House of Payne: Rude (26 page)

Scorpio grimaced, as though the word had personally offended him and he didn’t know how to get his revenge on it. “Diagnosed last year. He doesn’t have long now. You’d think that’d stop him from smoking, right? When I saw him this morning, sonofabitch was off his oxygen so he could puff away like a goddamn freight train. Could’ve blown himself sky-high with his O2 tanks sitting right there, that stubborn Russian. Though technically speaking, Borysko Vitaliev isn’t Russian. He’s Ukrainian, and Sass looks and acts just like him.”

Considering her mother had been a blonde, blue-eyed nitwit, he’d already figured as much. “So he wants to have a heartfelt family reunion before he kicks, yeah? What if Sass isn’t interested?”

“That’s where you come in,” came the surprising reply. “Haven’t you guessed by now? Giving Sass twenty-four hours wasn’t for her. It was for
you
.”

Rude’s eyes narrowed as a sick, sinking feeling he’d been played echoed through him. “Bullshit.”

“I was hoping I could talk you into helping me help Sass come to the conclusion that family is everything, and that she really needs to see her father before it’s too late.”

Shit. He
had
been played. “Normally I’d agree with you that family is everything. After all, I come from a decent, loving Italian family.”

“Gotta love Mama Coco and Papa Bolo. Salt of the earth, they are. Rumor has it you’re putting together their anniversary party this year. How’s that going?”

God, he’d fucking kill this guy before the day was done. “As of the age of fourteen, Sass also comes from a decent, loving Italian family. She has all the family she needs.”

“That may be, and it’s wonderful how well your family looked after her. Sadly, not all the foster homes she wound up in were as loving. But karma’s a funny thing. In the end, people usually get what they deserve.”

Rude’s eyes narrowed. “The Dietrichs and that shithead Cadwallader are prime examples of that, yeah?”

“So it would seem.”

“So it would seem, my ass. You did that.”

Scorpio pursed his lips. “I was just a wide-eyed college kid when the Dietrichs went. And as for that scum Cadwallader…Did you know he spat on Sass as she lay at the foot of those stairs he did his damnedest to kill her on? Not to speak ill of the dead, but in my humble opinion fate somehow managed to give that unworthy scum exactly what he deserved.”

Rage roared through Rude, so overwhelming he was certain the other man could hear it. “Good thing he’s dead.”

Scorpio’s mouth curled. “Thought you’d see it that way. Being Italian, you’re a passionate guy. And being Italian, you understand how important blood is. The Panuzzis aren’t Sass’s blood. My employer is.”

“You want to talk blood? How about all the blood on Borysko Vitaliev’s hands? The FBI’s had him on their radar for thirty fucking years, from hijacking gasoline tankers of his rivals to racketeering, to running the largest drug syndicate in the Midwest. How many bodies has your employer buried to get to the top of the food chain and become the
Bratva’s
boss? Wait, don’t answer that question. Instead, answer this one—why would I ever allow my woman to go anywhere near someone who’s drenched in that kind of blood?”

Scorpio listened with that thoughtful tilt of his head. “You’ll allow it because one way or another, it’s going to happen.”

“Jesus, you’ve got to have the biggest pair of balls in recorded history. You do understand that all I have to do is raise my hand and three bullets from three separate sniper rifles end your miserable fucking existence, don’t you? I’ve already been asked by one of them to please—I shit you not, he actually said
please
—let him shoot you.”

Again Scorpio shrugged, though Rude was gratified to see his eyes shift to where Echo, Cap, Havlik, Weitzler, Luke and Xander were positioned. “And yet you haven’t raised your hand. Why?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. Maybe up to this point I’ve found this enlightening. Now I’m just getting pissed.”

“And maybe you understand that deep down every human being deserves to know where they come from. That chance was stolen from Sass the moment she was abandoned by her mother, and she’s been incomplete ever since. I don’t think you can fully grasp what that’s like, being the much-adored youngest of five Panuzzi children. But I can guarantee you that Sass carries around a big blank hole inside her that nothing but family can fill.”

Rude had to lock his muscles in place to keep from beating the shit out of the other man for presuming to know anything about Sass. “If it comes down to a decision between knowing where she comes from and putting herself in danger with the rest of Vitaliev’s kids, then Sass will just have to live with that blank hole inside. At least she’ll be alive to do it.”

