By Any Other Name (29 page)

Sighing, he set his glass down and pulled out his phone, glancing at the screen. She hadn't called yet, so that was promising. If she didn't need him, she must be okay.

I hope, anyway.

After finishing what was left of his drink, he stood back up and headed for the door. As soon as he stepped outside, the sound of his brother's voice captured his attention as he spoke animatedly to someone along the curb. Matty glanced over, surprised that Enzo hadn't left the neighborhood yet, and froze when he caught a familiar gaze.

His father.

"Matteo," Roberto said, stalling Enzo mid-sentence as he diverted the attention straight to Matty. Others surrounded them, some Matty didn't know, with the Civello brothers lingering off to the side, waiting.

Without speaking, Matty nodded at his father in greeting, not having much to say to the man. They hadn't shared more than a handful of words in over a month, not since the night of his mother's funeral. She had been their connection, their last tendril of true relationship, and without her they felt like nothing more than strangers who happened to share a name.

"I heard something fascinating this morning," Roberto said. "Something about the Galante girl."

"Yeah?" Matty feigned ignorance as he kept his expression blank. "What's that?"

"Why don't you tell me, son?"

Matty shook his head. "Nothing to tell."

"Ah, so you're
not
seeing her?"

A frigid silence followed that question as everyone within earshot stiffened, questioning gazes darting straight to Matty, awaiting his response. He stood there on the sidewalk, staring right at his father as sweat beaded along his forehead at the intensity of which he stared back.

"So what if I am?"

Matty's shoulders squared, his muscles tensing as he prepared for an argument, prepared to defend himself to his father, to defend
Genna
, but instead of lashing out, Roberto's expression lit up, a smirk tugging his lips that he didn't even bother containing. Within a matter of seconds, he full on grinned, a light chuckle escaping.

Matty's blood ran cold. He would have preferred fury. This was a man tickled with amusement, like it was nothing more than a big joke to him. "I don't see what the hell is so funny."

"Funny, no," Roberto said, "but definitely interesting."

He turned away from Matty, his attention going back to Enzo as he motioned with his head for him to leave. Enzo nodded, acknowledging their silent conversation, as Roberto walked away to get in a waiting car. The others scattered as Enzo lingered there, waiting until everyone else was gone before sighing. "I swear I didn't tell. The Civello brothers heard it on the streets… Galante had word out last night, looking for his daughter. Spread like wildfire that she was somewhere with you."

"It doesn't matter," Matty said, eyeing his brother peculiarly. "Why are you heading up north, En?"

"Thought we covered this," Enzo said.

"We did, but I changed my mind," Matty said. "I wanna know now."

Enzo pulled out his keys, dangling them up so they jangled. "Come along and find out then."

The smell of marinara hung in the air, infiltrating Genna's lungs and making her stomach growl with every breath she took. It was late, well after nine o'clock, everything from dinner cleaned up and the staff gone for the day.

She hadn't come down for dinner, figuring it was best to just stay in her room, and her father hadn't sent Dante after her. But it got to be too much after a while, her hunger getting the best of her. She had breakfast that morning with Matty, then had lunch with him that afternoon before he brought her home, yet she felt like she hadn't eaten in days.

Strolling into the quiet kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and peered inside, shifting some containers around, seeking out whatever they'd had tonight. "Ugh, why isn't there anything to eat?"

"There's plenty to eat."

She startled at the interruption and looked across the kitchen at Dante in the doorway. "Where did you come from?"

"Same place you did," he said. "Mom."

Genna rolled her eyes.
Smartass
. "Where are all the leftovers from tonight?"

"Ah, there are none."

"What?" She gaped at him.
Nothing
left? "You ate all the food?"

"No, Dad told the cook to get rid of whatever was left," he replied. "Said if you wanted some, if you were hungry, you would've brought your ass downstairs at dinnertime."

"That's foul."

"You know how he is."

