Page 26 of Dance with the Devil

“I think you’ve filled her plate.”

“Ah, silly me. I like to see a woman with a good appetite.”

Draven wasn’t happy. Antwone was becoming too familiar. This was why he avoided these public displays. They had grown up together. They knew each other so well.

Draven filled his plate, and took a bite of meat and some cheese. He kept looking toward Maria. There was a sparkle in her eyes. Antwone had told him she’d been enjoying the pool and now he was curious as to what style bathing suit she wore under the slip. He wanted to ask, but instead kept his thoughts to himself.

Antwone managed to keep the conversation going, talking about the weather and mundane things, drawing Maria into joining in as well. He told a few lame jokes that his wife seemed to find funny. Draven didn’t care.

They had sat for nearly an hour together and while Antwone hadn’t noticed Maria watching them, he had. She kept looking from Antwone toward him, then back again.

“Well, as lovely as this has been, I now need to leave. Draven, you must not leave your lovely wife for so long.”

Draven forced a smile to his lips and got to his feet.

“Go to my office,” he said, looking at Maria.

Her eyes went wide, but he saw Antwone out the door. No one was around and he stepped up into his brother’s face. “What the fuck are you doing?” Draven asked.

Antwone rolled his eyes. “I can come and visit one of my capos.”

“And you do this regularly with all of your married capos?”

He was silent.

“I’ve already had to take someone out who knew the truth. If you start acting like a fucking brother, more people will get suspicious.”

“I wanted to see how you were doing. Is that so wrong?”

“Yes.”

He wasn’t going to make his brother feel better about this.

“I don’t like you right now.”

“I don’t give a fuck if you like me or not,” Draven said. “I do what I can to keep you safe.”

“She knows,” Antwone said.

Draven tensed up.

“And you can’t kill her.”

“I will do whatever I have to, got it?”

Antwone looked toward the house. “You and I both know that if you kill your wife without me ordering it, that will come with a whole heap of questions. I don’t give you permission.”

“You expect me to trust her.”

“Yes,” Antwone said. “Unlike a lot of people we’ve encountered, that woman in there has shown more loyalty to us than anyone else I’ve known. She came to me. She risked getting caught and killed by her parents to tell me what was going on, so I’m not going to allow you to kill her. Learn to trust.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Draven said.

“As your brother, I am telling you not to do this. For your own sanity. You may not see it right now, but that woman is worthy of your love.”

“I don’t love.”

“Then you should have let me die.” Antwone stepped up to him, gripped his neck, and pressed his forehead against his. It was an action they had done all their lives. They were brothers, but they shared the same vision of the future. “You know what love is, just as I know that if you gave yourself the chance, that woman in there would show you what it meant to be loved.”

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