Page 124 of Toxic

Dante circles his arm around my waist, tugging me close to him. "I'm taking Bridget home and need to speak with Tully. We'll talk when I return."

Angelo's dark eyes turn to slits. He scowls at Dante, but Dante seems unfazed. Angelo finally turns to me and kisses my cheek. "It's good to see you, Bridget."

"Thanks. You, too," I reply.

Dante whisks me past Angelo, and we step outside. His driver's waiting. We get into the back of the SUV.

As soon as the door shuts, I turn to him. "Your father is upset with you, isn't he?"

Dante snorts. "When isn't he?"

Surprised, I ask, "He usually is?"

Dante shrugs. "Lately."

"I'm sorry. Maybe if I had told you—"

"Don't, Bridget."

"But—"

He pulls me onto his lap, holding my head firmly. "One way or another, Giulio and all those other Abruzzo thugs were dying. Let's not rehash it."

His statement doesn't reduce my worry. Several moments of silence fill the air until he leans into my ear. "We've got ten minutes until we're at your place. Tell me again how much you love me."

25

Dante

A Month Later

Papà pointshis finger in Gianni's face, seething, "I've warned you to stay away from Cara at the club."

Gianni's face hardens. He grinds his molars, scowling at Papà. "I told you what I do at the club isn't your concern."

"Not my concern!" Papà shouts, his eyes widening in rage.

I cringe, wishing my brother wouldn't respond to Papà with defiance. If he would shut his mouth and not say anything, the lecture would go quicker. But it isn't in his wheelhouse. Hell, most of the time, it's not in mine.

Gianni knows he's disobeyed our father again. For some reason, he can't stay away from Cara. The more she insists on seeing Uberto, the worse decisions Gianni seems to make. His latest stint of drinking too much, barreling through Abruzzo security, and attempting to make Cara leave with him wasn't the brightest of ideas.

Plus, the Abruzzos aren't the only ones pissed. The heads of all the families got together to discuss banning Gianni from the club.

I'm on Papà's side on this one. Gianni is acting recklessly. If he loses access to the club, we're going to have major issues. Still, I can't watch him take Papà's lashing and not interject. "I think what Gianni meant to say—"

"Don't you dare stick up for him!" Papà threatens, pinning his steely gaze on me.

I exhale through my nose, clenching my jaw, trying to exhibit self-control instead of speaking.

"Is there a point to this conversation?" Gianni spouts.

I cringe inside then glare at my brother, unsure why he can't see that riling up Papà isn't going to help the situation.

Our father's face turns almost purple. His fists curl at his sides as he snarls, "You two are going to be the death of our family."

"Us? I didn't do anything," I claim.

Papà's anger turns toward me. "You're the next in line. Every time you excuse his behavior, you're setting yourself up for a future filled with problems."

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