With a glance around the room, I try to remember just how far away that is, and what excuse I’ll give my uncle. It won’t be too difficult; I can tell him it’s for a date. He’ll give me somegrief about focusing on the job, but he shouldn’t be suspicious. It won’t be the first time I’ve gone to Greece to fuck someone. Though, it’s been a while.
“I can get there. Send me hotel details and the time,” I tell him, not ask him.
“Right. Will do.” Carmine doesn’t hang up immediately like I expect. Instead, he hangs on the line. There’s a certain tension there, and I can’t find the will to hang up either. I lick my lips and look down at my coffee.
“How’s the leg?” I ask him.
Carmine chuckles, and the sound in my ear sends a shiver down my spine. Hearing him laugh is almost as good as hearing him moan my name. Laughter isn’t that common in my life; I imagine it’s not in his either.
“It’s been a day. It hurts like hell,” he admits.
“You taking the meds how you’re supposed to?” I narrow my eyes just imagining him chucking three at a time and downing it with a bottle of liquor. Like that’s going to help the situation. The pain maybe, but not inwardly, not really.
“Yeah, yeah. What are you, my daddy?” he grumbles.
Heat floods my dick. “I can be whatever you want, Carm.” I smirk to myself, but I wonder if he can hear it through the phone.
“I want you to shut up,” he insists, but I hear a slight smile in his voice too.
I roll my eyes. “Never.”
The next couple days I’m forced to act like I’m keeping myself busy. It means long days outside of the house finding literally anything to do. I trail Carmine, but from a much looser distance.It seems like he’s keeping himself out of trouble, as he barely leaves the house. It’s a damn struggle not to just walk up in there and talk to him. Ask him what I’m supposed to do in this situation. What he expects of me…
Instead, I try to think about what I expect from him. What do I expect from Carmine? His loyalty to his family is just as important as mine is, but that’s the problem. How can either of us remain loyal to our domain and not fucking kill each other?
I’m hopped up on way too much coffee and not enough sleep when I text him the night before I’m supposed to get on a plane and go to Greece.
You sure about tomorrow?
I sit in my bed, knowing I need to try and get some rest, but I just can’t make myself. I spent all day running petty errands for the family and taking on the job of one of the guards who was supposed to be watching the backdoor of the Dresvanni club. Just to get myself out of the house and away from my uncle.
Maybe I hoped Carmine might show up at the club expectedly, but all I got was a few drunk idiots and some women flirting with me. The attention was nice.
Yet, all I could think about the entire time was Carmine. Where was he? What was he doing?
I’d pulled my phone out a couple times just to look at the cameras before it became evident that they’d finally figured out how to block my access.
It’s necessary, I know that. I’m the one who told Carmine to find all the bugs in the house either me or the other guards placed.
Still, not having access to the cameras made me itchy all fucking night.
Even more so now at three in the morning while I’m half naked and staring at my phone screen. Unable to check if he’s in bed.
I don’t get a reply for ten minutes.
Maybe he’s already asleep.
I’m about to plug my phone in and make myself close my eyes when I get a response.
Are you having cold feet?
I snort audibly and start to type back right away, except, now I’m wondering what took him so long to reply. The anxiety about him being up to something is gnawing at me. What if he’s not even at home? What if he gets into trouble and I’m not there to save his ass?
I take a deep breath. It’s fine. He went twenty-odd-years without me helping him before the last couple months, I’m sure he doesn’t need me every second of every day. He can handle himself sometimes, right?
Based on the way he threatened to end my life the other night, I’m pretty sure if he puts his mind to it, he can get out of whatever trouble might come his way.
As long as it’s not trouble with the Carvels.
