Leo
Leo Toscano; 16 Years old.
It’s after nine at night when Diego opens the front door, and taking one look at my busted lip, he shakes his head. My best friend grips hold of my arm and tugs me into the house.
“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up,” he mutters, anger tightening his tone. He’s already dressed in the T-shirt and shorts he likes to sleep in.
I walk with him up the stairs, and reaching the second floor, I hear Mrs. Messina say, “No, Carina. Back to bed!”
“I want to see Leo,” Carina, Diego’s little sister, argues. Before anyone can stop her, she darts out of her bedroom and runs toward me, wearing the pink pajamas she loves so much.
When the six-year-old little girl plows into my legs, her big brown eyes look up at me, and I murmur, “Hey, stellina mia.”
She loves it when I call her ‘little star’. Usually, she’d smile, but not tonight. Instead, her eyebrows draw together and her bottom lip juts out. “Why are you bleeding?”
Bending, I pick her up, and even though it hurts to smile, I do. I’d do pretty much anything for Diego’s baby sister. “It’s nothing. Let me get cleaned up, then I’ll tuck you in.”
As I move to set her down, she wraps her arms around my neck, refusing to let go. “I want to stay with you.”
“Carina,” Mrs. Messina says with a stern tone while she gives me a compassionate look. “Now is not the time to be difficult.”
It’s not the first time I’ve come over after my father hit me. The Messina house is my safe haven when things get too rough at home.
I crouch down, setting Carina on her feet while tilting my head. “I’ll only be a few minutes, stellina mia.”
Reluctantly, she lets go of me and drags her feet back to where her mom is waiting. Mr. Messina must already be asleep, seeing as he has to be up at four for his shift.
“Don’t stay up too late,” Mrs. Messina says before nudging her daughter into her bedroom.
“Thanks for letting me come over,” I say quickly.
“You know you’re always welcome here, Leo,” she replies.
Diego jerks his head toward the bathroom, and when we go inside, I see my reflection in the mirror. “At least I don’t have a black eye tonight.”
He grunts, and pulling the first aid kit from the cupboard, he shakes his head again. “Just move in with us.”
“You know I can’t.” Things aren’t always shit at home. It’s only when my father has a really bad day.
With him being the head of the Italian mafia, those days are happening more and more frequently because another syndicate is trying to take over his territory.
Diego’s family isn’t a part of the mafia. When they found out my dad was the head of the mafia, they didn’t hold it against me, but Diego’s not allowed to come over to my house. I’m okay with that, though, because I love spending time here.
I watch as he removes an antiseptic wipe and begins to wipe the blood from my busted lip and chin. He always insists on taking care of me, so I don’t bother fighting him on it.
I’ll never admit it out loud, but it feels good to have someone take care of me.
“Why did he lose his shit this time?” Diego asks, anger still tightening his tone.
I focus on not flinching when the cut stings. “Another organization is trying to move into my father’s territory, and they’ve been attacking him.” I lock eyes with Diego as worry swirls in my gut. “I think he’s losing the fight.”
My friend’s eyebrows lift. “Seriously?” Concern tightens his features even more. “Isn’t it dangerous for you?”
I shrug, not wanting to think about what will happen if they manage to overthrow and kill my father. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
He shakes his head again, and while he dabs ointment onto the cut, he mutters, “You should stay here. At least until the shit passes.”
It never passes. Every day, it’s a battle for Dad to stay at the top of the food chain.
“I’ll crash here for a couple of days,” I say to put him at ease.
Diago is like a brother to me. When we met on our first day of school, we instantly became best friends, and after ten years, our bond is unbreakable.
Honestly, I spend more time here than at my own house.
He glances down at the drops of blood on my shirt. “You can wear my clothes.”
“Thanks.” Our eyes meet for a moment before we head to his bedroom. I grab the first T-shirt I lay eyes on and change out of the dirty one. “I’m going to tuck Carina in.”
“Okay.” Diego drops down on his king-sized bed and picks up his phone.
I walk to Carina’s bedroom, and when I step inside, a happy smile spreads over her face. Everything in her room is pink because she’s obsessed with the color.
Taking a seat on the side of the bed, I stare down at her innocent face, a dimple peeking in her left cheek.
She takes hold of my hand with both her tiny ones. “Does it hurt?”
I shake my head. “Not at all.”
“Because you’re strong, right?” she asks. When I nod, she gives me a pleading expression and whispers, “Look under my bed.”
I chuckle as I crouch beside the bed and pretend to search for monsters. Once I’m done, I sit down next to her again. “No monsters.”
Carina moves onto her knees and inspects my lip before she presses a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth. “There. Now it’s all better.”
I give her a lopsided smile. “Come on. Get under the covers.”
“I want to sleep by you and Diego,” she complains.
Shaking my head, I pull the covers back. “You’re a big girl who should sleep in your own bed.”
Giving me a disgruntled look, she sulks as she lies down again. I pull the covers over her and tuck her in. She grips hold of Bella, her stuffed unicorn, and pouts at me. “Please, Leo.”
“I’ll stay with you for five minutes, but then you have to go to sleep,” I try to bargain with her.
Not looking happy, she mutters, “Finnnneeee.”
I bring my hand to her head and brush my fingers through her silky-soft brown strands. “Smile for me.”
Her lips curve up, and the dimple I love so much appears again. It disappears too soon, and she gives me a worried look. “Why does your daddy keep hurting you?”
