“Because I knew you’d seek them out and put yourself and your brothers in danger. I was just trying to do the right thing. For all of you,” Mary says.

Chapter Seventeen

“Who is my father?” I ask Mary.

I feel my brothers’ eyes turn to me. All of them. I don’t look at them, though. They don’t know what I know. They don’t know that I spent years listening to the old man tell me I wasn’t his. That the woman in front of us cheated on him, and because of that, I deserved what he did to me. What he let those bastards do to me.

“What?” She has the decency to at least appear taken aback. “Giovanni is your father, Vin.”

“Really? Because he always claimed otherwise. You fucked around on him.” I narrow my glare. “So just tell me who the guy is.”

Mary shakes her head. “Giovanni was paranoid,” she insists.

“Ain’t that the fucking truth,” Santo mutters under his breath.

“I never cheated on him, Vin. Giovanni is—was your father. He accused me of cheating. He was positive that I did. But it didn’t happen. I swear,” she says.

I laugh. I can’t fucking believe this shit. I don’t know if what she’s telling me is true or if it would have even made a difference if Giovanni knew I was his biological son. The sick bastard still probably would have done what he did.

I avoid looking at my brothers. Instead, I stand from my chair. “I’m done here,” I say before walking back towards my car.

“Vin, hold up.” Santo runs after me.

“What?”

“Why didn’t you say something before? We could have given you peace of mind about this. We could have done a test or something,” he says.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” Santo tells me. “I can’t believe that even after all these years the asshole is still fucking with our heads.”

“Yeah,” I agree, pulling out a joint and lighting it. I probably shouldn’t. I have to drive, and Cammi hates it when I drive stoned. But, fuck, I need this right now.

“We can still do a test if you don’t believe her,” my brother offers.

“Do you believe her?” I ask him.

“I don’t know why, but I do. You are a De Bellis, Vin, blood and all. There is no getting out of it.” He points at me.

“Yeah.”

“Head to Gio’s. We’re going to meet up there.”

“Sure thing.” I salute him and jump into the car.

* * *

The dial tone rings out through my Bluetooth. I called her as soon as I sat down.

“Hello, did it go okay?” Cammi asks me.

“It was a shitshow. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Why was it a shitshow? What happened?”

“I have a sister,” I tell her. “A smart-mouthed teenaged sister.”