Page 3 of The Last Ones Standing, Part Two

I ball my fists. I hate this has happened. Uncle Emil was so strong. I didn’t think anyone could take him.

How did this happen? It shouldn’t be happening to Jace. Not my friend.

“We’re your family now,” Ny says as she brushes her hand over his hair. “We always will be. Don’t cry. I promise, Jace, we’re your family.”

She’s right. From this moment, I vow that we’re all family, just like I promised her. We will grow up and be together, always.

I move over to them and sit behind Ny, my legs on either side of her. Reaching around her, I place my hand on top of hers as she brushes his hair.

“We’ll always be together. I’m going to find out who did this and we’ll get them together. I promise, Jace. I have your back. Always.”

“Everything is gone,” he sobs.

“Not everything, what’s mine is yours. My life is your life. You can share my things. You know that.”

“Thanks, guys,” he sniffles. “I never want to lose you two.”

“Det vil du aldrig,” I promise because he never will.

Chapter 1

My Throne

Gio

Present…

“Something is wrong, she’s shutting down. Find a way to fix it,” Jace whispers in my ear before walking away.

I grunt and nod. I’ve noticed the change too. I’ve just been busy with closing this curtain for good. I’m watching, I see, I always see. However, I thought I had more time to focus on this later.

I reach for her hand and tug her to me. She won’t look up at me. I reach for her chin and lift her head. There are tears in her eyes.

“What’s going on? Talk to me.”

“Not now, G. You have guests to tend to. I can wait.”

“No, you can’t. I want to know what’s going on, baby. Something’s wrong. Is this about Riccardo?”

She gives me a wobbly smile. “No. Everything has changed.”

I furrow my brows. Everything is falling in line. I’ve fixed everything and I’m about to make my final move.

“Yeah, a lot has changed, but that’s what we wanted. He’s gone.”

“I know but—”

I tug her to me to crush her lips with mine, cutting her words off. I deepen the kiss as she melts into me. I’ve done all of this for her. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but I’m not losing her now. We finish this together.

When I break the kiss, I stare into her eyes, searching for answers. I’ve made good on my word. I’m not understanding this change.

“Talk to me, Ny. We work when we talk.”

“This isn’t the place. Let’s enjoy our family. You worked hard for this.”

“We, we worked hard for this.”

She nods as a tear falls. I reach for her face and brush it away. I work my jaw, annoyed with the timing of it all.

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