Chapter 8
Dante
The sterile aroma of the hallway engulfs my nostrils as my brother and I step out of Mila ’ s room. Cold gazes follow us as we pass her bodyguards. Mentally, I smirk, knowing that one of them is in my pocket.
I ’ ve wasted no time since I graduated Initiation 101.
Not one single second.
As soon as I was free, I tried to get back inside to my brothers. We all expected to take our final test together. We were wrong.
Anders and Titan were liberated the same day I was. Neither of them would speak of what their final test was. Then again, I didn ’ t mention what I was forced to do, either.
But there was something that haunted not just me, but those who have passed Initiation 101. A man was standing in the shadows, using them to conceal his face. He watched and judged us during the final weeks I was trapped there, but he wasn ’ t an instructor. It felt like he was a scout who came to see if we would be good enough for him. His silhouette haunts my dreams. It comes forth and grabs me, engulfing me in smoke, forcing me to swallow it down and do his bidding.
As for the others, they are still trapped, and it ’ s eating me alive. How can I sleep peacefully with this knowledge? I can ’ t. So I stay up and think. I strategize and devise plans for the Brotherhood.
All I have are plans and promises, one of which is Mila.
I force a hard swallow down as I tug at the collar of my shirt. Knowing that Mila has moved on will be the final blow to Dash ’ s last shred of existence. Dash pushed her away, but deep down, I know he held onto a deep, dark secret; he hoped she remained loyal to him.
First love is the most brutal. It molds our understanding of love later on. Dash will view it as betrayal, while Mila sees it as a game of false promises and lies.
How do I convince them to rewrite their definition?
Nico grabs my arm, stopping me from going into the elevator. “ You seriously are not going to let that conniving rat near her.” He growls, tugging me back into the hall.
As our eyes lock, a pang of sadness pulls at the corner of my mouth. When I left for Silverstone, I still had to look down to meet my little brother ’ s eyes. Now, I look straight ahead.
It ’ s a painful reminder of the time that was robbed from me. Memories of watching him grow into the man he now is will never run in my mind. Gone is the boy who was filled with heartbreak, replaced by a man who wants to act out, and he has been.
Taming my brother is my side project.
I shake my head and step into the elevator; he follows. “ You have to look at how every single domino falls, Nico.”
He shoves the button to the first floor and crosses his arms. He ’ s as big as me now, with just as much muscle, but he ’ s not nearly as trained. I ’ ll make sure he is, but I ’ ll teach him differently than Initiation 101 taught me. We were taught with hate. It ’ s a mistake. Hate fosters resentment, which turns into revenge. If you teach someone with love, that creates loyalty.
I ’ m going to make an army loyal to me.
“ Sometimes you overthink things.”
“ And you, little brother, don ’ t think at all.” I retort. “ If you kill Dominic, the entire balance of power will shift.”
Nico scoffs, “ Dominic is nothing.”
“ You ’ re right. But his father ’ s business is. He and Mila ’ s dad hold and maintain balance in our world. If you kill Dominic, then his father will want revenge. It ’ s written into every single contract they write that if someone threatens them or their family, you are expected to defend them. You and I can ’ t fight against armies, Nico. If you somehow defeat them and bring down the business, just imagine the first thing every contract signee will do.”
Nico sighs in understanding, “ They will break their contracts.”
“ Precisely. Mafia families will go to war, businesses will tear each other apart, but that ’ s not all, because Mila ’ s father has deep roots. Governments have signed contracts with his law firm. They will break away, and then we will have wars with mass casualties.” I point a finger in warning, “ Dominic is a linchpin you will not touch. He will get what is coming in due time.”
It isn ’ t until we reach our bulletproof car that Nico responds. “ You sound so much like our mother sometimes.” He mutters, keeping his eyes on the blurring landscape as we drive.
A furious chill straightens my spine with a snap. “ I ’ m not her, nor will I ever be,” I growl. I ’ ll never become my mother, and I ’ ll do everything in my power to make sure Nico knows that.
