Page 3 of Steal My Heart

Dear Mr. Angelo Calvani,

It is with heavy heart we inform you that you are hereby terminated from our university. We take allegations of cheating very seriously, and we have received irrefutable evidence of your cheating on the following exams…

It’s a list of every exam I’ve taken in my entire college career.

“This is bullshit!” I wad up the letter in a rage, flinging it across the room. “I’ve never cheated! You paid off the dean to come up with these allegations!”

Papà chuckles. “Seems your old man’s still in control, eh?”

“You son of a bitch?—”

“Don’t speak ill of your dead nonna. Here’s what’s going to happen.” He proceeds to lay out my future.

“Fuck school,” I say hotly. “I’ll figure something else out.”

“You could,” Papà agrees. “But you won’t. Not with the opportunity to stick it to Fabien,” he tempts, like a little devil perched on my left shoulder.

If there’s an angel on my right, he’s gone mute.

“Let’s sayhypotheticallyI agree to this bullshit. You think Fabien will take the news lying down?”

“Lying down. Sitting up. Standing on his head. I don’t give a fuck how he takes the news. I’m the boss of this family until I say otherwise.” He pokes his finger into his frail chest.

“Even behind bars, he’ll try and kill me,” I point out the obvious.

“And I have faith that as boss, you’ll handle it.” He waves away my concern.

“I could disappear. You’d never find me,” I say, grasping for straws.

“There is no place you could go that I wouldn’t find you,” he says matter-of-factly.

“Heaven?”

That gets a belly laugh out of my old man. “Well, maybe one place, but we both know you couldn’t get into heaven, either. Just like your old man, you’re no angel.”

“I hate you,” I tell him with a resigned sigh.

“And that’s why you’ll be the best boss in this family’s history. Out of pure spite,” he declares.

Fabien storms out of Papà’s office. Enraged doesn’t begin to cover it. “Have fun playing boss while I’m gone.” He shoulder checks me as he barrels down the hall.

“Have fun playing prison bitch while I’m boss,” I call after him, resisting the urge to rub my throbbing shoulder.

My brother spins around, murder in his eyes, but before he canattemptto make good on that threat, Mama appears. “La famiglia prima di tutto. You two kiss and make up.”

“Mama, I have to go,” Fabien starts, but shuts his mouth when he seesthe look. Mama’s always been the peacemaker of the family, but when she breaks out the look, don’t fuck with her.

Fabien and I meet in the middle, a sort of hug, sort of wrestling match, as we kiss each other on the cheek. “See you in 5,259,600 minutes,” he menaces quietly.

“I’ll make every one of those minutes asbosscount,” I whisper back.

“Now that’s more like it,” Mama announces. “Fabien, it’s time. I’m going with you?—”

“Nah, Mama. Don’t leave Papà. Let me get settled, and I’ll call you.”

She nods, grabbing her eldest and hugging him tight. They exchange something quietly that I can’t hear, and he gives me one last parting glare before walking out.

Mama takes my hands, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. “Angelo, my angel. I have a favor to ask.”