Stubborn as fuck
. Genna turned back to the refrigerator and started pulling out the other containers, glancing inside of them. She found an almost empty container of chicken salad and grabbed a fork, leaning back against the counter as she ate. When it was all gone, she tossed the container in the sink and went right back to the refrigerator, seeking out more. "He in his office?"

"Yeah," Dante replied quietly. "He's fast asleep, already snoring."

When was the last time he slept in his bed? Probably years, Genna thought. Probably since the last time her mother slept in it with him.

Sighing, Genna grabbed a jar of pickles and pulled one out, taking a bite of it as she glanced back at her brother. He was still standing in the doorway, watching her, and making no move to come any closer.

"You know," she said, pointing the pickle at him. "I only went with him last night because he didn't want me to get hurt."

"I would've kept you safe."

She scoffed, taking another bite of the pickle as she glanced back into the refrigerator and looked around some more, finding a pack of ham. She grabbed some slices and wrapped them around her pickle before taking another bite. "You were a little, uh, preoccupied getting your ass kicked."

Dante scowled as he finally broke his stance, taking a few steps toward her. He didn't humor her with a response, his attention on her food. "What the hell are you eating?"

She shrugged, leaning back against the counter. "Food."

Dante fixed himself a drink as she finished off her snack, the last bite not settling well on her stomach. It started churning again, dizziness making her head fuzzy, as bile burned her chest. She swallowed thickly, trying to push it back, but it was too much.

Too sudden.

Too
strong
.

Genna dove for the trashcan, barely making it in time before she lost everything she had just eaten. Her stomach painfully heaved, purging everything inside of it.

Dante cursed and stepped back from her.

"Call the priest," she gasped, trying to catch her breath. "We need an exorcism."

"You all right?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," she said, sitting back on her knees in front of the trashcan as her stomach settled back down. "Just haven't been feeling well. Think I got a virus or something."

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

His voice was playful as he nudged her, handing over his drink. She took it, scoffing as she took a sip of the cold water.
Pregnant
? "Of course not. I…"

Genna trailed off as that thought settled into her.
No fucking way
. She couldn't be. Jumping to her feet, knocking into Dante and spilling the water, she bolted across the room for the calendar on the wall and flipped back through it, counting the weeks.

No. No. No. Please, God, No.

Five weeks since that night with Matty in her room. Time had passed in such a blur, life delving into chaos, that she hadn't even noticed she missed her period. "Oh, God."

"Relax, sis, I'm just fucking with you," Dante said, laughing. Genna swung around to look at him, swallowing thickly, suddenly feeling like she was going to be sick again. Dante stared at her, his expression falling, his eyes widening. "You're not."

"It's just the stress," she said. "Stress does that, right? Because I've been under
a lot
of stress."

"Please tell me it's not even fucking possible, Genna," Dante said, stepping toward her. "Tell me you're smarter than that, that you've been safe."

"I, uh… it's not possible. It's just not. It can't be." She blinked rapidly. "Oh, God, please don't let it be."

Pregnant?

As that sunk in, Dante stormed out, heading straight for the front door and leaving the house, slamming the door as he left. Genna heard his car start up outside as she headed out to the foyer.

She went upstairs to her room, leaving the door wide open as she plopped down on the bed. She was in a daze, the word continually running through her head.

Pregnant?

In what seemed like no time at all, Dante reappeared, springing up in the doorway in front of her, clutching a bag from the nearby drugstore. He thrust it at her. "Do it."

She glanced inside the bag, seeing a pregnancy test. "I, uh…"

"Do it," he said again, his voice firmer. "Now."

Genna stood up, her legs shaking as she strode into the bathroom.
Impossible
, she thought.
It just can't be
.

Five minutes later, she stared at the two bright pink lines that told her it could be... that told her it was so. She stumbled out of the bathroom, seeking out her brother in her bedroom. Dante sat on the edge of her bed and slowly stood up, regarding her warily.

She said nothing. What could she say? Words evaded her, abandoning her when she needed them. She stared at him, shell-shocked.

Dante's face paled. She needn't say anything, anyway. He knew. He ran his hands through his hair, lacing his fingers together on the top of his head as he started for the door. "Guess we might need that priest, after all."

