Possessive Stepbrother by MINK

9

Torino

“The fuck is up with you?” Lou asks as we walk into the warehouse with the busted dock. “You’re being weird.”

“Yeah.” Anthony nods his agreement.

“Nothing’s up with me,” I lie.

“For the past week, you’ve been just staring off, and sometimes you get this smile on your face.” Lou stops in front of me, his dark eyes squinting. “When are you going to come clean?”

“Come clean?” I ask.

“Who are you banging?” Anthony translates.

“Fuck off.” I push past Lou.

“Man, we only want to know what’s going on. Things are tense right now, especially with the Perths. This wedding has our world on edge, and it won’t settle down until it’s done.”

I spin and point my finger in Lou’s face. “There isn’t going to be a wedding.”

Anthony and Lou exchange a look. The two of them have been by my side since we were kids. Their fathers were trusted soldiers who worked for Carlito, so it made sense for them to become close to me. But they aren’t just soldiers, not to me. They’re friends. And I know they’d die for me if it came to it. Friends like those are hard to find in this world.

I should tell them, lay it all out. But I can’t. It’s too new, too precious. This thing with Alessa has to stay a secret. She’s scared to go against our parents’ wishes. I get that. I’m not afraid, even though I know it’s going to cause a major shitstorm, but I want her to feel comfortable, to know that I’m never leaving her side. I need every last bit of her trust before we jump off this cliff together. So I have to keep it secret until—

“It’s Alessa, isn’t it?” Anthony smirks.

“Has to be,” Lou agrees.

I stare at them. “How the fuck did you—”

“How’d we know you’ve been in love with Alessa for the past …” Lou scratches his chin. “How many years has it been, Anthony?”

Anthony shrugs. “Let’s just say since she was 18, for legal reasons, eh?”

Lou snorts. “Right. Let’s go with that.”

I try to keep a poker face, but I fail. Because, holy shit, if they can see it so plainly, who else has noticed?

“Don’t worry, Torino. We’ll keep your secret. Always have.” Anthony claps me on the shoulder.

“Is it that obvious?”

“No.” Lou shakes his head. “I mean, we know you, man. You’re like a brother. A big, asshole-ish, bossy brother.”

“With a bad attitude,” Anthony adds in.

“Enough.” I try to keep my voice stern, but my mind is going fifty miles a second. Worry eats away at me, but there’s also … relief. Anthony and Lou are trustworthy, and they don’t seem the least bit fazed. “Who else knows?”

“No one.” Lou straightens his suit coat. He’s almost as tall as I am, and just as broad. “If anyone said shit, I’d know. But, like I said, Anthony and I know you better than anyone, T.”

I take a deep breath and let it out.

“You could’ve told us.” Anthony crosses his arms over his chest.

“What are you going to do about Finnegan Perth?” Lou gets right back to business.

“I’ve thought about killing him,” I admit. Just the thought of him touching Alessa makes my blood boil, but I have to be smart. Calculating. My family comes first. If I strike against Finnegan, the repercussions would come back on my father, and worst of all, might hurt Alessa. I won’t let that happen.

“So let’s kill him.” Anthony cracks his knuckles.

“No, we need to be smart. Dad wants peace. That’s why he agreed to this marriage in the first place.” I sigh and look up at the darkening sky. “The wedding would cement a truce between us. Not that I’ll let it happen. I’ll never let Alessa go.”

“Seems like you’re stuck, then.” Lou reaches out and opens the warehouse door for me. “Seems like maybe you need your two best soldiers to help you out.”

We stride in and look over our operation. Pallets of drugs and smuggled goods line the walls and form neat rows. Along the very back are some high-powered servers and cooling rigs where we mine for bitcoin and other dodgy investments.

My thoughts stray back to Alessa. For the past week, I’ve been spending every free moment with her. In her bed. Between her thighs. Kissing her lips until I don’t know whose breath is whose. She’s everything I ever wanted, and I can’t get enough. But after what happened with that twat Finnegan, the wedding is only two weeks away. Hell, she’s out dress shopping right now.

Alessa and I are making love on borrowed time, and I can’t see a way out. But she’s depending on me to fix this, to make our happily ever after come true, and I’ll be damned if I let her down.

“I just need a plan. One that keeps Carlito happy but also keeps Alessa as a Rossi.” I lower my voice so our workers don’t hear our conversation.

Money counters and chemists all work together in this space, and I’m in charge of every last part of the operation. Dad has already given over plenty of control to me, but he’s still the head of the family. The one who decides what happens to Alessa.

I stop walking so quickly that Anthony bumps into me. “Maybe that’s it.”

“Maybe what’s it?” he asks.

“Maybe it’s time for Dad to finally retire.”

Lou’s eyes widen. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.” I don’t know why I haven’t thought of this sooner. “He’s been talking about it for years.” I pull them to the side where I know no one is listening. “What if I take over the family now? Take Alessa as my bride. My father is the one who promised her hand, not me. I won’t be breaking any agreement if I take her for myself.”

Lou’s forehead wrinkles, and Anthony doesn’t look sold on the idea. “Maybe?”

“Not maybe. Definitely.” This is the way to keep her a Rossi, to make her my wife. Hell, she may already be carrying my child. Damn, why does the thought of Alessa holding our baby in her arms give me so many feelings? I can’t hold back my smile.

Lou and Anthony exchange yet another look, then Anthony shrugs. “Man, you look giddy. I like it. Not all brooding like usual. I’m in. If she makes you happy, then let’s do it.”

“Me too. I always like some family drama, maybe a little war, bloodshed, shit like that.” Lou grins. “Now you’re going to pick me as your best man, right?”

Anthony glares at him. “Fuck you, Lou.”

For the first time, I see a way through this. A way that keeps Alessa safe and by my side. Now I only have to sell the plan to the most powerful, most feared, and most long-lived mob boss in this city, maybe even this part of the country... my father.