Page 57 of Hidden Empire
Armani shrugs. “Watch me.”
I don’t understand what he means until he takes off, Matteo and I following hot on his tail. Running around campus on our day off and chasing down my brother was not on my to-do list for this week!
Before I know it, I’m huffing and puffing, trailing behind as he barges into the knives classroom. He lets himself in, uncaring who might be inside.
Luckily, there isn’t a class or any students around.
“Cabrera!” Armani calls out like a warning, continuing to swagger into the classroom like he owns it. “You want to marry my little sister, do you?”
Javi looks up from the knife he’s sharpening and blinks. “Are you offering?”
Oh god, not a good time for sass! Why are men constantly talking at the exact time when they should shut up and listen?
“The only thing I’m offering is a chance to pick out your burial plot before I put you in the fucking ground,” Armani bites out, taking a threatening step forward that I can’t stop.
“I’m so sorry,” I mouth to Javi, grabbing my brother’s arm and using all of my weight to hold him back from moving further. The last thing I need him to do is get himself stabbed or, worse, on the chopping block for murder.
“Matteo help me,” I snap, glaring at him hard.
“But I want them to hit each other,” he whines but reluctantly complies, stepping in the space between the two men. “Alright, boys, let’s take it down a notch, we’re in the presence of a lady.”
“You’re her fucking instructor, you don’t get to look at her like an opportunity. You’re supposed to teach her something, not sink your teeth into her with your stupid pretty boy face and?—”
“So you think I’m pretty,” Javi interrupts, not helping the situation one bit.
“You won’t be if you lay a single finger on Jade,” Armani vows, eyes flickering with the threat.
“Can we please lower the volume?” I ask, gritting the words from between my teeth. The last thing we need is more attention on this situation.
“Okay, I’ll bite,” Javier starts. “What exactly did I do to piss you off? Because I’m starting to get even more confused.” His eyes flick to me. “Did I do something in class that made you feel uncomfortable?”
“Nonono,” I rush out. “You were fine, I swear.”
Reassured, he looks back at my brothers. “So, what did I do?”
“You fucking?—”
“Wait,” Matteo interrupts, holding a hand up to halt Armani. “He doesn’t know.”
Armani looks like he wants to smack Matteo upside the head but refrains. “What do you mean he doesn’t fucking know? He did it!”
“I don’t think he did,” Matteo drawls, dubious.
“Now I’m confused,” I admit, starting to get a headache.
“Right there with you,” Javi adds, throwing his hands up. “What did or didn’t I do?”
“Apollo emailed me about people putting in marriage offers for me,” I explain, stumbling over the words. “Yours was on the list.”
Javier’s eyes widen, eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. “What the fuck?”
“See,” Matteo points out. “He didn’t know.”
“He could be lying,” Armani points out obviously.
“I’ve never submitted a contract proposal in my life,” Javi denies, his words laced with conviction. “And not for nothing, I’m sure your sister’s great and all, but marrying her is the last thing on my mind right now. The most I thought about her in class was how she’ll probably need custom knives when she leaves here because her hands are tiny as hell. I’m a little too fucking busy to be thinking about marriage.”
Custom knives would actually be great?—