Page 56 of Until You Break
“Enough,” I said, with a hint of sarcasm that didn’t quite hide how little rest I’d really had.
Luca flicked a coin into a new stack, smirk curling. “Try not to scuff your paws out there,gattino.”
I sniffed, letting sarcasm edge my voice. “I’ll keep the claws in.”
Luca leaned forward, elbow braced on the table. “Do you even know how to use them?”
“Claws?” I asked.
“Anything sharp,” he said, grin quick and crooked. “I don’t see you holding a blade.”
Alessandro finally lifted his eyes, dry amusement cutting across the rim of his cup. “He doesn’t need one. That’s what Damiano’s for.”
The line hit harder than I wanted. I busied myself with the cornetto, pretending not to hear the way Luca’s grin widened.
The kitchen quieted for half a breath, as if everyone expected me to fill the silence. They sparred with words so easily, fluent in a language I hadn’t been raised to speak. I was always a beat late, listening for the rhythm before I could try to step in.
“Do you always do this?” I asked finally.
Alessandro arched a brow. “What?”
“Circle around me like you’re waiting for me to slip.”
“Not waiting,” Luca said, flicking another coin. “Just watching.”
“Same thing,” I muttered.
“Not really. You belong to us now,” Alessandro said mildly, turning another page.
Damiano came in then, breath still rough from exertion, damp hair plastered to his temples, shirt clinging to his chest and shoulders from sweat. His veins stood sharp along his forearms, chest rising and falling as he crossed the room. I thought he looked unfairly hot, heat radiating off him like he had carried the gym inside with him.
He paused only long enough to glance at me. “Get ready,” he said, voice still edged with exertion. Then he poured water from the jug and drank half in one go, Adam’s apple working, eyes cutting briefly to me.
“You’re taking him somewhere?” Alessandro asked, lowering his paper.
Damiano didn’t sit. He stayed in the doorway, voice clipped. “Out.”
The door banged shut behind him as he left. Nonna shook her head, muttering something under her breath as if to bless or dismiss his impatience. Time blurred in his absence, the room settling back to the clink of Luca’s coins and the rustle of paper until the shower stopped.
When Damiano came back, he was crisp again.Suit pressed, cologne layered over soap, phone sliding into his pocket. The air shifted with him, command reasserted. He moved easily through the kitchen, pouring two coffees into travel cups, tucking napkins and a couple of cornetti into a small bag. Every motion was precise, like he’d already decided the shape of the day before anyone else had stirred.
Luca leaned back in his chair, grin sharp. “So you’re taking the kitten out?”
Alessandro finally looked up from his paper, then at me. The edge of his voice softened. “Be careful. Valenti dogs have been circling.” His eyes lingered on me a second longer, as if to add another sorry without the word.
“Where?” I asked, the question sharp before I could stop it.
Damiano’s gaze cut to him, quick, sharp, before coming back to me. He straightened my lapel, knuckles brushing my throat like punctuation.
“Somewhere you’ll like,” he said, cryptic enough to be a threat, or a promise.
“Like where?” I pressed, unable to stop myself. “To see my father? Or is this another of your shows, something you want me to stand beside you for while everyone else watches?”
He slid a glance at Alessandro, the kind that carried instructions I wasn’t supposed to hear. Alessandro only hummed and went back to his paper, but something passed between them like a door shutting.
“Yes,” I repeated, a little stronger. “I’ll stay close.”
“Good.” His knuckle nudged the tie knot like he could fasten it tighter with a thought.
