The Russos 7

by D. J. Manly

  Sam couldn’t reply. He just laughed in amazement as Tony yelled out, “Wanna bet?” and pulled away from the curb. He sped away down the road.

  Johnny looked at Drake. “I guess he’s pleased.”

  Drake nodded and winked at him.

  Sandy turned now to go back into the house. She really didn’t want to stand out here and be forced to make pleasantries with Drake Russo. She had nothing to say to him, nothing at all.

  Drake looked over at her. He thought he’d better say something, even if he knew she didn’t want to speak to him. “Hello, Sandra,” he said.

  She cast a glance at him over her shoulder and nodded.

  He laughed out loud.

  Bastard, she thought. He hadn’t changed a bit. Still good-looking, still full of himself and arrogant.

  She sighed deeply. She had no choice but to turn and face him now.

  Johnny shifted his weight from one foot to another. She knew he was uncomfortable.

  “When does your plane leave?” Drake asked, giving her a polite smile.

  She met his eyes with open hostility. “I might stay on for Janet’s wedding.”

  “I see,” he said. “I didn’t think you were invited.”

  “That’s none of your business,” she replied stiffly.

  He shrugged his broad shoulders as if he didn’t give a damn. “Just making conversation.”

  “Anyway,” Sandy added with a mocking smile, “given her first wedding, she couldn’t possibly do worse this time around.”

  Drake lifted an eyebrow. “Hoping to catch the bouquet, Sandra? I hear you’ll soon be available again. Second divorce, or third?”

  Sandy’s face drained of colour.

  Johnny winced and cleared his throat.

  Drake grinned at her and then walked into the house.

  “That son of a...” Sandy growled under her breath.

  “You did ask for that,” Johnny replied. He wanted to laugh suddenly.

  “You always took his side, didn’t you?” Sandy snapped. “Do you want me to get a room at the hotel? I can leave if...”

  “No. I didn’t ask you to leave, Sandy, not unless you want to,” Johnny replied. “It doesn’t bother me having you here, but please be civil to Drake and if you can’t, avoid him. Don’t get into verbal warfare with him, because he’s better at it than you are.”

  She sighed in frustration. “I’m taking a walk,” she announced. “I’ll decide if I’m going to go to Janet’s wedding or not, and it’s none of his business!”

  “Did she send you an invitation?” Johnny asked out of curiosity.

  “No, but she won’t kick me out if I go.”

  “You sacrificed a lot just to keep Tony away from me, Sandy,” Johnny sat down on the step. “Was it worth it?” He met her eyes.

  She bit her lip, hesitated a minute like she was going to answer, then didn’t.

  * * * * * *

  Drake was running late. He knew he was due at the studio for a practise at nine that morning, but he just couldn’t seem to open his eyes.

  He had been talking on the phone to Johnny for what seemed like hours last night. He was on some philosophical trip about the past. They ended up fighting again.

  Sandy was still staying at Johnny’s. Drake thought it was odd. It was quite obvious that Sandy wanted Johnny back. She didn’t hide that or her contempt for him very well.

  Johnny wanted something from him he just didn’t have to give right now. He couldn’t seem to make him understand what a stressful time it had been for him this last year. There was the shooting, of course, and the time he had spent in jail. Johnny had taken a lot longer to gain his strength back from the accident than anyone had thought. He had lost some vision in one of his eyes and he tired far more easily than before.

  He had also lost his mother, or the women he had always known as his mother. He had learned that his own background was a mystery, and that he wasn’t a Russo at all.

  Even though Pepi and Johnny treated him the same as before, it wasn’t the same. He didn’t feel the same. He wasn’t really their brother, and it made him an outsider.

  If that wasn’t enough, his son had taken off and he hadn’t heard a word from him in months, and neither had his mother. He felt like he had lost him. He hadn’t even had the chance to sit down and talk to him about what Sofia had told them before she died. It involved Angelo as much as it did him. He had no idea how he would take it.

  Overall, he was lonely. He still loved Johnny. He wanted to be with him, but there was just too much going on inside him right now. There was so much painful history between them and so many questions he hadn’t quite sorted out. He knew that Johnny could only see that the one thing that kept them apart all these years didn’t exist anymore but it just wasn’t that simple.

  When he walked into the studio, the receptionist, Kathy, gave him a big smile. “Hi, Drake,” she sang, pushing back her long, straight blond hair. “How do you feel?”

  He stopped on his way by her desk and gave her a lopsided grin. “Late. I feel late. I know I was supposed to be here at...”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that. The shoot for the video has been postponed until three this afternoon. You have plenty of time for a practise now and lunch and coffee and...you get the message.”

  “Someone loves me!” He rolled his eyes.

  “Everyone loves you, Drake.” She grinned. “Well, anyway, congratulations. You must be very proud. When you see that gorgeous offspring of yours, you tell him for me...”

  “Kathy?” He leaned across the desk, narrowing his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

  “Company Angelo...the record contract...eh...” she broke off, suddenly realizing that he didn’t know about it. The colour literally drained from her face. “I’m sorry, I thought you knew.”

