Chapter 30

Final exams are only months away when Calista Hale is told news that no senior in high school wants to hear; she’s being held back from graduating. The only way for her to receive that rolled up piece of parchment at the end of July lies in Lincoln Pierce. A master of deceit and skipping class, Lincoln is sure to give Cali a run for her diploma.

But as it turns out, she may be his last hope.

“So mother dearest has returned from the underworld.”

I drummed my fingers on the top of the grand dark wood dinning room table. I was sitting in one of the fancy chairs at the edge, Finn sitting next to me at the head, his temple resting against his fist as he leaned on his elbow. Elizabeth must have gone home, too stricken with rage to attempt contact with her other estranged child. I’m glad she wasn’t here because I don’t think I’d have the willpower to face her twice in one day.

Deadly assassins Allegra and Ace have been trying in vain to kill each other for years. With a mutual enemy threatening their mafias, they find themselves in an unexpected alliance, and soon discover killing each other isn’t the only temptation they need to resist...

Allegra Grey is poised to be the next great American mafia leader, and she’s more than living up to the name. A skilled assassin, there’s only one target who’s ever gotten away from her-suave, sinfully handsome Ace De Luca, heir to the Italian mafia and the Greys’ biggest rival. When both mafias are faced with a dangerous threat, they’re forced to work together to protect their families, and unexpected sparks fly. Allegra definitely isn’t one to sleep with the enemy, especially an arrogant womanizer like Ace. But there’s an undeniable electricity between them and Allegra’s not sure it’s all hatred. Ace may be bad news, but Allegra’s never been afraid of a little danger. As the fire they’re playing with grows to a scorching blaze, one thing is clear: trying to kill each other may have been difficult, but resisting this intense chemistry will be impossible.

“You haven’t talked to her, right?” I asked Finn curiously, observing my brothers defined features so much like my own. If I was a man, I would for

“I don’t know,” he exhaled honestly. “Because for all we know those two are sitting in their home in New York thinking the exact same things about us. I don’t want to play the victim card for us, but I think we’re the ones that have the mental block. Then again,

Sure look like Finn’s twin.

“No,” he answered without hesitation. “And I don’t plan on it. I’ve been done with her bullshit since you stopped talking to her.”

“Is it even worth worrying about the twins? I mean, I’m no professional but if they’ve managed to stay in her good graces for eighteen years, it’s probably already ingrained in their heads to hate us,” I wondered aloud. Even as a young child my mother and I never got along. Something must have changed in her after her first marriage, because Finn tolerated her for fifteen years with no problems. I know for a fact he wouldn’t stand that shit now.

You’re four years older than them and I’m nineteen. It might not seem like a lot between you guys, but four years at that age is a lot. Not to mention how fast you’ve had to grow up. To be completely honest, I still feel like a lost eighteen year old not a thirty six year old adult.”

“I guess we both still fell like abandoned fifteen year olds. Maybe that’s something that never changes,” I muttered. Finn could try and make me feel better all he wanted but I knew deep inside we felt the same way right now. All Elizabeth had done to him was ignore him for three years of his teenage years, come back with me, a baby she had out of wedlock, and then insult the one woman Finn ever loved. Okay, maybe she hurt him just as much as she hurt me. Beck was right, my mother was the problem, not me.

But was he right about everything else?

“Finn, I need to ask you something and

I want an unfiltered response.” If there was one thing I could count on from my brother, it was brutal honesty. “Do you think she’s abusive?”

His identical forest iris’ flicked over my face, analyzing it the same way Beck did when he thought I wasn’t looking. Or maybe he did know I was looking, he just didn’t care. It was more likely the later.

“I don’t think it’s as bad as it could be; she’s very open with her abuse but that doesn’t mean it isn’t as harmful. And what I mean by not as bad, is that she doesn’t try to convince you she isn’t. But, I do think she is abusive, to you. That’s why the court emancipated you, is it not?”

“They emancipated me because she denied me a surgery.”

“Which was detrimental to your career prospects and your health. She swears at you and tells you demeaning shit like

She does behind Sylvia’s back; that’s abuse, Danny. I think that’s why this whole time I wanted to get you away from her, I just didn’t want to admit it to myself just like you don’t want to admit it to yourself, but we both know the truth.”

I closed my eyes, leaning my head against my palms. “And what if the twins live that every day and we were too selfish to realize it? Because they never had a father there every night or an older sibling to save them.”

“I don’t know, Danny. The reality of it is that we abandoned them because we’re selfish. I don’t want to act like a dick, and I want to help my brothers as much as I can, but I don’t think there is anything we can do without harming our own wellbeing and our family’s. I can’t bring Elizabeth into Sylvia or your lives, even mine for that matter. You both hide it well but I know my sister and my wife. It’s a toll we can’t afford.”

