Page 75 of The Last Ones Standing, Part Two

I wink at him and go to hug Gio before they both disappear to dress for the day. Today will be my first full day here by myself. I don’t have much at the house so it shouldn’t take long for me to get my things.

After a shower and getting dressed myself, I find Gio and Jace by the elevator. I walk over to Gio as he stands with his hands in his pants pockets, his stance wide and commanding. Stopping in front of him, I place my hands on his waist.

He kisses my forehead. Jace comes over and places a hand on my back. I turn to look over my shoulder and he kisses my nose.

“The keys are all on the rack over there. If you ride down with us, I can point out our spots. I also need a favor from you.”

“What’s that?”

“I know exactly how to handle Lizzy and Dante. I don’t want her to find out about Bethany before I’m ready. Do you think you can keep her busy over the holiday? No TV or media outlets, just in case.”

I frown, still not sure how I feel about his plan for my sister. However, I know all I have to do is challenge Lizzy to read or get her into creating content and I can easily hold her attention from anything but books and gaming.

“Yeah, I’ve got you, but Gio—”

“Trust me, baby. I’ve got it. She’s perfect for him and he needs her. It will work out in the end. Oh, and hold off on Carleen. I need to pivot there.”

I side-eye him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just need to adjust.”

“You mean you don’t want to tell me,” I say, reading the look in his eyes.

I see him dancing around the subject. He runs the backs of his fingertips down my cheek, then kisses my lips.

“I mean what I said. I need to tweak my plan a bit. You’re still going to wake her. I just need to make an adjustment or two.”

* * *

Gio

We pull up to Dante’s just as Dario is stepping out of his truck. He has a somber look on his face. Not the look of a man who knows the woman he’s been in love with all his life is pregnant. Jace parks and turns to me.

“You think she still hasn’t said anything to him?”

“I don’t know yet. That’s what I’m waiting to see. I’ll decide Ny’s next move after I get that answer.Andiamo.”

I push the door open and step out of the car. We meet up with Dario at the front door. I tug my brother into a hug and kiss his cheek.

“This is crazy. I couldn’t stand her ass, but damn.” He shakes his head.

“Karma. One hell of a bitch, ain’t she?” I say and wink.

“Marone,” he says and pulls a hand down his face.

“Andiamo. He called, so he needs us.”

My brother nods and pushes into our other brother’s home. Mitch is making his way up from the basement when we get inside. I nod and he gestures down the stairs with his head in reply to my unspoken question.

I head down and Jace and Dario follow me. When we enter the gym, Dante is running on the treadmill as if he can outrun his life. This… this is the thing I aim to fix. We don’t run from shit. We’re the shit others run from.

Dario pulls Dante into a hug as they exchange words. I lock in and watch the two. People tell you a lot in their body language. I watch for where Dante’s tells me his head is.

“What happened?” I ask. “What are the police saying?”

“She was run off the road. A pickup slammed into the side of her truck and ran her into a ditch.”

I pull a hand down my face, feigning ignorance of these details. I then repeat my sentiments from earlier. “Wow, I hate to say it, but karma is a bitch. Do they have any leads?”

---