Page 145 of Where the Wicked Reign

I picked up my pace now no one was around to notice my urgency, and headed for the room right at the far end of the long corridor.

I quickly dipped into another, the door fortunately already open—and the space empty—when I heard footsteps, and I discreetly watched as the guy who’d led Julian up here left back down the corridor, returning to the party.Party,my ass. It was more like a funeral combined with the world’s driest business meeting. No music, everyone merely talking business, no actual celebration of the wedding at all.

I dipped out of the room, then concealed myself as I peered inside the one Julian had disappeared into.

“Hmm, well, this clearly isn’t the bathroom,” he said, shoving his hands into his pants pockets as he regarded Angelo, just like I’d suspected. He was standing there in a broad stance, clad in a checkered black suit that was similar to Santino’s.

“No. I had one of my guys lead you this way so we could have words,” he told Julian.

Amusement sparked in Julian’s hazel eyes.

I winced.

That wouldn’t go down well with the likes of that shithead.

Neither would his mocking tone that followed as he responded, “And what could we possibly have to talk about?”

“The disrespect you threw my way at the Business Forum.”

“Disrespect? Hmm, no. I don’t recall anything of the sort. In fact, I distinctly rememberyoucoming at me, wherein I then defended myself and you realized you’d bitten off more than you could chew.”

Goddammit, Sunshine.

“More than I could chew?” Angelo ground out, stalking up to him.

Julian met it head on and I saw his eyes darken.

It was very rare for him to get to that state, anywhere similar to that darkness that flowed through Nico and now also Caterina.

But there was one surefire thing that could bring it out in him.

And that was when his personal power was under threat. When somebody tried to intimidate and bully him. It was one of his trauma responses to what his father had done to him for too many years.

This sort of thing that Angelo was bringing to the table sparked hisfightresponse in a major way.

I made a move to intervene, reminding myself that it couldn’t be physically given that Angelo was basically—if not actually by title—Santino’s second and as such couldn’t be touched with this new alliance in effect, but then a commotion coming from down the hall drew my attention.

A second later, I caught sight of Santino himself dragging none other than Bianca Leone down the corridor by her hair, with two of his guards following.

They’d come in through the back way out of sight of all the guests.

None of us had any idea that Caterina’s mother would be here today. She was supposed to be keeping away at her spa retreat vacation. Santino must have forced her back here. And the way it was looking, he’d done so to harm her, if not kill her.

God-fucking-dammit.

As the door slammed, I turned back to Julian and Angelo.

My boy was standing his ground as Angelo got up in his space. “I want you on your knees kissing the ring with a heartfelt apology,” Angelo hissed at him, stroking his goatee.

Julian’s lips twisted in a rare, nasty smirk. “If anyone is gonna be on their knees, it’s you. For me. And that’s what this is really about, isn’t it? Your closeted need for just that.”

“Shut your fucking mouth!” Angelo roared in his face.

He raised his hand.

And that was it for Julian.

He’d never allow an overbearing male figure to strike him again.

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