Sons of a Saint

Part 5

The Fox And The Cobra

Fox ran from behind the tree and looked for his brother. He was already six years old but considered himself a man. He had cropped black hair, as black as his father's had been, not that he had ever met his father. Even now, he was not quite sure what had happened to him, or his mother, or his grandfather, really, though he knew his grandfather was still around. He had seen the funny man from time to time around the house, though he had spoken to him little. That was not an issue at the moment, though. What was important was finding where his brother was hiding and giving him the punches that he deserved. He had stolen his favorite toy, and that deserved repercussions. His grandmother would be pleased that he had thought the word, even if he could not yet speak it: family first and repercussions when needed.

That sentiment had played in his mind for a while. Cobra was his brother and, yet, he needed to be taught a lesson. If only he could find him, which, at that moment, he could not. Cobra was so good at hiding that Fox was jealous. Not that he would ever tell his brother that. His fun was spoiled when his grandmother called them both in for lunch. Fox watched his brother appear from behind the bushes up by the big house. Cobra ran into the home and into the arms of his grandmother. He was safe.

Fox laughed. No matter how he tried to catch his brother, he never could. Now, he was safe, and Fox had to make the long walk back to the house for lunch. He broke into a run and got to the big house as fast as he could. He was hungry, and he knew that his grandmother always made delicious lunches. When he got to the house, his grandmother hugged him too while Cobra made faces. Fox did nothing. There was no fighting in the house, and they both knew the rules. Fox swore to get his brother later, though he never did. No matter what he did, he could not outwit that little brother of his.

When Melissa had died, Angela took both boys home and raised them as her own, though she never referred to herself as their mother. She was always their grandmother and was adept at changing the subject whenever they asked about their birth mother or their father. She never lied to them. Angela knew that the truth often comes out, and she wanted time to decide how to handle the death of their mother. She did not want them to resent her, not that there was much chance of that. She loved them dearly and gave them everything they wanted. Besides, there were only a handful of people who knew the truth about Melissa. The boy's mother had died in childbirth, but almost no one knew that Angela had been the cause. Her men would not talk, and neither would the doctor or nurses. The secret was safe.

Alex had pleaded with Angela to let him raise the boys. She had flat out refused. The split had not been amicable, but she would rather die than relinquish control of her boys. As soon as she had taken them from the hospital, they had been hers, and they would have to be pried from her dead body for someone to take them away.

When Angela and Alex had split, the family business had been split too. Angela wielded too much power for Alex to try and take the boys by force. If he did try to take them, it would be as good as declaring all-out war, and he knew that Angela would retaliate to the fullest extent of her power, no matter what it did to her half of the syndicate. The two halves of the syndicate, each a syndicate in their own right, worked together when needed, but they still acted separately. Alex had worried that the other families would grow in power with the split, but, so far, he and Angela had worked to consolidate power and avoid that happening, showing force together while still remaining separate. Angela had her eyes on complete power once her boys came of age. If she could shape them now, they would take full control of the family business, being Tony Munoz's sons, and they would take care of her too. Alex wanted the same thing, though he was worried about her influence on them from such a young age.