"But I got there first," Maximo breaks in, casually reclining in his seat, "and I blew his fucking brains out."
Silence.
Giovanni only stares at his brother. He would look perfectly composed if it weren’t for the slight flare of his nostrils. Maximo seems oblivious to the anger brewing inside Giovanni, but I know, in reality, he just doesn't give a fuck. Giovanni may be the head of the Costa Family, but that seems to mean nothing to Maximo.
"And why were you here, Maximo?" Giovanni asks, his face a cool mask as he continues to stare at Maximo.
Maximo meets his gaze, shrugging his shoulders. "I was in the area, figured I'd swing by and see how Mouse's first night back was going."
"Despite your orders?" Something shifts in Giovanni's tone, just enough to have my hackles raising. His face remains impassive.
Maximo leans forward in his seat, his long hair moving with him. He taps his fingers along the side of the desk. "Despite orders," he confirms.
Am I crazy or does the air feel fucking deadly right now?
I shift slightly in my seat, pausing when it shifts Giovanni's cold attention to me. "Did the man say anything to you?" he asks me.
Is he not going to finish addressing Maximo first?
When he doesn’t look away from me, I get my answer. I swallow, racking my brain to remember the exact words the man said to me.
"Yeah, he said 'You didn't think being Costa's girl was going to let you off the hook for killing one of ours did you, perra?'" I relay, not sure that I got the last word right. I'm pretty sure it's a curse word, so it's probably not important anyway.
"Ramos Cartel for sure then," he says, leaning back in his seat.
"We already knew that though, didn't we?" It sounds like both a question and a statement coming from Maximo.
Giovanni only nods, and it appears his fury at Maximo is already gone. "We knew they'd be targeting her, but I didn't think they'd be doing so this quickly and openly. They're asking for war."
Maximo lets out a dry laugh, rubbing his chin. "They probably thought you wouldn't retaliate over one little mistress," he drawls, glancing at me. "They were wrong. I think we ride tonight and show them-"
"No," Giovanni cuts his brother off with a sharp look. His shoulders bunch tightly beneath the fabric of his suit. "We're not going to act without thinking and we're not discussing it in front of her." He doesn't even bother with my name, just a curt nod in my direction.
Maximo shakes his head, but he doesn't say anything. "Enzo, take her home and stay there with her. We're going to have a little talk with the bouncers about making repetitive mistakes," Giovanni says. From the tone of his voice I, for once, can't help but be grateful that I'm me.
Because it sounds like the bouncers are going to have an even shittier night.