Page 9 of End It All

"Will you take the job?" Benito asked. He let out a heavy sigh. "Gin can't. He brought home a baby and refuses to return it."

"Wait, a what now?" I shook my head, certain I hadn't heard the oldest Vitale right. I cleaned out my ears, checking to see if I hadn't gotten all the mud out of it. "Giancarlo, the one who fucks his hammer, has a baby?"

Benito's face scrunched up in disgust. "He doesn't fuc?—"

Harlow nodded. "Yeah, that one." He looked at his husband with all the seriousness in the world. The knife was put back away. "Can you say without a doubt Gin doesn't do things with that hammer?"

Benito's mouth opened and closed without another word. He shook it off. "Yeah, he came by today with a baby. No clue where he got it from, but he's intent on keeping it."

This was what I meant. The Vitales were a lot, and I didn't expect the newest addition to be any different.

"The other twin. What about him, Paolo? He and his boyfriend can't?"

Benito shook his head. "We know nothing about my youngest brother and things in Paolo’s home are a bit more secretive."

"Right, the boyfriend is a fed." I whistled. "Damn, what about?—"

"No."

I didn't even get to ask before Benito was shooting it down.

"Enzo is a no go. He doesn't do well with change of any kind. He'd let Gin, Paolo, or I stay in his home for a single night. Probably won't even sleep the entire night."

I met Harlow's gaze.

"????????????"The brothers are all fucking insane.

"????????????????????????????????????," Harlow said.You have no idea, but they are family. Like you're mine.

Fucker knew what to say to me. Since we were kids we had each other's backs. Even after Harlow's dad took him away for a few years, he came back, and without hesitation he'd held a place for me at his side.

I miss those times, when I was sure of where I stood.

"If you two are done conversing about me and my brothers, will you take the job?" Benito asked. "Of course, I'll pay until I can figure out what to do with him."

Pay.I hadn't had any of that in a while. The job I just finished was bound to give me enough for rent and maybe some late night pizza. Things had been a little tight since Harlow was given to the Vitales. Not that I would ever tell him that.

"Do you know for certain he's one of you?" I asked. Not that I cared.

"Pretty certain." Benito pushed his fingers through his hair. "My father has a knack for leaving something valuable behind and Blake showed up with it."

"So he does this often?"

Benito nodded, not really saying much else. A soft cry came from Harlow's pants pocket and he pulled out the small baby monitor.

"She's a bit fussy but still asleep.” Harlow took a step toward the door, but stopped to look at me. “Quincy, you’re the only one I can trust with this.”

I heard him, but there were others. There had to be.

“???????????????.”Please. I need your help.

Shit. That bastard never said please. "All right, I'll watch over him. Where is he staying?"

Harlow smiled at me, but it was the kind I knew meant bad news. "He doesn't have one. So at your place."

"I stay in a one bedroom."

"Since when?" Harlow asked.