by Zavi James
“You never mention your actual family,” I said to him, chewing on my bottom lip nervously, and hoping Luc would behave until we were alone.
“You are my actual family,” he told me, words flat and amusement leaving his features. The business side of him appeared, making the hairs on my arms stand up.
“Watch your tone,” Luc warned him without missing a beat. Even Dante was fair game when it came to what Luc saw as disrespecting me.
“If you’re on about blood, Mia, it doesn’t mean much to me. Aside from Mama, I wouldn’t trust a single one of them to piss on me if I was on fire.”
“Not close then?” I crept cautiously.
“Hard to be close to people who left you to rot when your sperm donor left with every penny.”
My eyes widened in surprise. I’d learned quickly that everyone was a little twisted, a bit messed up in some way, but Dante was the person who seemed least afflicted by this life. Unknown to me, buried beneath his carefree persona, he held a deep resentment for his absent father that had finally clawed to the surface.
“He doesn’t deserve your effort,” Luc reminded his brother. “You and your mother did fine without him.”
“Thanks to you and Charlie.”
“You repaid us tenfold.”
I felt like I was imposing on a moment. When I moved into Luc’s home, I was surprised at how much Dante frequented the place and when we got together, I worried about upsetting whatever carefully crafted balance they maintained but I’d been enveloped into their friendship without issue. Well, if you didn’t account for the broken arm that Dante sustained from Luc’s short temper and possessive nature.
There were still moments, parts of their history that I wasn’t aware of, and it didn’t feel right to pry. Things would come in time and hopefully we would have plenty of it.
It was evident that whatever had pulled the men together had left Dante feeling deeply indebted to the Foster family. And even though Luc had said it was repaid, they continued to be entangled in business and friendship and family.
“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re a part of our family,” I said. Our family. It still felt surreal that Luc and I had a family of our own and before long I’d cement myself to his side as a Foster. Dante shot me a lazy grin, tension of the previous line of conversation easing away from him. “Luc said you got in touch with your cousin to help us,” I commented.
The distaste on Dante’s face was almost comical. “You owe me big time for that,” he told Luc, pointing at him. “Angelo’s a little different from the rest of them. Not quite as corrupt as our little unit but he’ll get his hands dirty for the right price. He’s here to do a job and leave.”
I nodded. Not willing to push the topic of his family any further, I steered us back to our original conversation and the reason behind his deflation. “I just want to make sure you’re going to be okay.”
“You’re such a mother.” He laughed, rolling his eyes and collapsed back on the floor dramatically, limbs splayed at odd angles. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a few days to lick my wounds.”
“Would you ever consider trying to fix it with her?” Maybe it was a naïve question to ask but if there was any hope of reconciliation, I wondered if Dante would grab it.
“You picked Luc at every turn,” he said to the ceiling. Dante slid his hands behind his head, cushioning him against the floor. “You picked him over Stefan. You picked him over your dad. You picked him when you left because of Xavier. Tori’s never quite been able to give me that. Do you know how many dinners I’ve sat at while Xavier rips me a new one and she barely says a word? How many times she’d let Gabriel tell her I’m not worth shit?” He let out a shuddering breath, chest caving in towards his back with the exhalation. “You did me a favour so don’t worry about it.” But the way he said the words made me believe otherwise.
Luc kissed the back of my neck again and I knew we were thinking the same thing. There was nothing we wouldn’t do for each other and now we added Link to that equation. There was a sense of peace, of light-headedness, in knowing that someone loved you so entirely that you would forever be their first choice.
“Just promise me,” Dante whispered, “that whatever happens, Tori won’t get pulled into it. You won’t hurt her.”
That request was for me. Luc wouldn’t lift a finger to a woman to cause proper damage, but Dante was the only other person who knew the truth about what happened to Amber. He knew what I was capable of if push came to shove. His love for Vittoria made him ask me to keep her off the table when it was her family that we were targeting.
“You don’t—” Luc started to tell me. He didn’t want promises made that might end up shattered. More collateral damage with even bigger consequences.
I shook my head to cut him off. “I promise you, Dante.”
He never asked me for anything, and it was all I could offer him after stealing the small shred of happiness he found with her. Regardless of how hurt he was by her actions, Dante loved Vittoria. That much was easy to see. Some part of him still wanted to protect her, and I was only too happy to oblige. To give him some small token of my appreciation for standing by us.
“Thanks,” he muttered. “That makes it all a lot easier. Don’t suppose you still have my plate in the kitchen?”
“I’ll go heat it up,” I told him, though I was sure he was only eating to put an end to my worries. “Be right back.”
As I left, I heard the distinct thud of a cushion hitting the floor, and Luc saying, “You are the biggest fucking cockblock in my life.”
Chapter Six
Lucas
Asking for help outside of the family was a dangerous game but necessary when trust had dwindled down to nothing. If it went wrong, then we were marching Angelo to the gallows with us. But if we succeeded, then he walked away with heavy pockets and we got what we had been after for months.
