I wasn’t really sure if I was more or less confused about the whole thing after I left Dr. Martin’s. He had helped a little in the twenty minutes we spoke, but I cut it short after getting a text from my dad. I apologized and told Zev, or Dr. Martin, that we would speak longer in my first official session.
I could hear my brother the moment I opened the door to Lukas and dad’s place. He was speaking excitedly and talking about all kinds of things, trying to find the English word he needed. I could hear my dad suggesting English words to him. I smiled slightly as I slipped my shoes off and headed inside. Lev looked at me and mouthed the words, ‘you good?’. I nodded.
“I smell pizza. You loved me, I knew it.” I said, more than loud enough. My brother looked at me and narrowed his eyes. Before he clicked his tongue at me.
“You missed training this morning. Keep that up and you won’t be in good shape.”
“I can still take you brat, watch it.”
“He’s right. You need to keep up with your training. When was the last time you actually shot a weapon?” My dad said, humming.
“Weeks ago. Not that I’m just going to forget how to shoot.”
“Lev, Fit taking Alessio to the training room into your empty schedule. He needs to keep up with his training.” My dad said it in an almost demanding tone.
“He is going to leave soon as he is healed. Then what? Are you going to drag me to training?” I hissed.
“Lev didn’t tell you I see.” My dad sighed.
“Tell me what.” I narrowed my eyes at my father.
“I have taken more time off to make sure you’re going to be well and fine. Plus, I have had little time off, and I thought there was no better time. I’m sorry, I should have brought it up with you. I just didn’t know the time to do so.”
“No need to apologize. You’re welcome to stay. It’s nice to have someone around.” I said, despite being a bit annoyed with the fact I was the last one to find out about this.
He just nodded, and my dad opened the pizza, giving us all napkins. Matteo Looked confused, but ate the pizza regardless. I’m sure the difference between the pizza from here and home was throwing him off. I had found the taste to be different in many ways, both unique and delicious. But not to be compared to each other.
“Matteo, what did you do today while I slept?” I asked, wanting to hear from his own words.
“Your dad and I hung out for a bit. He made me breakfast and then we went to the workout room and he helped me, and then pizza.” Matteo said, his voice low and almost hollow. I felt guilty again.
“I’m sure dad enjoyed that.” I muttered softly. Keeping my eyes on my plate as I picked apart the pizza crust.
“Yes, It was nice. I would like to do it again sometime.” My dad said.
“Sio, You’re doing that thing again that mom doesn’t like.” Matteo said, looking at me and how I was picking at my food.
“Right. My bad.” I said, dropping the crust and wiping my hands on my pants. Another thing that mom didn’t like, but also, something my dad didn’t like.
He didn’t have time to call me out about it, however, because the door opened and we had guests. Alexi and Creed. Creed looked exhausted, and Alexi was almost glowing. I didn’t need to ask why either. Relaxing my shoulders, I barely had time to brace for Alexi, who wrapped his arm around me and gave me a squeeze that took my breath away.
“Nice to see you, you’ve been hiding and I’ve been working.” Alexi said.
“My bad. I needed space and time.”
“Apparently not from everyone…” He said as he looked at Lev.
“Hi to you too, Alexi.” Lev said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“Are you guys—-Oh? Your little brother is here!” Alexi said, spotting my little brother, and stopping his clearly not kid friendly question.
“Yes, He showed up last night. He’s here for a week or two.”
“How nice. Nice to see you again, Matteo.”
Matteo smiled and told him it was nice to see him again too, before he went and spoke to Creed. Creed was nice with him the last time, even as Matteo had asked him hundreds of questions, and I was sure this time would be no different.
“Oh! Matteo, before I forget, when you’re not busy with dad or anyone else, I want to take you to meet Maddox.”
He froze and looked at me, almost worried.
“Why?”
“Maddox would like to meet you. You guys will have to work together in the future. Best to start now. Don’t look so worried, he won’t eat you. He’s not like that.”
Alexi chuckled and spoke. “At least not with young kids, adults and those who work for him are a different story.”
“That’s not always true Alexi and you know it, Maddox is very forgiving and accepting of others’ issues and he works around them, that is more than the older style families, They don’t accept half as much as Maddox and his father did and do.” Creed said, before going back to showing Matteo something on his phone.
Alexi looked at me before lowering his voice. “How are you handling his death?”
“Rough, but Lev is helping. He takes my mind off of the whole thing. Slowly I’m accepting it. Good and bad days, still.”
