Nothing.
And I knew that I would give up everything to stay this way. With him.
My protector.
My savior.
The man who’d killed for me.
CHAPTER 21
Alexander
“One of the warehouses was hit last night. We lost two men.”
Fuck.
Every muscle tensed.
Apparently, my visit with Vitelli hadn’t gone over very well. Perhaps I should have been more direct with sharing what would happen if he didn’t back down and stay the fuck away from my family.
The last thing I wanted was to wake up to hear we’d been attacked. My brother had come to deliver the news. Sinclair was noticeably angry, eyeing me with no hint of amusement. Instead of being dressed at eight in the morning like I’d usually be, I was standing in bare feet, in the same jeans splattered in blood and smelling like the woman I’d fucked for hours.
I’d barely managed to grab a cup of coffee before being told of his arrival.
“Which one?”
“Does it matter? Half our product is gone. Thank God, the fire department did their jobs and don’t worry, I was able to handle the incident without having the police involved.”
“Where?” I snapped.
“Near Indulgence. You were busy with the woman and while a few of the guards left their post at the warehouse, the place was torched. It has all the markings of the Russo family in case you wanted to know.”
With my jaw clenched, I glared out the window. It was obvious he was accusing me of not doing my job. “A fight broke out at the club. The bastards used the fight as bait.”
“Obviously,” he said, the single word laced with sarcasm. “I heard about your late-night visit with Russo. Why the fuck didn’t you call me?”
“For what reason? This is my situation to handle.”
He stormed closer, shaking his head. “That’s where you’re wrong and where you’ve always been wrong, brother. This situation is about our entire family. We work better together.”
“Not this time.”
“Oh, yeah? Let me guess. You’re going to go off halfcocked like you did as a teenager. Right? Running away when times got tough.”
Before I knew what I was doing, I fisted my hand and lifted my arm.
He appeared shocked but refused to back down. “Do it, brother. Why don’t you fucking do it if that will make you feel better. God knows you’re only capable of seeing things your way.”
Exhaling, I slowly lowered my arm. My behavior was solely based on emotions. That needed to stop. “You’re right. I should have called you. There was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
With his hands planted on his hips, he paced the floor. “Yeah, I get it. This shit with Russo needs to have a solution. He didn’t explain the meeting with our father?”
Snorting, I realized I’d let Russo off easy. “He wasn’t so inclined. He said I wasn’t a strong enough leader to learn the truth.”
“Well, you haven’t had your eye on the ball, brother.”
“Do you have something to say to me, Sinclair?”
