Page 26 of Of Desire And Deception

“Come on, goldilocks.” Cosimo’s long fingers pressed against my lower back and directed me to the next door down, which was no doubt the storeroom. “Let’s get you back where you belong.”

Chapter Nine

One of Dante’s men opened the door as I strode to the entrance of my family home, and I inclined my head as I passed, making him shrink back. I wondered whether my brother knew his guards were cowards, afraid to look me in the eye or speak as I passed. They’d probably piss themselves if I said good morning.

My boots thudded softly on the hardwood floors as I moved to the back of the house where Dante’s man Stefano stood outside his office.

He nodded. “Good morning, Mr. Neretti.”

At least this one didn’t act like I was the monster under his bed.

“Stefano.” I tapped on the door and entered when Dante called out.

My older brother sat behind his desk, his black suit perfectly molded to his form, his dark eyes exuding foreboding power. His wife Olesya and our cousin Luca sat in black leather chairs across from him.

“Thanks for coming,” Dante said, nodding toward an empty chair. When my father was alive, I’d hesitated to sit during meetings, given how much of an unpredictable asshole he’d been. Now, I had no problem putting my ass in the seat, propping a booted foot on the opposite knee, and pulling my knife out to fidget with. My brother lifted a brow. “Do you always have to do that?”

“Only if you want me to listen,” I replied blandly, popping the blade open and tossing it in the air, keeping my eyes on Dante as I caught the edge between my fingers.

He shook his head, but let it be. “Luca has a lead on the capo who took out Flex.”

Now that was something that would hold my attention. I turned to my cousin, who looked every bit the River Raider in his black jeans and black hoodie. “Where is he?”

“An apartment on the south side,” Luca answered, handing me a slip of paper with an address. “He should be there now since he’s working nights organizing raids.”

“Sounds like the perfect time to pay him a visit, then.” I preferred collecting guests at night, but I could do it during the day.

“Cosimo.” Olesya’s typically melodic voice held a hint of ice. I looked at my sister-in-law, who leaned toward me, a finger pointed like she meant business. Tears shone in her blue eyes, and I didn’t like that. “This man is the reason Diego is dead. Make him suffer.”

I loved it when she got bloodthirsty, and her Bratva upbringing showed through that placid doctor façade. She’d grown rather attached to her personal guard in the short time she’d known him, and his self-sacrifice had been a hard blow for her to bear. I only held attachments like that with family. It was safer if I viewed all others as disposable.

My lips curled up in a grin. “Anything for you, dear sister.”

Luca remained silent, though maybe a little stiff to be as uncaring as he appeared. His proclivities were well-guarded from most of the family, but my brothers and I knew he enjoyed spending his extracurricular time with both men and women. The others thought Luca had been in love with Diego, but I didn’t believe it. I might not be a relationship expert, but I knew when something seemed one-sided. Diego had been head over heels for my cousin, but I suspected my cousin would eventually settle down with a wife and have some kids. Diego could never have been a long-term lover. Even if my brothers and I didn’t hold it against them, others in the family would have killed them both. It didn’t leave Luca much choice but to follow logic and stick with tradition. Few broke free of family expectations.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” Olesya relaxed in her chair, but I caught how she wiped a tear from her cheek when she turned away.

Dante saw it, too, and the muscles in his jaw flexed in response. Where my anger was like a slow-moving ice flow, Dante’s was lava just under the surface. It went largely unnoticed by others until it was upon them. Then it consumed them in a fiery inferno—sometimes literally, like when he’d burned the Bratva brothels in retaliation for Olesya’s brothers kidnapping her.

I preferred killing in my dungeon, where I was in complete control and had all the tools I needed. Nobody would interrupt me. I didn’t need to be flashy and draw attention. My reputation preceded me.

“Cosimo.”

I ran my thumb over the edge of my blade, and Dante came back into focus. “Yeah?”

“I need you to stay present a little longer,” he said, his fingers drumming on the desk impatiently. “Then you can go get your man.”

“I’m here.”

“Right.” He and I both knew when I checked out; sometimes I could look like I was fully aware while my brain was miles away doing its own thing. He leaned forward, making uncomfortable eye contact with me. “When you get Elio, I want all the information you can get out of him about the River Raiders. Before you enact retribution.”

“Of course.” What, did he think I had no self-control? I knew how to keep somebody alive during my artful interrogations. I rarely lost somebody before I dealt the killing blow.

Dante pressed two fingers onto the desktop. “Since he was already behind one explosion, find out if he knows where their munitions are. I don’t want to find any more bombs at Neretti properties.”

I nodded. “If he knows, I’ll find out.”

“Good.” Dante turned to Luca. “Anything else we should know?”

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