Page 36 of Heir of Fire
But where one idiot went, another followed by the name of Dante Vitali. By associating with one, Finn would have to associate with the other. This was exactly why he didn’t date—too much fucking work. But when it came to Gianna, he didn’t hesitate to do it. He even felt compelled to do it, took the initiative, which was wild in his opinion.
Still, her avoidance was why he approached Allister and Dante as they sat in the study, talking about something that he couldn’t care less about. The moment they saw him enter theystopped talking. Dante’s eyes narrowed immediately as if he couldn’t believe that Finn was in his space. Allister, on the other hand, raised his brow in question.
“Hi,” Finn said awkwardly, standing by the entrance. When he couldn’t be an asshole, he wasn’t sure how to act.
“What are you doing here, Kingsley?” Dante asked, taking a sip of whatever drink he held in his hand.
“Thought I would come here to extend a hand to you both considering I live here, and I don’t talk to either of you,” Finn said.
Dante went to open his mouth, but Allister was the one to talk first. “Take a seat.”
He did. He leaned back on the couch, getting comfortable while they eyed every single movement he made. They all sat there for a moment in silence. Was Finn supposed to say something? How the hell did people even become friends? Should he compliment them?
“Do you want something to drink?” Allister asked.
Thank God.
“Sure,” Finn said. Allister grabbed a glass from the center of the table and poured him some scotch, handing it over. He grabbed the glass, swallowing nearly half of it at once. “Thanks.”
“How are you liking being back home?” he asked, getting comfortable again. “I know the circumstances weren’t necessarily your favorite.”
Right, where they drugged him and then Dante knocked him out by hitting him in the head with a gun. No, it really wasn’t his favorite.
“Every day gets better,” he said. “It’s weird being back in this house with everyone considering the last time we all lived together, we were in the middle of a war.”
“Well, that’s over now,” Dante said. His eyes were harsh. “So there’s no point in reliving the past.”
“Not reliving it, just making an observation,” Finn said.
“I can’t imagine the transition has been easy for you,” Allister said.
“Thanks for saying that,” he said, and he genuinely meant it.
Since he had been back, it felt like he was constantly trying to convince everyone of how hard it was for him to be there, but hearing someone acknowledge it themselves felt refreshing. It seemed like Allister was the logical one amidst the wild Vitalis.
“I know that neither of you have to let me stay here, so I want to take you both out. Treat you to drinks,” Finn said. He knew they liked their parties, and so if there was one way to get them to tolerate him, or maybe even be friendly, it would be through a wild night out.
Immediately, Dante’s eyes lit up. “If you want to treat us with that big fat Kingsley inheritance, then I’m not complaining. Just a heads up, we’re expensive.”
Finn resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I think I can handle it.”
Allister stood, a grin on his face. “Then I think you have yourself a deal, Kingsley.”
Gianna popped into his head. That was who he was doing this for. All for her.
Fuck his life.
When he brought up the idea, Finn thought they would plan for something a few weeks from then. But Allister and Dante had jumped up and dragged him out to some fucking club that night.
They were at some club in the city that was obviously owned by the Vitalis, and yet, they had no issue creating a tab under Finn’s name and ordering bottles to it. The club was three storiestall. Each floor was open, acting like a balcony that looked down onto the main dance area at the center of the first floor. Red lighting covered the entire building, making it difficult to see anything clearly, but he assumed that was the point. This seemed like the type of club people hid out at to be as wild as they wanted to be.
They were currently on the third floor, which seemed completely reserved for VIPs because it was decked out with red velvet sofas and a glass table. Dante had invited people up with them, so Finn didn’t recognize a single person except the duo he came with.
He used to be the type of person who would have enjoyed this very environment, but now, it seemed like this was the last place he should have been. Things had changed so much in such a short time, and it was hard for him to wrap his fucking head around it.
He sat on one of the sofas with a drink in one hand and his phone in the other. His text conversation with Gianna stared back at him.
Gianna
