The Russos 5

by D. J. Manly

  Published by Mojocastle Press, LLC

  Price, Utah

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  The Russos: Episode Five

  ISBN: 1-60180-034-7

  Copyright © 2007 D. J. Manly

  Cover Art Copyright @ 2007 April Martinez

  All rights reserved.

  Excluding legitimate review sites and review publications, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Copying, scanning, uploading, selling and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without permission from the publisher is illegal, punishable by law and will be prosecuted.

  Available online at:

  http://www.mojocastle.com/

  Also By D.J. Manly:

  Connor's Storm

  Melting Ice

  The Russos: Digital Soap

  Dedication:

  To my readers.

  The Russos:

  Episode Five

  D. J. Manly

  Previously on The Russos...

  Drake and Angelo get into an argument at the hospital, and Johnny finally comes out of the coma.

  Tony overhears a shocking conversation between his father and his uncle he just can't forget, while fighting an attraction to Drake senior. Frank holds a party at his house to celebrate Johnny's recovery, and Tony gets high and loses all inhibitions. Drake senior is disturbed by Tony's behaviour. Janet and Mac make love, and Janet is afraid that her ex will find out about it.

  And Now...Episode Five of The Russos

  Sandy sat across the table from Tom, puffing on a cigarette.

  He wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Are you ever going to give that up?"

  "What do you care?" she demanded angrily. "You want out of this marriage. If I get cancer, you won't have to watch me die."

  "What an ugly thing to say," Tom muttered. "But then...I've seen a side of you that..."

  She sighed. "Ya...ya...ya. Whatever, Tom."

  The waitress came over, and they ordered coffee. She left.

  They couldn't meet in town. Too many eyes were on them, and now it wasn't only the people in the town who were watching. Lately, a few reporters from the United States were spotted hanging around, asking questions about the Newton family. Although they hadn't directly approached her yet, Sam's mother called her yesterday to tell her she had been asked to give an interview. How these reporters found out who she was and how she was connected to all this, she'd never know.

  But Sandy needed to talk to Tom. So she suggested they meet in a neutral place, forty miles out of town.

  They met at a highway diner, ironically called The Last Stop. It was half-empty, and no one knew them there.

  She wasn't prepared for how hostile she was feeling...or how wounded Tom looked.

  The coffee came. They were alone.

  Tom stared into his cup, then sighed. "Why was this necessary?"

  "The meeting? I wanted to tell you that I'm going out to L.A. I wasn't going to tell you, but I decided that you deserved to know."

  He nodded. "Can I ask why?"

  "To save our son from that life, that's why. Don't you care anymore, or now because he knows you're not really his father...do you...?"

  "How dare you suggest I don't care?" His blue eyes were brilliant with anger. "I love Tony, and I hope one day he'll forgive me for lying to him all this time. I hope he remembers the good times we had and that he was always my son...always." He swallowed and looked away, tears in his eyes. "This could have all been avoided if you had told him years ago. He would have known that I was his stepfather, but...it might have been better. Now he's confused and bitter, and I would be too." He fell silent, blinking back the tears.

  "Are you finished with your speech?" Sandy murmured, raising the coffee cup to her lips.

  He played with his own cup, turning it this way and that.

  "Have you started divorce proceedings?" There was a lump in her throat.

  "No," he breathed.

  "Can't we..." She paused. "Maybe when I come back from L.A. with Tony, we can all sit down as a family and work this all out."

  He met her eyes. "But we're not a family anymore, remember, and what makes you think Tony will come back with you?"

  She didn't reply.

  "You're in love with someone else, Sandy. You've always been, and I was just too much of a fool to see it."

  His voice cracked with emotion.

  "I'm not still in love with---"

  "You are. You never stopped loving him, and if he had come after you, you would have left me in a minute and gone with him. But he doesn't want you, Sandy, he never has." Tom gave his wife a cruel smile.

  Sandy felt like he had turned a knife in her heart. She returned a bitter smile of her own. "I have his son. Drake could never give him that."

  "Drake?" Tom raised an eyebrow. "Are you insane? What are you talking about, Drake?"

  "Johnny is in love with his brother. That's why our marriage failed, and that's why I don't want Tony with him. He will corrupt him, destroy his morals...everything I've taught him."

  "In love with...have you lost your mind?" Tom laughed. "You truly are mad."

  "You don't have to believe me." She withdrew another cigarette from her package and lit it. "I know it sounds insane. It sounds insane because it is insane, but I don't really care if you believe it or not. I just want you to know that I am going to go to L.A. and bring back our son. I want you to check on the house when I'm gone so we don't get anything vandalized or stolen. If you do want to sell the house later on..." She stopped.

  "We can discuss all that later." His voice was hard.

  "Maybe you'll want to..." he stopped.

  He couldn't believe that his marriage was coming to an end. He also couldn't believe his son was gone, and that he missed him so much it hurt. All the years spent with this woman were a lie. She had held him in her arms, made passionate love to him, whispered his name in the dark and all that time she was still in love with her ex-husband, the father of her child.

