CASTELLO
On my way to the study, I kept my hand in my pocket, rubbing the bedroom key between my fingers. Fucking thing felt like it weighed a ton. It was probably a stupid thing to do, locking the bedroom door. But deep down the selfish bastard in me loved knowing she was safely locked in and there was absolutely no risk of hernotbeing in there when I got back.
I’m pretty sure there’s a special place in hell for fuckers like me.
Ever since we arrived here, that bedroom door had never been locked. It wasn’t like it never occurred to me to lock her in. I was just trying to smother and suffocate that part of me, the part that wanted all control over her. Deep down I knew that if I wanted to keep her, if I wanted to make sure that shedidn’twant to leave, I had to start acting like a man and less like a selfish prick. Every goddamn morning, I would wake up and stare at her, thinking that I had to try harder. I had to make herwantto stay. But after what just happened—me losing my shit—it was fucking with my head, knowing she could leave at any moment if that door wasn’t locked and bolted shut.
It was a mistake, the game we played. The game where I wanted her to run from me so I could hunt her little ass and show her who she truly belonged to. And God knew, while she ran from me I loved it, yet I hated it, too. The animal in me relished the chase, yet the bastard in me hated the fact that she even thought it possible for her to run from me. Did she not know there was no way in hell she would ever be free of me? I’m the demon that had his claws tightly wrapped around her. The devil that would bind her in hell for all eternity if it meant I never had to see her run from me again.
Good God, I was going insane.
The second I walked into the study and saw Uncle Gino’s face, I knew exactly why he wanted to see me.
“What did my little brother do now?”
He sat down on the couch and took a sip of his drink. “It has come to my attention that Vico has approached our supplier in Mexico.”
“Approached him for what?” I walked over the table and poured myself one.
“Weapons. Vico has been using this situation to his advantage. He’s spreading the word that you have betrayed the family and you are no longer seen as a Fattore.”
I closed my eyes after placing the decanter down. “That son of a bitch.”
“It was only a matter of time before Vico did something like this.”
I walked over to the window. “Yes, well, it’s only been a short while. My mother’s corpse isn’t even cold yet.”
An image of my mother’s dead body flashed through my mind. Her blood pooled around her while I held the gun, my finger still on the trigger. Everything happened so fast, and the only thing I remembered was relief. Bone-numbing relief that I had stopped my mother in time to save Tatum. What kind of man, what kind of son, thought that way, felt that way after shooting and killing his own mother?
Again…special place in hell.
“I’m afraid the time has come for you to make a decision, Castello.”
I glowered over my shoulder at him before turning my gaze back out the window. “A decision about what?”
He got up from his seat. “About where you fit in with all of this.”
“You know I’ve never quite fit into anything when it comes to this family.”
“You’re different, Castello. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be the leader of this family. In fact, you being different might be exactly what this family needs.”
I snorted. “I tried doing that, remember? And look how that all turned out.”
Uncle Gino stepped in next to me, also gazing out the window. “The lives that were lost is tragic, but maybe something good can come out of all of this.”
“Good? Like what?”
He turned to face me. “Like you claiming your rightful place as leader of this family without others’ motives interfering with your leadership.”
I could see it in his eyes as he stared at me. The expectation, the hope that I might rise up to the occasion and take my place on the so-called Fattore throne. The truth was, I never felt the need to lead. It was probably because my dead twin brother was always the one that got groomed and trained to be the Boss once my father stepped down. Me being the heir never crossed my mind once. But that was life—it hardly ever turned out the way you thought or hoped it would. Now I found myself at a crossroad, and Uncle Gino was right. I needed to make a decision. I had to man up and protect what was rightfully mine.
I glanced back out the window. “Vico will never accept me as leader of this family. It seems like he has already claimed that place.”
“It is not his to claim.”
“He seems to think so.” I took two large gulps of bourbon. Talking about my little brother wasn’t something I could do without losing my temper.
Uncle Gino turned around and leisurely walked to the table. “Vico is too ambitious for his own good. His hunger for power clouds his judgment, and he’s too blind to see that he is not capable of running this family.”