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Corrado glanced at him "Would you rather it had been you?"

"Not Sal" He shook his head as the tears continued to stream from his eyes "My father"

Corrado let out an exasperated sigh and swung a sudden right, pulling the car along the curb and cutting the engine

"Your father died a long ti around and breathing doesn’t mean he was alive, Caro on We die the day we stop caring about life The Vincent I knew, the h your veins, ceased to exist when you were eight years old He died in that hospital roo the loss of his wife I watched every painful second of it as it happened and did nothing to stop his death"

Corrado avoided looking at Car out at the vibrant fulluntil it was done He’d finally finished, so it was tio To him, it was better than the alternative He had no intention of going to prison"

"But ould he?" Car his head "It didn’t have to be this way I ," he said "Your father didn’t ainst o Your father cooperated for you He cooperated for Haven and everyone else you love He gave them what they wanted so they’d leave his family alone, and in the process he did Maura’s irl"

Corrado paused briefly to collect his thoughts before he continued "He’d made his decision, but I couldn’t let hiht if he did He wanted to be with your ain, with her I made it so he could"

Carmine stared at hiiveness then?"

"What?"

"When you pulled the trigger, you said ‘Forgivehiain, Corrado pulled away froht, so pull yourself together"

They drove across town to the run-down strip club, the one he had been to before when Corrado killed Remy The crummy lot was packed, the back row filled entirely with fa, cliistered to vote?"

"Uh, no," Carot out of the car

Corrado nodded, as if that answer didn’t surprise him, and motioned for Carmine to follow him inside The club was packed, the air thick with s a word, Car his attention on his uncle as they headed to the back roo at the cellar door "People like to feel like they actually have a say in what happens, even if it’s just an illusion"

Corrado opened the cellar door and voices filtered out instantly, but they quieted once they descended the stairs Carrimy space with shock There were at least twenty-five hest-ranking anization They all looked at Corrado as he entered and he nodded toward another ain everyone’s attention "We all knoe’re here Nominations?"

A few people said Corrado’s nareement

"Any others?"

The basement remained completely silent

"Any objections?" the rave"

Carmine looked around The men appeared nervous, their shifty eyes everywhere except for on Corrado The roo up

The entire scene was strange to Carmine

"Moretti it is, then," thenever happened"

Corrado turned back around, ht back up the stairs without having spoken a single word They headed out to the parking lot, pausing beside the car not"Like I said, people like to believe they have a choice, even if they really don’t"

Corrado got in the driver’s side and Car him warily "You’re the Don now?"

"Yes"

"What would’ve happened if someone objected? Would they have been allowed to leave?"

"They would’ve certainly left the room," he replied "Just in a dozen pieces"

Car the house was colow fro room Haven lay on the couch fast asleep, her shoes kicked off and sitting on the floor in front of her

Carun under the couch before pushing some stray hair from her face She stirred a bit but still slept, and he re her breathe

If he hadn’t been sure before, it was at thather sleep, that he felt it He didn’t knoould happen in the future, but soave it a try

He fought back tears again, still unable to get hi hi to reliness eating away at him, but then, on the other side, there was her She was peace, and hope, and pure fucking beauty She was the good that he hoped would overpower the bad

"Haven," he whispered, running the back of his hand along her cheek "La ain and opened her eyes, blinking rapidly with confusion It see her lips "You’re back"