AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why is everyone trying to cockblock me today?” I pout, not wanting to abandon my sandwich.
“Your ride is leaving in ten minutes!” my brother shouts from the bottom of the stairs, proving my point.
Jasper puts his fingers under my chin and tilts my head to the side. “Don’t worry, we’ll give you a rain check,” he says against my lips before kissing me. My toes curl when he deepens it, and Cole being a cheeky fuck, decides to play with my nipples.
Why do they insist on kindling my lust at every turn?
My elbow rests on the car door as I watch the towering buildings roll by. To say I’m grumpy would be a massive understatement. My guys are all at the house since they’re not able to join in the meeting with my father anyway.
Leaning my head against the seat, I ask, “Why do I have to go to this meeting? I thought we had an agreement.”
“Exactly,” Enzo replies, not really explaining anything at all. I turn my head in his direction and level my most menacing glare on him. He has some balls to smile like I’m being cute. “Formalities, Sorella. Our padre wants to pretend this is his idea, and like ‘good little soldiers’ we’ll let him.“ He uses mocking air quotes when he says it.
I’m a little more interested now. Having his permission was never going to stop me from doing what I wanted, but it sure as fuck doesn’t hurt either. I like having my brother around, and keeping family strife at a minimum seems like it would be a smart idea. “You got him to agree?”
He winces. “I did,” he answers, which doesn’t explain what the face was for.
We turn into the underground garage and I’m filled with happy memories of yesterday’s game of human piñata. It boosts my mood enough to where I’m practically skipping as we make our way through the back halls to the asshole’s office.
“I miei figli!“ The overly enthusiastic greeting from my father has my scowl returning. It deepens when my eyes scan the room and find Vander is here as well. “It brings me joy to finally have you both in my life like this.” This fucker makes it sound like the last meeting never even happened.
“Padre,“ Enzo says with a respectful nod of his head. I have to admire him for being able to play the game expected of him. I simply don’t have it in me.
“I hope you didn’t bring any weapons today. Surely we can have a friendly conversation between us,” my sperm donor says, the smile on his face never quite reaching his eyes, like every time he sees me he’s reminded of something.
I straighten my suit jacket and situate myself on the arm of the couch across from the armchair my father is resting in. Vander happens to be sitting on the couch next to me, which has nothing to do with my seating choice. I’m still furious at what he did this morning.
“Did Vander ever tell you what I used as my first weapon?” I ask, but I don’t wait for him to answer before continuing. “A lamp isn’t only useful for giving off light. And my second was a brick.” I pause, letting him see the darkness behind my eyes. “What I’m trying to say is, I don’t need to bring a weapon to be able to kill someone. I’m resourceful as fuck.”
He lets out a proud laugh, pressing a hand to his chest as if he’s trying to hold in some of his amusement. I can tell he only restrains himself from telling me I get it from him because of the glare I shoot at him. He smooths a palm down his knee, regaining his composure. “Enzo put forth a valid argument, and I came to a decision pending his agreement.”
My gaze flashes to my brother. “Your agreement?” Now the wince he gave me in the car makes a lot more sense.
“Nothing I can’t handle, Sorella. I’ll make it work for the best,“ he assures me. Something in his eyes tells me he’s confident in it, and I don’t need to worry about him. It’s not like I can’t help him in the future if it turns out any other way.
“It’s nothing he wouldn’t agree to anyway.” My father gives a self-righteous smirk like he’s won something. “I want you to have a happy life. So as long as you still help the famiglia out from time to time, and let us use the name Raven to strike fear in any enemies, you’re free to do what you want. Aside from one thing.”
He pauses, studying Vander and me over. “When you are here, I want to make sure you don’t act like a couple. I don’t need any of my men thinking they can go around falling in love and leave the life. As far as they know, Vander will still be acting as a guard, an extension of the famiglia working with you.”
“Sounds perfect,” I mumble. There might be a chance I forgive him someday. I doubt it, but there’s still a possibility. However, right now I just want to get out of here. I’m allergic to social interactions that no longer seem to have a purpose.
The sharp ring of a phone cuts through the moment of silence, and Enzo removes it from his pocket. “Fuck. I have to take this, it’s the club security.” He gets up and leaves the room without a backward glance. Fucker could have taken me with him at the very least.
My father continues to drone on about a few mafia details with Vander, seeming like he’s happy to bounce ideas off him. Completely different from how he acted the last time we were here. The man is fucking nuts with his mood swings.
Several minutes later, an enraged Enzo steps partially into the room. “There’s been an emergency and I need to leave. Ready to go, Raven?”
I can’t get up quick enough. As soon as I’m in the hall with him, Enzo shoots me a regretful frown. “I swear that man acts like a completely different person when he’s around you. Figured I’d save you before I shot out of here. I have some trouble to take care of.”
“You’re definitely keeping that top spot as favorite brother,” I tease, making him smile. “Need any help?”
“Maybe later,” he responds with a wave before running back to the garage. Well, shit. Now how am I supposed to get back?
Raven: Want to come pick me up?
Ravenmaster: I’ve got her.
What the fresh fuck is that answer supposed to mean? My text was a joke to see what kind of response I’d get, but this is something else. I’m still staring at my phone when Vander enters the hall. “Come on, let’s go.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders to guide me down the hallway.
