Page 32 of Chaos & Carnage

He smirks, and I lean in to press a chaste kiss against his lips. He chases my lips when I pull away, growling when I don’t let him catch them. His possessiveness has a smirk pulling at my own lips, one that mirrors his from a moment ago, before I feel a finger curling around the loose strands of my hair, tugging slightly.

Turning my head, my eyes clash with Dante’s, and like a whirlpool, I’m immediately sucked in. He drags me out of Enzo’s lap and into his own, positioning me, so we’re face-to-face with his forehead resting against mine. “Mia vita,” he purrs, his voice low for only me to hear. “If you asked for it, I’d give you the world. I’d buy you a diamond-encrusted crown, bow at your feet, and watch in wonder as you ruled like the Queen I know you are. You have given me everything—more than I could have ever imagined. I was lost in the dark, fumbling blindly before you stepped in and lit up my whole world. You saved me not only from my father, but from myself. If all you want is for me to not murder these assholes, then I can give you that.”

Ah, he was doing so well until that last part.

“You know, if you set your jealousies aside, you might actually find you like one another.”

He gives me a wry look. “Doubtful, but for you, I’ll try.”

With a tilt of my chin, our lips brush. “Thank you.” I let him see the sincerity in my eyes. I hold his gaze for a while, not wanting to break this moment when he has all of his walls down, offering me one of those rare and valued glimpses into all the soft emotions that make up Dante’s core—whether he recognizes that or not. “Although, I wouldn’t say no to a diamond-encrusted crown.”

A deep rumble reverberates through his chest and works its way up his throat before bubbling out in a laugh—another rarity that I add to my Dante treasure trove of precious moments not to be forgotten. “Consider it done.”

I hesitate, unsure if he’s being serious or not. He knows I was joking, right? Not wanting to get sidetracked right now, I press a final kiss to his lips before turning to face Cain, the only one left. He studies me with all the ferocity of a bulldog. The silence drags out for so long that I feel Dante tense beneath me, as though he’s about to storm over there and force Cain to agree. I’m not so concerned, though. I’m not worried that Cain is going to walk away or say no. He’s just taking this time to think through how this would indeed work. It’s one thing for everyone to agree to get along, but how does that agreement look in practical situations? How does it transfer to everyday life? And that is what Cain is currently figuring out, because he’s not one to promise something he can’t keep.

“As long as you’re not expecting us to braid each other’s hair and suddenly be all buddy-buddy, then you know I’m all in with you.”

I huff out a laugh. “I think that would be a little weird, even for me.”

Cain lifts one side of his lips in a half-smile. “I dunno how you’re going to keep us all in line, but if anyone can, it’s you.”

A few ideas—absolutely filthy ones that resemble my dream from this morning—come to mind of how I could get them to see the benefits of teamwork, but I fight to keep any hint of them from showing on my face. While I could probably rely on Enzo and maybe even Oliver to play along, Cain, and especially Dante, will take a lot more convincing. Besides, now isn’t exactly the time for all of us to strip off our clothes and start an orgy in the middle of the living room. There will be plenty of time for that later. In the meantime, we have vengeance to plan and people to kill.

Chapter 12

We spent the rest of the day planning a suitable strategy—one that doesn’t involve us going in half-cocked and unprepared. Everyone agreed that removing the easier threat first makes sense—the Grim Bastards. So long as they are running around the city doing Giovanni’s bidding, they pose a risk to us. By removing them, Giovanni will be forced to send out his own men, and possibly even get his own hands dirty for once.

Cain and Oliver provided us with some idea of the layout of the Bastards’ compound—an old fire station—and once we had a plan in place, we filed next door to fill Marcus in.

“I’m coming with you,” he insists as soon as Cain is finished getting him up to speed. All six of us are crammed into the small kitchen, Marcus, Cain, Oliver, and myself situated around the table while Dante and Enzo lean against the kitchen counters.

“So are we,” a voice from behind me says, and I turn, already knowing what I’m going to see.Yup.Jon, Tank, Rampage, Luc, and a couple of other kids have gathered in the doorway, obviously eavesdropping on our conversation.

“It’s rude to listen into other people’s conversations,” Cain growls.

“It’s rude to exclude us simply because we’re not as old as you.”

Cain’s head whips around, glaring murderously at Jon, and I swear I notice Enzo cover a laugh behind his hand. “What did you just call me? New club rules, if you can’t grow a full beard, you can’t come on dangerous jobs.”

“That’s bullshit,” Tank speaks up. “Everything we do is dangerous. Hell,weare dangerous. We’d be an asset on this job, and you know it.”

“That was before you eavesdropped on a conversation you weren’t privy to and started talking to me as if I don’t have the final say inwhatyou do.”

“I think he’s just pissy cause you called him old,” Enzo, oh so helpfully, interjects.

Tank’s shoulders shake in silent laughter, and I catch Jon and a couple of the other kids squashing their amusement. Cain doesn’t find the jibe funny, though, sending Enzo a very threatening glare that doesn’t faze him in the slightest.

“Look, we know everyone else is busy at the clubhouse. If you call them in on this, that leaves the clubhouse exposed and the injured vulnerable. But we are already here, ready to go, and youknowwe can do this.”

Cain’s foot repeatedly taps against the floor as he thinks, his hesitant gaze flicking to Oliver. Oliver shrugs, leaving it up to Cain but not voicing any objections. I know it can’t be an easy decision, however. Sure, from what I’ve heard, Cain has included them on dangerous jobs before, but tensions are at an all-time high now, and we’re going into that station to kill and maim and destroy, which completely changes the game.

Eventually, he flicks his gaze up to mine before pursing his lips and hissing out a, “fine.” Turning in his chair to pin the kids with a lethal stare, he tacks on, “But you do what you’re told.Exactlywhat you’re told and nothing more. If you so much as breathe without my say-so, you’ll be under house arrest until the end of time.”

Damn, is it inappropriate that I’m getting serious Daddy Cain vibes right now? Like, I can totally picture him saying something like that to his own sons. Not that I should even be thinking about that at a time like this, when war is at our front door and death looms around every corner.

All of them nod their heads in understanding, but my focus is lasered in on Luc. When he glances my way, I give him a look that makes it very damn clear that he’s not going on this little mission with the others. I may be okay with him taking part in some aspects of club life, but not this, not yet, and not after what he’s just been through.

“I know,” he says, looking at me. “I’m staying here. I know I’ll only be in the way, and I don’t want to be the reason anything happens to any of you.”

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