Page 15 of Fortress of the Brave

DANTE

TWO WEEKS LATER

When I geta call to meet Angelo and the guys downtown at the Wharf, I instantly know there’s trouble brewing.

Angelo has been tracking the kidnapping of his new squeeze, Rayne Michaelson’s sister Mia.

Rayne admitted her motives and told Angelo what she was sent to do, and that she’s been playing him for weeks.

Through a weird twist of fate, Rayne and Angelo have reached some kind of understanding, which is very strange for my brother. He’s killed for less.

I know Angelo has developed real feelings for Rayne in the short time he’s known her, and I’m unsure at this point if that’s a good thing.

The great thing about my brother owning everyone in Boston, means that no stone goes unturned when he wants to find someone. And he plans on getting her sister back and finding out who has been orchestrating this.

Vaughan, our long-time hacker, has a location he traced through Rayne’s phone.

I’ve never questioned my brother's motives on anything, Angelo will always do what is best for the familia, but I don’t understand this. It’s like he’s lost his marbles and he is thinking with his dick.

“This is some fucking serious shit,” I say to Fynn as we get into his Porche 911 Turbo. He turns the key and throttles the engine loudly.

He grins at me when I give him a side-eye. “What?”

“Could you be any more fucking irritating?”

“What I wanna know is, why the fuck is Angelo going to all this trouble when the woman trying to kill him was right under his nose all along?”

“Because he doesn't believe it’s her at all. She was being bribed, not that that’s any excuse.”

Fynn shakes his head. “She’s fucked. That’s all there is to it. Angelo will get what he wants and get rid of her.”

I’m not so sure.

“If she were truly against him, he’d have already killed her.”

Fynn drives like a lunatic, pulling out of Fortress rapidly and onto the street.

“Jesus, bro,” Fynn snorts. “Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft too.”

“I’m just saying, we’ve met her. She doesn’t exactly scream assassin to me.”

“Our enemies never do,” he reminds me.

“Oh, it gets better. She hired Enzo to try and find the person who’s been calling and bribing her. When she hired him, she didn’t know he was Angelo’s best friend and head of his surveillance and security team.”

Fynn shakes his head. “Fuck’s sake.”

“Tell me about it.”

“But that hardly makes her girlfriend of the year, Dante. I don’t know why Angelo isn’t taking this a little more seriously.”

“He cares for her, that’s why.”

Fynn turns to look at me. “Angelo cares for a woman? I never thought I’d see the day, but trust him to fall for the woman who wanted him dead twenty-four hours ago.”

“It’s cause for concern,” I agree. “But Angelo knows what he’s doing.”

He sighs and flicks the radio on. “I never thought I’d see the day Angelo was being led around by his cock.”

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