Page 33 of Star Crossed
“They’re desperate because they can’t get anything on me,” Nova said simply, turning his head once more, blowing out smoke and looking across the street. “Not a bad thing.”
Romeo considered Nova, who was still smoking and drinking and looking to all the world like any other guy partying on New Year’s Eve. But Romeo knew him better. He could see his mind working, his eyes taking in everything. The FBI would never get anything on Nova. How could they compete? Geniuses like Nova didn’t come along every day, and when they did, they weren’t working for the government for pennies.
If Nova had no weaknesses, he’d be invincible—but he did have weaknesses.
“Are they tagging Tino and me?” Romeo asked, unable to help the flare of anger.
“I’d stop talking with that Conner chick,” Nova said in response. “You gotta date, make it someone who can deal with our shit.”
Romeo looked away, knowing Nova was talking about women like Cara and Pia. He was trapped in the circle as deeply as they were, and it pissed him off. This wasn’t supposed to be his life, and it shouldn’t have been Nova’s or Tino’s either.
“You’re better than this,” Romeo whispered, looking to the ground and studying his black boots. “You could have been anything. Done anything in the friggin’ world you wanted to do. I hate that this is where you ended up.”
“This is the hand I was dealt.” Nova turned to Romeo, his eyes narrowed. “You play the hand you’re dealt, and you play to win. You don’t sit around crying and wishing you’d gotten a different hand. You know what happens to guys who do that?”
Romeo raised his eyebrows. “What?”
“They lose. Regret is a weakness, Rome. Stop regretting. We can’t afford it at this point in the game.”
Romeo knew Nova was right, which hurt worse than anything. Looking back was pointless, and instead he focused on what he could do in the future. “I’m taking Tino with me on this publicity tour.”
“Good plan,” Nova agreed without hesitation. “He needs a month outta the party lane. He needs it desperately.”
“I’m taking him with me to Garnet after that.”
Nova snorted, giving Romeo an incredulous look. “He’s not a kid anymore. You can’t force him to go just ’cause—”
“I’m going to train with one of the best jujitsu experts in the world,” Romeo said simply. “I won’t have to force him. He’ll race me there.”
“What the fuck is he gonna do with jujitsu?” Nova asked with a laugh of disbelief. “You finally gonna let him in the cage?”
“Yeah, I am.” Romeo nodded, despite having fought against Tino being a professional fighter for years. “If he wants to get his head beat in for a living, who am I to stop him?”
“His older brother whose been balking about it for years. You said you never wanted to see him in the cage professionally,” Nova said as if it were obvious before he took another drag off his cigarette. “Why the sudden change of heart?”
“It’s the best option at this point. If he’s gonna risk his life, it might as well be for something he can be proud of.”
“I’m not ashamed of what I do,” Nova said with conviction. “I survive. I protect my family. I take care of business. There’s not a fucking thing wrong with that.”
“That scares me worst of all”—Romeo sighed—“’cause I believe you mean it.”
Nova looked down for one minute, sadness showing on his handsome face. “You know I’m against it, but if you gotta go to Garnet, I’m glad you’re taking Tino with you. Get him out. Fighting is what he loves. He should be able to do it. It makes him happy, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted—for you guys to be happy.”
At that point Romeo wasn’t real sure who was the worse influence on Tino. Fighting for a living was a dangerous career choice, one fraught with injury and struggle and until now Romeo had wanted more for his youngest brother than a short-lived career and a lifetime of aches and pains once it was over. Most of the time it wasn’t worth it. Very few fighters were as successful as Romeo was, but at the end of the day it was a better option than what Tino was doing here.
Romeo was still pondering it when a female giggle pulled him out of his musings. He turned to the door, seeing two women leaning out, laughing and flushed with enthusiasm.
They waved, their eyes predatory and hungry as they studied Nova. Since he’d been made capo bastone, he’d become even more in demand than usual. Now it was more than money, good looks, and keen intelligence that made him desirable—Nova had power.
“Nova, you gonna dance with us?” one asked, giving him a bright smile. “There’s a place in the middle just for you."
“Yeah, I’ll dance with you,” Nova called out nonchalantly. He took another drag off his cigarette before he dropped it to the ground and stomped on it. “You coming?”
“In a few,” Romeo said while pushing his hands deeper into his pockets. It was cold out, but he wasn’t quite ready to play the game again. “I’m just gonna sit out here and dwell on my failures for a few more minutes.”
Nova snorted, a grin tugging at his lips as he reached up and clasped the back of Romeo’s neck. He tugged him down and placed a kiss on Romeo’s forehead.
“I love you,” Nova said in Italian with brotherly affection. “It’s New Year’s Eve, and you’re on top of the fucking world. You got money, fame, and good looks. Stop sitting out here sulking about shit that went down years ago.”
