“Nothing’s wrong,” I muttered, taking a drink.
He snorted. “That’s never true when you show up uninvited, looking like you’re about to negotiate with God and you don’t like the odds.”
“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath, hating how well the fucker fitted into our lives even if Lorenzo made sure our world didn’t touch his.
“What’s up, Remo?” my brother asked.
I exhaled through my nose, my fingers tightening around the glass. “I want to take Ishika out.”
Silence.
Then Rayden laughed. Not a soft polite chuckle but a full, unfiltered laugh that bent him forward, hands braced on his hips as if he needed the support. I glared at him and he laughed harder. “Oh, my fucking God, you’re not joking,” he managed when he stopped choking on his mirth, wiping his eyes.
I tensed, ready to end his fucking life until my eyes shifted to my brother’s face and the smile he was trying hard to hide. “Fuck, not you too,” I growled, earning a chuckle from him. “Never mind.” I set the glass down on the bar with a hard thump and crossed the room toward the door.
“Remo,” Lorenzo called out, his tone both gentle and commanding. I stopped, took a deep breath and glanced over my shoulder. “Come sit,Fratello.” He tapped the seat next to him.
I shifted my gaze to Rayden and the fucker had the decency to look apologetic.
“Give him a chance, baby,” Lorenzo coaxed his fuckboy.
Shaking my head, I returned to my brother’s side and took a seat. “I don’t want to fuck it up,” I admitted.
“You want advice?” Rayden asked, smirking.
“Careful,” I warned, my eyes daring him to laugh again.
“Do you blame me?” He dropped into his chair. “I mean this is unprecedented, right?” A shrug. “You don’t date. You don’tgo out. You fuck, you interrogate, you intimidate, you disappear.” He wasn’t wrong.
I scowled. “Your point?”
“You don’t allow anyone to get close, Remo.”
The statement caught me off guard. How well did this boy know me? I glanced at my brother and his brow went up, telling me he agreed.
He sighed. “What do you need from him?” he asked, tipping his chin at Rayden.
“Direction,” I replied.
Rayden laughed once, incredulous. “Why me?”
“You live with a Don and you’re still alive. That counts.”
Lorenzo grinned while Rayden folded his arms, eyeing me steadily. “Fine. First rule. Don’t try to impress her.”
I scoffed. “I don’t impress.”
“You dominate,” he corrected. “Different thing. Don’t do that.”
“And if someone disrespects her?”
Lorenzo answered before Rayden could. “You handle it. Quietly.” The single word warned he wouldn’t tolerated my usual deranged creativity. Not that he could control me.
“Do you know what she likes?” Rayden asked.
Dragging a hand through my hair, I gave his question some thought. Then sat back, frustrated. I had no fucking idea what she liked. “I guess she won’t want what I usually offer.”
Rayden’s expression shifted, just a fraction. Interest replacing disbelief. “She wants effort,” he scoffed.
