Page 67 of Waste of Worth

Theo rarely came around to his place. He had better things to be doing, or so he always said. It didn’t help that the brothers couldn’t stand to be in each other’s presence for too long before they started snapping at one another about the smallest fucking thing.

Something else they could blame on Ben, honestly.

“Morning,” Dino said as he took a seat at the table, opposite of Theo.

His brother didn’t look up as he began reassembling the handgun. “Morning.”

“I thought I told you the key you have was for emergencies only.”

“Define ‘emergency.’ I probably have a different meaning.”

Dino resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “What’s up, Theo?”

Finally, Theo glanced up, his familiar brown gaze traveling over Dino’s form quickly, up to his face, and then stopping on the yellowed bruise under his eye. Just like that, Theo dropped his gaze and went back to his gun as if nothing was wrong.

“I’m fine,” Dino said, knowing what his brother was thinking without even needing to be told.

“Sure. Now.”

“I was fine all week, Theo.”

Theo frowned, but didn’t look up. “When?”

Dino sighed heavily, putting his cup down before he scrubbed a hand over his face. “We don’t have to get into the details.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to talk about it.”

“No, why did it happen?” Theo asked, sliding bullets back into the gun clip one at a time. The clink-clink-clink sound as the bullets filled the clip was almost soothing in a way. Dino wondered if that’s why his brother found himself repeating the ritual of cleaning his gun twice, if not three times, a day. “Because how old do you have to be exactly before it’s enough for you, Dino?”

Well, he was not expecting that question.

Theo might be surprised at the answer.

“If he’s fucking with me, then he’s leaving you alone. Right?”

Theo’s head snapped up, his gaze landing on Dino once more. “What?”

Dino wasn’t surprised that the concept—or rather, the rationalization—he offered was foreign to Theo. They weren’t friends, and they barely liked one another. Years of being manipulated and used to hurt the other one had really taken its toll on whatever closeness the brothers might have shared when they were younger.

However, that meant very fucking little to Dino.

Theo was still his brother.

He’d look out for him, no matter what. It was the best he could do after the way they had grown up.

“It’s not about what I am or am not willing to take before I say enough is enough,” Dino said, his attention going to his coffee cup instead of his brother.

It was easier that way—easier to speak when he’d rather just stay quiet and let Theo draw his own conclusions. That was probably a great portion of the trouble between the two. Dino let Theo think what he wanted, and sometimes, that meant his brother thinking he was a fucking cocksucker who didn’t give two shits either way.

“It’s never been about that,” Dino added after a beat of silence.

“Then what?” Theo asked.

“Most people in the Outfit had the luxury of choosing to be where they are. They wanted to be a part of this thing—the mafia. We were never given that choice, not really.”

“I chose this,” Theo said quietly.