“Don’t look at me like that,” she’d said, her voice weak as I entered her bedroom. Sitting up in a chair with a blanket over her lap, her cheekbones were too prominent and her hair thinned.
“Like what?” I said with as much amusement as I could muster. Instead of letting her answer, I did it for her. “Like I’m seeing the most beautiful woman in the world, the one who stole my heart?”
“Oren.”
Our visit was short. While her skin was too pale, even the terrible disease couldn’t take away the spark in her eyes. They twinkled as she spoke about the impending wedding.
“Oren,” Vincent’s deep voice brought me back to the restaurant.
There’d been a time in my life when no one would have caught me unawares, but apparently, I was no longer there. I’d been lost in memories and regrets as the Costello boss approached my table.
“Vincent,” I said, standing. Nodding, I added, “Jimmy.”
The three of us sat with our backs toward the wall. Old habits were hard to break.
“I’m not a man to mince words,” Vincent said.
I agreed, but remained silent.
“I wanted to talk to you about Lennox.”
My neck straightened. “What about him?”
“I’ve been watching. He’s doing good.”
“He is.”
“He’s getting married to that girl?” Vincent said, partially in question and also in declaration.
“Yes. Soon, I hope while Angelina...” I didn’t finish my sentence.
“Yes. We received our invitation. I wanted to tell you what I told Angelina years ago, but now...” His dark eyes clouded. “It’s not right that we lose her.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“I don’t agree with the decisions you and my cousin made for Lennox, but I respect them. I respect you—both of you. You’ve worked hard for Demetri. You’ve helped Costello. We’ll keep our business between the two of us. For Angelina, it’s better to keep your son out of it.”
An invisible load lifted from my shoulders. “Thank you, Vincent. You know I’ll do whatever you ask.”
“I’ve been giving that some thought. I’ll be calling.”
My relief evaporated as he stood and walked away.
I’ll be calling... It had too many meanings.
Costello riddles.
Though I didn’t know what he’d meant, I decided to take comfort in knowing that Lennox’s freedom from family obligations had been proclaimed by the boss himself. No one could argue as long as Vincent was in charge.
Lennox and Jocelyn’s wedding was small in comparison to other Costello events. They were married on the lawn between the house and the Long Island Sound on a sunny summer afternoon. The date had thankfully been moved up to accommodate Angelina.
Jocelyn was beautiful in her dress and Lennox handsome in a custom suit. The parish priest agreed to marry them outside the walls of the church due to the circumstances. He performed the mass and ceremony beautifully.
Angelina was stunning in a long dress that hung from her too thin body. Unable to walk the length of the yard, she sat beside me in a wheelchair and watched our son say his vows.
A week later, we were once again listening to the priest’s words as we all said goodbye to Angelina. In her own angelic way, she glowed, lying peacefully surrounded by white satin, her hands folded one over the other and the ring I’d given her on her finger. As I stood before the casket, I longed for her eyes to once again open—one more time—so I could see the spark.
But I knew once would never be enough. I’d always want more.
It was another wish that would never be fulfilled.
Later that evening, Vincent asked to speak to me alone in what used to be my office. I supposed now it was Lennox’s, but I was too sullen to stand on formalities.
As his father had done before him, Vincent went to the desk and sat on the business side. I took a seat facing him.
“I’m making the call,” Vincent said. “Morelli was a good man. Like Angelina, the cancer took him fast.”
Morelli had fallen to lung cancer, not a complete shock when I recalled the smoke-filled rooms, yet heartbreaking nonetheless. He left behind a wife and two grown children.
And then his words resonated: he’s making the call.
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. We were just returning from my ex-wife’s wake, and Vincent was talking business. This went against Carmine’s rules, yet I wasn’t the one to call him out.
Not long ago he’d given my son the freedom I’d asked for, that Angelina had asked for, and now it was my turn to pay. No one rejected the call from the boss. It wasn’t done.
In seconds, I completed a comprehensive assessment of my life. From the beginning of my education with my father on the docks to the first night on the street with Vincent, and on to the introductory class in Costello 101 and 400 level, receiving the call had always been a possibility. I’d made the necessary sacrifices. I’d paid my dues. I was on the track, and yet with the opportunity before me, I knew what I couldn’t say: I didn’t want it.
Instead, I sat taller. “The call.”
“The books are open, Oren.”
