Free Brando by Marita A. Hansen Page A

in the water, then quickly pulled them out. “That’s freezing! How could you put your feet in there?”
    “I like the cold; it reminds me of when my mother took us skiing.” The girl’s mother had been brutally murdered during the mafia war, while her father had amnesia, the man unable to give his daughter the comfort she needed. Because of it, Mira often came to her, talking for hours about her parents, while Ivy talked about hers, the two becoming steadfast friends.
    “The smell of lavender reminds me of my mother,” Ivy said. “When I want to pretend she’s still alive, I spray my room with a lavender scent.”
    Mira looked up, her big eyes glossy with tears. “My mother liked vanilla. She used to buy vanilla shower gels and hand-washes.” She held out her hand. “Smell my wrist.”
    Ivy leaned her head down, breathing in the scent. “Vanilla’s nice,” she said.
    Mira smiled sadly. “You’re the only one who understands me. My sister doesn’t. She just yells at me when I want to talk about our mamma . She wants to forget about her, when all I want is to remember.” She breathed out. “I hate the Landi for taking her from me. If Brando hadn’t killed their Don, I would’ve done it.” She stopped talking for a moment. “Though, Brando’s wonderful for doing it. Did you know he walked right into their compound and blew the murderer and his wife up?”
    Ivy nodded.
    Mira continued, “He got me vengeance. You should get him to do the same for you with your mother’s killer. I bet he’d annihilate the Black Russian for you.”
    “The Black Russian isn’t that easy to kill.”
    “If anyone could do it, it’ll be Brando.”
    Ivy shook her head. “No, the man who killed my mother is too powerful, a hundred times more so than the one who murdered yours. I will need a whole army to take him down.”
    “I’ll help.”
    Ivy smiled. “I know you will. You’re a brave girl, and if you do well with your training, I’ll let you come with us.”
    Mira smiled wide, her eyes excited. “I’m doing better than Siena. I can shoot a bulls-eye.”
    “Yes, it looks like you have your father’s talent. Though, I’m not sure he’ll let you join the fight.”
    “He doesn’t remember me, so why should he care!” Her face dropped. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout.”
    “Don’t apologize, I know that must be hard on you,” Ivy said. The girl’s father had suffered amnesia due to a car bomb. It had knocked him to the ground, stealing the majority of his memories away. And thank God for that, because one of the Vipers had set the bomb prior to their alliance with the Santini. At that point, they hadn’t known who Mira’s father was since he had a different surname from his half-brothers. Ivy just hoped he never found out that the blue-haired Viper had done it, or Cyn was dead, especially since the explosion had killed the man’s best friend.
    Footsteps came from behind her, making her look over her shoulder.
    Brando.
    He was walking towards her, dressed in the casual clothes he’d been wearing at the club. She turned around, not wanting to talk to him, especially after the show he’d put on for her.
    “ Ciao , Brando,” Mira said.
    Brando sat down next to Mira. “It’s Uncle Brando.”
    “But, you’ve got different parents from my pap à .”
    Ivy looked to her side. Brando appeared pained by Mira’s words, those golden eyes of his for once showing emotion. He’d recently found out that he was the result of an affair his mother had with a D’Angelo, which meant he was only a half-brother to the Santini—with the exception of Mira’s father, who was the result of an affair the Santini Don had with a prostitute.
    Mira shimmied closer to him and placed a hand on his lap, clueless that she’d upset him. Ivy stared at the girl’s hand in horror, realizing Mira was hitting on Brando, a man who was more than fifteen years her senior. Ivy raised her gaze to Brando’s face. He appeared