Page 1 of Stefano
Chapter One
The Distance
Stefano
Darkness is easier than light.Violence is cleaner than love.
That’s what I’ve always told myself.It’s simpler to pull a trigger than it is to hold a woman.Safer to watch blood drain from an enemy’s face than to watch the way Andrea Rossi looks at me when she thinks I’m not paying attention.
The worst part?I see her.I fucking see her every damn time.
Her soft smile.Those wide brown eyes, bright and curious even when the world around her is ugly.The way she fidgets with her hair when she’s nervous.Innocence doesn’t survive long in this life, but somehow, she carries it like armor.Like a spark that refuses to burn out no matter how much darkness surrounds her.
And I stay the hell away from it.Because if I get too close, I’ll ruin her.
“Stefano.”Alceu’s voice cuts through my thoughts, dragging me back to reality.We’re at the long oak table in the dining room of the compound, dinner spread across it like a feast.My brothers, their women and children, and a few trusted soldiers.The space is filled with laughter, conversation, and the clink of cutlery.On the surface, we look like any other big Italian family.But we all know the truth—we are not normal.Our hands are red, our souls darker than the wine in our glasses.
I lift my gaze.Alceu, as usual, is studying me like I’m one of his chess pieces.Severu leans back in his chair, whiskey swirling, smirking like he knows every thought in my head.Mancuso’s laughing too loudly at something Callie said, probably half-drunk already.
Andrea sits near the end of the table, between Guilia and Lira.She laughs softly at something Mancuso mutters, covering her mouth with her hand.Sweet.Untouched.A temptation I have no right to even think about.
“You’re quiet tonight,” Alceu presses, his tone carrying that older-brother weight that brooks no bullshit.
“I’m thinking,” I answer, stabbing another piece of steak with my fork.
“Thinking?”Severu smirks across the table.“That explains the smoke coming out of your ears.”
The others chuckle.I flip him off without looking up, and the conversation shifts.Thank fuck.
I try to focus on my plate, on the food, on anything except the little sister of my sister-in-law.But my gaze betrays me, dragging back to Andrea every few minutes like a goddamn magnet.She’s wearing a simple black dress tonight, nothing flashy, but it hugs her curves in ways that make my cock ache.She doesn’t even notice what she does to me—or maybe she does, and she’s too sweet to admit it.
I down half my wine in one swallow, needing the burn.She deserves someone better.Someone who hasn’t carved men apart for information.Someone who doesn’t keep knives under his pillow and blood on his conscience.Someone who can give her safety without dragging her into hell.Not me.
“Earth to Stefano.”Callie snaps her fingers in front of my face from halfway down the table.Her smirk tells me she’s caught me staring.
“Fuck off,” I mutter.
Guilia’s eyes narrow as she follows Callie’s gaze ...then Andrea’s.For a second, my chest tightens.Does she see it?The way I look at her little sister?If she does, she doesn’t say anything.She just leans over to whisper something to Andrea, who blushes and swats at her.
Christ.
My cock throbs against the zipper of my slacks.I shove more food into my mouth, chew hard, and pray dinner ends soon before I embarrass myself like a fucking teenager.
When it finally does, people scatter, some to the lounge, some outside, some upstairs.I linger in the kitchen pretending to load the dishwasher, needing a few extra minutes of distance before I lose myself completely.That’s when she drifts closer, carrying empty glasses to the sink.
“Hey, Stefano.”Her voice is soft but steady, like she’s testing the water.
I nod.“Andrea.”
“Good dinner, right?”She smiles up at me, cheeks flushed from wine and laughter.
I grunt something that might be agreement, hoping she’ll take the hint.She doesn’t.Her hand brushes mine when she sets a glass in the sink.Just a touch.Barely anything.But it’s enough to light me up like a fuse.My body reacts instantly, going hard and tense, ready for whatever comes next.
I step back.“Be careful with that glass.It’ll break.”
Her brows pinch together.“You always do that.”
“Do what?”
