Angelo takes a step forward and the press of his body takes me along for the ride even though it’s the last thing I want.
“Watch your fucking mouth, Romeo,” Angelo barks, “or I may forget you’re my brother. My woman belongs here, at my side.”
“Your woman?” The disbelief in Romeo’s tone would be comical if I wasn’t at the center of this battle of power and wills. And if they weren’t talking about me like I’m not standing in front of them.
Then again, maybe that second thing is for the best, all things considered.
“You heard me,” there’s no room for argument in Angelo’s tone.
“Claiming a whore,” Romeo tsks and shakes his head. “What a disappointment.”
Angelo takes another step forward and then he’s holding a gun against Romeo’s forehead. I swallow down the shriek of surprise trying to work its way up my throat. What the fuck? Considering I have the heat of his bare skin pressed against my back, I can’t help but wonder where the fuck he even got a gun.
Although, to be fair, we are talking about a man who heads up a very successful and dangerous crime syndicate.
I have to press my fingers to my mouth to stop the maniacal laughter from slipping free like it desperately wants to.
Romeo looks just as surprised as I am for a second before his face goes carefully blank. “You’re going to shoot me? Over her?” He glances down at me, and I know he would kill me. If he could.
But he can’t. At least not right now.
“I could,” Angelo throws out there, his voice casual. He pushes the barrel of the gun against his brother’s forehead a little harder and then the gun is gone. “But I won’t. At least not today.”
I blow out a ragged breath. When did I start holding my breath? Angelo’s fingers tighten against my abdomen as if he’s reminding me to stay strong. I straighten my spine and allow his strength to seep into me.
“It’s time for you to leave, Romeo. I’ll deal with you later.”
Romeo looks between me and his brother a few times before huffing out a chuckle and storming out of the room. The tension doesn’t leave the room immediately, but it does shift. It’s no longer coated in fear and the threat of violence.
Angelo’s hands are gentle as he grips my shoulders and turns me around. I don’t look up into his eyes. I can’t.
I’m not sure what I’m feeling. Maybe relief? Maybe shame? Maybe even a little hope?
The longer I’m around Angelo, the more fucked up my head becomes.
“Did he touch you?” I shake my head while keeping my eyes trained on Angelo’s chest. “Did he hurt you?”
“No,” I croak out.
He grips my jaw, his touch is firm, but it doesn’t hurt. Using his hold on me, he tips my head up until I’m looking into his hazel eyes. The concern I see there is so fucking genuine that tears prick the back of my eyes.
The thought of crying in front of this man is mortifying. I can’t let it happen.
“I’m fine,” I tell him, trying to answer the unvoiced questions I can see in his eyes. When he just continues to study me, clearly not believing my words, I blurt out, “You don’t have a problem with our age difference? I’m 25.”
Angelo freezes for a second before the sound of his warm laughter fills the kitchen. My cheeks warm as I try to pull away from him. But he doesn’t let me go.
I have a feeling he won’t ever let me go. Why do I find that reassuring instead of terrifying?
CHAPTER 6
ANGELO
Even though anger is simmering right under the surface after finding my brother in my kitchen and degrading my woman, her question has me chuckling. Our age difference? Is she serious right now?
I know that Romeo is going to continue to be a problem, but he will continue to live as long as Dove continues to tell me she’s fine and there isn’t an issue. Or until he pisses me so much that I’m unable to stop myself from killing him. At this point, I’m not sure which one will come first.
Would it just be easier to take Romeo out, brother or not? Yes, of course. Still, I need Dove to find her strength. I’ll never allow her to be harmed again, but if she’s not willing to be honest about what my brother is doing, she’ll never survive in my world.
