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I wait for him to call me but there's nothing. No more messages either. I can't decide if I'm disappointed or relieved. Maybe he's decided I'm too much trouble, which is fair. Jodie smirks at me and then walks back into the house. Oh well, I guess I may as well go to bed. Looks like our chat isn't happening anytime soon. Or possibly at all.
Chapter 20
Christiano
Venom is the last place I feel like hanging out, but Romano insisted I come with him. He says he's sick of me moping around like a bear with a thorn in its butt. He has a point. Since Cara left for her aunt's house, I haven't slept much, and I've been taking it out on everyone. Even Rico, who is notoriously oblivious to anyone's mood, asked if I was alright yesterday. He soon realized his mistake when I threatened to castrate him.
It's a Saturday night and the club is banging. We're surrounded by hot women, and I literally give no fucks about any of them. Romano is loving the attention. Of course, he fuckingis. I swear his dick gets pussy withdrawal symptoms if he goes longer than 12 hours without getting laid. Right now, some blond with perky tits is fluttering her eyelashes at him but he's too interested in the redhead dancing on the podium to notice.
I glance over, checking her out. She's hot. Probably a nine out of ten, with a lithe, athletic figure and gentle curves flattered by the silver bikini she wears. Not really his type; he usually goes for busty blonds, hence the simpering bitch hovering nearby, waiting for him to notice.
One of the waitresses swings by to take our order. "Bring another bottle of tequila, sweetheart," Romano barks. I give him some side-eye. "What's that look for?"
"We're supposed to be having lunch with Mom tomorrow. You showing up half-cut again won't go down well."
He waves his hand dismissively and goes back to watching the redhead. She knows he's looking; I can tell from the way she throws her hair back and shakes her ass in our direction, but unlike the blond, she seems determined to mostly ignore him.
Smart girl. Playing hard to get is the best way to keep him interested. My brother has the attention span of a gnat and women who cave too easily rarely last more than one night.
I look at my phone again. Still nothing from Cara. It's been over a week now and she's not replied to any of my messages. I've been patient, giving her space like she asked for.I know what she went through was traumatic, but the longer she shuts me out, the harder it is to keep my feelings in check. I am slowly losing my motherfucking mind here.
Everything is back to normal now Dimitri has been eliminated. Just the usual headaches to deal with; nothing I can't handle. Salvo and Thalia are home in three days, just beforeZioAroldo has another hospital appointment. He's not looking too good, and I know Lucia is worried about him, but Salvo's return will help. Maybe then Aroldo will take a step back and go to the cabin for a bit, so he can rest.
I snort. No fucking way. The only way he will step back is if he ends up in a wooden box, and we all know it.
The waitress drops a new bottle of Casamigos tequila on the table and Romano pours a glass without taking his eyes off the redhead. He downs it in one.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I ask. He's not usually this bad. Yeah, he drinks too much, but mostly he's a happy drunk. Tonight, though, he's in a foul fucking mood. Almost as bad as me.
A woman slides into the seat next to me. She leans up close to whisper in my ear, so I can hear her above the steady thump of the club's DJ.
"Long time no see, baby." The voice rings a bell, but it takes me a full two minutes to remember she's someone I fuck occasionally. Alicia? Tricia? Melissa? Her name eludes me.All I do know is I'm not in the mood for this shit. Sure, she's attractive. And yeah, I remember enough to know she wasn't a terrible fuck, but the only woman I'm interested in is 1,300 miles away and leaving me on fucking read.
"Been busy," I reply, not bothering to be nice. If she can't take a hint, it's not my problem. Romano looks her way and then at me and smirks. He knows I'm pining after Cara but since empathy isn't one of his stronger personality traits, he thinks I need to get laid and all will be well. Hence why he forced me to come to the club tonight.
"Well, you're not too busy now," the woman coos, dragging her nails down my chest and lingering at my belt.
"Not tonight, Alicia," I snap.
"It's Alex," she pouts.
"Not interested, Tricia. Please fuck off before I call security to have you ejected from the club and banned for life."
"You bastard," she hisses before trying to slap me.
Hell to the no. It takes zero effort to grab her wrist and gesture at Luca who's hovering nearby. He comes over and removes the woman from my presence. I hear her shrieking as she's hauled out of the club.
"Harsh, bro!" Romano laughs before frowning when he sees the redhead talking to a tall guy in a suit. He's saying something to her, leaning in close before sliding his hand overher ass. She looks pissed and tries to pull away, but the guy holds her firmly around the hip and smiles.
Before I can react, Romano is on his feet and steaming over there. As I watch with interest, he rips the guy's hand away from the redhead and shoves him, hard. There is some kind of argument and then my normally affable brother punches the guy in the face.
I'm wondering whether I need to intervene before a mass brawl breaks out when my phone buzzes. There's a message on the lock screen.
Cara:Can we talk?
Everything around me fades away. She wants to talk. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I can't tell from those three words. There is yelling and the sound of a woman screaming and as much as I want to hit call, it's too noisy in here. Besides, if she wants to talk, I'd much rather talk in person.
Romano sinks back into our booth, his knuckles bloodied and a mutinous expression on his face. "I do not fucking understand women," he growls before picking up the tequila bottle and swallowing a hefty mouthful.
