Page 94 of Brutal Devil

“That’s the other thing, though. No one’s seen my cousin since the wedding. For all we know, you clipped her and you’remaking all these decisions on her behalf. Not that I’d accuse you of doing something like that.” He sucks on his cigar.

I consider stuffing it down his windpipe and letting him choke on it. I can feel my brothers tensing around me—none of us are liking the way this meeting has progressed so far.

“Are you accusing me of hurting my wife, Revello?” I bite out.

Amedeo the Animal holds my stare for a few beats, then puffs out a halo of smoke. “I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m just bringing you the concerns that some of the family have brought to me.”

“What a fucking statesman you are.”

I’m being sarcastic, but Amedeo doesn’t care.

He shrugs. “Eh, I do what I can. I have a duty to this family. Blood ties are the strongest ties there are. I’m obligated to look after Luna now that her father’s gone. Me and Squeaky both, seeing as how we’re the only cousins Luna has left.”

“Hate to break it to you, but since I’m her husband, that fucking trumps cousins.”

Another shrug and a slow, meditative puff on his cigar, like this asshole has all the time in the world.

“Family’s still family,” he says. “We need to make sure Luna’s happy and well taken care of. It’s important to us.”

“Squeaky vouched for us,” I argue, staring pointedly at him.

Squeaky’s pale, and he won’t meet my gaze. I can tell instantly that Amedeo’s got something on him. The shifty bastard.

“Yeah, see,” Squeaky starts, squirming a little on his seat as a bead of perspiration pops out on his forehead. “That’s the thing. I haven’t seen Luna since the wedding either.”

Squeaky Revello got his nickname from his unfortunate voice, and when he’s nervous, it’s even more high-pitched than usual. There’s no doubt about it. Amedeo somehow got toSqueaky and is putting pressure on him. Do they actually think I’ve murdered my wife? Hard to say.

My reputation is bad, and I know it. But I’ve never killed a woman before, and the only thing I want to do to Luna is protect her. And fuck her in as many ways as possible, but I don’t want to think about that right now because getting a boner while I’m negotiating with these pricks is out of the question.

“Let’s get to the point here,” I tell them both, my voice cold. “What is it that you want?”

Amedeo blows a new cloud of smoke. “What I want is for this alliance to go well. I’d hate to see it undermined by a lack of trust.”

Maybe instead of jamming that cigar down his windpipe, I’ll shove it up his ass. While it’s still lit.

“You saying your capos don’t have faith in me, Revello?” I ask quietly.

There’s no good answer for him. He has to tread with care, and he knows it.

“What I’m saying, Don Andriani,” he says slowly, “is that if you want the alliance to proceed smoothly, we need to know that Luna is alive and well.”

I don’t like the idea of bringing her out of hiding too soon, but Amedeo’s leaving me with little choice. Besides that, I know I can’t keep her locked away from the outside world forever. She’s not my prisoner. She’s my wife. I’ll bring in more guards. Do everything I can to keep her as safe on the outside as I did on the inside.

“I’m sure my wife would be happy to join us all for dinner,” I concede. “Will that suffice?”

“It’ll go a long way.” Amedeo can’t hide his smug smile. “But about the club…”

“It’s hers,” I snap. “My wife’s inheritance isn’t up for debate. She gets what’s owed to her as the daughter of Tomasso Revello,and anyone who tries to stop that is going to have to answer to me.”

It’s the closest I’ll come to an outright threat. I’m not here to start a war so soon after brokering a tentative peace between our families. But I’m also not about to let this fucking snake take what belongs to Luna. I’ll put a bullet in his head first. He needs to know it.

Amedeo watches me with those dark, glittering eyes that are almost black. Shark’s eyes.

“Understood,” he says at last. “If my cousin needs any assistance with Club Venere, I’m here.”

“I’m sure she’ll be overjoyed to hear it.” I stand. “I’ll have my men let you know when and where for the dinner. In the meantime, it’s time for you all to get the fuck out of my wife’s club.”

Amedeo and his men stand, Squeaky looking down at his feet and refusing to make eye contact. Fucking rat.