Page 57 of Dangerous Attraction

“What the fuck? Do you seriously think I’d do something like that to you? Thatwomanloves you, Brother. Get over yourself. If you think I’d be so low to fuck someone you love, you don’t need my opinion on anything.” The line went dead, leaving me stunned.

He was right. Blood was always thicker than water. He’d never turn his back on me or betray me over a woman. Tossing my phone on my desk, I rested my elbows on the wood, resting my head in my hands, and stayed like that until Vincenzo found me.

“Fuck, Brother.” He slammed the door. “I thought you’d be happier right now.”

“I fucked up.”

“Fucked up? I thought you said you had Juan Carlos.”

“I do… it’s not that. I fucked up with Antonio and Madison.”

“What? I’m lost.” He plopped down in the chair across from me. “Am I correct in assuming the well-dressed Hispanic at your bar is involved?”

“Yeah, that’s Miguel Angel. The upcoming leader of the Sureños. He brought us Juan in exchange for an alliance.”

“Alliance, huh?” Vincenzo leaned back in the chair.

“Yeah, what do you think?”

“Can we trust him?”

“No, not yet, but an alliance will open more doors for the family.”

“Then do it. Now, what did you fuck up with, Antonio?”

“I called him earlier, wanting to talk to Madison. The phone was answered by accident, and he was on top of her. I assumed the worst and hung up. When I just called him, he went off on me. He said if I thought that lowly of him, I didn’t need to involve him in the family business.”

“Massimo, you know he is more sensitive than you and me. I don’t know why he has such low self-esteem, but whatever it is, it has him constantly battling to fit in. And youfuckingknow better.” Vincenzo’s voice rose an octave. “You need to go to Italy and fix this.”

“First, we deal with Juan Carlos and Miguel.”

“No.” Vincenzo stood up. “I’ll take care of Juan Carlos. You get the girl and fix this mess with Antonio. His entire world is about to crash when Grandfather goes. He needs us—both of us.”

I glanced at my watch. It would take me eleven hours if we didn’t make any stops, putting me there at about two in the afternoon.

“You sure?”

“Yes, go. Madison keeps you calm. You need her just as much as she needs you. Antonio, too.”

I patted his shoulder and pulled the door open. “Let’s go tell Miguel we have a deal.”

thirty-seven

MASSIMO

I didn’t getto leave as soon as I wanted. Investigator Holden from the D.A.’s office showed up with more questions about Allison Stanley’s death in the alley near the club. He suspected it was a robbery gone wrong, but needed to see if we’d seen her recently. Once we convinced him it had nothing to do with the club, I made an appearance where we were holding Juan Carlos.

I had to see his eyes when he realized his own people had turned on him. It was bittersweet to hear him pleading for his life as I left him with my brother. Vincenzo might be a renowned chef, but he had a sick side to him he fought to keep hidden. I knew his dark side would make Juan’s death painful.

The flight took longer than I wanted. We had to stop in Paris for fuel, making me antsy. I called my mother, explaining I wanted my arrival kept under wraps. She was pissed at me, saying Madison had not come out of her room all day and that she knew Antonio and I were not speaking.

By the time I got there, a full day had passed since my brother and I spoke on the phone—rather, he yelled at me before hanging up. Glancing at my screen, I worried my late arrival would be bothersome to everyone.

Speaking to my family’s long-time driver in Italian, I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. I was exhausted from traveling. The time difference made me feel like I’d been beaten and dragged through town. It would be noon in Vegas right now. It was nine here, and I wondered if Madison was even awake. Knowing she wasn’t speaking to anyone had me worried. I’d fucked up…bad.

When Aldo pulled into the driveway, my insides twisted with guilt. I opened the door before he stopped fully and hurried up the path to the front door. Gripping the knob, I took a deep breath and pushed inside. Antonio stood at the bottom of the stairs with his arms folded over his chest, glaring at me.

“Wow… a few minutes later, and you’d have caught me in bed with Madison.”

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