  He stood up. He couldn't bear to look at her right now. He loved her still. "I'll watch the house. I'll move back in while you're gone. When are you leaving?"

  "I wanted to go at Christmas, but I booked too late."

  She crushed out her cigarette. "I'm going in mid-January instead. I don't know for how long. I'm hoping to go and come back right away with Tony."

  "Okay, do what you want. Call and remind me a few days in advance when you're leaving. I've got to go now. I have a patient coming in this evening."

  She said goodbye to him and watched him leave. He would change his mind about the divorce. He had to.

  Once Tony came home, they could all sit down and sort this all out. Things would be as they had been. She would make everything all right again.

  She ordered more coffee. It would be so easy to destroy the lives of Johnny and his brothers. She had nothing against Pepi, but she would have enjoyed watching Drake's career go up in flames. However, she had to stay focused. Destroying the Russos was not her goal. She would only threaten to go to the press if Johnny tried to stand between her and her son.

  She knew what was best for him, and being out there in that wild city with his father was definitely not it. He had to come home. Tony would listen to reason, and so would Johnny...or there would be war.

  * * * * * *

  Sophia called the hospital at nine that morning, only to be told that Johnny was not in his room. They had got him up out of bed and taken him for a walk down the hallway. She told th
em she would call back later, but to let him know she wouldn't be coming to the hospital today.

  She didn't feel well this morning, and had declined Drake's offer to drop her off to see Johnny on his way to the studio. Tired, she curled up on the sofa in Drake's living room and switched on his widescreen television.

  She must have dozed, because she was startled by the answering machine switching on and then a female voice saying, "Hi, baby, guess you're out. Probably at the studio. I miss you already. Last night was...well...wow...you know. You're wonderful, and you have the greatest cock."

  Sophia didn't think she should be listening to this, but she didn't have a choice, really. The female voice over the machine kept on discussing the details of a passionate sexual encounter she had engaged in with her son the night before, then saying, "Call me, okay?" she rang off.

  When Sophia had recovered from the graphic language the young woman had used, she decided it had to be Francine, the lawyer. She had liked the woman, but she had no idea she could be so vulgar.

  Anyway, the bottom line was that Drake had found someone again, and that it looked pretty promising.

  Now if only Johnny could find himself some nice girl.

  She tried the hospital again, and was transferred to her son's room.

  He answered on the second ring. "Hello?"

  "John, dear, it's Mama. I'm sorry I didn't come today. I didn't feel very well this morning."

  "That's okay, Mama. I understand. Don't feel you have to be here every day. I was up walking."

  "So they told me. How nice, dear. A good sign. It won't be long, my darling, and you'll be up dancing around on stage again."

  He laughed. "Ya. I miss it. Have you seen Drake?"

  "This morning. We had breakfast together. He's gone off to the studio. I might be living in his house, but I hardly see him. He didn't come home all last night. He's seeing that Francine woman now. Nice girl."

  There was a silence.

  Johnny gripped the phone. That bastard. Is that why he had seen so little of him recently? Here he was in the hospital, and Drake was banging that lawyer bitch.

  "Johnny, are you still there?" Mama asked.

  "Yes. How do you know that Drake is seeing that woman?" Johnny demanded.

  "I just do, that's all. Now, dear, if only we could find some nice girl for you to..."

  "Mama, stop it!" Johnny snapped. "I don't want some nice girl. I'm gay. I told you that before. I don't like girls...women...I like men."

  Sophia's voice trembled. "You know that's a phase you're going through, and all it takes is the right girl to..."

  "Mama, if it's a phase, it's the longest fucking phase in history!" He lay back on his pillows and laughed.

  "No need to use foul language, dear," Mama complained. "You're just tired now. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

  "Sure, Mama," Johnny sighed.

  She hung up.

  God, how he hated this bullshit. It had taken him years to tell her he was gay, and then when he finally did, she either told him it's a 'phase', or pretended not to hear him. She'd pulled that last one more than once.

  Johnny stared at the receiver. Drake and his lawyer.

  Christ. Wasn't there anyone Drake encountered who didn't end up taking him to bed? Did he sleep with his plumber and electrician too? Maybe his family doctor also had sex with him during his annual checkup.

  Damn him!

  He started to put the phone back on the nightstand, but then hurled it across the room instead.

  He must have closed his eyes, because a few minutes later, Janet stood in front of his bed.

  "I didn't see you come in," he said. "Where's Tony? Did he go to the studio today?"

  "No. He's going to ask Drake about going tomorrow. He's here. I just wanted a few minutes alone with you. What happened to the phone?" Her eyes went to where it lay in the corner of the room.

  "Mama happened," he muttered.

  "Oh. Want me to pick it up?" Janet asked him.

  "No. Don't bother." He studied her for a moment.

  Her shoulder-length blond hair was tied back, and she was wearing jeans and a light blue sweater. Such a pretty woman.

  "Jan?" he said as she came closer to his bedside.

  "Ya?" she replied.

