Page 24 of Blood Lust

I’d told him six months, but I didn’t intend to let her go again.

“Call Mario in. My bastard brother has some explaining to do.”

“You wanted to see me?” Mario announced as Pietro showed him into my office. Many people might not have noticed the insolence that flashed in his gaze, but I did.

“Have a seat,” I told him as I stared him in the eye.

He unbuttoned his suit jacket and pushed it open as he sat down in one of the chairs opposite my desk. Then he crossed one ankle over his knee and leaned back as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

Wanting the position of power, I stood up and looked down at him. Then I leaned forward, resting my weight on my splayedfingertips. I cut directly to the chase. “Why didn’t you tell me Antonio had skimmed money for his gambling?”

Mario had the good sense to be concerned, though his only tell was his hard swallow. “He’s an old man who has been with our family for most of his life. I intended to cover his loss myself.”

“Myfamily,” I corrected with an arched brow, knowing it would piss him off. I only needed one excuse to take him out, and I was waiting for the opening I needed.

Mario’s nostrils flared, his cheeks flushed, and his jaw clenched. “Right,” he bit out, but I didn’t miss the slight curl of his lip before he regained his control.

“I want my money.”

“I’ll get it to you by tomorrow,” he smoothly replied.

“Now,” I insisted.

“But, Gabriel, I don’t have that kind of money on me,” he shot back in a tone of mild disbelief. His foot dropped to the floor, his Italian-loafered foot landing with a thud on the rug.

“But you said you were going to cover it. You also knew that money would be due, so why didn’t you have it with you? You allowed one of our men to steal from me. You didn’t tell me. You planned to cover it up. What else were you planning, I wonder?” I mused.

“You act like it’s my fault that Lorenzo fucked my mother and knocked her up. I didn’t ask to be born a bastard, and I sure as shit didn’t ask to have him throw money at my mother instead of stepping up to the plate and being a father. You have—” he deflected, but then stopped before he said what we both knew he was thinking. ThatIheld the position he coveted—both as don, and as our father’s oldest legitimate son.

“You have until midnight to have my money to Pietro. If not, I will take it from you one way or another. Are we clear?” I pushed myself off the desk to stand upright.

“Crystal,” he gritted out. As he stood up, I could hear his teeth grinding.

“Get out of here,” I stated with a lift of my chin.

Without another word, he spun on his heel and stormed to the door. He had just wrapped his hand around the knob when I called out, “Oh, and Mario?”

His spine stiffened before he turned his head to look at me. “Yes?”

“You ever take liberties like that again and you won’t be walking out of here. You don’t touch what’s mine and lie to me without consequences. The only reason I’m giving you another chance is because my mother—our father’swife—taught me compassion. But don’t forget that our father taught me to how to maintain control of every aspect of my life. That includes taking out the trash when it’s called for,” I articulated in a cold and deadly tone.

His jaw moved back and forth, and then he gave me a curt nod.

Once the door was closed, Pietro glanced at me. “He’s gonna be trouble,” he ominously announced.

“You’re not telling me anything I don’t know.”

“Give Me Shelter”—Puddle Of Mudd

The door opened behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see my dad slowly closing it. He rested his head on the door for a brief moment.

With a frown, I spun my chair around.

“Dad?”

Startled, he jumped and held a hand to his chest.

With his face as pale as it was, that action had me rushing to him. “Dad! What’s wrong? Do I need to call an ambulance?”

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