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14
Like clockwork. Alex entered my apartment on time.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked as he sauntered into the kitchen. I smirked at the irritation in his tone. My door and Nicu’s were never closed since we were the only two who shared the floor and the elevator was special access only. I saw Cat’s lovely nose twitch as Alex’s feet halted behind me.
“Cat?” he said. After a beat, he continued, “Are you alright? What are you doing here?”
Turning around to face him, I waited as Alex processed the sight of me with my shirt off and Cat, her hair a mess from last night, in my robe. I’d made sure she wore something of mine as a statement, although I did like knowing my scent covered her.
Laced in danger, his eyes jumped from me to her to me again. Alex’s voice dropped. “What in the fuck is going on?”
Casually taking a sip of my coffee, I declared, “Congratulate your new sister-in-law, frate, Cat and I are getting married.”
“Explain yourself and make it fast. You always call me brother when you fuck up,” he spat out, his green eyes darkening as they narrowed on me.
I gave a long, audible exhale. Granted, I was used to getting flak from him, but shit could escalate rapidly between us, and I wanted to spare Cat any of Alex’s unfettered commentary. He was pissed off enough that he wouldn’t hold back much longer. Leaning over, I planted a kiss on Cat’s forehead and whispered in her ear for her to leave us and to shut the door of the bedroom behind her. Eyes flared wide with trepidation, she stood up and cradled her plate to her chest. After a little swat to her plump ass, I got to my feet and followed her far enough to make sure she disappeared down the hall.
Once I heard the door click closed, I stalked toward the kitchen and rounded on him, “Watch your fucking mouth around her.”
Sitting at the table, his brows hit his forehead. His expression told me exactly what he was thinking—since when did I care about women or how they felt? The question was branded on his face.
“She’s eighteen years old. She’s got a good reputation. She’s a damn virgin, for fuck’s sake. You took advantage of her,” he proclaimed, his voice hard.
“She’s not a virgin anymore.” I sat down heavily beside him, making a scoffing noise in the back of my throat. “Right, like Nina was only twenty when she ambushed you into popping her cherry and forging a blood bond. Don’t insult them by underestimating how willful they can be.”
A low growl emanated from him.
Now it was my turn to apologize. Raising my hands in retreat, I said, “Hey, no disrespect to Nina. I’m trying to explain that Nina and Cat may be young, but they have brains. Hearts. They make informed decisions, regardless of their age or experience level. Nina knew she wanted you and went to great lengths to lock you down. Cat knows who she wants to be with, and I can assure you, it’s not Nicu.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he squeezed his eyes shut like he was in physical pain.
“Why, why, why? And why now? Just when we have Nelu where we want him, you have to choose this moment to fuck up our advantage? You know how conniving he is. After years of strife, we finally have the upper hand. Christ man, I gave up on you ever marrying, and now this—” He thrust his hand out. “You had your chance. I cajoled, I begged, I fucking pressured you to take her, and you rejected her. You do realize that, right?”
“Hey, just because I didn’t bend to your will doesn’t mean I’m incapable of caring for someone,” I snapped.
“Sure about that? You rejected her, Luca,” he emphasized. His words triggered a little tsunami of remorse in my chest. Guilt wasn’t an emotion that I had much experience with, but I felt it, nonetheless.
“It’s not that simple,” I replied. He could blame me all he wanted, but I didn’t even know her then. Yeah, okay, lay the blame on me. Anything to spare Cat.
In an exasperated tone, Alex went on, “We had an ugly-ass fight that dragged on for weeks. Weeks. Through it all, you held strong. I thought you said that you didn’t trust her, that you could never trust a Popescu, that they were planting her as a spy to undermine us. God knows, that’s what Nicu still thinks.”
“That was before I met her. Before I got to know her,” I ground out. “I wasn’t going to get bullied into a mafie marriage, so, yes, that was partially why I rejected her. If I had met her, things might’ve been different. As for not trusting her because she’s a Popescu…” I waved my hand dismissively. “Knowing her as I do now, she could never be underhanded like that. Betrayal is not in her nature. She’s the one pure, untouched thing that’s come out of that mongrel clan. She’s a goddamn miracle, but there it is.”
“Well, too fucking bad,” he retorted, his eyes snapping dangerously.
What a double standard.
“Don’t act as if you pushed me to marry her for my own good,” I scoffed. “It was your duty as sef, but you tried shirking your responsibility off on me so that you could marry Nina. You didn’t hesitate sacrificing me for your happiness.”
Rising slowly to his full height, he snarled, “Don’t you fucking dare lecture me on responsibility. I fucking live and breathe the Lupu clan. I’ve sacrificed far more than you have for this family.”
I rose swiftly to meet him, the chair screeched against the tiles behind me. We eyed each other like a showdown in a spaghetti Western. We’d fought for years, but there was a shift in me. Maybe it was talking to Cat about my father that loosened my tongue, or maybe it was me stepping up to fight for her, for us. Whatever the reason, I was prepared to bring up the unmentionable.
My tone was controlled, but deadly. “Bullshit, I sacrificed in ways that you will know nothing about. I have scars you know nothing about. Nothing. And thank fuck for that, Alex. Yes, you’ve sacrificed, but the fundamental difference between us is that your sacrifices came of your own free will. I sure as hell can’t say the same, and maybe that’s why every demand or, yes, every request on top of those endless years of sacrifice seems like one too many for me.”
His gaze shot away from me, shame and regret stark on his face. Again, I wondered exactly how much Alex knew, but another part of me didn’t care. Keeping Cat took precedence over my lifelong code of silence.
“No, don’t look away from me. You were ready to go toe-to-toe with me until I dragged out the one secret we never talk about. Only then are you consumed by guilt. Why do I need to remind you, huh? Oh, right, because you didn’t live through what I lived through. You can afford to forget. And I rarely bring it up because I don’t want to go there, but I’m doing it now. That’s how important this is to me.”
