Instead of responding, I take one last parting glance at DiAngelo on my way out of the room. I don’t know why. I’m certain it’ll only irritate me to see his smug face, but the satisfaction I expect to see after winning our little tête-à-tête is decidedly absent. Instead, his hazel eyes flash with determination.
I don’t understand that man, and I suppose I never will. All I can do is hope Mom is right and the danger doesn’t last long because if she’s wrong, DiAngelo and I might end up a greater threat to one another than the Russians ever could.
The loud scrape of chair legs cut through the quiet air before I hear my brother’s frustrated plea echo down the hallway.
“Just leave it, D.”
Heavy footsteps pound behind me.
DiAngelo is on the move, and he sounds pissed.
CHAPTER 2
DIANGELO
Present
I’mon my feet before I know what I plan to do. Renzo’s going to kick my ass for ignoring him, but that doesn’t matter. All that matters is getting his little sister to understand the danger surrounding her. Even if that means she sees me as part of the threat. Otherwise, she’ll make this impossible. I’ve seen how she plows through life like a bull in a China shop.
In some ways, I respect the hell out of how she’s handled the loss of her husband. That shit couldn’t have been easy. But her reckless disregard will get her killed, and I refuse to let that happen.
Not on my watch.
I made a promise to Renzo—the man I consider my closest friend. His father was the boss of the Moretti Family when I first became a Made Man many years ago. Renzo and I worked our way up in the organization together, though he advanced faster than I did because of his father. When Renzo’s Uncle Gino declined to be next in line for succession, the title went to Renzo. He took over as underboss at only twenty-eight. It wasn’t easy.He needed loyal men around him that he could trust to keep the Family in line. I helped during the transition, and we’ve been close ever since.
I won’t fail him.
I wouldn’t want to fall short of his expectations on any front because I respect him, and this task is more important than anything else. He’s relying on me to keep his sister alive. Not evenhewill get in the way of my fulfilling that duty.
I made a promise, and I’ll keep it, no matter the cost.
And the tab will be steep because I’ve already started to pay the price. I’ve spent years steering clear of Rina Donati to make sure she doesn’t so much as cross my mind. She’s a beautiful woman and totally off-limits—two things that don’t pair well.
I don’t do relationships, and I refuse to disrespect my best friend by screwing around with his little sister. No reason to tempt myself with something I can’t have. Therefore, I’ve always kept my distance.
Until now.
Terina has become my responsibility, and after only a handful of minutes into this new dynamic between us, she’s already clawing her way under my skin. Drawing emotions from me that are normally well-controlled. I don’t like it. Not one bit.
She’s just started up the winding staircase at the front of the house when I reach her. She doesn’t look back, even though she has to know I’ve come after her. I wasn’t exactly quiet about it.
Her stubbornness reinforces my determination.
I ignore the way her perfectly sculpted ass looks in her gray yoga pants and grab her wrist to stop her progress on the second step. “You acting like a child does jack shit to reassure me you’re going to follow instructions,” I chide her.
She yanks herself free of my hold and crosses her arms over her chest. “Being upset doesn’t mean I’m acting like a child. Ihave a right to be frustrated when you all dictate how I’m to live my life.”
She looks just as furious as I do, which is the whole problem. She shouldn’t be angry. She should be grateful someone is looking out for her during such a dangerous time. That anger is how I know she needs a new perspective.
It’s time to prove a point.
In two seconds flat, I have my hand clamped tightly over her mouth and her entire body held against me, her back to my front. With one arm around her middle, I’m able to completely incapacitate her and sweep her down the stairs and out the front door with hardly a sound.
She puts up a hell of a fight. I’ll give her that. But she’s simply too small and ill-equipped to fight off a man like me.
That’s the reality I want her to experience.
A possibility I need her to understand.
