Page 59 of Beni

“To tell you happy birthday, actually, but if you’re going to catch a fucking attitude, I take it back.”

Chuckles echoed over the phone. “It is, huh?”

“Pardon?”

“My birthday.”

Beni arched a brow, nearing the side entrance to the warehouse. He met up with the Capo of the east side crew privately once a week to fill the guy in on what he had learned or seen over the week that might be of any interest to him, or the boss. Not that he had learned anything so far.

The crew was … difficult.

Yeah, that was as good of a word as anyway.

“Twenty-six today,” Beni returned.

Marcus cleared his throat. “I guess, I forgot.”

“How do you forget your birthday, dude?”

“You become more concerned with taking care of everyone else than yourself, Beni.”

His steps halted two feet from the door he used to enter the warehouse without being seen by anyone on the street, or any crew members lingering nearby. He certainly didn’t need to get caught seeming friendly with the Capo by members of crew he was trying to infiltrate as one of them. That wouldn’t do him any favors, when so far, he hadn’t even managed to make a goddamn friend here.

Still, he stayed in the alleyway.

Something more important just came up.

Family was always more important.

“You okay?” he asked Marcus.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I just … well, what you said a moment ago,” Beni returned, glancing over his shoulder quickly to see if anyone was standing there; it was empty, thankfully. “About taking care of everyone, Marcus. You know we’re all adult men, right? We can handle our own shit, and you don’t need to bend over backwards to look after us anymore.”

“Not really how it works for me.”

“You’re not Dad—you don’t have to be, either.”

“Not about Dad,” Marcus replied tiredly, “it’s about me, and what I want to do. It’s fine, Beni, really.”

“But—”

“I don’t mind letting my brothers be selfish, and do their thing while I do mine. It just so happens that mine is looking after you all, that’s all.”

Huh.

It was kind of funny how a perspective could change with nothing more than a conversation. In a way, Beni had always seen his older brother as … a stick in the mud. Stuck the fuck up. Too busy trying to follow their father’s footsteps than to make his own.

It was possible none of that was true.

“I gotta go,” Marcus mumbled, “I’m going to hear it that I’m late today.”

“Yeah, sure, sorry. But hey, happy birthday.”

“Thanks. And be careful there, yeah? The body bag thing still applies.”

“Got it, Marcus.”