And then Kent follows the kid out of the barn, where a car waits, parked next to a truck with a horse trailer attached. Kent blinks in the light of the setting sun, looking around, but his face bursts into a smile the moment he hears his name called. “Kenny!” Kent laughs, turning towards his f
Kent can tell when things get a little dicey on the thirty-minute drive to the coast because Jerome’s whole body goes tense. “Shit, shit,” Jerome murmurs once, his eyes darting to the side towards what Kent assumes is a police vehicle. “Do we have any weapons?” Kent asks, keeping his voice low.
“Last to board,” the sailor says in a heavy accent that Kent can’t quite place, nodding harshly after Kent steps onto the deck. The sailor closes the gate, pressing a button that detaches the staircase. “No one else. We sail now, immediate.” Then he points down the line of the deck. When Kent foll
Kent is already moving, anger and panic thrumming through him, when he sees a figure move towards the end of the hall. Kent shouts for him, a loud and commanding “Hey!” The sailor stops, turning towards Kent warily. Kent closes the distance between them fast, looming down over the sailor, who look
And I calm, and come back to myself. And then suddenly blush bright red – because I’m supposed to be this powerful mafia donna now, and here I am crying my eyes out on the floor of a makeshift stable in a shipping container, for heaven’s sake. I hear him laugh a little and I look up to see him p
Gasping, I pull my face from Kent’s and snap my gaze to the door where – “JANEEN!” I shriek, scrambling suddenly to get out of Kent’s lap – Even though seconds ago I would have said that nothing could tear me away – But my sister – here on the ship! Does it mean - I clamber to my feet and hu
I grin suddenly, and he turns his head at me, silently asking what’s so funny. “Look at you, Kent,” I say, laughing a little, “talking about your feelings. Jail did you good.” “Jail made me miss you,” he murmurs, wrapping a fierce arm around me and pulling me tight against him again, precisely whe
I smirk when I feel Kent check his step just a little before entering the ship’s very tiny dining room. Honestly, I think it’s just a room that they put a table in where we could eat separately from the crew – this ship isn’t really accustomed to taking passengers; even the cabins we’re staying in a
My dad greets him with such genuine joy and excitement that it makes my heart swell with joy. They talk for a few minutes about Dominic’s day before dad gives him a little nudge back towards the gate where Kent and I are waiting. Dominic gives dad a kiss before running ahead again. My dad waves to
“Papa!” Dominic shouts, startling me out of my reverie as he drops my hand and darts down the road. I look up, a huge smile breaking out on my face again as I see Kent on the sidewalk just ahead. His back is to us as he speaks companionably with the butcher, a heavy bag of his purchases already hung
As I walk down the street towards the little Italian kindergarten, the whispers start around me, as they always do. I listen to all of them, a big German Shepherd padding quietly at my heels. “Is that her?” “Yes, that’s the one – I heard she was her husband’s mistress before he married her – tha
Both Kent and I laugh, but Don Bianci – across the baptismal font from us – snaps his eyes up, perhaps not liking the joke as much as we do. But I just ignore it, because dad’s right, frankly – and it’s too happy a day to care. After the final blessing everyone applauds Dominic – he likes that, bl
“Well, it didn’t seem to affect your first very badly,” Ivan says with a shrug, peering around Kent to where Daniel is laughing with an arm around Jerome’s shoulders. “So…maybe keep it up.” I smirk, squeezing Ivan’s hand once more before standing and moving to Kent’s side, tucking myself against h
“Hey, gorgeous,” Ivan says, his mouth turned up in a smirk as I cross the churchyard, beaming at him. “Look who’s talking,” I say, laughing and reaching for him when I come close enough. Ivan wraps me in a hug, dropping a kiss to my cheek as I hold Dominic a bit to the side so he doesn’t get squis
He laughs, smiling at me genuinely. “Do I make you nervous?” he asks, blunt. I laugh, unable to help it. “Has no one bothered to tell you, in all these years, that you’re a little terrifying, Don Bianci?” He grins and shakes his head at me. “Well, considering what you accomplished, young lady, I
Two months later, we’re all gathered together again. And it is only with frustration that I see Gio and Janeen standing so close together that their arms nearly brush, even though they’re still not together. I roll my eyes, dismissing the problem for a moment as I move my eyes down to Dominic and
It's an incredible night. Kent didn’t lie, not at all, about the food either. I’m shocked by the mountains of dishes that continue to follow each other, one after another, long into the night. After a few hours of it I just mournfully watch the waiters go by because I couldn’t eat another bite if I