Page 29 of Dirty Behavior

Vince, well. . . He took to drinking his away.

“You know what they say. . .” Vince twisted the cap, tossing it onto the counter and stalking back.

“I don't, what do they say?” Watching him closely, I could see how much of a fucking mess he had become.

The white shirt he had on was speckled in yellow stains, his hair was all frizzy and knotted, deep gray hollows highlighted the brims of his eyes. He looked nothing like the man I'd left behind.

Obviously he'd let go of what our business demanded; a sharp, mean appearance, well groomed and professional.

This was the bottom of the barrel. It looked like he had thrown himself off a tall cliff, only to get up and keep going.

“It's five o'clock somewhere.” Taking a sip, his lips hissed as he swallowed. “You've never heard that before?” Holding out a single finger, he squinted with his question.

Shaking my head no, I folded my hands and rested them on the table.

“Huh, I thought everyone's heard that one before.” Shrugging his shoulders, he took another long chug. “Sorry about your old man, Dante, it really sucks. The whole crew is really pissed about the whole thing. Are you planning on stepping up, taking your rightful seat on the throne?”

Thinning my lips, I nodded a heavy 'no'.

That was something I couldn't even think about doing until I finished with Remo. I couldn't concentrate on anything else, let alone what it would take to fill my father's shoes.

“Seriously? You know Sesto—”

Holding up my hand, I cut him off. “That's not why I'm here. Vince, I need your help.”

Fuck my brother, he's the last thing on my mind right now.

Arching his brows, his head fell to his shoulder. “Help with what?”

Twirling my thumbs, all my years of training rolled in like the fog on a humid summer morning. My spine clicked one vertebrae at a time until I was straight, my lips curled into my signature devil's grin.

I didn't even have to think about it anymore, I had done this dance so many times before that it all came so naturally.

“I've got a job for you,for us.There's something I need to do and I'll need your help.”

“Help,” Vince chuckled, rolling his eyes. “When in your life have you ever really needed me for anything?” Placing his beer down on the hard granite, he pressed his palms into the edge of the counter. “Seriously, Dante, what the hell are you trying to ask me?”

I wasn't going to skirt around what I needed or try and work him up with excitement until what I asked him for didn't matter. I was just going to spit it out.

“I want you to help me kill Remo.”

Choking on his own breath of air, he chuckled between gulps. “You're fucking with me, right?”

“I'm serious, he killed my father, he deserves to pay for it.” There was no uncertainty in my voice, no regret for even saying the words out loud.

Not only did I know it was what I wanted, but I felt it in every bone in my fucking body.

Vince stared at me, his charred eyes searching my face. “How do you even know it was him?”

“Because I know.” Keeping my head up, my lips pulled in tight as I spoke.

Swallowing hard, Vince's head fell down, staring at the bottle in his hand. “What ever happened to that whore we took? I heard you ran off with the bitch.”

Gritting my teeth, my fists clenched tight. My heart thumped in double beats, the thick sinew around my bones hardened. I was ready to charge him, knock his head off his shoulders, and just say fuck it. I didn't really need him anyway.

All I wanted him for was a diversion. It was no sweat off my back if he laid there on his floor with a broken neck, wheezing for air until the world around him finally faded to black.

But I needed help, even if I didn't want to ask for it.

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