Sweet Hope (Sweet Home #4)(51)

Excitement washed through me at the thought of getting more cash. I could help my mamma. I could help my brothers.

The Heighters all began to walk away except for Gio.

“Why? Why are you helping me? I don’t understand?” I asked and Gio smiled.

“You’re Italiano, fratello. We look after our own.” He shrugged. “And the way you took on your old man today shows you got balls. Ain’t afraid to fight for a cause. You’ll do well with us. We’ll take care of you, have your back.”

At his words, I breathed out a long breath. “Grazie,” I said sincerely. “Grazie mille.”

Gio came beside me and threw his arm around my neck again. We began walking toward my trailer, back to my brothers, when I looked behind me to my papa on the floor. “What about my papa? He’ll beat on us again after this. I’ll pay for what you did.”

Gio laughed. “He ain’t gonna touch you again, Axel. He knows better than to f*ck with the Heighers. You run with us now, ragazzo. If he even breathes wrong your way, Remo will make sure he never does it again.”

“Papa ain’t gonna touch my mamma and brothers again?” I asked in relief.

Gio shook his head and I felt a smile pull on my lips.

Gio laughed at my reaction and nodded his head. “I’ll be with you all the way, ragazzo. Now, let’s go get those brothers of yours some new clothes…”

*****

Aliyana was silent as I finished speaking, my damn heart feeling bruised as I thought about that day. The day the Heighters changed my life.

“They protected you from your drunk abusive papa…?” Aliyana said. “They helped you clothe Austin and Levi?”

“Yeah,” I replied roughly.

“Axel…” Aliyana’s watery voice said, “Your life was so sad. No wonder you gravitated toward them. They gave you hope that it would all be okay.”

I shook my head. “It was more than that. They saved me. They kept my family going, they had my back… I f*cking owed them everything.”

“And your papa?”

“Left two weeks later. Moved in with that slut that was on his lap. It was the best f*cking day of my life. I knew it was Remo and the Heighters that had made him leave.” I huffed a laugh. “They saved us all.”

“God, Axel. I don’t know what to say. You were so young. So young to be dealing with all of that on your own.”

“I didn’t feel young back then. I was twelve but felt twenty-seven.”

“And Gio? You became close?”

I couldn’t help but still feel that bond I’d had with my best friend at her question. “He was always with me after that day. He never left my side. Taught me everything I needed to know to survive, to make money. He was the only person who never let me down. From the day we met until the day he died, he had my back without question.” My body tensed as I remembered the moment I’d heard he’d died… died at my hands. I’d felt like I’d been cut open remembering our friendship. I’d felt like the biggest prick on the face of the planet.

“And I gave him up to our rivals to save Aust and Lev… I still ain’t made peace with that. Don’t think I ever will. I’ve never had anyone that close to me since, doubt I ever will again.”

I heard Ally sniffing, and when I looked into her teary eyes, I felt every bit of sadness leak out of me that I’d kept locked away for so long over losing my friend.

I was guilty of killing the guy that saved my life to save the blood of my blood.

“And the scar?” Ally suddenly prompted. “On your neck.”

I shrugged. “A fight broke out in the yard. Alessio and the rest of the Heighters used it as cover to come at me.” I winced, still seeing them all approaching, f*cking eight of them against me. “I fought them off as best I could, but two of the f*ckers pinned me against the fence. Alessio pulled the knife out and, just as the guards started filling the yard, he sliced the knife down my neck.” I gripped tighter onto Aliyana’s hand, for some reason, needing the damn support. “They ran while I dropped to the floor and started bleeding out.”

“My God…” Aliyana said. “How did you not die?”

My chest tightened. “It was close. Had surgery and spent weeks and weeks in the infirmary.”

“Christ, Axel… And Austin and Levi? Why were they not told? I can’t believe they wouldn’t care.”

My vision lost focus as I stared at nothing.

“Axel, please,” Aliyana pushed. Seeing her face needing the answers, I cussed under my breath.

“When I found out Alessio was being sent down, I cut off all ties to my brothers. Claimed I had no next of kin to the prison, everything.”

“I don’t understand?” Aliyana said. Her cute ass face was all scrunched up. Lifting my hand I ran my tattooed finger down her cheek, circling a deep dimple and said, “Alessio is a sadistic *, one seriously crazy motherf*cker. Killed for more than just turf, that bastard killed for fun. And I’d got his boy, his little brother, shot. That guy was gonna be coming for me, in any way he could.”

“Austin and Levi…” she trailed off, getting why I did what I did.

“Lev had stopped coming to see me by then, he was just a kid and hated me, but Austin was still coming whenever he could. I knew him and Levi and Lexi were living a good f*cking life in Cisco. Lev was at a good school, Austin was starting for the 49ers, Lexi was eating better and started her own treatment center…” Water filled my eyes and I coughed to straighten my voice. “I was so damn proud.”