Page 40 of The Temptation

The car is still idling as he finally blows out a long breath before placing his hand on the button to wind down the passenger-side window. “Mum,” he calls out as he leans over in his seat so she can see him.

My eyes move back to her just in time to see her pause and then throw her hands in the air. The scowl she’s sporting as she turns and rushes towards the car has me grinding my back teeth together.

Any sympathy I had for this woman a few moments ago vanishes the second she opens the passenger-side door and climbs inside.

“About fucking time,” she bitches. “It’s freezing out there.”

“Hello to you too,” Romeo retorts as he stares over at her with a look I can’t quite decipher. “And maybe try wearing more clothes next time you go out at night.”

“Yes, Dad,” she says, rolling her eyes. “What took you so long?”

“I got here as quickly as I could.”

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t quick enough.”

“I wasn’t at my place when you called.”

“Huh, figures. Doing a hit were you, or just whoring yourself around again? I swear that dick of yours will fall off one day if you don’t learn how to keep it in your pants.”

Her words knock the breath out of me, but thankfully, she’s too focused on tearing down her son to notice the strangled gasp I let out from the back seat.

It takes everything I have to stay silent and swallowdown the fury that’s clawing its way up my throat, resisting the urge to speak up in his defence.

I shove my hands under my thighs, pinning them down, because God help me, I’m two seconds away from grabbing her by that grimy ponytail of hers and telling her to show some fucking respect.

“That’s rich coming from you,” he says finally. His voice is low and tight, like he’s holding back an explosion. He flicks his chin towards the building she was just standing outside of before putting the car into gear and pulling away from the curb. “And for the record, I don’t go around killing people.”

“But you have killed people?” Her reply sounds more like a question than a statement, and I wonder if Elio was his first, or if there have been others.

“When did you lose your licence?” he asks, ignoring the last thing she said. I know all too well about the code of silence that comes with being part of the Cosa Nostra, so I already knew he wouldn’t answer her. “And why the fuck were you driving around without one?”

“I needed to get something, it’s no big deal.”

“It’s a big fucking deal,” he yells, losing his patience. “You were high and unlicensed. There’s a probability you could go back to prison.”

“Says the guy who works for the mob.”

“You do realise that the car is registered in my name. What if you had an accident?”

“It’s not like you can’t afford to replace it. Look at you in your fancy arse clothes, driving your fancy car, like you’re too good for me all of a sudden. Did you forget where you came from?”

The look he throws his mother as his eyes flick briefly from the road is pure fury, laced with something colder … disgust. And even though it’s not my place, I can’t help but feel bad for him.

I know that feeling all too well. It’s the kind of disappointment that can only come from having a shitty parent. The type that doesn’t just sting in the moment but settles in deep, becoming a quiet, familiar ache you carry for years without even realising how heavy it’s gotten.

It’s the silent pain that makes you question your worth, even when some part of you knows better. But I’m not sure this man even realises how worthy he truly is. He keeps showing up, steady and dependable, for someone who’s done nothing to deserve it. For a person who wouldn’t do the same for him.

Since she got in the car, all she’s done is put him down and verbally attack him. He’s risking a lot just being out here with me, but I doubt she’d care, even if she knew.

“It’s not the money that concerns me,” he says tightly. “You no longer hold a licence, and you definitely shouldn’t be driving while you’re high. You could’ve hurt someone … or yourself. It’s reckless and stupid. When are you going to grow the fuck up and get your shit together?”

She lifts one shoulder in a lazy shrug, like she couldn’t care less. “You only live once.”

He inhales a sharp breath, filling his lungs, before calmly saying, “Have you given any more thought to rehab? That place I told you about is one of the best.”

“Not this shit again,” she snaps. “People drive around under the influence all the time. It’s no big deal. If I hadn’t gotten pulled over by the pigs, nobody would’ve been any the wiser.”

“You might have zero regard for your own safety, but what about everyone else on the road?”