Page 58 of Sweet Prison

“What did you say?” My voice is barely audible as I bring my face to his.

“You said I can choose,” he croaks, glaring back at me. “I’m the second-highest-ranking member of the Family. Who could be a better option to marry your sister than me?”

She’s not my fucking sister!I want to yell the words at the top of my lungs, but somehow, I make myself swallow them. He’s right. She’s not my blood, but is still my family member. I have no right to go apeshit because he’s interested in her. But regardless, I want to fucking obliterate him on the spot.

He can’t have her!the hypocritical asshole roars inside my head.

“Never,” I growl.

Salvo gets his palms on my chest and pushes me back. “Zara needs someone who can protect her. Especially with the shitstorm you intend to bring down on us all. Why the fuck didn’t you send her away with Nera?”

Because I can’t handle even the thought of being away from her.Because I want to be the one who protects her.

Yeah, but who’s going to protect her from you? From the man who’s been using her since she was a child? From her own stepbrother who has been plagued with dirty thoughts about her for the past three years?

Shut up, you dick!

The squatter in my mind has started to sing a different tune. He dogged me with his “she could have been hurt” speechthe entire way home from the mall. And more than once, he nearly slipped and showed his own covetous nature. Yet, despite everything, he’s still adamant she deserves better than what I can give her.

“Zahara is none of your concern, and she never will be. Now, get the fuck out of my sight before you loseyourspleen!” I snarl.

Salvo’s eyes flash with surprise. “Is there something between you and Zara? Is that why she’s living here, with you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I snap. “Considering the situation, it is safer for her to stay here than to live alone.”

“You were just shot at!”

“And I handled it. No one can keep Zahara safe better than I can!”

Squinting, Salvo glares at me. “If something is going on between you two, it’ll cause a scandal of epic proportions. You know how the Family is where women are concerned. Judgmental whispers. Merciless gossip. Ill repute. The rumors and stigma will follow her for the rest of her life. They’ll crucify her, Massimo.”

I let go of his shirt and meet him eyeball-to-eyeball. “There’s nothing between me and my stepsister. Never was. Never will be. And if you even consider voicing that shit ever again, I’ll fucking end you.”

Salvo adjusts his tie and steps around me, heading toward the door. “Well, I’m glad that I was wrong. Even if she wasn’t your stepsister, I can’t think of a more wretched match. Just… look at you. Behaving like a savage beast on the loose.”

The door shuts behind him with a soft click.

I turn toward the windows that face the overgrown yard and wrap my hands around the back of my head. He’s right. Fuckingright again. And he doesn’t even know the full extent of how fucked-up I actually am.

And where the hell did he get the idea of marrying Zahara? Strategically, it would be a good move for him, but is there more to it? Is there something between them?

Her life is her own. She can be with whomever she wants. Even Salvo. You have no right to feel jealous. Or angry. Betrayed. She isn’t yours and never could be.

“Changed your mind already?” I mumble. “A minute ago, your possessive ass was melting down that Salvo wanted to make her his wife.”

A lapse in judgment.

“Sure,” I snort, pushing away my voice of reason.

My vision snags on the reflection of the Spada coat of arms hanging on the opposite wall. A double-edged sword on a shield. My father had it commissioned when he became the don. I’ve never related to it more than I do now. Dark thoughts keep circling my mind. I can’t believe Salvo asked for Zahara’s hand in marriage. And my reaction? A total Neanderthal move.

Scumbag. I am a complete scumbag because, at the moment, I wish I could grab that sword and run it through my friend. Kill him for daring to lay claim to Zahara.

Fuck! I need so much damned therapy.

Salvo probably picked Zahara because it’s the most advantageous match since Nera is already married. He’d elevate his position in the Family, something Salvo has always had a boner for. I can understand his logic and ambition, yet I can’t get over him wanting someone who is mine. And that alone makes me want to kill him.

When I finally leave the dining room, it’s well after midnight. I take the file folders up to my bedroom on the third floor and then descend the stairs back down to the second.

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