Page 71 of Bossy Ex's Brother

Oh, God. I thought I was ready for the answer, but I wasn’t. My stomach fell out from under me as my entire world splintered.

Brandon just confirmed my worst fears. I was in love with a criminal.

TWENTY-EIGHT

LUCA

Fuck, I was running late.

That was the only thing on my mind, even though I should have been thinking about the fact that one of our warehouses had just been hit. By the Morettis, probably. It seemed Don Filippo finally made his move, which meant that we had to retaliate.

It was all fucking irritating because all this shit was unnecessary. This decades-old war was the most senseless thing I’d ever heard, all because of two old men’s egos. And now the rest of us had to pay for it.

I didn’t want to be doing all this bullshit fighting and planning retaliations. I wanted to be home with my family. I wanted to be there for my woman’s event launch, which was something very important to her.

I wanted to calm her nerves and then watch her face light up when everything went successfully. I wanted her to jump in my arms in celebration. And then I wanted to fuck her brains out.

But instead, I was here. Doing this.

I was supposed to be there, supporting her. I promised I would be there for her.

The smoke curled in the skies behind us as we drove away. I sighed. I didn’t feel any satisfaction in the fact that we’d destroyed their property. I was numb to everything at this point.

“Go faster,” I ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Nico, our driver for today, said. I glanced at my watch. Damn, the showcase has already started. While I wanted to go straight to the club, I didn’t want Jane to see me like this. I still smelled like smoke, and the bloodlust was burning low in my stomach. If I went there now, I would be in a bad mood and likely ruin her entire show.

I told Nico to drive me home first, so I could take a shower and maybe calm down a little. When I got home, I entered my apartment, looking at it with fresh eyes for the first time. I’d never thought much of my bachelor pad. It was nice and a little techy and sparse, but I didn’t spend enough time here to make the time or effort to decorate it.

But now, someone might be moving in. Two people, pretty soon. I had to think about making this place more family-friendly.

Or we could move somewhere new together.

Excitement spread through me. I couldn’t deny that the thought held a lot of appeal, and the pleasure single-handedly lifted my bad mood. I imagined it as I took a shower and dressed up, putting in more effort than I usually did. Not because of whatever rich bastards and high rollers were coming today but because of her.

And if any of those snotty rich bastards dared to lay a finger on her, I was going to make them sorry.

But when I got to the club, I didn’t spot Jane.

The party was in full swing, and everyone looked to be having a good time. The dancers were killing it on stage, and when I went to the back, Stella seemed to be the one running things. She was doing a good job, but she frowned when I signaled her over.

“Where is Jane?” I asked.

Stella shrugged. “Not sure. She said she had something to take care of and left.”

That didn’t sound like her. Jane wasn’t the type to abandon her post unless there was an emergency. She was so nervous about today going right that she was more likely to be micromanaging everything. She wouldn’t leave without a good reason. I was about to ask for more details when I spotted Brandon, who was heading to me with a tense look on his face.

“I fucked up,” he announced the moment he reached me.

He glanced at Stella, and she held up her hand and walked away.

“What did you do?” I growled, feeling the worry clawing in my chest. My gut feeling was telling me that this had to do with Jane.

“I messed up, man,” he said, and true regret shone in his eyes. “I thought she knew. I thought you told her.”

“Brandon, if you don’t tell me what the fuck you’re talking about, I’m going to lose it.”

“I think I inadvertently told Jane you were in the mafia,” he blurted out while cringing. “And then she left.”

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