6
Michael
I lean back in the chair in my office at Venom. By rights, I should be out there in the room that my crew and I use whenever I am here. But that hit to the head did a number on me. Because I refuse to take the painkillers, the pain is a constant heaviness behind my eyes. And the last thing I want to face is the constant throb of the music that pulses through the nightclub. I bring the glass of whiskey to my lips, then hesitate. I am taking antibiotics… And the doctor had warned me not to mix alcohol with it… But fuck that. You only live once… And right now, I need something to take refuge in. Considering I just disowned my darling wife…
I had called her my whore… And that look of absolute shock, and confusion...and sadness on her face…Merda,it had almost gutted me. I tighten my grip around my glass, then bring it to my mouth and throw back the contents. The whiskey burns a path down my throat. It hits my stomach and heat explodes in my gut. Too bad it doesn’t fill the emptiness that tears at my insides. I place the glass on the table with a thump, just as the door to my office opens. The throbbing of the music instantly fills the space. Seb walks in, followed by Massimo, then Adrian, Christian and Xander. The door shuts, cutting of the music once more.
Porca miseria!"What the hell are youstronzidoing here?"
Massimo bypasses Seb and walks over to the bar on the far side of the room. He grabs five glasses, then stalks over to me. He places the glasses on my desk, and fills them up, including mine, before placing the now empty bottle on the surface. "Salute,fratellone," he clinks his glass with mine. Christian and Xander snatch up a glass each. Only Seb folds his arms across his chest as he glowers down at me.
"What?" I frown, "The fuck you looking at me like that?"
"Feeling guilty, yet?" His gaze intensifies.
"Why should I feel guilty?" I take another sip of my whiskey, then survey the contents of my glass, "If this is about her—"
"Of course, it’s about her," Seb growls. "The state in which you left her… You should be ashamed of yourself."
I chuckle, "And you are...what? An expert in relationships?"
"More than you, for sure." He rocks forward on the balls of his feet, "I understand you are upset with her. I know you can’t get over the fact that she injured you and ran—"
"Injured me and left me for dead."
"You weren’t even close to dying." He mutters, "You have too thick a head for that."
The wound at my temple pulses as if in agreement. The headache behind my eyes increases in intensity. "She spent the night alone with Luca," I snap.
"She'd never be unfaithful to you," Xander insists.
"No, she'd only leave with another man." I fold my fingers at my side.
"You need to be more broadminded in your outlook,fratellone," he chides. "Luca would never betray you."
"And yet he did."
Xander grimaces, "Have you asked her if anything happened with Luca?"
I glare at him.
"So, you are just drawing conclusions based on circumstantial evidence?"
"Are you saying I should forget what she did to me?" I retort.
"I am saying that you should treat her with a little more sensitivity."
"Wait until you meet a woman who gets under your skin, and then have her try to kill you and walk away from you, then we’ll see how you react."
"You admit that she’s gotten under your skin?" Massimo smirks. "Also, are you sure she tried to kill you?"
"I admit to no such thing." I scowl, "I only meant that as a figure of speech, and," I roll my shoulders, "as to the answer to your second question, the intent in her eyes when she took the oar to my head was very much about keeping me away from her."
"Maybe she panicked? Maybe the oar slipped from her hands?" Seb strokes his chin, "Have you considered that?"
"She hit me on the head. Twice." I tip up my chin at him. "Trust me when I say that the second time it was clearly with an intent to hurt."
"Maybe she was simply trying to hold you off. After all, you did kidnap her and force her to marry you."