The Lawyer (Book 1 of the New York Brotherhood Series)

Chapter 3

Vanessa

Uncle Kevin and Aunt Lucy left an hour ago. They told me everything about my father and that I have an older brother. They both were upset they kept everything from me but I understood. My father all but forced them to not tell me anything he wanted to tell me himself. Well now I know he's gone and now I don't know what to do. I have sat in silence for the last hour staring at the Manila envelope Kevin left on my coffee table when they left.

It has my name on it and he swears he hasn't opened it. I grab it and open it up and begin to the read the letter addressed to me. He really thought he was going to die clearly at any point.

Vanessa-

I realized as you turn 16 this letter needed to be written just in case but I have pushed it off for too long and now you are almost done with college and you need to know what you are getting into when you come to New York. I was planning on telling you everything when you got to New York but clearly, I can't do that since I'm gone. That's the only reason this letter exists. I made your Uncle Kevin promise to not give you this unless he knew I was dead and gone. I wish I could tell you everything in person but now that won't happen. I wish I could have been there for everything I missed. The cross-country competitions, the cheer and volleyball practices. I wanted to be there for everything but after your mother died, I couldn't live in the fantasy we had created anymore. I need to come home to New York but protect you at the same time. So, I sent your Uncle Kevin and Aunt Lucy to take care of you and be the parents you needed.

You and I made a deal when you were 16 that after college you would come to New York and eventually work for me. This letter is me asking you after my death to help me any way you can or want. I know you know bits of who I was and what I did. But you need to be a strong and caring to someone who is just as important to me as you are. Your big brother Gino is set to take my place when I die, my plan was to have you two meet after you move to New York and you could become close and work together.  If that has happened, I hope you two have become close and protective of each other as I have hoped you would. But if not, I need you to go to your brother and help him. I have made many enemies, and once I die, they will come after the two of you.

You two will be a force to be reckoned with and will be everything I hoped my two children would become. So be who I know you can be and be a strong and independent woman that your brother can rely on.

Love,

Dad

            I started crying again because I mean he's gone and he needs more from me. He always was asking for something wasn't he. Now I'm pissed and livid, and I need to find this Gino guy and punch him. I mean I won't actual punch him but what the hell dad you need me to take care of my brother? Jesus Christ. I change and grab my cross-body bag, phone and keys and decide to meet this brother of mine. I find the address to his house in more documents in the manila envelope.

            I take the subway as close as I can and it's about 7 miles to the house from the closest subway stop. So, I decide to walk but a half mile into the walk I start getting pissed at my father and apparent brother that I start running. I still run but I rarely do longer run outside anymore. But I am running as fast as I can until I get about a quarter a mile away from the house according to the GPS on my phone then I decide to walk, hoping it will make me feel better.

            I see the house its huge looks like one of those old Victorian houses from the early 1900s and I can see the black SUVs with tinted all along the driveway, which tells me yep mafia house. Clearly no one come around this place if they just let someone walk up. I walk up trying to be as quiet as possible just in case there is someone posted somewhere to take down anyone who walks up.