Sweet and Vicious(Margarelli Brothers 1)

“What’s up?”

“You got a package.”

I opened the door and squinted.

“It’s not another head, is it?”

Frankie didn’t even bat an eye.

“No,” he said humorously, holding out a basket. It was full of bottles. All of them the same. I looked at the card and laughed, shutting the door in Frankie’s face. I missed Tiny. At least he had a semblance of a sense of humor, I thought as I carried the basket into the kitchen and set it down.

“Lucky, you motherfucker,” I said with a smirk as I stared at the contents.

Twelve bottles of whipped cream. That was it. And a card that said to enjoy my honeymoon.

After all those years thinking he was a likable buffoon, I’d been wrong. Lucky was a wise man, as it turned out. A literal genius.

I missed the fucker. Once he settled down with Kirsten, he’d stopped coming around. It was good to see a gambling man give up the game, but things were nowhere near as fun without him around.

I sighed. As much as I wanted to put my gift to use right now, I had to talk to my brother. I gave the bed a longing look as I slipped quietly into the shower, got dressed, and went to see my brother.

“He in? I asked Pete. He gave me a curt nod, and I rapped once, then entered. It wasn’t like my brother was ever doing anything Perry in there. The office was for work. Hotel rooms were for sex. The man didn’t deviate. He was structured as fuck.

“You look different,” he said by way of greeting.

“Well, you heard Pops,” I said, sliding into the easy chair on the left. “I’m a man now.”

He laughed dryly, shaking his head. I was joking, but I also wasn’t. I did feel different.

But I didn’t need to get into that shit with him.

“Lucky sent a gift.”

“I heard. Devlin also called with his congratulations. The club wants to throw you a party.”

I raised my eyebrows. Devlin’s club was known for throwing insane parties. I was definitely down for that.

“And the Untouchables already sent their gift,” he said with a twist of his lips, pushing a photo across the table.

“Connor came through for us,” I breathed, staring at the picture in awe. In the photo, a man was bent forward, his meaty arms locked behind his back with handcuffs. A bunch of federal agents stood around, looking bored.

But the man in cuffs, our father, looked like he was . . . crying.

“Holy fuck. How did they break him so fast?”

“They got to his woman,” Vincent said with a wry smile. “Ironic, isn’t it?”

“Considering the old fuck told us never to let a woman mean shit, yeah. That’s a nice twist. Way to go, Candy.” I stared at the photo, committing it to memory. I knew we couldn’t keep it. But man, it was sweet to see the old man brought low. “So, what now?”

“We asked for catch and release,” Vincent said, rubbing his chin. “But they are waiting for our final word.”

“Since last night?” I asked, realizing the old bastard had been suffering a lot longer than he had to. Because I’d had more pressing matters to attend to. I started laughing when Vince merely shrugged.

“I wouldn’t make this decision without you, Brother.”

I leaned in, resting my elbows on his desk.

“What the fuck do you think? I could care less what happens to him, but he could take the whole family down if he starts squealing.”

“That’s the rub,” Vincent agreed. “Plus, it will make us look weak. As of now, this is not widely known.”

“What about his guys?”

“They don’t know yet. They think he’s on fucking vacation.”

“What if they recommend a trip? Somewhere far as fuck.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” my big brother said with a smile. A real one this time.

“Someplace with lots of mosquitos,” I suggested as he made the call. I listened as my brother laid out our requests and was assured that they would be set into motion. We should expect a panicked call from our father soon, asking us to help sell his condo in Miami and move some assets around.

“What’s your plan?” Vincent asked after he ended the call.

“Me?” He nodded and I exhaled. “Evie wants to finish her classes. I thought I would get the ball rolling on the house build. Get those permits through.”

“Then what?”

“I think . . .” I smiled to myself. “I think I want to take my wife on a real honeymoon. To the estate, maybe.”

“I like the sound of that. Especially if she comes back pregnant.”

“I am working on it, Big Brother.”

“I’m sure you are.”

Chapter 44

Evangeline

“So, uh, this is the quad,” I said, stealing a glance at the tall, impassive man walking beside me. His long legs seemed to eat up the ground with zero effort. His eyes scanned our surroundings constantly without drawing notice.