“Again, I don’t think he’s that stupid. He's just trying to upset you so he can get under my skin. You keep an eye on your brother. Mav and Baron and I are going to keep an eye on the Chadovichs. They’re just trying to derail us so our focus isn’t on the new deal. We have to be calm. That’s how you get ahead in this world.”
Ransome says things so matter-of-factly that I almost believe him. I need to believe him. But unfortunately, the Bratvaworld is not the world I live in. In my world, women take matters into their own hands. And they start by ripping their kid brothers a new one for getting involved with shady people.
The next day, I go to my old house. Gianni, as expected, is working on his car.
I park right in front of his garage, march over, and slam the hood shut.
“What the fuck!” he snaps. “You could have killed me.”
“No. But Tristan Chadovich could have. You need to stay away from him.”
Gianni rolls his eyes and moves around me to open his hood again. “You’re overreacting. Everyone is fucking overreacting. The guy is a car man and we talked cars, that’s all.”
I move to stand between him and the engine. “Cars or racing?”
“So we mentioned racing. The two things do go hand in hand, sis.”
“He’s bad news.” I enunciate every word, hoping that maybe they’ll make it past the inches of thick skull into his brain.
Gianni makes it clear that he doesn’t care what I have to say. “His crew ain’t so bad. They promised me things.”
“Promised you things? What kinds of things, Gee? Because anything those guys promise is laced with something beneficial to them.”
“He said he can get all of us out of our situation with Dad.”
I am getting you out of that.It takes everything in my power not to say it.I signed my soul away to get you out of that. And it’ll all be for nothing if you get your dumb ass killed playing Need for Speed in real life.
“Oh, really?” I say instead. “And what makes you think he’s telling the truth?”
“What reason does he have to take a risk on me?”
I snort as an answer. He has no fucking clue. Unfortunately, I can’t tell him. Ransome’s orders. But even if I wanted to rebel against that, I still wouldn’t tell Gianni anything. It’s not safe.
My brother is annoyed with me. I can see that. But under that annoyance, he’s upset and that hits worse. “You don’t get it, Amara. You’re the oldest. You got out and you have a fancy job for your rich boss—who, by the way, is kind of a dick.” He runs a greasy hand through his hair and exhales. “Eliza is about to fly the coop, and that leaves me to protect Bella and figure my own shit out. I have nothing left. It’s not easy trying to be the man of the house, you know.”
“I get it.” My voice softens. I walk over and touch his shoulder, wanting him to feel that I’m still here for him. That, even if I gotout of this life, I haven’t abandoned him. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“And I won’t. I’m not stupid.” He nods over to my car. “Also, pop your hood for me.”
“Why?”
“Because it sounds funny. I noticed it when you rolled up.”
I can’t imagine that it does. Ransome has seen to it that my car is very nice. New, too.
Still, letting him tinker around in it buys me more conversation time and probably makes him feel like he’s taking care of me. Even though he’s my younger brother, that’s always been something he’s tried to do.
I stand to the side while Gianni looks through the engine. Meanwhile, our conversation carries on. “You know everything is subjective, right?” he asks.
“What exactly are you referring to?”
“Tristan and those guys.”
“They’re bad news.”
“According to your boss,” he says. “But if Tristan was your boss, you’d probably see Ransome as the villain.”
“Gianni. I know these people. Trust me when I say Tristan Chadovich is a bad guy.”
