blameless. If Rosie could smell the alcohol, so could Luna, but she didn’t care. She deserves a wicked hangover and to be around our loud-ass family while dealing with it, too.
“It had a splash of fruit punch,” Rosie tells her.
Luna shrugs. “Whatever,” she mumbles. “It tasted good.”
“Don’t listen to her. She’s not thinking right.” Rosie excuses her sister’s behavior, something she’s done a lot of in her life.
I understand them, though. They are twins like Rocco and me. We always have each other’s back…always. I don’t care what he does wrong; I will never turn on him and will do whatever I can to shield him from bad, just like he’s done for me. That’s how the twin life is and always will be.
“I’m not entirely convinced they didn’t slip something else into the drink either. She was way too shit-faced for the amount of time I was gone. It couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes, and Luna has a higher tolerance than that.”
“They may have drugged her,” Arlo agrees, her hand tightening on my knee, sensing my mood change.
“Fuck,” I hiss, my anger shifting from the two dumbasses in front of me to whoever slipped something into my cousin’s drink.
“Don’t do anything,” Rosie tells me. “They’re not worth the hassle.”
I lean forward and grind my teeth together as I stare at my cute little cousin who wants to grow up way too fast. “You don’t fuck with a Gallo and get away with that shit, Rosie. You can fuck with the men, but fuck with one of our women, and there are going to be issues.”
“No,” she snaps. “That’s not fair. Luna fucked up. She knows better than to take a drink from a stranger. And I didn’t recognize the guy. I’d never seen him before, and finding him probably won’t be easy.”
“Small town, Rosie. If he was there, someone invited him, and I’ll have no problem tracking him.”
Arlo’s face pales as she turns to look at me. “Carmello,” she whispers, begging me not to do what I want to do.
“Arlo, it’s a family matter and a decision I won’t and can’t make alone.”
“I don’t want to visit you in jail or the morgue,” she says, her eyes filled with fear.
“Sugar,” I say, lifting her hand to my lips. “I promise that won’t happen.”
“Can I go to sleep now?” Luna asks, slumped over on the cushion next to her, hardly even awake now.
“No,” I tell Luna, turning back toward Rosie, who’s barely moving. “Keep talking.”
“You can be mad at Luna for being stupid, but being this messed up isn’t her fault, Mello. We made a pact to keep our noses clean this summer, saving the hard stuff for campus. I swear to God, this wasn’t supposed to happen. You believe me, don’t you?”
I stare at my cousin, having known her since the day she took her first breath. She’s never lied to me, always coming clean when she fucks up, and I can read her tells after twenty years. “I believe you.”
“Phew,” she wheezes, her shoulders slumping forward. “God, you’re worse than Dad.”
“Rosie, you have your dad wrapped around your finger. If he knew…”
“He can never,” she whispers. “Promise me.”
“A façade only lasts so long before it crumbles.”
Arlo yawns and covers her mouth. “Maybe we should get some sleep and finish this talk in the morning when we’re all coherent.”
Rosie stares at me, pleading with me with her eyes.
“Yeah. Fine. I’m exhausted. Tomorrow, we’ll talk to Luna when she’s more with it, and then we’ll go to Grandma’s. But—” I point a finger at Rosie “—you call or text your parents where you are so they’re not worried.”
“Already done,” she says, glancing down.
Arlo reaches over and grabs my hand before standing. “Come on, honey. We could all use some rest.”
I’m on my feet, letting her guide me away from the couch, but I stop before I get too far. “Need help getting her to bed?”
“No.” Rosie stands, pushing Luna over and lifting her legs onto the couch. “She can sleep here tonight. I’m not sharing a bed with her. She’s a kicker, and I don’t want to be all bruised tomorrow.”
Arlo chuckles behind me, and I shake my head at my cousin. “You know where everything is. Talk tomorrow. Night, kid.”
“Night, Mello. Thank you and I love you.”
“Love you too, Rosie.”
She exhales, looking more relaxed, and for a moment, I feel bad about being so harsh on her, but then I remember the numerous times this has happened