Killed On Purpose

13

Liam says hi?

Liam can't say hi. My brother is dead, I wanted to yell at Tito, but Silvio tugged my arm and pulled me in step with him and not a minute later, we were getting into his car that he parked out near the entrance gates.

Tito's words took me by surprise. I haven't heard my brother's name uttered by someone in so long and the sheer, out-of-nowhere mention of him was a pang straight to my heart. I had missed him so much and for some time I had managed to push that deep down because it hurt like hell thinking about him and what had happened, and now Tito was using him to get inside my head. A sick move.

The USB drive poked my palm and I looked down just as Silvio turned the car on and started driving. I had clutched it so hard the square edges had embedded themselves into my skin and had imprinted harsh red lines. Silvio threw a few glances my way, trying to figure out if I was okay, but he said nothing for the first few minutes.

I was okay, though. Well, at least I think I was.

"Gattino, you okay?" Silvio finally asked me. His voice was like cold water to my face. It grounded me from my flying thoughts. I averted my gaze from the drive to him and nodded, even if I wasn't sure about it. He had put his gun on the dashboard, probably in haste to start the car and get out of there.

"I am. I'm just confused. He's been dead for years, Silvio," I looked at the object in my hand again and wondered what it was on it that was related to Liam and that Tito had found. My mind was buzzing with random scenarios and thoughts about it, my eyes barely holding the tears welled up. Then, I remembered he had also mentioned Lazzaro, telling me he had promised him not to tell me but did it anyway. How was Lazzaro connected to all this? What did he know that I didn't? More importantly, what did he know that he purposefully kept it from me?

***

Much to my surprise, Silvio drove me back to my parents' house and actually knew where he was going without asking me for directions. Before he exited, he put the gun in the locker beneath the dashboard, safely hiding it, and then followed me to the door.

When we landed dad had told me to go straight home since he had to run to the Bureau, not knowing I was going with Silvio to meet Tito, so the panic I felt when he yanked the door opened even before I could ring the bell was probably very much so evident on my face.

"Are you out of your damn mind, kid?" he all but yelled and pulled me inside to embrace me. "I told you to go straight home not disappear without a call for two hours."

I muttered a quick apology just as mum appeared behind him. She glared at me sternly, but when she saw Silvio her eyes, for some unexplainable reason, softened. My dad's however, hardened.

"Was she with you?"

"She wouldn't take no for an answer," Silvio answered him truthfully, well-knowing dad was aware he was going to Tito's right after landing. Dad sighed and massaged his temples, probably because I had caused him to get one of his nasty headaches.

"At least now we know she's safe. " mum broke the tension and ushered us all inside, including Silvio, who stiffly obliged. He never meant to walk inside, just walk me to the door, but he didn't have time to object. He only gave me a slightly panicked look which would've made me laugh at his boyish attitude if I wasn't so stressed and out of it.

"I have some news for you so let's go to the dining room." dad took over and extended his arm in front of them, showing the direction of our dining room. Silvio nodded, but halfway there he got stopped by Christopher who had just climbed down the stairs in his magic cape. Something told me he hadn't taken off that thing ever since we got it for him.