We’d been so close that I could taste it. The heady rush of not having to answer to anyone and being the person, people sought to pass judgement, had been in our grasp and then it had been ripped away. If Gabe was meant to deter us, then it was a poor ploy. I still clung onto the dreams by my fingertips and it would take more than a disappearing act to steer me from them. Even Mia being shot at hadn’t managed to change my mind. I waited for her to tell me that she was done, that she’d had enough and was ready to settle for a quieter life with our family. As safe a life as this world could afford her. If she said the word, I’d step back. I wouldn’t stop, I was too far gone for that, but I’d take my foot off the gas and allow her time to recover.
It never came. In the quiet moments where business was left at the doorstep and we were secured inside our home, Mia didn’t utter a word of concern. Instead of protests and hesitation, Mia was working through her own list of tasks to secure our position. Much to my dismay that had included a visit to Franco and Chastity, but she was relentless in her efforts and I eventually conceded defeat. Our image remained an important factor and she wasn’t about to watch all of her efforts go to waste. She had planned and preened and played nice with people who had been vicious about her. No. Mia wasn’t going to just let it all be for nothing.
I’d known when I met her that she had something more about her than the timid bookworm that she portrayed to the world. There was a spark and a bite that she hid deep inside herself, and time with me had her baring her teeth in the midst of an inferno. In the same way that Mia made herself my moral compass, I’d helped her to muddy up her ledger. A beautiful balance only we understood.
“I’m assuming you’ll draw up a contract.”
“You’re an idiot,” Dante chipped in.
The man in the seat opposite me turned his head. “I’m the idiot that you both need so I’d think about being a little respectful.” Angelo had arrived earlier in the day, and the better half of my morning had been spent at Dante’s home working through the finer details in a bid to get him to agree to work with us.
“We
’d rather not leave a trail that can be traced back,” I cut across them, hoping to avoid an argument. Dante had been in a piss-poor mood since his breakup, and Angelo’s extensive bargaining had not helped it improve.
“So, I’m meant to take your word that I’ll be paid for my work?” Angelo asked me, raising an eyebrow.
“In the same way I’m taking your word that you’ll be able to carry out the job.”
He pursed his lips, unhappy with having his skills questioned. Angelo worked in security, more specifically as an ethical hacker, helping businesses ensure their framework was secure and improving it when it wasn’t. Dante said his ambition had been more than that, but he lacked the drive, the killer instinct to push for what he wanted and expected it to land in his lap. Dumb fuck always thought too highly of himself, Dante had told me. A God complex was only acceptable in our line of work because we could back up the claim. Arrogance was seldom appreciated in anyone else.
“Half up front,” Angelo said, looking me dead in the eye.
Dante hissed a breath through his teeth. “Forget it,” he said, getting up from his seat. “We’ll find someone else.”
“Be my guest.” Angelo mimicked Dante’s action.
“Enough,” I told them firmly. Dante looked at me, jaw set but he didn’t fight me on the matter. I hadn’t expected to play referee between the cousins but that had been an oversight on my behalf. Usually, I was happy to let Dante run a little rogue but not with this.
There was another reason for requesting Angelo aside from having the desired skills to track Xavier down without raising alarm bells. He was easily accessible through Dante and desperate for money. My question had never been if Angelo would work for us, but at what price.
Three years ago, Angelo had gotten in touch with Dante out of the blue. No middleman or messenger. I’d been with Dante at the time when he answered the call. An unfortunate sporting injury had seen Angelo require extensive surgery and left him with a hefty medical bill and an unsightly limp. For all of the ignorance his family showed towards Dante’s existence, they knew that he made more than enough money to keep him comfortable, and then some. A fact that was proven time and again, thanks to the way his mother now lived in the lap of luxury. So, of course, finding himself in a bind, Angelo had turned to the only family he knew could get him out of trouble fast.
Dante had zero interest in helping Angelo and the care went into negative values when Angelo mentioned repairing his relationship with his family. Angelo had been left to rot, and Dante slept soundly at night. Only, Angelo did not rot like we expected him to. There were vague whispers about shady business at high prices. He’d gotten creative. Good for him but nothing we wanted to invest in. Until now.
“You’ll have it by the end of the day,” I said. Business was all about striking a compromise and we didn’t have time to keep ironing out the details. If money was his main motivator, which we knew it was, then he could have it. “Half now, and half when you finish the job.”
There was a brief pause before he said, “I guess I should make myself at home.”
“What?” Dante looked ready to burst a blood vessel.
“Flights are expensive, cousin,” Angelo said with a smirk.
“If you think—”
I swooped in, “We expect a quick turnaround for the price you’ve negotiated, Angelo. It’s a matter of urgency.”
I almost admired Angelo’s ability to seize an opportunity. Whether it was to ease up the costs at home or looking for a more permanent position with us, he was about to settle here. I wouldn’t argue with him. It’d be easier to keep an eye on him at home and Mia would be more than happy to let Dante move in if it came down to that. He was at the house more often than not since Link had been born.
“Keep out of my way,” Dante told him through gritted teeth.
“You’ll only hear from me if it’s to do with work,” Angelo replied. I owed Dante big time for this.
The front door closed, and we paused as a dog barked and it was shushed. A few moments later, Cerb padded into the room, leash trailing along behind him, and assessed us all before deciding we weren’t worth the effort and returned to his usual position by Mia’s legs.
