Chapter 28 #2
That was Sienna. She’d only been with us for three months.
A few weeks ago, she had started the Angel program I encourage our girls to go through.
She was supposed to be a busgirl for the club; she was not supposed to work the clients.
How she ended up with a client is a problem that will be solved and paid for in blood.
But in the end, her death is on me. I made the decision to allow her close to our world.
With Father off trying to salvage the Grada family contract, I have to remain in control. But rage unfurls inside me, it bleeds out the edges of my composure.
The Grada family, Father’s most influential contact in his trade business overseas, has retracted their contract with our family. Removing our largest foreign supplier not only of women but weapons as well. It was a hit Father could not afford to take—and one I organized.
A simple slip of the tongue regarding Father’s unstable mental status scared the old bastard and there went their contract. No one wants to continue business with a liability.
Snatching the other half of my brother’s bagel, I take a bite then wipe my mouth with my handkerchief. “How is she?”
“Been asleep all afternoon.”
“I’m concerned she will be unable to continue employment with us.”
“She’ll be fine.”
“Enzo, do not let your fascination with her cloud your judgement. She’s not prepared for this role.”
He stands sharply. I can tell he’s upset with my decision, but the fact is I cannot have her reacting in such a way every time a girl comes in for treatment or worse, her trying to go to Father about this.
We have him exactly where we want him, slowly dissolving.
If she interferes irrationally, there is no telling what will happen to our plans.
“You and I both know she’s been through some shit, Raf. Admit it, what happened to Sienna was a lot, even for you. Give her some fucking grace.”
“I’ll give her till the gala.”
“Then what?” Enzo asks, his entire demeanor hardening.
I tilt my head, assessing his reaction to her upcoming departure from our lives. “Then she’s gone. The decision is final.”
“I’m not done with her.”
I take a deep breath, reigning in my growing irritation at his obsession with her.
And I can’t blame him fully, I don’t feel finished with her either.
I’ve not had enough, but I can put logic before desire.
“She’s a liability, Enzo. Think clearly, brother.
And if you can’t, think about her safety.
She’s lucky it was our men and not Dante’s who witnessed her reaction.
His paranoia grows, Enzo. If he finds out she’s sympathetic to these girls, he will take her out.
Fuck, he’ll probably have you do it. Are you prepared to kill her if Father demands just so you can get your dick wet? ”
“She’s staying. Until she decides she’s done with us.”
“What do you mean until she decides? Have you lost your mind? She’s not one of us, Enzo. She is our employee.”
He rolls his eyes, a vicious scoff leaving his lips.
“She’s more than that and you fucking know it.
” His head falls, shaking it in defeat as his worried sigh shatters the silence of the kitchen.
“She wants to be with us, Raf. God, I can see it but she’s hiding something.
I need to figure it out. I need her to stay. ”
My fingers dig into my temples at my stubborn twin.
He’s never given me this much of a headache over a woman before.
Why now? That alone is concerning. What kind of hold does she have on him and what will it lead to in the future?
Enzo and I have promised to never grow close to anyone who could be used against us, a weakness to exploit.
Has the bellissima cerva already become a weakness? Has the pretty little doctor already caused my brother to abandon logic and reason?
Fuck.
“Enzo, she’s not a toy you can keep.”
“I know!” he shouts, slamming his palm against the granite countertops. “She’s fucking mine, ours, Rafael. She’s perfect for us, why can’t you see that? Stop being so fucking numb you can’t even feel her.”
That’s the worst part of all of this. She’s the only thing I see when I imagine the future, the only thing I feel when I’m near her, but I can’t allow it to happen.
If we were in a different world, an alternate universe where I was a finance manager at an innocent corporate office and Enzo was some cookie cutter police officer or something noble, she would be ours in a heartbeat.
We’d have the house and the family and the dog but that’s not our reality.
Enzo needs to understand the danger he’s putting her in.
I’m pushing her away not for our protection, but hers. I’ll sacrifice the most beautiful presence in my life, our life. I’ll be the bad guy. He’ll only end up getting her killed.
“If I need to pry her from your arms, I will. Don’t push me on this.”
The infuriating thorn in my side I call family smirks as he passes me. “Grab your crowbar, Fratello.”
“Are you seriously going to be this fucking illogical and stubborn over a woman who has been in your life less than a month?”
“Try me.”
I pull in a breath to the count of three and release it to the same count. “Fine.” My thumb traces the lines on my palm before tucking it into my pocket. “She’s your responsibility. If she dies, it’s on you.”
I walk away, knowing that’s not entirely true because, yet again, it was my choice to trust my brother with her life and I’m fucking pissed…
No.
I’m not pissed. I’m…
It doesn’t matter. It’s on me.