I'm Nothing (The Family Book 2) (14 page)

“Seriously?”

“I spoke to Paige, and we can’t think of a person
better for the job.”

Tonio nodded. “I would protect her with my very life.”

“I know.” Donnie smiled at him. “I’m a Daddy.”

“You are.”

Donnie chuckled as he made his way back toward his
woman.

Zara giggled. She took Tonio’s hand, squeezing him.
“Hey, Godfather. That kid is going to be so spoilt.”

“When we have kids, they will be, too. They have some
kickass uncles to look after them.” He pulled her into his arms, kissing her.

“There’s something I want to tell you,” Zara said.

“What is it?”

“I’m going to take the online college. I can’t stand
the thought of you going back to noodles again. I’ll feed you, and keep you
well fed.”

“Is that all?”

“And I’m going to need you to provide me with sex.”

“Anything else?” he asked.

“Yeah, I don’t want to live without you, Tonio.”

Taking her lips, Tonio showed her with a single kiss
how much he felt for her. She was his salvation.

I’m not nothing.

I’m something.

Epilogue

Five years later

“Daddy, I can’t do this,” George said.

Tonio looked over his shoulder to see his son trying
to build a sandcastle. They had moved out of the apartment not long after
Donnie had taken his family to live out in the country away from the chaos of
the city. It was nice to stand outside and not hear the busy buzzing of cars
and people.

They each had a house, side by side along a street
that was very Stepford in appeal. Donnie wanted a good place to raise his kid.
Paige had since given birth to three boys, and a girl, one of those being a set
of twins. The people were pleasant, but Tonio was sure they suspected who they
were. Zara had worked from an online college, coming out top of her class in
business. She had helped with their legal businesses, working on their
financial accounts. He, Donnie, Luiz, and Jake, had spent the last five years
working on making The Family better. The legacy that was The Family had
changed, and those who tried to take it back to the dark days were killed. The
life at times was hard, and he still slept with a gun. He’d even trained Zara
on how to use one.

Within the five years, he and Donnie had started a
family. Tonio hadn’t waited long to make Zara his wife, and within the year of
their first meeting, she had already given birth to George.

“I’ve got to go and help him,” Tonio said.

Handing the tongs that he’d been using to move the
sausages to Luiz, he made his way toward the sandpit. Zara held their little
girl on her hip, smiling at him.

Kneeling down, he watched as George wiped under his
eyes.

“What’s the matter, buddy?”

“I can’t do it. I’m useless!”

“Hey,” he said. “Don’t you ever call yourself useless.
We’re building a sandcastle, and we’re going to do it together. You’re going to
be someone, George.”

He sat down and started to scoop sand into the bucket.

George got up, and moved around to sit beside him. At
four years old, he was so damn clever, and he spoke so clearly. There were
times Tonio was scared of being a father.

“I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you, too, son.”

The sins of his own father wouldn’t be passed on to
George. His kids would only know love.

Zara came to join him, and he took Suzie from her hip.
Together, with their friends around them, he built a sandcastle with his
family. He was happy.

“I love you,” Zara said.

In answer, he claimed her lips. She gave him reasons to
be better.

****

“It seems pretty surreal, doesn’t it?” Jake asked. “Donnie
and Tonio, settling down?”

“It’s good. It means it’s possible for us to find
someone.”

Jake looked toward Charlene. “There’s no one for me.”

“Jake, she’s found someone that she wants, and you
can’t tell me that she’s the only woman you’ve ever been in love with?”

Luiz watched his friend shrug.

“Let’s just say that I hoped for something more,” Jake
said.

Luiz understood that. He turned the sausages, and over
his shoulder, he turned to watch Tonio and Donnie.

He had a secret none of his friends knew. Donnie was
beaten, and forced to witness the death of his little brother. Tonio was forced
to beat and rape. Jake was trained to become a soldier. Luiz watched as his
father tortured women for fun, using them.

Luiz was trained to take torture and relish it.

When he was seventeen years old, he’d fallen in love
with a sweet girl, a virginal girl, and made the ultimate mistake of getting
her pregnant. His father killed the girl when he found out what Luiz had done,
but Luiz hid his daughter.

For over seven years he’d visit her every chance he
got. His father had killed the woman he loved, but Luiz had not only rescued his
little girl, he’d taken the girl’s younger sister, hiding the two of them.
 

He didn’t want to keep on running anymore. Pulling out
his cell phone, he stared down at his daughter Christie and Raine, her aunt,
the girl he’d promised to protect as his father murdered the love of his life.

“What are you looking at?” Jake asked.

Was it time to tell the truth?

The End

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