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“Sienna?” My eyes snapped to his.
Sal takes a long sip, nodding. “Yeah. Her. There’s been a call to take both our families out.”
I sat down heavily in the chair across from him. “We heard something like that at The Salamander.”
My father scoffs. “Those boys know nothing.”
Killian slowly took a seat beside me, lowering himself into the chair. “So, what do we do?”
“Nothing.”
“What?” I frowned. “What do you mean nothing?”
My father set the glass on the desk. “I mean, all we have to do is survive long enough for the bastard to take out Sienna, and then we take the fucker out.”
I froze, hands gripping the arms of the chair. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, come on, boy. Don’t tell me you actually want to save the bitch.”
Killian grabbed me by the arm before I was even out of the chair. “This is fucking insane,” I snarled. “You’re insane.”
My father pins me with a chilling look. “No. This is how we protect our family. If you’re not willing to save us, then maybe you don’t deserve the position of Don when I pass on.”
Killian yanks me back into the chair. I shoot him a death glare. “Your scheming needs to stop. This is all such a huge fucking mess, and it needs to end. Maybe if we spent less time fighting the Rosania and trying to destroy them, the Snake never would have risen to power. They might never have gained this much influence over the city.”
Sal snorts. “You can’t really be that naive, Dante. The Snake would have come regardless. There are always power-hungry people in the world who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Us teaming up with the Rosania wouldn’t have stopped that. It would have made it more difficult for us to reap the benefits afterward.”
“You’re sick,” I spat.
“And you’re not ready.” My father sat back, watching me closely. “I thought keeping you away would make you stronger. More independent. Wiser. But now, all I see is a spoiled rich kid who doesn’t understand how the real world works.”
“That’s not true.” Both my father and I whip towards Killian. He’s glaring at Sal, hands clenched. “Dante is none of that. And he does understand how the world works. He’s been the only one working on this shit to help save everyone—not just his own skin, like you. Just because he has better morals than you doesn’t make him weak.”
“Morals.” Our father snorted. “You don’t get to be Don by having morals, and both of you should know that by now. Where were your morals, Dante, whenever I tasked you with a hit? Where were your morals when you were seducing Sienna for your own plans? Hm?”
“Fuck you,” I snarled. “You don’t know shit.”
“But I do. I know everything. I know what your mother told you that night before your first date.” Sal sneers. “How you could change things around here when you became Don. As if I’d ever fucking let that happen. You’d run this family into the ground. You’d be a complete disgrace.”
Both Killian and I stilled at the mention of our mother.
“I know you’ve been trying to gain Sienna’s trust to take over from her despite being so against my plans. As if they weren’t the same.” He laughed, startling us. “Your attempt to scheme was pathetic to watch.”
Of course, my father was having us watched. Of course, he would be keeping an eye on me while I was with Sienna. That didn’t surprise me in the slightest. What surprised me was the venom behind his words. The hatred.
“Is it you?” I ask softly.
“Is what me?” Sal asked. “You’ll have to be a bit more specific.”
“Are you the Snake?”
Killian makes a strangled sound, staring at me in horror. But I don’t look away from our father. He sat there, staring at me over the desk for a brief moment before breaking out in laughter. I glared back at him, furious over his response.
“You really think I’m the Snake?” He pretended to wipe tears from his eyes. “God. Running this family has been hard enough. Becoming a shadow lord in the underground would have just added more stress. Fucking ridiculous.”
I relaxed slightly, surprised to find that I was relieved it wasn’t him. No matter how shitty he’s been, I didn’t have it in me to kill my own father. Killian sighed beside me, probably thinking the exact same shit.
“Now, listen here, boys,” my father leaned across the table, “All we have to do is wait this shit storm out, and then we can take care of the bastard ourselves. Even if I think you’re both pathetic, I don’t want my only two sons to die. Do you hear me?”