“You’re not being a dick, Griffin. Sometimes you need to fix yourself before you can help others. We aren’t in the place. The best we can do is hope they reach out without prompting from her,” I murmured, dropping my hands from my face. My brother nodded in agreement, leaning back in his chair.

After a few minutes of silent contemplation, Finn spoke up. “They’re talking about us,” he nodded his chin in their direction, through the doorway of the dining room and into the large kitchen where Beck and Sylvia were leaning against the counter with serious looks on their faces in deep conversation.

I must have forgotten to mention that my brother could read minds.

“Creep much?” I teased to lighten the mood. Finn smirked with a small huff of air. “How do you know?”

“Because they both look like the weight

Of the world is on their shoulders. That’s what we do in this family; worry about each other. I helped Sylvia through her rape and anxiety, she helped me through dealing with Elizabeth, then we helped you in both those aspects. Seb helps you with your PTSD and we all help him forget about being homesick. You help Beck with his brother and Beck helps you with all the above. We might not all be full blooded family but we would walk to the ends of the earth for each other. And that,” Finn nodded at them again, “is what that looks like.”

Sylvia and Finn might be fifteen years older than me but it felt like we were less than a year apart. I could tell them anything and they would relate to me. Without them I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. “Beck is considered family now?” I raised an eyebrow.

Finn turned his attention to me, watching my face with a knowing look. What it meant, I wasn’t sure. “Beck and

Aras have been part of this family since they started spending their weekends with us. Aras has got Sylvia’s blood and he’s Ace’s best friend. Beck and you are inseparable; he is as much of a brother to me as you and Sebastian are.”

For all of the pain, this family had taught me something so much bigger; unconditional love of those who support you was the most priceless thing in the world. That is what family is. We are a huge, non related, multi-cultural, multi-generational family but we are a family none the less and I was eternally grateful for that.

“Besides, something tells me Beck is going to be part of this family in a different way very soon.”

His suggestive tone caught my attention. “What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked, drawing my brows together.

Finn held his hands up innocently. “I’m just saying he looks at you like I looked at Sylvia for months. You seem pretty keen on him too.”

“Of course I’m keen on him; I slept with him. That doesn’t mean anything. We are friends with occasional benefits. Besides, I have a career to worry about,” I defended, knowing inside that Beck was all I wanted. But he didn’t feel the same way, no matter what Finn thought. All anyone ever wanted from me was sex. Why would Beck be any different? He had plenty of opportunities to suggest something more but he never did.

“Whatever, Danny. The draft comes up soon. All I’m saying is that keeping a secret for a few months isn’t that big of a deal.”

I was going to quip a response back when I heard footsteps from the kitchen. My head turned from Finn to the doorway where Sylvia stood with

Beck behind her. I flashed them a small smile and Sylvia returned it, taking the seat across from me at the table and Beck beside me. She exhaled, looking at Beck for a moment. He gave her a slight nod before she continued. I was tempted to joke with her but decided against it because of the serious look on her face. “I want to start out by saying you to know that you can say no, no matter what.”

“Oh God, now I’m scared,” I joked but she didn’t laugh, instead twitching her lips up briefly.

“You know I do a lot of advocating for women in sports and the importance of rape awareness and I’ve got a Ted Talk coming up at the Yale campus about the mental effects of rape and how society views certain women in men’s jobs. I have a speech ready but I think it would be enhanced by your own story. I don’t want to pressure you in any way, Danny, but I think talking about it and being open might

Help you. I know it helped me come to grips with it. So I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me as a guest speaker. I mean, I know you have PTSD and I have more of an anxiety issue but I think together we have a lot of ground covered and maybe it would stress how common these issues are and-“

“I’ll do it,” I cut off my sister in-law’s rambling. She had a tendency to do that when she got nervous about something. I knew as soon as I agreed that I’d just committed myself to something I wasn’t sure if I was ready for.

Was I ready to talk about it? Sure, Sylvia and I both testified in court but I was three years younger than her; I had no clue what I was doing. I wasn’t in the Olympics so I didn’t get any interviews; NCAA athletes were rarely allowed to do them. But now that I was going professional I was sure I would start to get more and more questions about my rape and my name change,

Player in the NHL. Maybe this was good for me. Talking helped.

At least that’s what my therapist said.

“Are you sure?” She asked, almost surprise I had agreed so easily. I would be too if I were her.

I bit the corner of my lip for a moment in thought. I felt Beck’s hand on my thigh, a reassuring squeeze. I’m sure Finn noticed the subtle move but I didn’t care about him right now. I was about to commit to one of the biggest events of my life. This could help me get sponsorships and get my name out there if I needed a more egocentric motivation. But then I thought if all the young girls like me who Sylvia wanted to help and that’s when I knew this was bigger than me. I had to do this. If not for my own benefit then for other innocent survivors.

“I’ll do it.”