  “Angelo got a record contract? When? How do you know this?” Drake asked her adamantly.

  “Well...eh...Jacob Zimmerman, the entertainment lawyer, was in today and he told me that he had just added a new client name to his list...Company Angelo. He negotiated a contract with our sister company, Concord Records, in Arizona a little while ago.” She looked down at some papers in front of her, feeling odd at having to explain this to him.

  He felt like a damn fool. Angelo hadn’t even bothered to tell him. “Well...thanks, Kathy, for telling me,” he muttered.

  * * * * * *

  Drake marched into Frank’s office without knocking.

  Frank was on the phone. He held up a hand, finished off his conversation and then hung up.

  “Drake. Hi, buddy, what can I...?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about Company Angelo and Concord?” Drake cut him off sharply.

  Frank knew that Drake was upset.

  “I...I would have. I...”

  “But you didn’t.”

  “I thought Angelo might tell you himself. I thought that he would want to break the news to you.”

  Drake nodded solemnly, his mouth tightening. “Where is he? Where in hell is my son anyway?”

  “He’s in Nevada. The band is working in the studio on...”

  “Is he all right?”

  “Ya. He seems to be.”

  “You saw him?”

  “In Nevada, a few weeks back with Alan.”

  Drake met Frank’s eyes. He was silent for a minute. “Where are the others?”

  “Waiting for you in studio six. The video shoot is...”

  “I know. Kathy told me,” Drake replied and walked out of the office.

  Frank sighed heavily.

  * * * * * *

  Johnny knew Drake was in a dark mood as soon as he walked in the door. Mac and Pepi stopped talking and Tony, who sat looking over the lyrics of the song they would do in the video looked up in expectation. Tony’s friend Sam sat up in the recording booth above.

  Drake looked at each of them. “What?” he demanded. “Why are you staring at me like that? Do you all know about the contract with Concord too
? Ya, I’m probably the only one in the fucking world he didn’t tell!”

  “Who didn’t tell you what?” Mac asked, throwing up his hands.

  “Ya,” Johnny muttered, plucking at one of his guitar strings, “what are you talking about? Who got a contract?”

  Drake glared at Johnny. “This is all your fault, you know!”

  “What is?” Johnny shot back.

  “The reason my son doesn’t want to speak to me!”

  “Who says Angelo doesn’t want to speak to you?” Pepi asked.

  Drake didn’t get time to respond because Tony lunged toward him suddenly. “Have you heard from Angelo?” he demanded. “Tell me...how is he? Where is he? Is he coming home?”

  “I wouldn’t know,” Drake retorted angrily. “And all of sudden you’re so concerned after the way you used him the way you did!”

  Tony’s face went red. Those words cut him to the bone. He backed off.

  “He probably hates my guts.” Drake balled up his fist.

  Johnny walked over to him. “Why would he hate you, Drake? And what is it that you think is all my fault?” He tried to touch his arm.

  Drake pulled away angrily. “Don’t touch me,” he hissed.

  Mac stepped down from his drums. He cautioned Johnny with his eyes. “Drake, come on, let’s take a walk and cool off.”

  Mac took his arm and led him out of the room.

  Johnny looked at Tony, then Pepi. “What in hell was that?”

  Tony moved closer to his dad. “Drake’s really pissed about something. Looks like he heard something about Angelo.”

  “Well, he didn’t need to speak to you like that!” his father griped.

  “It’s all right. I deserved it.” Tony bowed his head. “It’s true what he said.”

  Pepi threw up his hands. “Shit. We need to work. I’m tired of these crises all the time. Can’t we get through one damn day together without crap!” Pepi swore a few times and then marched off in a huff.

  Outside in the courtyard, Mac sat Drake down on a bench beside the door. He stood in front of him, studying his face. “So, what happened with the kid?”

  “He got a music contract with Concord and he didn’t even tell me,” Drake grumbled.

  “Oh.”

  “Did you know?”

  “No.”

  “Mac, I feel that I did the wrong thing. Maybe I should have taken him into the band. I only wanted him to know what it was like to earn it, you know. Was I wrong?” Drake’s dark eyes were pleading with his best friend to back him up.

  “There’s merit in making it on your own. I think you were a little hard on him sometimes. He loves you and admires you, Drake. He wants you to be proud of him. He has a lot to live up to. I think it must be a lot of pressure to have a famous dad like you. I don’t think he’s angry with you because he’s not in the band.”

  “What then?”

  “The video.”

  “I thought about that. Do you think he knows about it already?”

  “He works in the same industry, Drake. Of course he knows about it. How do you think he feels?” Mac demanded.

  “I was against Tony being in the video, you know that but it meant so much to Johnny and he did co-write the song. I know Angelo thinks I’m sleeping with Tony.”

  “With Tony?” Mac’s eyes widened. “Why in hell would he think that?”

  “It’s a long story. You know that Tony and Angelo had this thing?”

