Page 39 of Bloody Union

Makenna reaches for my hand under the table and squeezes. “Listen to me, Alessio. Maddie is my friend, she’s not just some random woman you can fuck. She’s had enough of arseholes to last her a lifetime. You want a quick screw, go find someone else, I’m sure there’s plenty of willing women. Just not her.”

The table is silent as we wait for either of them to say something. When Alessio sits back in his chair, I know that he’s not going to respond to her. She turns to me, a small smile on her face. “Ready to go?”

I nod and slide out of the booth pulling her with me, her smile widens and she leans into my body. Her softness and curves makes my dick stir, as it does whenever I’m around her. “You okay, baby?”

Her eyes flash with irritation, “Baby?”

Ah so that’s what she’s pissed about. “What would you like me to call you?” I ask as we leave the restaurant.

“I can name a few,” Romero comments. “Psycho is the most obvious one.”

Makenna’s lips twitch, “It takes one to know one, Romero.”

He scoffs, “Please, I’m perfectly normal in comparison.”

Both Alessio and I chuckle at their banter, Makenna throws her head back and laughs, “Wrong. I’m well-adjusted to what I am Romero. I don’t hide behind the darkness, in fact, I embrace it. It’s who I am, who we all are. Let your crazy come out to play sometime.” She fucking winks at him leaving him standing there slack-jawed, watching her walk away.

I slap him on the back as Makenna climbs into the car. “What the hell?” he mutters once she closes the door. “How the hell does she know so much about us?”

I walk around to the front of the car, “I have no idea. What I have learned is that she’s fucking smart, intuitive, and savvy. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s done a whole lot of research before marrying me. After what Dad did to her, I wouldn’t put it past her. Know your enemy and all that.”

He nods and we climb into the car.

“I did research you. All of you,” she says once she pulls into traffic letting me know that she heard our conversation. “But I know more by observing. Romero, you’re the quiet one. You’ve stood in the shadows of your brother for too long.”

“Look, Kenna,” he says and I know from him calling her by her name, he likes her. Not that I didn’t already know, but having him call her Kenna cements that. “I get that you’re a badass, but you know nothing about me.”

She nods, but her face is void of emotion. “Okay, if you say so.”

“Oh, wise one, enlighten me,” he quips as he rolls his eyes.

Makenna’s lips twitch. “Fine,” she spits. “You’re the middle child, the one that was overlooked. Your mom, because Alessio was the youngest, meaning she spent more time with him than you. Your father, because he was grooming Dante to take over the empire. You had to find your ground and you did, but not in the way you had thought.”

“Keep going,” he says, his jaw clenched tight.

“I don’t know what happened, but I can guess. How old were you when you killed first?” she asks but she doesn’t let him answer. “My guess, you were young, probably not even a teenager. It shaped you, made you believe that you had something inside that needed caging. You may have even been told that.”

He nods and I glance at Alessio, he’s watching enthralled, but wary, we didn’t know this about Romero. “Mom was the first one to find me after I had killed the men.”

Makenna sighs, “What did she tell you?”

“That I was a monster, that whatever was inside was evil just like our dad.” His words are cold and even though he’s hiding it, I can tell that what our mother said stuck with him.

Makenna’s grip on the steering wheel tightens. “You are not a monster. We are not monsters. What we do isn’t easy. Not everyone could do it. Look I’m not blowing smoke up your ass, you’re Dante’s brother and I could have left you and not asked you to take over one of my cities, but I have. You can control your emotions, you’re able to keep cool despite what’s going on around you, and if need be, you’re able to kill without hesitation. That’s not being a monster.”

Silence fills the car. I look at my wife, she’s fucking beautiful and she’s right. Romero has more potential than what he’s been given.

“What is it called then?” Alessio asks.

“It’s called beingmade. It’s what we do. It’s who we are. It’s ingrained in us from a young age. Sometimes, people are born with it, like Alessio and Dante. And other times, we’re shaped to become them, like Romero and I are. The difference between us and them, is when we cross the line, there’s no coming back.”

“How far have you gone?” Romero asks and it’s as though they’re talking another language because I have no idea what the hell they’re talking about.

“Further than you. I’ve killed more men than I can count. Including family.”

Romero nods and sits back in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest and closes his eyes. “What do you think would be the best course of action to take over as the Underboss of Connecticut?”

My lips twitch, good, he’s finally taking this seriously.

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