3
DANTE
My brother, Lorenzo, ignored me for the remainder of his going-away party. Granted, I wasn’t exactly invited, but now he has no choice but to tolerate me in the same room as we wait for our boss, Luca, to enter his office in the Armani mansion. My brother and I stand across from one another, and I purposely smile, noticeably pissing him the fuck off.
Good. That’s what little brothers are meant for, and besides, he’s just got his panties in a twist because I’m not living the life he explicitly wanted for me.
He thought he’d so perfectly mapped out my life, but I have every intention of making his a living hell. Well, as best as I can, anyway, even when he moves to Italy and I take up his post as Luca’s second and bodyguard here in New York.
It gave me great satisfaction to crash his party and lay eyes on his woman for the first time. A petite blonde woman named Lily Taylor. Objectively, she’s beautiful, but what caught my eye was the way my brother softened around her. Hell, he wouldn’t even let her hug me.
He’s possessive. Though that doesn’t surprise me; it actually infuriates me. He’s built like a brick shithouse, and attractivein that perfectly trimmed, grumpy aesthetic way. Women have always thrown themselves at him, but he’s barely been interested because he’s always been so focused on the task at hand. And I never thought I’d see the day when he not only takes a liking to a woman but is practically owned by one.
What also surprised me was that Lily was wearing our mother’s wedding ring around her neck, which means Lorenzo has no intention of letting her go.
He’s always been a lone wolf. He never even had the time for me, not that I needed his coddling, but to see how he’s shaped a different life here… It disgusts me. Pretending to be something other than the monsters we were both raised to be.
How delightful for him. And I want to see it fall apart. Specifically, I want to be the one who burns it to the ground for him.
In the time that we’ve lived worlds apart, my brother has changed, if only around this one woman.
I, however, have not.
I lick my lips in anticipation of what’s to come. The bloodshed, the punishment, the money—being an integral part of the Italian mafia, as is my birthright. Finally, I’ll have the freedom to explore this monster within me.
Crashing Lorenzo’s party was only the start of my plan to undermine everything he’s built. Honestly, his party wasn’t all that bad. I'd enjoyed myself with some random chick that, dare I say, might’ve been the best fuck of my life—especially because the moment she was done riding my cock and using me, she got up and left.
If I had a heart, I might’ve been wounded. Instead, it left an impressive mark on me. Women I sleep with always become needy, wanting something more than what we agreed to. But nother.
No, she evenstolefrom me.
A woman after my own heart.
I have the distinct feeling I’m going to have a lot of fun here in New York.
“You’ve thrown away everything you’ve worked so hard toward,” Lorenzo growls, and my smile widens, forming a single perfect dimple.
I was wondering how long it’d take him until he exploded. It’s so funny how the mask slips now that none of his domestic little friends surround him. I shrug nonchalantly, knowing it will irk him even further.
“Tell me, brother, did you genuinely think I’d become some world-renowned surgeon just because you have a moral compass about how many people you’ve killed? Did you really think just because you left me alone in Italy and then shipped me off to London for college, that I’d let you continue to map out my entire life? A life, might I add, that you never cared to be a part of.”
Even from across the space of the impressive office, I notice his jaw grind. It’s so funny how, in many ways, despite not having seen one another for almost ten years, Lorenzo hasn’t changed. Nor has the stifled tension between us. No, it’s never been the same since our little sister, Milia, died, and Lorenzo killed our father. But I suppose every family has their drama.
“Mapped out for you? I bailed your sorry ass out of deep shit and gave you direction,” he grits out.
“You think you werehelpingme? Oh, Lorenzo, that is too fucking cute.”
His hands ball into fists, and I can’t wait for him to snap and storm over here. I enjoy a good, bloody fight, but it’s always much sweeter winding up the other person to the point of explosion, especially when I kick their ass for it.It’s all in self-defense, of course.
“Is this all still some fucking game to you?” he growls, barely a thread of his control left. Unfortunately for my brother, he’s the person I enjoy winding up the most because his self-discipline is slow to crumble away, but once a raw nerve is exposed, it's explosive every time.
I ignore him now. The room has floor-to-ceiling wooden shelves on either side, filled with books, and I pretend to look them over curiously, whistling a tune to a song our little sister used to play from her music box.
“Stop that,” Lorenzo hisses.
“I’m not doing anything,” I reply, and continue to whistle.
The palpable tension becomes thicker, and I wonder how many more pokes I have until he snaps.
