Ruthless Prince (Dark Syndicate 1)

I just got back from the club. Emelia hasn’t seen me yet.

Pa’s already lighting up a cigar in the sitting room when I get down there.

I walk in and close the door. He wants to talk to me, but I need to talk to him too. The situation with Vlad is rubbing me the wrong way.

“Hey, Pa,” I say, sitting opposite him.

“Son, you look like shit.” He smirks, looking me over carefully.

“I’ve seen better days.”

“Talk to me. I’m all ears,” he offers.

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “I don’t know what to do about Vlad. I’m not sure if he’s still in LA. He doesn’t normally stay in one place for too long.”

“There’s every possibility that he’s left. At the same time, he could still be here. It’s all a matter of why he’s here. He and the Shadows.”

“I know, and there’s no way of finding that out,” I answer.

Pa looks at me long and hard. “You’re worried about her,” he notes. “Emelia.”

“I should protect her if she’s with me.” I’m going to find it hard to talk to him about her without giving too much emotion away.

“You practically declared her yours last night. I saw.”

He’s not questioning me. He’s stating a fact.

I run my hand over my beard. His expression softens. “I wanted her to feel comfortable.”

“I could see that, but there was more. She’s not like him, Massimo. Not like Riccardo.”

“No, she’s not.” I glance down at the floor.

“You feel for her,” he states. My gaze climbs back up to meet his.

“I’m… I’m just doing what I’m supposed to. That’s the deal, right?”

He smiles at me. “Massimo, you’re marrying this girl next week. She’s been with you for the last three weeks, and the marriage was your idea. A brilliant idea that I would have agreed to either way, but I noticed the way you snapped when Riccardo pushed you about her at the Syndicate meeting.”

I bite the inside of my lip. “He just got to me.”

“Your eyes gave you away. I saw the way she looked at you at the dinner, and I saw how you looked at her. You’re protective of her. The same way I was with your mother.” He straightens up and stares at me.

I gaze back, not knowing what to say. If there’s anyone I can be real with, it’s him. It’s hard because we’re talking about our enemy’s daughter.

“I don’t want anything to happen to her. I can’t.”

“I understand.” An uneasy look settles in his eyes. “Massimo… I feel like the time has come to share a thing or two about the past with you. That’s why I wanted to see you.”

My interest piques. What is he going to tell me?

He draws in a breath. “I’m sure you’ve always wondered what happened to make Riccardo hate me, hate us? I told you we fell out. We did, just not the way you think.”

“What happened?” I’ve been consumed with hate for so long from all that Riccardo did to us that I never needed to concern myself with the fine print.

“We started out as three best friends. Me, Riccardo, and your mother. I always loved her. Always. I just never thought I was good enough for her. As we got older, I shied away, and he stepped up.”

I straighten, unsure of where this conversation is going. I knew my parents knew Riccardo when they were younger and practically grew up together because their fathers were in the syndicate, but it sounds like Pa’s about to tell me something about my mother I never factored in.