“Everyone knows the old man’s on his way out, so the pressure’s eased off on his children. Not to mention I’d be very circumspect in bringing her in. No one, not even the estate’s staff, would see her coming or going. I’ll see to that personally.”

“That’d be a great guarantee… if I trusted you.”

Scorpio sighed. “Look, I’ll bottom-line it for you, Romeo. My employer has expressed a profound and driving need to see his youngest child before he dies. You should know that I always find a way to make sure he gets what he wants, so Sass
will
be seeing him. But between you and me, I don’t want it to be a traumatic thing for her. She’s had too much of that shit in her life already. So after giving it some thought, I came to the conclusion that it won’t be traumatic if she chooses to see him. If anything, it’ll be cathartic. She’ll finally know where she comes from. Do you really want to keep her from that?”

What he really wanted to do was not accept that this asshole had a point, so he avoided answering by turning back to the building. “I’ll talk it over with Sass, but I’m not making any promises.”

“I’ll need an answer soon, and that’s not just me being a dick. Her father doesn’t have long now.”

“Call PSI and leave your number,” Rude said without turning around. “I’ll let you know when I have an answer.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

The Panuzzis’ two-story brick Workers Cottage home looked as cozy as a scene from the front of a Christmas card, with its windows aglow and snow covering its pitched roof. Sass stared up at it as she climbed out of Rude’s SUV and wished with all her heart that she could somehow pull the peace of the scene into her.

Like the night before, she couldn’t sleep after Rude had told her of his meeting with the man named Scorpio. That meant she had now gone two nights without any rest, and it was beginning to take its toll. Finally Rude decided she needed to break the ceaseless cycle of worrying over what she needed to do to get her life back under control, and got her out of the apartment. She hadn’t expected to wind up at Mama Coco and Papa Bolo’s house, but his determination to take along the layered pumpkin cheesecake she’d made suddenly made sense.

“I take it we’re having dinner with your parents?”

“Yeah.” After rounding the front of his car, he curled an arm around her shoulders and steered her up the pathway to the front porch steps.  “I actually got the invite-slash-summons for the two of us late yesterday afternoon, but considering you were in the midst of trying to put the apartment back together, I didn’t want to put even more pressure on you by telling you about it. So I rescheduled it for today.”

“It’s no pressure to see Mama Coco and Papa Bolo. They’re family.” Then she cringed at the word. She’d once dreamed of being found by her family. It was the most common fantasy of any kid in foster care. She couldn’t count how many nights she’d lain awake, dreaming of some unknown person appearing out of the blue to save her, assuring her that her abandonment had been a terrible mistake and that she’d always been loved and wanted.

Reality left one hell of a lot to be desired.

Rude seemed to sense her discomfort, because his arm tightened on her shoulders. “They
are
your family, Sassy, and don’t you forget it.”

As Mama Coco greeted them at the door and shooed them inside amidst kisses, hugs and admonitions to not heat the entire neighborhood by letting the door stand open, that one phrase whirled around Sass’s tired brain. She’d never had family, but for as long as she could remember she’d always had an idea of what family should be. A family was made up of people who were always there when they were needed the most. They were the ones who offered love through both the good times,
and
the bad. They were one’s personal tribe.

That, more than anything, described the Panuzzis, as well as Scout and Tonya. They were her family. Her tribe.

If she looked at it that way, she had no reason to stress over whether or not she should meet with someone with whom she had the bad luck of sharing DNA. For the past several hours all she could think about was whether or not this Borysko Vitaliev thought she was so helpless she couldn’t even find an apartment or get a job without his help. She’d even wondered why he’d truly chosen to stay out of her life. Maybe she was such a disappointment he hadn’t wanted to bother.

But what this stranger thought of her didn’t matter. It didn’t matter because her
real
family thought she was awesome. So what if she was never going to be President, or an astronaut, or whatever the hell was considered impressive by Borysko Vitaliev’s standards? Mama Coco and Papa Bolo thought she was worthy of being their daughter, and that was all she needed.

Because they were her family.

“Sass, sweetie.”

She looked up at Mama Coco as they all sat down at the dinner table already laden with fragrant, hot garlic bread in a napkin-wrapped basket and a big pot of spaghetti and meatballs. “Yes?”

