Page 59 of High Stakes
“No idea, but Leone thinks he may be up to something,” Milo tells me when I hear Dante walking up the hall. We climb the stairs to our room.
“Lorenzo, let’s go,” Dante calls out, his voice echoing through the hallway.
I hear the front door open and close as Dante and Lorenzo leave, the tension in the air lifts just slightly with their departure.
Milo waits a moment before he takes my hand, leading me upstairs. The unease from Dante’s scrutiny lingers, but I push it aside, focusing instead on the warmth of Milo’s touch as we enter the bathroom.
The shower’s hot water beats down on us, washing away the stress of the morning. As steam fills the room, the tension between us shifts, becoming something more heated. Milo’shands move over my body with a familiarity that makes me feel safe and wanted.
His lips find mine, a sweet, slow kiss that contrasts with the hot water raining down on us. I reach up, tangling my fingers in his wet hair as he pulls me closer, his hands sliding down to grip my hips.
Milo’s lips trail down to my neck, sending shivers of desire down my spine. His breath is warm against my wet skin, his touch inciting a hunger that only he seems to satisfy. He pushes me against the cold tiles, the contrast only amplifying the heat between us.
We stumble out of the shower, water dripping onto the floor as we move toward the bed. Milo’s lips are on mine again, his hands guiding me down onto the mattress. There’s a desperation in the way we move together, a need to drown out the world outside with the fire burning between us.
“We'll ruin the sheets,” I whine at him, but he doesn’t seem to care, instead moving on top of me and pressing me into the mattress.
But just as things start to escalate, the bedroom door slams open, and the sound is like a gunshot in the quiet room. I freeze, my heart leaping into my throat as I turn to see Dante standing in the doorway with Lorenzo, his eyes blazing with fury.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Dante’s voice is a low growl, his gaze shifting between Milo and me with barely restrained rage.
Milo’s body tenses, his protective instincts kicking in as he moves to shield me from Dante’s view. “Dante, this isn’t what it looks like,” he starts, but Dante’s snarl cuts him off.
“Isn’t it?” Dante takes a step into the room, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “You’re fucking Leone’s wife, Milo? Have you lost your goddamn mind?”
My heart races as I scramble to cover myself with the sheets, my mind spinning with fear and confusion.
Milo stays between me and Dante, his voice calm but firm as he tries to defuse the situation. “Dante, just ring Leone. He’ll?—”
“No!” Dante’s voice rises, his anger spilling over. “I’m done listening. Leone trusted you, and this is how you repay him? By fucking his wife behind his back?”
The words hang heavy in the air, the accusation sharp and brutal. My chest tightens, my breath coming in short gasps as the reality of the situation sinks in.
Dante’s gaze shifts to me, his eyes filled with contempt. “And you,” he sneers. “Playing the innocent wife, but you’re just a whore, aren’t you?”
Milo moves faster than I can react, his fist connecting with Dante’s jaw with a sickening thud. Dante stumbles back, caught off guard by the force of the blow, but the look in his eyes promises retribution.
“Fucking bastard!” Dante spits, wiping blood from his split lip. He lunges at Milo, and the room explodes into chaos. The two of them crash into the dresser, sending a lamp and various other items tumbling to the floor, shattering on impact.
I scream as they wrestle, throwing punches with a ferocity that makes my stomach churn. Dante grabs Milo by the throat, shoving him against the wall with a force that makes the entire room shake.
“You think you can take what’s mine? You think you can just fuck my brother’s wife?” Dante snarls, his voice thick with rage.
Milo growls, bringing his knee up sharply into Dante’s stomach, causing him to double over with a grunt of pain. “You have no idea what you’re talking about!” Milo shouts, throwing another punch that sends Dante reeling.
But before Milo can press the advantage, Lorenzo steps forward, a cold, menacing smile on his face as he pulls out hisgun. He doesn’t hesitate, moving with lethal precision as he cocks the gun and points it directly at my head.
“Enough,” Lorenzo says coldly, his voice cutting through the chaos like a knife. “Milo, you move another inch, and I’ll blow her fucking brains out.”
Milo freezes, his fists still clenched, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His eyes lock onto mine, filled with desperation and fear. I can see him weighing his options, but there’s nothing he can do. Not with a gun pointed at my head.
Dante straightens, adjusting his clothes and wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. He spits out another mouthful of blood, his eyes narrowing as he glares at Milo. “You’ve made a huge fucking mistake,” Dante growls, venom dripping from every word. He nods to Lorenzo. “Take him to the basement. We’ll see how tough he is then.”
Lorenzo doesn’t lower the gun as he motions for Milo to move. “Walk,” he orders, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Milo hesitates, his eyes flicking back to me, but I shake my head, silently begging him to just do as they say. There’s no winning this fight, not like this.
As Milo steps forward, Lorenzo keeps the gun trained on me, his expression cold and detached. My heart races as Milo is walked out of the room, knowing they’re taking him to the basement—to the place where Leone’s most brutal punishments are carried out.
