Page 82 of Unfettered

Shrugging, I put the phone in my pocket. I should probably talk to Javi about the jealousy issues from how much Il Padrone cared about us. I’m sure that’s playing a part in some of this prickliness from the former Amato side. Sighing, I add it to my mental list.

I shake off the thoughts as I stride the rest of the way over to Gerald, but when I get there, it confirms what I already knew. Fucker is gone for good. I’d say rest in peace if I didn’t hope the devil was already having fun with the asshole.

“Is there a reason you’re still sitting down?” I sneer at Joel.

Laughing, he stands up, brushing invisible lint off his pants. “So, are you finally ready to leave? I’m sure my brother is waiting.”

“You do seem obsessed with your brother’s relationship with me. Are you jealous? Unable to perform with others, maybe? You know…if you’re having impotency problems, Antonio could probably hook you up with one of the whores. I mean, we’d probably have to pay extra, but if we’re going to be related… I could chip in out of pity.”

Joel’s face loses his smirk for the first time, as he snarls, “You think you deserve to be with my brother? You’re nothing but a Plaything that he’s wasting his time with.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “You know shit about our relationship. Hell, you must not even know your brother that well if you think that’s the case.”

“You don’t want to go there,” he retorts, his voice promising retribution, but I wave it away. I’m not scared of him. Jayden? Yes. Joel? Not at fucking all.

I spend a little time grabbing folders and taking out a hard drive, ignoring the asshole stewing beside me. Biting back a sigh of relief, I stroll out of the room, unsurprised to see the pup waiting in the hallway for me. “Aw, you’re such a good boy! Do you want to go home with me?”

The way he thumps his tail confirms my decision to take him, and I hum to myself as I head toward the foyer, assuming I’ll find a leash there as I didn’t see any in the mudroom when we entered.

“You are not taking the dog.”

I wave him away, refusing to turn around and get in an argument with the asshole. I reach the foyer, and sure enough, there’s a leash. Not a very good one, and it definitely doesn’t match the poor pup’s collar—I’ll have to fix that. But still, it’ll work for now. As a bonus, it does have the dog’s name engraved on it. Ajax. Probably not the most fitting for him right now, but after he’s trained? It’ll be perfect. He certainly has the strength to back up the mythology.

Grabbing the leash, I call out, “Come here, Ajax. Let’s go for a ride in the car!”

A loud woof answers me and he’s almost a blur as he comes flying toward me, almost knocking me over. Laughing, I praise him as I lavish attention on him. He manages to swipe me with his tongue, which only sets off more laughter. Finally, I get him to sit and put his leash on.

“Absolutely not,” Joel snaps at me. “We have a bunny and cats that roam the house. Not to mention kids. That…thing…is not coming with us.”

Smiling, I answer, “Yes. He is. And I’ll make sure he’s properly segregated before making introductions. Plus, I’ll ensure he’s trained. This is a smart breed, and I’m sure he’ll pick things up quickly.”

“Fucking hell. Do you have to make everything harder?”

I ignore him. At least, until he gets up in my face and shoves my shoulder. Unfortunately, it’s the side that was grazed. Obviously, taking a bullet for the asshole didn’t do shit. Ajax gives a warning growl, and I’m tempted to let him take care of the issue, but fuck that. This guy has been on my last nerve for a while now, and it looks like it just snapped.

Without thinking, I grab my knife, putting it right to Joel’s throat. “Look, you asshole. I don’t give a shit what you think. You will not get in my way. If you don’t trust your brother to make his own choices, that’s on you. If you don’t like me, that's also on you. I don’t give a shit. What does matter is that you’re in my way. And that isn’t going to happen anymore.”

With that, I move quickly and slice his upper arm, giving him a matching mark to mine. It's a reminder that if it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t even be here to keep talking shit. He hisses at the pain, fury lighting his eyes before it dissipates quicker than I thought possible.

He throws his head back, a deep roar of laughter escaping. “Damn. It’s about time you actually grew a pair. Fine, if you want the dog, get the dog and let’s go. We don’t need to waste any more time here.”

I breathe deeply, unwilling to get into a further pissing contest with him. It’s bad enough that Jayden is already going to be on my ass about getting hurt. If I damage his brother further, I risk taking an even longer punishment. Though fuck if it isn’t tempting.

“Let’s go, Ajax. You’ll be better off with us. We’ve got other dogs you can play with, and plenty of people to love on you.”

I follow Joel to the SUV. The hard drive and files in a bag we grabbed from the kitchen are in one hand, and the leash is in another. Thankfully, Ajax doesn’t pull, so he must have had some training. That’ll hopefully make things easier.

When we get to the SUV, I consider fighting over who drives, considering we’re both still somewhat bleeding. Although not heavily, since we took a moment to patch ourselves up as best as possible, not wanting to leave more forensics in the house. As is, Leandro or Hollis are going to need to take care of the records from the police, because I couldn’t get the damn bullet out of the wall, and that’ll have my blood on it.

I decide it’s not worth fighting, and let Ajax into the back as I take the passenger seat again. When we pull out, I tip my head back and close my eyes, ready for the day to end, and dreading Jayden’s response. Pissed is an understatement. I’m just not sure how angry he’s going to be over the fact I hurt his brother.

“Are you pouting, Princess?” Joel breaks the silence as we get closer to the house, his tone only slightly mocking compared to what he has been.

I open one eye with a grunt. “More trying to determine how much trouble I’m going to be in with your brother for hurting you.”

“Not nearly as bad as I’ll be in with Tennant for letting you get a swipe in.”

Joel’s laugh is strained, and for a moment, it doesn’t click for me. When it does, my jaw drops and my insides freeze with horror.