Page 50 of Between Us

“Move,” he ordered, his gaze fixed on the man standing behind her.

Behind Roman, the doors opened again, and Alek came out of the house, looking bewildered.

“Whoa! What the hell is going on here?” He drew out his own gun, but kept it lowered, his gaze moving from Roman to the intruder. By the look of aversion crossing his face a moment later, it didn’t take long for him to connect the dots and recognize who Luca was.

Alessandra felt Luca's hand on her waist as he tried to push her away. Roman took a step forward, blue eyes so dark they looked almost black. “Don't you fucking touch my wife.”

“She should have beenmywife,stronzo,” Luca gritted from behind her, though he dropped his hand a second later.

It was the last straw for Roman. The empty hand at his side clenched into a tight fist, a look of near madness crossing his handsome face. Alessandra realized with a sobering feeling of certainty that if she weren't stillstanding in front of Luca, he would have been dead by now.

“Roman, hey, calm the fuck down!” Alek pushed his brother back with one hand, his disapproving gaze moving to her. “Alessandra, get inside.”

The look she gave him was desperate. She couldn't handle the thought of having Luca's death on her conscience. “Please, Alek.”

“Get inside before this turns even uglier than it already is.”

Although very much aware that she should do as she was told, Alessandra found that she couldn't move. Her entire body felt rigid, shocked into a state of stiff energy.

“Go!”

Alek's barked order finally set her into motion. Not daring to even breathe in Luca's direction, she paused beside her husband, her chest burning with each breath she took. “Please don't kill him.”

Roman didn't even acknowledge her. Jaw set and hand raised, his sole focus was on the man invading his home.

Swallowing hurt and humiliation, she made her way inside, fighting the urge to look back.

20

Roman was seeing red as he glared at the motherfucker in front of him. The one who had dared sneak into his home and put his hands onhiswife. The thought of some asshole touching Alessandra was enough to drive him wild, but actually seeing it was making him insane.

He'd trusted her. Fuck, as stupid as it was of him, hehadtrusted Rossetti’s offspring. And then she'd gone and fucked around with another man. It felt like she’d rammed a sharp knife straight into his fucking chest and his heart was bleeding out right there on the patio floor, for the entire world to see.

Served him right for being so gullible. Vitaly would have a field day with it if he found out.

The only reason Roman had returned home was to retrieve a file he'd forgotten in the study. Alek was with him because they were both headed in the same direction. Such a menial task in essence, and still,so monumental all the same. One simple decision had served to drop the thick veil covering his eyes for the past two months since he’d married a fucking Rossetti.

Through the chaos in his mind, he wondered how long it had been going on. Did she betray him from the very beginning? The mere notion she could be so deceitful made his chest tighten with anger and something more vulnerable that he refused to acknowledge.

“Roman, look at me.” Alek's voice pulled him out of the dark vortex that were his thoughts. “We don't need the complication.”

“He's a dead man,” Roman responded, his voice deceptively calm. His entire body was anything but calm, every inch of him wound up tight and ready to detonate.

“We can't risk a war with them,brat. You know this.”

If he weren't so out of his mind with rage, Roman would have found his brother’s remark amusing. When had the little shit become the voice of reason?

Even though Alek hadn’t met Luca Morano before, he was smart enough to put two and two together. Risking a war to prove a point was indeed a bad move. But in his state, Roman didn’t really give a fuck about consequences as long as he got to see the bastard’s brains scattered around his backyard.

He took a step forward, finger itching to pull that trigger and end it all right then and there. “Andheshould know that going after another man’s wife will get you killed.”

Alek pushed him back again. “Shit, listen to yourself. You're not thinking clearly.”

“Get out of my way, Alek,” Roman said in a low voice,not taking his eyes away from Morano’s face. The son of a bitch had the audacity to smirk.

“No. You will let me handle this.”

This time, Roman shot his brother an irritated look. “I am your Brigadier andIgive the orders, not the other way around.”

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