Sighing loudly, I rubbed my hand across my forehead.

“We need to talk, Aust,” Gio said seriously, and I looked his way. “We need you back in with the crew, just until we can get the better of the Kings. They already took three miles of turf in a matter of weeks, and now they’re looking to take the UA campus.” He stared at me for a few silent moments, then added, “They know you’re there and they’re talking some real bad shit about taking you down.”

“Fuck!” I hissed out, and Gio stepped forward and flicked his chin at Axel. Axel reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a 9mm piece. No, scratch that, my old 9mm piece.

Axel held it out for me to take. “Your famiglia needs you, kid. We need to keep the turf to make the green. Mamma’s treatments are only gonna cost more from this point on. It’s all us Carillos together.”

I caught the curtains of Mamma’s room twitch, and my heart dropped when I saw the window was slightly open. She’d have heard everything that was just said.

“Look, Axe, we’ll think of something else. I’ll swallow my damn pride, we will, and ask Rome to help us out with Mamma’s bills.”

“No, you f**kin’ won’t! I ain’t getting charity handouts from that rich f**k. I hate the cunt! We do this the Carillo way, the Italian way. The street way.”

My teeth gritted together and I stepped right up to Axel. “That’s the last time you’ll say anything against Rome. He’s as close to me as a damn brother.”

Axel had begun to smirk at me, until I said the last part, and then all I saw was anger rush across his face. “Let’s get this straight right now. Rome f**kin’ Prince ain’t your brother, kid,” he spat. “He’s just some rich-ass football player you know, some rich-ass football player that’s using your white trash ass and quick feet to get him to the NFL. He don’t know this life, don’t understand what it takes to survive over here in the west. And from this day on, you’ll be dealing on campus alongside me and getting your college ass over here to the Heights whenever I call. Fuck your football, kid. This shit’s about our future. It’s about famiglia. Now”—Axel smacked my 9mm to my chest, putting all his impressive strength behind it—“man the f**k up. We got work to do.”

Gripping the gun in my hand, feeling the familiar scratched metal under my fingers, my heart fell when Axel turned to the door of the trailer.

Axel glanced back to Gio. “I’m getting Lev. Then we’re gonna take a ride past the Kings. Tonight’s the night my baby bro earns the right to wear that stidda on his cheek.” Axel then looked at me. “That goes for you too, kid. You’re coming.”

As though everything switched to half motion, two thoughts instantly zipped through my head. The first was that Pix was in that trailer, and if Axel saw her, he was gonna rip her apart. The second was there was no way in hell Levi was getting in that bastard car. He’d already had one brush with death tonight. He wasn’t gonna get another.

Fear and protective instinct had me speaking words I’d vowed never to say again.

Just as Axel began opening the door, I stepped forward and pulled him back. “I’ll ride with you, deal coke with you again, on one condition.”

Axel glanced over my head at Gio, and when I had his attention again, I looked him dead in the eye. This was between real family, real blood.

“Lev won’t be dealing no more. He won’t be going on ride-alongs and he definitely won’t be packing heat. You make me your vow now on that deal and you get me back.”

“You’ll be back? One hundred percent?” Axel asked, an excited gleam in his dark eyes.

“One hundred percent,” I replied, my promise seeming to shatter my dreams as it slipped from my lips. As Axel and Gio held out their hands, I almost faltered in the deal. But as I closed my eyes and thought of Levi nervously taking Lexi’s outstretched hand and Mamma crying tears of happiness as she watched him find comfort in that touch, all my hesitation faded.

Two handshakes later and, standing in the pouring fall rain, I felt a piece of my soul die.

A part of me knew it was the worst thing I’d ever done in my life. The other was just thankful that my little brother would now have a chance at more. To make something of himself. To get out of this life.

“Carlo, get the car. Tonight, we ride,” Gio ordered, and Carlo, still gripping to his wounded arm, began walking in the direction of Gio’s trailer to pick up his old Challenger.

Axel put his hand on my shoulder as Gio almost vibrated with the excitement of his revenge on the Kings. “So here’s the plan—”