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Max
I push open the door of the Toyota Prius, say goodbye to my Uber driver, and step onto the sidewalk in front of Culaccino, Nico’s private club. Tonight, the underground sex den is closed to the public in celebration of my sister Shaye’s twenty-first birthday.
Drinks. I need many.
It’s been two weeks since Thanksgiving night, and the memory is still as vivid as if I was staring at Gabe’s body right now.
Senseless. Fucking senseless.
The guy was young, enthusiastic, always willing to help, and funny as hell. The loss plagues me every damn day. Knowing I let him die makes me even more determined to find out what the fuck Mikey is up to, because it sure as shit ain’t knocking over trucks and stealing hot Chanel sunglasses and Louis Vuitton purses to sell for a quick buck.
He’s a ruthless fuck who only cares about money. He’d do anything Cappodamo needed, and now that Cap is gone, he’s trying to figure out how the hell to keep his control since that family pretty much imploded this past year. It’s what happens when all the bosses are taken out…thanks to us.
He’s trying to flex his dick now, and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. And what he wants is to destroy us.
“Max, how many times am I going to have to bail you out before someone puts a bullet in your goddamned skull?”
I let out a sigh. “Grandpa Vito, I was only trying to—”
“Stop.” Vito Salesi, the patriarch of the family, frowns at me. “If you want to move up in this organization, you need to find a way to beat that anger. I know it’s always there, but it’s going to get you killed if you don’t watch your step.” He walks around his desk and sits on the edge of it. Christ, I hate disappointing Nico’s grandfather, a man who’s been more of a father figure to me than my own deadbeat dad. “You have to control it, or you’ll end up in some dumpster somewhere. I won’t be around forever to save your ass, you hear me?”
Yeah, I heard him. I hear him repeat those words pretty damn often, actually.
But still, that fucking anger rages through me and makes me keep doing stupid shit.
I clench my fists. The list of my regrets has no fucking end in sight.
There’s a long line in front of the door, and my eyes scour the crowd for the one face I know I won’t find. That doesn’t prevent me from stopping to admire the goods on the half-naked chicks shaking their asses even though the wind chill tonight has to be below zero. A few girls catch my eye and puff out their chests, giving me the come-hither look. Nico must have hired a bunch of them for the party. A couple of the real whores slide fingers up their skirts as an invitation…I guess for me and anyone else who’s enjoying the show.
It’s not that they aren’t hot as fuck.
It’s that none of them are Sloane.
Sloane, who would choose death over standing around in a glorified bathing suit to attract some guy’s attention.
Sloane, who turns red if a guy so much as winks at her.
Sloane, who’d never think twice about showing up at a place like this in jeans and a t-shirt and still manage to look like a supermodel in comparison to the sluts flashing their pussies to get inside this club.
She’s always the most gorgeous girl in the room, even though she doesn’t know it.
It’s one of the many reasons why I fell in love with her.
But, like everything else in my life, I screwed it up. At least, I’d had her friendship, for a time, until I screwed that up just as much.
Now I have nothing.
I apologized and tried to explain myself without admitting the truth. That went nowhere fast.
She thinks I’m full of shit.
And dammit if she isn’t right.
“Max!” I suck in a sharp breath and look toward the door. Nico’s head pops out, and he waves me toward him. The two bouncers nod at me and unclip the velvet rope, letting me pass. I feel a few dirty hands graze parts of me that have been ignored for longer than I’d like to admit, but tonight isn’t the time to dwell on that.
I’ve got other shit polluting my mind, things that would instantly kill even the most raging hard-on.
Kill. Interesting choice of word.
