Page 8 of Caught in the Crossfire

“Maximiliano,” Papa scolded.

Uncle cupped my cheek. I stood straighter, glaring. “You’re growing into such a fine young man, Max. Thank you for looking after her.”

“I always will.”Even if you can’t.

He patted my cheek gently. “One day, you’ll understand.”

Papa and I stared at one another as Uncle left. His footsteps echoed up the stairs until the sound faded. “Sit, Max.”

My feet were rooted in place. “I can’t stand how much time you’re wasting. Mamma deserves better.”

Papa flinched, then straightened and pulled two chairs from the table within the breakfast nook. Like a mirage, I could picture my mamma and Leona’s mamma sitting in the same spotand laughing while sipping their coffees. It disappeared with a blink.

“Sit.”

This time, it wasn’t a request. Reluctantly, I obeyed.

“Son, you know what kind of world we live in,” he said as he sat in the opposite chair.

My jaw clenched, but I nodded. Of course, I knew. It was the kind of world that killed mammas and gave little girls nightmares.

“Do you want to survive in it?” he asked, voice turning hard. “Thrive in it? As your father and grandfather did before you?”

I frowned, staring at my bare feet. “Of course, I do.”

I’d known what our Family was since I was a boy. And I knew what kind of man my father was. Despite what we did, he was a good man, a strong man. He served Uncle faithfully, and together they ruled our kingdom.

“Then, listen to me.” He leaned forward, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Your feelings cannot dictate your actions. Ever.”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“You are in pain. We are all in immense pain. You have no idea—” his voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. I looked at my hands. He loved Mamma, too. “But emotions lead to rash decisions. You must temper yourself if you want to grow strong. If you have any hope of ever leading this Family one day, learn that lesson now.”

“Lead the Family?” Uncle was the Don, not Papa.

He leaned back in his chair while rubbing his eyes. “Leona is Uncle’s daughter. You are my son. A marriage between the two of you would cement our Family’s leadership for generations. It’s what your mothers always dreamt about.”

I loved Leona. I always had. She was the closest thing I had to a sister, but…marriage? Is that what people expected of us one day?

He waved a hand, dragging it through his hair. Every day, he seemed to get more greys. “It doesn’t matter. Whether you marry or not, the lesson remains. Your feelings cannot dictate your actions. Make your choices based on logic and strength.Think, Max. With your head.”

“I don’t understand.”

Papa gusted a breath. “If we were to rush in right now and kill the men responsible for killing your mother, there would be blowback. Consequences. Or we would make mistakes that might cause harm to our men. So we have to plan carefully, choose wisely, and act with strength. We have to hold our cards close to our chest until we’re ready to strike, like an animal stalking its prey. Rather than wiping out five men of this gang, we will end themall.”

My eyebrows knit together. “But isn’t it smarter to take out your enemies as soon as possible?”

My father regarded me with an icy stare. I looked away, unable to hold his gaze with the strength emanating from him. “Son, it’s smarter to win. This is how we win. This is how your uncle and I rule New York.”

I bit my lip as I tried to make sense of it, but I didn’t know much about the Family yet. I didn’t know how this all made sense. But if they were planning to hurt the men who killed Mamma and Auntie, I wanted to help. “Can I come with you?”

Papa shook his head, then glanced at the expensive watch on his wrist. Mamma and I had picked it out for his last birthday. “No, you’re too young. You’re not strong enough.”

“Papa, I?—”

“Maximiliano.” He silenced me with a word. “When you can show me you understand this lesson, you can take your place as acapowithin this family. Until then, you are only a boy.”

Hurt sliced ragged down my chest, but my father was a master of control. Strength. I wanted to be strong like him. I wanted to follow in his footsteps. My mother was gone, andthere was only the Family that remained. If he lived his life by this rule, so could I.