“I asked if you wanted some wine with your meal.” Mama Coco held up a bottle of red and a wine glass, looking concerned.

“Oh. Sorry, my mind was elsewhere. Yes, please, that sounds wonderful.” Actually it would sound even more wonderful if her former foster parent just left the bottle for her to nip away at. At this point, a glass seemed ridiculous.

“Your mind was elsewhere?” Pouring generous servings of the Chianti that the Panuzzis always drank with their Italian-themed meals, Mama Coco passed the glasses around before sitting down. “Everything all right? You look pale. Doesn’t she look pale, Bolo?”

“Sass is pretty as a picture as always, Coco, you’re seeing things. Here, honey,” Papa Bolo slid her glass closer. “You drink that and put a flush in your cheeks. Make your mother happy.”

“See? You want a flush in her cheeks. This means you think she’s pale.”

“I think I don’t want the poor girl being pestered for being pale just in case she’s coming down with something and she needs all the energy she can get. Drink up, hon, you need it,” Papa Bolo added, grabbing for the garlic bread basket. “At this point, it’s medicinal.”

“I love you both so much.” Sass listened to the words tumble out of her mouth, and then to the crashing silence that followed. Her cheeks began to tingle, and knew with an inward eye-roll that she no longer had to worry about looking pale. “Whoops. Did I say that out loud? Sorry, I haven’t slept in two days, I’m not myself.”

“Don’t take it back, idiot.” Across the table from her, Rude gave her a smile so dazzling it momentarily blinded her. A second later, however, Mama Coco whapped him on the arm with her napkin.

“Don’t call her an idiot. That mouth of yours, you get that from your father. Sweetie,” Mama Coco murmured, and her tone matched the softness in her eyes as she reached a hand out to capture Sass’s, “I hope you know we love you too. So, so much.”

“I do.” And it felt wonderful to let that emotion move through her like a healing wave. “The older I get, the more I see how your every action told me that you loved me, as well as all the other fosters. We were all so lucky to become a part of your family.”

“We were the lucky ones, kiddo.” Papa Bolo sniffed like he was the one coming down with something before he raised his glass and beamed around the table. “To
famiglia
. The most important thing in the world, and the one thing that makes a man rich beyond compare.”

“To
famiglia
.” Sass clinked her glass with everyone, but the toast hit her in a tender spot, and after she set her glass down she glanced at Papa Bolo. “You feel as though your family makes you rich beyond compare?”

“Every single one of you makes my life a better, happier place. A man who has a large family,” he added, wagging a finger at Rude, “is a man who’s richer than kings. You should think about that, son. You’re not getting any younger.”

A corner of Rude’s mouth curled and he glanced at Sass. “Believe me, I’ve been thinking about it.”

“What if,” Sass said cautiously, “you found out you had a baby you hadn’t planned on? How would you feel about that kid?”

“Oh, my God.” Mama Coco made a little gasping noise and did a pearl-clutching movement worthy of the big screen. Her eyes went huge behind her glasses and for one alarmed second Sass thought she might be suffering a heart attack. “Are you pregnant? You’re pregnant, aren’t you? Oh my God, she’s having a baby!”

Aghast, Sass shook her head. “No, wait—”

“This is so wonderful! Bolo, get that wine away from her, the baby doesn’t need that. Sass, honey.” Her former foster mother got up and rounded to where she sat, arms outstretched. “This makes me so happy.”

“Mom, she’s not—”

“You gotta do the right thing now, son.” To Sass’s surprise, she heard a very serious tone come from Papa Bolo, and as Mama Coco engulfed her in a bone-creaking hug she glimpsed Papa Bolo once again wagging a finger at his youngest. “You love a woman enough to make life with her, you need to make a commitment, because that’s what that new life needs. It’s what
you
need. Stability, family, a place where you belong. There’s nothing better than that, hand to God, so you’re going to do right by Sass.”

“Of course he’s going to do right by Sass. We didn’t raise a no-good schmuck. He knows what his responsibilities are. Don’t you, Rudolfo?”

Rude looked from one parent to another before grinning over at Sass. “Absolutely. I promise I won’t leave you knocked up and alone, Sass.”

Oh, for crying out loud. “Everyone, I’m not pregnant. What I have is a biological parent who’s come out of the woodwork, and I’m worried that if I allow him to see me, he’s going to prove himself to be a complication that I don’t need.”