“I’m here if you need someone even just to vent too. We are family, after all. And the family I have is important to me.” Alexi said, before clearing his throat and going back to bothering my dad.
“Speaking of family, how are things with Nikki?” My dad asked.
“My little brother is trouble. He is fantastic at pushing our mother to her limit so that she will bring him to see me or Nonna so she can have a break. I find it very amusing, but at the same time, he wants me to teach him bad things and I’m not sure that is what I want for my little brother.” He sighed.
“I understand that. It’s tough, though, because you can want something for your brother, but in the end, if he chooses something else, then you should respect that.”
“I know. I just want something more for him.” Alexi sighed again, watching Creed with my little brother. I knew the feeling he was more than I cared to admit, and that was the sad thing. I sighed deeply and nudged Alexi.
Speaking lowly “When you have a moment we need to talk, Or rather, I need to vent. About this brother thing, you’re in the same position as me. But I need to keep pushing for Matteo. He needs this position.”
“We want very different things for our brothers, but I’m here to talk, regardless.” He said, before turning his attention back to his lover and my brother. In just a few years, my brother would have no chance to turn any of this down anymore. The minute that kid turned eighteen, he was the Don. That was the end all be all the situation. The only thing that saved me from that was my mother taking over. Though, I’m sure the issue would come up again, even when my little brother took the position of the Don. I was the rightful heir.
We had territory here, but our main house and operations were in Italy and moving everything over here would be messy, or I might have suggested it. Hell, it still seemed like a much better idea, the more I thought about it.
My mother wouldn’t think it was a good idea at all. She would claim it would draw too much attention and that would spell trouble, like cops.
“Alessio. You’re spacing it.” My father said, while snapping his fingers by my ear.
“I was deep in thought.”
“About?”
“Moving the Concetta family.”
“Right that—--Excuse me? Moving what?” My dad said, with shock in his eyes.
“The family business here. We already operate here, in large numbers, but without a principal house, a bunch of smaller houses, all run by the large house in Italy.” I replied, without missing a beat.
“And who would you have running that? Mom would never give the green light to have all that shit moved here.”
“You. Just wait a few years and—-” I replied.
“Or… you could do it Alessio.” Matteo said matter-of-factly.
“Nope. I don’t want it.” I said.
“You do and you know it.” Matteo said, crossing his arms.
“You know nothing at this age, other than sneaking out, apparently.” I hissed.
“Well. Let me be the first to tell you, I’m not taking the position of Don. I don’t care to have it, and I’m not the damn heir to it.”
“Heir or not, Matteo, you’re taking that damn position. I won’t see our family or grandfather’s hard work go to waste.” I snapped.
“Then you fucking take it if you care so much, Alessio!” Matteo screamed at me.
I wanted to bite my tongue, but I didn’t. I snapped, losing my temper with Matteo in front of everyone. Including Lev.
“Listen here, you ungrateful, spoiled brat! I’ve had it. I should have sent you right the hell back home, but I didn’t because once again here I am doing things for others instead of myself. Again, I saved your ass from mom. You should have handled this shit on your own. You are going to take our grandfather’s position and you will treat it with the respect that position has earned. He put in a lot of work for us, so you eat off a spoon. Time to give back to fucking family. Everything you bitch about, been there and done that. You will fucking make it out on the other side, Princess.” I hissed.
“Please, like you’re any better. You run away from your responsibility any chance you get. You could have ended it all, just shot my father and been done with it. Instead, once again, you let mom dictate your life. Don’t tell me to give back to the family when you abandoned it, Alessio.” Matteo snarled back, just as angry with me, like I was with him.
“I think you guys need—-”
“Stay the fuck out of it. He needs to learn his damn place.” I snapped at my father, not meaning to.
“That’s nice. Take your anger out on your father because that’s what adults do.” Matteo taunted me.
“Pack your shit and call Mom. She can come and get you. I don’t have time for your shit.”
“No! I refuse.”
“We will see about that.” I said deeply, coldness lacing my tone as I pulled out my phone and watched my brother go pale. I didn’t get a single button pressed. Lev yanked my phone from my hand, a frown set deep in his features.
“Both of you can apologize and we can forget this happened and go back to being happy and family-like, like we were before.” Lev said, deeply, his accented voice echoing in the silent room.
“Or you can give me my cell phone back. I have shit to do.”
Lev narrowed his eyes on me, and I watched as the man literally smashed my phone.
“There. Now you have nothing to do.”
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