Page 2 of Heir of Fire
And then he slammed the butt of the gun against Finn’s head, knocking him out cold.
TWO
FINN
Finn’s headhurt like a motherfucker. Truly and honestly, he was going to kill Dante.
He didn’t even need to open his eyes to know that he was back in New York. The plush of the couch under him gave it away. That, and the different sets of eyes he could feel staring into him from all angles of the room made his skin crawl.
Luna was the first person he saw when he finally decided to come to life. She looked the same way she did when he left, maybe a little older and more mature. Her eyes still had that same kindness toward him that they always did. The only difference was the big ass diamond ring on her lefthand ring finger that glimmered and likely gave her wrist problems from holding it up. She gave him a warm smile, sitting on the couch across from him, but her guard dog of a husband still didn’t leave her side.
“Welcome home,” she said. “I was wondering when you were going to wake up.”
“That rabid asshole didn’t have to knock me out,” Finn said, motioning to Dante who sat on one of the decorative chairs lazily.
He shrugged. “You resisted.”
Luna shook her head. “Either way, I’m glad you’re home.”
“This isn’t my home.” He didn’t have one anymore.
“Then take this as an opportunity to start over,” she said. “Maybe get yourself a nice home, finish your degree, start working to establish yourself as the Kingsley?—”
“Those are thingsyouwant, not me.”
Her face fell immediately. That seemed to have insulted Valerio.
“Those are things you should want for yourself,” Valerio growled. “What did you think you were going to do? Ride around America on that fucking bike for the rest of your life without a care in the world? Stop fucking running.”
“You don’t fucking know anything,” Finn hissed, nearly leaping off the couch.
Valerio’s eyes narrowed mockingly. He didn’t even attempt to hide the malice on his face. “Oh, I don’t? You’re not the only one whose daddy dearest died. We all lost someone, but you’re the only one who’s still running instead of dealing with everything.”
“I’m not weak,” he spat out.
“He didn’t call you weak,” Luna cut in. “You’re not weak, but you don’t have to run either. We’re here for you; I’m here for you. And as your sister, I’m not going to see you throw your life away.”
He fought the urge to roll his eyes. Of course that was what they thought he was doing. Neither one of them would understand. Luna was the perfect daughter, and Valerio was the perfect son, and together they were the perfect couple. Finn tried too hard to be that person, but all he ever did was disappoint his father. Nothing he ever did was good enough. He was always too weak, too careless, too hot headed.
He would never be the person they wanted him to be—the perfect heir capable of leading the empire that the multiplegenerations of men before him had created. With him, it would all crumble.
“And what if that is exactly what I want to do? What if I want nothing more than to throw my life away, drink until I can’t remember anything? What then?”
Luna’s face hardened, showing the viciousness she hid inside her. “Then I’ll have no choice but to seriously intervene.”
“You’ll force me? You’ll do exactly what you said you wouldn’t do? Become exactly like our father?” he bit back. Watching her face fall should have been satisfying, but it wasn’t. It only reminded Finn of how much of an asshole he was for throwing such low blows at the one person in his life that actually gave a shit about him.
Valerio’s hand was around his neck instantly, pressing him into the back of the couch with such force that Finn wondered if his neck was about to break. “Don’t you ever speak to her like that, do you fucking understand? You should be lucky that there’s one person left on this fucking planet that still gives a shit about you. One more word and I won’t hesitate to rid her of your undeserving presence. One more word and you’ll wish you never learned how to talk in the first place.”
“Val,” she called out. As if he was in some sort of daze, her voice seemed to snap him out of it.
Valerio pulled away, leaving Finn gasping for air. His throat burned and ached, but he wasn’t going to voice it while the douche was still there. Not while he deserved it either.
She cleared her throat, standing. “I think it’s best that you stay at the other house for now. I’ll visit when I can, but there you’ll be surrounded by familiar faces to hopefully bring you back to yourself. You have the option of going back to school if you want, but we’ll give you a few days to acclimate before you start getting introduced to the business side of things. Dante will walk you there.”
Dante walked over to him, cracking his knuckles. “Let’s go, asshole.”
The dismissal was final. Luna walked out of the room with Valerio following her immediately. Finn felt the apology clog his throat. The urge to just spit it out overwhelmed him, but he kept it buried instead. He followed Dante out of the house, trying to ignore how much he felt like a stranger since being back.
