AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Dante, I meant feeling with your heart, not with your fists. Or your tiny junk.”
Choking back a cough at his audacity, I retort, “You’re a fine one to fucking talk about junk, idiota. When did you last talk to a woman for more than ten seconds? And no, that doesn’t include your grandmother.”
His grin widens, not the least bit fazed. “You’re assuming there’s a woman in the whole of Chicago that I want to talk to.”
Sal is the youngest Capo, and for all his skill and brutality, he’s still a virgin. I peeled him off the streets three years ago at twenty-one. A Harvard graduate, yet steeped in drugs and broken by trauma and loss. I helped him the only way I could. Therapy. And, of course, putting a gun in his hand.
Sal has since become the kid brother I never had. And let’s just say, since knowing Sal, I’ve developed a new respect for Nico, who’s lived with me for decades and somehow managed not to wring my neck for the things I must have put him through.
I take another swig of my water, then fix him a serious look. “Sal, it’s not rocket science. Tell me what kind of woman you want, and I’ll find her tonight.”
“Alright.” He shrugs. “I want someone different. Unconventional. Freakishly smart.” Sal continues counting off the qualities of his ideal woman, but I don’t hear any more as a flash of fiery hair and pouty lips flits through my mind like a neon sign.
Addy.
She’s always there beneath the surface, teasing me with everything I can’t have. Grating on my already thin resolve to leave her alone. But to go after her will be war.
It’s been twenty-eight fucking months, my brain argues.
I clench my fist, willing away the reminders of her dark humor and quick wit. Of how ridiculously sexy she looked in my clothes. How she obliterated my self-control without even trying.
I shake my head, meeting his gaze. “Sorry, Sal. The woman you’re looking for is too smart to get involved with men like you and me.”
As if knowing the direction of my thoughts, Sal says, “You know, Dante, Alina will make you a good wife if you give her half a chance.”
I snort. “Sì? And you know this because?”
“For one, she has a strong family name. Her father is the most powerful Capo, and her mother is a mafia princess from the famous Rinaldi family of New York.” Sal’s expression turns grave. “And most importantly, I’m sure she knows how to run a household of staff. I mean, what the fuck else could you possibly want?”
“For the life of me I can’t imagine anything else,” I reply, and we burst into simultaneous laughter.
As we settle, Sal tilts his head thoughtfully, a clear sign he’s about to say something even more stupid.
“And let’s not forget she’s quite the looker too. Yes, probably not quite as breathtaking as Red Wine, but Alina holds her own.”
My laughter instantly dies. “Don’t fucking go there, Salvatore . . .” I warn, my hand curling into a fist I’d love to swing into his jaw. Red Wine is my men’s alias for Addy.
“Fine, I’ll drop it.” He holds his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m just saying. You’ve got a lot to work with in your fiancée. And speaking of work, when is Kira due to appear on the Chicago scene again?”
My jaw tightens as I feel a familiar wave of protectiveness at the mention of the name of my father’s ward. “How am I supposed to know?” I snap. “And why the fuck are you suddenly interested in Kira’s movements?”
Sal grins. “We’re extremely testy and prohibitive today, aren’t we, Dante?”
“Don’t use up all your Harvard words in one go, Sal. You’ll need to save some for after I punch your lights out and you’re reduced to babbles. Now what’s your business with Kira?”
“Relax. I’m just looking to book her in for Resin Club launch night,” Sal replies innocently, but a glint in his eyes tells me he knows exactly which of my buttons to push.
“So why don’t you contact her agent?” I clip.
“Because I want to deal directly with Kira. I’m just checking to make sure that I won’t catch a bullet for doing so.”
I’m not stupid. I’ve seen the way Sal gets when he’s around my father’s ward. I just didn’t think he’d have the guts to go there. I thought he’d want some easy lay as his first. The fucker is essentially taking permission to ask Kira out.
I should tell him to stay the fuck away from Kira. I want to say the words. I just can’t get them past the tightness in my throat.
My resistance has taken its hardest hit in these past two weeks. Addy moving in with Kira has brought her another step closer into my orbit.
I have still managed to keep my distance, but something about the situation makes me feel like a kitten staring down a moving ball of yarn.
