Kissing The Moon Goodbye - A Midnight Mafia Novel

Twenty

Pietro

I watched the bartender place another drink in front of Alessio. If memory served right, he was dangerously close to too many. "No more here." I instructed to the bartender.

"When the hell did you become my Daddy?" Alessio asked but didn't turn to face me.

"How was Ari?"

"Hm?"

"Oh come on. Like I didn't know you would go to see her. How was it? It's been awhile."

"About as well as could be expected."

"She was angry?"

"Eh. She was alright until I told her I killed her shit fiancé. Pushed me out of a tree. No big deal." He muttered and downed his glass.

I sighed and picked up my own. "You two...do I have to worry?"

"About?" He set his glass down and grew agitated almost instantly when it wasn't refilled.

"You and Ari. I care about Kate too you know."

He sent me a glare immediately. "Are you fȕcking serious?"

"Are you avoiding the question?"

"No. No you don't have to worry. Christ. You know how long it's been since I've seen Ari, I thought-" He hesitated, in his slurred state he didn't hold back nearly as much as intended. Though he hid less from me in general, likewise, he had to tell me little for me to already know how he was feeling.

"You thought you deserved answers. And you do. Sure. I just worry seeing her after all this time may have stirred something up. Some feelings up."

"Katherine is my life." He muttered. "Can I get a fȕcking drink?"

And he did. I knew Alessio well enough to be able to spot the difference between his casual drinking and his wallowing. He did not allow himself to wallow often and when he did it rarely ended up pleasant for anyone around him. "It went that poorly?"

"No. Well, yes."

It went poorly, but he was not drinking because of Aria. Studying him further, I was pretty damn certain he hadn't thought at all about Aria until I had sat down and brought her up. No, this was something else. My tone changed from cousin watching cousin get wasted to that of business and ready for action immediately. "What's happened?"

He took another drink and then said as casually as one could possibly say, "Sergio is dead."

I stiffened. "You're sure?"

"Don't see a way around it." He droned on, almost sounding bored. I covered his glass with my hand the moment it was empty to shield it from another pour. "He's not a fȕcking kid anymore, he didn't have Ari standing around boohooing and protecting him, don't see how else it could go. If he would have just fȕcking sat down..."

I hesitated for a moment before moving my hand away. His glass was filled again almost instantly. I ran my hand up my face and sighed.

"Katherine blames me." After a moment he chuckled. "Aria will definitely blame me."

Yes, yes she would. "They know Ugo is at fault here. Not you."

"Is he?" He asked and turned to face me. "Is he fȕcking really?"

I glanced to his drink and then back to him. He was awfully vulgar for it being so early in the afternoon. "I'm not going to humor you here. You know he is."

"I just keep thinking." He muttered and trailed off. His thoughts apparently directed him back to his glass. "Just keep fȕcking thinking..."

I waved to the bartender and he brought me a drink of my own. "A bottle, please."