Chapter 13 Alessio
ALESSIO
Ishook my head, irritated that Klaus was beating me at pool while we were in Matteo’s study.
It irritated me more when Drake laughed.
I never lost at pool, but Klaus was on his game tonight. I glanced at Matteo, who sat at the bar in the room, sipping his drink next to Alessandro, to see if he noticed how well Klaus was playing. Matteo was definitely keyed into it, as his eyes narrowed at Klaus.
“If I sucked as much as you, I’d never play again,” Klaus said with a soft laugh.
“Sei uno stronzo,” I muttered. He really was an asshole tonight. To be fair, he was most nights, but most nights he wasn’t beating me and taking five hundred bucks as he did it.
Klaus laughed. Drake looked over at Matteo and Alessandro in surprise. I frowned at Klaus. He was definitely not acting like himself.
In fact, if I were to really think about it, Klaus had been in a good mood all week. Whistling. Smiling. Being…odd.
He finished off the game, making me groan. He’d never let me live this loss down.
“Who is the woman?” Matteo asked as Klaus took a long drink from his glass.
“Klaus does not date,” I said, nodding for Drake to play. Hopefully, I’d be able to win my five hundred back from him.
“He fucks them and walks away,” I continued, setting the game up again.
“Who is the woman?” Matteo repeated as Klaus drank again.
“How do you know it’s a woman?” Alessandro asked. “Maybe he just had fun kicking Alessio’s ass.”
I scowled at Alessandro. Drake laughed as I shot him a look, too. He had the decency to offer me a shrug.
“Because he has been out every night this week, sleeping not here, and…” Matteo nodded to Klaus. I paused playing to watch. “He has a fading mark on his neck, so he’s getting laid several times a week, or he’s met someone. What is her name?”
Matteo was right. Klaus didn’t keep women around. In fact, I’d never really known him to have a serious relationship unless I counted his loveless marriage, but even then, he never smiled, and I knew he got laid in that situation at least twice.
Klaus wiped his mouth, and I noted the mark on his neck.
“Her name is unimportant,” Klaus said matter-of-factly.
I blinked at his reply, confused about what he had going on. This was definitely out of character for him. Hell, for any of us. We didn’t keep women around. We’d been with enough to know it only hurt in the end. Fucking them and going our separate ways was the best way to live in our world.
“So there is a woman.” Alessandro sat forward and stared Klaus down. “Where did you meet her?”
“Club,” Klaus grunted, drinking again.
“Which one?” I asked, interested in what the hell was going on.
Not only did I want to know, but I also wanted a name.
While I knew Klaus could certainly handle himself, I didn’t want him to fall for some whore in our world too hard.
He’d never been in love before, or at least that’s what he’d told us.
I didn’t want one of my best friends to get a broken heart.
“Blades,” Klaus answered. He shifted, appearing to be uncomfortable. I didn’t like that he was keeping this woman a secret. If I knew Matteo the way I thought I did, he didn’t either.
“And you played quickly to get back to her,” Matteo said.
“It is my night off.” Klaus focused on Matteo. “I would like to go to her, yes.”
“On a date?” Drake called out.
I looked from Drake to Klaus.
Klaus scowled. “No.”
“She must be a good lay to keep him interested,” I commented, smirking at Klaus. I knew if I kept at him enough, he’d cave and tell us all about this person. Or at least I assumed he would.
“I don’t know him to stay with a woman for longer than a night,” I finished, eyeing him for a response.
Klaus shifted again.
“Have you told Levin?” Drake asked.
Klaus glared at him. “No. It is not necessary. We are merely two people who get along.”
“And fuck,” Matteo finished. “Bring her to me. I want to meet her.”
There it was. Matteo being Matteo.
“Fine,” Klaus said, finishing his drink. “But not yet. She will decide when she’s ready.”
Matteo stared at him for a moment before giving him a slight nod. “So be it.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Klaus said before he left us, the door clicking closed behind him.
“Is it weird for him to date?” Alessandro asked.
Drake took his shot and sank it, making me mutter obscenities at him in Italian, which only made him chuckle softly.
“Quite,” Matteo replied as Drake sank another shot.
I might end up a thousand down tonight.
“He’s allowed to, right?” Alessandro pressed.
“He is,” Matteo answered softly. “It’s simply unusual.”
“He seems happy,” Alessandro commented.
I grunted at that and caught Matteo’s eye. He gave me a quick nod, letting me know we were on the same page and that we’d definitely be looking out for our brother.
“You didn’t have to do this,” Indigo said, frowning down at the opened gift on her lap later that evening.
“I know I didn’t,” I replied, staring into her pretty blue eyes. “I wanted to.”
“Well, you don’t need to bring me a gift each time you come to see me. In fact, you don’t need to take time out of your day to come see me.” Her cheeks flushed pink at her words.
I frowned, not liking them.
“Why would I not want to come see you?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Why do you want to?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that because, really, why did I come to visit her? I didn’t need to, I knew that, yet here I was.
She stared back at me, so much innocence on her face that it made my heart clench.
“I come because I care,” I said, deciding it was a truth that needed to be said.
“What does that mean?”
“Indigo, it means I give a shit, and I want to see you. I enjoy our time together. Can you accept that?”
A tiny smile teased the corner of her lips.
“If I must.” She lifted the book out of the box on her lap. “How did you know I like fairytales?”
“Good guess.” I smiled at her. “If you can believe that.”
“I think I could pretend.” The smile erupted on her face this time.
I shook my head, smiling at her. Truth be told, Indigo was a sweet, charming girl. I knew she hid more than she spoke of, though, and if she were anything like her brother, then she was definitely sitting on a lot of secrets.
And maybe that was why I came to see her. She intrigued me. Maybe I wanted to know her secrets.
Lord knew I had enough of them. A lifetime living my life, and of course, I had many to store.
I didn’t have anyone to tell, though, which was disheartening.
I used to go home to my wife and tell her about my day.
She’d worry and admonish me, beg me to leave the life, but Matteo and Klaus were my brothers.
I would never abandon them. Ever. Then she died on me.
I lost the love of my life. I’d never found a woman who could rival her kindness, beauty, compassion. ..
Until now.
The realization hit me like a ton of bricks, and I immediately got to my feet and backed away.
“Where are you going?” she asked, frowning at me as she got to her feet. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No.” I shook my head and adjusted my collar. I had to get the hell out of there. “I, uh, I forgot about this thing I have to do for Matteo. He gets pissed if I neglect his orders. I’ll see you later.”
I rushed out of her apartment before she could call out for me. I closed the door and leaned against the wall, breathing hard.
What the fuck was happening to me?