Sweet Hope (Sweet Home #4) (20 page)

Westside Heights Trailer Park

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Eighteen years ago…

Walking into the trailer, a two-year-old Levi wriggling in my arms, I saw Austin sitting on the couch, his head down and crying.

As I approached him I could see blood on his face and a bruise forming on his eye. “Aust? What’s happened?” I asked and rushed to bend down in front of him. I put Levi on the floor, passing him a broken toy truck, then turned to Austin and forced his hands from his face. Austin tried to fight me seeing him, but I was stronger and he couldn’t fight me off. As I pulled down his hands, Austin didn’t meet my eyes, but I could see the state of his face.

Anger made me shake. “Who did this to you?” I snapped. Austin winced as I pressed my fingers against his swelling eye.

“Austin!” I shouted, Levi jumping in shock at my angry voice as he played on the floor.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Austin said, his voice catching because he was crying.

“Well I do,” I said and wiped his tears away with my thumbs. “Tell me who hit you. I’m gonna kill them!”

Austin lifted his head and sighed. “Just some older kids from school, Axe. You don’t know them.”

“Why did they hit you?” I asked. Reaching for a dishtowel, I began wiping away the blood off his face. Levi pulled himself up to stand on the sofa, crawling into Austin’s lap.

“Hey,
fratellino
,” Austin greeted Levi and he hugged Levi to his chest, Levi’s chubby arms hugging him back.

“Austin?” I pushed again. “Why did they beat you up?”

Austin’s eyes narrowed. “Have you seen me, Axe?” Austin used his hand to point to his clothes. “I’m poor. My clothes are all too small, my sneakers are old and they hurt my feet, but Papa won’t let Mamma buy us new clothes. The kids at school… they make fun of me.”

Dropping the towel to the floor, I pressed my hand over my stomach. It felt like someone had kicked me...
They make fun of me…

“I get it everyday, Axe. I ain’t you. No one’s scared of me.” Austin’s head dropped, his tears splashing on his dirty jeans. “I hate our lives! I hate Papa. I hate that he beats Mamma, makes her work all the time and then spends all the money on drink.”

As I stared at my little brothers, both of them dressed in faded clothes, all of us going hungry, something in me snapped. Jumping to my feet, my insides felt like they were on fire.

“Axe?” Austin’s beaten face was looking up at me from the couch. He was scared.

“Stay with Lev,” I ordered and rushed out of the trailer. I was so angry. So damn angry! Before I knew it, I was sprinting through the trailer park. I kept my eyes staring forward as I ran to the park’s bar, ignoring the Heighters all watching me rush pass them as I pushed through the entrance to the bar.

I stood still and looked for my papa. Hearing a woman laugh, my eyes went to the sound. The laughing woman was sitting on Papa’s lap.

Storming over to where he was, I stood beside him and pushed on his big arm. His eyes snapped to mine and disgust built on his face.

“What the fuck are you doing here, boy?” he slurred drunkenly.

Sucking in a deep breath, I said, “I need money. Austin and Levi need clothes and we need food.”

My papa’s gaze darkened as I said that and he pushed me hard on my chest. I stumbled back as he and the woman laughed.

Gritting my teeth, I ran at my papa and pushed him back. “They need clothes! It’s not fair!” I shouted. “Austin’s getting beat up at school because of it!”

The bar went silent as my papa stared down at me. His skin began turning red and I started backing away. My stomach dropped as I realized what I’d just done. I’d made him mad.
Real
mad.

In a second Papa had thrown the half naked woman off his lap and reached out to grab me by my neck. He dragged me out of the bar and burst through the doors out into the cool night.

Papa’s free hand gripped onto my hair and he pulled me to face him. “You little cunt! You’re gonna pay for fucking with me!”

