Prologue
Samuel strode into his brother’s office at House of Bolton and locked the door. He wasn’t surprised by the weary sigh his brother, Everett, gave him. His brother wasn’t going to like what Samuel had to ask, but it wasn’t a matter that could be avoided any longer. Unrequited feelings for your straight best friend weren’t fun and Samuel was done carrying them around.
He breathed out, flexed his fingers, and worked up the courage to utter his demand. Five words. Barely a sentence…and yet, they were tinged with the weight of his pain and desperation. Samuel wished the nerves plaguing him would fuck right off. It was hard enough to admit he’d reached his limit without their adding to his stress. He knew Everett wouldn’t brush him off or tell him to get over himself. His current hopeless situation wasn’t exactly unknown, except maybe by the other person involved in it… A man Samuel had wanted forever.
Samuel wanted to get over it… to get over him. But that meant begging his brother for help.
“I’m not going to like it, am I?” Everett asked, resignation sinking deep into his words.
“No…you’re not. But it won’t be unexpected either.”
Everett groaned, dropped his pen onto the desk, and leaned back in his chair. “Then let’s get this over with. Lay it the fuck on me.”
Samuel took another deep breath. “I need to get out of Melbourne… like a long way out.”
“For good?”
“Yet… to be determined. Although eventually I plan to be back for Sunday lunch at least.” A wry laugh escaped his lips as Samuel wondered how many of the mandatory lunches he could miss without censure. “But I need out. Need to get away from Pau—” he said, stopping mid-sentence and letting the man’s name drift away unfinished. He didn’t need to spell it out for his brother.
“You want to leave Melbourne without Pauli?” Everett blew out a harsh breath before pressing his lips together tight. “That’s a fucking hard ask, fratello. Not sure Antonio and Giovanni will go for that.”
“Ryland went to New Zealand without you,” he scoffed. “I think I can safely travel across state borders without a fucking Beltrame as a babysitter!” Samuel slammed his hands on the desk. “Besides, it’s Pauli I want a damn break from.”
“I’m not going to send you out of Melbourne because of a lover’s tiff.”
“We’d need to be lovers first,” Samuel snarled. “He’s fucking straight…or in denial… or fucking oblivious to everything.” He breathed out slowly and reined in his temper. “Either way…I’m tired of these one-way feelings… the confusing as fuck affection that he doles out randomly. My heart is so damn sore, Rett… I need a break from it all.”
His brother narrowed his eyes. “I thought everything between you and Pauli was fine. You’re both getting work done without any problems occurring.”
“Never said we couldn’t. Working together isn’t the issue… it’s everything else that I can’t handle. Pauli isn’t discreet about who he’s fucking.”
“None of us are discreet,” Everett replied, sadness filling his eyes as a memory flitted through his mind. “However, jealousy over who he’s fucking falls under the ‘lover’s tiff’ category…so, not something for me to deal with.”
“Jealous? You bet I am. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt!” Samuel exclaimed. “I need a break, fratello… A chance to get over him.”
Sighing, Everett rubbed at his jaw and glanced at his phone. “Does Papa know that you want a leave of absence from the firm?”
“Papers are all drawn up, but Papa said I need yours or Antonio’s permission before they’ll be signed off on. I wasn’t going to sit in Antonio’s office while I complained about Giovanni’s son.”
“Okay. Fair.” Another frustrated sigh slipped from Everett’s lips. “But I don’t think this is the best way to deal with Pauli. Words are always best. However, you’re also my fratello, and I don’t like seeing you in pain.”
“Does that mean I get to leave?”
“Yes. But it won’t be a holiday.”
“Never asked for one. I only want out of the city, Rett.”
Everett huffed and shook his head. “Retti and Lo need some help with their new venture across the border in Mt Gambier. A winery operation that will operate much like House of Bolton does…but the accounts they inherited are a mess.” He opened a drawer and pulled out a business card, tossing it in Samuel’s direction. “Work with Papa and Ryland as necessary to bring them up to our standards, not that I think you can’t manage the task on your own. Might take two-three months tops, but no one will complain if it takes longer.”
Samuel picked up the business card and turned it over to read what was written on it: Devil Hawks Winery, Mt Gambier, SA. “Devil Hawks? Name sounds familiar.”
“Retti struck a deal with a local MC who were looking for a little more legitimacy to keep the cops off their backs and in exchange we get access to their drug routes into Adelaide… Which River and Conner are most excited about.”
“Do I need to…” Waving his hand in the air instead of finishing the question.
“No,” Everett replied with a laugh. “You only need to set up the books for the winery in order to hide the income we make from drug sales. The actual tracking will be sorted by Connor.”
“Good… I can do that. When do you need me to start?” The sooner the better Samuel hoped.
“Tomorrow.”
“What?”
Everett grinned. “There’s a plane already waiting to take you to Mt Gambier where Lo will meet you.”
“God, you’re a fucking cunt! You had me fucking begging for a break from Pauli and yet you had a plan already in motion.”
His brother shrugged. “I only had to alter slightly. But you better get a move on because the plane won’t wait forever.”