Coming to terms with his late-night visitors, Antonio hesitantly steps into the room, his gun prepared and ready in his hands. “Cousins,” he beams, his fake bullshit shining through loud and clear. “What an unexpected visit.”
11
Roman slowly stands and Antonio flinches, turning his full attention toward him, though somehow managing to keep an eye on Levi. “Was it really?” Roman questions. “Unexpected?”
Antonio swallows hard. “Of course,” he says, his eyes flicking between the two brothers. “Your father gave you a mission this week, one I suppose you are still working through considering I have not yet heard any news.”
“Holy shit, you sound like a pompous asshat,” I scoff, laughing at this idiot before realizing I spoke the words out loud. My eyes go wide and as he shoots a hard glare toward me, I sink down on the couch, covering my mouth with my hand to keep myself from speaking out of line again. After all, despite having Roman and Levi as protection, Antonio is still mafia and could probably shoot a bullet between my eyes with ease.
Roman sighs, drawing Antonio’s attention back to him. “You’d be right about that,” he says. “My brothers and I have been working on the mission my father challenged us with, which is strange, considering it has led us to this very home.”
Antonio’s brows furrow. “What?” he rushes out, confusion deep in his dark eyes. “That’s impossible. I’m not manufacturing anything, and I know for damn sure that my father has nothing to do with it either.”
“Oh, we know,” Levi says, stepping out from behind the couch and strategically placing himself in front of me. “We’re the ones stealing it right out from under our father, rebranding his product, and making one hell of a profit off him. It’s a good little game we’ve got going on, but the only issue is that our father is getting a little … frustrated, and unfortunately for you, he needs somewhere to place the blame. Heads need to roll, and how the hell would we keep running our business if it were ours? You see our little dilemma here, don’t you?”
“No,” Antonio says, shaking his head. “He’ll see right through it. You’ll never get away with it. My father—”
“Your father was a fool to leave you this week, just as you were to not see this coming. We were given a week of freedom. You should have prepared yourself. You should have hired protection.”
“I did,” he rushes out, “Just like everyone else in the DeAngelis family did. They’ll never follow you. They fear you too much.”
“Precisely,” Roman says. “That’s why we must start fresh. Weed out all of those too weak to face us, too weak to lead and prosper in this family.”
His eyes widen, only now realizing just how far the brothers will go. “But my father—”
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about your father,” Roman says, discreetly stepping toward him. “Your father will be joining you soon enough.”
“You won’t get away with it,” he repeats, spitting the words like venom in his mouth.
“That’s just it,” Levi says. “We already have.”
A chill sweeps down my spine as those words rock through my chest. That’s just it, we already have. It’s not the first time I’ve heard that sentence, but fuck, I hope it’s the last. They’d said the exact same thing to me the night they dressed me up in their mother’s old gown and treated me to dinner. The memory still sends chills sweeping through me.
Antonio raises his chin, deciding to go out with power. “Your father will have your heads for this. When he discovers you’re trying to overthrow him again, you’ll be put down like the fucking animals you are.”
One word stands out to me and I find myself getting to my feet, stepping into Levi’s side, and staring across the wide room at Antonio. “Again?” I question. “What are you talking about?”
Antonio scoffs. “Well, well, the little whore has found her voice again,” he mutters darkly. “Tell me, did they bring you along so I can enjoy you before they kill me?”
I step forward, putting my shoulder in front of Levi’s, showing him just what kind of dynamic we have here. “I asked you a question.”
“Why don’t you ask your little boyfriends?”
“You and I both know they don’t willingly hand out information. But here we are, with the threat of death hanging over you, and you seem to be struggling to keep your mouth shut. So, I will ask you one more time, what are you referring to?”
Antonio glances at Roman, probably certain that if he were to divulge information, he’d get his head blown off, but hell, it seems it’s going to end that way no matter what he says here tonight. “Go ahead,” Roman tells him. “Share with Shayne why we’ve chosen you to take the fall. Let her know what a spineless snake you are.”