Page 46 of Beni

A hot ball of something burned in Beni’s gut. Not that the emotion made any sense, and he really wasn’t interested in indulging the jealousy he suddenly felt. He didn’t have a claim on August, and he wasn’t about to make a fool out of himself by trying to prove differently.

“Drop it,” he said.

“But—”

A throat cleared across the room, thankfully ending Cory’s questioning, but bringing Beni’s attention to the other men who showed up for this meeting. Well, two men, and a woman, even if she was currently downstairs having tea with Abriella Rossi.

His mother, father, and oldest brother, Marcus.

Beni was not expecting to wake up that morning to find his parents, and oldest brother, knocking on his apartment door. Bene, on the other hand, didn’t seem at all surprised by their presence, which told him at least one of them knew they were coming.

His father and brother, for the meeting.

His mother because she missed them.

Gian gave Beni a look, raising his eyebrows in a silent comment to knock it off. He didn’t need to be told twice, because frankly, he had no desire to discuss his situation with August. Not with Cory Rossi, or anybody else, either.

That was for him to handle.

Simple as that.

“Beni,” Tommas said, bringing his attention back to the boss, “how has the last week gone on the east side?”

“I’ve just integrated as a new man for the crew, so no one is really talking … and it’s been quiet on the gang side of things. Like maybe they’re just trying to let the club incident blow over, or whatever. Wait it out, I guess.”

Tommas nodded. “Likely right. Gian, you wanted to discuss … the twins?”

“Mmm.” His father folded his arms over his chest where he stood next to Tommas’s large desk, but his attention was only on the twins across the room. “Given the situation here and your mother’s concern … if you would both like to come home to Toronto, at least until the problems here have blown over, in Beni’s case—because I don’t know if you plan to continue working here for Tommas—then I would understand why.”

“And no one would blame either of you,” Marcus added, “if you wanted to step away.”

Beni didn’t even have to think about it. “I’m staying in Chicago.”

Again, his twin stiffened.

He continued ignoring the odd behavior, and the heaviness that seemed to be constantly resting on his shoulders and heart lately. He knew that wasn’t his emotions—it felt different, a bit foreign in his body and mind, if that made sense. It was how he knew whatever his twin was feeling, it projected into Beni.

So that heaviness?

Whatever that was?

Bene was feeling it.

Beni was just getting the tendrils from it.

“I told the boss I would help to figure out what was going on with the crew, and I intend to do that,” Beni said.

“And to get your dick wet.”

Beni’s head snapped to the side so fast, the fucking room spun. His gaze nailed to the side of his twin’s head, and if it were possible for someone to die from a glare alone, Bene would be on the floor with a still heart.

“What did you just fucking say?”

Bene chewed on the piece of gum in his mouth, staring at his father, unaffected. “I’m going home like the original plan.”

Gian nodded. “All right.”

Beni didn’t give a fuck. “Seriously, what is your problem, Bene?”