“Did Elanee and Sienna come over today?” he asks.
“Don’t change the subject.”
A knock comes at the door, and he’s grinning like he knows his little plan is coming together. He still doesn’t look like he’s slept much. Is he even eating?
He walks over to open the door, but when he does, he immediately raises his hand. “Don’t! I have the dog in my hand.”
I peer over his shoulder, surprised to see Lorenzo and Lily. The moment Dante releases Borris, he excitedly runs straight to Lily. She’s half distracted as she stands behind a seriously pissed Lorenzo.
“Lorenzo, you said it was only to talk,” Lily says to Lorenzo reproachfully.
Before I can speak, Dante breaks out into a benevolent smile. “Okay, go.”
Lorenzo hits Dante so hard, he goes flying back and smashes into the coffee table, which breaks apart under the force.
“What the fuck?!” I scream, quickly running toward Dante.
“I wouldn’t get involved with this, Romi,” Lorenzo growls as he steps into the apartment like a predator, looming over Dante like he’s about to kill him—and he might actually do it.
“Lorenzo!” Lily yells angrily from behind him.
I crouch in front of Dante, who is wiping his mouth, seemingly impressed with his brother's blow. Then he jumps to his feet, that excited glint in his gaze, and I know neither Lily or I will be able to intervene. They don’t even see us.
Is this what a lifetime of resentment looks like?
The two scuffle, and I jump back beside Lily, watching in horror as the two punch one another wildly in the too-small space. Furniture is shoved to the side, and paintings and picture frames fall to the floor and are trampled on as they wrestle one another.
My eyes grow wide as I realize they’re not going to stop. They have years of hatred toward one another built up between them, and it's all coming to a head here and now.
Borris is barking as Lily holds him tightly so he can’t wriggle free. When I look at her, she's shaking her head and apologizing. But this isn’t her fault. This is years of these assholes not being able to communicate properly, and it’s not a surprise, considering their upbringing.
They clutch at one another’s collars as they roll against the wall, and impending doom stirs inside me as they shift toward the giant llama statue.
“Not the llama statue!” I yell as I run toward it, holding my arms out wide in front of it. “Dante,stop.”
Surprisingly, he does, and takes another hit to the face because of it. Blood mars both of them, and as Lorenzo raises his fist once more, Lily shouts, “Enough, Lorenzo!”
His swing freezes midair, and the men stare at one another, almost silently antagonizing the other to start the fight all over again. There’s nothing but disdain and rage in Lorenzo's gaze, whereas Dante smirks, imploring him to hit him again.
My heart slowly breaks as I realize they have both turned into who they are today because of an abusive father and a broken family. They’ve hardly been able to evolve from thatconditioning because a world like theirs doesn’t cater to what probably looks like weakness in their eyes. Dante has simply continued to be the antagonist, as if it’s the only way he can gain his brother's attention.
He told me he used a similar tactic on his father to take his attention away from beating Lorenzo, but I know deep down, Dante has created a game out of it, and it hurts to realize this is all he ever thought his worth measured up to.
For all his arrogance and self-assurance, this is the only way he knows how to get his brother's attention.
I know he cares. He has to. Because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t go to these lengths. Wouldn’t still carry around a photo of him and his siblings.
“I apologize, Romi.” Lorenzo is first to speak, with his fist still raised. “However, you don’t know this man.”
“I know plenty,” I say firmly. Even though I haven't really known Dante for that long, I know faults, and I know his heart. I know what kind of man he is. And although he doesn’t get gold stars for morals, I know he cares deeply for those he loves.
Lorenzo shakes his head. “No, you don’t.”
I step up to him then, pinning him with a glare. “Who are you to come into my home and tell me what I do and don’t know?” I place my hand over his, where it clutches Dante's shirt. “Release him.Now.”
“Lorenzo,” Lily warns, standing behind him.
Lorenzo looks at me for the first time, and I see it now, the killer beneath the mask. I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. I thought when he and Lily started hanging out together, that he was the intense type, and at most, a bodyguard. But I see it so clearly now.
