After I Fall

Ch 8: Lex

Panic. That was the emotion I felt when my men told me they no longer had eyes on Cesar and Caterina. What made matters worse, Cesar's phone was off. If anything happened to my brother, I would be the only one to blame. I let him take Caterina out. Cesar isn't as ruthless as the rest of us. He can hold his own, but to a woman of Caterina's caliber...I'm not so sure. Also, someone out there wanted Caterina gone. Shit. It's been almost an hour since I was told they no longer had eyes on them. At first, I thought Cesar was pulling a prank on me, but now not so much. I wasn't going to wait any longer.

"Dante," I call for him as I head for the front door. "Get everyone out looking for Cesar and Caterina. If they are wounded—" I pause my head drops, not wanting to think the worse. "If they are in any shape, then what they left like this morning, kill everyone on the spot."

"Fratellone!" I stop and let out a sigh of relief. Cesar throws his arm around Caterina's shoulders. The two look like they had a fucking blast at Realm. I overreacted for nothing, and that doesn't sit well with me. Overreacting for my brother, yes. Caterina? Not so much.

"Dante, tell the men to stand down," I say through gritted teeth. "Help her if she has any bags," I instruct before storming back into the villa.

Allowing her to have a phone now doesn't seem like a bad idea. The thought of her getting into trouble without having a way to contact me or any of my men, for that matter, doesn't feel right. As the Don of the Valentinos, it's my job to lead and protect. I've been around Caterina for no more than a week, and something is brewing within me. I don't know whether it is because I need to protect her until my revenge is complete or I just want to protect her from everything, including myself.

My phone chimes and pull me out of my thoughts.

Matteo: Dinner tonight?

Me: Not sure. I have some things to take care of at home.

Matteo: Bring the damn Marchetti with you.

The scent of floral and coconut fills my lungs as she walks into the living room. I'm pissed off and don't trust myself to speak right now. I might just give her the wrong impression I care about her. From my peripheral vision, I see her moving towards the sofa across from me.

Me: Now, isn't a good time to have her around the family. She doesn't know her place.

Rafael: You make her sound like a dog who needs training.

Me: She does.

Cesar: She was perfect with me today.

Me: Cesar, come back to my villa now. It's an order.

"Lex?" she clears her throat. "Lex." She calls again, and I have to bite my tongue from lashing out at her. They'd both feel my wrath if she did anything remotely close to flirting with Cesar. I will not tolerate disrespect.

Slowly, I move my eyes from the phone to her face. She does look a bit happier than when she left this morning. My eyebrows furrow, and I stare at her. Could she be stupid enough to seduce my brother?

"You have my attention. Why look away now? What do you want?" Irritation laces my words, and she quickly looks at me, holding my gaze and arching one eyebrow. She goes from smiling with Cesar to fighting for dominance with me. This is one fight she will lose over and over. I'm always in absolute control.

"If you were a lot more like Cesar, then we would get along great. More than great, actually."

My jaw clenches.