Take Me Higher (Castaletta Syndicate #1) - Ali Parker Page 0,2

occasional joke had been offered as I drove Joseph "Don" Castaletta and his son Marco to the old cemetery, but it was a ruse, a facade of sorts. Death seemed a far cry from the life we lived. We served it up regularly but always declined its age-old invitation to dance.

Today a different tale was being told on far too many levels.

The weekend before had been the marking of madness, a time of loss far greater than I could remember. My own mother had passed in the hospital with my younger brother, Drake, by her side four days earlier. My poor father had died many years before that day.

A sigh left me as I stood there, and I closed my eyes and drew comfort from Drake's visit a few days before as the memory of seeing him again assaulted me.

I let my head drop as I paced the floor just in front of the fireplace. My apartment was tucked away from everyone, and only Izzy knew where it was. Drake stood quietly from his place on the couch and walked over, reaching out and gripping my shoulders tightly.

Not only was our mother gone, but now Vivian Castaletta too. Fate was an ugly bitch with far too much time on her hands.

"Hey. We'll figure out who did it, D." Drake dropped his hands as I tugged away from him.

"No. I'll figure it out. This is my fucking problem. You can't get involved, or all hell's going to break loose." I shrugged and slumped down into a chair next to us, needing my space.

Getting Drake involved would make things so much better for me, but he had a new life, a new girl, a fresh start, and it had come at a price. After working so hard to tuck him away from Joe, I wasn't about to bring him back into the fray.

"Did you tell the girl where you were going?" I glanced up as my chest filled with hard emotion. Drake had been looking for the right woman since we were kids, and finally in Bar Harbor he'd found her. An Italian girl, Sicily, and she could bake like Mama used to. She was a beautiful girl to say the least. I'd warned him not to let the girl know about our past, our family, or our nefarious dealings. Unfortunately, lying meant leaving unanswered questions for those we loved the most.

"No, D. I did as you told me to. I'm sure she's pissed, but I'll deal with that later." Drake let out a long sigh. "Tell me what I can do to help you."

"Call Izabella, and tell her that I'm in love with her. Tell her to come over here and let me hold her. I know she's in pain, but..." I growled loudly and ran my fingers through my hair. "Fuck!"

"Stop being an idiot, and just tell Izabella how you feel. You lost Mama yesterday, and she lost hers too. Don't you think that both of you suffering such an incredible loss could bring you together completely?"

"Yeah, but is that what I really want for her? I'm stuck in this life. I'm praying that as she gets older she turns from it. I could tuck her away like I did you. She could find a good man to help her heal past all the shit she's seen. Fuck Joe for making her the enforcer of our syndicate. She's whoring herself out and hunting down the most horrible motherfuckers. All in the name of family." I let out another long sigh as my heart constricted painfully in my chest. I was ice cold toward everyone but Izabella. I wanted to be indifferent toward her, but she'd captured my heart and most of my soul by the time we were old enough to realize what was happening. I couldn't remember another woman in my life meaning anything thanks to her. "For the first time in a long time, I don't know what the fuck to do."

"Just be there for her, D. That's all you can do. You can't make Izzy's decisions for her. She's a grown woman and a vicious one, I might add."

I glanced up with a warning on my face. "Watch it."

"Fuck you. She's my sister. I'll say whatever the hell I want to." Drake lifted an eyebrow. The little bastard was challenging me. I loved it.

"You're right." I shrugged and glanced toward the clock. "I need to get back over to Joe's. Go back to your girl. Helping you