Levi grins, tilting his head to the side in that way I used to find scary as hell, only now it does nothing but turn me on. “Say please,” he taunts, knowing the guy doesn’t have the guts to pull the trigger.
The guard clenches his jaw and just as he’s about to cause a much bigger scene, Giovanni pushes him out of the way. Without missing a step, he curls his fingers into the front of Levi’s shirt and pulls him in until his face is mere inches away from his son’s. “I’m not here to fuck around,” he growls, his tone so low that I feel the vibrations right through my chest. He shoves Levi hard in the direction that Roman had just disappeared. “Get your ass moving.”
Levi laughs and after a pause, takes pity on his old man and starts walking. “Always a pleasure, Father,” Levi calls over his shoulder. “Always a fucking pleasure.”
Marcus laughs and glances down at me before lifting his chin, silently indicating for me to follow Levi. I don’t skip a beat, trailing after him as Marcus falls in behind me, not allowing my back to be unprotected at any time. Marcus walks with his head held high despite the pain he must be feeling inside, but he won’t dare let on that he’s been injured, especially with so many other men in the castle.
Giovanni follows us with his men, and as we walk into the massive dining hall, I find Roman already sitting back in his favorite spot, his gaze locked in a venomous stare on his father.
The guards fan out around the room and glancing back at Marcus, he gives me a pointed stare—a cold reminder that when in the presence of Giovanni DeAngelis, I would be smart to be seen and not heard.
I nod and walk around the massive table, putting myself against the wall behind where Roman sits, the furthest position away from Giovanni with almost one of the quickest escape routes through the adjoining kitchen door.
I keep a sharp eye on Giovanni, just as his sons do, not one of us trusting him in the slightest. He strides forward and takes a seat at the massive table as though he has every right to be there. Fuck, he even acts like his sons are the ones intruding on him. His arrogance knows no bounds, and it only serves to piss me off more.
“Antonio,” Giovanni says, his gaze sweeping across the room, locking on each of his sons. “What do you know of his murder?”
I suck in a breath, my heart leaping right out of my throat as I do everything I can to not let on that I know anything about it. Fuck, if Giovanni thought for even a second that I knew anything, I’d be tortured for information, and damn it, I would break like a fucking twig. I can’t go through something like that again. Nerves flicker through me, but taking in the boys’ carefree expressions, I do what I can to relax and act cool.
Roman raises his chin, his gaze narrowing on his father’s. “I’ve already explained it to you,” he says, “Toni had been fucking around with Monique for three years. Ronaldo was bound to find out at some point, but good fucking riddance. It’s about time someone got their claws into that little snitch. I’m just pissed that Ronaldo beat me to it. I would have cherished every moment alone with that asshole.”
Marcus scoffs from across the room, slicing his sharp gaze to his older brother. “Not if I got to him first.”
Giovanni slams his hands down on the table. “This is not a fucking joke,” he roars, his voice traveling right through the whole fucking castle.
“Sounds like a fucking joke to me,” Levi mutters, throwing caution to the wind.
Giovanni stands, his chair flying back in his show of rage. “Do you have any idea of the consequences that will come of this? If Ronaldo killed your cousin, war is guaranteed. Your uncle will not stop until Ronaldo’s head is in his hands.”
The two wolves come barging through the doors of the dining hall. They pause by the entrance, their sharp stares traveling around the room, and judging by the way their fur stands at the back of their necks, they can more than read the tension.
Dill and Doe’s stare comes back to me, and without question, they make their way through the room, the guards flinching with every padded step. They drop their furry asses on either side of me and I swallow hard, hating how Giovanni watches them and takes note of whatever this new protective relationship is that they have over me.
Doe’s head comes right up to my chest as she sits beside me and nudges me with her side, a silent message that she’s got my back. I shift beside her, concealing my hand as it knots into her thick black fur, needing her comfort more than I could have known.