He wet his mouth. “Wait, so you’re actually dating?”
“Yeah.”
Michael’s chest swelled, but he didn’t explode. His hands clenched and released, as though practicing his death grip.
“It’s been a few months,” I clarified, as Michael turned the shade of a tomato. “I never asked because I knew you wouldn’t approve.”
“I’ll deal with you later.” Michael ripped his gaze from me, addressing Liana like an outraged father scolding a child. “Get off him. Now.”
“You don’t tell me what to do anymore.”
“Oh, really?” he snarled. “You can kiss your rent goodbye—”
“Fine. I’m not going back there, anyway.” Liana faced me, beaming with a smile that raced my pulse. “I’m moving in with Vinn.”
“You’re what?”
“We’re together.” A joy I’d never seen before shone in her eyes and bubbled in her rushed words. “And there’s nothing you can say to stop it.”
My heart hammered. The pit of my stomach churned.
Why did that sound real?
I wiped the shock from my face and squeezed Liana’s shoulder. “Your brother and I need a talk.”
Judging by the nails piercing my skin, she objected to leaving me alone.
I fixed her a glare. “Just do it, hon.”
Liana let out the smallest scoff and slid from my lap. Then she patted Michael’s arm. “Don’t hurt him.”
Michael seemed unable to speak. He was like a robot, his head jerking toward me. He didn’t utter a sound until she disappeared into my room.
“You motherfucker.” Darkness rippled from Michael as his fist unclenched, the key fob dropping to the floor. “Behind my fucking back.”
The hurt bled through his voice, trembling in the air like electricity in a lightning storm.
I stood. “I knew you wouldn’t approve.”
“You never asked!”
I crossed my arms. “I tried. Whenever we touch the subject, you always make your opinion of me very clear.”
“Now I get it.” He slammed his palm into my chest, shoving me backward. “Leo DiMaggio was in your way.”
Yes, he was. “She was mine, and you were throwing men at her.”
“Fuck you. You’re juggling six women at any given time.”
“Judge me if you want, but—”
“You’re supposed to be my best friend. Jesus Christ, you were the one guy I thought I could count on!” Spittle flew from Michael’s mouth as he let loose. “I’ll kill you.”
This was going well.
He’d never looked at me with that demented bloodlust. I retreated as he advanced, determined not to injure him. A lot of his rage was probably leftover fuel from Nico’s betrayal, which I factored into my response.
“Mike, I’m not done explaining.”
“You’ve been fucking my sister,” he bellowed like a wounded animal. “How dare you?”
Heat stung my cheeks.
I couldn’t deny that, could I? “I didn’t mean to disrespect you.”
“You’re a coward and a liar, and I’m kicking your ass.”
Michael vaulted over the sofa and lunged at me. His right hook crashed into my cheek, the unexpected force smashing my head against the wall. I ripped away from him, the agony radiating into my teeth.
Fuck. It hurt.
“Yes, I’ve been dating her. In secret,” I snarled, rubbing my jaw. “Because I knew your reaction would be over the top.”
“Don’t act like you’re a gentleman,” he shouted, making violent moves toward me. “You were with another chick last week.”
Damn it. “We weren’t exclusive.”
He took that even worse.
“Oh, so you’re only dipping in my sister while you bang your mistresses. You piece of shit,” he screamed, the veins standing out on his neck. “I’ll rip your nuts off.”
He swung.
I hurled a table between us, jamming the edge under his ribs. “Michael, I asked her to marry me. At the gala.”
The lie stuck in my throat as Michael’s face drained of color.
“Is this a sick joke?”
“It’s past time for me to settle down.” I wished I had a handle of whiskey to drown in. “Get married. Have kids.”
“Oh, God. Don’t tell me you really knocked her up, too.”
My stomach throbbed. I drew a deep breath and raked my hair.
“Yeah, I did.”
Michael went rigid. He stared at me in openmouthed disgust. Devastation shattered his eyes. Then his expression grew hard. “You’ve ruined her life.”
“Michael, I’ll do right by her.”
“You better, you fuck-up.”
That gouged at me. “I asked her to marry me. She said yes.”
“Like she had a choice, with you as the father.” Michael’s cold tone somehow hit me harder than his red-faced fury. “I swear to God, Vinn. This better not be fake. If you’re not really marrying her—”
“I am.”
“Shut up.” He fisted my shirt, growling. “You saved our lives. That’s the only reason you’re not on the floor, bleeding. Put a ring on her. A real one, Vinn.”
“I will.”
He unclenched his grip and wiped his suit, as though I’d contaminated him. He stepped back, radiating contempt. “I don’t care who you are or what’s in my way. Marry her, or I’ll kill you.”
Thirteen
Liana
I had to escape.
I could’ve handled faking a relationship, but pretending to be his expecting bride-to-be?
My worst nightmare. Braving the war-torn streets was more appealing than spending weeks attached to Vinn’s arm, belonging to him but not really.
I ran into a room with charcoal walls and ebony furniture, shutting the door. Questions stuck in my throat as I took in the desaturated landscape photos—his bedroom. It was overwhelmingly masculine. My gaze landed on the pile of sweats and T-shirts in a basket, the walk-in closet packed with muted colors, and the bed.
The few times I’d visited with Michael, he'd caught me wandering Vinn's penthouse, but I’d never had the guts to snoop in here. Now my hands itched to look through his things. My brother’s distant shouts faded to a dull murmur as I glimpsed a familiar picture.
It can’t be.
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.
It sat on his nightstand, wrapped in an ugly, red-and-white frame. I seized my Christmas gift to him from years ago as the disastrous party at The Black Cat washed over me. My mouth dried as I fingered the cheap wood.
I’d assumed he’d thrown it away.
He kept it.
My thoughts went blank with that simple truth. Not only that, but he also displayed the thing. Put it where he’d see it every morning. I had no measure of time as I sat, cradling the photo, and then the door creaked.
Vinn’s thick build edged through, his presence filling the bedroom like a heavy mist. The angry mark flushing his cheek and his wild hair suggested he and Michael had exchanged blows.