  "Is Drake fucking his lawyer?" He met her eyes.

  She looked a little baffled for a moment, and then licked her lips. "Francine Thomson, you mean?"

  "I guess."

  Janet studied his face, then let out a sigh. "Could be. I don't know. Who said he was?"

  "Mama did."

  "You'll have to ask Drake."

  "I would, if I ever saw him."

  "He's really busy now in the studio." She paused.

  "Johnny, I need to ask you something and I want you to be perfectly honest with me, okay?"

  Johnny nodded. "Okay. What is it?"

  "Mac has...well...he wants to marry me, and..." she began.

  Johnny's face burst into a smile. "Janet, that's wonderful. I knew that Mac would..."

  "Listen, I haven't said yes. Johnny," she came closer and took his hand, "we had a thing a few years back, and---"

  "When we were on tour, and Angelo came with us that summer. You spent quite a while on the tour with us."

  "You knew?" She gasped.

  "We all knew. Mac would walk into practices singing, for Christ's sakes. We knew he was getting it somewhere," Johnny teased.

  Janet blushed. "Then Drake also knew?"

  "Of course."

  "Why didn't he say anything?" Janet asked.

  "Why would he? He was happy for you. He'll be thrilled if you marry Mac."

  Janet let go of his hand and sank into the chair beside him, suddenly quiet.

  Johnny studied her. He knew what she was feeling; that mixture of relief and disappointment merged together. He felt close to her. He always had. "Janet," he sighed, "I know it's hard to let go, but Drake is never going to..."

  "I know that." Tears ran down her cheeks. "If I marry Mac, it will mean that it's finally over, and God...Johnny, I..." She stood up and leaned over his bed.

  He held her, her cheek pressed firmly against his. "I know, I know..."

  "I'll love him until I die." She straightened and walked over to the window.

  "It doesn't mean you can't love Mac too, does it?"

  Johnny asked her from his bed.

  She watched the fans in the parking lot, swaying to music. "I do love Mac, Johnny. I just can't seem to let go of the last little drop of hope inside me that he'll decide to come home after almost eighteen years. Isn't that tragic?"

  "Not any more tragic than loving someone in a way you have no right to, knowing it's wrong and yet not being able to change it."

  Janet sucked in a breath. It was the first time that Johnny had ever said it so directly. It was the first time he had been truly honest with her. He didn't need to say who he was talking about; they both knew. She turned from the window. "Thank you for that."

  "For what? For saying what should have been said years ago? For admitting that I'm to blame for destroying your marriage to my brother?"

  Janet shook her head. "It wasn't all your fault, Johnny. Drake didn't want this marriage either."

  Johnny nodded. "Drake doesn't know what he wants, so he keeps running and running. Anyway, doesn't matter." He swallowed. "Marry Mac. Drake won't be upset. I know part of him will be relieved. He won't feel as guilty about things anymore."

  Janet walked back over to the bed.

  "He does care about you, Janet," Johnny continued speaking. "He always will. He wants you to be happy. Mac can love you the way Drake should have."

  She nodded. "Thanks. I'll go and get Tony. I have an appointment at the hairdresser's this afternoon. I'll drop by later." She kissed him goodbye and left.

  * * * * * *

  Tony was surprised to see Angelo emerge from the bathroom, his hair wet from the shower, a bath towel hitched around his slim waist, when he arrived back at his au
nt's house that evening.

  Angelo nodded a brief hello and then disappeared into his bedroom, closing the door.

  Tony walked back down the hallway and into the kitchen, where his aunt was busy cooking pasta for supper.

  "Your long-lost son is home," Tony told her.

  "Really? Ask him if he's staying for supper, will ya?" she threw back at him as she began taking plates down from the cupboard.

  "Aunt Janet, would you mind if I went to hear him play tonight?"

  "No. Did he say it was all right?"

  "I haven't asked him yet," Tony replied. He went back down the hallway and knocked on the door of his cousin's bedroom.

  "Come in," Angelo called back.

  Tony stood just inside Angelo's room, which was a mess, clothes everywhere. Angelo, on the other hand, looked good enough to eat.

  He was in the process of pulling a black belt through the loops of his jeans; they were tight and fit him like a second skin. He hadn't put on a shirt yet. His chest and back were smooth, with just the right amount of muscle tone. That long black hair of his was combed back from his face and just beginning to dry, fanning out over his broad shoulders.

  With his hair slicked back in that way, Tony could see the features of his face quite clearly. He had high cheekbones and a square jaw, full lips and aquiline nose and the beautiful chocolate-brown eyes of his father, fringed with long, curly black lashes. He had just enough of his mother in him to save him from being his dad's double.

  Angelo was studying Tony now in return. He took out his blow dryer and plugged it in, waiting to turn it on. "What is it?" he asked, sounding a bit impatient.

  "Where are you playing?"

  "The Rock Mansion, downtown," he replied.

  "Would it bother you if I went tonight to listen to you play?" Tony asked him. He felt nervous suddenly.