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Responsibilities. They just plain suck.
“So, what’s going on with you and Shaye? You two seemed pretty cozy at the mall yesterday.”
“Did you notice that before or after you kidnapped my sister?”
Rocco snickers. “Come on, we’re back to that? I was just trying to help you out. You left the kid by herself in the middle of an arcade. If I didn’t step in, someone else might have.” He cocks an eyebrow at me. “And that would be a fucking horrible thing, don’t you think?”
My fingers grip the cup so tight, I’m afraid the plastic lid might pop off at any second. “She was safe in there before you accosted her.”
Rocco shrugs. “I don’t know, you sure seemed freaked out when you came running over. It sucks when you lose control, huh? When it’s yanked away from you with no hope of recovering it?”
I put down the coffee cup and lean forward, my voice low and menacing. “Rocco, I’m doing this as a favor to your family. You get that, right? I don’t need you, you need me. That means you play by my rules and for my team. Don’t ask me about my personal life and don’t fucking go near my family.” I sit back and force my lips upward, knowing as well as he does that this is a win-win for both of us. But I’m still playing my hand like the ruthless asshole I’m reputed to be. “Can you handle that? Because if you can’t, walk the fuck out of here right now.”
Rocco grins at me. “Yeah, I can handle it just fine. Hey, so if you’re not nailing Shaye, maybe I’ll take a shot at her. Is that cool? Is that ‘playing by your rules’? Or is she off-limits, too? Because if I can get into Max’s head through his sister’s pussy, I’ll gladly take that path and enjoy every fucking step along the way.”
I grit my teeth. I’ll fucking kill him and make it look like an accident if he goes near her. “Do you want to be skewered by him?”
“Eh, fuck him. He’s a crazy bastard.”
“He’s my best friend, and you’re talking about his sister.”
“And you don’t like that.”
“No.”
“Okay. I’ve got it. You’re icing out your best friend to help out my family. Is that how loyalty works in your mind, Nico? Fucking over the guy who’s always been there for you for the one who can keep you in power? How do you think he’s gonna feel when he finds out about this meeting? I know your dad has been talking to mine about the new structure of the organization, and how my dad has a lot to gain by sticking close to you. What’s Tony Oriani got to gain? What about Max, for that matter?” He inches closer, a nasty smile on his tanned face. “You think I don’t know why this is happening? Yeah, I need a job, but you need us more, isn’t that true? You know we bring the muscle, while you’re busy empire-building. The Orianis are trying to do the same thing, yeah? Is this a game to see who can build theirs faster? Maybe I need to examine my options a little closer if I’m such a hot commodity.”
Blood bubbles beneath the surface, and my fist twitches, anxious to connect with this fucking guy’s jaw and knock him flat out on the floor. “You really think the other families will be fighting for the chance to hire you after you stole so much from one of their own?”
“You’re willing to overlook the past. Why wouldn’t they do the same thing in exchange for the power?”
I cannot fucking do this. There has to be another way. I will find another goddamn way to take care of my family, and it sure as shit won’t involve the Luccheses.
I shove back my chair and stand up, ready to do something I should have done as soon as he strutted in here. Grandpa must be getting a good laugh over this shit show. I can almost hear him taunting me. “Serves you guys right. Shouldn’t have brought back the little cocksucker. Shoulda let him rot in California. Screw it, Grandpa would have found another way, too. I’ll deal with my father later. Right now, it’s time for this asshole to vacate. And I’ll be happy to escort him through a window if need be. “Interesting, because from where I’m standing, you have only one option right now. It’s to get the hell out of my office.”
A look of panic flickers across Rocco’s face for the briefest of seconds and disappears almost as quickly as it appeared. “You know what we bring to the table, Nico. Don’t make a fucking colossal mistake right now. You have too much to lose, and I’ll make sure it happens. Not. One. Fucking. Thing. Left. To. Your. Name.”
I circle his chair like a predator eyeing his next meal. “Everybody makes mistakes, Rocco. Yours got you kicked out of New Jersey. Care to try your luck again? And trust me, banishment will be the least of your concerns when I’m done with you.”
Rocco rises from the chair, a full head shorter than me. I lean over him, eyes narrowed, jaw set. Still, he doesn’t back down. “That’s the thing about not having anything to lose, Nico. Your bullshit threats don’t scare me.”
“No, but I bet your father will see things differently. He always was the more sensible one. Maybe I should have met with him.”
“Fuck you!”
“Get out, Rocco. We’re done.”
“If I walk, you’re screwed, Nico. You know it, and I know it. And I think you know what’ll happen next.”
“Yeah, I’ll get to keep my self-respect and my reputation will remain intact. Thanks for reminding me what a fuck-up you are.”
“Your self-respect and reputation won’t mean shit when your business folds and you watch everything you worked for go up in smoke,” he sneers, grabbing his coat and stomping out of the club.
I wander out of my office, a deep sigh deflating my shoulders. Entitled prick. He knew exactly what he was doing when he came in here. I know I should have played the game according to my father’s rules. It’s what I do, what I’ve always done. But not this time.
Today, I played by my own rules. Today, I let Rocco know who’s in charge, who’s not afraid of his idle threats, who’s in complete control. And he can take that message back to his father on a fucking silver platter. Nobody plays me — not on my turf, not anywhere.
I want it all, and I’m not willing to take a loss.
