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Chapter One

Luca

The first ti out from the backseat of my father's car, where he'd told me to stay, to keep an eye on my little brother

But at seven, curious, and resentful at having to babysit to a three-year-old as still grieving the loss of our iven Matteo my comic book he wanted but I had always told hih the long, abandoned parking lot

The smell of saltwater teased my nostrils, mixed with a distinctly fishy smell thanks to the low tide

The docks, that hat my father called this place His business I didn't understand what, exactly, he had to do at this place with themoved off of ships and onto land Or vise versa

I did know that he and all hiscufflinks and shiny watches, which made me think it had to be important work

But when I asked him what he did, all he responded as I run the docks, Luca That is all you need to know For now

And, at that age, I was tired of being told for nohen you're older

I wanted to prove I was big enough to be a part of this secret world of his Even if that meant I had to force h

As I crept along the line of containers that I'd seenup with one of his men, Leandro, a tall, wide man who my father claimed 'clearly enjoyed his food a little too much,' had a thick accent that was froht thumb

My father had a lot of men, but Leandro was probably the one as around the most, an almost constant fixture in our house after our mother's funeral

"For moral support," my father told me when I'd asked why Leandro was there for the third day in a row, sleeping in the guest room