Page 50 of Tragic Empire
“You’re the best, thank you,” Armani pipes up.
“Save some for Cassio,” I remind them, watching as both of them grab a plate and two slices to start.
“Oooo, save some for Cassio, she says,” Colton teases, waggling his eyebrows. “Aren’t you a sweet little wife.”
Not yet,I think sadly.But one day.
Cassio has more than earned my loyalty, and though it scares me, I don’t think it will be long before he earns my affection as well.
ChapterSeventeen
Cassio
In the month and a week since her mother’s funeral, I’ve become completely and utterly obsessed with my wife. When I’m not with her, I’m thinking about her, wondering what she’s doing and how she’s feeling. If I’m not wondering about her, I’m watching her. Either in real time through the Knight’s security footage to check in, or scrolling through her social media just to see her face.
Her Instagram is full of old videos and pictures, all of them featuring her smiling face. It’s a mixed bag of club openings, night life, fashion events, and more sedate charity galas. I’ve seen clips of her dancing with friends while neon lights flash around, and perfectly poised photos of her shaking hands with pillars of the community.
She hasn’t posted anything new, of course. I honestly don’t know if she’s even bothered to scroll through her timelines. Though, Jade took the liberty of posting our wedding photos and tagging Ana in them, so everyone is quite aware that Ana Knight is now Ana Moretti. I do hope that my wife will continue to update her social media eventually, for my own benefit. I don’t think I’m going to tire of seeing her face on my phone any time soon. Perhaps I should start taking my own pictures of her, and keeping an album of candids all to myself.
As much as I like seeing Ana in photos and videos, nothing compares to watching her in person. Seeing her eyes light with relief when I join her to sleep at night, and observing the way she hides smiles while Colton and Armani squabble. Every single reaction, no matter how subtle, catches my eye. Her existence alone is utterly fascinating, and I’m self-aware enough to admit that I’ve become addicted.
We haven’t shared more than gentle, comforting touches and soft words, but I feel more connected to Ana than I could have ever expected. I dread having to leave her each morning, but running The Kings have proven to be quite taxing. Even with Gerard’s assistance, it’s a tedious task to keep the men in line. Not to mention our search for the group responsible for attacking the Knight family.
Interviewing Ana about the events of that wretched night was perhaps the worst time we’ve spent together, but she understood the necessity of it. With descriptions of the men responsible, I’m better able to search for any intel I need to figure out who they are, and why they’ve done what they’ve done. I still felt like an absolute asshole when Ana didn’t leave her room for two days following the questioning.
She’s been in better spirits lately, for the most part. But as I come home from a long day of combing through The Kings’ records, I know today isn’t going to be one of her good days. There’s a somberness in the air, and I sense that something must be wrong before I even find Armani and Colton. They’re both drinking tumblers of amber colored liquor, sharing concerned expressions.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, eyes immediately searching for Ana around the common area. “Where is she?”
Armani swallows a thick gulp of whiskey. “She’s in Cole’s room.”
My heart drops. “Shit.”
“She’s been in there for hours,” Colton mutters sadly.
“Not even crying,” Armani continues, shaking his head. “She’s just on his bed, staring at the wall. She didn’t want to come out.”
Blowing out a breath, I rub a hand down my face. “Fuck. Did she say anything at all?”
“Just that she wanted to be alone. We sat with her for a while, but I guess it was too much,” Armani explains.
Rolling my neck, I shrug off my jacket and fold my shirt sleeves up, determined. “I’ll go talk to her.”
Colton gives me a hesitant look. “You sure?”
“He’ll make it better,” Armani answers for me. “Won’t you, Cass?”
My head dips in a firm nod. “I’ve got her.”
Seeing the two of them care for my wife, and slowly growing a friendship with her has been easier than I expected. I’ve become quite possessive of Ana, and if I could steal away all her time for myself, I would. But Armani and Colton don’t set off any threatening alarms for me.
Despite Armani’s reputation for sleeping with any pretty thing with a beating heart, he’s an extremely loyal brother. He’d never go after any of our wives or even women we were simply interested in. And I’m ninety-nine percent sure that Colton is gay with a capital G. I’ve never seen the man with a woman, or even checking one out, though I think most people assume he’s bisexual like Armani.
But that southern gentleman, manly appearance thing doesn’t fool me. Gay men come in all shapes and sizes. I mean, look at my brother Nico. He’s fit, menacingly unapproachable, certifiably psychotic, and he’s been out since he was twelve. He didn’t even attempt to hide it. Uncle Cesar asked Nico about a girl he’d seen talking to him at a dinner event, and Nico simply told him. I remember that day so clearly, hearing the family dinner table come to a halt with five words.
I’d rather have her brother.
After the initial shock wore off, Uncle Cesar and Dad both gave him nods of approval. Armani then welcomed him into theQueer Moretti Club—which Nico held no interest in joining. And no one has thought twice about it since. He doesn’t bring men around, so I’m unsure whether he’s even attempted to be with one, but that’s his business.
