I walked upstairs beside him. Damian wasn’t my brother by blood, but we had been brothers long before Arlo Salvatore adopted us. We were only three months apart and had been inseparable since we were babies. Our parents were best friends and had co-founded Atlantic Airlines. After we graduated from Harvard University, we resumed control of the company.
“Dad doesn’t know about all of your victims.”
“Don’t call them that,” Damian snapped.
“I don’t have a problem with you killing our enemies. But seeking new victims for fun is sick. I know what you did last week, D.”
“They’re not victims!” Damian’s arms flew above his head as he shouted, “I choose people who deserve to die.”
When we reached the second floor landing, I gripped his shoulder and slammed his back into the wall. “Who are you to decide? Are you God?”
He smirked, then shoved my hand off his shoulder. “Where was our god when we were kids?”
Then he stormed off, rushing down the hallway, humming a tune under his breath. I loved him to death, but my brother was a legit fucking psycho.
“D,” I called after him. “I’m serious. You need to chill with this shit. We’re having enough issues with the Volkov Bratva. We don’t need to be on opposing sides.”
We’d been fighting the Bratva for months. Then last week, this sick fuck decided it was a good idea to kidnap and torture one of the highest-ranking men in their organization. All because the man fit the profile for Damian’s illness. We were already paying the price for his mistake. Alex was now in danger, a side effect of our illegitimate business.
Halfway down the corridor, Damian halted in place. “We will never be on opposing sides.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “You’re my brother. Nothing will ever change that.”
“I’m not okay with what you’re doing.”
“I don’t need your approval.”
I placed my hand on his shoulder. “Do you want me to walk away like everyone else?”
His face dropped in horror. “You’re not leaving me.”
“I want to keep her. Alex is good for us,” I insisted. “I think she might even like our fucked up games. But you can never show her this side of yourself, or the game is over.” I ran my hand up and down his back in a soothing motion, something I’d done since we were children. It always calmed him down when he was out of his mind. “Don’t fuck this up. You need to stay in control around her.”
“I haven’t lost control.” He raised his head until our eyes met. “Why do you think I’ve stayed away from her?”
“This is the last time until after we deal with the Bratva. Understood?”
He nodded.
Without another word, we headed into the last apartment on the left. Damian rubbed his hands together, salivating over the piece of shit he had tied to the table in the living room. Well, it wasn’t much of a living space anymore. The place looked like Dexter’s kill room with the walls, floor, and ceiling covered in plastic.
My brother busied himself by organizing a collection of weapons on the kitchen island. I looked at the poor bastard who got on Damian’s radar.
At least he wasn’t innocent.
He was a piece of shit, another dirt ball off the streets. Damian was doing the world a service by getting rid of men like him. Still, I hated being involved in his obsessions.
We’d had the same fight more times than I could count. He was grating on my last nerves with his mental illness that only my father and I could control.
After Damian revealed his true nature, our dad let Damian explore this side of himself. He needed an outlet, and our adoptive father was more than happy to oblige. At first, he indulged Damian by letting him dispose of our enemies. The world was better off without those assholes.
But then Damian started going off on his own. Like a cat bringing home a dead bird for its owner, my brother started doing the same thing with people. Our dad would never allow him to bring them to the house. So Damian used one of the torture rooms at the safe house.
Even when we were children, we shared toys. Our parents had billions of dollars, so it wasn’t like we couldn’t afford to have our own things.
We just liked to share.
I was the only person Damian ever connected with. Because of that, we had a bond that went deeper than family.
You couldn’t keep us apart.