Page 80 of Wicked Tricks

By a habit built from our childhoods, we naturally ended up in the kitchen.

We were trained to leave the rest of the house for the grown ups to do business in.

It was funny how some things just stuck.

Valerie and I were probably the closest siblings, being so close in age, we grew up together. Though, she had a much different experience than me, and openly defied my father, no matter how harsh the consequences. She moved to the other side of the country on the day that she turned eighteen. It was only through The Family’s connections and some research on my part that we figured out that she was in Western Australia.

Otherwise, we knew nothing about her new life.

Valerie hated our way of life, every aspect of it.

She hated our parents for bringing us into it, and wanted nothing to do with them. With the way that they treated her, especially Dad, I couldn’t blame her. She had come home only once since leaving, for our fathers’ funeral.

Even then, it was only to check on Zarina and Sammy - who she was fiercely protective over. She didn’t speak to me for months after Dad died, angry at me for deciding to take the role of Don.

She thought I would end it, she begged me to.

But I couldn’t, I didn’t want to. This was what I was raised for.

If I didn’t do it - what was the point of it all?

What would be the point of everything I had seen and done? All the terrible things that I had witnessed and been a part of, it was all a part of my training.

What would I be without it?

Just a shitty person who had done shitty things.

At least as leader of The Family, it gave reason to the brutality. It was business, and this was how business was done. In our world anyway.

And if it wasn’t me, it would be someone else.

There would always be darkness, there would always be violence, and there would always be people like us.

Valerie didn’t believe that.

She made coffee as I complained about our mother, laughing and rolling her eyes at the antics that we had grown up with. I tried to pry details about her life out of her, but she didn’t budge.

“So you just got on a plane and came?” I asked.

“Well, I had to ask my boss for the time off - but he understood. Plus, I still have the Santino last name, and when I told him it was a family issue, he wasn’t game to say anything.”

I scoffed, “you wouldn’t have to do that if you stayed here and worked with The Family.”

“You’re joking right?” she laughed, sitting next to me, “am I not here because of all the problems you’re having?”

“I didn’t ask you to come,” I snapped.

Though I was grateful that she did.

“No,” she leaned back, folding her arms, “I had to hear it from our baby sister.”

“Well you made it pretty obvious you don’t want anything to do with me.”

“Toni, you know how I feel about this shit. I don’t want anything to do withit, but you’re still my brother,” she put her hand on my forearm, “I still care aboutyou.”

I smiled, and then dropped my eyes, looking into my coffee.

“Plus,” she sipped at her cup with a cheeky expression, “I heard there was a girl involved and I wanted the goss.”

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