His hand let go of my hair and he punched me on the jaw, the pain making my legs weaken then drop to the ground. My scalp burned as my papa kept tight hold of my hair and punched me again in my stomach. He let go of my hair and I fell down. Closing my eyes, I curled my body trying to protect myself from the kick I knew would come next, when suddenly, I heard someone dragging my papa backwards.

Opening my eyes, I saw Remo Marino, the leader of the Heighters, holding my papa by his arms. “What the fuck you doing to that kid, old man?” he asked and I could see my papa fighting to get free.

“Get the fuck off me, you piece of shit!” he shouted back. But then more of the Heighters surrounded him and began throwing punches.

I tried to sit up, not knowing what to do, when a hand pressed on my shoulder. My head whipped to my right, when I saw Gio Marino beside me. I tried to get away from him. My mamma had told me to stay away from the Heighter crew, said they were nothing but trouble.

“Relax,
ragazzo
,” Gio said. “I ain’t gonna hurt you.”

“You’re not?” I asked. My voice was croaky and my eyes went back to the rest of the gang that were kicking my papa on the ground.

“Papa,” I whispered and staggered to my feet. Gio joined me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, forcing me to stay where I was.

The Heighters began moving from my papa, and my eyes widened when I saw him rolling in pain on the ground, covered in blood. I’d never seen my papa look so weak before.

My gaze never left my papa, but when someone moved in front of me I looked up. Remo Marino.

“Axel Carillo, yeah?” he asked and I nodded my head, looking behind Remo to all the other Heighters watching me. I knew they were all Heighters because of the black star on their left cheeks.

“He hit you like that a lot?” Remo asked. My attention came back to the older Heighter leader and I nodded my head. I didn’t dare lie to him.

“I… I needed money for my little brothers. They need clothes. Papa wouldn’t give me it.” I dropped my head in shame. “I lost it and came after him… I was stupid. It’s my fault he hit me.”

Remo looked back over his shoulder at my papa trying to get to his feet and shook his head. “Fucking hate assholes like that. And you ain’t stupid, kid. You did good.” Gio’s arm tightened around my shoulder and I saw Gio nod his head to Remo’s raised eyebrow.

I didn’t understand what that look meant.

“Filippo, get the kid some cash,” Remo said to a guy stood beside him. Filippo reached into his pocket, pulled out a roll of cash and placed it in my hands.

My mouth dropped at the amount of money he’d given me. It must have been hundreds of dollars. I met Remo’s eyes again. “You wanna keep earning soldi like that?”

Staring down at the cash again, I nodded my head.

“Good,” Remo said. He flicked his chin toward Gio. “You know my little cousin, Gio, Axel?”

I looked to Gio. “A little.”

“I’ll watch out for him, Rem. I’ll show him how business is done.”

Remo nodded his head. “
Bene
.” Gio took his arm from around my shoulder and Remo stepped away. “Be back here tomorrow after school, Axel, and we can get you earning a shit ton more cash than that.”

Excitement washed through me at the thought of getting more cash. I could help my mamma. I could help my brothers.

The Heighters all began to walk away except for Gio.

“Why? Why are you helping me? I don’t understand?” I asked and Gio smiled.

“You’re Italiano,
fratello
. We look after our own.” He shrugged. “And the way you took on your old man today shows you got balls. Ain’t afraid to fight for a cause. You’ll do well with us. We’ll take care of you, have your back.”

At his words, I breathed out a long breath. “
Grazie
,” I said sincerely. “
Grazie mille
.”

Gio came beside me and threw his arm around my neck again. We began walking toward my trailer, back to my brothers, when I looked behind me to my papa on the floor. “What about my papa? He’ll beat on us again after this. I’ll pay for what you did.”

Gio laughed. “He ain’t gonna touch you again, Axel. He knows better than to fuck with the Heighers. You run with us now
, ragazzo
. If he even breathes wrong your way, Remo will make sure he never does it again.”

“Papa ain’t gonna touch my mamma and brothers again?” I asked in relief.

