Where There's Smoke

Disturbing The Peace

Roman's POV

I sat at the table in my father's basement fighting the urge to have a drink. I stared at the cup in front of me I had poured and just looked at it next to the note. We're tired of being a head of you. Maybe you need a little more heart. So here's a gift from us to you. Maybe it's time to get smart. We thought the Marchetti's were better than this, a real work of art. We guess taking you down will be simple if you don't start playing smart. A fucking rhyme. I just kept looking at it. After Tristan came over we called and emergency meeting and had Uncle Marcos take the box. We sat in the meeting and send everyone on their ways to figure out how they could have even done this. They had to exhume his body. We watched his grave be filled to completion. "What's on your mind son?" My dad sat at the table. I chose to ignore his dumb ass question. He poured himself a drink. He placed the bottle between us sat across the table from me. "To ending this once and for all." He held up his cup and waited for me to do the same. He waited and I slid my glass to him. "I don't drink anymore." I stood up. "Well I'm trying not to." I mumbled the last part.
"Why?" He asked.
"You don't actually care and I don't care to continue this conversation. If you insist on being in the same room at me shut up with the useless small talk." I shot at him.
"I never thought drinking was that much of a problem for you. I mean you hold your liquor pretty well. I mean I've only seen it's been a problem once really. Years ago when you accidentally hit your sister, but even then it was mainly anger."
"Stop talking. I'm thinking." I moved to the other end of the room. I see where Bella gets her enabling behavior from. I stared at the ceiling for a few minutes and then it hit me. "Fuck!" I punched the wall. "He was a kid! He was a fucking kid! He was leaving here! He was going to fucking art school! What's the point? He wasn't a Marchetti, he wasn't key player, and he was a random kid that Bobby looked out for so low under the radar if I didn't find my daughter I would have never met that kid! He isn't anyone to us, so why kill an innocent kid and put another one in a comma. We don't even know if she we will ever wake up! He was so innocent. Why kill him unless..." I stopped pacing.
"Unless what?" My dad said casually
"Unless he knew something or they thought he knew something or he knew something and he didn't realize he knew something significant." I looked down at my phone and sent out a text to twins to go through his everything of Bruce's to find the slightest hint. I looked at my dad and he had a smirk on his face. I just stared at him. "What?"

"Why would you take out Bruce?" He asked.

"Huh?"

"Why would you do it?" He asked again.

"I would have only killed him if he knew something and was going straight to whom I..." I looked at my dad and he raised his drink to me. I went through my phone. I scrolled through all of the text that went unanswered with me. I found Bruce's threat and clicked on it. He and I had been talking about a surprise trip with Adrian to visit him for her birthday. The last text he sent me was from the night he died. I read it and my heart dropped. I could have saved his life if I would have just seen it, but I was wrapped up with the girls and my work.

Bruce: Hey a car is following me and Shauni and my girlfriend tonight. The plate is TQZ012. It's probably nothing, but just to let you know. Bobby always said to let someone know if I noticed something like that. Have a good one. Gym in the morning?

That text was sent 35 minutes before his life was taken. My heart shattered. My daughters closest friend, her protector, her brother, her life raft could have still been here if I looked at my phone. It would have taken me less than a minute just to talk him through shaking the car and coming to my place. His death is on me.

I was about to go downstairs when I noticed Adrian's door was cracked. She's usually up by now and eating breakfast. I went to crack her door and I saw her laying in bed on her side. I could hear her sniffling. I went and laid next to her. I faced her. She had her faced buried in her bed. "What's wrong my sweet girl?" I asked. She muffled into the bed and continued to sob. I wasn't going to make her go to school upset like this even if I don't know why. "I'll be right back honey." I got out of bed and went to call her school. I text my mom to see if she wanted to watch Eva, so I could give Adrian my undivided attention. She sent me a picture of her Vic and Eva in the kitchen eating breakfast. I smiled and went to my room. I grabbed every blanket and sheet I had in the whole house. I moved some of the furniture in my room and around and spread everything out. I grabbed my laptop and placed it on the floor along with some pillows. I went downstairs and made some snacks and brought them upstairs. About two hours went by and she came out of her room and knocked on my door. "Can you take me to school?" She sounded small. "I'm already late."