Page 60 of Covert Desires

As if almost on cue, five goons dressed in all black barge in with their weapons drawn. Correction: five goonsplusmy short-shit brother in one of his flamboyant blue suits.

“Well, well, if it isn’t my darling brother. Hey, Dom,” Ricardo says in his high-pitched voice as he waltzes in last, twisting his ring (my ring) like he owns the place. I knew he stole it.Fucker.

He walks right up to me, cocking his gun, as his entourage surrounds me like a rent-a-crowd. Some of them are my father’s men, but there are some new faces too—Ricardo’s men.

“Domenico,” Stefano, my father’s right hand, says with a curt bow of the head as the men encroach on my space. He doesn’t look too pleased to be following orders from Ricardo.

I respectfully nod to Stefano before returning my attention to my brother.

“Took you long enough,” I taunt, smirking at him.

Ricardo snarls, his cruel smile twisting his face as he cracks his knuckles. “Such a fool, Dom. You were never going to be king,” he says simply, waving his gun around carelessly as he speaks.

“Do you really think you’ll get away with it?” I ask.

Darkness flashes in his eyes. “Shut up, or I’ll make you.”

Until that moment, I wasn’t 100% sure it was him, but now I know without a doubt—this fucker killed our father and then framed me for it.

Stupid twat.He’s always had more muscle than brains.

“Why did you do it? Did you want the throne that badly?”

“I’d stop talking if I were you, Dom. You’re wanteddeador alive…”

“Then why not kill me right now?”

“Hmm, I thought about it. But it would be more fun to torture you slowly.” He laughs, his voice screeching like nails on a chalkboard. Always our mother’s favorite, no wonder he turned out such a vile cunt just like her.

“This isn’t over,” I threaten.

“Oh, but it is. Get him!” Ricardo orders, and the others tighten the circle around me.

“Pity about that,” I say calmly, “We could’ve used somedolphins.”

“What?” Confusion clouds my brother’s face, but he doesn’t have time to ponder the weird sentence choice.

When we planned our attack, Kiah did saydolphinswas a dumb code word, and I’d “never work it into conversation naturally,” but fuck that, it worked.

It’s show time!

Quick as lightning, Kiah throws open the cupboard door, my knife raised.

It’s my cue and I jump to my feet, shrugging off the loose ropes, adrenaline surging through my veins.

The room explodes into a frenzy of shouts and gunshots.

"What the f—" Ricardo’s curse is cut short as Kiah's fist connects with his jaw. The sickening crunch is music to my ears.Atta girl.

I duck under a wild swing from one of the goons, driving my elbow into his solar plexus. He doubles over, gasping.

There’s no time to savor it, though.

"Domenico, you treacherous bastard!" One of Ricardo’s men, Marco, I think, lunges at me with a knife.

I sidestep, grabbing his wrist and twisting.

The blade clatters to the floor.

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