“It’s an honor,” I said, believing in my heart that the words were true.
Vincent nodded. “It is. I believe that. Only a man of respect can be considered.”
I wasn’t sure what to say.
“Pop respected you,” Vincent went on. A small upturn of his lips brought a smile to his cheeks. “From the first time you had the balls to ask for Angelina’s hand.”
I grinned in response. “I was scared to death.”
“As you should have been.”
We both laughed.
“It seems like a million years ago,” I said.
“It was. I wanted to tell you about the books because like Pop, I respect you, Oren. You’ve earned it.” He nodded toward the closed door. “Not many men would stand up to me about their son. I don’t agree, but I respect your and Angel’s decision. Lennox has choices—you earned those for him. He also has a family. I hope that Angel’s passing won’t cause him or you to forget that. We’re your family too. Divorce or death can’t stop that.”
I was suddenly confused. If I were about to be asked to be made, how could I forget the Costellos? “Of course not. One doesn’t quit family.”
Vincent nodded. “No, not quit, but one can be released.”
It was like a movie where the filmstrip had been severed and the reel continued to turn. I couldn’t keep up. There was nothing on the screen to tell me which way to go. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“We’re family, Oren. You helped me, Pop, and our family. We helped you. Not because of what the other did, but because we are family. That isn’t changing. We’re still Lennox’s family, yours, and even Silvia’s. I’m here. You have my number.”
“The books?” I asked.
Vincent nodded and leaned back. “He’s young, but I was young. He qualifies, and one day, he’ll be in my position.”
“Luca?”
“Oren, having your name written in the books is a gift. I hope one day you’ll see that by not writing your name in the books, I’m also giving you a gift. You want Lennox to be free because despite all you’ve done, it’s what you think is right. That doesn’t mean fulfilling a role in the family is wrong. It just is. You’d do it. I know you would. I could trust you. I always have. But more than freeing Lennox...I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I’m freeing you too.”
I didn’t have words. I wasn’t sure what to say. Did one thank someone else for his freedom, or was I perhaps sad that it came with the death of my ex-wife?
“Vincent?”
“Yes?” he said as he stood.
“Thank you.”
“We’re still here, Oren. Don’t forget that.”
“Our agreement?” I asked. When we’d met at the restaurant, he’d said it was to be only between us, not Lennox. I didn’t know wha
t the future held.
“Like it was, New York only, quarterly payments. With time, perhaps less. Let’s see what happens.”
I reached out to shake his hand. Vincent reached for mine and pulled me toward him. He’d grown wider over the years, much like his father. For a moment, I was surrounded by his embrace. “Family.” His free hand patted my back.
“Family.”
Angelina Marie Theresa Demetri, of Rye, New York, passed away after a well-fought illness on June 30, 2008. Angelina is predeceased by her parents, Angelo and Gina Costello, and by her uncle and aunt, Carmine and Rose Costello. She is survived by her loving children, Lennox Demetri and his wife, Jocelyn, and Silvia Demetri, as well as by her cousin, Vincent Costello and his wife, Bella, and many more family members. Angelina will be lovingly remembered by all who knew her for her love and devotion to family and friends. Services were private. Contributions may be made in Angelina’s name to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Staring at the worn newspaper clipping in my hand, I looked up at the television. It had been nearly six months since Angelina’s funeral. The world had moved on and the TV stations were now filled with a current story: the financial collapse of our country. Beginning midyear and growing in strength following the election, the stock market plummeted, taking a historic plunge. On paper, the losses to Demetri Enterprises were staggering. In reality, they were worse.
Everything I’d worked for...all the reasons behind my choices...it was all disappearing.
Standing at this new precipice of my life, I was again alone. Lennox would and could handle Demetri Enterprises with me out of the country. My location was insignificant as he was content with his new wife. Together they lived in Rye where even Silvia seemed satisfied.
As I packed my belongings and planned for my departure, I didn’t know what the future would hold. I only knew that I’d made my deals, sold my soul, and now I was again as I’d been when my parents died—alone.
My beliefs wouldn’t allow me to take my own life—though I understood why many businessmen chose that route during the collapse of 1929. I didn’t need to take it because all that I’d worked for was gone. My life as I’d known it was gone. All I could do was pick up the pieces and move forward.
That was who I was. I was a worker, a protector, and too often a loner. Maybe in time that would change, but for now, I needed to move away—move forward.
