After quickly rubbing one out in the employee bathroom, I spent the next several hours showing my face throughout the club. It was common business knowledge that things ran better when the owner, or the owner’s family, was on the property.
And that included dance/strip/sex clubs.
At two am, I left out the back of Inferno and hopped into one of the blacked-out SUVs waiting in the alley. Guilio, my bodyguard, was behind the wheel. “Easy night, sir?”
“I had to rub one out in the bathroom,” I huffed miserably.
He winced. “That bad, huh?”
“Yep. That bad,” I chuckled.
I checked in on phone messages as we made our way to my building. Actually, it wasn’t just mine. Rafe owned the penthouse, and I was one floor below him, just like our birth order. Needing space, Gianni lived in the building across the street.
After we arrived, I exited the SUV. Nodding at the doorman, I then punched in the code to get inside. When I got to myapartment, I was too fucking tired to shower. Instead, I stripped off my clothes and face planted into the bed.
“Fuck,” I muttered into the mattress.
I seriously needed to cut back. This burning the candle at both ends, working for my father during the day and some nights for Rafe was killing me. But as soon as I'd fallen asleep, I woke up to the presence of someone in my room.
Before they could make their presence known, my hand slid under the pillow to grab my gun. My fingers curled around the cold steel when the light flicked on the nightstand. I whipped the gun out and pointed it at the figure beside the bed.
To my relief, it was only Guilio. After exhaling a ragged breath, I demanded, “Dude, what the fuck are you doing?”
“My apologies, sir. But your Father requests your presence at Rafe’s.” Before I could protest, he added, “Immediately.”
I flicked a glance at the clock on the nightstand. “It’s three am.”
“Yes, sir.”
With a groan, I ran my free hand over my face. “This can’t be good.”
“No sir. I’m sure it’s not.”
Cocking my brows at him, I asked, “Did he say anything about what happened?”
Guilo shook his head. “He only requested your immediate presence.”
With a grunt, I muttered, “Of course, he did.”
After pulling myself out of bed, I didn’t bother getting dressed. Instead, I made my way to the private elevator to Rafe’s penthouse in my black briefs. When the elevator doors slid open, Father and Rafe stood in the penthouse’s foyer. The thick tension in the air furthered my unease.
After glancing between the two of them, I demanded, “What the fuck is going on?”
“Raphael will fill you in,” Father replied before bypassing me into the elevator.
I dragged a hand through my hair as I stepped out of the elevator to join Rafe. When the doors closed on Father, I rolled my eyes. “Don’t hold me in suspense. What was so important that it had Guilio dragging my ass out of bed?”
“He didn’t say anything?” Rafe questioned.
I shook my head. “Just told me Father had requested I come up here.”
Jerking his chin at the liquor cart, Rafe grimly said, “You’re going to need a drink for this one.”
His words sent my heart shuddering to a stop. At that moment, I knew one of my siblings was in danger. “Gianni or Caterina?” I demanded in a hoarse whisper.
“Caterina.”
My eyes widened as I swayed on my feet. “Not Kitty Cat,” I murmured.
