Page 64 of Vicious Rule

No respect for my art.

“He’s going to be gone in a minute or two. Just let me have my fun.”

“Sasha’s waiting for you back at the villa. What would you rather be doing? Filleting this asshole or spending time with her?”

“Fine.”

I grab my gun and stand before aiming directly at the center of his forehead. One shot ends him and all our problems with the Olivetti family.

As my father and I walk out together, he shakes his head in disgust at the blood covering me. “You know, you don’t have to make a mess like this all the time.”

“Yes, I do. I like doing it that way.”

He shakes his head and sighs. “I blame your mother for this. She let you play with your food when you were a baby. I told her to stop you, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”

“Feel free to mention that to her when we get back. I’ll be curious to hear what she has to say.”

What a fucked up family we are.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Sasha

Gideon and I sit in my room talking for nearly an hour while I worry about Alex back at the Olivetti estate. He better not get himself killed. I care about that madman.

“I see in your eyes you’re scared. Don’t worry. He’s insane. Insane people never get hurt.”

My dear friend always knows how to make me smile. Nudging his arm, I lean my head on his shoulder and let out a heavy sigh.

“You Rules sure do know how to keep things interesting, don’t you?”

He leans his head against mine and chuckles. “Don’t lump me in with my father and brother. You know I’m not like them.”

“I do. You know there have been more than a few times since I came here that I missed how calm things were with you. We did good work at the hotel, didn’t we?”

He moves me so I can see his face and smiles. “We did. I don’t mind telling you I miss you, Sasha. Nobody does the job like you do.”

“Of course not,” I joke. “I had to go, though. You understand that, don’t you?”

Frowning, he nods. “I do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss you all the time.”

Gideon has been my closest friend and confidant for years, so I have to tell him about Alex and me. I know what he thinks of his brother, but maybe he’ll understand anyway.

“I have something to tell you. I need you to keep your mind open, okay?”

He levels his gaze on me and smiles. “Okay.”

“Alex and me…”

I stop because I don’t know how to say this, but he finishes my sentence for me. “Are together as a couple.”

Relief washes over me until he adds, “Although I can’t imagine why.”

Elbowing him in the side, I try to make him understand why I care about his brother. “He’s not bad, you know. He’s actually pretty wonderful to me.”

The disappointment is obvious even though he nods like he agrees with me. “I was afraid of this when you said you were coming here to work for him.”

“Won’t you be happy for me like I was when you found Aria? That’s what friends do, don’t they? They’re happy when someone they care about is happy.”