Page 25 of King of Obsession (Kings of the Underworld #1)

In our conference room, Mika and I sit at a round table, the tension between us palpable. Neither of us has spoken yet and every second that ticks by, drips with upheaval.

I’ve made up my mind, and I will do whatever it takes to get what I want. He knows it. I know it. I should care more about my brother’s concerns, but I can’t find it in me. What I will ask of him is something he doesn’t want to do, but for the sake of our bond, he will support me.

“I want her,” I say, the weight of my words crashing between us with the force of a thunderbolt.

He grumbles. His eyes narrow, and he places his forearms on the mahogany table, steepling his fingers. Mika is a reactive person. That he stays quiet reinforces my belief that he’s trying to keep his emotions at bay.

“You want her.” It’s not a question but a statement woven with disbelief and a heap of worry.

“I do. Only her.” It’s more than want though, it’s need mixed with obsession. Every inhale and exhale is infused with my desire for this woman. I love her.

“From all the fucking women, it has to be her.”

I know what we’ll have to face. He opens his mouth, surely to reiterate what I am up against, loving to remind me as if I am behaving like a damn child who wants something and not caring if it’s good for him.

“This means war. So, let’s start a fucking war, but is she worth it?”

She’s worth it all. Whatever the costs. I’ll pay it all—if it’s my empire, my blood, or even with my soul. I don’t care.

He must notice my determined look because he exhales loudly, the sound disgruntled. “And you think Augustus won’t want his favorite toy back?”

“Don’t call her that,” I say through gritted teeth.

If she’s something, then mine. But his words hit the intended mark. While she loves me, she’s fucking loyal to him. I haven’t even discussed the logistics with her.

I am so convinced that she wants to stay with me, I haven’t asked about her wishes.

There’s this nagging feeling that if she goes back, she’ll slip through my fingers like a river you can’t hold on to, forever flowing and impossible to stop, and I will lose her.

I can’t have that. Whether she wants it or not, she’s not leaving me.

He sighs. “Let her go, Enzo. We need time to prepare for this and an alliance with the Syndicate to pull this shit off. I am still undecided if I want to become an associate.”

“They know they can’t control us. It will be a win for both parties.”

“She must fuck you well enough for you to spout this fucking positive bullshit.”

Anger claws through my insides, and I stand up, marching in his face. I only see red and the need to remind him that no one disrespects my woman.

He doesn’t even flinch when I land a right hook to his cheek.

“Never speak of her like that. No one disrespects my woman. Not even you, brother.”

He doesn’t reciprocate, just spits the blood on the floor between us. At the visual, I remember vividly when we swore an oath, cutting our palms. No one gets between us. Our joined families come first, before everything else. I guess she trumps that.

He shakes his head, jaw set in a hard line. “She doesn’t deserve the trust you put in her. Enzo, my friend, my brother, she won’t choose you.”

I refuse to even entertain that thought.

“All I care is if you are with me or against me on this?” I ask harshly.

He stands up, putting a palm on my shoulder. “Always, but it won’t be worth it.”

It is. It will be. If he had someone he’s crazy about, he would understand.

“You hit like a girl,” he says, bringing some much-needed levity in our talk.

Cocking my head, I arch a brow. “Your bloody mouth seems to disagree.”

We remain silent for a while, watching outside the window as the city moves along its day, unperturbed by the chaos happening a few stories above it.

“If Dahlia is in danger because of this, I will slaughter Luciana in her sleep, and not even you can stop me.” He delivers his threat with cold detachment.

“She’s my sister,” I grit out, knowing it won’t come to that.

“Then fucking act like you haven’t forgotten it.”

The muscle in my jaw ticks in the rhythm of the guilt bouncing in my chest. He’s about to leave when I say, “Thank you for watching over her.”

For a moment, there’s movement in his eyes, a flicker of something I can’t decipher, but it’s gone just as quickly.

Shoving my hands in my pockets, I see my hard reflection in the window, accepting that I don’t care what my choosing Luciana means as much as I should because with her by my side, I’ll gain so much more—everything.

Heading back to my office, I look through my meetings, wanting to end this day sooner so I can visit my sister and mother at the compound and then I’ll head home to her.

Just wanting to hear her voice, I call Luciana.

With every unanswered second, my nerves threaten to knot up my stomach.

