Cruel Summer

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: MAXIMO

“You’relate,”TomassoRossi says as he pulls the front door open. His brown eyes are narrowed, a short beard lining his face. A long, jagged scar runs down the side of his face. His short black hair is flecked with white and it’s starting to sprinkle into his beard as well. He’s beginning to look more and more like his old man.

Except for the fact that he isn’t wearing cuffs.

I feel my lips quiver, wanting to laugh at the thought, but then I remember promising Giovanni that I would be on my best behavior for this meeting.

I’m trusting you to understand how important this is, Maximo. We’ve been working all week to get everything and everyone we need in place, don’t fuck it up because you can’t hold your tongue.

“My apologies,” I say and I’m pretty sure he can hear the amusement in my tone because his brow twitches.

Such a serious man for no good reason.

“He probably would have been on time if he didn’t stop to screw his bitch in the car,” A voice calls from over Tomasso’s shoulder. “He got here fifteen minutes ago."

I look past Tomasso, watching as a man who looks similar to him walks in our direction. His hair is longer than Tomasso’s, falling a little past his shoulders. His eyes are a vibrant green and they shine in amusement as he watches me.

If it wasn’t for that look, I wouldn’t be sure which Rossi twin this was, but Tiziano was wearing an expression much similar to this one the last time I saw him. Not too long after we’d gotten through sharing an overeager waiter and before the consequence of his actions caught up to him.

My lips tick up at the corner and I raise a brow at him.

The dirty fucker probably would have watched Winter and I the entire time if it wasn’t for my tinted windows.

Tiziano Rossi has to be my favorite Rossi, which isn’t saying a lot considering the fact that I wouldn’t mind smashing his face in right after I fuck him. But his older brother, Tomasso, always has a stick up his ass and shit, his twin, the middle Rossi, is practically a ghost, quiet and elusive. He rarely shows up to the social events and when he does, you lose sight of him within seconds. And I don’t like people I can’t keep track of.

“Now, Tizzy, is it really necessary to call her a bitch when you haven’t even met her?” I ask him, reaching back to grab Winter. When my fingers lock around her wrist, I pull her forward, even though I can feel the tension in her body.

I’d given her time to straighten her clothes out before we came up the steps, but she’d gotten pissed when she’d picked up her ripped panties. I’d assured her she didn’t have to worry about my cum dripping down her legs since I’m pretty sure I’d eaten all of it out of her.

She hadn’t been amused.

Tomasso’s gaze only sweeps over her momentarily, but Tiziano’s gaze lingers and I feel Winter tense up even further. No doubt she can sense the fact that Tizzy Rossi isn’t a man she wants to be tangled up with.

“You going to let us in or we going to have to stay out here all day?” I ask, bringing everyone's attention back to me.

Tomasso hesitates for a moment before he steps out of the way, allowing me to drag Winter past him. I’ve never been inside their mansion before but I knew the moment we pulled up that I hated it. Too fucking open. As a sniper, it’d be my dream if I was supposed to be taking someone out in this house. Nearly the whole damn thing is made of glass and I’m sure its bullet resistant, bur resistant doesn’t mean unbreakable, despite what television would like to portray.

If I lived here, it’d be too fucking easy to get shot up.

I’m just as unimpressed with the interior as I am with the exterior. The walls are all plain and bare, the white paint lacking character.

Tomasso moves in front of us, leading us down the hall. When Tizzy moves to walk behind us, I slow my movement until he has no choice but to pull even with us.

Better.

He’s on the opposite side of Winter but still she’s coiled tightly.

As much as I probably should, I don’t tell her that her fears are not warranted.

Tiziano is a snake, worse than his own father.

I’m honestly surprised the man hadn’t killed his father, and subsequently his brothers, years ago so he could take over the Rossi Clan.

Tomasso leads us to an office which is thankfully made of a real fucking wall. It’s just as plain and non descript as the rest of the home. His desk sits in the back of the room and there’s two couches lining the wall, but he points for us to sit in the two seats opposite of him.

Winter looks up at me and I give her a nod. She slides her hands under her, smoothing out her dress as she sits, and folding it under her to avoid showing her bare pussy. I don’t take my seat until Tizzy moves to the spot behind his brother, perfectly within my line of sight.

He watches me closely and I know exactly what’s on his mind.