Angelo (The Marchesi Family 2)

I handed Elena a tissue, and she wiped at her tears. “Thank you. And there’s nothing to forgive. You’ve done so much for me already.”

Lucien squeezed her hand. “You helped us defeat your husband. We never turn our backs on our allies.”

I smiled. It was one of those moments when I was really proud to be Lucien’s brother.

My phone buzzed, and I saw it was Cameron. I didn’t think he’d call me in the middle of the night unless there was something seriously wrong.

“Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”

Lucien gave me a knowing look as I slipped out of the office.

“Cam? Is everything all right?”

“I woke up because I heard noises downstairs. There are a bunch of men playing cards in my fucking kitchen. They say they have every right to be there, and they won’t leave.”

Fuck. “Old guys?”

“Old guys with big fucking guns.”

He sounded furious. I imagined him glaring at me with color in his cheeks. If I were there, I’d throw him against the wall and fuck him good before I went down to handle those assholes. “I’ll make a call and get them out of there.”

“They broke in. I should call the fucking police.”

“No!” If he did that, I might not be able to protect him. “Don’t do that. I’ll handle it. They’re just playing cards. If you involve the police, your life will be in danger.”

“I’m not stupid. I know it’s more than just a card game.”

It sure as fuck was, but he didn’t need to know any details. “Don’t go down there again, and don’t antagonize them. I will make sure they don’t bother you again. Be ready for me tomorrow night.”

“Fuck you.” He ended the call without another word.

I called him right back.

“What is it, Angelo?”

“Never hang up on me again.”

“You walked out with no explanation. Now there are armed strangers in my bakery, and I can’t call the police like a normal person.”

“A normal person wouldn’t be owned by a mobster.”

He growled. “I didn’t start this.”

True. He hadn’t. “I had something serious come up. I’ll text you if I’m able to make it tomorrow night. You might get lucky and get a night off.”

“I won’t hold my breath.”

“Mmm. Breath play. That could be fun.”

His exasperated growl made me smile. I was worried about Elena and what was going down with Damian’s son, but I still loved sparring with him. “You’re racking up a list of offenses. I’m going to have so much fun spanking your ass again.”

“Can you just take care of this, please? I don’t like knowing they’re down there.”

His voice shook a little, and I could tell he was scared, not just angry. “Hang up now, and I’ll call them.”

As I headed back to the office, I saw Lucien escorting Elena down the hall toward the room where she would be sleeping. Devil stepped out of the office, and I knew from the look on his face that I wasn’t going to be able to walk away without talking to him.

“What the fuck is going on with you? Where were you tonight?”

“Out.”

He shook his head. “I invited you out with me, and you said you had things to do. You’re acting strange, and you’re going to tell me why.

I sighed. Devil and I had been close since we were toddlers. Why was I reluctant to talk to him about Cameron?

I turned and motioned for him to follow me. “Come on. Let’s have a drink and talk in my room.” We hurried downstairs, grabbed a bottle of whiskey, and took the stairs back up two at a time.

“What are you two up to?” Lucien asked.

“Nothing,” we said at the same time. We raced down the hall to my room and shut the door behind us.

Devil dropped his head back against the door, bracing it as if he thought Lucien was going to try to force his way in. “It’s just like high school.”

It was. But I didn’t laugh, I just made a noise of disgust.

Devil’s brows shot up. “Damn. What’s up with you?”

“A lot of things have felt like high school this week.”

“Keep talking,” he said as he opened the bottle, tilted it to his lips, then handed it to me.”

“You could’ve gotten some glasses. We have gotten slightly more civilized over the years.”

Devil snorted. “Speak for yourself.”

We sat on my bed and passed the bottle between us as I told him about Cameron. Everything about Cameron.

When I finished my tale, he shook his head. “Fuck. And everyone thinks I’m the crazy one.”

I shrugged.

“Exactly how pissed off is Lucien about all this?”

I groaned. “I don’t want to think about that.”

Devil gave me a hard stare. “He does know, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah, and the worst thing is he’s not just mad, he’s worried about me.”

“I get that. You’re drawn to this guy. You were back in high school too. I could tell.”