“You don’t understand, you don’t know the whole story,” I insist, matching his loud volume and pulling my arm out of his grasp.
Soren has stormed off to God knows where, and my brothers are keeping me from running after him. Though, I don’t even know myself why I want to do so. After all, he did just point a gun to my chest. No, pressed a gun to my chest.
Still, I find myself desperate to talk to him, to know that he’s okay…
Tiberi and Alessio are standing in the office now though and their eyes are glued to me. I’m practically panting for breath with how worked up I am. All I can do to keep myself composed is remember that the angrier I am the harder it’ll be for me to get out of it.
“Explain then, Carmine,” Tiberi orders me. “Explain why we just let Soren Fiorelli walk out of here alive when he was holding a gun to your chest.” His voice is low and much calmer than Alessio’s or my own.
I suck in a breath and squeeze my hands into fists. “I don’t have to explain anything to you,” I remind the both of them.
“No, but if you want your family on your side, you will,” Alessio replies. “What the fuck is going on with you? I know it’s not just grieving our father’s death; we’ve all been doing that.”
I take a step to the side, toward the door, but the two of them move like a brick wall of brothers and keep me from accessing it without having to go through them.
“Why are you so against talking to us?” Tiberi inquires, his voice genuinely frustrated and uncertain.
My jaw tenses. “Right now? Because I don’t know where Soren is going and I need to make sure he’s not going to do something stupid.”
“Fine. Tell us the short version then, anything, Carmine,” Alessio steps closer to me. “Literally anything, and we’ll let you go after him.”
I swallow the irritated lump in my throat. “He’s been protecting me, trailing me…making sure I don’t die,” I tell the two of them, trying to keep my voice even. “But his uncle, Eivor, he wants me dead. He wants all of us dead. He’s trying to use Soren to get that done, the fucker.”
“Are you serious?” Alessio asks. “How do you know Soren isn’t simply part of the plan meant to distract you?”
“I know. I saw the look in his eyes. I heard his voice. I know that he doesn’t want to do it,” I say through grit teeth. “But I also know that his family is what is at stake. If he doesn’t do it, he might be dead himself.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Tiberi says slowly. “If you go after him, he might decide his life is worth more than yours.”
“No. If he was going to do it, he would have. Right now, he’s in danger. Every second that I’m alive, Soren is in danger.” I point toward the door. “He has saved my life multiple times in the last couple months. I owe him the same.”
“Is that all?” Alessio asks me. “I think there’s something else here. I think he’s gotten under your skin.”
“What if he has? It doesn’t change anything,” I hiss and try to push myself through them. “I gave you what you wanted, now let me out!”
They each step to the side reluctantly. I unlock and open the door so fast that I hear it creak on its hinges.
Cassian goes stumbling backwards. He was listening at the door.
“Get the fuck out of my way,” I push past him and he thuds against the wall. “And don’t think I don’t know what you were doing.”
Cassian doesn’t say anything, so I figure he went into the office to talk to Tiberi and Alessio, but as I make my way to the foyer, I hear footsteps behind me.
“Carmine,” Cassian says, voice low, soft.
“Not right now,” I huff. I start pushing on my shoes but don’t grab my coat. I need to get out there and fast. There’s a chance I can catch him. Right?
“Carmine! Please!” he shouts, his voice much louder than normal. He’s usually so soft spoken.
I stop with my fingers on the door handle.
“What?” I snap.
“Why won’t you talk to me?” he asks. “Why won’t you even look at me?”
I don’t reply to that, my heart instead simply sinks down into my stomach.
“Do you really blame me that much for our father’s death?”
