Page 89 of Brutal Power

“Listen to me,” I say quickly. “Captain Kennedy’s going to come in here and he’s going to arrest your father for murder. There’s nothing we can do about that. If we’re smart and we play it right, we might be able to get him off on self-defense. Depending on what they hear in those recordings and what Moretti’s willing to say. These guns are allegedly Santoro’s and if anyone asks, that’s what you’ll say. The cops are going to confiscate them. That’s the deal we cut. Just don’t say anything, okay? Don’t say a word. We’ll get the lawyers involved and we’ll figure it out.”

“Why would he do it?” she asks and breaks down into sobs.

Shouts echo down the corridors as the police swarm into the warehouse.

Chapter 47

Elena

Mom leans back in the Adirondack chair and takes a long drink from her glass of wine.

She looks older than she did three weeks ago before Dad killed Santoro. Her hair’s whiter and the wrinkles around her mouth are more pronounced. She’s been hiding in the house with Dad, currently out on bail, the two of them refusing to come out and address the family, at least until now.

“How mad is Simon?” Mom asks. She sounds more tired than upset.

“Pretty mad,” I admit, which is an understatement. He’s fucking livid. I think he’d charge into their house and kill Dad himself if he could. It’s not even the whole gay relationship thing that bothers him—it’s more that Dad’s been lying and covering for his lover all this time and that he cheated on Mom and kept a flame going for Santoro despite everything.

“He’s the only one that hasn’t reached out.” She stares straight ahead. “Even Davide came over, but your father’s not up for talking right now. I think… I think he’s still mourning Luciano.”

I sit stiff and dig my nails into my thigh. “How’s that make you feel?”

“Sad. Exhausted. I’m happy he did it.” I’m surprised when she smiles at me. “Is that strange? It probably seems strange to you, but I’m glad he finally saw the real Luciano and pulled that trigger.”

I shiver and look down at my hands. I can’t begin to understand the complexities of their relationship. Back in the day, Luciano was like a member of our immediate family. He was basically my uncle throughout my early childhood.

“I think Davide just wants closure,” I admit. That’s the impression I’ve gotten from talking to him. “And Laura doesn’t seem to mind either way. I think she likes Dad a little bit more.” I smile to myself. “And Angelo, well, you know Angelo. When I told him, he was just like, ‘Guess that makes sense. Put more money in my commissary.’”

Mom curls up into herself. She looks like she’s holding her guts inside, and I think she’s crying, but when she turns back to me her face is completely dry, and she’s forcing herself to smile. “And how do you feel, hon? It can’t be easy. You were there.”

She’s right. It’s not easy. I keep replaying what happened in my head again and again even though Brody says it isn’t healthy and that there’s nothing I could’ve done. Nobody knew Dad had a gun. Nobody even remotely guessed that Dad would’ve killed Santoro like that. And yet here we are, dealing with the fallout.

“I’m just sorry for you,” I say finally and try not to cry. “What Dad did to you?—”

“Your father loved me,” she says and that makes me flinch. “I knew, it’s hard for you to understand, but it’s possible to be inlove with more than one person. And when it was time for him to choose between me and Luciano, he chose me, and he chose all of you. It was a long time ago, and I’m not mad at him anymore. He proved to me a thousand times over that he’s sorry.”

I rub my face and finish my wine. “Even though he clearly never let go of Santoro?”

“We can’t help how we feel,” she says, sounding small and distant.

I get up and hug her. She hesitates, but she hugs me back. I want to be mad at her, but none of this is her fault. Even if she did make Dad swear to keep his relationship with Santoro secret, I don’t blame her for that one bit. She probably hoped they could put what happened behind them, but Santoro never gave up and never stopped coming for our family.

“Tell Dad I want to talk when he’s ready.” I pull away from her and wipe my eyes. “I’m mad at him, but I want to understand.”

“Give him some time. I think we’re all still processing.”

“I love you, Mom, and I’m so sorry for everything.”

Her smile breaks my heart as she puts a hand on my arm. “I love you too, hon, and don’t be. I got so many good years with all of you, and in some ways I’m happy the truth is out. It’s one less burden to carry.”

I leave her a little while later and find Brody waiting for me on the sidewalk. His big, strong arms pull me into him for a long hug and he kisses me gently on the lips. That goes a long way to making me feel better.

“I talked with Captain Kennedy earlier,” he says as we walk back towards the house holding hands. “He’s amenable to the self-defense thing, but he’s not sure if he can convince the DA to drop the charges. I had to pull a lot of strings and call in a ton of favors, but it seems like our story’s going to hold up. Those weapons were Santoro’s, and Santoro’s the one who tried to brutally murder your father. Moretti’s on board too, thanks to your brother’s generosity.”

I smile to myself. “I guess a crooked cop is a simple cop, right? You know what they want.”

He squeezes my hand and we pause on the porch. “How’d your mom seem?”

“Holding in there. She says it’s almost a relief that everyone knows.” I glance down the street toward Simon’s house. “But I’m worried the family won’t ever be the same.”

---