9

He turned down another hallway then entered a room that looked like a study. Two couches faced each other on a maroon rug. Paintings were on the wall. An impressive hearth stood against the other wall.

The room was full of his men, one in every corner, their hands together at their waists.

I knew a threat when I saw one.

Dante unbuttoned the front of his jacket before he took a seat. “Sit.” His tone was no longer cordial. It was short and impatient, sounding like it came from an entirely different person.

I took the seat directly across from him.

Instead of taking a relaxed position against the back of the couch, he sat forward, arms on his knees, his dark eyes hostile. He stared for several seconds, letting the room slowly fill with his unspoken rage.

I knew what he was pissed off about, but I refused to acknowledge it.

His stare continued.

“You and your men don’t scare me, Dante,” I said calmly. “Speak your mind, and don’t waste my time.”

He raised his head slightly, his eyes flashing in offense. “There’s something you should know about me. I don’t believe in second chances. Not once in my life have I offered a second chance to anyone except my daughter.”

I held his stare.

“So, don’t cross me, Axel.”

“Don’t speak in riddles, Dante.”

He rubbed his palms together, his eyes lethal in their intensity. “She’s off-limits.”

“Her boyfriend dumped her. All I did was comfort her⁠—”

“We both know your interest predates this evening. I see more than you realize. I see the way you stare at her, even as I stand directly beside her. If you want our business to continue, then let me make this clear—stay the fuck away from my daughter.”

“She’s a grown woman⁠—”

“What the fuck did you just say to me?” His voice immediately rose, going from a normal level to a shout. The veins in his temple popped instantly. Sweat broke out like his body was already in a physical fight when he hadn’t moved from the couch.

“Then perhaps we should conclude our business.”

His eyes narrowed, and he remained quiet, absorbing the threat with furious eyes. “You think I won’t kill you?”

“Not when I’ll kill you first.”

He was on his feet instantly, slamming his shoe into the side of the table with enough force to kick it over and shatter the glass.

I was on my feet just as quickly, ready to take a shard and stab it into his neck. “This business partnership has been beneficial to both of us. I’d like to see it continue, but I don’t appreciate being threatened. Her boyfriend just dumped her at a party and walked out of here, but you’re treating me like I’m the one who slighted her.”

He kicked the table again, forcing it aside, a table that was probably five hundred years old. He came closer to me, in my personal space, so close that he could grab my throat and I could grab his. “You think he’ll make it home unscathed?” He smiled, and it was twisted. “No one hurts my little girl and gets away with it.”

My stomach dropped—because I knew she wouldn’t want that. It would only show Ryan that he’d been right to leave the relationship before something worse happened. “I can tell you have a close relationship with your daughter. I can tell you respect her if you’ve selected her as your successor. But I don’t understand why that respect doesn’t extend to her romantic decisions.”

That grin remained. “Because you aren’t good enough for her, Axel.”

It was the first time I’d actually felt insulted since I walked into that room.

“I know everything about the people I do business with—including you. You think your secrets are buried under stone?” He held up his hand in front of me and squeezed his fingers into a fist. “They’re right here in the palm of my hand.” The tendons popped up on his forearms. “Never shit where you eat. Never mix business with pleasure. Once business has started, it can’t be stopped, so stay the fuck away from my daughter if you want to keep your head. Do you understand me?”

I said nothing.

Then he shouted again. “You fucking understand me⁠—”

“Fine.” Scarlett didn’t want me anyway. Said she would never sleep with people she worked with, obeyed these ridiculous rules her maniacal father had made. “Jesus Christ…”

He straightened then buttoned the front of his jacket, his face now calm, the veins in his temples no longer protruding through the skin. When he spoke, it was as if nothing had happened. “Good talk, Axel.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Enjoy the rest of the party.”

Russell sat across from me in the parlor, both of us smoking cigars and drinking brandy like obnoxious pricks. Smoke rose to the high ceiling and the coffered tiles up above. The windows showed the nightlife outside, the fire blanketing us with warmth.

He had his feet propped on the coffee table.

I didn’t care, even if his boots were covered with mud, but my butler detested it. Every time he entered the room, the skin of his neck tightened because he clenched so hard. But he held his silence and left the room, waiting for us to finish so he could fix the mess left behind.

“So.” Russell pulled the cigar from his mouth and let it hang in his relaxed fingertips, the smoke slowly leaving his mouth once his tongue had absorbed the smoky taste. “How’s it going with Dante?”

I pulled the smoke into my mouth to let it flow for a moment, to let the taste coat my tongue and give me some respite from my rage. I eventually let it out to travel up to the ceiling and out of the room. The furniture smelled like cigars, no matter how many times my butler vacuumed everything. “A fucking psychopath…”

“Dante?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“He seems more refined than the others⁠—”

“It’s all bullshit. He’s a maniac.”

“What happened?” He was slouched in the leather armchair, like he could fall asleep on the spot.

“It’s a long story…”

“You got somewhere to be? Because I don’t.”

“Because you need to get a life,” I teased.

“You know I’m your only friend, right?” he snapped. “What happened?”

“He thought I was coming on to his daughter, so he threatened me to stay away from her.”

“Why did he think you were coming on to her?”

I hesitated before I answered. “Because I was.”

He smirked. “Sounds like Dante is in the right.”

“His daughter should have the right to be with whomever she wants.”

“And she wants to be with you?”

I hesitated again. “It’s complicated…”

“That’s a no,” he said with a chuckle.

“She wanted to fuck me the other night, but I said no.”

“Why the fuck would you say no?”

“Because she was upset about something, and that’s not how I wanted to get her.”

“That sounds romantic.” He brought the cigar back to his lips.

“I didn’t want to be her rebound.”

“Whatever. You get to fuck her.”

“Not my style.” I grabbed my scotch and took a drink.

“Does Dante know that?”

“It’s none of his business.”

“So where does that leave you and Dante now?” Russell asked.

“Our partnership has been profitable for both of us. It’s free money for me and more convenient for him. Operation can’t really be stopped at this point, even if I wanted to stop it.”

“Good,” he said. “Because it’s nice getting these bonuses.”

“You guys deserve it.”

“You know, most men would keep everything for themselves. You don’t.”

I took another drink. “Don’t make me blush.”

“So, what are you going to do about her?”