Page 80 of Until You Break

“He’s got a point,” he says, his tone calm but cutting. “You’ve never exactly gone for ‘normal.’ And let’s face it—Aria putting a knife to your throat is probably the closest thing to foreplay you’ve had in years.”

“Fuck both of you,” I snap, though the edge in my voice is dulled by the truth of their words. They’re not wrong, and that pisses me off even more.

Matteo shakes his head. “She’s like a damn mirror, isn’t she? All your crazy, all your darkness—wrapped up in a package that looks like she should be asking for forgiveness in a church.”

Luca watches me closely, his voice quieter but no less cutting when he speaks.

“She’s dangerous, but not just because she’s capable. It’s her willingness. The fact that she’s already done it. That she didn’t hesitate and that makes her one of us now,” he exchanges a glance with Matteo, who nods. “And we take care of our own.”

“I’ll clean it up,” Matteo says, grabbing his phone from the table. “Where’s the body?”

“Mandy’s house,” I say, running a hand through my hair. “She didn’t even try to hide it. Just left her there like a warning.”

“Fucking savage. I like her more already.” Matteo chuckles, already tapping at his phone. “We’ll make it disappear. I’ll send a crew to take care of the scene, make it look like a burglary gone wrong.”

I roll my eyes, but their approval settles something in me I didn’t realize I was waiting for. Aria is mine, has always been mine, but hearing my brothers accept her as one of us—it means something. We’re not a family who takes outsiders lightly.

I lean against the counter, arms crossed, the weight of their scrutiny less irritating than usual. They’re my brothers, and if anyone has the right to poke at my wounds, it’s them. But tonight, it’s different.

“You’re quiet,” Matteo says, his tone laced with mockery as he stretches out on the couch, his feet kicking over an empty beer bottle. “That guilt finally catching up to you, or are you too busy thinking about how you’re gonna handle Little Miss Bloodstained upstairs?”

“God, you’re annoying,” I snap, but there’s no real bite in my voice. Matteo lives to push buttons, and I’ve grown too used to it.

Luca smirks, pushing off the edge of the pool table and crossing the room to grab another beer.

“He’s right, though,” he says, popping the cap off with a flick of his wrist. “You’ve got that look on your face. The one that says you’re overthinking instead of acting.”

I glare at Luca as he leans against the counter, sipping his beer like he’s got me all figured out. He always does this—acts like he’s above it all, like he’s the calm, collected one when I know damn well he’s just as twisted as the rest of us. If not more.

“I’m not overthinking shit,” I mutter, my voice rough as I push off the counter and pace again. “I’m just trying to figure out what the hell comes next.”

“What comes next?” Matteo snorts, his grin widening as he sprawls across the couch. “What comes next is you stop pretending you don’t love that she’s as fucked up as you are. You don’t plan for someone like her, Dom. You keep her close, keep her happy, and make damn sure no one else gets the chance to steal her.”

“Matteo’s got a point,” Luca says, his tone casual as he sets his beer down on the counter. “You’ve been looking for control your whole damn life, but with her? You don’t need control. You need chaos. Someone who doesn’t flinch when you bare your teeth.”

“She’s not just chaos,” I say, stopping mid-pace to glare at both of them. “She’s a fucking hurricane. And the only reason she’s not tearing through everything I’ve built is because she wants me.”

“Exactly,” Luca says, his voice calm. “She wants you. Do you know how rare that is? Not your name, not your power, not what you can do for her. Just you.”

I snort, dragging a hand through my hair as I lean against the counter again.

“She doesn’t know anything about our name, Luca. Not what it means, not what it’s cost us to earn the kind of respect we have in this town.” My voice is bitter as I look at both of them. “And she sure as hell doesn’t know what it takes to keep that respect.”

Matteo raises an eyebrow, leaning forward on the couch, his grin slipping into something more serious. “And you think that’s a bad thing? You want her to know everything? To be neck-deep in it?”

“No,” I snap, my voice sharper than I intended. “I want to keep her out of it.”

Luca tilts his head, studying me with that cold, calculating gaze of his. “You’re worried she’ll run,” he says, his voice even, almost detached. “Or are you worried she won’t?”

That question hangs in the air; heavy and suffocating. I glare at him, but the bastard doesn’t flinch. He knows he hit a nerve.

“She won’t run,” I say finally. “That’s not what scares me.”

Matteo shakes his head. “You’re scared she’ll dive right in, aren’t you? That she’ll see the worst of us,of you, and she won’t even flinch.” I don’t answer, but the look on my face must say enough because Matteo barks out a laugh. “Holy shit, Dom. You’ve got yourself a real one.”

I sigh and run a hand over my face. “She doesn’t know we’ve got half the town in our pocket, or that the other half is too scared to cross us. She has no idea what I can really doand thinks I’m just some asshole who runs a garage with his brothers.”

“And that’s a problem?” Luca asks. “She wants you, not the reputation. That’s what you’ve been bitching about wanting your whole life. So what’s the problem?”

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