AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah. Definitely. Then, the day Xavier was shot, Pierre called me that morning and told me to come here instead of the barbershop. Said we needed to meet, and I had no idea why. Pierre never showed up here. You know that Xavier never went to the barbershop without me.”
“Maybe it was a coincidence.” Although he spoke the truth, I couldn’t reconcile what I knew about Pierre with hurting his family. Been struggling with my emotions and reality since Gavin returned to my life, and I was so damn tired.
“It wasn’t. Xavier was ready to confront Pierre a week before he was ambushed.”
I shook my head, panic rising. Pierre wouldn’t kill Xavier or Cain. “I know who killed Cain.”
Sunny D raised one brow. “DeLuca? Naw, Pierre made it look that way. Or at least that’s what Xavier believed. Xavier found Cain’s phone in the barber shop a couple of years ago. He plugged it up and noticed a text from Pierre saying that he needed to get to your place because DeLuca was attacking you. Now, you know how Cain was. He struck first ask questions later. He must have dropped his phone in his rush to get to you. Two hours later, his body is found not far from you with a knife stuck in his heart. DeLuca is known for using knives. He may have killed him, but it was out of self-defense. Not an attack. Xavier did more digging and discovered that Pierre was taking money off the top before reporting it. Men have been hurt or killed because of being falsely accused of theft by Pierre himself. Cain had been over that territory and must have threatened Pierre or something.”
Stunned, I couldn’t take a step in any direction. All this time, I’d believed Gavin killed Cain because his temper got the best of him, and I thought Xavier had no clue about Cain. Sunny D slowly wrapped his arm around my shoulder and comforted me. “I’ve known you for years, and I am loyal to you. Xavier always said great things about you and said you would be a good leader. I saw it yesterday. I wasn’t gaslighting you. You have what it takes to put St. James on another level. Say the word, and it’s done.”
I remained silent. I knew what he asked of me. Sunny D loved Xavier and was his fiercest protector outside of the family. Of course, he would want to kill Pierre if given the opportunity. Could I take my own brother out, especially if he had anything to do with the attempt on my life?
The sun caught the diamond on my finger. I needed Gavin, and I needed him like yesterday. He would know what to do. After all, he had to deal with his own brother's betrayal.
Chapter 18
Gavin
Hanging with my brother and Big Tony felt like old times. We laughed and reminisced about days long past. After two hours at the café, Brocco tried to leave. I quickly improvised and told him, “Truth is, I’m scared that this is my last day. Just wanted to kick it with you and Big Tony. The meeting is in a couple of hours. We can hang around Two Bridges or the old neighborhood.”
“We can go back to the office,” Brocco offered. “The fam would love to see you.”
“No offense. But don’t want to see them until I know my fate.”
Big Tony looked at us from across the table. “Your daddy loved his boys and would do anything for them. I hope after everything, you two can become close again.”
I nodded and pushed Brocco’s shoulder playfully. “Up to him. I never had beef with him.”
Brocco put his hands up. “I hear you. If everything goes well tonight, then it’ll be a fresh start for us.”
I bit the inside of my jaw until I tasted blood. His fresh start is me six feet under. My only consolation for my death is that he wouldn’t be Don. I weakly smiled. “Yeah.”
We exited the café, jumped in my car, and drove around laughing and talking. Big Tony sat in the backseat, keeping us rolling with the antics of our youth. He’d been around most of our lives. Working with my father and then with us.
Big Tony placed his head in between us. “We should’ve taken my car. This little car is too small for my big old ass. Can we go to the bridge?” He pointed to an open area not far from underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. “I need to piss and stretch. I don’t know if I can make it two more hours in this car.”
Brocco laughed. “You getting old. Your dick can’t hold shit.”
Big Tony raised one brow. “You’ll see one day that you can’t hold piss like when you were young.”
“Shit, I can’t hold it either. I got to go now,” I chuckled and pulled into a well-worn grassy patch near the river. It always amazed me that you can still find isolated spots in a city this big. I left my door open so Big Tony could get out of the backseat of my Chevy. I checked to make sure no one was around while I relieved myself.
When I walked back to the car, I stopped in my tracks. Big Tony leaned on the side of the car, smoking a cigar. Brocco was slumped over in the passenger seat. I rushed to the car. “Big Tony, what did you do? He’s a made man. I have to meet with the commission. We were supposed to do it together. They’ll think I killed him because you know I’ll never say you did it.” I looked between Brocco and Big Tony. I’d only been gone a couple of minutes.
Big Tony slipped one hand in his pants pocket. “There’s no meeting tonight. The commission made their decision once you called.”
“How? What?”
“Unanimous decision. You’re still the Don.” He puffed on his cigar.
“That was enough?”
“You told Enzo that you killed Brazino and that you planned to confess. Once you called the commission, he knew you were a man of your word. It was enough. The commission isn’t coming after you or the St. James.”
I looked at my dead brother. The angle of his head told me his neck had been snapped. Surreal that we were joking a couple of minutes ago, and now he would never smile again. “They ordered you to kill him?”
“Enzo did.”
