Chapter 5
Tommy
I’ve spent the last two weeks at the bottom of a bottle, drowning in the thought of that fucker Tony putting his hands on Giovanna.
My girl. My beautiful, sweet girl that I spent years protecting.
The one who asked me to kiss her on New Year’s Eve, who leaned into me like she already belonged to me.
And I told her no.
Now I can’t stop picturing him taking what should have been mine.
My phone’s been dead for days. Matti and Vin finally show up at my suite at Dragovari Tower and pound on the door like they’ll break it down.
I don’t answer. Fuck them. I don’t need Vin’s smart mouth or Matti’s ‘I told you so.’
Finally, Matti uses his master key to unlock the door.
“Jesus, you look like shit,” says Vin, going to my refrigerator.
He cracks a beer open and tosses another to Matti.
Matti catches it and nods. “You do. Take a shower. We’ve got work.
”
“Fuck you,” I mumble, turning up the TV.
The screen blurs in front of me.
I’ve been drinking so long the booze barely hits anymore, but nothing else does either.
I haven’t been taking my medicine, so my heartburn is killing me, but I don’t care.
I can’t do anything but torture myself thinking about Giovanna.
Did he hurt her? Did she bleed for him? Did he go slow with her?
I know I couldn’t. As much as I fucking worship her, there’s no way I could take it slow with her the first time.
Fuck. The idea of him pounding into my girl the way I want to makes me want to rip my skin off.
She hasn’t texted me since New Year’s Eve.
Not once. Is it because she’s with him, or did she hear about me and Lexi?
Or both? I’m fucking tortured not knowing where her head is at, but I can’t bring myself to text her and get answers I don’t want to hear.
Vin snatches the remote and kills the TV.
I groan, dropping my head back against the cushions.
I’m in no mood for their shit. He whips a pillow at me and hits me square in the chest.
“Get the fuck up. We’re leaving.
”
“You’re leaving. I’m staying right fucking here,” I grumble.
Suddenly, the couch tips forward, and my ass is sliding onto the floor.
Vin and Matti laugh as they drop the couch with a thud.
“Nah,” Matti says. “You’re coming with us.
We need your expertise.”
I split a scowl between them.
“For what?”
“Convincing someone to step into the CEO role at Lumina,” Vin says, offering me his hand.
I take it, dragging myself up. “And?
“And the person that Aurelio chose isn’t interested in trading in his private jet for a desk,” says Matti mildly.
“Or working with a bunch of ‘thugs.’”
Thugs.
Never fails to amuse me when I’m lumped in with low-level gangsters.
I have an IQ of 180, but sure, call me a thug.
Vin smirks. “Since you have a relationship with him, we thought you’d like to play with your knife instead of…
whatever this is.” He gestures to the messy suite.
I grab a water bottle and down it. “Relationship?”
Matti gives Vin a warning look, and Vin shrugs.
“You’ll see.”
I don’t want to do this. But the thought of carving into some entitled asshole who thinks he’s untouchable?
That sounds alright.
Matti leans in with a grin.
“Good therapy, yeah?”
“Fine.” I crush the water bottle.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m clean, dressed in my usual black jeans, black tee, and black hoodie.
Vin nods his approval. “At least you don’t smell like a corpse anymore.
”
Matti grins. “Master of compliments. Ready?”
I flick my knife open and closed.
“Always.”
Hat backwards, knife in my pocket, I follow my brothers out the door, thinking about Giovanna and wishing I weren’t.
**
The Demonio estate sprawls across a private island, Aurelio’s compound a monument to control.
By the time we reach his office, my father is already behind his desk.
At 52, he’s easily 250 pounds, a thick worm-like scar winds up from his neck, over his chin, and across his cheek to the bridge of his nose.
He is the nucleus of this shit show, and all of us shift, expand, and contract around him, obediently fulfilling his demands, knowing that not doing so means instant death.
Tony standing behind him. My chest constricts, and it takes everything in me—and I mean everything—not to lunge across the room and beat the shit out of him.
But Vin shoulder-checks me, pulling me back.
There’s a man in a navy suit across from Aurelio.
