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My family? Who the fuck does he think he is?
He thinks because he bribed some judge into giving me the last name he chose and because he kept me hostage here means he’s my family?
I raise from my chair so hard it falls back in a heavy thud. When my fist hits the table to the point that I feel my bones rattle, I know I’ve lost my temper. But if Mateo fucking Bianco thinks he’s still got a hold on me, I’ll have to show him he’s got no chance at getting us back.
“Don’t call yourself my family, asshole. You’ve got your two sluts doing your dirty deeds, it’s more than enough. Leave us out of this, let’s not make reunions a weekly habit, or I’m sure the cops would love to hear about all your dirty secrets. You know what? Fuck the cops, they’re all your dogs, I’ll go straight to a judge. I’m tight with a few of them, trust me.”
My whole body is dying to shake from anger, but I manage to keep it all under control. My teeth are taking the fall but who fucking cares right now.
Bianco explodes laughing, throwing his head back. Nate and Rose are looking at me like I’ve lost my fucking mind, but Sam is still looking at my sister like he can read her mind or something.
“Are you threatening me, son?” he keeps laughing. Fuck him.
Fuck.
Him.
“Interpret this as you fucking wish. Rose, let’s go,” I order.
I have to call his bluff that he would never kill me, but I might be in a body bag by the end of the day. You know, after he’s taken a few hours to torture me. Let’s hope I still know him well.
Ozy’s gaze is following a tennis match between me and Bianco. She’s scared to move but dying to. I nod slightly to encourage her. She takes a shaky breath as she stands up.
“Ozy,” Nate tries.
He’s not warning or threatening her, he’s begging. It breaks his heart every single time she chooses me over him. I hope it’s shattering into a million pieces right now.
She makes a move to get away, but she hasn’t taken a second step before Bianco’s hand clamps around her wrist. I see her face contorting as she winces, but she doesn’t make a sound.
“Un minuto, bellissima,” he whispers low and angry.
“Mateo,” she growls through gritted teeth.
The way Sam’s fists clench tight on the table, I really think he’s going to intervene. But he doesn’t move.
“Sit your ass back down. Now,” he orders Rose.
She looks at me, a million questions in her eyes and the main one being: What do I do? She’s going to kill me when we get home. For playing a dangerous game and putting her in the middle of it. Hell, she’s going to kill me for ordering her around when she’s already sick of Mateo telling her what to do.
The staring contest between Bianco and I seems to last forever. It only stops when Rose makes the executive decision of following his order. She slowly sits back down and the smile growing on Mateo’s face – telling me he’s won this round – makes me want to scream and break everything.
“You too,” he says when Rose is back in her initial position.
This time her bruised wrist is in Bianco’s hold instead of holding her face. She’s too exhausted to fight. Scratch that, she stopped fighting him a long time ago. She chose running away instead, we both did.
I sit back down, this time on the edge of my chair, ready to pounce if anything happens.
“What did you think was going to happen, Jake? Don’t you know who makes the rules around here?” His steady voice shows he’s back in complete control and I feel like a failure.
Something cracks inside me when I see him releasing Rose’s wrist, satisfied that everything is going his way again. I’m suffocating from his authority and I wonder how long I can last before I turn to Nate for help, before I ask Sam to do something. That would be the ultimate defeat but if it means we’re both going home safe, maybe I can put my pride aside?
“Our family is expanding, and you want to be with the winning team when shit goes down,” Bianco explains, unwavering. “I can give you a good life, both of you.” His eyes dart to Rose and she squirms uncomfortably in her seat. “I’ve always given you a good life, you were just too young to understand back then. I’m hoping you’ve matured enough to agree with me.”
I hate it when he talks to me like I’m a kid. He’s far from stupid but I’m too smart myself to fall for his shit.
“What do you want, huh?” I ask. “You want me to fight for you? The money you get from those fights is spare change to you.” He only nods in return, so I keep going. “What do you want Rose to do? Move packages? Fuck Bianco, do you realize the kind of potential you’re wasting when you ask us to do that? A lot. I’d hope you’ve matured enough to agree with me.” A smile tugs at my lips when I see his face harden but I shouldn’t be happy to make him angry. He’s dying to make me pay for my words.
“I don’t make decisions for you and your sister, Jake.” Liar. Fucking liar, you’ve dictated our whole lives. “I can only warn you: you’re either with us or against us. There is no in-between. I raised you, that makes you Volkov’s enemy. You don’t want to be mine as well.”
