me leave.
The talk with Lily had gone better than I expected. Though she was sad to hear what I had to say about Tyler, reality hit her of just how evil he was. I never told her I was the one who sent the text. I only told her about his involvement with Marco and their trafficking. She vomited several times knowing Tyler had been with possibly many people while with her.
A few days later and I was on my way to Marco’s funeral. Valentina sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window in silence. She sniffled every so often, wiping her cheeks.
“I hate what he did,” her voice cracked, “but he’s still my brother.”
“I know, princess.”
It was all I could mutter as I stared ahead at the road, sunglasses helping to stifle my tears. Today was the day. It was time to bury the son I never thought I would have to turn on. I left the house this morning without waking anyone other than my daughter. The reality of everything had hit me once I was finished getting ready. The mirror suddenly felt intimidating as I struggled to find the will to leave the protection of the estate. Facing today, my family, my ex, would be heartbreaking.
Jane did not come with me. She had been through enough. I would never ask her to attend the funeral of anyone who did that to her. I was doing everything in my power to hold in my own emotions as it was. In my family, if the men showed sentiment, it was a sign of vulnerability.
Despite what Marco did, he was still my blood. Being a parent was the hardest job of all. No matter what he did, I would always love him. However, he still had to pay for his sins. I was thankful Carmine ended his life because after I processed the reality, I do not think I would have been able to live with myself if I pulled that trigger.
Valentina and I made our way to the front of the church; an overwhelming Gothic-Victorian style Roman Catholic, cathedral in the middle of Brooklyn. I took a deep breath, trailing my eyes up to the top of the dual pinnacles. The voices of the choir were echoing through the open doors.
My daughter reached out, locking her hand in mine, looking up at me. “Ready, dad?”
Gazing into her innocent eyes, I shook my head, remembering when she was just a little girl. “I’ll never be ready to bury one of my children, but even he deserves to be properly laid to rest.”
“Come on.”
Hand in hand, we climbed the steps. My security and some of my men lined the stairs greeting us on the way to the entrance. One of my cousins, grabbed me the moment we were in the foyer, hugging me tightly, sobbing. She then snatched Valentina, embracing her just as snugly.
The cathedral was packed. Marco knew many people, many of whom had shown up. My guards were on high alert, as we had to make the funeral look authentic as possible. Reporters were outside. A helicopter circled above the church. Only few people knew how he died. Even fewer knew why. Therefore, everyone he had known was invited. I was hoping it would reveal some of the enemies in the process. A close eye was kept on the congregation.
Never removing my sunglasses, I made my way down the center aisle, Valentina following closely behind, taking a seat on the front row. My mother stood next to Emilio, close to the alter, sobbing over Marco’s closed casket.
“My grandson.” She buried her face in a tissue, leaning into Emilio’s side.