With salt-and-pepper hair slicked back, spine rigid.
When he turns, my stomach drops.
Lorenzo Marino.
Giovanna’s father.
Vin and Matti don’t look at me.
My skin crawls. This is why I’m here? They think I have some kind of leverage because of Giovanna?
My only relationship with this man is him hating me and me wondering why.
“Now that everyone is finally here, we can begin,” Aurelio says, his Italian accent thick, giving Vin an indicting look.
“Lorenzo, you may know we have some, uh, what do you say, personnel changes at Luminous & Co, my custom jewelry design house.”
Lorenzo gives a crisp nod, his jaw clenched.
“We find ourselves in need of a CEO, someone who is… a friend. But also someone who is good with business.”
The air is heavy with tension.
My fingers open and close into fists on repeat as Lorenzo’s jaw works, his gaze hard.
“I’m sorry I don’t have anyone to recommend,” he says carefully.
Aurelio rubs a thumb along his scar, regarding him with cold eyes.
“Good. You will be the new CEO. You bring credibility, a lovely family. Your wife and daughter wouldn’t mind access to some of the most sought after jewels in the world, no?
”
Lorenzo can barely keep the sneer off his face as he regards Aurelio evenly.
“As you know, I have several successful businesses of my own, which take me out of town quite frequently. I don’t see how my schedule would allow me to manage a brick and mortar business here in New York.
”
Aurelio barks out a humorless laugh and settles back in his chair, lacing his fingers together over his expansive belly.
“Your businesses run themselves. You stay out of town to keep your wife from finding out about your second family in Montreal, your mistress and child in Sorrento, and the new girlfriend in—where is it, Antonio?”
“Boston, sir.”
I grind my teeth as Tony flits his gaze from Lorenzo to me and back again.
Did he get that information from Giovanna?
If not, did he tell her he knew?
“Yes. Boston. Perhaps it is time to come home. Be a father to our dear Giovanna, no?”
Lorenzo stiffens, his chest puffing slowly as he takes a deep breath.
If he could murder Aurelio with a glance, my father would burst into flames.
Something flickers between the two men that I can’t quite identify.
Aurelio’s gaze lifts slowly to meet mine, a slow smile spreading across his face.
“Unless you prefer my boys look after her instead. My Tommaso has a fondness for your daughter, do you not, Tommaso?”
My heart rate spikes and time slows down as Tony’s lip twitches into a snarl and Lorenzo glares fire at Aurelio.
Is he threatening me with her? Threatening her with me?
I can’t tell. All I know is I want to cut someone open.
Lorenzo sneers at Aurelio. “That would not be a good idea for either of them.”
Matti, Vin, and I share a glance.
None of us understand what is happening right now.
“No, you’re right. My Tommaso is not a good match for our Giovanna.
But perhaps if you can find the time to manage Luminous & Co, Antonio can keep her entertained instead.
”
WHAT THE FUCK?
I can barely see straight as my mind somersaults, trying to figure out what the fuck is happening and why.
Matti and Vin move closer to me, ready to back me up if I make a move.
Tony and I stare each other down, his face impassive as he shifts, ready to react as needed.
My hand twitches toward my knife.
“We are agreed then, no?” Aurelio leans forward, pressing his palms on the desk and heaves himself to his feet.
“I don’t take well to threats.” Shaking with rage, Lorenzo can barely get the words out.
“No, no. You misunderstand. These are not threats. We are only discussing our children’s futures.
” Aurelio drops the pretense of a smile.
“Come, Lorenzo. Come with me. Let’s walk.
If we do not have an agreement when we reach the plane, well, then we will have to come up with an alternate—”
“I’ll do it,” Lorenzo snarls.
He stands suddenly, his chair tipping over and crashing to the ground.
None of us moves as he pushes past me on his way out the door.
My blood pressure spikes again. Aurelio brought me here as a warning.
But if these fuckers think their deals are going to keep me from Giovanna, they are sadly fucking mistaken.
Aurelio looks between me and Tony, taking in the tension between us, and chuckles to himself, a dry, evil sound, as he leaves the room.
My brothers and I stare down Tony. None of us move.