I can’t believe how nervous she makes me, even though I know how she feels from the inside out.

When she picks up after a few rings, she says my name in a soft voice but with a hint of nostalgia, instantly unsettling me.

“What is it, amore?” I feel it in every atom of my body—attuned to her. Something bothers her.

“Thinking,” she sighs. I don’t like that. I want to make her happy and give her so many reasons to be joyful about that nothing ever bothers her.

“Dangerous.”

A small chuckle seeps through the line, and she says, “Do you believe in fate?”

“Ever since I met you, yes. There’s no way to explain otherwise what you’ve done to me in such a short amount of time.”

“Mm-hmm,” she says noncommittally.

“Why are you asking?”

“Then do you think there are things we have to do that are stronger than our wishes just because we were meant to do them?”

“That would excuse everything we did in life. Where would the accountability be?”

“So, we all have to pay for our sins eventually, right?”

“What do you want me to tell you?” I sense there’s something deeper going on. It drives me insane that I don’t know.

“Would you say to have me is worth everything?”

“You know damn well that it is.”

There’s a sharp intake of air and she huffs. “You’re crazy, Enzo. So crazy that no mental institution would know what to do with you.”

“They would know. They would just have to bring me the cure to my fucking madness and that’s you,” I snap.

She remains quiet, but I hear her heavy breathing, and I continue, “Are you looking for a fight?”

“Maybe.”

I rake a hand through my hair, not knowing how to make her understand that I’ve got her. “I am always on your damn side. You don’t have to prove to me how strong you are. I know that. There’s no power battle here.”

“I am not worth it,” she whispers.

“You are.”

“I am your personal Helen of Troy…” Her tone rises to a high-pitched, ringing sound of despair.

“Every man’s demise or success is because of the woman he has by his side. I accept it either way,” I say matter-of-factly.

“So, you have no problem sleeping with one eye open. You’ll never know if I want to kill you again.”

Sure . She can tell herself that if that helps her cope with reality.

“Preferably with your mouth around my cock, or even better with your pussy on my face.”

“You’re impossible.”

“You still fell for me, Luciana. None of us is sane. Let’s rule this world and infect it with our madness.”

“Spilling blood, fucking like crazy… hmm, sounds appealing.”

With her by my side, I’d become unstoppable. For a moment, I can’t believe this is reality, not a scenario my subconscious conjured while I was asleep. I shake my head to ground myself in the here and now.

“See you at home. Love you.”

She hangs up without a reply. If she wants to play games with me, she’ll see what happens. My cock turns to steel, only thinking of punishing her and fucking her hard. But nothing puts a damper on my desire like the drive to the compound.

The guards open the wrought-iron gates, and I drive down the long road before I park in front of the mansion.

I see my sister lounging by the pool in a white linen dress. She appears like a damn angel of light—innocent and unperturbed by the horrors of our life, even though she experienced the most horrific aspects of it.

Approaching her, she stands up from the chaise lounge, and her demeanor becomes colder.

“Your men are talking. You should know better than to put yourself in the position of appearing weak.”

“You and Mika should look after your own lives rather than constantly meddling in mine.”

She places her hands on her hips, sticking the tip of her nose in the air. “Well, big brother, we both care that you are sleeping with a cobra that could strike you at any moment.”

My jaw sets in a hard line, so fucking done with having to repeat myself. “She won’t.”

“So confident when you have trouble trusting even us.” She turns on her heel and marches inside, shutting the door with enough force the door hinges rattle.

Scrubbing a hand down my face, I let myself into the foyer.

Edgy notes flow through the air, each key hit with precision, revealing sheer talent, and unmistakable passion.

Piano is my sister’s escape and prison in one. She loves and bleeds for her instrument while we, mere mortals, have the fortune to be in the presence of such heavenly music.

I lean back against the wall, the sounds usually bring me some peace of mind, but that’s not happening today.

Not when I know as long as my sister thinks Luciana is a threat, she will never welcome her into the family.

As if that’s not enough, she has Mika on board and those two will obviously influence my mother.

They’ll learn not only to accept her but like her. Beneath that icy and arrogant exterior hides a passionate, loyal, and good woman.

My mother descends the stairs, and I rush to help her.

“Mio figlio,” she says and then she hears how my sister changes the tune, playing something even darker.

“What did you do to upset her?” she asks with a raised brow.