well, I guess it's actually Jen? I don't know what I'm going by these days, so call me whatever."
Corrado let go to turn back to the car. "The Lincoln was my father's pride and joy. He never let anyone else touch it."
Shit. "I didn't know."
Reaching into his pocket, Corrado pulled out a set of keys, unwinding one off the ring. He held it out to her, the sunlight gleaming off of the old metal. "I know he'd prefer you use the key if you're going to be driving it."
She took the key from him, eyes wide. "Are you sure?"
"I have no use for it, and like you said, it's a shame to let it rot."
Genna started to thank him when Matty's voice shouted her name from inside the house, his panic palpable.
"I should, uh, you know..." Genna motioned toward the back door. "You're welcome to come in or whatever, considering it's yours and all."
She didn't wait for his response before ducking into the house, running right into Matty in the living room. He grabbed her, pulling her to him. Her gaze flickered past him, catching sight of Gavin, gun drawn and firmly in his grip, wearing the most serious expression she'd ever seen him wear.
"Are you okay?" he asked, voice low. "Who's here?"
"Relax, it's okay," she said. "It's just—"
Before she could finish, Corrado stepped through the back door.
Gavin froze.
"Amaro," Corrado said. "Didn't your father teach you not to point a gun at someone unless you plan to pull the trigger?"
Gavin lowered the gun. "My father taught me a lot, like how you can never be too careful."
"I imagine he did," Corrado said. "He's a good man, Johnny Amaro. Too bad I can't say the same thing about the rest of your fathers."
Matty tugged Genna with him as he took a protective step back.
"It's okay," Genna told him. "He owns the house. He's not here to hurt us or anything."
"Matteo Barsanti, Corrado Moretti," Gavin said, introducing them. "I guess you've already met Genevieve."
"Moretti," Matty said. "The DeMarco family."
"Correct," Corrado said. "As I told Genevieve, I just stopped by to check on things. I'll be on my way now."
"You don't have to rush off," Genna said. Man, the atmosphere was tense. "Stick around, maybe have dinner or something. I mean, I can't cook and we don't have delivery, but Matty knows how to use a stove and we can just, like, send Gavin away, since he's really annoying."
Gavin rolled his eyes while Corrado, who hadn't cracked a single smile since showing up, actually laughed. "I appreciate the offer, and no offense, but I'm not fond of being in this house. But if you need anything, Amaro knows how to get ahold of me."
Corrado slipped by them, walking through the downstairs of the house. Genna pulled away from Matty's grasp to follow the man onto the front porch. Matty lurked behind her, in the foyer, watching and listening, always skeptical of everybody. Would it be that way for the rest of their lives? Isolation doesn't solve problems.
"Thank you," Genna said. "For everything. For the house. The key. Not a lot of people would be so hospitable, given the circumstances."
"I know what it's like to suffer at the hands of your parents." Corrado stepped off the porch. "It's unfortunate, children paying the price. That's why I was happy to hear about your brother."
Genna blinked rapidly, those words a kick to the gut.
The door to the house flung open, Matty stepping out, grabbing her arm. "Let's go inside, Genna."
Genna shrugged him off, taking a step forward. "You were happy about my brother?"
"Of course," Corrado said, pausing to look at her. "We say a lot of goodbyes in this life with not too many chances to ever say hello again. Dante's one of the lucky few. You get another chance."
Corrado got in his car to leave, while Genna rooted in spot like a tree. Those words kept flowing through her mind, a continual loop. Dante's one of the lucky few…
She shook her head. No. There was no way. It wasn't possible. Whatever he'd heard had been a mistake. It had been a lie. Her brother was gone and wouldn't be coming back. Dante had told her that himself. When a Barsanti got ahold of you, there would be nothing left to find.
Genna watched the car disappear down the highway. Sickness stirred inside of her, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, like Corrado Moretti drove away and took all semblance of peace with him.