Page 37 of Chasing Kit

“For you, sir,” he said.

I gritted my teeth. “Scalia?”

Cassian flashed a shark’s smile. “No, sir. From Mr. Riccardo Sabbatini. Please enjoy.” Then, he was gone, but not before giving me a sharp look as he shut the door. Nothing about Cassian was innocent, and I should’ve guessed this wasn’t as simple as receiving a meal.

Kit’s gaze tracked me as I ripped open the seal and pulled out the letter, his eyebrows low with concern.

If Sabbatini knew we were here and was sending us a letter, it didn’t bode well. Regardless, Kit was my top priority. Sky could lie in the grave he’d dug. I was going to lift Kit as high as possible, far from his brother’s mess.

The letter, written in a swirling calligraphy rarely seen these days, exuded an elegance I associated with Riccardo Sabbatini. He was the kind of man who wore the finest suits, drank the best alcohol, and lived in luxury. Of course, his writing reflected an old-world sophistication.

Mr. Briggs,

I heard you were visiting our lovely city. Welcome. Come to my house tomorrow at 5 p.m. Enjoy my cousin’s hotel.

~ Riccardo Sabbatini

Below his name was his home address, as if I’d forget where he lived. Goddamn it. The good news was that Sabbatini wasn’t surprising us by kidnapping Kit. The bad news was his awareness of our presence in St. Loren wouldn’t lead to anything good.

How much did he know? Was he aware of Sky sleeping with his cousin? I doubted it. If he was, we’d be in serious trouble.

“What does he want?” Kit asked carefully, taking a bite of chicken with his hands instead of cutlery. My gaze fixed on his fingers and the way he sucked on them after swallowing his food, stirring my cock. Down, boy. We had bigger issues than the glistening spit on Kit’s digits.

“He wants to meet with us tomorrow afternoon.” I gritted my teeth, the paper crumpling in my hand. “I knew coming here was a bad idea.”

“Sit and eat. There’s nothing we can do right now.”

I stared at him. “You don’t understand how dangerous these men are. Your brother can’t save us. He’s in over his head with Scalia.”

“I know. Sky’s always been impulsive.” He shrugged, a sad smile on his face. “But he’s my little brother. I love him.”

That was the problem with families. They were a weakness, and I’d learned firsthand the heartbreak that came with losing a brother.

“Eat. We’re not taking on the world right now.”

I didn’t understand how he remained so calm. In the last few days, he’d discovered his father was essentially a mob boss, his brother was sleeping with a married Italian mobster, and the man Kit had slept with was indebted to his father. Yet, he ate his dinner as if he knew peace.

I scrubbed my hands over my face and sat in the opposite chair. My brain was already calculating all possible outcomes and situations I’d need to handle. Years of SEAL training had my entire body on alert, my gaze subtly flicking toward the windows.

“You said I didn’t know much about you before we slept together, so tell me.” Kit’s voice drew my attention. “Who are you, War?”

Who was I? Broken. A shell of a man who’d faced his worst nightmares and still lived them in his sleep. The faces of the men I’d served beside flashed in my mind, their haunting expressions seared into my frontal lobe. The memory of my brother, panic etched into his expression as he took his final breath, lodged itself into the deepest recesses of my agony.

“What do you want to know?” I picked up a piece of pork and bit into the tender meat, letting it fall apart on my tongue. Flavors burst in my mouth, and I hated to admit how good the food was and how hungry I’d been.

“I only know War, my dad’s bodyguard. You were right last night. I don’t know your birthday or where you were born. Do you have siblings?” Kit stared at me with gentle curiosity, the kind that wove a spell under my skin and made me feel exposed. He didn’t demand answers, but rather asked so delicately I melted under his tenderness. This wasn’t a man who should be exposed to the brutal underworld. I understood why Derek wanted to keep him protected for so long.

“I did. A younger brother.” The pork turned acidic in my mouth. “He’s dead.”

“Oh.” Kit’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

I laughed sadly, Eric’s face flashing in my mind. “Yeah, I don’t talk about it.”

“Do you want to, though?” Kit’s voice turned gentle. “You could tell me about him.”

No, because if I told Kit about Eric, he’d find out what a horrible person I was and how I’d failed my brother. Kit would know what a disappointment I was.

“He used to call me Reek. Not War. I was never War before I became a SEAL.” I leaned back against my seat, tonguing my teeth. “His name was Eric.”