“Are you eavesdropping again?” I say, playfully narrowing my eyes. She shakes her head, and knowing she’ll just keep asking until I answer, I whisper, “Sometimes people do bad things they don’t really mean.”
Carina’s bottom lip juts out again. “I don’t like when he hurts you.” Once again, she climbs out from under the covers. Her arms circle my neck, and she squeezes me tightly. “You can live here with us because I love you and I’ll never hurt you.”
I wrap my arms around her tiny body and soak in the comfort she’s giving me.
“I love you too, stellina mia.”
“Bedtime,” Mrs. Messina says softly from the doorway.
I let go of Carina and tuck her in again. Leaning over her, I press a kiss to her forehead and murmur, “Sweet dreams.”
“You too,” she whispers as I climb to my feet.
When I step out into the hallway, Mrs. Messina pulls the door partially shut before giving me a worried look, her eyes locking on my busted lip. “Oh, Leo.” She lifts her arms and pulls me into a hug. “I’m so sorry, my boy.”
My emotions spiral a little while I hug her back. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not.” She lets go, her eyes filled with concern for me. “Diego says you’re staying for a few days. Do you want me and Corrado to go home with you tomorrow so you can pack a bag?”
I shake my head. The last thing I want is Diego’s mom and dad going anywhere near my house. “I’ll just wear Diego’s clothes. It will only be for two days.”
“You can stay longer,” she says.
I give her a grateful smile. “I know, but it will only cause trouble.”
She lets out a heavy sigh. “Have you eaten?”
No. All hell broke loose at the dinner table.
Lying, I nod. “I’m good. Thanks for everything, Mrs. Messina.”
She nods and watches as I walk to Diego’s room before she heads back to the main bedroom.
Entering Diego’s room, I walk to the left side of the bed and drop onto the mattress with a sigh.
“I have a date with Donna,” my friend says while setting his phone on the bedside table.
My eyebrow raises. “Yeah? You finally wore her down?”
Letting out a chuckle, he slaps my arm. “It’s the other way around. She wore me down.”
“You keep telling yourself that,” I tease him.
The door creaks open, and Carina peers into the room.
“Mamma’s going to be angry,” Diego warns her, but he’s already shifting to make space for her.
“Just for a little bit,” she begs as she comes in with her stuffed unicorn clutched in her hand.
He lets out a sigh. “Fine.”
“Yay!” She hurries to the bed and climbs on, lying down between us. Her big brown eyes sparkle like stars, and the dimple is out in full force as she grins at me.
Diego reaches for the bedside light and switches it off. “Good night.”
“Night,” Carina replies, her voice filled with happiness as she snuggles her way beneath my arm, her unicorn landing on my chest.
My lips curve up, causing the cut to pull and sting. “Night.”
I bring my hand to Carina’s head and gently drag my fingers through her soft hair. I’m an only child, but God, I would’ve killed to have a baby sister like her.
Instead, I live in a cold house filled with guns and violence. My mother is obedient to my father and does everything he says. I don’t blame her, because she’s practically been beaten into submission.
I have Diego and his family.
As I lie awake, I begin to worry about my future. I know my father expects me to take over from him one day, but is that really what I want?
“Leo,” Carina whispers.
“Yes, stellina mia.”
She rubs her cheek against the side of my chest. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”
Once she’s quiet again, my thoughts return to my life, and for the millionth time, I wish I could’ve been born into a regular family like Diego’s.
“Carina,” Mrs. Messina calls out, and we hear her walking toward our room.
Carina takes a breath to reply, but the sound of a gunshot has her screaming with fright instead.
Intense ripples of shock vibrate through me while Diego shouts, “What the fuck was that?”
The door slams open, and not thinking, I grab Carina and toss her over me so she lands on the floor at the side of the bed.
Just as I sit up, one gunshot after the other fills the room with flashes before the light is switched on. At the same time, I roll off the bed, falling over Carina, my mind racing to process that we’re being attacked.
I’m being attacked.
My guards are stationed outside the house, and I can only hope they heard the gunshots.
Diego! Mr. and Mrs. Messina!
“L-Leo,” Carina hic-cups with terror darkening her eyes.
Just as I’m about to react, a bullet slams into my back, the pain more intense than anything I’ve ever felt.
“Leo!” Carina screams, her hand grabbing my shirt as I fall over her.
My eyes lock with her frightened ones. “Shh.” I pray they don’t see her beneath me, but I’m grabbed by the arm and hauled off of her. As I stagger backward, I watch in horror as a man grabs Carina.
“No!” I shout, then another bullet hits me in the chest, and it feels as if my entire torso is split wide open. As I fall onto my back, I can’t do anything but watch as the man carries her out of the room.
No.
“Leo. Diego,” she sobs, then she cries harder. “Mamma!”
Droplets of blood fly from my mouth when I try to call after her. A man crouches beside me, and my eyes are wide on him. “Your father should’ve backed down, little boy.”
His arm lifts, the gun pointing at my head, and as a gunshot fills the air, I expect to feel the bullet, but instead, the man falls over me, his eyes frozen.
“Leo!” Massimo, one of my guards, shouts while he shoves the body off me. “Cazzo!”
I open my mouth to tell him to go after Carina, but only blood comes out.
My vision blurs, and when it comes into focus, I glance at the bed and see Diego. He’s been hit in the head and chest, and the unbearable fact that my best friend is dead is my last thought before I pass out.
