“Dante?”
My brothers slanted me curious looks. “I got your message,” Dante gritted out. I could practically feel his fury. It wasn’t as exhilarating as I’d expected.
“I know you don’t follow the Famiglia’s bloody sheets tradition, but I thought it was a nice touch.”
Adamo grimaced and his car crashed into the wall. Savio had stopped playing altogether.
There was silence on the other end. “There are rules in our world. We don’t attack children and women.”
“Funny that you say that. When your soldiers attacked my territory, they fired at my thirteen-year-old brother. You broke those fucking rules first, so stop the bullshit.”
Adamo’s eyes widened, and he glanced down at his tattoo.
“You know as well as I do that I didn’t give the order to kill your brother, and he’s alive and well.”
“If he weren’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, Dante. I would have killed every fucking person you care about, and we both know there are so many to choose from.”
“You have people you don’t want to lose either, Remo. Don’t forget that.”
Savio and Adamo watched me, and it took considerable effort to keep my fury at bay. “I thought the sheets might have made you see reason, but I see that you want Serafina to suffer a bit more.”
I hung up. After a couple of heartbeats, my phone rang again, but I ignored it.
“I take it Dante isn’t willing to cooperate yet,” Savio said with a grin.
Adamo shook his head, pushed to his feet, and stormed upstairs.
Savio rolled his eyes. “For a few days he’s been almost tolerable. I suppose that’s over now.”
I stood, switched the phone to silent mode, and shoved it into my pocket. “I’ll have a word with him.”
“Good luck,” Savio muttered.
I didn’t bother knocking before I stepped into Adamo’s room. My eyes scanned the floor, which was littered with dirty clothes and pizza boxes. I walked toward the window and flung it open to get rid of the horrid stench.
“Why don’t you clean your room?”
Adamo hunched over in front of the computer at his desk. “It’s my room and I don’t mind. I didn’t invite you to come in.”
I walked up to him and tapped against his tattoo. “You’d do well to show me respect.”
“As my older brother or my Capo?” Adamo muttered, jutting his chin out.
“Both.”
“For what you did to Serafina, you don’t deserve my respect.”
“What did I do?”
He frowned. “You forced her?”
I brought our faces closer. “Did I?”
“You didn’t?”
“Are we going to keep exchanging questions? Because it’s getting annoying.”
“But you slept with her,” Adamo said in confusion.
“I did,” I said. “But she wanted it.”
“Why?”
I laughed. “Ask her.”
“Do you think she’s in love with you?”
My muscles tautened. “Of course not. ” Love was a delirious game for fools, and Serafina was many things but not a fool.
“I like her.” Adamo regarded me almost hopefully. I wondered when our world would rid him of the last shreds of his innocence.
“Adamo,” I said sharply. “I kidnapped her so she could serve the purpose of getting revenge on the Outfit. She won’t stay so don’t get attached.” He shrugged. Sighing, I touched his head then left.
Oh, Serafina.
I headed toward my wing, but instead of continuing to my room, I stopped in front of Serafina’s door. I knew Dante would agree to give me Scuderi any day now. I unlocked the door and entered. Serafina was curled up on her side, reading a book. She put it down when I closed the door and walked toward her.
She frowned. “Just because I slept with you once—”
“Twice,” I corrected.
“Just because I’ve slept with you twice doesn’t mean I’ll sleep with you whenever you feel like it.”
I sank down beside her. “Is that so?” I trailed my fingertips over her exposed arm. Goose bumps rose on her skin.
“I’m too sore. I think last time was too much,” she admitted, her cheeks turning pink.
My fingers halted on her collarbone. “Do you need to see a doctor?”
“It’s not that bad.” She narrowed her eyes a tad. “Are you concerned for me?”
Ignoring her question, I said, “I didn’t come for sex anyway.”
“What did you come for, then?”
If only I knew. I removed my gun and knife holster and dropped it to the floor beside the bed before I stretched out next to her and propped my head up on my hand.
“Don’t tell me you’ve come to cuddle,” she said.
My mouth twitched. “I’ve never cuddled with a woman.”
“You did today.”
I considered that. I’d held her in bed after sex, had watched her sleep in my arms. “I was only there to make sure you didn’t drown in self-pity.”
“Sure,” she muttered. “You said you never cuddled with a woman. Do you make a habit of cuddling with men, then?”
I chuckled and slid my hand into her hair. She leaned into the touch ever so slightly. I wasn’t sure she noticed. “I don’t anymore.” At the questioning lift of her eyebrow, I continued. “I used to cuddle with Adamo and Savio when they were really small.”