Gio shook his head and I felt a smile pull on my lips.

Gio laughed at my reaction and nodded his head. “I’ll be with you all the way,
ragazzo
. Now, let’s go get those brothers of yours some new clothes…”

*****

Aliyana was silent as I finished speaking, my damn heart feeling bruised as I thought about that day. The day the Heighters changed my life.

“They protected you from your drunk abusive papa…?” Aliyana said. “They helped you clothe Austin and Levi?”

“Yeah,” I replied roughly.

“Axel…” Aliyana’s watery voice said, “Your life was so sad. No wonder you gravitated toward them. They gave you hope that it would all be okay.”

I shook my head. “It was more than that. They
saved
me. They kept my family going, they had my back… I fucking owed them everything.”

“And your papa?”

“Left two weeks later. Moved in with that slut that was on his lap. It was the best fucking day of my life. I knew it was Remo and the Heighters that had made him leave.” I huffed a laugh. “They saved us all.”

“God, Axel. I don’t know what to say. You were so young. So young to be dealing with all of that on your own.”

“I didn’t feel young back then. I was twelve but felt twenty-seven.”

“And Gio? You became close?”

I couldn’t help but still feel that bond I’d had with my best friend at her question. “He was always with me after that day. He never left my side. Taught me everything I needed to know to survive, to make money. He was the only person who never let me down. From the day we met until the day he died, he had my back without question.” My body tensed as I remembered the moment I’d heard he’d died… died at my hands. I’d felt like I’d been cut open remembering our friendship. I’d felt like the biggest prick on the face of the planet.

“And I gave him up to our rivals to save Aust and Lev… I still ain’t made peace with that. Don’t think I ever will. I’ve never had anyone that close to me since, doubt I ever will again.”

I heard Ally sniffing, and when I looked into her teary eyes, I felt every bit of sadness leak out of me that I’d kept locked away for so long over losing my friend.

I was guilty of killing the guy that saved my life to save the blood of my blood.

“And the scar?” Ally suddenly prompted. “On your neck.”

I shrugged. “A fight broke out in the yard. Alessio and the rest of the Heighters used it as cover to come at me.” I winced, still seeing them all approaching, fucking eight of them against
me
. “I fought them off as best I could, but two of the fuckers pinned me against the fence. Alessio pulled the knife out and, just as the guards started filling the yard, he sliced the knife down my neck.” I gripped tighter onto Aliyana’s hand, for some reason, needing the damn support. “They ran while I dropped to the floor and started bleeding out.”

“My God…” Aliyana said. “How did you not die?”

My chest tightened. “It was close. Had surgery and spent weeks and weeks in the infirmary.”

“
Christ
, Axel… And Austin and Levi? Why were they not told? I can’t believe they wouldn’t care.” 

My vision lost focus as I stared at nothing.

“Axel, please,” Aliyana pushed. Seeing her face needing the answers, I cussed under my breath.

“When I found out Alessio was being sent down, I cut off all ties to my brothers. Claimed I had no next of kin to the prison, everything.”

“I don’t understand?” Aliyana said. Her cute ass face was all scrunched up. Lifting my hand I ran my tattooed finger down her cheek, circling a deep dimple and said, “Alessio is a sadistic asshole, one seriously crazy motherfucker. Killed for more than just turf, that bastard killed for fun. And I’d got his boy, his little brother, shot. That guy was gonna be coming for me, in any way he could.”

“Austin and Levi…” she trailed off, getting why I did what I did.

“Lev had stopped coming to see me by then, he was just a kid and hated me, but Austin was still coming whenever he could. I knew him and Levi and Lexi were living a good fucking life in Cisco. Lev was at a good school, Austin was starting for the 49ers, Lexi was eating better and started her own treatment center…” Water filled my eyes and I coughed to straighten my voice. “I was so damn proud.”

“Oh Axel,” Aliyana said and kissed my shoulder.