  Mac nodded. “Ya. I’m not blind, deaf and dumb.”

  “Just dumb.” Drake grinned and Mac slapped him lightly across the head. “Anyway, it didn’t work out. Tony had a crush on me, and he never made any secret about it to Angelo.”

  “And you haven’t been stupid enough to sleep with Johnny’s son?”

  “No, at least, I haven’t so far,” he confessed.

  Mac sighed. “Jesus. Don’t even think about that. You need to work things out with Johnny, Drake,” Mac eyed him.

  “I can’t yet. I haven’t sorted out everything.”

  “You could destroy his relationship with his son and bring this group down around our heads. If you and Tony ever slept together, it would finish Johnny. Is Tony over this crush he had on you?”

  “I don’t know. I think so. I’m beginning to think that he’s in love with Angelo. He’s too damn young. He doesn’t know what he wants. I’m afraid he might find out too late and anyway—” he sighed.

  “Anyway,” Mac interrupted, “that’s Tony and Angelo’s problem, not yours.”

  Drake nodded. “It seemed I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t, you know? If I had said no to Tony being in the video, Johnny would have been angry at me and I figure I owe him, since I did shoot him in the head just recently.”

  There was a pause and then they both started laughing because remembering that time was too painful. They needed to relieve the heaviness they felt just by recalling it. They laughed so hard that tears came to their eyes and then they had to stop.

  “Go see him,” Mac urged. “He’s in Arizona. Go see him, congratulate him and invite him to his mother’s wedding. She wants him there.”

  “I know, but...”

  Suddenly Tony walked outside. “Drake,” he said hastily, his voice filled with anxiety, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have to say that—”

  “Tony,” Drake cut him off, “I’m the one who is sorry. I didn’t mean to bite your head off back there. I was a just a little upset.”

  Mac excused himself and walked back inside the building.

  Tony sat down beside Drake. “Don’t worry about it. Is Angelo all right?”

  “He got a record contract.”

  “That’s great.” Tony’s face lit up.

  “And he knows about you being in the video. He probably thinks we’re sleeping together,” Drake added, giving Tony a meaningful look.

  “I see.” Tony nodded, taking a breath. “I can’t blame him for thinking that. Where is he?”

  “Arizona.”

  “Arizona,” Tony repeated. “I miss him. I dream about him. I wake up in the middle of the night and I can smell him...taste him.” He stopped.

  Drake’s eyes widened a little, not expecting this magnitude of emotion that was pouring out of him suddenly.

  “I had no idea that I would miss him this much, and I certainly had no idea that I could possibly want someone as badly as I want him. I ask myself how I could have been such a damn fool.”

  Drake patted his shoulder. “Get used to it, it’s called adulthood. I ask myself how I could have been such a fool as a matter of routine.”

  Tony laughed, then sobered. “We should get to work,” he said.

  “We have time. Talk to me, Tony,” Drake invited. “Tell me more about these feelings you have for Angelo. I never realized you cared this much.”

  There was a tremor in Tony’s voice when he spoke again. “You know, Drake, I really don’t think I can talk about your son right now, okay?”

  Drake studied him for a minute and then stood up, nodding. He didn’t quite know what to say.

  After a few seconds Tony was able to speak again. He swallowed the dry, painful feeling in his throat. “Drake,” he met his eyes, “I want to say thank you for letting me be in this video. I know you didn’t approve. You did it for Dad. I appreciate it. I’ll do a good job, I promise.”

  “I’m not worried about you doing a good job, Tony.” Drake shook his dark head. “I know you will. I just hope Angelo understands and forgives me, that’s all.”

  “I’ll explain it to him. I’ll make him understand.” Tony squeezed Drake’s arm with determination.

  Drake threw an arm around Tony, and together they walked back into the studio.

  This concludes Episode Seven of The Russos.

  Stay tuned next month for the exciting Episode Eight:

  - Johnny and Drake have been estranged since Drake has found out the truth about his heritage.

  - Angelo comes back for his mother’s we
dding, but he isn’t alone.

  - Angelo catches Tony kissing Drake in the bedroom.

  Meet Sofia Russo

  Sofia Russo is the mother of The Russo boys. She has had a life filled with longing and regret. For years she has kept a terrible secret, a secret which has come close to destroying those she loves most.

  D.J. Manly

  DJ. Manly is fast acquiring a reputation for pushing the boundaries of male/male erotic romance. A reviewer once said of Manly’s work that it was enough to give the reader “…third-degree burns in an air conditioned room…” and that’s putting it mildly. If you adore gorgeous men who can’t get enough of each other’s bodies…if you like rich plots laced with steamy sex, thick and rich with aching need and glorious adoration and love…Manly’s books will satisfy the craving and leave you panting for more.

  “If I wouldn’t enjoy reading it, I wouldn’t be writing it,” says Manly. “I like to tease...but I always please...”

  To check out books by D.J. Manly, you can visit the website at djmanly.com, and take a taste…if you dare.

  “Fair warning, I’ve been told that it’s highly addictive.”

  D.J. .