Her voice shook as she whispered, "Where are you going?"

"To do what I always do, Genna," he muttered. "Watch out for you."

The night was clear, the full moon glowing bright, high in the pitch-black sky. It neared midnight, another day almost upon them… another day of much the same.

Matty sat in the passenger seat of Enzo's Mercedes, his eyes focused out the window as the streets flew by in a blur. They were back in Soho, having survived the trip north.

Guns, it turned out. The Barsantis were stockpiling guns in a storage unit in East Harlem, ones they had stolen right under the Galantes noses in their territory. Matty had stood in the parking lot and watched a truck of freshly acquired weapons being unloaded. It left a bad taste in his mouth, bitterness he couldn't quite get rid of. All those guns, all that ammunition… they were preparing for something big.

Something he wanted far away from.

"You're tense," Enzo said, cutting his eyes at him. "I don't like it."

"Thought you said I was always tense."

"You are, but not like this. Usually you're like a coil, you know, ready to spring at any moment, but tonight you're like a thread… like if you get pulled any tighter you might finally break."

He felt that way. Fuck, did he feel that way. He wasn't sure how much more he could take, and he didn't want to stick around and find out. He had come for his mother, but now that she was gone, why was he even still there? "I'm tired of waiting around for that pink slip… think I might hand in my resignation instead."

"Think Dad will
accept
your resignation?"

"He won't really have a choice," Matty said. "By the time he realizes I quit, I'll be far away from here."

Enzo hesitated. "Alone?"

"I hope not," he said. "I hope she'll go with me."

"I hope she goes, too."

"You do?"

"Yeah." Enzo frowned, gazing at him, his voice earnest as he said, "I don't wanna see her hurt. I couldn't care less about the girl, but she's yours… she's your girl… and you're my brother."

He didn't say it outright, but Matty heard the full truth in those words. If they stuck around, if Genna stuck around, Enzo knew he might someday be the one to have to hurt her.

Neither spoke anymore as Enzo navigated the streets of Soho. He pulled the car into the lot near The Place and they climbed out, heading out of the parking garage.

They rounded the corner, heading for the apartment, when someone behind them shouted, "Barsanti!"

They turned around, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. Dante Galante. Enzo immediately braced himself for a fight, both brothers expecting Dante to lunge for him, but instead he hastily stepped right toward Matty. Another guy flanked him, a short, stocky guy—the same one that had been with him on the street that day in Little Italy.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Galante?" Enzo spat, taking a step forward, but Dante quickly sidestepped him. Matty tried to react, to back up, his hands up defensively, but Dante was right in front of him within seconds, swinging.

Dante's fist connected with Matty's jaw, brutally knocking his head to the side, pain tearing down his spine as he stumbled a few steps, stunned. Before he could even get his footing, Dante snatched ahold of his collar, glaring angrily. "This is for my sister."

He swung again, back to back, his fists frantically pounding Matty's face, blackening his eye and busting his nose. Blood spewed down his face as he stumbled backward, all sense of logic disintegrating in the blast of blinding pain. Without even thinking, he struck back, clocking Dante upside the head. The punch ignited a brawl as Enzo fought off the second guy, leaving Matty to defend himself alone.

Matty unleashed every ounce of anger he could conjure, trying to keep him at bay, but he had nothing compared to Dante's fury. His fists packed venom that Matty couldn't match.

Dante knocked him to the ground, hauling his foot back and brutally kicking him. Pain split Matty's side, knocking the breath from his lungs. He could hear the crack and feel the agony from the force of the foot battering his ribcage, again and again. He tried to shield himself, snatching ahold of Dante's foot and yanking on it, trying to throw him to the ground, but Dante merely kicked himself loose.

"Fuck!" Matty cried, seconds before he saw the foot coming straight for his face. He tried to move, to block himself from the attack, but he barely had time to blink before he stomped his face. Pain exploded in his skull, so intense, so overwhelming, he momentarily blacked out.