“I called at work to ask if you wanted to grab some lunch together, but Theo said neither of you had shown up this morning,” she said, yet to look up as she adjusted Link to a more comfortable position. Dom was directly behind Mia and his eyes instantly flicked to the unfamiliar face in the room. Our son wriggled in her arms and I caught sight of his chubby fist clocking her on the chin. “Lincoln Charles, you are a whole load of trouble in a tiny bundle of cuteness,” Mia told him, taking his hand and pretending to devour it.
“I’ll see you at home,” Dom told her. “If you need me, just call.” He excused himself from the room, aware that this conversation didn’t require his presence.
Getting up from my seat, I crossed the room and plucked him out of Mia’s grasp, giving her a quick kiss. “Didn’t I tell you to keep clear of work?” Link’s hand went straight to my beard as he squealed with delight. Rather me than his momma. I’d spent plenty of mornings watching Mia untangle our tot from her hair.
“Am I interrupting something?” Mia asked, ignoring my question as she finally looked up and took in the room.
“Mia, my absolute displeasure to introduce you to my cousin, Angelo,” Dante drawled with a pained expression.
“Mia.” Angelo rolled her name in his mouth and instinctively I straightened up at her side. He took a step forward and extended a hand towards her.
“Keep your hands and your eyes to yourself,” I warned him, putting an end to any idea before it had time to take root and flourish. Cerb shared the same sentiments, a low growl emitting from the floor where he’d settled.
Angelo flashed me a shit eating grin, the same one that appeared on Dante’s face whenever he had a bad idea. It was a vivid reminder that despite the fact I called Dante my brother, he heralded from an entirely different pool of genetics. “You must have a hard time keeping them away from this one, Lucas.”
“Not really,” Mia told him, a smile in place but I could see the tightness in the gesture. She made no move to take his hand. Instead, she placed one tenderly on my arm. “Most men aren’t stupid enough to try.”
“I think that all depends on if they think it’s worth chasing after and causing the upset,” Angelo mused.
“Angelo,” Dante said, mouth in a thin line as he put a heavy hand on his cousin’s shoulder, causing Angelo to buckle under the pressure. “He broke my arm and put two men in the ground for her. Just do your job and attempt not to get killed.”
“That’s a joke,” Angelo replied, colour fading from his face. The cocky demeanour disappeared in record time. For him, our reality was a rumour not quite steeped in truth.
“No joke,” Mia told him before we could get in there. Less and less, she waited for me to take the lead and it drove me mad. Watching how she had changed from the quiet woman who watched the way we worked to the person who could handle her own business was stunning to witness. “He’d do anything for me. For our family.”
There was no doubt in my mind about that. Mia had become my priority and now Link had joined the top spot. After the mess of her leaving and the way I handled it, I promised myself that she’d know that she had me in her corner for the rest of our lives together.
“So, do your job. Do it well. And leave,” Dante listed out for him.
“If there’s nothing else,” I said as Link began to whine. “Mia, you wanted to do lunch?” She looked at me and nodded her head. I knew she’d be happy to get out of there as soon as possible, thanks to Angelo’s dumb move. She’d never appreciate attention from anyone other than me, a fact that I relished in. “Angelo, expect to see the money soon but I want you on the job now. Dante will give you the footage we have from around the areas the shootings happened. Start there.” As an afterthought, I added, “And you don’t leave this house. No one can kn
ow you’re here, and I’m not above making sure you can’t walk again if you disobey that order.”
I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “I’m on it.”
As I went to turn, I saw Dante mouth ‘you fucker’ and I made a mental note to add a bonus to his pay packet for all the shit we’d burdened him with.
Chapter Seven
Lucas
“Boss.” Dante poked his head around the office door, and I looked up from the paperwork in front of me. He was rosy-cheeked and wore a smile that bordered more along the lines of a grimace. “We have a small problem.”
“Deal with it,” I told him and went back to the papers. I’d neglected it for long enough and couldn’t ignore it any longer.
“No, thanks. This problem is 5’10, blonde and has a shitty attitude.”
The description made me look up and the corner of my mouth pulled into a half smile. It had taken Gabe a little longer than I’d anticipated to turn up, but I was grateful that he’d chosen the office rather than the house. Mia didn’t need to deal with any more shit. His issue was with me. Not my family. Not necessarily.
“Is he in there?” Gabe’s voice sounded behind Dante.
“Let him in,” I said.
“You should really work on your people skills, Gabe,” Dante said as Gabe pushed past him into the room. “People might mistake you for someone with a rod up his ass. You wouldn’t want them to get the wrong impression, would you?”
“I’m glad Tori dumped your ass,” Gabe hissed in return. “Finally realised how much of an idiot you are. I’ve been telling her for years that you weren’t worth her time.”
All traces of amusement left Dante’s face. Gabe had struck him in the one place where it would hurt. Although the breakup had needed to happen, made it safer for us overall, I didn’t enjoy seeing my brother in pain. Dante still moped around like a wounded dog when there was a lull in the day, giving into the misery and heartbreak when nothing else required his attention.
