I grab my boxers and slide them on under the sheet. I rise from the bed, hands up, and I move slowly toward him. He tosses the bat from hand to hand, his eyes narrowed, his chest heaving.
“Let’s go into the kitchen and talk.” I try to keep my voice calm as I inch closer to him and the bat.
“There isn’t much to talk about now, is there? The damage has already been done. You are gonna pay now.”
“Listen,” I drop my voice and place a tentative hand on his shoulder. “She’s a big girl, and she can make her own decisions.”
Max snickers and rakes a hand through his hair again, fisting it this time. He’s about ready to blow, which isn’t going to bode well for me or Shaye. “Oh, that. You think your little fuckfest is the reason why I’m here. Well, think again, cocksucker. I’m here because you betrayed me, brother. I’m here because you set me up to look like a complete fucking asshole to the entire organization. I’m here because you turned me into your little bitch, and now I have to stand by and watch that bastard Lucchese take my place and become your right hand!” He circles me, smashing the bat against the hardwood floor with each step. “I know everything. I know Santino came crying to you before, to give Rocco a chance to prove himself and how you said you’d take care of him.” He stops circling and faces me, his face only inches from mine. “After everything Rocco did, after Grandpa sent him packing, you’re just gonna erase all of that and help him get back on his feet? What the fuck are you getting out of this, Nico?”
My mouth opens, but no words come out. How in the fuck did he know any of that, unless…
The Bluetooth headset. It had been on my desk when Santino and I were talking. The switch must have been on, and Max would have heard every word if his earpiece had been in. Goddammit! That explains his mood at the club. I knew it was more than just Sloane.
“Max, I was going to tell you, but it’s not what—"
“It’s exactly what I think. I heard every fucking word, asshole. But I couldn’t beat the shit out of you at your own club.” He slams the bat against the wall, smashing a hole into the sheet rock. “Not like I can here.” He swings the bat into a Bose speaker. “You don’t give a shit about anything but yourself! You make it look like you’re doing favors for people, but you know damn well why you do the shit you do. It’s all to line your pockets and protect your interests. You care about you. Period.”
“You have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.” I clench my fists, my chest tight. Of course, he doesn’t. His tirade proves that I’ve played my role so well, even my best friend can’t see through the smoke and mirrors. It means I’ve been hardened enough to focus on my goals and ignore anything that can distract me from reaching them. It means that I’ve successfully cast aside the things that mean the most to me. It means I’ve been successful, and I have absolutely nothing of value to show for it.
And the Oscar goes to…
“Don’t I?” He lets out a sinister laugh. “And you know what’s worse? Coming here to confront you and finding you fucking my little sister. She’s not one of your whores, dickhead. You can’t have her! You can’t have everything!” He swings the bat around toward me, and I duck just in time for him to connect not with my jaw but with a framed picture of the two of us on the desk. The frame crashes to the floor. But in true Max fashion, he doesn’t stop there. No, he pounds the fuck out of it, smashing the glass into tiny smithereens. “You’ve always had it all, and you’ve never been happy. It’s never enough. You always want more, and I’ve watched you take it, over and over again. I’m sick of watching, Nico. I’m done. I don’t want a goddamned thing from you ever again.”
He tosses the bat onto the floor and stomps out of the room. His feet pound on the hardwood, and the front door slams shut so hard the walls shudder. At least I still have most of my walls…always look for that silver lining.
I push back my hair and sink onto the edge of the bed.
“Nico,” Shaye whispers. I turn my head to find her clutching the sheet to her chest, her blue eyes wide. “What the hell was that all about?”
“He knows.” I fall backward onto the bed, my fingers pressed to my temples. “He fucking knows.”
“Uh, yeah. He definitely knows about us, Professor Obvious.” She creeps toward me, her eyes narrowed. “But there’s more, isn’t there? What was Max talking about? What do you have going on with Rocco?”
I peer up at her through my fingers. Christ, I hate like hell to admit to any of this shit. It goes against the code. But I can’t have her thinking that I’m fucking over her family. I’m not. If Max had just given me a chance to explain…I have a plan, a good one, dammit.
She inches closer, her fists clenching tighter. “And what does all of this have to do with the accident the other night? Who was in that car, Nico? Tell me the truth. I need to hear it from you.”
I let out a groan. “You think you do, but trust me, you don’t.”
“If you can’t be honest with me—"
“Shaye, do you really think I like carrying this shit inside of me? Not being able to talk to anyone about it because there are expectations I have to fulfill? Responsibilities to maintain?”
“I’m always here for you, Nico. Don’t shut me out.”
I lean on my elbows. “But I can’t bring you inside, babe. You think you know…but you don’t. You can’t.”
“I know enough. I’m not an idiot, Nico.”
“No, you aren’t.”
“So why can’t you just level with me? What the hell is going on and how are you involved?” Tears pool in her eyes. “We’re talking about my family, Nico. Don’t shut me out.”
She has no idea what she’s asking me to do right now. She thinks she’s gathering intel so she can protect her family, but if I tell her what she thinks she wants to hear, it’ll fuck everyone, myself included. “I can’t, Shaye. I’m sorry.”
“You’re a fucking asshole,” she seethes, the tears spilling over and streaming down her cheeks. She pushes me away and slides out of the bed in search of her clothes. “I can’t believe I trusted you for even a second. Max was right. You always come first. Tell me, how did you get so fucking good at talking out of both sides of your slimy mouth?”
I jump off the bed and grab her wrist. “Shaye, please. You have to understand my position. I’m trying to get shit in order before it all implodes.”