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“Benito, get dressed and come to my office,” he says in a hushed tone, looking me up and down. He walks off without getting a response from me.
It doesn’t take long for me to toss a sweatshirt on and make my way upstairs to my father’s office. It’s exactly as it was before I was locked away in prison. A large room with a giant oak desk in the center, my father looks small sitting in his plush chair behind it. The walls are lined with shelves full of books I know my father hasn’t read, and small but very valuable items he’s collected over the years. The only new addition I see is a framed painting of him sitting in a chair with Angela and Brie behind him.
Even a painting of Brie is enough to make me twitch. She wears a white dress with a neckline cut to show a small amount of cleavage, her hair in the same braid she wore tonight, and her lips painted a sexy red. Those lips...
“That’s new.” I nod to the painting, trying to cover why I’ve been staring at it for such a long time.
“Yeah, your stepmother wanted it done.” He turns around and looks at it for a second. “She needs to call the painter to add you in by your sister now that you can pose for it.”
Stepsister, I correct him in my head. With any luck, someday, she can be a lot more than that.
“So, what’s going on?” I ask, sitting on the chair across from my father’s desk, drawing my attention back to why he brought me here.
He takes a deep breath and stares at me. “Obviously, the rumors you’ve heard about the bribe are true. I needed someone I could trust to be free.”
I stare at him for a second, not exactly sure where he’s going. He has dozens of me he can trust, doesn’t he?
“I can’t do this much longer, and I know you’ll have the best interests of the family in mind,” he finally confesses.
I don’t say anything right away. He wants me to take over and be the boss. He wants to retire and enjoy his new life, free of the crime syndicate he created and forced me into. I have no choice in the matter though.
“When is this going to start?” I’m hoping he gives me some time to adjust to the situation.
“I have some of the guys coming over tomorrow, not for anything serious, just a little catch up is all. I’m going to put some feelers out and see how everyone reacts before dumping the news on them.” His voice is final, and I know there isn’t much I can do about it.
My worry is if he puts me in charge, I’ll end up dead. Not just me, but everyone close to me that I love. Brie’s face comes into my mind as I think that, and I have to catch myself. The thought of something happening to her because I can’t control my temper sends heat through my entire body.
“They’ll be fine with it, though.” I shrug, trying to convince myself more than anything.
“After that stunt you pulled, Ben.” He shakes his head, and I can sense the disappointment in his voice. “I don’t know.”
“Dad it wasn’t a stunt–” I start to say before he sticks a finger up and stops me.
“Doesn’t matter what it was. You didn’t think about the consequences and look where that got you. You have no idea what one of the Bareli’s being behind bars did for business.” He pauses for a second and takes a deep breath before he rants to me about how much of a fuck up I was. “Point is, you need to step up and make things right. Prove to us all that you know what you’re doing.”
I nod my head and bite my tongue. I’m no fuck up, and I don’t like being treated like one.
“You’re going to make me real proud, son. I know it,” he drawls after a moment.
I just hope that’s true.
4
BRIE
Ican’t get last night out of my mind for some reason. I’ve been really hoping I could sleep on all of this and wake up today and laugh about it. But of course, that isn’t the case. All I can think about is my stepbrother and the way his hand felt on my thigh. I can’t even remember the last time a guy touched my thigh. It felt good, and I hate myself for liking it.
This is so wrong. Honestly, it’s kind of disgusting to have these thoughts. He’s not blood-related, but he’s family now, and it’s just weird.
One of the best things about my mom marrying Enio is the house I now get to call home. Aside from sharing a bathroom with my potentially murderous stepbrother, it’s perfect. I have my own room. There’s a movie theater in the basement, and the nicest swimming pool I’ve ever seen. Plus, there’s a hot tub too.
Every morning, I like to go for a swim when it’s warm enough. It’s my favorite way to exercise, plus I can soak up some sun after and really enjoy the summer. I slip on one of my bikinis and wrap a towel around myself to go to the pool.
The water is freezing, but the best way to adjust to it sometimes is to just jump right in. I drop the towel to the ground and cannonball right into the water. It feels like there are pins and needles all over my body for a few seconds, but I quickly adjust and enjoy my time swimming.
When I finish my laps, I relax and close my eyes as I float on the surface of the water. The morning sun kisses my skin, and all I hear around me is the wind swaying through the bushes and trees.
I almost forget all about Benito’s hand against my leg. That is, until I open my eyes and see him staring at me. He’s on the second floor in Enio’s office, standing by the tall window. He’s looking out and staring right down at me. He’s not even being subtle about it, either. It’s like he wants me to know he’s watching me.
