Page 40 of A Game of Secrets

Before I've even opened the front door the smell of bacon in the pan hits my nostrils causing my stomach to growl at me with the reminder that I cannot live off cigarettes and beer alone. I enter the kitchen to find Cole cooking at the hob. The boy has two true happy places that I know of, the kitchen and in between a woman’s legs. But right now, I've never seen him happier, Lucille really is changing him.

"Fratello!" he sings when he spots me pulling up a bar stool, flailing his arms out in a welcoming gesture.

"Cole you are far too fucking happy for this time of a morning," I joke, grinning at him as I lean over to steal a piece of bacon from a plate on the bar top.

"What can I say?" he smirks, tossing a pancake up in the air and catching it again in the frying pan. "Pancakes put me in a good mood."

I roll my eyes and laugh, "Okay brother, whatever you say. Has Silas left already? There's something I need to show you both but I think it's better if I do it when we’re together."

Cole looks over at me. "Can it wait?" he asks, wanting to know the severity of what it is I have to say.

"For now," I respond, nodding my head nonchalantly as I lean forward to pick up another piece of bacon from the plate. "But it will need to be today." Cole nods and turns his attention back to the stove top, pouring more pancake batter onto the pan. "Come with me to drop Alessandro at school and we'll head to the club together." I say, wanting this off my chest as quickly as possible.

"Sure thing fratello. Heads up!" he calls as he slings a pancake into the air aiming for the plate next to me. It lands perfectly, earning a smug look from Cole.

"WOW!" I hear behind me. I turn to see Alessandro standing in the kitchen archway with his mouth wide open and eyes bugging out of his head.

"Heads up, here comes another for you big man," Cole calls, slinging another pancake up through the air.

"Thanks, Uncle Cole," he beams, climbing up onto the stool next to mine and aiming straight for the bacon. That's my boy, I smile to myself.

"Hey Son, are you ready for school?" I ask as I watch him stuff a forkful of pancake smothered in syrup into his mouth, catching him off guard.

"Yes," he muffles between sloppy mouthfuls of food and an over exaggerated nod of his head.

"Good lad, eat up we'll have to leave soon," I tell him, patting him gently on his shoulder and standing from my chair. "I'll put your bag in the car."

After dropping Alesso off at school, I drive Cole and I to Mezzanotte to meet Silas. When we arrive the club is almost empty with it still being so early. There are a few dancers on the poles at the back doing their warm up routines for later tonight when the show will be in full swing. I clock Roxi and Cherry leaning against the stage whispering to each other as we walk in. Roxi immediately straightens her back and sticks her tits out as soon as she locks her eyes onto Cole. He must notice too as I hear him curse under his breath as we walk through to the back room.

I can't help but laugh. "Just let her suck you off man, she might leave you alone then."

"Ha, I doubt it. She’s insufferable, like a fucking dog on heat. I thought I was bad but Jesus the bitch has issues," he says only loud enough so that I can hear.

Like clockwork Roxi appears snaking her arms around his waist, "Hey gorgeous," she purrs. "Anything I can help you with?"

Cole looks at me with an ‘I told you so’ expression plastered across his face, leaving me desperately trying to stifle my laugh. Part of me wants to leave him to suffer but another knows I need to get the information painfully burning a hole through my chest out into the open so I don’t have to suffer in the knowledge alone. "Roxi love, be a doll and fuck off for a minute would you. We've got business." I warn in a deep monotonal voice letting her know there will be consequences if she refuses.

Her arms instantly drop from Cole's side and with venom in her eyes she spits, "Fine. I've got work to do anyway." She spins on her heel, flicking Cole in the face with her ponytail, causing his eyebrows to raise up into his hairline.

"Now shit, if I'd of said that she'd think it was a fucking invitation," he gawps at me, completely taken back by Roxi's lack of resistance.

"You clearly don't have the right tone in your voice," I mock and punch him playfully in the shoulder. "Come on, I've waited long enough. I need to show you both something." I nod towards Silas’s office.

Cole grabs my shoulder and looks me dead in the eyes before saying, "Brother, I hope you're not getting your dick out again, I feel sorry enough for you as it is," he laughs then skips his way towards the door. Well I walked myself straight into that one, fucking asshole.

Entering through the frosted glass door to Silas' office, I suck in a deep breath knowing this information, no matter how I relay it, is not going to sit well with him, or Cole. God knows he's fucked in the head, he might be out for blood after he finds out our little love has been keeping a secret from not just us, but her estranged piece of shit husband too.

Silas turns to face us as we enter, his face softening slightly at the edges as he listens to the business call he's currently taking. He nods a welcome to us and knowing we'll need it, if not something stronger, I pour three glasses of scotch from the decanter on his desk. Silas's questioning gaze meets my eyes but he accepts the glass from my hands and takes a long sip of the fiery liquid.

Cole has already made himself comfortable and is lounging across the leather sofa along the back wall with his boots resting on top of the glass coffee table in front. I roll my eyes at his impertinence and slap his feet down handing him his drink. "Sit up boy!" I snap, before dropping down next to him causing him to huff out loudly and stick his middle finger up at me. "Very mature," I groan, punching his shoulder.

"I don't fucking care how it gets done, just fucking do it!" Silas snaps down the phone before hanging up and slamming his fists into his desk, causing his knuckles to blanch white across his skin. After a quiet moment he regains himself and straightens up running his fingers through his hair as he finishes off his scotch in one mouthful. I stand almost instantly as he places the empty glass on top of the counter and pour him another to which he declines. "It's early Linc, just the one for now."

I turn to face him and hand him the drink I'd already poured. "Trust me brother, you'll need it." I say and although his eyes are dubious, he takes the glass from my hand without another word and sits back into the leather chair behind his desk and unbuttons his suit jacket. Holding his hands forwards he gives me permission to say what it is I need.

"The floor is yours Fratello."

I steady myself for a long minute, sipping on the amber liquid and feeling the burn travel down my throat before I begin. "As you both know, I couldn't sleep last night so I ended up going to the casino to do some more digging on the girl."

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