Page 102 of Fake Dark Vows
“I’m scared, Rose. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t, because I’ve never thought about being a father. I don’t even know how to hold a baby.”
I laugh out loud. “You’ll learn.”
“What if I…” Frown lines crease his forehead.
“There’ll be plenty of what-if’s.” I lean forward and kiss the grooves away. “For both of us.”
Brandon wraps his arms around me and kisses me on the lips, and I know that everything is going to be okay.
CHAPTER 33
Brandon
Four months later
“Brandon!”
I glance up from the piano and find Julia standing in the doorway of my office, a broad smile on her face. “Who knew you could play like that.”
“Thanks to my mom.”
“Speaking of which, she’s been trying to get hold of you. Please call her back so that I can get some work done.” She closes the door behind her with a soft click.
I’ve been putting it off. Today is the day the lawyers deliver their closing speeches at the insider trading trial, and although I’m pretty certain of the outcome, there’s always that tiny chance that the jury will be swayed in the opposite direction.
When Carlos Russo’s corpse was discovered in a second container in the American Falls reservoir, Ron confessed to everything. He blamed himself. It turned out that Carlos Russo loaned Ron the money to start his company all those years ago—Sam wasn’t messing around when he said that he’d set himself up a veritable Santa Claus figure in American Falls.
Carlos Russo was so generous to his friends and peers that he never claimed, or wanted, repayment for his loans. He was content to watch them grow and to know that he’d played a small part in their success. He had everything he wanted: a family he adored; respect; homes in Rome, New York City, and Idaho.
But his sons and nephews didn’t share this sentiment. They had big plans, and the old man was holding them back. They started calling in these loans—plus years’ worth of interest—and when Carlos called them out on it, told them that it wasn’t the way the Russos operated, they took matters into their own hands.
Ron, too embarrassed to confide in his friend Harry that he couldn’t afford to repay the loan he should’ve settled fifty years earlier, instead, came to me. He hoped that I would finance the repayment, keep his business afloat, and no one would be any the wiser. But he hadn’t counted on me handling the arrangement my way.
When my father eventually found out, he decided to play the younger generation of Russo men at their own game and teach his eldest son an important lesson on chivalry and loyalty at the same time. But it massively backfired when the Russos crossed the line and endangered the lives of Rose and Jennifer.
“Brandon, where have you been? I’ve been trying to get hold of you for almost an hour.”
“Sorry, Mom. I was playing piano.”
I can almost hear the smile on the other end of the phone. “I’m so glad those piano lessons are finally paying off. How is Rose?”
“She’s fine, Mom. You should give her a call.”
“I will. I wanted to speak to you first.”
“Go on.” Despite the sense of peace that I always get from playing the piano, my heart starts picking up pace.
“Your father was found not guilty. The jury believed Ron’s confession to using Wren and supplying insider trading information to the Russo family. He convinced them that Harry had no idea what was going on.”
I inhale deeply. “What about Luca Russo and his brothers?”
“The police have lost track of them since they arrived in Venice. But let’s not worry about them, Brandon. Your father and I… We can start afresh now without this case hanging over our heads. We’ve already instructed renovators to begin work on the house in American Falls.”
I don’t have the heart to tell her that it will be a while before Rose and I will feel comfortable with visiting the property. I don’t want to burst her bubble. Relief is oozing from her otherwise controlled voice.
“I’m glad, Mom. For both of you.”
“Will you still go ahead with the takeover of Ron’s company? Sumaira will need all the help she can get while Ron serves his time.”