Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Caius and I lock gazes. “Lucky for us, Santos has never given a single fuck when it comes to rumors.”
“I assume they’ll be in attendance tonight?” Mom asks.
I nod. “Saw them on the guest list.”
“And we can’t bar them from Augustine’s? I mean, we do own the club.”
“It’s not a good idea. It would just give them ammunition,” I say.
Caius pours himself another drink. “You know you could just accuse Thiago of offing his father to take over—”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I cut him off.
He puts his hands up, palms toward me in mock surrender. “Just a thought. Relax.”
“Mother, can you excuse us?” I say without taking my eyes off my brother.
She checks her watch. “Fine. I have to get ready anyway. Don’t fight. You’re on the same side.” With those words, she leaves.
“What did you say to Madelena the other night?”
“I don’t know. What?”
“The cuts. You inferred you knew.”
“Ah. Well, I do know.”
“Ana,” I say. Of course it was Ana.
He nods.
“Is that why you’re with her? So she can feed you information?”
“She’s a piece of ass.”
“Don’t fucking bring up the cutting with Madelena or anyone else again, do you hear me?”
“Touchy.”
“I mean it, brother. Don’t. It’s not a subject to be discussed with anyone.”
He raises both arms in mock surrender, clearly amused.
I shake my head, grit my teeth. Caius has a way of getting under my skin like no one else can.
“Fine. No problem,” he finally says.
“Good. Now tell me one other thing. Did you touch her?”
“Excuse me? Touch her? What did she tell you I did, exactly? Because I had to step up when you went on your bender and escort her to the event you should have been present at. So the way I see it, you should be thanking me, not accusing me of touching my brother’s wife. Get your head out of your ass. You’re fucking her, I get it. Just take care you don’t get lost in her cunt.”
Before I can think, I have his collar in the fist of my hand and am pressing him up against the wall. “Be. Fucking. Careful.”
Caius shoves me away. “You be fucking careful, brother. Because you’re fucking this up, and you seem to have forgotten what you’re supposed to be doing. We’re on the same side, remember? You trust me, remember? Isn’t that what you’ve been telling me for years?”
I push a hand into my hair, turn to the fire and take a deep breath in.
“Did you meet with Thiago?” Caius asks.
I turn back to him, but don’t answer.
“Addy mentioned you were back at the strip club.”
“When did you talk to Addy?”
“I was looking for you, so I made some calls. After what happened with Camilla and her freak brother, Thiago disappeared too so I put two and two together. Look,” he says, stepping toward me, putting a hand on my shoulder that I shove away. He just puts it there again. “You two went through some shit together. What the Commander did to you, I know he did twice fold to his own son. You told me that yourself. Back when you considered me a friend.”
“Caius—”
“No, it’s true. Something’s changed with us. Ever since Madelena, something’s different. You don’t trust me.”
“It changed when Dad’s will was read.”
“Back to that?”
“He cut you out for something you have no control over. For not being his by blood.”
“Yeah, I know. And do you think I don’t know that that was him and had nothing to do with you?”
“It’s still done. Same end result.”
“Ah, little brother. You’re a fucking idiot some days, you know that?” He shakes his head, picks up his glass to pour himself another whiskey, then drinks before continuing, “I think seeing Thiago and the whole fucking family fucked with you. Did he say something to you? That why you disappeared?”
“He told me not to trust anyone. Not you, not Mom, not him. No one.”
“And you listened to him because…?” He pats my back, pulls me close. “Come on, man. This is me.”
I look at him. He’s right. Why am I letting all this stuff fuck with me? The comment about the cuts, Ana told him. Him bringing it up to Madelena was him messing with her. I wonder if he’s jealous of her.
“Dad’s note. I know what you did, and this is your punishment. What did it mean?” I ask.
“I don’t fucking know. We’re never going to know. Don’t let it divide us. Don’t let any of this shit divide us. Because Mom’s got her agenda. The Averys have theirs. You’ve got your wife. And me? I don’t want to lose my brother. Believe it or not, I do have your back. I will always have your back. Me sending men to keep an eye on you is me having your back. Me escorting your wife to an event is me having your back. It’s me keeping an eye on her when she’s on her own. Would you rather I left her at the mercy of our mother?”