Heartless Mercy (The Sinful Alliance #1)

Feel For Me by Foy Vance

Wednesday 10 a.m.

It’s been chaos on a semi-lockdown protocol here at Dario’s ranch, but it’s time to get back to the real world. I’ve been getting calls from work and I feel like I’ve reached a decision. I’m going to hand off my cases to the assistant district attorney and finally let go of who my father wanted me to be.

I want to do something more meaningful in my life and I think I’ve found out what that is. Dario insisted that Willow and I don’t have to work, but if we do, we should do something we love, not because we need money or it’s expected of us. So, after this transition, I will be working pro bono for those needing a lawyer, but don’t have the means for it. It’s time I do something I love.

My phone buzzes beside me, waking me up from a much-needed nap. Catalina shifts beside me, patting my chest to get up.

“Answer it, baby. You wore me out and I can’t handle the noise right now,” she groans. I chuckle and reach for my phone on the nightstand. Grabbing it, I get up from Catalina’s bed and head to the living room in my boxers.

I see the caller ID, and surprisingly, it’s my mother. She hasn’t been answering my calls and texts as often, only to tell me she’s fine and ask if I’m okay—very out-of-the-ordinary behavior for my mother. I slide the answer button, and before I even get to put the phone near my ear, I can hear my mother’s cries on the other end.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” I ask, on high alert.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m fine. How are you doing?” she answers, totally lying as she tries to recover from her mistake.

“No, you’re not. I can hear you crying over the phone. What’s wrong, Mom?”

“I thought it was time, so I started going through your father’s home office. Just to start clearing it out,” she states.

“I’m so sorry, Mom. What did you find?” I ask.

“He… he… he had another son, Sonny. You have an older brother,” she reveals. I’m stunned and don’t know what to say. How is that possible? I mean, I know it’s possible, given how much of a fucking whore my father was, but still. How couldn’t I have known?

“What do you mean? How? What’s his name?” I ask, spitting out my questions in a hurry.

“He never told me. I thought you were his only child, sweetie. I’m sorry. But on the bright side, I think you know him; he works for one of your boyfriends?” she declares.

Boyfriends. I love how that sounds when someone refers to them to me. From my limited chats with my mother, I decided to tell her about my love life. It seemed to calm her down and distract her from the big elephant in the room that was my father’s death. She swore she didn’t care about his death, but I would bet it’s still painful. I did lay it all out on the table and disclosed what Dario and Niccolo do, but I obviously left out anything that had to do with any crimes they committed or myself, for that matter. She wouldn’t judge, but you never know who’s listening.

“Which boyfriend? What’s the guy’s name?”

“He works for your boyfriend, Dario. His name is Alejandro Diaz,” she utters. It’s like a bomb is dropped and I’m left paralyzed on this couch.

“Sonny, sweetie, are you there?” my mom asks.

“Uh, yeah. I’m here, Mom. Are you sure that’s accurate?” I mumble, trying to get my words across.

“Yes, sweetheart. I know how to read a legal document, too. I was a lawyer once,” she barks. I immediately close my eyes, trying not to make it seem like I don’t trust her word.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Mom. I’m just shocked. I. Wow. How are you doing? I know that’s a stupid question, but are you okay?” I hear her breathing heavily on the other end and I know she’s about to cry even more.

“It’s okay, Mom. You don’t have to talk about it,” I start.

“No, it’s okay. I want to for you. I’m not as shocked as you are. Your dad wasn’t the most faithful, as you very well know. But he never said anything—and I can imagine why. He didn’t want to taint his career. It says here he paid the mother to have an abortion, and when she didn’t, he gave her money to leave him off the birth certificate,” she discloses. I feel for Alejandro’s mother. It must have been tough dealing with that asshole.

“Wow. A brother. I can’t believe I have a brother, and I know him . Would it be okay with you if I told him? I want to have a relationship with him, but not if it hurts you, Mom.” Her breathing halts momentarily, but I can practically feel her beaming excitedly. My mom was never able to have any children after me. She always said I was the only child she needed, but I could tell it hurt her not to have more.

“Oh, my sweet boy. Of course, it’s okay. More than okay. And if he wants a second Mama, tell him he always has me,” she answers happily.

“Thank you, Mom. I love you. So much. You are such a beautiful person inside and out. I hope you know that no matter how many secrets of Dad you uncover, you are strong and didn’t deserve any pain he caused you. I will always be here for you through it all. You just say the word and I’ll be over in a heartbeat.” My mother is one of the strongest women I know. I’ll always admire her for all that she’s endured at the hands of my father, but I know she’s preserved.

“Thank you, sweetie. I love you so much more! I’ll let you go. I just wanted to let you know. I’ll call you later, sweetie; I know it’s a little early. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye, Mom. I love you, too. I’ll talk to you soon,” I state, ending the call.

I sit there for a moment, thinking about how my piece of shit father could do this. To my mother. To me. To Alejandro and his mother. He really is a piece of shit. How do I tell Alejandro about this? What if he doesn’t want anything to do with it?

“Hey, S. Are you okay?” Willow asks as she sits beside me. I bring her closer into my arms and kiss the top of her head.

“Hi, Low. I just found out that I have an older brother. Alejandro. If there’s one thing my father was great at, it was keeping secrets,” I disclose, lost in my own train of thought that I didn’t see Willow tearing up at first.

“What’s wrong, baby?” I ask, shifting my position on the couch to face her.

“You just gained a brother and I’m so happy for you, especially since you know him, Sonny. But I can’t help but think about mine. Dario and Niccolo told me last night that my brother and his girlfriend were kidnapped. He’s in a polyamorous relationship like us, and one of his girlfriend’s boyfriends knows Dario and Niccolo. I’m so sorry to ruin your happy news, but you know Nash. I just needed you,” she cries, her face buried in my shoulder.

“Don’t worry about that, baby. We can talk about my life later. I’m here for you. What do you need?”

“I just need you to hold me,” she says, clinging onto me tighter.

“Then, you have me. Always. Forever. Until the end of time.”

I will do whatever it takes to help her, even if it means putting myself in harm’s way to help the guys find Nash. I’ll do anything for her. My new revelation can wait.