Page 7 of Unbroken (Russo Mafia)

“Hey Dad, I’m home,” I call out. I head to his office, knock on the door then enter. He’s sitting at his desk, that’s piled high with folders, loose sheets of paper, and his laptop in the center. He’s on his phone, so I quietly sit down and wait.

“I get that, but I’ve also been following this lead for weeks now, Frank. I’m getting tired of it.” He runs his hand through his hair. He nods at whatever Frank says, rolls his eyes. “Yep, guess I have no choice now do I. Sure. Talk to you later.” He tosses his phone on the desk, then falls back into the chair.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

He groans. “Yeah, I really wanted this lead to pan out, but I won’t bother you with the details. How was school?” He sits up and gives me his full attention.

That’s the thing about Dad. He will always push work aside when it comes to me. Nothing is more important than his little girl. I love him for that. I was so glad when he could transfer here and have a better work schedule. I owe this man so much I’ll never be able to repay him.

“School is always the same. I can’t wait to graduate in two months. Are you going to be fine when I move away? Won’t you get lonely without me?”

He waves me off. “Nah, I’ll fill my time in with more cases.”

“Don’t overwork yourself, Dad. I wish you would find someone to spend time with, even if it’s just to talk to.”

He smiled a little. “I had already found my true love. There is no one else for me. It wouldn’t be fair to someone if my heart was only half with them.”

I get where he is coming from. I wouldn’t want that either. I only want one love in my life. I think about Lucca. Could he be my true love? He might be, my feelings for him are already strong. I didn’t think it was possible. I give Dad a kiss on the forehead and tell him I’m headed out soon. I’m meeting Lucca for supper around five and I still gotta get ready.

I’m not nearly as nervous as the first time. I’m only wearing skinny jeans, and a t-shirt. Nothing fancy. Lucca sent me a text telling me where to meet him and I was grateful when it was my favourite diner. Low-key is the way to go and I’ll never complain. I pull into the parking lot and see he’s already here; I park next to him. The smell of fried food reminds me of the first time I came here with Dad. It was shortly after we moved, and we wanted to find a place that reminded us of home.

I located Lucca across the diner. Happiness bloomed inside of me. His sharp jawline on display for all the girls to drool over. I must admit I love running my hand along it. He gave me a half-smile as I approached the table.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” He chuckles. “How was the rest of your day?”

I pick up the menu. Even though I already know what I’m going to order, I need a distraction. I can feel his eyes on me.

Without looking up, I answer him. “Uneventful I suppose.” I shrug. “What about yours?”

“The same old. Show up to class. Go home report to my capo and get some work done.”

“How does that work. With what you do while in school?”

The waitress comes by cutting him off. We both place our orders, then wait until she’s out of earshot.

“I guess how you can imagine it works. I only have two months left, then it’ll be all I’ll ever do.”

“So, no college?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No need. This is the life that I choose. Blood in, blood out.”

“That’s one huge sacrifice. Are you really sure that’s what you want?”

He looks into my eyes. “It’s not a sacrifice if it’s for the familyTesoro.It’s an honour. I would do anything for my family.”

That’s still one sacrifice I don’t think I could ever make, and I only have my dad. Then again, if my dad asked me to stay behind and help him, I probably would. I would give everything up for my dad to see him happy.

I smile at him. “You would do anything for your family and not even question them?”

“Why would I? I trust them with my life,” he states. “Same goes for Rett, Nico and Antonio. I would do anything for them. If Antonio asked, I would protect Scarlett. She’s also family, even if she doesn’t know what I do. I want to keep it that way.” His eyes locked onto mine. All I can do is nod. It’s not my place to tell anyone.

The waitress brings our meal to us, and we eat while we enjoy a relaxed conversation about school and what sort of jobs, he does without going into great detail. I asked if he was ever scared about joining. He said it was what he was raised to do. I can’t imagine being born and raised to take over an entire empire. The amount of pressure that would impose on him. We’re both walking towards our cars when I pause. I stare at his then back at mine. I’m not ready for this night to end.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m not ready for this night to be over that’s all.”

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