Page 22 of Savage Empire

Yordan grins, kissing the top of my head and leaving my side to hand Apollo back his card.

Apollo doesn’t accept it. “That’s yours.”

“Dude, no way,” Yordan says, shaking his head. “I’m not keeping your credit card. I’m cool with gifts and all… but that’s a lot.”

“It’s for both of you. You’ll need plenty of things in the next few days. Your bedrooms have basic toiletries and essential clothes already, but not enough. Request what you like from the shopping app on your phone, and the items will arrive the next day.”

Apollo looks at me, expecting a fight, but I’m too tired to argue.

“Spend some actual money, will you? I don’t want to come back here and see that you barely have any stuff. I won’t be happy.”

Yordan hesitates. “What if I max it out?”

Elio laughs hard, throwing his head back.

Apollo only smiles.

“If you manage to max that card out, I’ll be genuinely impressed.”

Chuckling, my brother accepts the card, sliding it into Leon’s sweatpants pocket. “I’m torn between trying to be humble and allowing my competitive nature to take that as a challenge.”

“Take it as a challenge,” Elio advises with a conspiratorial grin. “But be warned, it’ll take some wild purchases to actuallymake Apollo’s pockets hurt. If you want to go car shopping, take me with you.”

“Absolutely not.”

Yordan huffs. “I don’t think a car is in my future anytime soon, bro.”

Apollo mutters under his breath, and I swear it sounds like, “Don’t be too sure.”

He’s going to drive me to the brink of insanity, and I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to stop it.

Chapter Seven

Rayna

Ihaven’t seen Yordan this happy in years. He’s been exploring every inch of the apartment for over an hour now. He’s obsessed with his room, saying it’s better than any bedroom or hotel room he’s ever stayed in. And he adores the living room, specifically the oversized flatscreen TV with endless streaming and gaming options available for free. Not to mention the couch he’s already claimed as his cozy sanctuary.

His enjoyment has made this process easier. I know I’ve bitten Apollo’s head off more than once, and I still don’t like the man, but I can’t deny how profoundly he’s impacted Yordan in such a small amount of time.

If I didn’t have him to consider, I would have a much harder time accepting this place. I’m stubborn to the bone, but even I can’t refuse this kind of help. It’s life changing, and Yordan deserves this more than anyone. He’s the biggest light in my life, constantly shining in the darkest of times. He likes the Morettis, every single one of them that he’s met thus far.

Apollo has already promised him that he’ll pick him up tomorrow morning to show him around The Outfit territory and businesses. I, of course, declined to go with them, with Elio’s assurance that he’d stay by Yordan’s side. The idea of letting my baby brother go off for the day with two mobsters who have no doubt taken their fair share of lives makes my skin crawl, and still, I won’t try to stop him.

This is what our life is transitioning into, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it without hurting Yordan. We’re both finished looking around now, since Apollo and Elio left us alone. The code has been changed and my brother has already begun snacking on something from the pantry. With a bag of chips in one hand and a sports drink in the other, he plops down on the couch, laying back perpendicular to me.

Sighing happily, he nudges my thigh with his foot. “You should be smiling, dude. This place is insane. Don’t you love your room?”

Forcing my lips to tip up, I nod.

My roomisnice. Nicer than the one that Federico tossed me into on our wedding night. That bedroom was small and dusty, with a squeaky bed and no bathroom of my own.

This one couldn’t be further from the old prison of a room. It’s wide open, and bright from the big windows. There’s a spotless ensuite that looks like no one has ever even showered in it. My bed doesn’t squeak, nor does it wobble on uneven legs. It’s a queen-sized memory foam mattress, decorated with pearly white blankets and pillows. The furniture is all matching, and the walk-in closet is bigger than necessary. Top it off with the dark wood floor and white fluffy carpet combination and the room becomes something like out of a Pinterest board.

The room is lacking any sort of color and style, like a blank canvas. Not that I’m complaining. I haven’t been able to decorate my room since I was a teenage girl, anyway. It’s just alot…it’s so many new things all at once. And Apollo expects us to buy more on top of it.

Sure, there’s only a few pairs of clothes for us right now, and our toiletries may only last two weeks or so, but buying more? It’s overwhelming to say the least.

“Yes, it’s nice,” I tell him, trying to muster up a more genuine grin. “I’m glad that you like it so much.”