Page 74 of Little Bird (Advantage Play 3)

With a sigh, he sets down his pen then squeezes the back of his neck while eyeing me warily. “What is it?”

“I know he disobeyed your order—”

“Then you know he must be punished for it. I warned him, along with everyone else in this very room, about what would happen if he touched her without my consent.”

“I remember,” I whisper, approaching him slowly.

“What else does she expect me to do, Ace?” he asks, finally giving me a glimpse of his wariness. “My men need to know that there are repercussions for their actions, and they sure as hell need to know that if I give them an order, they have no choice but to follow it. Family comes first. Always.”

“I agree. There should be repercussions for his actions—”

“He disobeyed me!” His frustrations finally burst through the seams as he slams his open palm against the surface of his desk.

“He did,” I acknowledge in a soft voice while ignoring his outburst. “And you’re right. There should be repercussions for his decision. But tell me this, King.” I round the corner and sit in his lap before gently touching the side of his chiseled jaw. “If it were between the family and me, who would you choose?”

“That’s not fair,” he argues.

“It isn’t,” I tell him. “But that’s exactly what you did to him.”

“It’s different.”

“It really isn’t,” I repeat, leaning forward and pressing my mouth to his in a quick kiss. “He’s a Romano, Kingston. And I can guarantee that if it were any other order, he’d follow it to a T, but you demanded an impossible task, and you know it.”

“I have an obligation to this family—”

“And he has an obligation to her,” I argue. “He loves her, Kingston. He’s been loyal to this family with every other task you’ve thrown at him. I’d like to think that, if the roles were reversed, you’d do the same for me. That our love would be all-consuming and that you’d have no choice but to be there for me the same way Dex has been there for Gigi.”

“Then what would you have me do, Wild Card? If I let him off the hook, then my men will think I’m weak. They’ll think I’m picking favorites. They won’t take my orders seriously. They’ll question my judgment. And they sure as hell won’t respect me or my position as the head of this family. You know I can’t let that happen.”

The worry lines around his eyes nearly break me because I know he doesn’t show them to anyone else. Ever. But he’s showing them to me. Leaning forward, I press another kiss to his mouth, lingering a little longer this time. When I pull away, his eyes are closed, but his lips part to release a slow sigh like he can finally breathe for just a second.

Satisfied, I continue, “You’re right. You need to remind your men that there are consequences of disobeying an order. But you also need to show your sister that you love her. And you need to show your best friend’s brother a little grace when, if the roles were reversed, I’d like to think you’d make the same mistake for me.”

His gaze snaps to mine before his fingers find the back of my neck, digging into my flesh as he pulls me forward and punishes me with a forceful kiss that makes my toes curl.

“I’d kill for you, Ace. And you know I’d die for you too.”

“And so would Dex. Demand his loyalty, but understand that there’s only one person who will ever come before the Romano family. Besides, wouldn’t you want that for your sister? Someone who would kill for her but die for her too?”

His silence is answer enough, but I wait for him to come to the same conclusion that I know he will if I give him a little time.

After a few minutes, he mutters, “Take Regina to her room. And inform her that her punishment will be witnessing me administer Dex’s.”

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t push me, Ace,” he snaps.

With a gulp, I lick my lips then nod. “Okay.”

Chapter Forty-Five

Dex

A bead of sweat slides down my back as the seconds tick by. I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting in this damn metal chair, but my ass is starting to go numb.

Gingerly, I shift in my seat before glancing toward the foreboding cabinet in the corner near the back wall. Stefan leans his shoulder against it, finally ending his incessant pacing as he pulls out his phone to check the time. Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels anxious.

“What time is it?” I mutter, breaking the heavy silence.

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