9

AUTUMN'S POV

I stared at Dante as the words flowed from his annoying yet annoyingly attractive lips. The man at the very top of the food chain. Yet he had acted like the council was something he had nothing to do with. I knew that he was dangerous. He had made that clear from the moment I met him. I had known he had power, money, connections. I even suspected he was high up in the De Vale cartel. But the way he acted was just…unpredictable. I had thought the old man was more powerful and could help. My jaw tensed as I tried to hide the feeling of betrayal bubbling in my chest. He must have had fun watching me fool around thinking the old man was the threat. But the truth was now crystal clear: there was no way out. Except by force. I straightened in my realization.

“You should’ve said that earlier,” I scoffed, putting on the sassiest showdown I could. “It would have saved me the trouble of thinking anyone here actually gave a damn about fairness or truth.”

Dante’s gaze remained unreadable as I continued. “I’m not your pet, if you think I’m going to sit in a golden cage and behave, you better think again.”

Then I turned and walked out of the room even as my heart slammed against my ribs. God knows I was scared as hell. I meant, they could order for my death on the spot. When I reached my room, I laughed. A bitter, shaky laugh. What now? This is what my life has turned into? I mean, technically, I get rich but I can't even show off? I can't go out? I get an asshole for a brother and he happens to have a legion of criminals as family members and enemies?! Oh my God! I paced my room like a caged animal, fury boiling under my skin. If Dante thought for one second that I was going to play the role of quiet, helpless doll, he had another thing coming. This whole thing could damage my reputation for life. If it went out that I am in any way associated with the mafia, I could lose my license. My future! I was going to push every button he had. I would drive him mad with disobedience, ruin every carefully laid plan he had, make sure that every second he kept me in this prison felt like war. Then maybe he would give me what I wanted. And if he didn’t? Then he could kiss his peace goodbye. The next morning, I woke up with a fire still burning in my veins. Maybe it was from the way every man in that room had tried to intimidate me the day before. Or maybe it was because I had gone to bed realizing just how trapped I really was. Either way, today I was going to remind Dante that keeping me under lock and key came with consequences. I stomped out of my room, reaching his door in less than a minute. I didn’t hesitate. I raised my fist and banged hard.

“Dante!” I shouted sharply, hitting the door without stopping. “Open the damn door. Medical check-in!”

A grumble came from the other side, followed by some rustling and what sounded suspiciously like a muffled curse in that strange language. Good. A moment later, the door swung open. Dante was standing there shirtless. His dark hair was a sleepy mess, and his eyes were still hooded from being yanked out of sleep. The waistband of his joggers hung dangerously low on his hips and a deep frown cut across his jaw.

“Are you trying to get yourself shot?” he growled.

I tilted my head, giving him a sickly-sweet smile. “Time to change your wound dressing.”

His frown narrowed. “You're not a doctor.”

“Not yet, but I’m your only option unless you want it to rot and fall off. Now move.”

He grunted but stepped aside, letting me in with a low mutter that sounded something like ‘lunatic woman’. I ignored him. The room was dim and smelled like expensive cologne. The one I smelled on him when he held me to protect me from the gunshots. I shook my head as if shaking the memory of his unusual protectiveness. I walked straight to the nightstand where I’d left the supplies and yanked open the kit. When he sat down, I pulled the old bandage from his side with far less care than I should have.

He hissed in pain, shooting me a glare. “Are you jacking off of this?”

“Immensely,” I replied, grabbing the antiseptic.

“Remind me not to let you near me when I’m unconscious.”

“Noted. I’ll bring a knife next time.”

He smirked but said nothing as I pressed the gauze to his wound a little more forcefully than necessary. He was watching me very closely.

When I was done, I stood, dusted my hands off like Tinkerbell, and flashed him a sunny,satisfied smile. “There you go. Try not to bleed to death before dinner.”

I turned and made my way to the door. But just as my fingers curled around the knob, his hand caught my wrist. Before I could say a word, he yanked me backward. I let out a startled gasp, stumbling, and landed exactly on his chest. My brain immediately shut down and all I could think of was hot hot his skin felt against mine.