I’d decided upon London.
It was my equivalent to disappearing. The unhappiness in my son’s eyes when he looked at me hurt as much as knowing that his mother was gone.
On my way out of town, I made one last stop.
The November air was crisp, the ground dry.
I knelt before her tombstone.
Angelina Marie Theresa Demetri
Loving mother
1955 – 2008
“Mio angelo, I wanted to tell you I was leaving. I know how upset you got when I didn’t tell you where I was going.” I held back the tears. “Our son will be fine. He has Silvia and Jocelyn. He doesn’t need me. We raised him well. You did.” I couldn’t hold back any longer as sobs resonated from my chest. “I think I wanted to tell you, in case you ever wondered, you mentioned my selling my soul...I don’t regret a thing. I would do it all again to be your husband and Lennox’s father. I loved your family—I still do. I became a different man because of them, but I don’t regret any of it. Nothing. Even the things I could never tell you. They’ll always be a part of me, and yet over the years, I learned so much. I couldn’t have done it alone.
“That’s why I’m glad I had you beside me.”
The wind picked up as leaves swirled in small cyclones around the cemetery.
“I know that right now it seems that I’m leaving without much, but that it isn’t true. Demetri Enterprises will weather this storm. I’ll see to it. I’ll see to it from London, and I’ll never fully walk away from our son. You can count on that. He has people around him who will help.
“Your cousin spoke to me after you...after you left us. Loving you and having you in my life taught me something I may never have known without you. I learned the most valuable lesson. I learned respect.
“Thank you, mio angelo. I will always respect and love you.”
The End
Oren Demetri’s story, the making of a man.
To learn more about Oren and Lennox as well as other characters mentioned in RESPECT, you can read the Infidelity series (not about cheating). For more on the Bonetti family and how two families intersected, stay tuned for Aleatha’s next series.
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Books by New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig
ALEATHA’S LIGHTER ONES:
PLUS ONE
Stand-alone fun, sexy romance
Released May 2017
ONE NIGHT
Stand-alone, sexy contemporary romance
Released September 2017
THE INFIDELITY SERIES:
BETRAYAL
Book #1
Released October 2015
CUNNING
Book #2
Released January 2016
DECEPTION
Book #3
Released May 2016
ENTRAPMENT
Book #4
Released September 2016
FIDELITY
Book #5
Released January 2017
RESPECT
A stand-alone Infidelity novel
Coming January 2018
THE CONSEQUENCES SERIES:
CONSEQUENCES
(Book #1)
Released August 2011
TRUTH
(Book #2)
Released October 2012
CONVICTED
(Book #3)
Released October 2013
REVEALED
(Book #4)
Previously titled: Behind His Eyes Convicted: The Missing Years
Re-released June 2014
BEYOND THE CONSEQUENCES
(Book #5)
Released January 2015
CONSEQUENCES COMPANION READS:
BEHIND HIS EYES-CONSEQUENCES
Released January 2014
BEHIND HIS EYES-TRUTH
Released March 2014
THE LIGHT SERIES:
Published through Thomas and Mercer Amazon exclusive
INTO THE LIGHT
Released 2016
AWAY FROM THE DARK
Released 2016
TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE SERIES:
INSIDIOUS
(All books in this series are stand-alone erotic thrillers)
Released October 2014
DUPLICITY
(Completely unrelated to book #1)
Release TBA
THE VAULT:
UNCONVENTIONAL
Released individually
January 1, 2018
About the Author
Aleatha Romig
Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana, USA. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Aleatha has raised three children with her high school sweetheart and husband of over thirty years. Before she became a full-time author, she worked d
ays as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she's not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time a with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams!
Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers. Aleatha released the first of her series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE, INSIDIOUS, in the fall of 2014. These stand-alone thrillers continue Aleatha's twisted style with an increase in heat.
In the fall of 2015, Aleatha moved headfirst into the world of dark romantic suspense saga with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of her five-novel INFIDELITY series that has taken the reading world by storm. She also began her traditional publishing career with Thomas and Mercer. Her books INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK were published through this mystery/thriller publisher in 2016.
In the spring of 2017, Aleatha released her first stand-alone, fun, and sexy romantic comedy with PLUS ONE, followed by ONE NIGHT.
Aleatha is a "Published Author's Network" member of the Romance Writers of America and PEN America. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
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