Page 41 of Tower of Temptations

"A bit late for that." Luca sprawled in his chair. "Or did you miss how she handled herself at breakfast?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on," Rocco snorted. "We all saw her walk in. Like she owned the place."

"Like she belonged there," Angelo said softly, and something in his tone made us all pause.

The silence stretched, heavy with things we'd all been avoiding.

"Fuck it, I'll say it." Luca knocked back his drink. "We're all thinking it. The way she's getting under everyone's skin. How she sees each of us differently but perfectly."

"Careful," Nico warned, but there wasn't much heat in it.

"She makes me want to be gentle again," Vincenzo admitted quietly. "Haven't felt that in years."

"She laughs at my jokes," Luca said. "Real ones. Not the fake shit I'm used to."

"It's more than that though." I found myself saying what we'd all been dancing around. "The way she fits. With all of us."

"Christ." Giuliano ran a hand through his hair. "You realize what you're suggesting?"

"Wouldn't be the first time we've shared something valuable," Vincenzo pointed out carefully.

"She's not a territory negotiation," Nico growled.

"No," I agreed. "She's more important."

"To all of us," Angelo added softly.

The truth of it hung in the air. Finally, Giuliano spoke:

"If we do this—if we even consider this—it has to be her choice. No pressure, no games."

"Agreed," I said immediately. "She sets the pace."

"And Vittorio?" The darkness in Rocco's voice promised violence.

"Let him come." Giuliano's eyes were pure ice. "He lost any claim to her the second he caged her."

"So we're really doing this?" Luca asked, something like wonder in his voice. "All of us?"

"If she wants it," I said. "If she chooses it."

"And if she doesn't?" Angelo's question carried weight.

"Then we protect her anyway," Giuliano said firmly. "She's ours now. Whether she takes one of us or all of us or none of us."

My phone buzzed; another report from the docks. Vittorio's men moving in formation. The details made something cold settle in my gut—strange construction permits, specialized storage facilities with requirements I'd never seen in legitimate shippingmanifests. Something about the patterns felt wrong in a way that made my skin crawl. Whatever Vittorio was planning, it wasn't just about territory anymore.

I tucked the phone away. Some revelations were too dark for tonight, not when we'd finally acknowledged what was growing between all of us and Pearl. Tomorrow's meeting would come soon enough. Tonight was about something else entirely.

"Let him come," Giuliano said softly, dangerously. "We've got something worth fighting for now."

Looking at these men—my brothers in everything but blood—I knew we'd stand together, no matter what came next.

Like it was always meantto be.

21

---