Page 167 of Kissing the Villain

He gave me a nonchalant shrug. “Whatever the job requires.”

“So you’re like the anti-Robin Hood,” I said with a chuckle. “You steal from the rich and give to the rich?”

He shook his head, a ghost of a smile crossing his lips. “Yeah, I guess that’s one way of looking at it. But no, it’s not that simple.”

“What attracted you to that kind of work?”

“Luca’s book smart. My father knew that his mind works in ways mine never will. My dad said I had to find my place in the family.”

“Yeah, he’s kind of an evil genius.”

Luca got into Harvard University without using any of his family’s connections. He let his SAT and test scores speak for themselves. That crazy asshole was accepted without bribing anyone or donating a new wing at the school.

Marcello bobbed his head in agreement. “I hated school. It was boring and didn’t seem to have a point. I wanted to attend York Military Academy, but my dad refused. So, I begged him to let me train with some of his men at Salvatore Global when I was a sophomore in high school. It was basically like ROTC, but it was more intense.”

“If you could do anything, what would it be?”

“People like us don’t have choices,” he pointed out.

“My parents didn’t want me to paint. Look at how far I’ve come with my career.”

“You don’t know my dad well. None of us had a choice.”

“Luca’s never complained to me.”

He shook his head. “No, he wouldn’t. Luca is where he wants to be. He’s my father’s twin. Two megalomaniacs plotting world domination.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” I laughed. “When your dad moves, Luca moves with him. I’m surprised they’re so close after seeing Luca’s back and chest.”

“Luca took the brunt of the punishments.”

“You’re loyal to Luca, even when you shouldn’t be. Do you feel you owe him for helping you?”

“In some ways, yeah, I guess. We were never close as kids, but after my mom died, he would throw himself in front of me and take my dad’s punishments. I think he liked it.”

“Yeah, I get that,” I admitted. “The way he’s treated me over the years… Your brother is a monster.”

“He cares about you, Alex. I know he has a funny way of showing it, but Luca needs you.”

“If that were true, he would have treated me better. He doesn’t love me. Most of the time, I think he hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you, not even close. My brother can’t process emotions. When he was younger, my parents took him to different doctors. They thought he had alexithymia, but none of the doctors could pinpoint his diagnosis.”

“What is alexithymia?”

“It’s a disorder that prevents a person from expressing and feeling emotions. He gets angry, confused, and disconnected from people. That’s why he’s not affectionate and lacks empathy. But Luca doesn’t have any of the underlying medical conditions associated with alexithymia. So, the doctors refused to label him. My parents forced Luca to talk to psychologists and psychiatrists. His doctors thought he was making progress, but he’s so fucking smart he figured out how to play them. They all fed right into the palm of his hand.”

“Even as a child?”

Marcello nodded. “You don’t know how manipulative Luca can be.”

I snorted with laughter. “I know what he’s like. Sociopaths don’t have feelings.”

He tapped his fingers against mine with a serious expression on his face. “You’re trying to rationalize your feelings for Lucaby adding a title to his bad traits. It’s not that simple with my brother.”

“I just want to understand why he’s like this. You’re nothing like him.”

“We had different roles to fill within the family. Luca will unravel if he loses you. He’s been slowly falling apart since the meeting with your grandfather.”

---