Take Me Higher (Castaletta Syndicate #1) - Ali Parker Page 0,3

find a real life is the only thing in my long life that I'm proud of."

Drake reached down and tugged me up, pulling me into a tight hug as he patted my back like Mom used to. "I'm sorry for taking you away from her. The damned day's mostly over."

"It's all right. I'll explain it to her."

"Protect Izzy, Drake. You know as well as I do that not everything that's buried stays dead. One day things might shift. You ready if they do?" I knew without a doubt that we'd face a day where Joe broke the silence over me helping my brother disappear from the syndicate. That was a day I'd have to decide who meant more: Joe or Drake.

"When they do?" Drake moved back and slid his hands into his jean pockets.

"Exactly."

"Not really, but who is prepared when their world blows up?"

"Not me. Obviously." I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'll give you a ride to the airport."

"Nah. Call me a cab. You need to get back over to the Castaletta mansion where you belong. Just treat Izzy like a sister and love on her without expecting anything back in return." Drake walked toward the door but paused to glance over his shoulder. "Be safe, Bro."

"Yeah. Love you." I nodded and picked up the phone.

"Same. Watch your back since I'm not here to do it."

"No, you're not here to do it, are you, you bastard?" I brushed my fingers over my lips and looked around at my syndicate family, which including some of my own blood-kin.

My older sister and cousin were sitting together near the back of the grassy hill where a large black tarp covered everyone at the service. The Castaletta family, both those involved in the syndicate and those from, afar sat quietly, the women crying and the men simply staring at their hands or perhaps their shiny shoes, most likely hoping that the heartache might soon be over.

I scanned the crowd again for Izzy, needing to check on my favorite obsession.

There. My stomach constricted as warmth raced through me. She had no clue just how lost to her I was. Nor would she ever.

Her long, dark chestnut hair held a soft curl, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying too many tears. How she was capable of being so damn beautiful in the midst of her despair, I would never know.

I shifted uncomfortably, removing my gaze from her and trying to focus on the preacher before my thoughts took me to places I'd be mortified to go to in the middle of a funeral. She needed comfort, and I couldn't stop thinking about how well I could provide a reprieve for her.

The preacher man spoke some words from the good book and then asked Joe if he would like to say a few words. The Don stood and walked with his slight limp to the head of the casket, taking his time. His salt and pepper hair moved from the force of the wind that kicked up as he placed his worn hands on the shiny wood and paused. He looked down at the box that held his beloved Vivian and smiled as if they were having a conversation all to themselves. His words were few, but they held the depths of who I understood the man to be. He was always touting three things to anyone who would listen.

Family. Money. Love. Today would be no different.

"There are only a few things in life that have the right or ability to lift you to the highest of peaks and then in the next moment kick you in the gut and slam you into the hardness of the ground: Family. Money. Love. I'd have to say that for me, Vivian was my heart, the reason I got up some mornings when it was just too damn hard, ya know?" He looked up, and everyone nodded and mumbled in agreement.

I caught my old friend’s eye and held the stare to assure him that he wasn't alone in that moment. Joe had been in my life for as long as I could remember. My father, Papa Big, had grown up with Joe, and the two were like brothers, leaving me to accept the protection of Don Castaletta when my dad died.

No one would hurt for Vivian's death more than Joe, and yet we all would feel the weight of it. Izzy, Marco, and Freddy sat huddled together on the front row, their mother’s passing and