your baby. He would've probably killed you all. He might be your father, but he wasn't a good man. He wasn't a nice man. He was just a man… a man who used to tuck you in at night… a man who used to hug you tight. Oh God, don't fucking cry…
Matty rubbed her back, his touch breaking her reserve. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Wish I was surprised," Matty said. "We knew a long time ago it would come to this."
"Yeah," Alfie said. "Despite everything, you know, they were powerful men, important men, so we figured they deserved a proper send-off. I'll spare you the details, but we made sure they'd be found."
"Thank you," Matty said. "We had our problems, but my mother always wanted to be buried with him."
"I figured," Alfie said. "And you know, Primo has his kids… Dante told us to shove the old man in a car and light it up, for all he cared, but you know, burying him is the right thing to do."
"My brother said that?" Genna asked, surprised.
"Your brother says a lot," Alfie said. "Don't know about that kid some days."
"So you know him?"
"You could say that."
"Where is he?"
"Hard to say," Alfie said. "My daughter should able to tell you, though."
Matty cleared his throat. "I heard about that."
"Yeah, can't say I was thrilled," Alfie said, "but he's not so bad, I guess. Could be worse."
"What are you talking about?" Genna asked, looking between them.
"Your brother's dating my cousin," Matty said.
"Dating?" Genna asked. "Are we talking every other weekend and the occasional Wednesday kind of dating?"
Matty cracked a smile. "She's his girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" she asked. "Like a real live girlfriend?"
"They're living together," Alfie said. "They say they're in love."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Genna sat up, holding her hands up to stop them from saying anything else. "Out of everything you've said, that is the craziest. Are you sure we're talking about my brother here?"
"Unfortunately," Alfie said. "They're living in an apartment in Little Italy. Neighborhood's wrecked, but it's safe, for the most part. Everyone's been quiet. You should be fine over there."
The loud buzz echoed through the apartment from the box affixed to the wall by the front door. Gabriella's back stiffened when she heard it, standing in the kitchen, stirring macaroni on the stove. It went off a few times, back-to-back, but she ignored it. The only person she cared to see was Dante, and he still had his key to get in, despite walking out and offering no sort of answer for when he might return.
If he even returns…
She had nobody to blame but herself. Okay, and Gavin… she blamed Gavin. And Primo Galante, and Bobby Barsanti… she blamed them, too—blamed them for starting the whole war that created the entire mess.
Ugh, she blamed the world.
She blamed all of her neighbors.
She blamed the friggin mayor.
She could throw blame around all day long, but it wouldn't change anything.
The buzzing stopped. Gabriella drained her macaroni and mixed it all together, scooping it in a bowl as she headed for the living room. Meredith Grey stood on her television screen, blabbing about being dark and twisty, her mess of a life seeming to pale in comparison to Gabriella's currently, but it still managed to make her feel better.
At least she wasn't the only screw up.
Gabriella had barely made it a few steps when knocking echoed from the door. She stalled and turned toward it, considering ignoring it, too, hoping they'd leave her alone to wallow, but curiosity was a strong contender. She crept over, not wanting to be heard, and glanced out the peephole.
The moment she did, her muscles declared mutiny.
Her knees almost buckled, the bowl of macaroni slipping right from her hand, hitting the floor with a clatter. Oh my God. Fumbling with the locks, her hands shaking, she yanked the door open, giving no regard to the fact that she wasn't wearing pants. Luckily, her shirt was long enough to cover everything, because nothing mattered beyond what was in front of her. "Matty?"
Matteo Barsanti stood there, in the hallway in front of her apartment.
"Gabby." He smiled. "Long time, no see."
"I, uh… wow. What are you…? Why are you here?"
"She's not really surprised, either," a female voice called out from behind him. "Man, we did a shitty job at this whole faking-death thing. I think the only one that got fooled was me."
Gabriella pulled the door open further, her eyes widening. "Genna? You're, uh… oh my god. You're…"