Once we are safe aboard my private jet, My muscles relax.I crack open the water bottle, instantly regretting it; the snapping sound drags up memories of bones breaking. A roaring sound rumbles under my feet as the engines come alive. Opening my eyes, I look at my brother. I ’ ll do everything in my power to make sure he doesn ’ t suffer like I did. Initiation 101 will never get their hands on Nico!
The stewardess approaches with a tray of hot hand towels. I could laugh out loud at the mockery of this life I ’ ve slipped back into. My fingers are not used to the luxuries I grew up with. I ’ ve spent the last few years clawing my way out of death. Feeling how the dried blood hardens and pushes against my fingernails and skin as if it can separate them.
“ The pilot said we have clear skies. Should be a nice and easy flight.” She grins wide as her eyes look me up and down. “ Only three hours till we land in Palm Beach.”
“ Palm Beach!” Nico snaps.
I take a hot towel and nod. “ Thank you.”
“ Do you need anything else, sir?”
“ No,” I open the towel; steam billows out as I begin to wipe the tip of each finger meticulously.
“ Dante,” Nico stresses, leaning forward as he widens his legs, bracing for my reply. “ I ’ m not going to Palm Beach.” He hisses.
That’s funny because it seems to be a place you frequent. I tilt my head, eyes sharpening.“Don ’ t lie to me.”
He snorts as his lips curl up in mockery.
I rest my jaw on my palm, my elbow propped against the plush arm of the buttery-leather chair, preparing for this long-overdue battle. “ I know you ’ ve been going to visit Olivia.” I press.
His fingers curl around the armrest. “ I haven ’ t been visiting her!” His chest expands rapidly. “ I ’ m not that careless.”
But you have been, little brother. Don ’ t worry, I ’ ll protect you with my life. “ Mother knows we don ’ t have business in Atlanta. How long do you think it will take her to piece together the puzzle? You ’ ve been flying into Atlanta, then driving all night to Palm Beach to stalk her.”
He looks out the window and swallows down the weight of the world.
“ I told you to let me handle this.”
“ You disappeared, so I had to!” The vein in his forehead pulses.
Guilt hangs in the air, choking both of us. Nico knows it wasn ’ t my choice to leave, but that fact still hasn ’ t dismissed his outrage. He ’ s been angry for so long that it ’ s been decaying him, slowly turning his once loving heart into a cold, sterile thing.
I know the cure, but if I allow Nico to bring Olivia back into his life while our mother is still alive, it would have grave repercussions.
The problem is I can ’ t do what my father failed to do: kill my mother. So until I find a way to lock her away from Nico, we ’ re all trapped, surviving this life, forced to keep the people we love at a distance.
“ So you can check on Mila for a friend—”
“ For a brother.” I correct him. He grunts, still jealous of my new family.
I lean forward, bracing my elbows on my thighs. “ You ’ re playing a dangerous game, Nico, especially as mother still controls much of our lives.”
“ What was I to do? You left! Vanished into thin air. I had no reports of whether Olivia was alive or safe. I…” he looks away, his voice sounding more hoarse, “ I had no idea if you were alive. So I snapped and checked on her.”
“ You sent a guard to cover her!”
“ I needed to know she ’ s safe.”
“ Her cousin is your best friend. He could have told you how she was doing.” Aww, I get it, “ You ’ re worried he ’ d tell her you still care.”
He licks his lips. “ Why are we going if you don ’ t agree with my actions?”
I lean back, the cool leather pressing against my clothing. “ Because, like you, I disappeared from her life, too. I need to check on her with my own eyes and make sure she is safe.”
His nostrils flare.
When I was forced to leave Italy and attend Silverstone, I promised Nico I would check on Olivia and make sure she was safe from our mother ’ s touch. Olivia not only won over my brother ’ s heart, but also mine, albeit in a different way. I saw her as both a little sister and someone who brought happiness to my brother. Following my father ’ s death, both Nico and she became like my own children. I had to keep them safe and ensure they smiled and were never scared. I watched them grow up into young teens who were so in love.
Then I watched them be ripped apart.
“ You ’ re a hypocrite.”
“ One day, you ’ ll thank me.”