Page 16 of The Dirty Saint

I ruffle his hair and then plant a kiss on his forehead. He wraps his arms around my neck, and I lean into him, smiling.

“Are you having fun with Uncle Joey over there,” Santi asks, sauntering into the hospital room with a bag of chips in tow. He kisses David’s cheek and then leans down to give Otto, his stuffed giraffe, one too.

“Where’d you come from,” I question, bouncing David up and down in my arms.

“Dellah’s,” he quickly answers. “She was having a party.”

My eyebrows come together to form an arch.

“What kind of party?”

A wide grin spreads across Santi’s face.

“Nothing. Just a small little get-together.”

“You really expect me to believe that?”

Santi claps me on the back. “No, big brother, I don’t.”

Manni pulls David’s shirt down to cover his cute little belly. “Was it at least fun?”

“Big brother, you have no idea.”

I roll my eyes at Santi, feeling like my brain is about to explode out of all sides of my head. Bless my immature, out-of-touch younger brother.

“Well, I’m glad you were able to escape reality for a moment.” I wish I could do the same. “But we have bigger problems now.”

“Like what?”

I take a breath.

“Like how we are supposed to keep our mother alive with almost no money.”

What, you think I became a paid hitman for fun?

I wish.

No, I forged myself into a selfish monster because I couldn’t bear the thought of losing the one woman who has always loved and protected me.

But my family can’t know that.

And no matter what it takes, I’ll make sure they never find out.

“So what do we do,” Santi asks.

Manni shakes his head. “I don’t know.”

I do, though.

But she’s not gonna like it.

4

Chapter Four

Before

EZRA

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