Page 106 of Niccolaio Andretti (The Five Syndicates)
Then, before I can even process his words, he lifts his gun and shoots Vincent right in his too big heart.
And with that, Vincent Romano, the greatest man I’ve ever known, is dead.
I always thought that the moment I stopped being on the run would be a happy one, but it isn’t. Instead, I’m forcing the tears not to fall down my face. And I’m not the only one affected. The others heard the gun shot, too—Asher flinching, Bastian punching his fist through a wall, and Lucy squeezing Asher’s hand with a death grip. But no one, not one of them, says a word to blame me.
Even in his death, Vince is here.
Minka walks over to me. “He died a dignified death,” she says. “One he found fulfilling.”
And right now, that, and the fact that I no longer have to worry about the hit endangering Minka’s life, are the only salvageable things about this moment.
I turn to Ranie on the screen, who even looks somber at the moment, which only reinforces my belief that Vincent Romano was an amazing man. One who left an impact on everyone he touched.
“Will you return his body to us?” I ask, begging him with my eyes to do so.
Ranie looks tired, of our fighting and perhaps fighting in general. He nods. “You’ll have it by the end of the night. My men will fly it in. I—” he hesitates. “What did he mean about choosing between my life and Uncle Luca’s?”
I finally, unencumbered by the anger and betrayal between us, get the opportunity to tell my brother what happened all those years ago, but it’s too late to make a real difference. “That night, I was given the option to save you or Uncle Luca. I couldn’t save you both… but I could save Uncle Luca from a painful death. So, before Asher could kill him, I shot Uncle Luca. It was quick. He died instantly and didn’t suffer,” I promise.
“All those letters…” his voice trails off. “Did you tell me that in them?”
I nod and let out a bitter laugh. “That and a bunch of fuck yous.”
His fist clenches. “If I had just read one of them…”
“I forgive you,” I say, because I know it’s what Vince would want.
For me to live with forgiveness in my heart.
And I hope Ranie can do the same.
“I’ve cancelled the hit on your head. You won’t have a problem with the Andrettis anymore.” He hesitates. “And if you want, you can come back home, brother.”
“But the King’s Will,” I protest.
Ranie laughs a bitter laugh. “Dad’s King’s Will wasn’t to kill you Niccolaio. It was to forgive you. I just… I was too damn angry to do it.”
And I realize that Luigi is no longer sitting at the table. That, finally, after seven years of extended service, the former consiglieri can now retire in peace. Dad’s King’s Will really was to forgive me.
“All this time… I thought Dad hated me when he died, but he must have read my letter.”
“I’m sorry, Niccolaio. I really am.” His eyes beg of me, “Come home. We’ll fix this.”
“I am home, Ranie.” And I am. With Asher, Bastian, Lucy. With Minka. “I met a girl, Ranie.”
And for the first time in a long time, Ranie smiles in front of me. “Tell me about her.”
And I do. For the rest of the night, I tell Ranie about Minka and how, in an odd, fucked up way, he brought us together. For the rest of the night, Ranie and I learn how to forgive each other. And ourselves.
And through it all, Minka is beside me, her hand in mine and a quick and witty retort always at the tip of her tongue for Ranie.
Chapter Forty
Forgiveness is not about
forgetting. It is about letting
go of another person’s throat.
