Bound by Blood II

The steam from the shower had fogged up the large mirror, and I used my towel to wipe it clean. My hair was on the longish side, having put off getting it cut. My mother would sit me down and rectify that oversight the moment I stepped foot in the house again. 

It had taken 7 years to complete an undergraduate and master’s degree focused on business, finance, and economics. The work had been gruelling, but I didn’t regret a moment of it. I was almost 23 and ready for the next step in my life.

I’d be going home in two weeks, wanting to finish off the year with all the on-campus parties and packing up my studio apartment. I wanted to stay for the easy sex as well, since I’d focused on my final exams and not getting laid.

I left my towel on the counter and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. The bathroom door was slightly ajar, and I reached for the pistol that was hidden against the side of the potted plant as I stood to the side of the door.

“I have to wonder why you’re in my room. I have an idea of how you got inside, but I’m not above shooting you, family or not.”

A low chuckle came from the dark corner where an armchair stood next to a table. “I’m glad to see your senses still work. Getting in was a bit harder than I thought it would be, but not impossible.”

“Nothing’s impossible, but you triggered a silent alarm on my phone.”

“Liar. If I didn’t know you at all, I might have believed you,” he said.

“Why are you here?”

I stepped into my bedroom and switched the lights on. My uncle looked calm, relaxed even, as he sat in the armchair, no gun in sight. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. My uncle was still one of the best in the business. He was stealthy, cold and efficient, everything I’d been trained to be as well.

“I just came to check up on you.”

I huffed out a laugh. “I’m coming home in two weeks.”

“You’re coming home tonight. Your father’s pissed. This latest stunt might just be the one thing that makes him lose his mind. Nobody said to keep it in your pants, Saint, but a pregnant girl arriving on your father’s doorstep is equal to a social death sentence.”

“What?” I frowned. What pregnant girl?

“You know, the way you’ve gone through girls, I’m glad I have a daughter that shares your last name, though no dick’s getting close to her.”

“Unless she wants the dick to get close to her?” I knew I was pushing my luck. Gage could be volatile and even more so when it concerned his only daughter, Arya.

“I think I preferred the old family traditions of marrying you all off, at least then I’d know which dick to watch,” he said.

I chuckled. “Right, like that thought doesn’t make your skin crawl.”

“Shut the fuck up and pack a bag. Dominic will send someone to pack up the rest of your shit.”

There was no use arguing. If Dominic wanted me home, Gage would make sure I got home. “So, some girl showed up at the family house claiming to be pregnant with my child?” Gage nodded his head. “And let me guess, my father lost his fucking personality for a while so my mother swooped in and has been taking the brunt of his dominating punishment until I’m back at home.”

Gage laughed, the sound low and deep. “Once a fucking Vittori, always a Vittori. You’re a lot like him, but I doubt your mother will be pleased to hear what you just said.”

“And Hudson, don’t forget Hudson.”

“And fucking Hudson … after he adjusted his stiffy, of course.”

I snorted and headed to the dresser. “It’s not mine. I haven’t fucked a girl in three months. I’ve been studying for exams, which would make her at least 12 weeks pregnant.”

“And how many of those are there?”

I shrugged and started packing clothes into a duffel bag. “Five or so.”

“Didn’t your father teach you anything? Fuck, Saint. He was the master at being discreet.”

“And you think I’d get any if I started spouting shit about signing NDA’s and giving them the shot? You do realize this is college and that shit happens in a matter of minutes. You go to a party, you get your dick sucked and then you bend her over the couch.”

Gage shook his head. “Have fun explaining that to your father. Let’s go, and put something decent on.”

The drive back to the Vittori estate took five hours and I slept in the car. I wasn’t going to get any sleep once I got to the house, not if what Gage said was true. If there really was a pregnant girl waiting at home, it meant she’d planned this. If she knew where my family lived, then she played me, wanting the power and fortune that was attached to my name. Fuck.

It was still dark when Gage pulled the car into the garage. My door was opened and Hudson grinned as he looked down at me. “Welcome home.”

“Tell me, Hudson, how long have you had that stiffy?”

Hudson glanced down at his crotch. “Why?”

“It’ll give me an idea of how pissed my father is.”

Hudson barked out a laugh and shook his head. “We were watching a movie.”

“Hacksaw P**n?”

He barked out another laugh. “No wonder Wilder jerks off to your picture.”

I grinned and followed Hudson into the house, Gage having already disappeared inside. The house was quiet, but at 2 a.m. it was to be expected. I followed Hudson to my father’s study, a stoic look settling on my face. I was a fucking Vittori and Dominic would expect nothing less.

The door opened and my father, Dominic, stood in front of his desk, a glass of Scotch in his hand. I couldn’t read the expression on his face. It was a trait I shared with my father and uncle, that stoic look.

“Father,” I said.

Dominic nodded his head and Hudson closed the door, leaving us alone. The seconds ticked by as we stared at each other. I knew my father was waiting for me to crack, but I wouldn’t. I’d been trained by my father’s men my entire life. Austin, Ethan, Cooper, and Hudson had been hard on me, each one of them bringing something different to my training. The fact that I was Saint Vittori didn’t deter any of them, especially not Gage. I was the oldest of the next generation and a Vittori. The next leader. I had to be better, colder, and more ruthless than even my father had been.

I was trying to gauge my father’s reaction, but it was hard. I couldn’t tell how pissed off he was and that made me a little nervous even though I wasn’t that 15-year-old boy that had left for college 7 years earlier. Dominic and Gage had been the same age when they went to college. I hadn’t gone crazy, not like Gage had. My wild side had only emerged when I turned 17.