up at me, like: I’ve got this.
“Good boy,” I say.
I leave Luke’s room and then set about putting wineglasses on the table.
Dad’s got a few expensive bottles of white in the fridge, so I bring those out, too. When I’m done, people start taking their seats. It’s only the adults, though, along with Vince’s daughters, because nobody is going to tell them what they can and can’t do right now. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to join or not.
“Did you get one for yourself?” asks Dad.
I hadn’t.
I go back and fetch myself a wineglass.
And I join the table. Sara pours. I take a sip, and it’s actually nice. It’s rich and tastes decadent.
Maybe I can get used to this.
I do hate the Donovans now.
And this is what my life is. There’s no escaping it. I may as well just get on board.
Sara is here, along with her two daughters. Vince’s usual seat, next to her, is empty. I guess everyone thinks sitting in it would be too weird. Becca, his oldest daughter, is holding his switchblade. I wonder if that means she’s taken up his mantle. That’s a fucking terrifying thought.
“Now,” says Dad, and everyone falls silent. “Has everyone got a drink?”
I’m surprised Dad’s not making me pour wine for everyone. A bottle is passed around, and the few people who don’t have wine fill their glasses. Becca tries to pour herself one, but Sara shuts that down.
“Where’s Luke?” she asks as she passes the wine bottle down the table.
“He had a little too much.”
“A little,” says Tony. “The boy was staggering all over the place.”
Cruel laughter breaks out.
“Shut up,” I say.
Everyone turns to watch me.
“Don’t talk about my brother like that,” I say. “Have some respect.”
It’s so quiet. But then Dad smiles.
“Well, look at you,” says Tony. “Finally grown a pair, eh?”
“Bigger than yours.”
Tony’s eyes widen, but he, too, is smiling.
Everyone seems to be on board with this new version of me. If I ever wanted it, in this moment, I have that ever-elusive thing.
The respect of my family.
“Enough,” says Dad. “We have a lot to discuss. This war needs to stop. If we had done what I suggested, my brother would still be alive and our allies wouldn’t have been burned. Jimmy’s has been in business since the thirties, and they took that from us, too.”
Oh no.
I have an idea about Dad’s plan.
Vince was one of the very few people who wanted to do it back when it was first brought up. But now Vince is dead.
Things are different.
The family will greenlight now. For him.
And if I know it, I’m sure Dad figured it out ages ago.
“I suggest we go through with my original plan,” says Dad.
No, I think. This can’t be happening.
I hate the Donovans … but this is mass murder.
“I suggest once again to call a peace meeting and then eliminate any Donovan who shows up. All opposed, raise your hands now.”
I am opposed.
Obviously.
But nobody else is responding. Grandma is still, her expression hard to read. So I keep my hand down.
“Good,” says Dad. “All those in favor?”
Grandma raises her hand, then every single hand in the room but mine raises.
We can’t do this.
It’s evil.
Still, I know I have no choice, and I know it doesn’t really matter. It’s clearly going ahead no matter which way I vote.
So I raise my hand.
Dad’s lips twitch up into a small smile. “Good, it’s settled, then.”
I hope I find a way to forgive myself for this.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The meeting is happening this weekend.
The school bell rings. I’m in final period, calc, but I’ve spent the entire class staring out the window, thinking about the meeting. Dad has hired contract killers. Every Miller who goes to the meeting is supposed to be armed, too.
Even though this is a double cross, Dad’s expecting a firefight. One last battle for the city.
I’m expected to go.
I pack up my books and head to my locker.
I’m feeling mostly like myself again. I still hate the Donovans, but …
I don’t want them all to die.
I need to find a way to stop the meeting. To make Dad, and the rest of my family, see reason.
That feels impossible. I’m just one guy. And what I’m going up against is massive. I need to stop the wheels turning on a business that has successfully run the underbelly of this city for decades. It’s something not even a well-equipped police force with heaps of funding has been able to do.
I head out to my car and drive home.
When