Page 17 of Corrado

Yes, they were different.

They were still the same, too.

Chris would never let his twin go into something without being there to do it, too. Even if the idea of that thing wasn’t something that interested him at all.

Cree leaned to the side, just enough to get Chris in his sights before he straightened again to stare up at Corrado in the ring. The man nodded once. “All right, I’ve never trained twins before. This could be … interesting.”

“Cree,” Dare said again.

“Yeah, yeah.” Cree didn’t move, still waiting. “Corrado?”

“All right,” Corrado said quietly.

Cree smiled widely and wagged a finger at him. “Remember this was what you wanted, okay?”

What did that mean?

“Gian, I don’t think you understand—”

“I understand very well what it means for them, Dare.”

Silence echoed from within the office. Alessio, standing where the two men inside couldn’t see him, used the wall as a prop for his shoulder to rest against as he waited for the conversation to continue on.

Dare sighed heavily, and hands smacked on something solid. “The training is intensive, and—”

“We’ve gone over the training. I know what happens.”

“If you would stop interrupting me, that would be great.”

“By all means …”

Dare grumbled under his breath. “The training—it’s going to break them at every level, Gian. Mentally, physically … that’s the purpose of it, for us to find their limits, shatter them, and then teach them there is no limit. They’re seventeen.”

“Nearly eighteen, but all right. And how old is the one Corrado followed around today?”

“That is not the point.”

“How old?”

“Alessio will be eighteen soon, but—”

“Mmm, I know you’re going to say he’s been with you and Cree from the time he was ten, but you’re not going to lie right to my face and say you’ve been training him since then, will you? I didn’t take you to be an ignorant man, Dare.”

“He started the intensive training at fifteen, but he watched others and participated in different things from the time he was about twelve, yes.”

“And is he out on assignments yet?”

“No,” Dare replied.

“Why?”

“My choice. Cree thinks he’s ready either way.”

“But again, why?” Gian asked again, his tone sharpening the word. “Because I am sure the fifty percent that I fronted on this venture of yours allows me the right to ask a question and promises you will give me a truthful answer. Unless I missed something in that paperwork, and if so, by all means … correct me, Dare.”

“Gian, this isn’t about Alessio.”

“I think it is about Alessio in the way that you are looking at him the way I look at my boys. And as I understand your relationship with Cree—”