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"You're a little off your game again, Dario," Natale replied, pushing himself off the wall to come toward me. "I'm in favor of you staying out of affairs for a few weeks. Out of business, too. So you can recover and not do such stupid things in the future."
"Like dropping a bomb in the water."
"Like cutting a bomb from a woman and carrying it to the sea," Natale growled. His dark eyes were fixed on me. Maybe others got weak knees and retreated into themselves at this look from the tattooed muscle man, but not me.
"We both know I would do it again if the situation called for it. Taking time off won't change that." It increased my dislike of Emilio's current behavior a little more and led me to not taking his decisions serious at all and second-guessing him.
Vincenzo seemed to do the same, didn't he?
"Let's sit it out. You take the time off, take care of the club and your business, and in a couple of weeks, when it comes time to collect the protection money, I'll get back to you. I want you there."
I snorted. "Let's see if I have time then," I replied and turned away.
My last look was at the guy who had died while we talked and was thus a case for the disappearance system. However, Natale had just relieved me of this duty by sending me on a timeout.
Therefore, it was not my problem.
"I'll be in touch, Natale." Or we would run into each other at the villa, when I once again felt like seeing the entire family and causing a bit of chaos there. I wondered if Emilio handled this, or if Natale had decided on his own.
He consulted my brother about everything. Surely he also had in this matter. I pressed my lips together, clenching one hand into a fist.
So it remained: the pent-up emotions inside me were bubbling, but I couldn't find a sensible way to let them out.
10
Gia
The door slammed so loud that I winced and dropped my Switch. I lifted my head only to see Dario stomp into the living room and walk straight towards the small side table on which his alcohol collection waited.
It seemed like he hadn't had a good day with his family. Instead of asking about it, I picked up my Switch again and immersed myself in the game. For the moment, it didn't seem like a good idea to look at Dario– let alone talk to him.
He should first calm down and drown whatever bothered him in alcohol before he dealt with me. Unfortunately, I couldn't shake the feeling that he was staring at me. So I squinted in his direction, only for my suspicions to be confirmed.
His dark eyes rested on me, but he seemed thoughtful, as if he were looking through me while caught up in his own thoughts. Whatever was on his mind, it occupied him so much that he leaned against the wall for five minutes with the glass in his hand, not taking a sip from it. Meanwhile, however, the ice was melting and watering down the gin, which would cause him to pucker his mouth at the first sip and pour himself double the amount of clear liquid.
I had found out that much about him already.
I turned my attention back to my console, only to find that I couldn't focus on it anymore. Curiosity tickled me. What was occupying his mind?
Finally, I pulled myself together and cleared my throat. Casimiro had left with Dario's appearance, as I was used to by now. Even when Dario spontaneously disappeared, he was always there, playing the bodyguard I didn't need.
After all, I was just lying on the couch and not going on any daredevil adventures.
"Do you want to talk about it, or should I leave you alone?"
It took a while for Dario's gaze to refocus, but after a few seconds he looked at me instead of through me.
One of his eyebrows went up before he took a sip from his glass. As I had predicted, his face tightened before he reached for the glass carafe and poured himself a generous refill. When he then took a sip, Dario already looked much more satisfied.
"Actually, start packing up your stuff," he grumbled, making a sweeping gesture with his hand. I had spread my belongings all over his living room. It wasn't much, but it was enough to create some chaos.
I had also hijacked his bathroom, distributing the things that he had brought from my bathroom.
Perplexed, I looked at him. "Why?"
"You know how to clean up," he grumbled, and I could almost hear the eye roll in his voice.
Irritation rose in me. He knew exactly that this was not what I had meant with my question. "But that didn't sound like I was just cleaning up," I countered. It sounded more like he wanted to get rid of me. And whether I was okay with that, I didn't quite know yet.
