Page 29 of End It All

"I call," Harlow argued.

Yeah, when he was watching Paolo and York's girls or when there was something that needed to be done. But even then, he depended more on his new family. I couldn't be upset with Harlow for it either. I knew having a family that was actually there and gave a damn about him was new. He was settling into the Vitale world fully, and I was happy for him. Sometimes it just felt like I was the afterthought.

"Mm-hmm, so what's wrong this time?"

"He calls Benito at all hours of the night. Like he's some lap dog."

"I know it's not Benito's lover because we'd be having a different conversation. So who are we referring to here?"

"Fucking Cesare, who else? I wish Benito would try and have something on the side. I'd kill them both." Harlow went off on a tangent, swearing in Japanese, switching between both languages. It even sounded like he dropped a few Italian swear words. The pronunciation was shit.

I let him have his moment while I finished cleaning up the shattered mirror. I caught sight of my reflection in one of the broken pieces and groaned at the blond on top of my head. It had been a few weeks of blond; I was ready for a color. I opened the cabinet over the toilet and shook each dye bottle until I found one that was at least half full.

Pink.

"What are you going to do about it?" I bagged up the broken pieces of glass, and dropped the bag somewhere in the living room without a care. I headed back to my room with a plan. I hit the speaker before putting the phone down and getting ready to dye my hair. One look at my hands and I sighed. I quickly took care of my bloody knuckles.

"I don't know. Every time I bring it up to Benito, we end up fighting."

"Let me guess, you stab him, you have sex, and then he leaves?" The silence from Harlow's end made me laugh. "Okay, what's the backup plan to get rid of Cesare?"

"I wish it was that easy; slip into his hotel room and slit his fucking throat. I'd pay to watch that man die."

I shook my head as I slathered the pink dye on without any plan. I made sure every inch of my hair was saturated. The strands were slightly curled at the edges now that it was growing out some from the buzz cut.

"And what's stopping you?"

"My husband and his batshit insane brothers. As much as they dislike their father, every single one of them respects him. Or fears him. Pick one." Harlow grunted. "Each of them has outgrown him and they still seek his approval in some fucked up way."

I laughed. "Thank fuck my old man died before I was born. Couldn't imagine the daddy issues on top of mommy ones." I grabbed a joint and lit up, probably needing something a bit stronger than weed on deck.

Harlow joined in the laughter before switching topics to his sister. She'd come around a few times. Of course, still wasn’t ready to be a mother, not that she was going to take Emica away from her loving home. It showed a whole lot of growth for her. I remembered a time when she'd cry to follow Harlow and me around when we lived in that shitty apartment building. She'd cause more trouble for us to deal with then if we would have just left her at home. Those memories were welcomed, the times when I'd had someone to lean on, and home hadn't felt so draining.

"Benito's back," Harlow said.

I rinsed the pink dye out of my hair, pissed I couldn't check it out in the mirror. I'd have to find a replacement soon. "You getting off?"

"Quincy," Harlow said, ignoring me in favor of his husband.

There was a muffled sound over the line before Benito's voice filled my bathroom. "What are you doing tonight?"

Trying my damndest not to let the past sneak up on me and tear me limb from limb. Not to mention balancing this shit hand life has dealt me. Oh, and wondering how I’m going to pay my rent, let’s not forget that existential dread.

"Same old shit, nothing too important. Why?"

"I need you to check up on Blake."

I was shaking my head before Benito could even get his name fully out. "He went with your father."

"And he wants away from him."

Remembering the way Blake's face had gone ashen when faced with meeting his father twisted my stomach. I wasn't a softy by any means, but for some reason, the bastard had gotten under my skin in the little time we had together.

"Fine. Just checking on him, nothing more, right?"

Benito was silent but inevitably sighed. "Yes, Cesare made it clear that Blake is to be returned to the hotel."

I wanted to question why but I also knew it wasn't my place.

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