Keep your mouth shut; Carl told himself; trying to act normal around his mom and his brother. The secret knowledge that his dad’s life might be in danger burned hotly in his brain; and as his dad disappeared down the front steps; Carl knew there was a serious possibility he would never see his father again. Carl had been raised to keep secrets. If he didn’t; either his dad would land in jail; or his dad’s gruesome death would be plastered on the cover of the New York Daily News. That’s because Carl’s dad was a member of the Italian Mafia. At first; living in the shadow of the mob didn’t seem so bad. Sure; Carl’s parents didn’t get along; and his extended family treated them all like outcasts. But Carl and his family had practically everything that money could buy . . . until his dad made a million-dollar mistake that would change their lives forever. Of course; no one but God knew that the change would turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to them—even though the enemy had other plans.
