Page 35 of Caged Bliss

“Not really.”

I sit back down with a groan. “The worst part is I’m distracted. I can’t even pretend like I’m not.”

“The girl?”

“Claudia. Fucking Claudia.” I close my eyes and I’m back in her apartment breathing in her smell and feeling strangely—safe.

“You have feelings for her.”

I look at my sister. I open my mouth to deny it. “I have feelings for her,” I confirm instead.

“Good for you,” she says softly, and I stare at her in surprise. She glares back and shrugs a little. “What? Everyone’s partnering up. You might as well too.”

“I don’t think you’ve ever expressed interest in romance before.”

“It’s our damn family,” she mutters as she puts away her medical equipment. “Simon and Emily have their baby. Stefania and Davide have their empire. Elena and Brody are probably humping right now as we speak. Now here you are falling for some random girl, and where’s that leave me?” She gets to her feet and slams the bag down against the table. “But I want to see you happy, even if that makes me miserable.”

I watch my strange sister and suppress a smile. “When are you not miserable, though?” I ask.

She gives me an aggrieved look. “When I’m sculpting, you prick. Speaking of which, go away now, I want to go back to work.”

“You really think I should pursue the girl?”

“If it means getting you out of my house, yes, absolutely, goodbye.” She walks off and disappears down her stairs and I hear the chisel against stone, the rapid crack and bang of hammer and steel.

Laura thinks I should pursue Claudia. What a strange world. When I left for prison, my sister could barely look me in the eye, and I distinctly remember she once said leave love for the gorillas in the zoo, I’d rather make art. Which was funny at the time but now? I’m worried about her. She’s starting to catch emotions.

Too much has changed. And I’m afraid I’m not going to catch up again.

I’m on the steps and heading to my front door when Elena ambushes me. She materializes from nowhere like the girl used some Star Trek teleporter, and she looks supremely unhappy. I feel my pulse jolt but why the hell does it matter what she’s feeling? Elena’s just my sister, not my Don.

She crosses her arms and plants her legs shoulder-width apart. “Seamus told me what you did.”

I look up at the sky and curse. That fucking Irish prick. He had one job. Well, several jobs, but keeping this away from his brother and my sister was paramount. That bastard’s not getting paid now.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I hedge, just in case.

“Revenge is stupid, Angelo.” She points a finger at me. “Vito and Roc aren’t worth your time. They’re nobodies.”

I open my front door. “Come on, you might as well yell at me inside.”

She follows me into the kitchen. I pour us both some wine, and I’m resigned to this conversation. At least Elena seems much less annoyed when she’s sitting at my island and looking around my place. Not much has changed since I went down. It’s like a relic of who I was five years ago, and I haven’t been able to do anything about that. Because I’m not sure who I am now, and how I’m different from that guy. If I’m different at all.

“Simon wants you to move on,” she says and all the bite’s gone from her voice. “What happened to you sucked. It was bullshit. Vito and Roc have been working garbage jobs since then and Paulie was basically ostracized.”

“Tommy’s doing okay for himself,” I point out.

“Because he’s useful. You know Tommy.”

I do know Tommy. Competent, clever Tommy. Self-interested and always looking for an angle. Once my best friend. Now just a name on my list.

“They fucked me. They left me there to rot.”

“Can you blame them? From what I hear, the cops were bearing down and the Serbs were trying to kill you all. It’s no wonder they ran.”

“And you’re defending cowards?” I glare at her, pulse rising. Heat fills my face.

“No, I’m telling you that they are so far beneath you that this revenge quest is worthless.” She shakes her head and holds up her hands for peace. “I understand you’re upset about Tommy and the club. If it helps, I think Simon’s wrong. You should be in charge of Cage, no matter how much money it’s been bringing in. But that’s not how the Don’s supposed to think.”

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