Stunned silence bloomed in the room, and she couldn’t tell if it was shock that her biological family had popped up, or disappointment that they weren’t about to become grandparents again. Finally Rude stirred across from her.

“I think we’d better tell them the whole story,” he muttered, bringing her wine glass back within reach. “Otherwise they’re not going to believe us, and they’ll be picking out christening gowns and baby names by the end of the evening.”

Somewhat reluctantly Sass launched into the story, not wanting to involve the Panuzzis any more than they already were. After all, she had no idea if simply knowing the name Borysko Vitaliev was a dangerous thing or not. All she could do was tell them what she knew, with Rude helping her along the way. When she was finished, her former foster parents looked as stunned as she felt.

“A secret baby,” Mama Coco breathed, still pearl-clutching. “Oh my God, you’re a secret baby, Sass. I read about secret babies all the time in my books. It’s very common.”

“I have something to say, and I’m just going to say it,” Papa Bolo announced after draining his third glass of Chianti. “Sass, my darling little cherub, your birth mother was an idiot. Thank God you’re nothing like her.”

“Bolo!”

“What? Am I lying?”

“No, she was an idiot, no doubt about it. But you don’t just blurt it out loud like that. Sass, my little girl,” Mama Coco again reached for Sass’s hand and gave it a good squeeze. “I can’t imagine how upsetting this has been for you, finding out your birth father’s a less-than-respectable man and your birth mother’s an idiot. I suggest you just think that you came solely from us, and leave it at that. You’re better off.”

Across the table from her, Rude burst out laughing before he grabbed up the wine bottle and emptied it out in everyone’s glass but his. “I knew talking it out with Mom and Pop would put it into perspective for you, baby. Feel better?”

“Kind of, yeah. I’m glad they know about it now.” Smiling, she nodded her thanks to him and lifted her glass to her lips. “So you think I should ignore this Vitaliev guy and just move on with my life?”

“I do.”

“I don’t.”

Everyone turned to look at Papa Bolo, who was looking into his wine as if trying to divine the future in its depths. Then he glanced up at his wife. “Before I met your mother, I had a meaningful relationship with a young lady whose father was in the Air Force. As such, they moved around a lot. He’d gotten orders to move out to California around the same time she told me she might be pregnant. In those days, that was a big deal, and even though we were both seniors in high school I was determined to do the right thing. But before I knew it, she had moved away without ever telling me whether or not there was a baby on the way.”

Rude’s brows drew together. “I never knew that, Pop.”

“Neither did I, until recently.” Mama Coco had her chin propped up on her thin hand, and she blew a kiss across the table to her husband. “Some things burrow down so deep into our souls they’re almost impossible to bring out into the light. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

Papa Bolo nodded his head in a way that made it seem like it weighed a ton. “About a year ago, I tracked her down on one of those social media sites and searched through her pictures. She’s a redhead, and she’d had a bunch of little redheads. Not one of them looked like they had a drop of Panuzzi blood, but you never know, right? So I sent her a message, begging her to please tell me if I had a child somewhere out there in the world that I never had a chance to raise or love. Her response…” He let out a low breath, shaking his head, before he choked up and looked away.

Rude reached out a strong hand to hold onto his father’s shoulder. “Pop. Easy, Papa.”

“Would you believe that woman
laughed
?” A smoldering, deep rage shook Papa Bolo’s voice, and the sound of it twisted Sass’s heart. “She responded with that LOL thing that makes me nuts, along with a bunch of smiley faces. She wrote that she’d known the next day she wasn’t pregnant, and that in the big move she must’ve forgotten to tell me. She said I was silly to waste time worrying about something that happened so long ago and that she could barely even remember the details of it all, since it was such an unimportant event—just kids being kids. Can you believe it? I carried around this fear that somewhere out there in the world was a helpless child that I had fathered, and she didn’t even have the decency to tell me that there was no baby. How could anyone do that to a person?
How
?”

“She was another idiot, my sweet Bolo.” Once again Mama Coco left her seat, this time to round to where he sat at the other end of the table, and put her arms around him. Watching them, Sass couldn’t help but smile. When they were in each other’s arms, Mama Coco and Papa Bolo were the visual definition of everlasting love. “You’re such a good man for carrying that concern, you know that, don’t you, my darling? That’s the mark of a good man.”