Page 12 of My Italian Stepbrother

The alarm on the gates rings, and I turn on the camera to see who’s there. I sigh when I see Jimmy leaning out of the window with a smug grin on his face.

“What are you doing here, Jimmy?” I say when I answer his call.

“Benito?” he replies, sounding surprised even though he must have heard that I was out. “I’m surprised to see you here. I have a meeting with your dad. Open up.”

I groan and roll my eyes as I let him in. When he’s done talking with my father, I have to pull him aside to see what deal he’s been doing with Perry and let him know I’m taking over my old routine again.

Jimmy walks right through the door like he owns the place, and my father greets him with a smile. Saying I hate Jimmy is an understatement. He’s dedicated his career with my family to undermining me and making me look like a fool in front of my father. When I was arrested after the murders, I found out that someone was working as an informant and tipped the police off. I’ve never known for sure, but my best guess is that it was Jimmy.

There was a time when we were friends, but I learned he couldn’t be trusted, and now he’s clearly out to get me. He wants to take over when my father retires. He’s made that abundantly clear.

I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he finds out I’m inheriting the position after all.

“Enio, how are you?” Jimmy says in a cheery voice as he shakes my father’s hand.

He smiles back at him, and I feel sick to my stomach watching it. I know my father has always wanted me to be as invested in the business as Jimmy, and I despise knowing he’s probably comparing us at that moment. But I’ll never stoop as low as him and hurt people like he does.

I wait in the living room while they have their little meeting, unsure of what it’s about. I haven’t spoken to my father about any of the specifics of the business since I’ve been back. When Jimmy walks out of the office with a smile on his face, I stand up and greet him.

“Let me walk you out,” I say to him and he nods his head.

“How’s it feel to be a free man again?” he asks me while we make our way to the door.

“I’m just glad to be back with my family,” I reply, waiting until we’re out of my father’s earshot to speak to him.

“I’m sure getting out and seeing your new stepsister must have been a pleasant surprise,” he jokes.

I clench my jaw and bite my tongue to keep from lashing out at him, but hot rage is coursing through my veins. Who the hell does he think he is to talk about Brie?

“Enio had me over for dinner a few times and she’s something else,” he continues. “I wouldn’t mind living that close to her.”

“Shut the hell up, Jimmy,” I snap at him.

He stares at me with a sly smile, like he’s been trying to get on my nerves the entire time and is happy he’s accomplished his goals.

“Oh, so you agree?” he chuckles.

We reach his car, and he stares at me for a moment before reaching for the handle. I push the door shut, and the smile drops from his face. The friendly facade is gone.

“What the hell is this about?” he demands with an annoyed sigh.

“I stopped by Perry’s yesterday. He’s an old friend of mine after all,” I say in a slow, calm voice. “He mentioned that the contact that took over for me has been bleeding him dry since I’ve been gone.”

“Look, Benny,” he starts to say, inching closer as if trying to intimidate me. “Things have changed since you got yourself locked up. Your actions affected the entire business. We lost a lot of money because people couldn’t trust us anymore. So, we had to crack down to keep ourselves afloat. Perry wasn’t the only one who had to pay more.”

I step closer to him, looking down at his face. He could never intimidate me in my own home. Besides, I’m taller and bigger than him, and I’ve seen the worst fights break out in prison. If he thinks I’d cower before him, then he’s as stupid as I’ve always thought.

“That’s a nice car, Jimmy. Is it new?” I ask, pinning him with a look. His eyes dart away from mine for a moment, and he swallows hard. I’m close enough to see a bead of sweat run down the side of his face. “I would hate to look at the books and find any discrepancies with Perry’s account.”

We stare at each other for a moment. I let the threat sink in before backing away from him to let him in his car. He hops in and drives away.

10

BRIE

Someone knocks on my door and I put my book down to go and answer it. I expect it to be my mom or Enio because they’re really the only ones who would knock on my door. But when I answer it, Benito is standing there, leaning against the door frame.

What did I do this time? My mind briefly flashes back to seeing him in his room after I walked in on him. Does this visit have anything to do with that?

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