The Spades and Scorpions

Uncle Austin (9)

I drove far above the speed limit all the way home and threw my keys at the drive before going inside in anger and then going up to my room to change. I then ran downstairs and started my workout with blaring metal in the speakers. 

I had been in our gym for over two hours when Mama came in looking concern. I was dripping sweat as I did another push-up. I had already done a few set of these between my other things, and I felt on fire. Mama sits on the ground a few feet away from my head and watches me quietly, but I can feel the concern flowing through her as Set it Off screamed through the speakers. I rolled over quickly and went to doing crunches. Mama sighed before turning the music off. I ignored it and continued my crunches. 

   "I'm worried about how you're handling whatever it going on with you," Mama said in a stern tone. I nodded, expecting as much and then doing sit ups. 

   "I  need to talk to Uncle Austin. Would you please call him and ask him to come in here when he does get here? I'll stop after I talk with him about some things," Mama thought I had a 'man issue', so she didn't ask about it. Mama nodded and then left to make the call. I turned the music back on and then started running on the treadmill again. 

After waiting for about ten minutes while running, Uncle Austin strolled in, trying to not look as worried about Mama. "Hey, Buddy." He says as he watches the sweat roll down my arms and legs in excessive amounts. I stopped my run and then patted my face and arms down. 

   "We need to talk," I stated. Uncle Austin raised in eyebrows in question before nodding. "We're going to spar while we talk. I need the practice and I really want to beat the crap out of you, so it's a win-win." Uncle Austin nods with a really confused look on her face before wrapping his knuckles the way I had before Mama had came in. 

I grunted as I aimed another hit to Austin's face and he barely dodged it. I was making him tired and he was sweating. "What are you so upset about?" he asks as I take another hit and skim his jaw. He grunts and then I answer him. 

   "Jonathan Ayes," Austin stops and then nods his head. 

   "What about him?" 

   "He's your second?" 

    "Would you it rather be you? Your sister is well able to handle this mafia, you know. And I've told you many times that the Scorpions could use you," he states. It was true, Uncle Austin had offered me his mafia title many times. I just couldn't hurt my parents by turning down their mafia for another one, no matter how much i wanted the mafia to stay in our family. 

   "His sister is Sage." I stated and then kicked his legs out from under him as what I said soaked in. 

   "I knew Jonathan had a lot of sisters, and I knew one of them was named Sage.I just never really thought it was your Sage." I grunted and then hit him in the gut, making him cough out in pain. 

   "Yeah well her bratty older sisters told me off and made her break up with me because they seems to think that their brother will be able to hurt me or something," I stated and then raised my eyebrow at him. We both sat on the floor and breathed deeply. My workout was finally setting in as the adrenaline and rage ran out. I felt exhausted and way over worked. 

   "Her sisters mean well. If they would have stayed in the mafia then your Mothers probably would have arranged a marriage between you and one of the sisters anyways. Their parents used to lead the Bloods mafia or whatever it was called. Before your parents took over they actually were second in America. Then your parents and I's mafia became close trading partners and they were knocked down. My sister, your mother was the one who ordered the kill on their mother." I let that sink in and felt like I  was going to be sick. 

   "Mama would never do something like that. She doesn't have a single bad bone in her body," I said trying to convince myself more than him. He raised his eyebrows at me before responding. 

   "Mama used to be the leader of the third largest mafia in the world and was the first woman leader without a man on her side. Annabeth was a stone cold leader and killed our father because she tired of me not being home." Annabeth was my mom's name and I knew it was serious. 

   "So Mama killed Sage's mom to eliminate the competition?" Austin shrugs. 

   "Annabeth was alone and hated everyone but me until she met your Madelynn. Even when they first met Annabeth was serious and cold towards everyone. Madelynn broke her shell and gave her a life where she didn't have to take care of a mafia anymore, and she took it without a look back. Then she adopted you and a few years later, Sky. She changed because she didn't have to be someone who had to do the best for a mafia." I thought over everything he said. 

   "If Mama killed Jonathan's mother, then why would you let him be your second?" I asked as I thought it over. If someone had killed Mama or even Mom, I would never rest until that person felt every ounce of pain I'd felt form their death. 

   "Because Jonathan is a person that leads with his head and not his heart. He's like Annabeth in that way," he sighed. "He will put the mafia before anything and everyone else. He will make decisions that way she did and that's how I know he would make my mafia grow in my image, because he's honorable. It's why he continued to stay in the mafia after his mother died when he was only fourteen." I did the math and realized he was only seven years older than Sage. 

   "If he's in this twenties, then why haven't you made him in charge yet?" I challenged. "If you really trust him, that is." 

   "Because I have a nephew that might change his name and actually talk to his parents about it, and I don't want to eliminate that option for him because I let someone I haven't known their whole life take over." He gave me a pointed look and I nodded.