I take a deep breath and smooth my hair. “Yes, thank you for your help last night. I appreciate it. Sunny side up is perfect, thanks.”
I don’t offer to help. My mom always hated it if the guys tried to do anything in the kitchen, so I sit at the island counter and watch her.
She starts humming again, a song I don’t recognize, and she sways her hips to the imaginary music as she moves around the kitchen.
Soon enough, a plate with buttered toast, two eggs, and a heap of bacon is in front of me.
“What do you want to drink?” she asks, holding up a bottle of orange juice.
“That’s fine,” I feel uneasy and very uncomfortable. She was so pissed with me yesterday, and today, she’s being so nice. “You didn’t poison the food, did you?”
“I wouldn’t tell you if I did.” She grins. “No, I just felt like bacon and eggs and decided to make you some too.”
“Well, you’ll make an excellent housewife one day,” I comment, picking up my knife and fork.
She gives me a strange look as though there’s something horrid on my face. “Seriously? Can we stop with the good girl comments already? Jesus, what century are you from.”
She picks up her plate, utensils, and juice and walks out in a huff.
I watch her leave, confused about what I’ve said this time to irritate her. Jesus, fuck, she is infuriating. She’s so damn emotional, and this is why I bottle my emotions because you act like a twit if you let your emotions rule your life.
The emotions I’m feeling confuse me. She irritates me, but at the same time, I find her so fascinating. Dammit, I need to clear my head.
“I’m going out,” I yell, leaving my half-eaten food on the counter. “I’ll be back later.”
She doesn’t answer, but I grab the keys and leave, not bothering to look for her.
I drive to Alessandro and let myself in.
“Hey, what’s up?” Alessandro asks me, looking up from some papers.
“This is a bad idea,” I bark. “She should stay with one of our cousins or with Arianna. That would be a better idea.”
Alessandro sighs and rubs his forehead. “It’s not up for discussion. Just deal with it, Dominic. I’ve never known you to be so whiny.”
I glare at him. “She is impossible to look after or to live with.”
“I said make it work,” my brother snaps. “What you need is something to take your mind off things. We’ve captured one of the Catalan soldiers. I need information on their operations here in New York. Why don’t you go let out your frustrations on him?”
I clench my teeth but nod. He’s making it sound like he’s doing me a favor, but we both know it’s not a request. It’s an order.
I walk up to his desk. “Where?”
“At our warehouse in Brooklyn, the downtown one. You’ll find him there with some of the guys. Try not to kill him too soon. Get as much information as you can,” he says.
I nod, turn on my heel, and walk toward the door, but he says, “Dominic, don’t lose your shit with me, or we’ll have a problem. Whether you’re my brother or not, don’t forget your place in this family.”
I’ve never been scolded for my behavior before because I’ve always fallen in line. Now though, I feel ashamed. I’ve never acted like this, and I need to get it under control.
I take the car to Brooklyn and park it at the back of the warehouse. I walk in and see the various workers moving stolen goods, and I ignore them, heading upstairs to the office.
When I walk in, I see a man on the office chair. One hand is tied to each arm, and his legs are tied to each leg. Three of my cousins are there, and they look at me when I walk in.
“Alessandro wants me to get information,” I say.
They nod and step back. I walk over to the table where various weapons are on display. Clearly, my cousins were about to start this little show. I’m glad I didn’t miss it.
I pick up a nail gun and walk over.