Page 86 of End It All

Cesare chuckled, and I wondered if this was the real him. He didn't seem like such a dick right now. I also knew, however, that he was a brutal man with very little cares in the world. Everything about him screamed dangerous and I wasn't stupid enough to ignore that.

"Are you staying for a while?" Cesare asked. "I mean, if you really want to take over New York, you should stick with me."

My back tightened. "I don't know if I want to take over anything. Honestly, I just want to survive."

He waved a hand. "Bullshit. Everyone wants power, even if they act like they don't. Besides, I know what you're running from. If you end up being with me, you know you'll be safe. We can buy your freedom. And then you could see your mother again."

I started at the way he threw my mother at me. Part of me longed for just that. I needed to see her, to talk to her. On the other hand, it irritated me and made me feel suspicious about why he wanted me after all. I knew he felt nothing for her, he didn't give a damn if she lived or died, so him bringing her up would always feel like a slap in the face.

"Yeah," I muttered.

"Stick with me. You'll see what I mean."

I stared out of the car window again. Maybe he was right. Was he telling the truth all of the time? No, definitely not. But he was more honest with me than anyone else in my life. Besides, it wasn't like I had a choice. I could either stay out on the streets and freeze to death or go back home and be locked up for god knew how long. Neither of those options was something I could handle.

My father'sactual penthouse was nice. It was all decorated in neutral tones, beiges, browns with little pops of orange and red. The place felt like something out of one of my mom's home decor magazines, as if someone had put it all together on a board before it was presented to Cesare. If I knew anything about him,and I knew very little, I'd have to say that was accurate. He didn't really strike me as the kind of man that gave a damn about things like appearances of his house. As long as it looked good, and expensive, it seemed he would enjoy it.

I'd already drank and smoked my body weight in vodka and weed. Finally, he'd let me stumble off to what he called my room once I could barely stand up anymore, and he'd gone on a twenty-minute tirade about his sons disappointing him and why marriage was a scam. I was pretty sure he was nuts, but that wasn't a surprise.

My phone buzzed and I rolled over to yank it out of my pocket. I forgot I had snatched it up before I left Quincy's car. Part of me was surprised it even still worked. As I pulled it out, I peered at the name and could barely make it out past my hazy vision. Letters merged together and I groaned as I finally saw who it was.

Benito.

The phone stopped buzzing only for it to start up again. I quickly put it on do not disturb. Whatever was going on with them, I wanted nothing to do with it. Quincy could deal with the warehouse fire and the bullshit fallout. All I wanted to do was lie down and pass the hell out for the day.

Once Benito gave up, I opened my phone and stared at it. There was only one voice that I wanted to hear. One. My heart squeezed. Since I'd come to New York, my mother had weighed heavily on my mind. The only time I wasn't thinking about her was when I was with the brothers or Quincy. Now that they were all gone, my head was an empty cave, and I couldn’t think about anything but her. My fingers moved over the screen as my heart leaped into my throat. I made sure I picked up the remote beside me and flipped on some random TV show before I stumbled to the bathroom. I shut and locked the door behind me, falling into the tub as I pressed the phone against my ear.

Please pick up. Please. Please.

"Hello?"

"Mom," I choked out. "Mommy."

"Oh my god, Blakey." I heard the tears in her voice and the way it trembled. "Where are you? Are you safe? I've been thinking about you every single day. Praying for you too. What's the matter? You sound strange. Are you safe?" she asked again.

I nodded, but then quickly realized that she couldn't see me. "I'm okay," I lied. Before I choked on a sob. "I'm fine."

"Oh baby, no, you're not." I could hear the sound of her sniffling.

I shoot up instantly. She was probably stressed out as hell, short on cash, and lonely. I couldn't put more on her shoulders. No matter how much I wanted to fall into her arms and have her pet my head like I was seven again, I had to grow up. She needed me to be stronger than this.

Quickly, I ran my arm across my eyes. Sucking in a deep breath, I steadied myself.

"Please, don't cry," I begged. "It was a tough day, that's all. And I missed you. Hearing your voice really made me want to see you."

"Me too," she whispered before she blew her nose. "Are you really okay? Where are you?"

"With Dad," I said.

"Oh." She sighed. "Well, at least I know you'll be all right. He can be rough around the edges, but he won't hurt you."

"Would you say the same about you?"

She hesitated. "That's not how that life works, baby," she said softly. "You know that now, right? He has no loyalties to me, but to you? He'd die for you."

I paused. "Did you take me away from him?"

She hesitated. "Yes,” she finally said slowly. “For you, and for me. Having someone almost kill us was enough. I had to get away after he left."