Inhabitants of the De Santi mansion (3)

WILL

Nico is getting a little too close to our prisoner. First, he carried croissants to her room, then he asked Luna to make cheeseburgers because apparently, she mentioned she likes them, and now, in the dead of night, I see him carrying a huge bowl of popcorn.

"What's that about?" I intercept him at the top of the staircase. He looks at the heaping bowl then at me, as if it should be obvious.

"She is not a pet," I warn him.

He shrugs. "I know, I know. She's a lamb being readied for slaughter. But a lamb needs to be fed. How else will you gain much from its slaughter?"

She is not a lamb. She's more like a wild kitten. But what's the difference? Aside from maybe the fact that I don't eat kittens. Though the thought of eating a certain feisty ash-blond-haired kitten is quite tempting. I can almost picture her flushed face when I…

What the fuck am I thinking?

"Stay away from her," I warn my brother.

"Get over yourself, Will. This is not just your prisoner. She is a De Santi syndicate prisoner. Guess who else has a say in matters over here? That's right—Me."He points at himself, his eyes darkening in anger.

I furrow my brows. I am the new don. I get to decide what happens in the syndicate and when, and I have the right to veto any decision he makes that doesn't please me, but I don't tell him that. That's a can of worms I'm not ready to touch yet—not when my reign is still taking root.

That doesn't mean I stop thinking about his actions when he disappears down the hallway.

He has never taken any interest in a prisoner before, except to help Esteban torture information out of them. I know he would not let Catalina talk him into freeing her. He's not that gullible—that's not even what I'm worried about. I'm worried about something entirely different: my brother's inability to keep his dick in his pants when it comes to women he shouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.

Nico likes to play with fire, especially when it comes to women. The more off-limits they are, the more he wants them. And Catalina is probably the most attractive woman he has ever met without factoring in her looks.

I rake a hand through my hair. The thought of what he would do to her if given the chance is infuriating.

"I told you this was a bad idea." A voice pipes up from beside me.

It takes a moment for me to realize it's my mother, who seems to have appeared out of thin air. I've been so lost in my head that I didn't hear her waking over. I sigh and stride to the mezzanine in a feeble attempt at avoiding the lecture I know is about to come.

She follows me and places a hand on my shoulder. "Will,"

I let out an intelligible sound. I know what she's going to say. She was not the biggest fan of this idea, to begin with, this argument just pinned the last nail on the coffin.

Not that Nico and I fighting is anything new. We've exchanged fists over pettier matters. Her worry has nothing to do with Nico and I disagreeing. She hates the Romanos and with good cause. However, chances like this don't rain down like pie in the sky every day.

"This is our best shot, Ma." I remind her.

She purses her lips, shutting her eyes for a few seconds. She knows this already, which is why she doesn't argue. "Whatever you say, son. I just…you and Nico are all I have left. I don't want your relationship to fall apart for any reason and this girl is a disaster waiting to happen. Clearly."

"I get it," I assure her. I get why she would be worried about something coming in between Nico and me. She doesn't have a good relationship with her brother, who also happens to be the only family she has left. "There's a huge difference between your brother and mine, Mother. Mine is not an asshole."

For the first time, a smile spreads across her face. She knows I'm not exaggerating it. Even if Nico and I stab each other amid one of our feuds, I know he'd still take a bullet for me and I'd do the same for him. Valentino tried to pit against each other all our lives but thanks to Mamma, our bond grew stronger by the day.

"I made one of your favorites for dinner," she sing-songs with a smile."Fried chicken. You know I don't like it when you skip dinner, workaholic." She smacks my shoulder lightly, feigning annoyance.

Well, that's because I was too busy avoiding the wild kitten I knew would be sitting close to me at the table, her sweet, floral scent wafting into my nostrils throughout the meal.

Just like that, the thought of whatever she and Nico are doing while eating popcorn in the dead of night floods my brain and I want to break something.

_______

About an hour later, I summon Cat into my study.

I try to tell myself it's because this can't wait and we should start planning our move pronto but I know that's a crock of shit. I want to interrupt whatever fun she's having with my brother. Not that I'll admit it with a gun to my forehead.

When she walks in, I almost regret calling her over. She looks phenomenal.

She's dressed in a deep-blue silk nightgown I'm certain is one of the clothes I had Luna buy for her, and I almost want to curse at Luna. I asked her to buy the prisoner a few presentable garments. Not turn her into a fucking goddess. She's merely standing a few feet from my desk, and I want nothing more than to grab her and feel the smooth skin under that blue fabric.

The nightgown loosely hugs her curves, and boy are they impressive curves. I can't stop myself from roaming my eyes down her body. They linger appreciatively at her hips, then work their way up to her slender waist and stop at her breasts. Damn. My throat feels dry as I stare at her gorgeous round breasts, and I can't help picturing how perfectly they would fit in my palms. She's not wearing a bra underneath. As if to prove that observation, her nipples harden under my gaze and my cock twitches in appreciation.

That's my cue to stop ogling at the prisoner I just gave my brother shit for getting close to.

I clear my throat and ask, "What have you and Nico been up to?"

"Watching a movie." She says and takes a step closer. I hate to admit it, but I'm seeing her face clearly for the first time. I was too busy staring at parts of her I have no business looking at. She has a defiant expression but beneath that, I see a hint of fear she's trying so hard to hide.

"I take it you finally came to your senses and decided to let me go?" she quips.

I almost laugh at that. "Close."

"Shame, I thought it was time to go."

I ignore her cheerfulness. She's a good actress. I know she's making up all kinds of scenarios about how I'm about to kill her, but she's doing a good job hiding it. I wouldn't be able to tell how terrified she is if I wasn't a tactic I understood so well.

"You have been running quite rampant around here," I say, and her eyes jump to meet mine. She's ready to retort. The more I talk to her, the more I'm convinced bringing her here was a good decision.

"You certainly don't want to know what happens when you poke a bear too much. So from now on, you will do as I say and follow these rules."As I speak, I open the top drawer of my desk and pull out a printed sheet of paper.

She steps forward to take it from my hand as if half-expecting it to be a joke and her eyes widen when she reads it.

I already know what is written on it in huge, bold fonts. Gotta make sure she reads them clearly.

1. Do not get too close to anyone.

2. Do not try to escape.

3. Do not leave your room without permission.

4. Do not ask anyone for a phone.

5. Do not steal anyone's phone.

The sixth one was in as large a font as the rest, but it was also in red.

6. Do as William says.

That was basically a reiteration of all the rules but I added it for good measure.

"Actual rules?" She can't hide the snort in her tone.

I lean back against my headrest to watch her reaction clearly, fighting the urge to smile. "You're lucky they are not the De Santi commandments. Do you understand each of the rules, or do I need to make you recite them?"

She quickly shakes her head. "I understand."

When she turns, I catch the smirk on her face right before it disappears.

Something tells me she's going to try to break every single one of those rules, and I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy punishing her for it.

_______

AN

This book is participating in WSA 2023. I hope you will support it!

Daily updates starting next week Monday. I don't know what the length of the chapters will be yet.