“I think I’ve said it.”
“No, you haven’t. Do it. I need to hear whatever you have to say or keep your damn mouth shut. Do you understand what I’m saying?Brother?”
His eyes opened wide. It was rare when I went off on one of my family members. Twice in twenty-four hours was unheard of. My nasty demeanor was usually reserved for the assholes who dared cross me. The situation was getting to me.
“Fine. You want to hear it, then here it is. You’ve spent every minute since being released from jail fucking a woman when you should be doing your job.”
When I took two long strides toward him, he bristled but held his own. “Shut the fuck up.”
“What, Alex? Does the truth hurt? Are you willing to destroy the rest of what our father built because of her? Are you willing to throw everything away for a good fuck?”
I tossed the mug in my hand, the ceramic shattering against the wall. “Fuck you.”
My anger was so significant, I walked toward the window before I did anything rash. I shook my head as I stared out the bulletproof glass toward the backyard. When the hell had life gotten so fucking out of control? Thankfully, he remained quiet.
“You’re right in that it’s time to deal with the Russos before everything gets out of hand. Permanently.”
His sigh was exaggerated. “There is no other choice. They won’t stop there. Now we just need to determine who in the hell tried to frame you for murder.”
“I went to the mausoleum and was overwhelmed by how many of our ancestors were buried there.”
“You’re overwhelmed by death.”
Shaking my head, I knew he was right. Guilt did that to you. “The Russos are at the center of this, but I’m still uncertain how or why, which makes any concept of retaliation that much more dangerous. At this point, we still don’t have confirmation he was responsible for attacking the courthouse.”
“Do you really need that?”
I laughed bitterly. “Maybe years ago, I wouldn’t have cared, but as you’ve so eloquently pointed out, we all have far too much to lose. All the evidence needs to point toward them.”
“Jesus, Alex. It’s not that I disagree with you, but you’re thinking with your dick, which isn’t like you. She must be something special.”
As I flexed and fisted my hand, the images washing through my mind were not only filthy, but they were also life changing. I felt it in my bones. She’d yanked at all the bad parts of me, refusing to care about them. Insisting in her own way there was good furrowing somewhere deep inside. A part of me wanted to prove her wrong. “I took her to the family mausoleum.”
“Why?” He sounded surprised. No one had dared been taken to the revered space outside of a funeral. And there’d been only three in my lifetime. I thought about Sebastian, surprised he’d been on my mind so much lately. Yes, it was true that it felt as if he’d been communicating with me from the other side.
But I had no idea what he was trying to tell me.
“Because she needed to know what I am.”
“And what are you?”
I turned to face him. “A monster.”
He shook his head. “No, you aren’t. Do you act like one when you’re pushed against a wall? Yes, but you have your heart in the right place.”
“You’re assuming I have a heart.”
His features softened. “I’ve questioned that, but you do. I can tell you care about this woman, but we are on the cusp of a war that only you can stop.”
“The Russos acted in retaliation for the death of Lorenzo.”
“A murder we didn’t commit.”
“No, but someone did.”
“Then who?”
The nagging about Catherine had yet to dissipate. “I’ll set up another meeting with Russo. You’re going to join me.”
