Page 94 of Hearts Held

Kenneth’s strong arms wrap around my shoulders. “And not the good kind, brother. Not the good kind of fucked.”

Chapter 31: Everett

Heavy Pour, Warren Zeiders

I round the outskirts of the neighborhood in my Crossley.

Unfortunately, I’ve been notified of Bobby’s latest escapade.

Our brother is going to give me an aneurysm if he keeps this up. For the past couple weeks, he has been on a rampage following Tilly’s death.

As I enter Brielle’s townhome, I spy Kenneth standing at the far wall, his arms crossed. Mother stands beside him with Freddy. Brielle kneels before a dazed Bobby, his body clearly detoxing from something as he is hunched over, vomiting into a trash bin. Brielle slowlystrokes his back as she looks up at me with melancholy eyes.

“What happened?” I ask.

Kenneth chuckles. “What the fuck didn’t? Bobby went on a one-man manslaughter. Cooked some Italianos a special meal mixed with hallucinogenic mushrooms and his spunk, then danced on their corpses to Beethoven.” Kenneth takes a long drag of his cigarette.

Before I may respond, Mum pipes up. “What!? Acting out, all because of some stupid cunt that died. You can get plenty of other pussy! Get over yourself. I’m the only woman you should be this caring toward. So get your—’

I cut her off. Stomping toward her with my hand jutting into her sternum.

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up. Before I burn each and every one of your fingers off.”

I don’t give a fuck that I’ve just threatened the woman that gave us life. She acts like she is some saint because she birthed us, though none of us asked to be born. She’s so entitled about her title as our mother, but she hasn’t shown us any compassion throughout our pathetic lives.

I say coldly, “The only compassion that has been shown to us in this life was from our girls, and my brother’s happiness was killed the day they took her soul. So shut up and have some respect.”

Kenneth snorts in agreement from the corner of the room as a whiny voice fills my ears.

“How dare you speak to our mother like that!” Freddy’s bitch ass pipes up from the corner.

“Ah, you’d like to say sumthin’ for once, Freddy? Like to get involved with the business only when you’re hanging off Mum’s teet, eh?” I state, then march toward him as he immediately cowers in defense. “Fucking thought so.”

Kenneth moves beside me and murmurs, so only I may hear, “We have killed many of their men. At this rate, some of our own might be leaving this world if we don’t figure out a ceasefire soon enough.”

I growl, “Mr. Sabini is lucky I let Michael live as a testament to my mercy.”

Louisa’swonderfulvoice fills the room. “You need to fix relations with them! You know this whole thing is a misunderstanding and it is ruining ourbusiness!” She huffs and puffs as her red lipstick stains her cigarette end.

God, was she always this irritating?

Bobby finally looks up at all of us. His glazed, haunted eyes cause my heart to cease beating.

He was always the lively one in our family.

The jokester.

Our baby brother.

Now he looks like a corpse.

His gaze locks onto our mum as he states, “Why don’t you ask the mafioso about mother dearest?”

His statement causes confusion to ring out within the room, but before anyone can inquire about what he is speaking of, Louisa storms out the front door with Freddy the Fuck-up behind her.

Chapter 32: Brielle

After Bobby’s crazed night of manslaughter, his question remains in my mind.