Page 99 of Captured Innocence

“Yeah,” he mused. “That’s part of it, Mattia. You took what happened with your father the hardest.”

“I don’t know about that. You were treated like a fucking animal.”

“We both were. Correction. The three of us were.” Dar huffed. “Do you ever wonder what would have happened if Tommaso had lived?”

I hadn’t thought about him for far too long. “Do you remember when he was sent away?”

“Oh, I was livid. I made certain Franco was aware of just how infuriated I was.”

The moment in time was one of the worst. “I allowed myself to believe that he’d been given a gift, no longer tethered by the extreme violence and anger that our father continuously displayed. I was jealous. Can you believe that? I wanted to be the one who’d been let loose.”

“It sounds like you’re blaming yourself for what happened.”

I thought about his comment. “I did and still do. He reached out to me after that day he left. I ignored him. I don’t know why other than he’d started gravitating to you. You were suddenly his hero, the guy he looked up to the most.”

Dar narrowed his eyes. “You do hear yourself, don’t you? Sadly, our brother’s mistreatment helped him slip into a darkness that he couldn’t escape from. I think I know why.”

“And why is that?”

“Because he didn’t have anyone in his life. Think about it. You had Sophia, even if you couldn’t be with her. I had Lucia and while Franco tried to brainwash me into thinking she wanted nothing to do with me, her light always remained with me.”

“I guess you’re right. He dated a lot but never found the one. It’s too bad. He was the most intelligent of all of us. That kid could do anything he set his mind to. Did you know he started reading at two?”

He chuckled. “No. I had no idea.”

“Yep. He devoured games on the computer and all the gaming units, literally beating the systems every time. He even developed his own computer software program when he was eight or nine. That was before Pops used his love of them against him. He’d forced the poor kid to destroy all his games. That was just before you came into our lives.”

“You still resent that.”

“Not as much at first as Tommaso did, but he rallied around you and who was I to stop your connection?”

Dar remained quiet. “As I said, it’s a shame he was a victim.”

“Some victim, Dar. He attempted to kill you and Lucia.”

“I haven’t forgotten. I only wished things could have been different.”

Now I was the one who nodded. “We’re a fucked-up bunch. You know?”

“Yeah, but we’re changing things.” He patted me on the back. “Incidentally, you are going to be my kid’s godfather. Aren’t you?”

“And here I thought we’d never be close. Yeah, I’d be honored.”

“Good, because I have a feeling it’s another boy and if so, his middle name will be Mattia.”

I was floored with the gesture, more so than I could say to him at this point in time. “Well, if I’m lucky enough to have a kid, then you’ll be his godfather.”

“Don’t say that too fast. Remember that Enzo will always be Sophia’s brother.”

We both laughed, which was something I’d thought would never happen. I’d heard more than once that difficulties and danger could bring families together. It was something I would never have bought in a million years until now. “When this shit is over, I’m going to buy Sophia a ring. I want to do it right.”

He grinned, rolling his eyes as if he knew exactly what I was talking about. “Let me give you a piece of advice.”

I hadn’t realized Enzo was standing in the doorway until he took a step onto the platform. “Get down on one knee,” he said. “If you don’t, you’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Exactly!” Dar said, laughing. “And make certain and have flowers with you.”

“Roses,” Enzo corrected.