I nod. “You better not die on me,” I tell him as I stand up from the bed.
Soren steps over to me, and plants a firm kiss on my lips.
“No promises.”
16
Soren
“What did you do?” Rosalie asks me the second I storm my way into the house. I’m just glad it’s not Eivor that approaches me first. The couple hours on the plane was spent trying to figure out what I can possibly say to him. It’s going to have to be the truth. If he knows as much as I think he does, there’s no other option. The truth is the last thing he wants to hear, though, that much I’m certain of.
What he’s going to do about it, I have no idea.
“Don’t worry about it, Rose,” I tell her as the door closes behind me. “It has nothing to do with you.”
“The hell it doesn’t. You had me scoping the fight club for information when you’ve had no intention of ever going through with the plan. Didn’t you?” she asks with her eyes ablaze with irritation. Her arms are folded, her feet planted firmly to the ground, and I know she’s not going to leave me alone.
“You weren’t suspicious at all?” I ask her in retort. “When I pulled him out of the ring instead of letting him get himself killed?” I narrow my eyes.
“It…it was a bit strange, but I figured there was a reason…alright, I can see the way you looked at him, but you’ve fucked our enemies before. That doesn’t mean you don’t go through with the job,” Rosalie huffs at me. “Eivor is pissed.”
“I bet he is, and I’ll handle it,” I tell her, anger flaring in my own eyes. Heating my body up and causing my hands to clench into fists. “This isn’t just about fucking, Rose. I don’t know how to explain it b—” I’m cut off by my uncle’s voice booming into the entryway.
“Tell me what this is about then, Soren Antonio Fiorelli!” he shouts at me as he approaches. Eivor’s hands are swinging wildly around his body. His eyebrows furrowed and face red.
“Let’s go into your office, Uncle,” I tell him.
He doesn’t like being told what to do, and he takes my suggestion for a demand.
“Don’t you tell me what to do or where to go, young man,” he growls at me.
I almost snort at his words, but I keep it in. I know how serious this is, even if there’s a part of me that wants to question his hypocrisy.
“Young man? I’m almost thirty, Eivor,” I do manage to say this however.
“Yes, and for that you’re incredibly idiotic! You’re going to explain yourself right here and now,” he demands of me.
Aunt Patrica walks up behind him, a couple guards are following her. “Let’s take this into the sitting room, shall we?” she suggests. He takes her suggestions much better than mine, and storms off ahead of us. She gives me a look of pinched face disapproval before she follows him. Rose lingers behind me as I walk in, and I glance at her. Her own face shows her disappointment, and it’s hers that hits me the hardest.
If there’s anyone in this family that I want to remain loyal to, it’s my sister.
“You’re cavorting with Carmine Dresvanni as though it’s not your job to help bring his family down,” Eivor accuses me, sitting down on the loveseat and running a hand through his hair. “Drink, Patricia, drink.” He waves his hand in frustration.
Patricia quickly pours him a triple and hands it to him. He downs half of it and sighs.
“I know my job,” I tell him. “I just…don’t agree with it, Eivor.” I try to keep my voice calm, collected, not get worked up like him. It’s difficult. Knowing that he’s angry with me for not going through with a plan that makes absolutely no sense.
“Agree with…” he scoffs. “The only thing you need to worry yourself about is how you’re going to end his life, not why it needs to happen, Soren. I gave you an order to clean up your mess.”
My jaw tenses. “It hasn’t been a week.”
He takes the rest of his drink down and slams the glass on the table, making my aunt and Rosalie, who is standing nearby, flinch. I lock eyes with Eivor, not wanting him to think I’m weak or willing to break under whatever this tyrant hold he thinks he has over me is.
Still, my heart aches within my chest. I want to remain loyal to my family…but, that family is starting to include someone Eivor wants me to get rid of. It’s never been so hard in the past to be rid of someone before. I’ve never felt so deeply until this moment.
“I don’t give a damn how long it’s been. Any other time you’d have this done yesterday,” he says with a raised voice and starts to stand up. Patricia puts a hand on his leg which prompts him to sit back down.
My back and legs are tense as I prepare to stand myself, but don’t.
