“Michael?”
“I was fine with being your advisor until you banged my sister.” Some of the fire dimmed from Michael’s gaze. “That said, I don’t appreciate being demoted to captain. I don’t like that he keeps shoving that piece of shit Killian in my sister’s face.”
“We know what we have to do.” I drummed my knee, steeling myself. “We need to get rid of Nico.”
They digested that differently—Michael with a flicker of fear, and Alessio with a swig of whiskey, all arrogance.
“That’s a little overboard. He’s pissed, but he won’t kill off his leadership.”
“Uncle Nico has lost his marbles. The moment Anthony went missing, he’s been making stupid decisions. Bribing half the police force. Getting involved in the biker wars.” I stared at Michael, whose brow pinched. “We’ll die trying to save his son, and if we don’t…we’re all fucked.”
Alessio massaged his temples, frowning. “What you want to do is suicide. It’ll blow up in our faces.”
“Set your feelings aside and use your head. He’s already undermining me. If he doesn't give a damn about the fallout, neither should we.”
“No,” Alessio snapped. “Killing the boss will invite a free-for-all. Nico has a lot of friends, V. What’s your plan when they turn on you?”
“I’ll take them out, one by one.”
“You don’t have enough support,” Alessio reminded me. “You won’t be able to live in Boston after this, so I hope you’re happy with a lifetime of running. Good luck doing that with a baby on the way.”
“My sister will stay here.”
I wheeled at Michael, blood pounding in my ears. “She goes where I go.”
Michael rose to his feet, plunging his fists into his slacks. “Are we done here?”
“One day, you’ll leave Nico’s mansion and get shot in the driveway,” I said as he swigged more of his drink. “If I’m at risk, so are you.”
“I’d rather face one enemy than the dozens I’ll gain by offing Nico.” Alessio dragged his arm across his shining forehead. “Do whatever you want. But if you attack a boss, I’m taking off. I can’t have my family anywhere near this catastrophe.”
With that parting shot, Alessio stood and left. Michael followed wordlessly, the door swinging behind their backs.
Message received.
I’m on my own.
Assassinating the boss would be a pain in the ass. It would involve hiring the Bratva. Street bosses would probably come after me. Killing Nico could be the catalyst for inevitable disaster.
The front door opened and slammed. I lunged out of the recliner, my heart hammering, but it was only a pale-faced Liana weighed with shopping bags. I still wasn’t used to someone coming and going in my house. The seashell necklace bouncing on her chest dug at my veins. Rage gushed out, swallowing me.
She loved someone else.
A frat boy, no doubt, like that asshole who kept smirking with that patented I’ve-tapped-that look. James. I pictured his stupid face and shook my head. She didn’t give a shit about James.
Who was the other man?
I’d combed through her emails and texts, finding no evidence of another man. It drove me nuts because she was growing on me. Literally. She took over my shit with impunity. I chewed her out every time I stepped on a wet towel in the bathroom, but Liana was committed to being a slob. Her latest baking disaster charred scones to a cookie sheet, which she’d dumped in the sink. I picked at it for a good twenty minutes before tossing it.
Her annoying 80’s ballads blasted into every room. Once, I caught her slow dancing to “Time after Time.” I endured it for a few seconds before hijacking the Wi-Fi to play The Police, which was a way better choice than Cyndi-fucking-Lauper.
Despite her abysmal taste in music, my stomach turned at the idea of her leaving. I liked coming home to her. She made the place feel lived-in. She was so tiny, but her warmth was big, and it filled the apartment.
My head pounded as I paced the living room, sweating. Liana had complained about the cold, so I’d dialed up the thermostat to sixty-seven. It was hot as balls, and I couldn’t concentrate on the things that mattered—like the ongoing crisis with the biker wars, the fuck-heads undermining me, and Nico.
Stuffing pillows under her shirt wouldn’t work forever.
Goddamn it.
Giving up, I shoved my phone into my pocket and blazed into my bedroom. Boxes were stacked everywhere. Liana had refused to unpack for days, but I wouldn’t let her move into a guest room. Her bras and panties covered my bed. She’d emptied my drawers, and the disorder shot fire down my spine.
Liana had changed into a pink camisole and pajama shorts. She dug into an opened box, cramming her clothes into the drawer. It was surreal to witness. I’d never had anyone take over my life. She grabbed a frame from my closet—my boot camp graduation photo—and stared at it.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” Liana jumped and thrust the picture onto the shelf. “God. Stop that.”
“You don’t need to go through my stuff.”
“I’m not trying to snoop, but you have a lot crammed away, and I have to make room.”
Liana was as harmful as a butterfly, but I didn’t like her digging through my shit. My annoyance faded as she straightened, pushing out her tits. Her nipples peaked the sheer cotton, the dark circles stiffening my cock.
Blood coursed through me like an awakened river. My mouth went dry as she flopped onto the bed.
“Sorry about the mess,” she murmured, thumbing her phone. “I’ll clean it up soon. I’m just taking a break.”
I didn’t understand why she and her entire generation had their heads buried in their phones. I sat on the only clear space on the mattress.
She ripped off her socks and threw them on the floor. “So, what are you going to do about Nico?”
My hands twitched. “What?”
“I overheard you guys. I came in early while you weren’t paying attention, and then I doubled back and walked through the door.”
Fuck.
I kept forgetting I had a goddamned roommate. I raked my hair, my skin tingling from her stare. “You shouldn’t have heard that.”
“Vinn, what’s your plan?”
“Don’t worry about it, honey.”
“But I might be able to help.”
The room echoed with my chuckle. “Stick to what you’re good at, Liana, school and charring kitchenware.”
Her eyes narrowed. She swung her legs off the bed and charged toward me, hands on her hips. “I’m sick of you being an asshole.”
“Pointing out that you ruin my shit is being an asshole?”
“You underestimate me. You think I’m useless!”
It amused me how similar she was to Michael. Like him, she was prone to be offended over the dumbest things.
“You’re a college student. You have a lot of life to live before telling me what to do, honey.”
“I can help with Killian!”
“You have nothing to offer him but your body.” I lurched upright as Liana crossed her arms, her cheeks blossoming with pink. “I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. This isn’t one of your classes, Li. You can’t debate him.”