Page 129 of Forgotten Sacrifice

“Nah, don’t worry about it. My parting gift.”

“Vince, you don’t have to do that.”

“I do.”

Uncle Joseph’s rolling over in his grave. Good.

“Thanks, Vince. I wish you nothing but luck.”

“You believe in luck?”

“Of course,” he says with conviction. “Here, my gift to you.” He reaches in his pocket, handing me a silver horn charm, similar to the one I gifted Luna in Naples. “Curniciello. Keep this in the kitchen of your new restaurant for good luck.”

Thinking about Luna reminds me of the burning hole in my chest. “I will, thanks.”

I enter my office, taking in the space, as if for the first time. Everything’s neat and organized; the illusion of me having control over my life.

I angrily swipe everything off my desk with my arm, items crashing to the floor. My word of the day calendar lands right-side up, revealing today’s word.

Déclassé.Adjective. Having lost social status or standing.

A mirthlessly laugh escapes my lips as I recall Sal’s words.

How the mighty have fallen.

He wasn’t wrong, and I’m not sad about it. Some kingdoms need to crumble to dust.

I pull out my ledger, making my final tallies to close down my books. Getting on the phone, I call my bettors and schedule a time to settle up.

“Hate to see you go,” one of the guys tells me.

“All good things must come to an end, right?” There’s a knock on my door, and I say, “I’ll see you this evening at Al’s.”

Hanging up, I check the security feed before calling, “Enter.”

Fabio sticks his head in my office. “Got a minute?”

“Of course, skipper. Have a seat.”

He does so, and I comment, “I’m guessing you’ve heard the news.”

“Yeah, Romeo filled me in. Look, what happened to you and your brother was fucked up. It never crossed my mind it still might be fuckingyouup.” He taps his temple. “Vince, wecan shut down your sportsbooks; move you to head of casino security?—”

“Sorry, Fabio, but I’m out. One way or another.”

“Is this about Luna? Boss said you paid off her debt.”

“Luna hates me, not that I blame her.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” He points to me.

“Yeah, I guess so. She made me realize what a fucked up life I’ve been living.”

“Isn’t a fucked up life better than no life at all?” Fabio counters.

“No, it isn’t.”

Fabio crosses his arms, staring me down. “You love Luna; don’t try to bullshit me.”